By the time he woke up, the moon was out. He had fallen asleep, leaning against the side of the tombstone in a rather uncomfortable position.

The rain was much lighter than before, but it hadn't stopped. The only reason it wasn't hitting his head was because of the umbrella his butler was holding. His butler was leaning down, a hand on his shoulder. He must've shook him awake.

"Young master, I'm not quite sure how long you've been here, but we should get you home. If you don't change, then you could get really sick." Without letting him respond, the elder man pulled him to his feet.

That was when he realized how heavy his clothes had gotten. He was drenched head to toe, and even if his coat was made of nylon polyester, the time he spent in the humidity was bound to have made it absorb more water than it should've. The fact that his vest and shirt was made of wool wasn't helping either. And let's not talk about his pants.

His butler made no comments about how red his eyes were. Not the irises, but around it. If anyone understood what happened, he did.

He was ushered to the back of the car and their ride was silent. Even when they got to the single-storey house, neither of them spoke. The inside just seemed even gloomier than before.

His butler went to the kitchen as he made his way to his room, taking out a blue sweater, boxer shorts, and pants, before diving into the bathroom. Once the threat of getting a cold was removed, he tossed his wet clothes into the laundry basket and collapsed on the couch in the living room.

"The pie will be ready in a few minutes." The elder man said, carrying a tea set on a tray towards him.

"... What kind?" Not that it matters. He'll eat it as long as it's not too sweet.

"Chicken and leek. I saw it in a cooking show from Brinton a few days ago and decided to try making it myself."

Brinton. He tried not to react when the elder mentioned it.

That was where he and Eva reunited after their relationship nearly fell apart. Even though she had greeted him with a smile, he knew how much he hurt her when he left without saying anything. Just the thought of it felt like a stab in his chest.

He laid still on the couch, blankly staring at the ceiling as he let his thoughts take over. Had there been anyone else there, he would've pushed them all down and locked them up in the deepest corner of his mind. But it was just him and the man who raised him. The man who was truly his family.

A ding came from the oven and the elder went to serve their dinner. Just as he set down the plates, the doorbell rung.

"I'll-"

"Stay put." His butler beat him to it again. He hated making him work, especially at this age, but he was too stubburn to let him take over, saying that he was busy enough with all the work from outside the house. So he sat up properly and simply waited for their guests to enter.

"Good evening."

"Sorry to intrude like this..."

"How's Jin?"

Ban... Ami... Kazu...? He could only blink as the trio came in with soft smiles.

"We got worried when Jiiya told us you weren't here this afternoon." Ban explained. "When we asked around, no one had seen you either."

"I called them while you were in the shower." The elder added. "I didn't want them to spend all night looking for you when you had arrived home safely." The black and white haired boy only nodded.

"Seriously, Jin." Ami had her hands on her hips, looking down on him sternly. "It's only been a couple of days since our talk! You said you'd lean on us, didn't you?"

Had it really only been two days since then?

"We told you we'll barge in on you for dinner, didn't we?" Kazu said, a wide smirk on his lips.

Wasn't that threat only to make me join you for breakfast?

"You don't have to tell us what you were doing before." Ban added, taking a seat beside him. "We're just here to make sure you're really okay."

"And judging by those tear tracks, you really aren't. So please don't pretend that you are." Ami took the armchair on his other side.

Kazu was on the carpet beside her. "We're here for you, man. Just like how you've always been there for us."

These three... He met their gaze one by one before letting out a sigh. "I really can't win against you, can I? Whether it's in Artemis or small talk, you three will always have the upper hand against me."

"You should be grateful to lose this battle, young master." The old man handed him a plate with a slice of pie already on it. "It goes to show just how much your friends truly care for you."

"...I suppose." He couldn't find anything else to say.

"Just so you know," Ami spoke up again. "We're not the only ones worried about you."

Right on cue, Kazu's CCM rang. He quickly answered and put the device to his ear. "Yeah? ... Yeah, he's alright..." His eyes went over to the pie. "It's pretty big, so I think so... Really?"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang again. The butler went up to answer it and soon, many of their friends came flooding in.

The brunette blinked as he closed the call. "Wow, you really weren't kidding, Gouda."

"I told you so!" The green haired man gave them a thumbs up.

Jin was beyond bewildered by this development. "Why is everyone...?"

"Surprise!" Yuuya made his way to the couch, sandwiching his friend between him and Ban.

"We should make it a habit to scold Jin too." Ran said, sharing a seat with Ami.

Hiro sat next to Kazu. "Agreed! Eva's not the only one who makes us worry all the time!"

"You all..."

"Well, we can't have our leader down like this, can we?" Asuka was on the floor next to Yuuya.

Sendou pushed past Gouda and made his way to the other side of the room. A card appeared in his hand. "No one is able to step up to your throne as Emperor, so our only choice is to pick you back up."

They're all that worried about me? He met their eyes one by one. No, this is not just about what's happening now...

They had always worried for him. From the first time they started working together, in that Akihabara Kingdom six years ago, throughout their fight against the Innovators, the one year when he went to study alone in Country A, Detector, Paradise, Mizel, AVS, Kreisler...

Before he knew it, a small smile formed on his lips. "... Thanks."

They all beamed at him.

His butler had finished cutting the pie and handed each of them a plate. "Now, with all that sorted, please enjoy."

Asuka grabbed the first fork. "Let's dig in!"

~~~~~~~~~~

Palaver: Influence by gently urging, caressing, or flattering