Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rui sighs as he stands up from the couch. Every single bone in his body cracks; oh well, such is growing up. Had Tsukasa been nearby, he would have scolded Rui for his ridiculous sitting position. But he isn’t, so Rui gets away scot-free.   

Many scattered boxes litter his new house and his mood instantly sours. Normally, Rui wouldn’t consider cleaning or doing any boring chore of the sort, preferring to tinker with his robots or plan new shows. Unfortunately, now that he is a fully fledged adult, out of university and with a job and who has moved out of his parent’s house, he can’t just leave his messes for someone else to clean up.   

He opens the first box that he sees and plops himself directly onto the floor. Inside, countless gadgets, books, scripts, and other trinkets from his old garage await him. His first-ever created robot, a tiny mechanical platypus toy that he created when he was only five years old... His old objects fill him with nostalgia. During those days, he wasn’t yet aware of the world’s cruelties and how others could alienate him for his atypical interests. Oh well, even if they were better times, he would never go back to his early childhood.  Had things been any different, perhaps he would have never met his current friends. 

Putting the toy down, he rummages through a few other objects; his first WonderShow script, an early drone prototype, a few stray balloons, and…  

His hands falter in front of a large photo album titled “My precious treasures”. The cover is decorated with little drawings, all representing his most precious friends. A few years back, he commissioned Ena to draw 20 items representing his Kamiyama and Miya girl’s friends. It was his graduation gift to himself, something only himself and his artist friend knew about. She hadn’t asked why he wanted such a cryptic drawing (and had asked for cheesecake as payment), she had simply drawn it.  

A platypus balloon is in the middle, surrounded by his friends. Tsukasa, Emu, and Nene are the closest to him, so their objects form a triangular formation around him. His other friends are chaotically drawn on the rest of the paper, yet even the farthest one is precious to him. 

The album protects six years worth of photos, mementos of his time with his loved ones. Good and bad, but mostly good. Rui flips the cover and sees his first-ever picture. It features himself and his troupe, during the first showing of their night show. His troupe mates all look at the crowd with their hands up, thanking everyone for coming to their performance with bright, beaming smiles. He stands next to Tsukasa who shines far brighter than him.  

That night, they saved Phoenix Wonderland.  

—  

Rui doesn’t know what truly set him off that day. Why was he sitting in the middle of his garage, fiddling with a drone and adding a high-quality, hand-made camera onto it? He should be preparing for his next show, the most important show he will ever put on. A show that must change the older Otoris’ minds, stop them from completely bastardizing their beloved theme park, and bring back Emu’s smile.  

… Change.  

Rui has always loved change. It’s so intriguing; changing a script to improve it, the changing seasons, changing schools…Change is like adding a little more disarray into his life and he thrives on chaos.   

But…  

What about changes relating to his friends?  

Who knows what the future holds for any of them? Maybe their relationship will deepen, maybe they will always be by each other’s side, or…   

What if one of them, or all of them, like Phoenix Wonderland, become unrecognizable and they drift apart? What if they forge their own paths, without the others, and never see each other again? What if something happens and ruins their friendship?  

What if they leave him and he goes back to being his lonely middle school self, looking down at the others from the rooftop, unable to join them?  

Nothing in this world is certain. Even the oldest and most solid theories with countless scientific papers backing them up can be proven wrong if enough evidence of the opposite is discovered in the future. Rulers have a 0.1 cm uncertainty, a thermometer with a single decimal place has a 0.1°C uncertainty, rounding during calculations adds uncertainty…  Staying friends with his troupe mates 5, 10, 20, 50 years into the future is uncertain. Even tomorrow, maybe Tsukasa will call him and say: “Sorry Rui, but you’re too strange, so I can’t be friends with you. Good luck with your directing. Bye.” 

Unlikely, but still possible.   

The point is, when Emu told him and the others about her family’s plans with Phoenix Wonderland, how they want to collaborate with some popular American amusement park, Rui may or may not have internally panicked. Just a little. Not that anyone could tell, not even himself.   

Logically if his troupe is destined to drift apart, there is likely nothing that he can do about it. He can cry, beg, guilt trip, manipulate, but if they don’t want him in their lives anymore, he must let them go. And even if they don’t leave, their youth is volatile and short. When WonderShow creates a show for the first time, the next performance will never be the same, even if they recreate it.  

Maybe one day, all that will be left is the memories of their time together. 

And photos.  

Because even if Rui has a perfect memory, with a memento of their adventures together, he could relive his time with his friends twice as well. Or something. He doesn’t know. There must be a reason why old people like looking back at pictures of their youth, right? Something about immortalizing the moment, perhaps.   

He would like to deny it, but he is a sentimental guy. Who also doesn’t understand his own emotions. Isn’t that strange?  

Rui falls asleep with his screwdriver in hand and wakes up with a stiff back as usual. 

A few weeks later, WonderShow performs their first ever nightly show. Everyone cheers them on, even the Otoris and the sponsor. As his troupe mates smile brightly, Rui eyes his drone from afar and subtly clicks on a tiny button. With a small flash that no one notices, too busy in the aftermath of their show, his darling made of metal takes a photo of them, immortalizing the day their troupe saved Phoenix Wonderland from becoming a soulless amusement park.  

—  

A month later, WonderShow performs for three days straight at the Phoenix Ocean Resort. As official Phoenix Wonderland ambassadors, their troupe is tasked to attract new customers from all over Japan to their theme park.   

After giving it their all during their last performance and despite a small mishap, Rui sighs in satisfaction. Their Little Mermaid-inspired show was a success thanks to Nene who gave him enough time to repair NeneRobo. The children almost ruined their show which annoyed him, but oh well. They are children, after all. They don’t always know any better and probably thought it was funny to ‘kick the poor robot’ or something.  

He isn’t sure. He has never understood other children’s train of thought.  

A little after Nene follows her role model, Emu’s phone rings loudly.   

“Uweh?!?” The expressive girl jumps in surprise and fumbles for her phone. “Shosuke? Oh yeah. Give me a second.” She covers her phone and glances at him and Tsukasa. “I’ll be back, okay? Shosuke wants to talk about our show, but it sounds hopeful! See you!” Without waiting for an answer, Emu runs away towards the resort.    

Rui chuckles to himself and smiles fondly. Honestly, his friends are just as strange as himself. He couldn’t imagine better troupe mates. He’s so grateful for them and can’t wait to plan another show with them.   

While the two girls are busy, he examines NeneRobo to ensure that the children haven’t broken something internal. The inventor crouches to her level and opens her ‘chest’, revealing countless wires and circuitry.   

“Is NeneRobo okay?” Tsukasa approaches him and scans her with his eyes from top to bottom. “You said some kids kicked her and it messed with her circuits, right?”  

“Mh, but I think she’s fine. I can’t see anything wrong with her, well, other than the initial wire disconnect, but that’s fixed.” Rui closes NeneRobo’s chest and stretches his arms. His back cracks loudly, shocking his friend.  

“Fix your posture! You’ll get back pain as an old man if you keep slouching. Geez,” Tsukasa mumbles and looks at him, unimpressed. “Anyway, what’s wrong with these kids? Who just sees a robot and starts destroying it?” His voice rises, probably unconsciously, with the intensity of his emotion. His dramatic flailing arms emphasize his outrage.   

Tsukasa’s expressiveness is another one of his endearing quirks. Everyone can read his emotions easily, even Rui who has a hard time understanding others. His brighter-than-the-sun smile always brings joy to those around him. If he is annoyed, his eyebrows furrow and form a small and subtle crease between them. When he’s upset, he’ll sigh or occasionally slump his shoulders. Rui hasn’t noticed the same tells in Nene or Emu. At least, not as intense.  

But well, Rui isn’t very observant when it comes to emotions, so this is probably normal.   

His friend’s loud voice, on the other hand, is something else. The curious director has recently started recording his range, wanting to know how loud it can go. Could Tsukasa eventually beat the record for the loudest sound emitted by a human? Unlikely, but wouldn’t that be amazing? What if he reaches a rocket launch level of loudness? Rui wants to be present if that happens, even if it would likely damage his ears.   

“... Who raised them? I should have been there and told these kids off!” Tsukasa finally finishes his long rant.  

“No need, Tsukasa-kun. They’re just kids. It’s normal.” Rui chuckles and glances at his star-like friend. Even if his main actor’s eyes take a judging glint, the director admires how its colour compares to the setting sun behind him.  

“Normal? To just… destroy stuff that doesn’t belong to them? I mean, I would never do that as a kid! As a future star, I respect others’ property!” Tsukasa points to himself proudly and poses as if that would emphasize his point. “Are you telling me you used to… what? Destroy your own robots? Somehow, I doubt that.”  

“Of course, I didn’t do that. I would never damage my precious darlings. But other kids did.”  

“They WHAT?!?” The nearby birds fly away in fear.   

“105dB” NeneRobo chimes in. Ooh, like a helicopter, interesting. Rui mentally takes note of the result to record later in his notebook.  

Tsukasa glares at their metallic friend before refocusing on him.  

“That’s… They destroyed your robots? Why?” A few emotions quickly flicker on his face, mostly upset and concerned.  

“Hmm…” Rui taps his chin in reflection, searching for a justification for his old peers’ behaviors. “I suppose they found it amusing? I think I once heard someone say that they were ‘keeping the school safe.’”  

Tsukasa’s eyes widen in horror, and he blinks a few times. Had Rui said something strange again? Oh well, he always says strange things anyway. He has long since stopped figuring out what his peers find strange about him. It doesn’t matter anyway, and he doesn’t want to change himself for others.   

“And… They didn’t destroy your robots in front of you, right? Right?!” His friend grabs his shoulders harshly and, like a confused dog, Rui tilts his head.  

“Well, yeah. Sometimes. Some people find it entertaining to watch others suffer. I always found it strange. What’s so amusing about seeing someone cry? I far prefer seeing smiles.” Tsukasa’s grip hardens, becoming slightly painful.  

“You call it strange, I call it cruel, inhumane!” The Future Star finally releases him and lifts his arms up in exasperation. “Ugh, why are you telling me this like it’s the morning news? Does it not bother you? How are you not upset about this?” Rui frowns, turning his head towards the crashing waves. The ocean covers half of the sun and gently lulls it to sleep with its soothing sound.  

“Well, they were kids, so I don’t fault them. Hopefully, they’ve changed. No need to hold grudges.” He shouldn’t have brought the subject up. He hates thinking about his lonely past, especially when he could be thinking about his happy future full of shows with his friends. Now that he has them, he will never be alone again.  

Hopefully.  

“Even so… It’s a pretty messed up thing. You can still be mad at them!”   

“Tsukasa-kun. I don’t want to,” Rui says, point blank. “It’s in the past. I haven’t seen these people in a while anyway.” Tsukasa’s two orange-golden eyes bore into his soul and stir strange feelings in him. For some reason, his stare flusters him slightly and his own eyes search for a distraction.   

Thankfully, a distraction finds itself in their energetic pink-haired friend talking to someone at a nearby fireworks stall. Rui loves his BOOMS and KAPOWS just like his little sun-like friend, so he approves of her idea. She probably needs help carrying her multiple explosives to wherever she wants them.  

“We should probably join Emu. I think she just bought… hm… at least two dozen fireworks.” The director points at their friend and Tsukasa’s jaw drops.  

“W-What? Two- That’s way too much! What are we going to do with all of that?” As the conversation comes to an end, Rui starts walking towards two of the world’s most precious treasures; Emu and explosives.   

Before he can step too far, Tsukasa grabs his wrist and stops him in his tracks.  

“Rui, just…” His troupe leader hesitates for a moment, a rare occurrence for such a confident guy. Rui turns around and his friend wears a troubled expression. “Thanks for telling me… about this and… I promise to never let anyone hurt you like that again. If anyone ever breaks your robots ‘for fun’, I’ll make them regret it. That’s my promise to you as your star, troupe leader, and friend.”   

Tsukasa crowns his heartfelt speech with an adorably soft smile that he rarely shows. As much as Tsukasa's confident grins are funny, there’s something… thrilling about such a small smile. Thrilling, because he has no other explanation for how his breath hitches and his heart accelerates.   

“I appreciate it,” Rui chuckles, unsure of his feelings. “But threatening violence isn’t really Future Star of you fufu~”  

“V-Violence?!?” Ah, another intriguing and funny face. Is Tsukasa’s surprised and outraged expression his favorite? Maybe. His eyes almost pop out of their orbit and his voice reaches such a high level that opera singers would be jealous. How amusing. “I-I didn’t threaten violence! Just… that they’ll feel bad about it? I’m sure Emu and Nene would agree with me! And would do the same.”  

Tsukasa flails his arms around and struggles to find an explanation for what he meant by ‘making them regret it’. The two boys finally join their small friend who finished buying their entertainment for the night. Emu tackles them in a hug and tells them the greatest news of the day; the pre-sale Phoenix Wonderland tickets sold out.   

Their show was a hit.  

They bring the boxes of fireworks closer to the beach and settle everything a good distance away from the stage, in case something goes awry, and an explosive goes rogue. Wouldn’t want the beautiful stage to burn down, now, would they?  

The sun completely sets, replaced by the moon, yet Nene hasn’t joined them. Emu, and Tsukasa to some extent, impatiently bounces in place and surveys the area for their best singer. Once she spots her, she bolts in her direction without waiting for them and Tsukasa goes after her.   

Oh well, left behind again.  

“Fufu~”   

Rui approaches his creation and crouches to her level.  

“NeneRobo, I’ve installed a camera feature in you. Can you take a picture of us when you think it’s the right time? I want to have a reminder of today.” Her eyes flash for a moment, taking in the command.  

“Roger that!”   

“Thank you.” He pats her metallic head before joining his friends.   

They light up a few sparklers and Emu chases Tsukasa with one. As those two run around, one in terror and the other in excitement, Rui chuckles to himself and stays behind with Nene. The director asks her about her conversation with the older actress and, when she mentions her uncertainty about the future, he doesn’t have a definitive answer. As a director and friend, he will always support her and the other two to the best of his ability. If they will stay together as a troupe in the future, he cannot be certain.  

