That Saturday, Shin woke up to the sound of chairs scraping against the kitchen floor. He rubbed his eyes, still half asleep, and called out, "Nanami?"

"Oh, Shin! Good morning! Did I wake you? Sorry," Nanami replied, glancing over her shoulder with a sheepish smile.

"What are you doing?" he asked, noticing her hair was now considerably shorter. It had gone from waist length to just under her chin.

"Ah, I'm taking out my braids," she explained, her fingers working deftly through her hair.

"What?" Shin's eyes widened in surprise.

"My hair, it's fake," she said, laughing at his astonishment.

"Really!?" he exclaimed.

"Did you think I was a natural blonde?" she teased, her laughter infectious.

Shin blushed at the realization. "Wanna help me take them out?" she asked.

She didn't need to ask; he would have offered. He sat on the chair while she sat on the floor, toothpick in hand, unbraiding each braid carefully.

As they worked, Shin found the process oddly soothing. "So, how often do you have to do this?" he asked, gently tugging at a braid.

"Every few weeks. It takes a while, but it's worth it," she replied, smiling up at him.

"I never would have guessed," he admitted, concentrating on his task.

Nanami chuckled. "Well, now you know one of my secrets. I'm thinking of having red hair next. Would that be good? I think being blonde has helped me when meeting new people."

"I think you'd look good in any colour," he said honestly.

"Aw, thanks, Shin!"

With both of them working, her hair was detangled and washed in three hours. Shin even helped her dry and straighten it. Nanami looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. She missed being blonde already.

Her phone rang, and she answered. "Hello?"

"Hey beautiful, are you free right now?"

"I am, why?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I'm in Tokyo."

The speed at which Nanami rushed to the airport was unheard of. She didn't even have time to change shoes, her sliders making an embarrassing flapping sound.

"Nanami! Slow down!" Shin called out, but she wasn't listening. She saw Yasu waiting casually for her with his things in tow, a pair of drumsticks under his arms.

"Yasu!" He turned to see her barrelling towards him. He smiled and opened his arms, and she jumped into them, her legs wrapping around his torso.

"Hey there," Yasu said, his voice warm as he held her up. "Missed you."

"I missed you too," she whispered, her face buried in his neck.

Shin finally caught up, panting slightly. "You're really fast, Nanami." He held her jacket in his arms but never expected her to be this fast.

She laughed, still clinging to Yasu. "Sorry, Shin."

Yasu set her down gently, his eyes softening as he looked at her. "You changed your hair."

"Yeah, I needed a change," she said, touching her shorter strands. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," he said sincerely. "But I'd love anything on you."

Nanami blushed, her heart fluttering.

The drive home was full of talking, Nanami chattering excitedly about everything that had happened since they last saw each other. Yasu loved to listen, his eyes always on her, absorbing every word.

"You've been busy since the last time I saw you," he said amused.

"Yes! It's been great, also Yasu, Shin is the bass player for Blackstone! Shin, he's the drummer!"

"Oh?" Yasu said, turning to Shin. "Nice to meet you, kid."

"Nice to meet you, Yasu-san," Shin replied respectfully.

Having Yasu at her apartment felt good, like everything was falling into place.

"Does Nana know you're here yet?" Nanami asked.

"I'll surprise her this evening," Yasu replied.

"I'm sure she'll be so happy to see you! Oh, I'm sorry I haven't cooked anything. Let me go get us some takeout," Nanami said quickly, embarrassed about the lack of food.

"Hey, it's no big deal. How about I cook this time?" Yasu suggested.

Nanami's eyes lit up. "You cook?"

Yasu chuckled. "I do. Let me show you what I can do."

Nanami led him to the kitchen, where Yasu started gathering ingredients.

"Shin, can you help me chop these vegetables?" Yasu asked, handing him a knife and some carrots.

"Sure thing," Shin said, stepping up to the counter.

Nanami leaned against the doorway, watching them work. The sight of Yasu and Shin cooking together filled her with a warm, comforting feeling. This was her family, her friends, all together and happy.

Hey Nana.. When you cried that night when you saw Yasu, did you really miss him as a friend? I don't know if you realised this, but you're in love with Yasu.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

That night in 707, Nanami busied herself in the kitchen, helping Hachi wash up. The sounds of laughter filtered through from the living room.

"This feels nice," Nanami muttered, and Hachi hummed in agreement.

"It's nice to see everyone having a good time, especially now that Black Stone is back together," Hachi said with her usual cheerful demeanour.

