Hajime drew an astonished gasp as his eyes lit upon the mention of the Birra Famiglia, biting the side of his mouth. "Damn it," he said, clicking his tongue and reaching past Cyril to seize the evidence of the incident that had been left behind. His eyes scanned through the profane, satire-filled letter, mentally feeling a slap to his forehead.
It had taken the kidnapper such a long time to convey their message of the abduction of Cyril's aunt, but to see the boy desperately crying to him for his help, there was no doubt that it was true. Hajime's expression grew tense as he folded the letter neatly to fit it into his pocket, swinging the shirt from his shoulder and over his head to wear it.
"Cyril, I'm going to need you to stay here for the time being," Hajime spoke in a more demanding tone than requesting. He turned back to Ottavio, who had rose from the couch and stood behind him with a worried look on her face that matched his own. "He'll be staying in Daisuke's room," he said to the caretaker, who nodded in compliance. "I need to return to the Iron Fort... this is an emergency."
"Dad?" Daisuke's voice asked curiously as he removed his earphones, his eyes lighting up upon seeing Cyril and Artemis standing at the doorway. "Cyril!" he waved, smiling as he joined them at the entrance and looking back and forth between his father and friends. His smile died as he saw Cyril's miserable countenance, frowning to coincide. "Hey... what's wrong?"
Hajime laid a hand on his son's shoulder, patting it lightly. "Cyril wants to have a sleepover," he explained, faking a smile. "He'll be staying in-"
"YAY!" Daisuke cheered, throwing his arms up and accidentally hitting Hajime in the chin. "You can stay in my room!"
"Anyway," Hajime sighed, rubbing his chin and walking back to the couch. He vocally ordered the television to shut off as he picked up his tattered coat, rotating his hand to look around the surface of the clothing. After a moment of observation, he threw it back onto the couch, returning to the doorway. "I have to leave for an important meeting," he said.
Daisuke blinked, looking down. "Again? This late?"
"Don't worry," Ottavio wrapped an arm around Daisuke, comforting him. "Your dad will be just fine."
"Okay," he nodded, still sounding unconvinced.
Hajime took a brief instant to re-style his hair before he walked past Cyril, stopping near Artemis on his way out. "If you want, you can stay here, too," he offered to her in English as he resumed his travel. "Trespiano is no longer safe."
Sunlight peered through the transparent balcony door of Daisuke's bedroom as the morning came. The wake of the sun re-illustrated Mother Nature's beauty as she graced the awakening Italy with life. Daisuke yawned lazily as the light came over his makeshift bed on the floor, causing him to groan annoyingly. He pulled the blanket over his face to immerse himself back into the comfort of the dream world, refusing to open his eyelids.
"Daisuke~" Ottavio sang as she gently opened the door into his room, gasping as it clashed with another structure that was covered in a blanket. "It's time to wake up~"
Daisuke raised a hand from underneath the blanket and rubbed his head, whining as he turned away from the door. "I don't wanna," he complained.
"You know, you didn't need to sleep so close to the door. You could've slept anywhere else in this big room!" Ottavio said as she looked at the large, slightly-messy bedroom. She frowned when her eyes laid upon the bed containing a sleeping Cyril, sighing. "Come on, get up," she urged the Japanese boy, walking into the room and lightly kicking him in the side.
"But it's the freaking summer," Daisuke continued to complain.
"I'll make some waffles for breakfast," Ottavio produced a sly grin.
In an instant, the figure underneath the blanket rose as if it were a zombie rising from the grave. Daisuke untangled himself from his makeshift bed and, with one eye open and the other glued shut, he trotted past Ottavio and into the hallway towards the bathroom.