But just for tonight, he doesn’t want to think about his lonely past or the uncertain future.  

Perhaps it’s a little un-Rui-like of him to put his problems to the side for another day, but he wants to enjoy the moment with his friends and remember it for the rest of his life.

Chapter Text

In the next few pages, there are countless pictures of him and his friends in various situations; sleepovers, taiyaki outings, shows, eating on the rooftop, and other fun activities. Since his dear troupe leader loves taking photos of his every waking moment, Rui stole many from Tsukasa’s Instagram. For some reason, Saki showed him the app, and his star-like friend got obsessed with posting perfect pictures on it ‘to show a glimpse of his life to his fans’.   

Whatever floats his boat, Rui thinks.   

Is this ethical? Probably not, but Tsukasa doesn’t know. And even if he finds out, he won’t mind, surely.  

Despite not having taken many, the pictures are all precious to him, representing wonderful moments anchored in his mind forever. Especially the one he took during one of their sleepovers, during which Emu and Nene slept cuddled up together. Both girls have a copy of it. Rui also really loves his countless Tsukasa pictures, most of them taken without his friend’s knowledge. They show the countless faces of his lead actor; his frustration with a role, disappointment in himself when he messes up a line, but also his beautiful soft smile and the tenderness in his eyes when he watches his friends succeed. Had the star known that his director was photographing him, his expression wouldn’t be as authentically alluring.  

Oops, he’s acting like a strange fan.  

In the bottom left corner sits the only picture of Rui without his friends, taken by Tsukasa years ago when they visited the aquarium with Emu and Nene.   

—  

On a random sunny day, as practice comes to an end, Emu stops everyone in their tracks with a loud ‘Wonderhoi!!!’. Tsukasa and Nene jump in place, unlike him who calmly turns around. The excited girl quickly takes something from her dress pocket and waves four tickets around, too fast to make out the writing.  

“Guys, guys! Let’s go see where Nene-chan comes from!” she exclaims with a bright smile.  

“...Don’t just invite yourself and the others to my house.” Nene frowns, although they all know she doesn’t mind. Her answer is met with an incorrect buzzer sound.  

“Nuh huh! That’s not what I mean!”  

Rui presses his left hand to his chin in contemplation. Emu’s strange wording implies that she wants to go where Nene… was born? A hospital? No, that wouldn’t make sense. No one sells tickets for a hospital. So that must mean-  

“Sure. We can go to the aquarium,” Rui calmly answers her, and Emu squeals in excitement. The other two WonderShow members stare at him with little question marks in their eyes.  

“How did you get ‘the aquarium’ from that strange question?” Tsukasa asks and his furrowed eyebrows crease amusingly.   

“What does the aquarium have to do with ‘where I come from’?” Nene deadpans, crossing her arms.   

Emu bounces in place, energetic as usual.  

“Because Nene-chan’s a mermaid.”  

“N-not literally! That was just a role, you know?” their diva stutters and glances to the side.   

“Really? Cause you’re so pretty that I sometimes wonder if you’re a magical creature. But that’s just Nene-chan’s natural beauty.”   

Their three pairs of eyes widen and Nene’s breath hitches. Recently, Emu has been complimenting Nene a lot and it always catches them off guard. And then, she always has this certain look in her eyes; a sort of smug glint that makes it seem as if she knows exactly the effects of her words. Especially on its recipient who receives them with a dark blush and a repressed smile.   

Tsukasa clears his throat, disrupting the shocked silence.  

“So, aquarium? Today?” His sunset-like eyes light up like two little stars.  

“Yeah! Let’s go go go!!!” Emu grabs her bag just as Tsukasa yanks his own and soon, the four friends are on their way to the Sunshine Aquarium.  

Once inside, the surrounding light turns blue as it reflects through the water. As they walk through a tunnel, multiple colorful fishes swim around and on top of them. The environment is stunning, awe-inducing, yet not as beautiful as his friends’ shining eyes and their bright, elated smiles.   

Rui could probably name the scientific names of every animal in this aquarium without looking at the informational plates, or even rattle on about random fish facts, but a strange, blissful feeling in his chest distracts him. Emu’s excited squealing and ‘look, look!’ as she points at the penguins swimming overhead, Nene’s tiny smile and attention solely focused on wherever Emu points and Tsukasa’s…  

Tsukasa stands in the middle of the tunnel, the blue light reflecting on his hair. His mouth hangs slightly open and his eyes shine like two beautiful amber gemstones. From his position, Rui feels like he is looking at a renowned painting, like the Mona Lisa, yet far more intriguing and beautiful. If he reaches out towards him, would he hit a canvas, or caress soft, golden strands?  

Before he can come back to reality, his phone ends up in his hands and he immortalizes the painting-like moment for his photo album.  

Just as he puts his phone back in his pocket, Tsukasa turns his head towards him, and his previous expression turns smug. A small pang of disappointment hits his heart.  

“Rui!” The star turns his body to face him completely and poses with his hands on his hips and chest out proudly. “You always know everything and are a walking encyclopedia. But today! Today we are at the aquarium! I am the encyclopedia now! Ha ha ha!!!” His voice resounds through the tunnel, and Rui fears that the glass might break. Everyone around them stares at him, but Tsukasa is indifferent about them. He notices but probably thinks that these people are fans of the ‘Great Tsukasa Tenma’.  

“Sh-shhh! Not so loud, idiot,” Nene intervenes, cheeks tinted pink and hiding behind Emu. Scowling, but ignoring her, his star-like friend points at him and grins.  

“Today, you will learn so much knowledge from me that you will be the confused one! Your brain will explode, and you will finally understand how knowledgeable I am!” Tsukasa turns around dramatically and gestures at a tiny orange seahorse. Oh a-  

“This is a Shiho’s seahorse. Yes, like Saki’s friend. It is a small bony fish that has a prehensile tail. Their tail can grip onto seagrass or corals to stabilize them from the current-”  

As the other three stand in front of him, Tsukasa gushes about every single fish that passes and adds random tidbits about their physiology, behavior, and life history. Nene rolls her eyes and acts bored, but she is learning a lot from his ramblings. Emu nods and hums in agreement at his words, holding onto the shy girl next to her and pointing at the different animals mentioned. Tsukasa proudly talks about carps, minnows, perch, and many other fish genera and species.   

Rui knows every single fun fact that his friend rattles on about, even the most obscure ones. His mother used to talk about all native Japanese animals, and even some foreign ones.  

“You didn’t know that. Right, Rui?” Expectant eyes stare straight into his soul, like those of a dog awaiting praise for sitting.  

But, well, if it makes Tsukasa happy, he can pretend that he doesn’t know that the tropical sand goby migrates from freshwater to the sea for non-breeding purposes.  

“I didn’t. I guess I learned something new from you.” Tsukasa’s shining eyes and his victorious, happy smile are worth a small white lie. Or two.  

Or maybe a lot, since Rui can’t resist telling his friend that he’s learning so many things if it means seeing him smile like that.  

Nene glances at him judgingly, seeing through his lies, but doesn’t say anything. Besides, she seems mesmerized by a certain excited ball of energy bouncing in place by her side.  

Eventually, Nene’s attention leaves and she asks to move on since ‘they are blocking the way for others’. They might have all day, but other animals await them in the other room. Tsukasa could talk until the end of time about his favorite animal classes. If his ambition weren’t to become a star, he would have been an aquarium tour guide and taken care of the fish.   

But, well, Rui is glad that Tsukasa wants to be a star.  

He wouldn’t have found such great friends without him.  

Tanks of different sizes fill the next room. Many house colorful fish while others contain non-fish animals like sea anemones, jellyfish, corals, and…  

A sea star.   

Truly a strange creature.  

With pentaradial symmetry, meaning that if Rui wants to cleave it in a particular way, between its appendages, he has 5 ways to slice it in two equal halves. Science is such a violent subject. Someone thought to partially classify animals by how they could be cut down.   

He understands.   

Rui also wants to dissect Tsukasa to better understand him. Take a scalpel, open him up and truly see what’s inside. He especially wants to cut into his brain, delving into the deepest part of his consciousness and studying it. He needs to understand him, to study his subject with the utmost care and precision. As he would cut through his brain cells, perhaps they would reveal why a seemingly normal individual, someone who can easily make friends, a person who has never been alienated by others for his quirks, would reach out to a freak like him. The deeper he would dive, the more it would become clear why a man full of dreams would sacrifice his physical health for a few spectacular stunts created by a dangerous individual who only cares for shows.   

He needs to know.   

Are Tsukasa’s insides different from those of normal humans? Is there a strange substance in there that he would discover? Something that makes him insist on having Rui as his director, on convincing him to come back, that makes him order Rui to never ever hold back on him, even if his idea is ridiculously dangerous and insane.   

The thought of hurting his friend makes him queasy. He would never dissect Tsukasa literally, but metaphorically. Maybe the scalpel could be words, actions, or a test. Something to make him truly open up about everything, his past, his future, his thoughts, his fears, his joy… 

To know everything about Tsukasa. That sounds intriguing. His heart flutters in delight and he smiles softly to himself as he watches his star-like friend walk around the different tanks and take pictures of different fish. Tsukasa’s camera clicks as fast as his heartbeat.

The shutter stops for a moment, and two curious eyes glance his way. When his dear troupe leader stands next to the tank where a large orange sea star with five arms rests on the glass, Rui finally sees the true resemblance.  

Tsukasa is a star. Rui knows for sure. Maybe not the star that he aspires to be but more of a sea star. Fascinatingly strange, an enigma for those around him, someone that doesn’t make sense. Even if someone analyzes him under a microscope, they may never fully understand him completely.   

Truly a weirdo. Everyone calls Rui a weirdo, but the true strange, out-of-this-world individual is Tsukasa. The weirdo to their combo.  

Tsukasa’s camera shutter startles him. His phone points in his direction and the expression on his friend’s face is strangely fond.  

“Beautiful,” the star breathes, and Rui almost thinks that he imagined the word. His eyes grow wide, and his breath leaves him.  

“I… what?”   

“The photo. It’s beautiful. The jellyfish dancing behind you look like a background that you’d put in one of our shows. Do you want me to send it to you?” Tsukasa shows him his phone and…  

On the screen, Rui stands in the middle of the frame, surrounded by moon jellies. His body is angled to the side and his head faces the camera. A small, subtle smile dances on his lips and his eyes shine with a sickeningly fond glint.   

Beautiful.   

For a moment, he isn’t looking at himself, but a character in a show, longing for another. The expression looks so foreign on his face that there can’t be another explanation. It must be acting. 

“Yeah, send it to me.” The director can barely hear himself over the surrounding crowds and camera shutters. Tsukasa grins and taps a few things on his phone before Rui’s phone dings.   

“Where are Emu and Nene?” his friend asks while looking around, finally snapping them out of their show-like scene. Reality doesn’t settle immediately around him.  

“Oh, right there.” Rui points to his left where the two girls stand near a tank full of rainbow-coloured fish. Emu clings to the other and chatters about whatever comes to mind excitedly. ‘Wapapow, gururu, blub blub’, Nene probably doesn’t understand half of her words but smiles tenderly, nonetheless. Her purple eyes stay on her pink-haired companion despite the pretty animal display in front of her.   

“Oh, let’s join th-”  

Rui grabs his arm and stops him.   

“We shouldn’t. I don’t think they would appreciate us intruding.” Tsukasa’s eyebrows crease and the gears in his brain start to turn.  

“Why? We’re not intruding on anything. They’re looking at fish.”  

Ah, Tsukasa hasn’t noticed the very big elephant in the room. How should he explain it without Nene killing him if she ever found out?  

“Well, maybe Emu wouldn’t mind, but Nene wouldn’t enjoy being disrupted.”  

“Disrupted from what? She isn’t even talking. Emu is. As usual.” Rui really doesn’t want to spell it out.   

“Tsukasa-kun. Look at them.” Confused, his friend stares at them not at all subtly. Could the two girls feel his eyes boring into them? Emu probably wouldn’t.  

“Yes? What is it? They’re looking at the fish.”  

“Look closer. At Nene’s face specifically.” The gears in Tsukasa's brain emit smoke.  

“She’s smiling? I don’t understand. What are we disturbing?” With an amused smile on his face, Rui sighs.  

Please forgive me, oh great Nene.   

“... Well,” Unfortunately, Rui’s brain cells are made for logical, scientific concepts and shows, not love. “Nene wouldn’t appreciate us interrupting her when she’s spending time with the person she likes.”  

“... Wouldn’t she prefer spending time with many people she likes?” Ah, fuck it. Rui gives up on subtlety. Tsukasa has many strengths, but understanding romance isn’t one of them.  

“I mean romantically.”  

They stand in silence for a long and heavy moment as Tsukasa frowns and his brain understands his words. If the gears in his brain truly emitted smoke, they would have to evacuate the building. The second everything clicks, his eyes widen comically, and Rui knows he’ll have to intervene.   

“WHA-” The director gently covers his mouth with his hand.  

“Shhh, we shouldn’t be too loud, or we’ll disrupt the moment,” Rui whispers in his ears, and Tsukasa glares at him, a tint of pink coloring his cheeks. Very subtle; he wouldn’t have noticed if they weren’t so close. Nene glances at them menacingly and Rui gives her a thumb’s up, a wordless ‘I have this under control, please enjoy yourself’.   

“Fine,” Tsukasa takes Rui’s hand away. “But how do you know? I thought they were just friends.”  

“I guess they are just friends for now. But Nene wants to be more than friends. I can tell because I’ve known her for a long time. Normally, I wouldn’t be able to tell.”  

“Huh.” Tsukasa stares at the girls as if he could unravel some secret if he just looks hard enough. “So, you know that because you guys are childhood friends?”  

