When Byakuya Uchiha and Eto Yoshimura brought dinner to the table, Kurona and Nashiro, stared blankly at the dishes before them.
Although the food wasn't as elaborate as what their family's servants usually prepared, it felt sincere—warm, simple, and made with care.
And truthfully, those fancy-looking dishes the servants used to make were all style and no substance—beautiful to look at, but rarely tasty.
"Come on, eat first," Byakuya said calmly. "You'll need food in your stomach before you can think clearly about what comes next."
"Okay."
"Mm..."
Kurona and Nashiro answered almost in unison, nodding politely before picking up their bowls. They reached for the same dish at the same time, their movements perfectly mirrored—typical of twins.
The moment the flavor hit their tongues, both girls' eyes widened. Their already-large eyes sparkled even more.
It wasn't that they'd never eaten delicious food before—but this kind of warmth, this kind of taste, was something they could barely remember.
Their father had never really cared about them much. Apart from hiring servants to look after their daily needs, he did little else.
Those servants, for their part, focused more on presentation than taste. Every meal looked grand, but the flavor was hollow—like the extravagant dishes served to ancient kings: good to look at, not to eat.
"How is it? Tastes good?" Eto asked with a soft smile.
"It's delicious" Kurona replied immediately.
Nashiro nodded beside her.
Even though they were starving and the food was amazing, both girls maintained graceful manners—no gulping, no rushing, just small, careful bites.
When they'd eaten their fill, they took the initiative to clear the dishes, carrying them to the sink and washing every plate and pan until they gleamed.
Byakuya had originally planned to clean up himself, but the sisters insisted, so he let them.
As they washed up, Byakuya and Eto remained seated at the table.
Eto leaned slightly toward him.
"So, should we take them to the orphanage right away? Or give them more time to accept their father's death?"
Byakuya thought for a moment. "Let's give them a little more time."
"I agree," Eto nodded.
…
When Kurona and Nashiro finished cleaning up and returned to the room, Byakuya looked at them seriously.
"There's something you should know—though you might already have an idea. This house belonged to your father, but he left behind a massive debt. It'll be seized in a few days. You should start thinking about where to go next."
Kurona's expression went blank. "I… I don't know what to do."
"Me neither..." Nashiro whispered, her eyes hollow.
They'd lost everything—family, home, money. All they had left was each other, and even the future seemed out of reach.
After a moment, Kurona glanced up at Byakuya and Eto, her voice small and cautious.
"Can we come with you? You said earlier you'd take us somewhere—where is that?"
"As long as I can live… I'll do anything," Nashiro added.
In her mind, the worst-case scenario was being forced into child labor—or worse, being sold off by traffickers.
But these two didn't seem like bad people. They were kind, calm, and gentle. And they said they were with TSC — surely, they were good people.
Neither Kurona nor Nashiro knew about their father's secret dealings with the CCG. They only knew he had business ties with the organization, so in their eyes, the CCG was a righteous group—and TSC even more so.
"Of course" Byakuya said softly. "We came here to take you away."
Though he hadn't fully decided how to care for them yet, he figured it was best to keep them close until they were ready to move on—then arrange for them to stay at an orphanage later.
"For now, you can stay at our place."
Both sisters froze, clearly surprised.
They had imagined many possible outcomes—but not that they'd be invited to live in their rescuers' home.
It was the best news they could have hoped for. In their eyes, these two were trustworthy—and in their darkest moment, that meant everything.
"Pack what you can—clothes, personal items" Byakuya said.
The sisters nodded and hurried upstairs, gathering their belongings before following Byakuya and Eto out.
…
Byakuya brought them to his villa.
The moment they arrived, Kurona and Nashiro couldn't help being awestruck—it was another large, beautiful house.
After all, Byakuya was no ordinary man anymore.
"There are plenty of empty rooms upstairs," he said. "Pick whichever you like."
"Dad, Mom—did you bring someone home?"
A young girl's voice came from the stairs— Mayu rushed down, eyes bright with curiosity.
Since Byakuya and Eto had bought their new home, Mayu had been living with them again. She split her time between the house and Anteiku, wherever she felt like staying.
Seeing the two twin girls, Hinami's eyes widened. "They look exactly the same! Why is that?"
Kurona and Nashiro turned toward her, also noticing how she'd just called Byakuya and Eto "Dad" and "Mom." They blinked—these two were still so young! How could they already have a daughter Hinami's age?
They were polite, though, and Kurona said softly, "Sorry to intrude."
Then Nashiro added, "We look alike because we're twins."
"Twins? What's that?" Hinami asked, tilting her head. She hadn't gone to school much yet, so she'd never learned the word.
Kurona and Nashiro exchanged helpless glances—they weren't sure how to explain it either.
Byakuya handed Mayu his phone. "Here—look it up online."
"Got it!" Mayu took the phone eagerly and sat down on the couch to read.
"You girls go pick a room," Byakuya said. "I'll bring your things up later."
Kurona and Nashiro chose to share a room, as they always had. They'd never slept apart. Byakuya understood and didn't question it.
Once their room was ready, they came back downstairs—just in time to meet Suzuya, who had stopped by to play with Mayu.
Seeing the boy, Kurona asked gently, "Is he your brother?"
Mayu laughed. "No, he's my best friend! His name's Juuzou Suzuya. You're Kurona and Nashiro Yasuhisa, right?"
"Yes, I'm Kurona Yasuhisa" said the older twin."I'm Nashiro Yasuhisa" said the younger.
"Then I'll call you Kurona and Nashiro! From now on, we're friends too!" Hinami beamed.
"Friends..."
The word caught both sisters off guard.
Though they'd gone to school, they'd never really had friends—just each other.
Still, Mayu's warmth made it hard not to smile.
…
And so, Kurona and Nashiro began living with Byakuya and Eto.
But since both were busy—with TSC, Shoeisha, and attending Kamii University—they couldn't be home all the time. Hinami was often out as well, so they worried about leaving the twins alone.
They decided it would be best if Kurona and Nashiro spent their days at Anteiku, surrounded by kind people who could help them heal.
Before taking them there, Byakuya explained the girls' situation to the staff.
"Wow, so these are Kurona and Nashiro!" Hikari exclaimed when they arrived. "They're so adorable! Arata, wouldn't it be nice if we had twins too?"
Arata smiled awkwardly. "That's… kind of hard to plan."
Kurona and Nashiro looked around shyly. They were nervous around strangers — Kurona was quiet, while Nashiro half-hid behind her sister.
But the beautiful woman smiling warmly at them—Hikari—gave them a comforting sense of safety.
"Welcome," said Yoshimura calmly as he brought over two cups of coffee. "This is Anteiku. We're all friends of Byakuya and Eto, so you don't need to be afraid. Try some coffee—it's on the house."
"Thank you" Kurona said politely, taking a sip.
Nashiro followed her lead. It was their first time drinking coffee, and Yoshimura had made it mild and sweet enough for children.
They relaxed for the first time in days. Everyone here seemed kind—just like Byakuya and Eto.
Of course, neither of them knew that most of the café's staff were ghouls. Byakuya and Eto hadn't told them yet—no need to frighten them before they were ready to understand