The door to 707 opened, and from the corner of her eye, Nanami saw Yasu walk in.

"I'm back. I brought some cigarettes, Nana," Yasu said, his voice unmistakable.

"Yasu!" Nana called out, hugging him tightly, her lips meeting his as she kissed him. "I love you!" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. Nanami swore that if the apartment was any quieter, she would hear her heart shattering.

Nanami watched as Yasu carried Nana to her bedroom. She turned to Hachi, who could only look at them with a knowing glance.

When Yasu came out again, he stopped in his tracks, seeing Nanami. She had turned to silently washing the dishes without a word.

"Nanami... Just now... I can explain."

Hachi looked at both of them, confused, feeling like she had missed a chapter.

'Not again.'

'Not again.'

'Not again.'

'Not again.'

"Then explain," Nanami's voice was harsh, harsher than usual. "Explain before I misunderstand."

'I'm second place again.'

"I—" He couldn't explain. Truly this was how Nana was with him, they were close and deep in his heart he knew he was in love with Nana. It didn't even occur to him how it would seem to others when Nana kissed him. Now it dawned on him that he should have stopped her, out of respect for Nanami.

"You can't explain, can you, Yasu?" Nanami's voice was quiet. She didn't want to fight about this. If he was still in love with Nana, she wouldn't get in the way of that.

'Why did I think it would work?'

"Hey Hachi, sorry about this. I'm gonna have to leave."

"Ah—okay."

Nanami rinsed her hands off and dried them. Her lack of facial expression was chilling to Yasu, who couldn't say anything. He could only watch her leave. He knew he was still in love with Nana, but was he willing to let her go to pursue Nanami?

"Huh? Where did Nanami go?" Nobu asked, walking in with Shin.

"She just left," Hachi said, her confusion evident.

"This late? That's strange," Shin asked, his concern evident. She normally didn't go out without telling them where she was going.

"Something happened with Yasu," Hachi began to explain.

"What do you mean?" Nobu asked for clarification.

Yasu finally spoke, "It's my fault."

"What did you do?" Shin asked, his eyes narrowing.

"She saw Nana kiss me," Yasu explained, the weight of his confession hanging in the air.

"Dude, what the hell?" Shin snapped, his anger barely contained. "Why did you do that?"

"Hey, let's calm down. It must be some kind of misunderstanding, right, Yasu?" Nobu interjected, trying to deescalate the situation.

"Do you guys think her feelings are a joke? Why lead her on if you're with Nana?" Shin demanded, his frustration evident.

"I'm not with Nana," Yasu clarified, his voice firm. "It's complicated, but I'm not with her."

"I don't fucking care what you guys are doing, but don't drag Nanami into it," Shin retorted, his anger not abating.

"Shin... calm down..." Hachi said softly, "you're over reacting.." placing a hand on his arm, which just pissed him off more.

Shin shrugged off Hachi's hand, his eyes locked onto Yasu's. "I'm going to find her." He left the three standing in uncomfortable silence.

Shin moved quickly, his heart pounding with rage. He first headed to Nanami's room, knocking on the door before pushing it open. The room was empty, her bed neatly made, and no sign of her belongings missing. Her mirrors covered with various clothing items.

"Nanami?" he called out, his voice echoing in the silence. There was no response.

Shin pulled out his phone and dialled her number, pressing the device to his ear as he stepped out of her room. The phone rang and rang, but there was no answer. Frustration bubbled up inside him, and he hung up, immediately sending her a text message:

Nanami, where are you? Just tell me where you are, I'm worried.

He paced the hallway, trying to think of where she might have gone. The streets outside were quiet, but the city was vast, and she could be anywhere. He dialled her number again, and once more, it went to voicemail. This time, he left a message.

"Nanami, it's Shin. Please, call me back as soon as you get this."

It was hours before he received a call from Nanami's phone.

"Nanami! Where are you?"

A man's voice returned.

"She's with me, here's the location..."

After giving Shin his location Akira ended the call, Nanami was sound on the leather couch back stage, his leather jacket draped over her.

When Shin arrived at the address, he found himself at a small, dimly lit venue. The sign above the door read "Blue beetle." He pushed the door open and walked in, immediately spotting Akira in a quiet corner backstage, waving to him.

Shin was taken backstage to where Nanami was fast asleep. "Thank you for calling me," he said to Akira, his voice soft.

Akira nodded. "She drank quite a bit, took a while for her to calm down, she seemed really upset."

"I see.." Shin glanced at Nanami's peaceful face, "I should've been with her," he muttered, more to himself than to Akira.