“I suppose. I noticed the way that she looked at Emu. It’s a lot fonder than when she looks at me or you.”  

A comfortable silence settles around them, and the other aquarium goers walk around them, minding their own business and admiring the surrounding aquatic creatures. The two other troupe members move towards another tank full of corals, jellyfish, and anemones. Emu squeals and points at the huge orange-pink jellyfish with large tentacles.  

“Do you think they’ll become a couple?” Tsukasa asks curiously, which is met by a contemplative hum.  

“Perhaps. I don’t know how Emu feels, but I hope so. I want them to be happy.”  

“Me too. But I think that Emu feels the same.”  

“Why do you think that?” Rui glances at him curiously. The Future Star’s eyebrows are relaxed, and he smiles softly at their two friends.  

“Because Emu also treats Nene differently than she does us. She hugs her more and I think her smile brightens a little more when Nene’s around.”  

“Really? I never noticed.”  

“I didn’t really think much of it before, but now that you mentioned Nene’s behavior, I remembered that.”   

For once, they don’t have much to say to each other. Nothing show-related nor fish-related, just calm, peaceful silence as they move through the room and observe the sea creatures. As they look at a fish with a heart-shaped tail, Tsukasa finally regains his voice.  

“Do you ever think about romance and stuff?” As he asks such a delicate question, Tsukasa’s eyes stay on the small creature. Rui takes a deep breath.  

“No.”   

Rui doesn’t like thinking about romance, especially when not even a few months ago, he believed that he would never find true friends that understand him. Asking the world for anything more would be greedy. He doesn’t mind living the rest of his days with his friends and being romantically undesirable to others.  

He expects it, actually.   

“Oh,” his friend simply says and nods. “I don’t either. I don’t understand it, I guess. It seems complicated and I prefer my friends and family.” A pause. “Have you liked someone romantically?” The small fish swims away, replaced by a yellow one. 

“Probably in passing. Little flings that I knew wouldn’t amount to anything. I can’t remember and I can't tell.”   

If he thinks about it hard enough, he probably liked a few boys in primary school and maybe during middle school. Not that they would like him back, so it was easier to never realize what his longing glances meant. How he would see certain boys in his dreams, try to get closer to them only to be pushed away, how his heart beat a little harder when they talked. Now that he’s older, he can assume that he liked them to some extent, but, well, maybe not.   

“Have you?”  

“No.” Tsukasa presses his hand to the glass pane where a new, slightly bigger purple fish has stopped in its tracks. Its curious stare reminds him of a cat. “How do you know when you like someone like that?”  

“Ah, you should probably ask Emu and Nene about this.” Rui and emotions don’t mix, unfortunately.   

“Why can’t you explain it to me?” For the first time during their exchange, Tsukasa’s curious, amber eyes meet his. They are darker than his and, like a black hole, want to swallow him in. The eyes are the windows to the soul, and Tsukasa’s soul is such a beautiful thing. Always so open yet not open enough.   

Rui is greedy. He wants to know more. He almost lets the black hole swallow him.  

“I can explain the chemical reaction.”  

“I’ll ask Emu,” Tsukasa deadpans and takes his hand away from the tank just as the fish swims away.   

Soon, Emu tackles them in a hug and drags them to another room until they reach the end of the aquarium and return home with four gigantic smiles.  

Chapter Text

On another page, Rui once stored many pictures of his and his friends’ first voyage to another country together. He has already revisited the nation and will keep going many times in the future. Still, at the time, their trip was the most exciting adventure possible, something they knew they would remember for years to come. 

--- 

The United States of America.  

In show business, if someone makes it here, they basically made it internationally, right? At least, for someone foreign to the country like him.  

Unfortunately, Rui hasn't made it internationally yet and is simply here on business as a PhennyLand ambassador. WonderShow is here to learn as much as possible about the Riley Dream Park and how Mr. Riley manages it.  

Emu, in particular, has been very excited about the trip and has continuously talked about everything she wants to learn from their host. She keeps getting up from her seat to talk to him, Tsukasa and Keisuke better. Her wacky movements and loud, excited onomatopoeias disturb the other passengers and their troupe leader who sits in front of her. Nene, sitting in the alley seat, and Shousuke, near the window, yank her down and order her to remain seated in case of turbulence. So, instead of bothering Tsukasa by leaning her whole body on the back of his seat, she kicks it.  

Rui chuckles at her antics and glances back at the window where a beautiful landscape awaits him. Outside, Japan sleeps, but many buildings still illuminate the streets. The plane passes through a big cotton candy-like cloud and condensation stays on the metal wings. Such an awe-inducing view is bound to inspire a few background ideas for their next show.  

Eventually, a particularly harsh turbulence rocks them and cuts Emu’s speech short. The passengers fasten their seatbelts and shake with the plane. Tsukasa almost screams, but Rui catches it and blocks his mouth. Nene whimpers in fear while her seat neighbor hums happily. He glances over his shoulder and, yeah, Nene is clinging onto Emu like a lifeline just as Tsukasa does to him. Their dear troupe leader murmurs that they will die, or something like that. Not that he is right since, if anything happens, Rui can make an emergency plane fix. Crawling onto the wings, midair, and screwing a few loose screws; that sounds thrilling, doesn’t it? 

Tsukasa pales and harshly scolds him for ‘scaring him more with his crazy idea’. So mean.  

His tools are ready in his handbag in case anything happens. Yes, it was hard to pass security, and the border patrol stopped him for ‘having dangerous weapons in his possession’. The officers interrogated him in a tiny room, asking why he, a 17-year-old non-engineer, brought a handmade power drill in his carry-on bag. Among other… probably illegally made tools… 

It’s not his fault that hardware stores don’t always have the specific tools that he needs to create his robots! 

He brought a hammer, not a gun or a knife! Why is it such a big deal? Everyone will be thankful when something goes wrong and he must use his tools to save everyone. 

Eventually, Keisuke and Shousuke talked to the officers and, very subtly, slid a huge sum of money into their hands. The officers released him just in time to board the plane. 

Could he have missed the plane because of his little stunt? Yes. Fired from his PhennyLand job? Absolutely. Gone to jail? He’s surprised he’s not in cuffs right now. But he got away scot-free, so he doesn’t care. Besides, Nene forced him to leave NeneRobo at home, so they could at least let him have his tools. 

But, much to his dismay, Rui doesn’t get the chance to make an emergency fix and the plane lands smoothly.  

Finally on solid land, Tsukasa and Emu run out of the plane, passing by regular people without apologizing. The rest of their group stays behind, politely walking behind the other passengers and waiting their turn.  

Inside the airport, Emu bounces around near the windows with a wide smile. He and Nene join her and talk for a bit until they notice a very big and loud missing presence. Tsukasa stands farther away, posing like a… 

After a beat, the pose makes sense, and Rui snaps a picture of ‘the bald eagle pose’. He stares at his new photo happily, impatient to print it out and add it to his album. 

Keisuke and Shousuke call them over and the group rides a taxi, unfortunately not yellow like in the movies. At the hotel, the Otori brothers arrange their accommodations for the next five days and four nights and give them four key cards; two to Nene and two to him. 

“You have two rooms with two beds. We’ll let you choose your sleeping arrangements,” Keisuke explains. 

“But Emu can’t sleep in the same room as Rui or Tsukasa.” Shousuke glares at the two boys menacingly.  

“What? Why?” Emu and Tsukasa exclaim, as if Shousuke’s reasoning for refusing to leave his baby sister alone in a room with a boy isn’t obvious. 

“Alright. So, I guess I’ll be rooming with Tsukasa, and Emu will room with Nene.” Rui shrugs, not really caring about the room arrangements. His childhood friend quietly cheers to herself, and Emu tackles her in a hug. 

“Yay! Nene-chan! We get to have a girls-only sleepover! Hehe!”  

“Don’t just tackle people,” Nene scolds, but her smile betrays her elation.  

“Well, that settles it. We’ll meet up tomorrow at 8 am sharp and go to Mr. Riley’s Park. Please rest well. Good night.” Shoulders slumping and eyes almost closing, Shousuke grabs his suitcase and bag. Rui can relate. His body is slightly heavier like when he pulls an all-nighter. 

And maybe they have pulled an all-nighter since no one in their group slept during the flight, too excited to discover the great American land. Well, it’s not like he isn’t used to staying awake for long periods. Rui could probably work on his robots for a few hours until night hits the city. 

“But it’s still sunny.” Emu tilts her head. 

“Are you not exhausted from the 16-hour flight?” Shousuke sighs. 

“Nope! I’m super-duper energized! Wonderhoy!” Her loud exclamation annoys the other lobby goers. 

“Well, I’m going to bed. Do whatever you want, but don’t get into trouble. And don’t leave the hotel. I don’t want you getting lost,” the younger Otori brother mumbles before disappearing into his room. Keisuke pats her head and joins him. 

“What should we do?” Emu spins in place and points at them, her pink eyes shining brighter than the early afternoon Floridian sun.  

“Go to bed.” Nene yawns and leans on her suitcase. 

“Ehhhh?!?” Their ray of sunshine whines and puffs her cheeks out. “But we’re in America! We should do American things!” 

“Like what?”  

“Hmumumu” Emu taps her finger to her chin.  

“Eat a hot dog!” Tsukasa exclaims. 

“Set off fireworks,” Rui supplies. 

“Yeah! Both very good ideas!” Their small friend bounces in place and high-fives them. 

“We could also buy a gun,” Rui simply says and Nene and Tsukasa stare at him like he killed their mother. Pink eyes widen in confusion. 

“What?”  

“Why?” 

“How?”

All very good questions from his friends. 

“It’s legal to buy here, right? I want to buy one and disassemble it. See what’s inside.”  

“Why?!?” Tsukasa despairs. 

“Because it’s interesting. And maybe it could inspire me when we put on a spy show or something.” 

“You’re not creating a replica for a show! A toy gun is fine enough.” His childhood friend frowns. 

“But… what happened to creating the most immersive show possible?” Rui pouts and fake sniffles. 

“It can be immersive without an actual gun! You are not learning how to build a dangerous weapon!” Nene glares at him and presses her head on her suitcase, blinking slowly. 

“Rui-kun, I don’t think we can even buy a gun. We need to be 18, right?” Emu smiles sympathetically.  

“Would your brothers be so kind as to-“ 

“No!!!” Tsukasa exclaims and the lobbyists roll their eyes. “Do not allow him to buy a gun, Emu. He’s caused enough trouble already.”  

“Anyway, can we please go to our rooms?” Nene insists, eyes closed.  

“Hm, but it’s so early-“ Their dear star yawns loudly.  

“It’s 2 am in Japan, so it’s normal to be tired,” Rui says. 

“2 am?!?” Nene shushes their extravagant friend. “How unbecoming of a star! This will completely ruin my sleep schedule! Bad sleeping habits are bad for your skin!” 

“Yeah, so bed,” their diva mumbles lowly. 

“Wait! But… we’re in America now, so… it’s not late. My sleep schedule isn’t ruined!” Tsukasa reasons, posing proudly as if he said something profound. 

“… That's not how it works! Have you forgotten time zones? Your internal clock is still Japan time.” A vein pops on Nene’s forehead.  

“But…” Tsukasa furrows his eyebrows. “We have to adapt to America time now, so we should only sleep when it’s night here, right?” 

“Eventually, but it takes time,” Rui explains before his clueless friend dies by strangulation and their diva becomes a criminal. “We should take it easy, I suppose. Just for today. We have a few days to do everything we want and visit. Let’s relax in our rooms and get something to eat after.” 

“Thank you,” Nene sighs and lifts herself up.  

“Fine, we can take it easy.”  

Finally in agreement, they all grab their luggage and walk to the third floor of the hotel. Before they separate, Emu stops them and grabs Nene’s arm. 

“Wait! We should exchange keycards!” 

“…Why?” Nene yawns.  

“So that if any of us wants to visit the others, we can! We could do surprise visits, he he!”  

“Fufu~ that sounds interesting.” Taking out a keycard, Rui offers it to his small friend. 

“… that sounds like a disaster.” The girls’ second keycard stays in its sleeve. 

“Nene-chan!!!” Emu whines, shaking the poor girl’s arm. “P-l-e-a-s-e~” After witnessing the puppy eyes, Nene sighs and throws a card in Tsukasa’s hands. 

“Whatever, I’m too tired to argue.” She passes through her door without looking at them. Emu waves at them and follows her in.  

The two boys enter their room and settle their suitcases in the furthest corner possible. An assault of white and bright blinds him for a moment. The walls, sheets, and lights lack color, and the floor contrasts them with its black wooden planks. Rui inhales a whiff of sanitized, overly stuffy air and immediately opens the balcony door. The warm, humid outside air replaces the unpleasant one. Only a few clouds float in the air and the blasting sun shines over him. The palm tree leaves lightly sway with the weak wind. 

Such a sight would look appealing in one of their shows. His brain brims with a million ideas and he’s sure he will remember everything when they return to Japan, but… A reference would be nice.  

He immortalizes the beautiful sunny environment on his phone. 

“Do you think we’ll see a cowboy?” Tsukasa asks from behind him, peering over his shoulder and looking at the pale blue sky. The sun, insecure that someone brighter than it shares entered its domain, hides behind a small cloud.  

“Fufu~ I don’t think so, but that would be interesting.” Foreign birds chirp from their nest on a palm tree.  

“Do you think they at least sell cowboy hats?” His troupe leader leans on the balcony just as the sun regains a little confidence and shines its rays onto his hair.  

“Maybe. We’ll look for one when we start visiting the city.” Their eyes meet and his friend smiles excitedly. “I didn’t know you liked Westerns, Tsukasa-kun.” 

“Yeah!!! I love cowboys and the desert full of cacti. They have pubs and everything is so intense. I especially love the duels where the cowboys go,” Tsukasa extends his arm towards him and arranges his fingers in a gun-like shape, only leaving out the index and thumb. “Pow!!!” With an arm movement, the star ‘shoots’ his poor innocent director. Clenching his heart, Rui groans dramatically and falls to his knees.

