Although there were two bedrooms in the house, there was only one bed.
Uchiha Byakuya wondered if he should just make do with the couch in the living room.
After considering for a moment, he grabbed a pillow and a blanket and headed straight for the living room.
When Yoshimura Eto, who had just finished drying her hair, saw this, she immediately felt puzzled.
She followed him and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Sleeping here," Byakuya answered casually.
Eto was speechless for a moment. "...What, now that Mayu's here, you suddenly feel too embarrassed to sleep together?"
"Well, it wouldn't be very appropriate, would it?"
Byakuya responded with a completely serious expression.
"You're suddenly worried about that now? Whatever, do as you like."
Eto didn't argue.
In fact, she found this to be a perfect opportunity. If Mayu woke up in the middle of the night looking for her "Papa," she could just bring her straight to the living room and wake Byakuya up.
That thought alone was already amusing.
Back in the bedroom, Eto moved carefully to avoid waking Mayu.
As she slipped under the covers, she suddenly realized that without a certain "pillow" to hold, it felt a little unnatural.
In the middle of the night, Mayu suddenly woke up from a nightmare.
Feeling the soft and cozy bed beneath her instantly soothed her nerves.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw that her "Mama" was beside her but for some reason, her "Papa" was nowhere to be found.
"Papa?"
Mayu called out softly.
Of course, Byakuya, sleeping on the couch in the living room, couldn't hear her. But Eto did, and she woke up immediately.
"Papa's sleeping on the couch in the living room."
Eto explained.
"Oh... but why isn't Papa sleeping on the bed?"
Mayu asked in confusion.
The couch was comfortable, sure, but it was nothing compared to this big, soft bed.
"Because Papa's an idiot. Hold on, I'll go bring him back."
Eto got out of bed at once.
When she reached the living room, she didn't bother with words, she simply plopped herself right down on Byakuya.
The sudden weight on top of him instantly woke him up.
Luckily, Eto was quite light, and Byakuya's body was strong enough that this kind of thing didn't faze him in the slightest.
"What is it?"
Byakuya had no trace of grogginess. His voice was calm, as if waking up like this was completely normal.
"Mayu woke up and is looking for a certain unqualified Papa~"
Eto teased.
Byakuya turned his head and saw Mayu standing at the bedroom door, hugging a doll, peeking at him.
"Alright, alright..."
Byakuya said. "But how much longer do you plan on sitting on top of me?"
Eto was still perched on his stomach, making it difficult for him to get up.
"Hehe~"
Eto grinned mischievously before finally hopping off.
Byakuya then picked up his pillow and blanket and carried them back to the bedroom.
Mayu looked a little guilty; she hadn't meant to wake up her "Papa."
Byakuya gently patted her head and gave her a reassuring smile.
Seeing that her "Papa" wasn't the least bit angry, Mayu felt relieved.
"You didn't even think about it, did you? Of course, Mayu would wake up and look for her 'Papa.' And yet, you still wanted to sleep on the couch."
Eto teased.
"..."
Byakuya had originally thought that three people sharing a bed might be a little cramped, and that sleeping next to Mayu wasn't exactly appropriate.
But since Eto insisted, he ended up sleeping in the middle of the two.
The result? Both Eto and Mayu treated him like a body pillow.
"My personal pillow is finally back~"
Eto whispered in amusement next to his ear.
Like that, the night passed peacefully.
Furuta Nimura and Rize Kamishiro had already been interacting with human society for some time now.
Byakuya had been keeping a close watch on them, carefully observing their reactions. He could tell that both of them were growing increasingly fascinated by life outside.
They just didn't dare express it outright in front of him; probably afraid he would report them to Kaiko.
Feeling that the time was about right, Byakuya finally asked them, "Do you want to leave the Washuu Clan?"
The moment Furuta heard this, his first reaction was pure panic, thinking he'd been exposed. His face turned pale. "No! No, I-uh…"
Lately, the thought of helping Rize escape the Washuu Clan had been growing stronger and stronger within his mind.
However, he himself hadn't planned on leaving just yet.
If only one of them escaped, there was at least still a chance.
But if they both tried to run at the same time, the risk would be far too great. If they got caught, then all their efforts would be for nothing.
Besides, with him staying behind to assist Rize from the shadows, her chances of successfully escaping would be much higher.
He had only just started considering this plan; not even having worked out the details yet when somehow, Byakuya-nii had already seen right through him.
Furuta felt like he was done for.
Rize, too, tensed up, her expression just as panicked as his.
"What are you two so nervous about? I'm asking if you want to leave; not interrogating you."
Byakuya clarified.
Since they were currently in the Sunlit Garden, there was no risk of being deliberately monitored. That meant discussing this kind of topic was fine.
"Huh?"
Furuta and Rize still seemed a little slow to react.
After a moment, Furuta hesitantly asked, "You mean... Byakuya-nii, you'd help us?"
"That's right. Whether it's your status as the Chairman's son, or Rize's role as the 'Mother,' I know everything."
Uchiha Byakuya said calmly. "And I can see that you both long for the world outside."
Furuta was completely stunned.
Byakuya-nii knew everything?!
But he didn't have time to wonder how Byakuya had figured it all out; he was more worried about something else. "But if you do this, won't you be in danger?"
"Don't worry, I can handle myself."
Byakuya reassured him. "Think about how you want to do it. When the time comes, I'll assist you."
In the original story, Furuta had successfully helped Rize escape, though the exact method wasn't clear.
So, Byakuya figured he'd let Furuta come up with the plan. Given his intelligence, he might even come up with something truly clever.
As for Byakuya himself? He wasn't about to waste brainpower on this. If worse came to worst, he'd just take them both by force.
After that, he took Furuta and Rize out of the Sunlit Garden as usual, bringing them along to meet up with Eto and Mayu.