"What the hell happened to her?" Akira observed, his tone sounded neutral but underneath was an obvious threatening aura.

Shin found their way home, carrying her up the flights of stairs to the best of his ability. Nanami stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open. She looked around groggily before her eyes focused on Shin. "Shin...?"

"Yeah, it's me," he said, relief washing over him. "We're almost home."

She nodded weakly, still disoriented. "I'm sorry for worrying you," she mumbled, her voice barely audible turning into soft sobs on his back

"It's okay," Shin reassured her. "It's gonna be ok."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

"I hate men."

"Huh?"

"I hate them so much, I want to kill them all."

"I'm a man?"

"You're different, Shin. You're a good boy; you're not like these disgusting men."

Shin sweat-dropped; she had been like this ever since that night. Even now she was saying weird things in public.

"He did a number on you, didn't he?" Junko asked, placing a mocktail in front of Nanami and some lemonade in front of Shin. "I didn't know your type was baldies."

"But Junko, he was so handsome! The drums, the piercings—he's a lawyer! He's literally the perfect package!"

Junko looked at Shin, feeling sorry for him. "You have it tough," she said, and Shin sighed in acknowledgment.

"It's not a big deal, Nanami. He wasn't even your boyfriend... Why are you so into him? Did you guys have sex?"

"Hey! Language!" Nanami said immediately, her eyes glancing at Shin, who had a cigarette in hand and was about to light it.

"I was wondering the same thing. Was he that good? I need pointers from him," Shin added, trying to light his cigarette. Nanami, appalled, immediately whacked the thing out of his hand.

"Fifteen-year-olds shouldn't smoke or talk about sex! Focus on finding what you want to do!" She told him off like a mom. He put his hands up in defeat. "Have you even thought about it?" she asked seriously. "I can't sign you up for school, but I can get you into a trade if you want. It doesn't have to be now, just in case this Black Stone thing doesn't work out."

"I'm still thinking about it," he said with a shrug.

"I'm guessing the gigs are going well?" Junko asked. If Nanami had the money to support a kid, she must be earning a decent amount.

"Since my parents are paying for most things, I can support him on my part-time salary. They wouldn't be happy if they found out, though... But the singing works well. As long as I don't appear on TV, it should be fine."

"Rich people," Junko said, taking a sip. Not having to work wasn't something most young people could boast of. "The way you're crying about this lawyer guy, what happened to the vocalist? The one who had his hands all over you."

"Akira? But I don't think he likes me," Nanami said with tears in her eyes.

"So you only like someone if they like you?" Junko asked, her eye twitching.

"How else can I be sure they're attracted to me? This is the only way!" Nanami insisted. Junko only sighed.

"I won't complain. Lead on as many men as you want as long as I keep being a plus one to the VIP events," she said nonchalantly.

"How come you've never invited me to your performances?" Shin said with a whine. He was so cute Nanami wanted to pinch his cheeks.

"Shin, you're too young to be out late! Young people need their sleep."

"You're only three years older than him," Junko interjected, pointing out the obvious. "You are still a young person."

"I wanna gooo!" Shin said, giving her big puppy dog eyes.

"Ugh, fine. Junko, your plus one spot has to be taken away this time!"

"As long as it gets back to me, I'm not worried."

As the three talked, Junko's eyes were drawn to the window of the bar.

"Is that... Shoji?"

Shoji was walking down with another girl who had a barrette.

"Who's the girl?" Nanami asked curiously.

"Sachiko. She's this girl that works with him who has a huge crush on Shoji."

Nanami was quiet for a while, watching them. Shoji was Hachi's man, right?

"Should we follow them?"

"What?"

"Yay! Let's do it!" Shin piped in to show support.

Nanami turned to Junko, who seemed shocked at her crazy proposal. "Come on, I'm just curious."

"There's no way you're getting me to stalk Shoji—"

"How the fuck did you convince me to do this?" Junko hid behind the corner with Shin and Nanami, watching the two.

"Shh! They can't discover we're here." Nanami shushed Junko as she tried to get a good view of them. They were talking.

"Come on, this is Shoji. He's a bit daft, but he wouldn't do something stupid like... cheating."

Junko ate her words because, right then, Shoji kissed Sachiko! "That son of a bitch," she muttered in disappointment.

Seeing them walk into his house was awkward. Junko was silent, watching the lights to his bedroom turn on.

"What about Hachi?" Shin asked in a whisper. They didn't know.

What would happen to Hachi?