“ Well, you win. I guess this town wasn’t big enough for the two of us. So long, partner. ” He slumps onto the ground and ‘bleeds out’.  

“What did you say?” Tsukasa lifts an eyebrow. 

“Just something I’ve heard in a Western movie. They always say, ‘this town isn’t big enough for both of us’ before challenging each other to a duel.” The director gets up from the warm concrete balcony 

“Oh! Yeah, they say something like that. They also say YEEEHAWWW!!! A lot,” The sound shakes the balcony like an earthquake. A powerful, hearty laugh bursts from his chest and, thankfully, the railing steadies him. 

“Y-yeah. They say that a lot. Maybe not as loudly, though.” Rui takes a deep breath, yet his small giggles persist. Two gemstone-like eyes stare at him with a strange, entranced, yet unreadable shine. As the moment comes to an end, Tsukasa snaps out of whatever state he is in and grins. 

“We should go ride a horse into the sunset.” His friend points at the sun as if they could ride a horse in the middle of a busy city full of cars and barely enough space to walk on the sidewalk. But…  

The excitement in his voice forces the denial down Rui’s throat. 

“I’m not sure we can, but I can look up if there’s a place that offers such services.” Tsukasa’s shining smile is aimed at him; what else could he ask for? “But before that, we should rest.” 

As his friend takes a shower, Rui searches for ranches nearby. None exist within a reasonable distance, and barely any rent-out horses that they can take out of a farm. Even so, one day, he vows to take Tsukasa on a horse ride into the sunset. Maybe in a month, year, or decade, but it will happen.  

After cleaning up, Rui lays down in a way-too-sanitized bed with too many pillows. It feels wrong to sleep on something so cushy when he hasn’t touched his bed in years, preferring the floor or his couch. But it would be worse if he slept on an unfamiliar floor where strangers, some probably with strange fungi and bacteria on their feet, have walked on. And Tsukasa will probably scold him if he finds out about his strange sleeping habit.  

His friend snores louder than an elephant on the other queen-sized bed. Rui stares at his face, still as expressive as ever, and admires how the outside light peaking from the closed curtains reflects on his hair. A small line of drool falls down his cheek, yet he still shines like a star. Without someone by his side, Tsukasa splays his whole body like a sea star and wiggles around despite being dead asleep. Rui chuckles to himself and observes his friend until his eyes slither shut and Tsukasa’s snores lull him to sleep. 

They wake up when the sun has set and join their two friends down in the lobby to get something to eat. Accompanied by the Otori brothers, they choose a ramen restaurant, believing that some comfort food would do them well after such an exhausting flight. Tsukasa slumps in disappointment, insisting on getting a hot dog, but everyone disagrees. At least, for now. 

The ramen place is small and smells delightful. Rui and Keisuke order for them, as the others, minus Shousuke, have a hard time conversing in English. Shousuke is simply too tired to speak to anyone, so he lets his brother order for him. The bowl is larger than those from home and makes him salivate. Rui picks the algae, spring onions, and bean sprouts and transfers them to Tsukasa’s bowl when he isn’t looking. After successfully ridding his meal of poison, the director enjoys the salty broth, tender pork, and delicious noodles. Not a bad meal, but not as good as those from back home. A good replica, but never as delicious as an authentic Japanese ramen.  

Chapter Text

At 8 am sharp, just as Shousuke ordered, the four extravagant WonderShow members meet in the lobby and soon, are driven to Riley’s amusement park. The second Rui leaves the car, loud wheels on steel screech as a roller coaster stops, reaching the end of its loop. Splashes from afar and elated children’s screams reach his ears. Attractions, stands, decorations and tiny roads span thousands of meters. His eyes cannot see the end of the park.   

Tsukasa’s phone camera shutters five times next to him.  

Mr. Riley greets them and asks everyone but the Otori brothers to explore his gigantic park, to Emu’s initial disappointment. Unfortunately, due to her age, she isn’t considered a PhennyLand manager; she cannot participate in business talks with her brothers and business partner. Still, their sunshine cheers up once she realizes that exploring the park could give her ideas on improving her grandpa’s.  

Unsurprisingly, seeing as they are theater nerds, WonderShow beelines for the first stage they can find. Roller Coasters, teacups, and the Ferris wheel—they have time for those later. Besides, Keisuke said that they would come back the next day, and the WonderShow members likely won’t participate in the adult meetings, instead fooling around and learning more about the park on the field.   

The show keeps them on the edge of their seats, the performers pulling off incredible stunts that even Tsukasa hasn’t yet attempted. The last scene stabs at their hearts and their jaw drops, dazzled by the actors’ execution. The play ends and the theater maniacs stay in their seats, entranced by what they just witnessed, especially Emu and Tsukasa. Their eyes shine brightly like children seeing their first-ever show.  

Eventually, everyone returns to Earth and exits the theater. The next show isn’t for a while, so the four friends decide to experience the park differently; by riding a few roller coasters. Before they can enter a ride, Miku hears a crying child and, alarmed, they search for her. A lost girl hides in the shade away from prying eyes, crouched down and Rui’s heart breaks. For a moment, he sees little him curled up in a small ball behind the school building, hiding from the judging stares of his peers and harsh insults. The tears stream down his young self’s cheeks and his eyes, with a glare, silently curse the world for making him so unlikeable and weird.   

Rui blinks and the child retakes the form of a blonde-haired girl, teary-eyed and slightly confused. While Rui clocked out for a moment, Tsukasa approached her, steps confident and slightly scary for a small child.  

“ Hey! Girl! ” Tsukasa exclaims with his heavily accented English. The girl startles and retracts into herself. “ My name is Tsukasa Tenma! I am a star! No... A future star of the world! ”   

Rui chuckles internally, not wanting to insult his poor friend whose English abilities are limited. The small child's eyes widen in horror, and she moves away. Tsukasa looks at them for guidance before exclaiming,  

“ Dance!!! And!!! Sing!!! ” loud enough for the birds nearby to fly away.   

The girl, terrified, bursts into tears, much to his defeated friend’s dismay. Emu takes over and her silly faces lift the mood up. As the group wonders why she is alone, Rui reveals his secret language skills.   

“ Hey there. My name is Rui. What’s your name, dear? ” Losing almost a meter of height by crouching down, he smiles amicably. The girl wipes her tears and stares at him, still a little suspicious. His friends whisper to themselves, but he ignores them, focused on the poor lost child.  

“ Mary. ” She blinks at him with her big, adorable eyes.  

“ What are you doing here all alone? Do you know where your parents are? ”   

“ No… I don’t know where Mommy and Daddy are… ” Tears reform in her eyes and he shushes her gently.  

“ Don’t cry, dear. How about we go on an adventure to find them? My friends and I will help you. ” Rui points at his friends and offers her his hand, which is soon taken by a small, clingy one.   

“Alright. She’s lost. Let’s help her find her parents,” he tells his friends in Japanese as he stands up. “But let’s keep our conversations in English, okay? It must be scary for her to hear so many rapid foreign words.”  

Emu springs in front of him and little stars form in her eyes.  

“ My name is Emu meaning smile! ” She points to their shy friend and furrows her eyebrows. “ This is my… friend Nene-chan! Let’s go find your parents! Won-won-wonderhoi! ” She finishes her signature move and wordlessly encourages Mary to do the same.  

“W-wonderhoi?”  

Releasing his hand, the child makes a rainbow gesture. Emu cheers and bounces in place before asking the girl a million questions about herself. Her words barely make sense, even less than usual due to her troubles with the language. Still, this is Emu, so she communicates mostly with onomatopoeia and expressive sounds. At some point, she ropes Nene into the conversation, and they entertain the child as they start their perilous journey to the Compass Center.  

Tsukasa walks beside him, upset that he failed to communicate with Mary and even scared her.  

“How come you didn’t talk to the girl first? I made a fool of myself! How unstar-like!” the Future Star mutters and broods by his side.  

“You seemed so determined. I didn’t want to steal your spotlight.” Rui chuckles at his friend’s scowl.  

As they walk through the park, following the map on a pamphlet, Emu takes out a notepad and runs around different signs, frantically writing anything that could help improve PhennyLand. Mary, unable to keep up, shyly grabs Tsukasa’s pants and stays close by, slowly opening to their Future Star.  

They pass by the Blue World area and the girl’s eyes widen. The dolphin decoration entrances her and forces a happy smile on her face. For a lost child, she sure seems to be having a lot of fun.  

A man-made ocean greets them a little farther in and so does a beautiful artificial forest. Mary insists on riding a roller coaster and they accompany her up, ending the ride with a smile.   

The compass center isn’t too far from their stop. Mary’s parents wait for her and relief washes on their faces when they see their child. Before she leaves, the girl waves them goodbye with an adorable smile.  

Soon, they meet with Mr. Riley who answers their questions about his park. He tells them about how it came to be, how Rakunosuke helped him achieve his dream, and how Emu’s creativity and ‘childish’ ideas are what create great things. Their cheerful friend’s worries leave her and, finally, the sunshine girl that they know returns.  

Once their conversation is done, WonderShow returns to their hotel and meets up in the boys’ room. As usual, show ideas fly around and laughter resounds through the room. Eventually, night settles and the girls return to their room. Rui jumps in the shower first and relives his day as he washes the dirt from the outside.  

He had so much fun, but could he have more fun tomorrow? Is there a maximum amount of happiness? With his troupe members, probably not. It’s like they suck the sadness out of him and stuff him with joy. Every moment with his friends adds ten years to his life. He might become immortal soon.  

But the day isn’t completely over yet. And he can add one more moment of happiness that he will remember forever, right?  

As he dries his hair with a towel, a funny idea enters his mind. Slowly, he dresses himself up and creaks the door open. Tsukasa reads a script lying on his bed and mumbles his lines to himself, unaware that one sneaky Rui Kamishiro has entered the room with a towel on his head.  

Careful not to make a sound, the director creeps towards him and settles his hands on the end of the bed. The sound alerts his unsuspecting victim who lifts his eyes from his papers. Rui slowly crawls closer to his friend.   

“Rui?” Tsukasa tilts his head and lifts his left eyebrow up. “What are you doing?”

With a smirk, the eccentric director approaches him without answering. He throws the towel to the side and lets his wet hair drip down his face. His dear troupe leader scoots farther onto the bed until he can’t anymore, head hitting the headrest. His amber eyes widen and his breath hitches as their noses brush. The water from Rui’s hair falls onto Tsukasa’s lap and stains his pants.   

“Ru…i?”   

Rui feels Tsukasa’s hot breath on his lips. Just as his friend’s eyes flutter shut and the tension in his shoulders disappears, the mischievous director puts a little distance between them and shakes his head like a dog drying off. Water droplets explode around them, on Tsukasa’s face, shirt, pants, and pillow. Before the other can get back to his senses, Rui jumps off the bed and runs to the furthest corner of the room.  

“You!” Tsukasa’s mouth hangs open as he stares at his slightly wet shirt and pants before leaving his bed. “Why did you do that?”   

“Fufufufu~” His evil scientist chuckle tips his friend off.   

“You’re not getting away with this!” Tsukasa points at him and bolts in his direction.  

Rui dodges his attack and jumps over the beds, running to the other side while laughing. His troupe leader picks up a pillow and throws it at him, missing and hitting the wall instead. They run around the room for a minute before his friend catches up to him and throws him onto the bed. Rui falls with a breathless laugh and Tsukasa straddles him. He grabs a pillow and hits his face with it, but the star’s action only brings him more uncontrollable laughter.   

“So mean to me. Physical violence? Not very Future Star of you, Tsukasa-kun.”  

“Oh, shush! You got me all wet!” His friend lightly hits him with his soft weapon once more, but Rui blocks it. Annoyed, Tsukasa throws it to the side, which hits the wall connecting theirs and the girl’s room. He grabs both of Rui’s wrists and pins him down on the bed.  

“What are you doing?” the director asks, his heart jumping strangely. Tsukasa stares at him in concentration and ignores his question, slowly approaching his face.   

Wait.   

He isn’t going to use the same move as him, is he? But Rui only used it as a distraction. What if Tsukasa goes through with it?   

Swallowing thickly, his eyes close without his input, and his face warms. Why does the thought of them kissing not sound absolutely terrifying? It really should.   

Just as he feels his friend’s breath on his lips, his heart stops.   

But the next second, it restarts when Tsukasa blows in his ear, and he shivers. The Future Star puts a little distance between their faces and grins.   

“Ha ha ha! I bet you didn’t expect me to use your own trick against you!” He looks so proud, on his hands and knees, trapping Rui underneath him. “Hm? What’s with that face?”  

Rui doesn’t know what face he’s making. He can barely focus on anything but his shallow breaths and racing heart. What even happened? What is happening? Why are they in this position? He wants something, his brain screams that they should be doing something, yet can’t supply the words. As he looks into those sunset-colored eyes, he believes he might explode.   

Who would have thought that Tsukasa would be the one exploding Rui, not the other way around?  

Rui parts his lips, but just as he’s about to say something, anything really, the door clicks, and Nene barges in the room, fists clenched, and teeth gritted.   

“What-”   

Both boys whirl their heads in her direction and watch as her eyes slowly widen and red explodes on her face. She slams the door closed and runs away back to her room without finishing her sentence, leaving them confused.  

“What was that about?” Tsukasa finally releases his wrists and sits next to him. Rui takes a moment to catch his breath and come back to reality. For some reason, during a few seconds, his genius brain stopped working. How terrifying.   

“I…” Rui sits up and stares at the door. “Maybe we were being too loud, and Nene got annoyed with us? They might have heard us running around and throwing pillows.”  

“Oh!” Tsukasa’s mouth forms a perfect O before dropping back to a more confused look. “But why did she run away like that?”  

“Hah… How do I say this?” Why is his brain so slow? Usually, he can answer anything about everything in a matter of milliseconds, but words fail him. “Our… position?” he supplies and, suddenly, everything clicks into place. “Oh, yes, we were in quite the compromising position, weren’t we?”   

“Wait. We were?” Both reflect on the past few moments and realize how bad it looked. “O-oh my God!” Tsukasa exclaims with the widest eyes and reddest face Rui has ever seen on him.   

“She must have gotten the wrong idea,” the director states matter-of-factly. He doesn’t know if he should feel more embarrassed. Whatever idea Nene has, he doesn’t think he minds all that much.  

“Do you think she thought we were…”  

“Kissing? Making out? Having-”  

“Shhhhh!!!!” His friend blocks his mouth with his hand. “Don’t say it! I don’t even want to imagine what went through her mind. Hopefully not the last one!!!”   

Rui blows into Tsukasa’s hand who releases him with a weirded-out look.  

“Maybe we should go see Nene and resolve the misunderstanding?” he proposes and the star springs from the bed.  

“Y-yes! I don’t want my troupe members to think I’m doing anything indecent! That’s not star-like at all!” Swiping the girl’s keycard from the bedside table, his friend runs out of their room without waiting for him. Rui slowly walks behind him and cards a hand through his hair. His insides burn a pleasant flame, and he floats instead of walks. He still feels slow and entranced by whatever almost happened, but his deep breaths calm him down.  

Tsukasa uses the keycard and barges into the girls’ room without knocking.  

“NENE!!!” he exclaims far too loudly for the time of night. “We weren’t doing what you thought!!! Rui just made me all wet and I had to get back at him.”  

Nene shrinks behind a chuckling Emu and hides her very red face.  

“I-I don’t want to know what you two are up to!!!” she squeaks. 

“He means I pranked him by transferring some water from my hair to him fufu~” Rui flips his hair which hits Tsukasa in the face.   

“Hey!” His friend wipes the slight dampness on his cheek.   

“I don’t care!!! Good for you two. Don’t be too loud and I won’t have to bother you again!” Nene clings onto their sunshine-like friend who gives them a thumbs up.  

“Yeah! If you two want to kissy-kissy, then I’m happy for you,” Emu says with a hint of amusement.  

“W-we were not..!” Tsukasa not so subtly kicks him. “Tell them! This is all your fault!” For a moment, Rui almost refuses just to annoy him, but unfortunately, he is involved in this situation too.   

“There was no kissy-kissy.” Not a real one at least. He ignores how his mind replays the way Tsukasa’s face approached him and his hot breath on his lips. “We were running around and then I guess we fell onto the bed. That’s why we ended up in that position, Nene,” he lies because explaining what happened would confuse everyone.   

“Sure…” The other two speak at the same time and look suspicious.   

“Well, now that Rui’s confirmed it, there isn’t any more confusion, right?” Tsukasa doesn’t notice the girls’ reactions. “As a Star, I would never ever be indecent. I act very properly and am a role model to all!” Nene sighs and Emu chuckles. “Anyway, goodnight, dear troupe members! Rest well!”   

They return to their room and Tsukasa takes a shower. Alone, Rui researches medical journals for an explanation of his strange behavior. He was having a heart attack, he thinks, but probably not? Isn’t he a little young, especially considering his family history without heart disease? After a lot of research, he comes up with another conclusion; it's all in his head, but he will pay attention to other symptoms in case it really is something. 

Chapter Text

The next day, at Mr. Riley’s Park, the Wondershow members explore other parts of the park and ride as many attractions as possible. The first roller coaster they take goes so fast, it forces tears out of their eyes and Tsukasa’s scream is so ear-shattering that Rui wonders if he finally witnessed the day that his friend beat the record for the loudest sound emitted by a human. It’s a shame he couldn’t bring NeneRobo to America and measure it.  

Tsukasa holds his and Emu’s arms, pale as a sheet and legs wobbly. Nene, too, looks sick, but she only clings onto a very enthusiastic Emu. After dragging their friends to a bench, their sunshine twirls around and exclaims her catchphrase.  

“That was super duper fun!!! We should go again!” 

“NO!!!” their two sick troupe members exclaim at the same time and groan. 

“Aw.” Emu giggles. “Hehe, I’ll go get you guys some water. Rui!” She pivots and points at him. “You’re in charge!”  

“Yes, Captain Emu!” The ‘one in charge’ salutes and chuckles as his little friend bounces off towards a random stand.  

Tsukasa and Nene splay out onto the bench and rest their heads together. They gulp in a gust of air and turn a little greener. Rui snaps a picture of them and chuckles to himself. 

“HEY!” they both exclaim in offense.  

“Delete that right now!” Nene weakly swipes in front of herself and the director takes his phone away. 

“You villain!!!” Tsukasa’s voice lacks its usual loudness. “You dare make fun of us when we are sick?” 

“I’ll send it to the group chat so we can have fond memories of our time here.” Rui shrugs and smirks. 

“Fond memories?!? You-” 

“I’m back~” Emu cuts their star off and shoves two water bottles into their sick friends’ hands. They drink the cold beverage like dehydrated desert dwellers and their skin regains a normal colour. After sitting for a few more calm minutes, their little ball of energy can’t contain herself anymore and jumps from the bench.  

“Let’s ride the Ferris Wheel! Please please please!!!” Emu grabs the barely recovered troupe members' hands without waiting for an answer. Rui calmly follows them into the short line for the classic park attraction.  

Emu throws Tsukasa in a seat and gently pushes their songstress into another one with her. Rui takes the last seat and the park employee closes the door for them. As the wheel moves, bringing them higher and higher, Emu presses herself onto the railing and excitedly points to the man-made ‘sea’ while pulling Nene’s arm to get her attention. 

“Isn’t Mr. Riley’s park amazing?!?” she exclaims and almost jumps from her seat once they reach the top of the ride. “It’s so big! Everything's made to maximize everyone’s smiles. It’s immersive!”  

“Yeah, but I think I prefer Phoenix Wonderland,” Nene says with a smile. 

“Eh?” 

“Your grandpa created a beautiful theme park that makes everyone smile too. It was made with love and dreams and passion.” She falters. “N-not that Mr. Riley’s park wasn’t made with all of that it’s just… maybe it’s nostalgia and because I can’t help but imagine your grandfather as someone similar to you, but I really love PhennyLand. And I’ll keep loving it, especially when you take over and start managing the park because I know you’ll improve it.” 

Emu stares at the now flustered Nene with little stars in her eyes. She tackles her in a hug. 

“Nene-chan’s so kind.” 

“She’s right! As much as this park is impressive and gigantic, PhennyLand is just more familiar and cozy,” Tsukasa chimes in. 

“It has a special place in our heart,” Rui agrees.  

“You guys!” Emu giggles. “I promise that when I get a higher position at PhennyLand, I’ll do my best to keep it as cozy as it is! And then, everyone can smile and have a fun time!” 

“We’ll always support you, Emu! Just like you support us,” their star echoes their sentiment.

“I love you guys soooo much!!!” She almost jumps into Tsukasa’s arms, but stops as the cart rocks. “Oops.” 

“Fufu~ Careful. We can do that when we reach the ground.” Rui ruffles her hair and she ruffles his back.  

“In the meantime, let’s take pictures!!!” Tsukasa takes out his phone and it shutters three times once he points it towards the environment.  

“Ooo! Good idea!” Emu does the same but points her camera towards the two boys. “I want to take photos of all of us and share them in the groupchat! Let’s start with you two.” 

She gestures at them to get closer and the distance between them shortens enough for their thighs to touch. Their troupe leader poses extravagantly like a proud hero while Rui simply makes a peace sign. With a shutter, Emu stares at her phone with an oddly serious look. 

“Humumum…” Her eyebrows furrow and Tsukasa squirms nervously next to him. 

“How is it? Is the photo worthy of ending up on a Future Star’s Instagram?” 

Suddenly, Emu drops the serious act and smiles, turning the phone towards them. 

“You guys look great! Now take a picture of me and Nene-chan!!!” She shoves her phone into Tsukasa’s hands and clings onto the other girl who simply smiles, a light blush dusting her cheeks. 

Once the photo is taken, they enjoy the rest of their ride down the Ferris wheel and chat about shows as usual. For the rest of the day, they ride other roller coasters, far less intense than the first one for Nene and Tsukasa’s sake, ride the Merry-go-round and watch a few shows together. 

Eventually, the Otori brothers finish their meeting with Mr. Riley and call a taxi. Their group returns to the hotel and WonderShow meets up in the girls’ room to talk about shows. As the sun completely sets and their energy levels slowly dwindles, the two boys return to their room and settle for the night. Or Tsukasa would have liked. 

“I’ll be back,” Rui calls as his friend finishes his shower. He pops his feet in his shoes and closes the door behind him without waiting for a confused response. He is a man on a mission. A very mischievous mission.  

In the hotel restaurant, barely anyone frequents the bar despite the late time of day. Perfect for his plan. 

Now, Rui is very much underage, especially in the US. Perhaps he could pass for an adult, but they would certainly card him. But he doesn’t care, since he isn’t here for the alcoholic beverages.  

“ Two virgin Piña Coladas, please.”  

With his two drinks in hand, Rui returns to his room and stifles his laughter down his throat. Tsukasa finishes brushing his hair and glances in his direction when the door opens. 

“I got us something to drink,” the director starts and places both glasses on the bedside table between their beds. 

“What is it?” The star approaches the drinks like a curious and wary chipmunk. And just like an animal being hand fed, he sniffs them.  

“A Piña Colada.” Tsukasa’s eyebrows shoot to his hairline, his wide eyes immediately stare at him and his jaw drops comically.  

“T-THAT’S!!!” Rui shushes him by putting a finger to his own mouth, stifling his giggles.  

“If you’re too loud, someone will hear you and they’ll find out about this. We might get in trouble fufu~” His friend glances at the door, then back at him. 

“T-that’s alcohol! We can’t drink that! W-we could go to prison!” Tsukasa whisper-shouts. 

“I’m pretty sure that won’t happen. Maybe pay a fine, but not prison,” Rui reassures but his skeptical friend remains unconvinced. 

“How did you even get this? Shouldn’t the bartenders have stopped you?”  

“They didn’t ask for my ID and just gave them to me.” 

Tsukasa scowls. 

“That’s so irresponsible! What if this messes with our brains?!? We’re still growing!” 

Rui can’t stop the giggle from escaping his throat.  

“One drink won’t kill us.” He grabs his glass and takes a sip, scandalizing his totally perfect student friend. “Are you gonna drink it?” Rui’s Cheshire smile wavers the star’s role model persona.  

“O-of course not! I am a Future Star. I cannot… do crimes!” Tsukasa exclaims and poses with his hands on his hips. Unfortunately, his usually confident smile wobbles. Rui smirks and his eyes shimmer deviously.  

“Suit yourself.” The director shrugs and casually sips his drink. 

“W-what?!?” Said Future Star freezes up, scandalized. “You won’t insist that I should drink?”  

“Of course not. I won’t pressure you to do something that makes you uncomfortable. I’m not a bad friend.” Rui sits on the bed and crosses his legs. “Do you think so lowly of me? Sob sob.” He wipes a fake tear from his eye. 

“That’s not what I meant!!!” Tsukasa exclaims and paces around, clearly conflicted. “You usually try to rope me into your shenanigans, so I expected you to do that here too!” 

“Well, you don’t have to drink if you don’t want to.” 

The director slowly drinks his mocktail while his friend analyzes his face, as if he could find a hint of dishonesty. Biting down on his bottom lip, his eyes glimmer with denied curiosity. Rui blinks innocently and they start a random staring contest as Tsukasa thinks his decision over.  

As the director finishes half of his drink, Tsukasa finally approaches the bedside table. He stares at it as if it were the devil’s apple and Rui were the snake, telling him to bite into the forbidden fruit. But really, the only snake in this scenario is his own curiosity. He slowly reaches for the glass and bites his bottom lip harder. 

“A… a few sips should be fine, right?” Tsukasa warily glances at him for approval which he receives. Slowly, the star wraps his lips around the straw and gulps down a large sip of the creamy drink. His eyes close tightly and his jaw clenches painfully. After a few tense seconds, his eyebrows furrow and his amber eyes fix on the glass.  

“It… tastes very sugary and like juice,” Tsukasa comments before taking another sip. 

“Yes, because it’s a mocktail and it doesn’t have alcohol,” Rui supplies and hides his smirk.  

“Wha?!? You made me think that it was an illegal drink!!!” Putting the drink down, his friend sits next to him with his arms crossed and an offended expression. “I’ll get you back for this!” 

As laughter bursts through the mischievous director’s lips, Tsukasa takes this momentary distraction as a chance to wrap his lips around Rui’s straw and take three large sips from his drink. Rui stares at him dumbfounded. A strange warmth burns his cheeks.  

Tsukasa cringes and slaps a hand to his head with a hiss. He takes a few deep breaths and finally relaxes, even if his expression is still pained.  

“... You have your own, you know?” Rui unconsciously says, still a little distracted by the unfamiliar feelings in his chest.  

“Yeah? Well this is the least you get for making me think I committed a crime,” his troupe leader retorts with a huff.

Tsukasa takes his own beverage and sips it with an adorable pout. For a few moments, they drink in silence until Rui finishes his glass. Always one to have the last word, the playful director waits until his friend finishes his sip and rests his glass near his right side. Sneakily, Rui scootches his body behind Tsukasa and rests his chin on his shoulder. The star tenses up for a second, but he has no time to relax as the other reaches for the straw with his mouth and takes an unashamed sip. 

“Whaaaa?!? You traitor!” Tsukasa lightly pushes him away. “Why do you always have to have the last word?”  

“What are you talking about Tsukasa-kun? I didn’t even say anything.” Rui blinks innocently which earns him a very defeated sigh from his funny friend.  

Later that night, as Tsukasa snores, Rui reopens a medical journal and keeps researching his strange symptoms. Okay, maybe he is having a heart attack. Or a fever. Hopefully, he doesn’t die before they return to Japan. He doesn’t want to bother the Otori brothers and ask them to pay for a hospital bill, not that they would mind since they would be reimbursed by the government later, but he already caused too much trouble for them. If he were to cause more trouble, Rui would rather set off fireworks than go to a hospital.  

Chapter Text

Early the next day, the door creak rises him from his slumber. With his vision still blurred from sleep, he makes out a bit of pink and, indeed, his small energetic friend walks into their room like she owns the place.

“Good morning Rui-kun,” Emu whispers and, quietly, crawls onto Tsukasa’s bed and sits next to the snoring boy. “Good morning Tsukasa-kun!!!” she whisper-shouts into their still sleeping friend’s ear who jumps and screams. 

“Good morning, Emu-kun.” The director glances at the bedside clock. 6 am. “You’re up early today.”

“Wha?!? Why?!? What are you doing in my bed?!” Tsukasa exclaims and Emu ignores his questions, instead tackling him in a hug. 

“Rui-kun!!! Join us!” She reaches an arm out towards him and he joins them. Pressing himself onto his small friend, Rui yawns and closes his eyes. 

“Did you seriously wake us up for cuddles?!?” the star mumbles, but he still hugs her.

“Hehe, nope! I have a good reason for this. Promise!” Their energetic friend nuzzles her face onto Tsukasa’s arm. “You know how we want to go to the beach at the end of the day today?”

“Yeah?” Tsukasa answers with suspicion. 

“Can I ask you guys to find a way to leave me and Nene-chan alone?” Her serious glance gives him all the information he needs.

So Tsukasa was right. Nene’s feelings aren’t one-sided. He’s so happy for them.

“Of course.” Rui flashes her an understanding smile. 

“What? Why? I thought we wanted to have fun on the beach, all four of us.” Tsukasa’s eyebrows furrow. Seems he didn’t get the message. 

“Because I'm going to confess to her,” Emu says point blank and the room turns oddly silent for a moment as their troupe leader’s tired brain computes what she said. 

“WHAT?!?” he exclaims probably loud enough for Nene to overhear from the other room. Hopefully, that doesn’t ruin Emu’s surprise. “Really?!?” His eyes shine like two little stars and he grabs her shoulders. 

“Yeah!” She giggles at his enthusiasm.

“Then of course we’ll leave you to it! You better tell us how it goes after!!! And invite us to the wedding! I want to be your child’s Godfather!”

“Aren’t you going a little fast?” Rui asks, amused.

“Oh, yeah! She hasn’t even confessed yet. Sorry.”

“Still, I’m sure it’ll go well,” the director reassures her with a pat on the back. 

“I know. I-” 

A knock on their door interrupts Emu’s next words. Tsukasa tenses up and his eyebrows shoot to his hairline. He quickly looks back and forth between the door and them before whisper-shouting:

“Oh no! It’s Nene. Do you think she overheard?”

“Probably not. I think she probably heard your shouting more than anything.” Rui doesn’t bother reducing his volume; his extravagant friend’s whispers sound like Rui’s regular volume anyway. He detaches himself from Emu and opens the door to an exhausted and frustrated Nene. 

“Can you guys pipe it down? Some of us aren’t insane and like to sleep.” She glares at a certain blonde star before returning to her room without a word.

“See?” Rui closes the door and returns to his friends’ sides, resting his head on Emu’s shoulder. 

For the next two hours, Rui doses off, cuddling his friends, and listens to their chatter without understanding the words. The sound of the others’ conversation creates a warm and cozy atmosphere until he loses track of time and Emu shakes his shoulder. 

They join Nene in the lobby who asks them what they were planning this morning. Much to her frustration, all three of them keep their mouths shut and instead start their adventure in the unfamiliar city.

Hundreds of cars roll down the busy road like ants following a trail towards a sugary food. Although large and dull buildings stand downtown, many colourful apartment blocks have been built in certain parts of town. A bit of greenery colours the otherwise concrete-filled city and hosts a different palm tree species than the ones he has seen in the Southern region of Japan. Far less people use the sidewalk than he is used to at home, but that simply makes it easier to walk by his friends’ sides.

The four high schoolers explore the city and eventually enter a few local shops, hoping to buy souvenirs for their friends and family. Emu buys way too many little trinkets for her sister, parents and school friends. She takes a great deal of time searching for a gift for a certain Senpai who she wants to make smile, and she eventually chooses a purple music note fridge magnet for her. Nene buys a little something for her parents, not really caring about the gift, but more about spending time with her friends. Tsukasa, on the other hand, takes countless minutes thinking about the perfect gift for his loved ones, especially for his sister and Toya. Eventually, their impatient songstress forces him to choose something so they can move on to other activities.

As for Rui, he buys a cute American flag themed bow for Mizuki, a book on native American fauna for his mother and a tiny plane figurine for his father. 

Next stop, Nene spots an arcade and asks to compare it to their local ones. Despite the loud noises, flashing lights and many strangers walking around, she feels right at home in front of her favourite shooter game. After an hour, they leave the arcade having played some new games and some that they have in Japan, but in English. Satisfied, Emu brings them to a sandwich shop and pays for their meal. 

As they continue walking around, Rui asks to stop at a nearby park to observe the vegetation closer. A black-eyed Susans blooms beautifully and transfers its encouragement to a certain pink-haired girl. Unfortunately, a butterfly perches itself on Tsukasa’s shoulder and his scream startles everyone around. Because of the raucous caused, their group is asked to leave the park before Rui has a chance to observe all of the flowers.

Their star asks if they can find him a cowboy hat and thus starts a long search for a shop with that specific type of wear. Turns out that cowboy hats aren’t a common clothing item and very hard to find despite the amount of shops in the city. Eventually, Nene jokingly proposes to look in a costume shop and they find a brown cowboy hat for their troupe leader who wears it proudly for an hour. Unfortunately, the stares they keep getting because of Tsukasa’s loud self and how much he points at his hat and proudly boasts about it finally annoy Nene and she forces him to take the hat off.

For their last shopping stop, they enter a little touristy shop and Emu runs towards the keychain stand. 

“Guys guys! Let’s get matching keychains!” She takes one and shows it to them. The little palm tree sways from the movement. 

“Sure.” Tsukasa agrees and Nene shrugs. 

Rui’s too mesmerized by the tiny moon jelly keychain to answer her. Its purple colour creates a colourful light as the sun reflects through it. Behind it sits a sea star keychain in the same beautiful orange hue as his friend’s eyes. 

“We should all get different sea creatures,” he blurts out and grabs the two keychains, giving the sea star one to his star-like friend. 

“Wonderhoi!” Emu exclaims. “Then I’ll get this pink fish and Nene can have this sea turtle!” Their sunshine takes her keychain and gives the green turtle one to Nene who thanks her.

“But I prefer fish…” Tsukasa stares at his keychain in disappointment.

“It’s a starfish. It’s literally you,” Nene comments and their fish encyclopedia gasps in indignation.

“A sea star isn’t a fish!!! It’s an insult to fish to call them fish!!! They don’t even have gills, scales and aren't chordates!” Tsukasa counts on his hands the number of traits that a sea star doesn’t have in common with a fish.

“I seriously don’t care. I’m mostly saying that it’s a star. Aren’t you a Future Star or whatever?” Nene rolls her eyes.

“Huh…” Said Future Star stares at the keychain. “You’re right! Both me and this sea star are stars!” He wipes the disappointment from his face. “Then, just for today, I can let Emu have the best animal groups on the planet.”

“Hehe! Then let’s buy them!” Emu exclaims and runs towards the cashier who rings up their items. Once their loaded friend pays with her brother’s credit card, they leave the little shop and walk towards the beautiful sandy beach. 

From afar, the crashing waves and children’s laughter reach their ears. Emu squeals and grabs Tsukasa and Nene’s hand, pulling them forward. Before they run too far, their dear troupe leader catches his hand and brings him along. The contact sends a jolt of electricity through his body and his heart races. Again with the heart attack symptoms. He hopes he doesn’t keel over and die. 

“Beach!!!” Emu exclaims and jumps highly in place, almost making the two others by her side fall down. She lets them go before there can be any more casualties.

Rui settles his bag on the warm sand under a free umbrella and takes out his towel to sit on it. 

“You two can go change while Tsukasa and I settle things here.” 

The director ushers the girls off and takes out the rest of the towels with Tsukasa. Soon, the two others come out with adorable swimsuits. Nene wears a frilly white bikini and Emu rocks a yellow bikini with a skirt like cloth over her bottom half. Rui and Tsukasa leave them to change and his friend comes out with star-pattern swim trunks. Rui, on the other hand, chose to wear a regular black swim trunk with a white shirt with SUMMER written on it.

Tsukasa looks at him up and down multiple times and his expression slowly morphs into disappointment. 

“Do you really have to wear that hat?” The star points at his green hat with a little Yama logo. “It ruins your fit.”

“Ah, but Tsukasa-kun. What’s wrong with my hat? I like it. I think it fits me well.” Rui fake sniffles and gives him sad puppy eyes. 

“It doesn’t match the rest of your outfit! Ah, whatever, let’s just join the others.” Tsukasa rolls his eyes and leaves without him. 

They join the two girls and settle on the laid out towels. While the others prepare themselves for a swim or something, Rui reviews his tools and takes out what he will need to eventually build the biggest sandcastle this beach has ever seen.

“Can you help me put sunscreen on my back?” Tsukasa disrupts his preparations, but it doesn’t annoy him. 

“Sure.” 

The director takes the sunscreen container and passes his hand across Tsukasa’s warm and smooth back. The star’s back is paler than his own arms, yet possibly darker than Rui’s. He almost feels like a ghost next to his friend. Oh well, the sun might bring out some colour out of him. Likely red if he isn’t careful. 

Once done, Rui builds his sandcastle while they all wait for the sunscreen to settle on their skin. His friends join him in his engineering adventure, except Nene who refuses to get her nails dirty. Emu impatiently vibrates next to him, but helps him dig out wet sand from the ground. After 5 minutes, she pokes him and presses herself closer to him.

“Now’s the time! Confession time!” she whispers in his ear and scoots away, her smile brighter than the sun. He gives her a thumb’s up and yanks Tsukasa’s arm.

“Tsukasa-kun, let’s go swimming! I have something I want to test for our next show. Is our Future Star up to the task?” The director doesn’t wait for an answer and drags his friend into the salty water.

“I can walk!!!” Tsukasa protests, but doesn’t fight against the pull. “And of course I’m up for the task. Anything you want me to do, I’ll give it my 12 000%.”

Rui shivers when his feet hit the water but continues on. The burning sun beats on his skin, but the sea remains cold to the touch. Tsukasa hisses behind him, but otherwise doesn’t complain. The water reaches a little above their knees before Rui stops.

“Is that so? Then, are you up for this?” He smirks before kicking water in Tsukasa’s direction. His friend yelps and protects his face with his arms.

“Ah!!!” Goosebumps appear on his skin. “You!!! How dare you!” The other points at him indignantly. “You won’t get away with this- Ah!!!” 

Rui kicks another wave onto him and runs away, giggling like a mischievous character in their shows. His friend runs after him, water exploding around him from his steps. They reach farther into the sea, the cold reaching his hips, and Rui splashes Tsukasa in the face with his hands. Droplets drip down his face, making his skin glow from the sunlight reflecting on them, and his hair turns darker from the water. The star reopens his eyes and two sunsets stare straight at him, dumbfounded. In an instant, his eyes crinkle and he smiles brightly. His laugh is the most beautiful melody he has ever heard. 

His heart races again. How long can he ignore a heart attack?

A large splash and wave of cold water yanks him away from his thoughts. 

“This is war, Rui!!!” his friend says before splashing once more. 

The warmth in Rui's guts explodes into laughter as he partially blocks Tsukasa’s attack. To distract his enemy, the director attacks him before running away. His troupe leader chases after him like he does when Rui causes trouble and ropes him into his shenanigans. They can barely hear the seagulls and other people around them over their laughter. 

Eventually, he lets Tsukasa win their war, too exhausted to run or even defend himself. As they regain their breath, chests in sync, they stare into each other’s eyes and Rui’s heart flips. Maybe these symptoms aren’t heart attack-related. More research is needed. 

In the meanwhile, he ignores his strange feelings and basks in his friend’s smile. Tsukasa’s happiness warms him more than the blazing Florida sun. His wet hair is strangely endearing despite lacking volume. If he had his phone, he would have taken a picture of his friend, body half in the water, soaked and with the sun shining behind him. 

Goosebumps litter his glistening skin and Tsukasa subtly shivers. Despite hating the cold, his troupe leader still went ahead with Rui’s impromptu war, even laughing alongside him. This entire week, Tsukasa played along with Rui’s pranks and brought him so much joy. He doesn’t understand. He probably never will, but he’s so glad. He never thought that he would get the chance to travel with his friends and live so many great memories.

“Tsukasa-kun, you’re very strange.” The words that he has been thinking about for weeks tumble from his mouth.

“Wha?!? I don’t want to hear that from you!” his friend exclaims in indignation and splashes him in protest. Rui barely blocks the attack.

“Fufu~ I mean it in an endearing way.”

“That doesn’t sound very endearing at all!” The seagulls squawk angrily in response to Tsukasa’s volume.

“You’re just a very unique person. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you.”

“You sound like you’re making fun of me,” his troupe leader grumbles under his breath.

“I promise I’m not. I’m intrigued by you,” the director says sincerely and shoots him a tender smile. “You have a sort of determination that’s different from mine, Emu and Nene’s. You always dive into projects head first and it doesn’t take that long to convince you to do a stunt for a show.” He chuckles as Tsukasa frowns and murmurs how this doesn’t sound like a compliment.

“Your voice is loud enough to reach the furthest crowd. It’s really fascinating. Your expressions are comical and your hand gestures theatrical,” Rui continues, feeling oddly bashful.

“Now you’re really making fun of me.” 

“You are truly a fascinating individual. If I were to put you under a microscope and analyze you, I’m sure I would find something that no other scientist has ever found.”

“You’re creeping me out! Don’t put me under a microscope!” Tsukasa exclaims before running away back to shore. 

For a moment, he watches his friend retreat, the sun hitting his droplet-filled back, before joining him back to their spot under the umbrella. The girls wait for them, hand subtly intertwined, and Emu waves excitedly at them.

“She said yes!!!!” Their sunshine points at their hands and Nene’s face turns redder than a poppy.

“Congrats you two!” Tsukasa exclaims and dramatically sniffles. “I’m so glad! You two are made for each other.”

“Look at you two. All grown up.” Rui plays along and wipes a fake tear. “It was about time. We’ve been waiting for one of you to pop the question.”

“Don’t make it sound like she proposed!” Their songstress hides her face in Emu’s shoulder, but smiles nonetheless. 

The two boys dry off and they eventually continue Rui’s passionate sandcastle project. Occasionally, the others take a break in the water to cool down before joining him once more. Halfway through the building, a lifeguard approaches them and very rudely asks them to stop and refill the gigantic hole that they have created. Yes, the hole is about 4 meters deep and a potential danger for children, but the guy didn’t have to yell at them!

The end of their sandcastle project marks the beginning of a long and extremely competitive beach volley match. Boys versus girls, they exchange the ball over the net and pull extremely dirty moves, rude smashes and lucky blocks for 30 minutes. A crowd forms around their makeshift court and people cheer them on. Eventually, the girls win by two points, much to Tsukasa’s frustration. 

Soon, the afternoon comes to an end and they change into their street clothes. The star’s stomach growls loud enough to scare Nene and he scratches the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

“Let’s eat a hot dog!” Tsukasa exclaims, pointing at the random shoddy stand on the side of the street. The seagulls squawk in indignation overhead. Nene winces and glares at him.

“Yeah!!! Wonderhoi!!!” Emu cheers and bounces in place. 

“Why? We have hot dogs in Japan. Can’t we try something… I don’t know, that we don’t have back home,” their songstress says, glancing suspiciously at the greasy stand.

“But we are in America!” Tsukasa’s eyebrows furrow and a determined fire burns in his eyes. “The birthplace of the hot dog! To get the ultimate American experience, we must eat an authentic hot dog and compare them to the Japanese version.”

“Hm hm!” Their sunshine aggressively nods. “We already ate ramen to compare and it wasn’t as good! We have to see if the opposite applies!”

“But we aren’t in ‘the birthplace of the hot dog’,” Rui interjects, unable to contain himself from correcting his friends. They all stare at him as if he said that the moon is made of cheese.

“What are you talking about?” Tsukasa hesitates, unsure if he wants to listen to a potential long winded speech about hot dogs.

“Hot dogs are European. Most people say it comes from Germany, while others claim it is from Austria. It was popularized in America.”

“Waaaa!!!” Emu exclaims and makes an explosion sound, as if her brain exploded. “My life is a lie!!! What else have I learned that isn’t true? Are aliens real too?!?” She giggles and spins around. 

“Then we don’t have to eat a hot dog.” Nene sighs in relief. 

“Rui.” Tsukasa presses his hand to his shoulder and takes a deep, serious breath. He stares straight into his eyes as if he were a doctor about to deliver life changing news to a patient. “I really want to eat an American hot dog. Please keep your mountain of knowledge about random things to yourself, just for today.” Rui forces his laughter down his throat, but a few giggles slip out.

“Fufu~ then disregard what I said. America is the birthplace of hot dogs and we should get one or our dear star won’t get the ultimate American experience.” Frowning, the star releases his grip.

“Don’t make fun of me!”

“Let’s get one!!! Please please please, Nene!!!” Emu throws herself at their diva and whines, shaking her shoulders slightly until Nene gets dizzy. 

“F-fine!” 

The shaking immediately stops and Emu jumps in place with a loud ‘wonderhoi!’. Nene barely stabilizes herself before her girlfriend drags her to the stand. Pumped, Tsukasa runs after them, leaving Rui behind who simply chuckles at their antics. He soon joins them and orders for them. All four of them get a hot dog with a slightly toasted bun and lightly greyish sad-looking sausage. Hopefully, the food is safe to consume and won’t throw them in a hospital. Rui would rather not have to pay an exuberant bill, but oh well, all part of the ultimate American experience. 

Loading their food with condiments, no relish or onions for the veggie hater, they dig into their suspicious meal. After one bite, Rui’s face scrunches up and he glares at the nasty hot dog. Not only does it taste like sock juice, but the sausage is mushy and the bread tastes strangely too sweet. Nene coughs and runs for a garbage bin where she spits out her bite. Thankfully, the vendor doesn’t notice since they are farther from his stand and he is serving someone else. Emu forcefully swallows and puts on a wobbly smile while Tsukasa makes a grimace. Nene returns, glaring at their star.

“Well, you got your ‘American experience’. That was awful. I’m never letting you rope me into your stupid shenanigans.” Their songstress stares at her food in disgust. “This belongs in the trash.”

“Nene-chan!” Emu pouts. “Don’t be so mean. I’m sure the vendor did his best.” 

No one believes her words. Even so, their kind sunshine forces them to give her their food and she eats all of them before thanking the bored vendor. Rui feels bad for her, but he couldn’t finish this ‘food’ even if he wanted to. The texture gave him the biggest ick and the taste destroyed his tongue.

The group grabs another, far better dinner before heading back to the hotel, a warm feeling surrounding them despite the disappointing hot dog. In the girls’ room, the conversation shifts towards show, how excited they are to return home and give their friends and family their little gifts, and fool around before the sun completely sets. Yawning, Tsukasa announces that he must get his beauty sleep or his skin will lose its perfect shine.

As he prepares himself for bed, toothbrush still in his mouth, his friend screams in terror and startles him. He runs out of the bathroom in case Tsukasa hurt himself somehow and finds his friend in the furthest corner of the room away from his bed with his limbs close to his body. His orange wide eyes stare at his bed as if it could murder him, yet Rui cannot see anything particularly dangerous on it. It is still perfectly well made and completely white except for a dark spot in the middle…

A dark spot in the middle that moves? Upon closer inspection, the spot has eight legs and a round body. Oh, a-

“S-s-spider!!!!” Tsukasa exclaims, voice wavering, and closes his eyes. “Get rid of it!!!! Please!!!” 

Although it would be extremely funny to take the spider and dangle it in front of his friend, and torment him lightly a little more, Rui has pranked him enough during the last few days. Checking for identification, he realizes that it is a barn funnel spider, a non-venomous creature, and simply takes it in his hand before releasing it from the balcony. 

He washes his hands, finishes his nightly preparations and returns to the room. Tsukasa still hasn’t moved from his spot and glares at his bed. 

“Tsukasa-kun? Is something wrong?” The director approaches him curiously.

“... The bed is dirty with spider germs! I-I can’t sleep there!” The star flails his arms dramatically.

“Hm, so do you want to sleep with me then?” Rui proposes and settles on his bed. He lifts up the bedsheets invitingly and his friend immediately joins him.

“Thank you. Now, I can get my beauty sleep. Good night!” Tsukasa shuts the bedside lamp and shimmers closer to him. 

Now, this isn’t the first time he and Tsukasa have slept in the same bed. Emu’s bed is gigantic and can hold all four Wondershow members. They often sleep at the Otori mansion, all cuddled up together. Usually, the two boys aren’t close; Tsukasa holding onto Emu who holds Nene. Nene holds Emu and he holds her, falling asleep in each other’s warmth. Rui forgot how much he loved hugs before meeting Emu, who is the most intense physical touch person he has ever met. Before meeting WonderShow, he hugged Nene, cuddled her to sleep when they were children and sometimes held Mizuki when she was in emotional pain on the rooftop. 

Just holding Tsukasa, well, Tsukasa holding him in this case, he feels strangely vulnerable. His friend holds him like he’s the most precious person in the world and he wants to protect him from the evils of the world. His warm hand gently caresses his back, as if to soothe him. Tsukasa buries him in the crook of his neck and presses his chin on the top of his head, despite being the smaller one of the two.

Ah, that feels nice. He hasn’t been held like that since he was a child.

So why does his heart beat so fast? And why is his stomach flipping? Again with the sickness symptoms for no reason. Oh well, he can’t exactly research his symptoms using scientific journals right now since Tsukasa is holding him so tenderly. He’ll ignore them for now.

His eyelids slide down without his input and Tsukasa’s tender caresses lull him to sleep.

Chapter Text

Rui carefully puts the moon jelly keychain back in its little plastic pocket. He flips the page of his album and a picture of Tsukasa playing the piano catches his eyes. Despite wearing a melancholic expression, he is beautiful. The loose fitting clothes on his back and low lighting amplifies the scene, turning Tsukasa into Thorpe, the pianist. 

At the time, Tsukasa had a hard time with the role, but managed to pull off a performance worthy of a star. How lucky was he to have such a talented and constantly improving actor as his lead? Today, he’s grateful to have directed this star in his debut.  

On the next page, there is a photo depicting his classmates jumping down the rooftop of Kamiyama high during their sports festival. For the first time in his life, Rui felt included and accepted in a school activity. If it weren’t for his friends, Mizuki and An, and the cheer captain, the show wouldn’t have been as much of a success.

The last picture on the page features a selfie of himself, Mizuki and An smiling. In the corner of the picture, Tsukasa, Akito and Nene look defeated, especially the orange-haired singer who glares at them. Their trio loves to tease him, thus them being in the same room and talking to each other means trouble for him. 

The next page is filled with pictures of his first summer festival with his friends. 

—-

Perhaps Rui’s a little too excited for the festival. He cannot concentrate on his robots or props during the day since his brain can’t focus. It creates thousands of fun scenarios for that night; Emu winning a goldfish, Nene laughing softly at her girlfriend’s enthusiasm, and Tsukasa loudly saying that a game is rigged. The fireworks exploding overhead, the moonlight shining down on them, children running around laughing, couples holding hands… 

When was the last time he went to a summer festival? He was young, probably 8 years old, when he last attended with Nene. His childhood friend won a fish and Rui promised to build her a tank. Unfortunately, their scaly friend died before they returned home, likely from the shock of constantly being shook around while the children ran closer to the firework show.  

Instead of working on his project, Rui builds a huge tank just in case one of his friends leaves the festival with a new pet. And he builds three smaller ones just in case all four of them win a fish. 

The sun slowly sets and Rui immediately runs for Nene’s house before knocking on her door. Her mother greets him and lets him in, but tells him that his friend isn’t ready yet. He chats with her until his songstress joins them, dressed up in a white yukata with a pink flower motif. The outfit is complimented by a red obi and she wears her hair in a simple bun with a pink flower hair tie. Her mother fawns over her and takes pictures of her, even asking Rui to pose in a few of them.  

After the impromptu photoshoot, the two WonderShow members leave the Kusanagi house and walk towards their meeting spot where Tsukasa, wearing casual clothes, and Emu, wearing a matching yukata to Nene’s, await them. Their sunshine jumps into their arms and greets them with her childish and adorable smile.  

“Wonderhoi!!! Are you guys excited for the festival?” she exclaims and wiggles in place. 

“Yeah,” Rui and Nene answer at the same time and pink eyes shine like little stars.  

“Then let’s go go go!!!” Grabbing their hands, the cheerful girl drags them along towards the train station. Tsukasa ups his pace to join them and intertwines his fingers with Rui’s. 

Ah, his heart accelerates as usual and a strange warmth surrounds him. The sickness is back. Like it always is when Tsukasa does certain things. When he smiles, when they hold hands, when they are close… 

Rui researched his symptoms when he returned from his trip and couldn’t find a concrete diagnosis. It could be anything! Some bacteria, maybe a fungus, a virus? Maybe it’s his organs acting up. He asked his mother who said she didn’t know. She’s a plant researcher, not a doctor. Even if she knows the basics of everything in biology, she can’t help him. He called his cousin Mafuyu who wants to become a doctor (or a nurse, he isn’t sure. He’s heard differing stories about what Mafuyu wants, mostly from her parents). She said that it could be anything, really, but that if it only happened with Tsukasa, then perhaps it had something to do with him. 

That correlates with his observations. His sickness only happens when he’s around, so his dear troupe leader must be the cause.  

Rui asked the Virtual Singers if Tsukasa was also sick and he had caught something from him. The answer was no. Then maybe he had secret unconscious magic powers that could make him ill. Another no. Bad waves that could make his heart beat too fast? No. 

Miku suggested that maybe he loved Tsukasa in the ‘lovey-dovey’ way. The others all agreed, but not him. Absolutely not. He can’t be in love with his troupe leader. His feelings are completely platonic. He just deeply cares for and appreciates him. Nothing more. 

Isn’t love an intense emotion? If he were in love with Tsukasa, he would be gushing about him, kicking his feet in bed and constantly blushing. Or maybe he’d be awkward and stuttering. Not sick. Sickness means something is wrong. Love isn’t wrong. 

Besides, that would be greedy. Tsukasa already offered him dedicated actors, precious friends, a place to belong, countless wonderful memories… He couldn’t ask his friend for more. He likes his friend and enjoys spending time with him, but nothing more. 

So it has to be some sort of sickness.  

Logically, Rui should slowly stop hanging out with Tsukasa, for his well being. Cut him off or something, because a friend shouldn’t make another friend sick. But… 

But isn’t that sad? The person who gave him so much makes him extremely ill. And it’s not even his fault! Nor does his troupe leader even know. It would be unfair for him to cut his friend off like that. Tsukasa doesn’t always make him sick. He makes him mostly extremely happy and feel like he is wanted.  

Tsukasa is his best friend. 

Rui doesn’t want to end their friendship… 

Ever. But that’s wishful thinking. 

Still, he can handle a little sickness if it means staying friends with Tsukasa and putting on shows with him. It’s not painful really, just uncomfortable and doesn’t last long.  

A small disease is nothing compared to isolation and crushing loneliness. 

Tsukasa squeezes his hand and smiles brightly. 

“Finally! We get to see fireworks and I don’t get exploded! A perfect hang out!” His eyes shine with a confident fire.  

“Wonderhoi!!!” Emu exclaims and the train goers startle. 

“Ah, don’t be so sure Tsukasa-kun.” Rui smirks and his friend visibly shivers. “I didn’t tell you but I’m the one setting off the fireworks and I might need the help of our Future Star.” Tsukasa releases his hand and hides behind Nene. 

“Don’t scare him,” their songstress scolds him. “But ah, if you’re the one setting off the fireworks, then I guess you won’t be joining us near the river to see them. Such a shame.” Sarcasm drips from her tone and she suppresses her sneaky smile.  

“No!!! Rui-kun!!! Don’t leave us!” Emu clings onto him and shakes his arm. 

“Fufu~ I’m just kidding. We’ll see the fireworks together tonight.” Rui ruffles her hair and she giggles. 

“Yay!!!”  

The train doors opening interrupts her cheer. Outside, the sky turns a beautiful dark and the full moon smiles down on them. The warm summer breeze surrounds them like a tender motherly hug and gently swings the festival lanterns overhead. Children, parents and couples walk around them, all in their own world. A vendor sells takoyaki to a girl in a red yukata, another congratulates a child for winning their game and some volunteers prepare the stage for a concert.  

“We made it!!!” Emu exclaims and jumps up and down in place. “Should we play a game? Or maybe get food? Or just walk around? Aaah so many options uweh!”  

“Food first,” Nene decides for them and points towards a yakisoba stand.  

The group orders three sets of noodles since Nene and Emu decide to share. Tsukasa, as usual, refuses to share with him, so Rui ends up with a plate full of vegetables that he cannot avoid or let his friend eat. And this time, their troupe leader watches his food in case a certain someone sneakily exchanges a few vegetables for a noodle or a piece of chicken. He pouts and his small sun-like friend takes pity on him. She eats his vegetables and offers him a few noodles in exchange. 

Next up, they compete at a shateki stand to win a plushy prize. Nene wins, of course, with a close second being Emu. Tsukasa barely hits a target, only the closest one to him, and cries that the game is rigged. Their songstress, embarrassed, takes her prize, a yellow bird plushie, and walks off without waiting for them. They rejoin her and attend the festival concert where the BAD DOGS perform a song, replacing another group that couldn’t attend. Tsukasa cheers loudly with tears streaming down his face, almost causing a scene, but Rui stops him before a security guard kicks them out. Wouldn’t want to miss the fireworks, now would they? 

Once the BAD DOGS finish their performance, their troupe leader insists on finding his little brother and the four of them search for a certain orange head or bicoloured one. Unfortunately, due to the large crowd (and probably because Akito brought them farther away from them), their targets remain unfound.  

As the night reaches its peak, everyone moves away from the stage and gathers closer to the river for the firework show. WonderShow excitedly follows the crowd in a diamond formation; Emu and Nene holding hands, Tsukasa in front and Rui in the back. 

Rui walks around and admires the beautiful red-glowing lanterns, unaware of his surroundings. The festival decoration would make a beautiful background in a show. A picture could help him remember the scene better when he needs more inspiration. 

As he takes his phone out, someone accidentally bumps into him, the phone dropping on the ground. Thankfully, it lands on the case, keeping it safe. The person profusely apologises and crouches down to give him his phone back. Thanking them and apologizing for having his head in the clouds, he faces his friends’ direction and… 

Wait. 

Where are his friends? 

Rui stands in the middle of the large crowd and looks around himself, but he cannot spot a singular pink head, greenish hair or even blond strands. No loud voices, wonderhois or groans of embarrassment. People bump into him and shoot him an annoyed look, but for once, he doesn’t notice their usual scorn. Rui opens their troupe group chat, but the nonexistent data bars prevent him from reaching the others. 

Ah. He’s alone again. 

The first firework explodes overhead, a beautiful blue hue flashing onto him. His heart drops. 

Oh… But he was so excited to see the fireworks with his friends.  

“Tsukasa-kun?!? Emu-kun?!? Nene?!?” The lost director calls out but the explosions drown out his voice.   

Have they even noticed that he isn’t by their side anymore? He hopes so.  

Rui takes in a shaky breath and his shoulders slump. Ah well, maybe it isn’t meant to be. He still had a wonderful time with his friends, playing games, watching a concert, and eating food. He will remember this day for the rest of his life. 

Just because he doesn’t get to be by his friends’ side until the end doesn’t mean it’s a bad festival. Really, he’s grateful that he even got to come here with his troupe at all. Usually, Rui watches the fireworks from his window or in a park, far away from everyone else. But this year! This year, he got to see them up close… 

His heart throbs.  

It’s fine. It’s absolutely fine. It could be worse. 

It could be raining or thundering. He or one of his friends could be injured. Someone could be dead! 

He moves to the side where he can see the fireworks better, away from the people. His bottom lip bleeds. There’s no need to act this way. They are under the same sky, watching the same show, even if they aren’t next to each other. 

There’s no need. Really.  

Can his heart stop hurting? 

“RUI!!!” a loud, recognizable voice yells into the night and startles him out of his thoughts. Tsukasa runs in his direction and grabs his hand. “Jeez, you always go off on your own! I always have to keep an eye on you or you get into trouble.” 

With a relieved breath, Rui smiles softly to himself. His heart skips and resumes a less painful beating. 

“My bad~ I promise I won’t run off on my own again, at least, for today fufu~. Where are the others?” 

Tsukasa sighs, but still, his intense grip on his wrist tells him that he was just as worried as him. 

“They’re waiting for us. Come on!”  

His friend drags him somewhere where they can see the fireworks better. Emu waves excitedly at them and leaves Nene’s side to tackle them in a hug. 

“Rui-kun!!! We were so worried!” Their sunshine squeezes him as if he could disappear if she released him. “Bad Rui-kun! Don’t go off on your own.” 

“Ah, my bad, Emu-kun. I promise I’ll stay by your side from now on.” The director pats her back and she smiles brightly. Nene punches his shoulder lightly, but her relieved eyes tell another story.  

“Let’s enjoy the rest of the fireworks together!!!” Tsukasa exclaims, pushing them closer to the fence near the water. They pass over it and sit down next to each other, Nene and Emu intertwining their hands together. Their legs dangle and caress the warm water. 

As the fireworks explode, their rainbow colours illuminating the festival, Rui takes out his phone, wanting to record this precious moment forever. Emu squeals in excitement and points at the different colours while Nene stares fondly at her. Rui takes a photo of all of his friends, then one of each individually without telling them. He wants to catch their authentic expression. When he finally points his camera at Tsukasa, a yellow firework explodes behind him and the star turns towards him with a bright, beautiful smile just as he presses the button. 

Ah, this is the youth that adults reminisce about. 

—

In a plastic pocket, a folded drawing shows a makeshift architect drawing of a large house with three bedrooms. Years ago, when he returned from his stranded adventure on a deserted island, Rui carefully created a blueprint for an impossible fantasy.

— 

Ah, this was predictable. For such a genius, he should have at least seen this coming. Now, Rui’s stranded on an island with his friends and Shosuke while they should have been in Okinawa preparing for their show. What a terrible predicament!  

Ah, who is he kidding? How exciting! Stranded on a deserted island with his friends with no way to reach for help? That sounds like the plot to a movie! Oh, he’s so glad that he read some survival books, stories about a stranded kid in a forest and survivor shows.  

A few days ago, Rui was disappointed to learn that them going to a scary, potentially dangerous deserted island for their next ambassador mission was a joke. He wanted to show off his survivorship skills, specific knowledge on plants and save his friends from this ‘dangerous situation’. 

Well, turns out his wish still came true. 

He’s so ready to have a deserted island adventure! 

Tsukasa groans next to him and slowly wakes up. After a moment, when his brain comes back to reality and realizes how they ended up here, he screams, a terrified, horror-filled scream that could probably alert someone from the mainland. The star frantically scans his surroundings and, when their eyes meet, his fear slowly morphs to relief. With a quick push, he throws himself into Rui’s arms. 

“Oh, thank God! You’re alive.” His dear troupe leader squeezes him tightly. “I thought I was the only one who survived the crash.” 

“Don’t worry, Tsukasa-kun.” Rui pats his back. “I’m still in one shape.” 

“I’m glad.” They stay in each other’s arms for probably far too long, but, well, Tsukasa needs this. The crash must have spooked him a little. “Where are Emu and Nene?” 

Ah, yes, Emu and Nene were in the boat with them. Hm, where are his friends? 

Wait. 

Where are his friends?!? 

“O-oh… I have no idea.” Dread suddenly replaces the light atmosphere. Tsukasa’s breath hitches and squeezes his shoulder. “Maybe we should go look for them?” 

“YES!!! WHAT IF THEY DIED?!?” Tsukasa yells, hands clenched in his hair and eyes wide.  

“...They’re probably fine.” Surely. The current probably washed them all in the same location… 

Right? 

Yes, they are fine. Emu and Nene are strong and wouldn’t die so easily. 

Oh wait. 

Shosuke was on the boat too. 

… 

He’s probably fine too. Being an Otori and all, he has to be super strong like Emu, right?  

The boys walk in tense silence, only stopping for a moment when they notice a cave and noting it for future reference.  

Luckily their two friends are alive and well. Tsukasa almost cries in relief when he sees them and hugs them just as hard as he did with Rui. NeneRobo greets them, still walking, but not in the greatest shape. The water probably ruined some of her circuits, so the director asks her to lay low and take care of herself, lest she explodes into a pile of metal. From afar, the Vocaloids call out to them from Tsukasa’s phone that somehow survived the ocean. Unlike his. 

What a shame. Rui can’t take pictures of their island adventure. Or call for help… He probably should be more worried about calling for help. But he can’t help but care more about his precious memories with his friends. He can survive on an island with them for days, weeks, months and possibly years. No problem. But if he needs a memento of his time with them to add to his album.  

Oh well, what can you do? 

Unfortunately, Shousuke’s missing presence cuts their happy reunion short. Thankfully, their boss is simply tangled up in seaweed nearby, still alive and breathing. After the group comes up with a plan for their little island adventure, how they should gather things to survive until help arrives, Shousuke searches the cruiser for a radio, feeling guilty for putting them in this situation. After all, the boat is his and, in his head, he should have prevented this. None of them blame him, but it won’t stop his self-loathing.  

They gather food, somehow make a human pyramid to gather bananas which monkeys steal, and play tag with them. The mood is lighter and their laughs probably disturb the wildlife. Even Nene, who was worried about their adventure, slowly lets loose and smiles with them. Honestly, they’re having so much fun, it’s almost like they aren’t stranded on a deserted island and almost died. 

For the rest of the day, WonderShow separate tasks. The boys set up their little hideout while Emu and Nene prepare food farther away. Tsukasa insists on building a tent himself, proclaiming that his sewing skills are so incredible, Rui’s jaw will drop when he sees the result of his work. Well, if he insists. The director builds a fancy sundial to pass the time. 

“This is nice,” Rui comments as he shapes a piece of wood. “I wouldn’t mind staying here with you guys for a while.” 

“... I’d rather have an actual bed to sleep in,” his troupe leader deadpans. 

“Fufu~ Well, if we had a bed, then would you stay on this island with us?” 

“I’d still want to put on shows and achieve my dream and we can’t do that on a deserted island.” 

“Fair point.” Rui thinks for a moment. “What if one day, we have enough money to buy a deserted island and build a house. Maybe all four of us could live in it.” 

“... Huh… then yeah, that sounds quite nice.” Tsukasa straightens his hammock.  

“Nene and Emu could have a room together since they’d be married,” the director suggests and points at his friend with a stick. 

“So we’d get a three bedroom house?” 

“I guess so. Or maybe four bedrooms so we can have a sleepover room.” 

“I already considered that,” Tsukasa announces and Rui’s breath hitches. 

“What?” 

The star leaves his hammock and sits next to him. 

“It would be Emu and Nene’s room, our room and the sleepover room.” He draws a makeshift plan of their future house, adding ‘R + T’ in one of the rooms. 

“... So we’d share a room?” The sickness again. It somehow feels a little worse this time. His head is ready to burst and he feels out of breath.  

“Yeah! Like during our trip.” Tsukasa beams at him with a smile. 

“And you’d be okay with that?” Rui can’t help but ask. “Nene and Emu share a room because they are married… Are we married in this scenario?” He teases to ignore his sickness. Maybe seeing the star’s embarrassed expression will help him. 

But his friend doesn’t react how he predicted. Tsukasa’s eyebrows furrow and he thinks long and hard about his very unserious question.  

“I don’t know. Are we?” The question is too sincere. Sunset-coloured eyes stare straight into his. 

Oh, he shouldn’t have teased him. His own words have made his sickness worse. Tsukasa and him married… His heart beats as fast as when he runs away from the security guards at Phenny Land. His muscles weaken and he feels feverish. Is this the final stage of the sickness? 

“That… I wouldn’t mind, I think. So I guess we are married in this potential future!” Tsukasa exclaims earnestly and smiles. “I’ve never thought about marriage before, but I guess I have to get married eventually. And you get married to the one you love. But… I’ve never been in love and I don’t know if I ever will. And marrying a friend sounds far better than marrying a romantic partner. So, if it were you, then I would say yes. Because… You're my director and I trust you.” 

His head spins. Rui might actually die today. He swallows harshly, but his mouth stays dry.  

What should he say? That he also doesn’t mind marrying his friend and sharing a room in their hypothetical house for the rest of their lives? Is he really okay with that? He isn’t against it… Just…  

Tsukasa makes him sick. So, so sick. 

But also warm. So, so warm. 

And maybe he wouldn’t mind being sick his whole life if it means feeling Tsukasa’s warmth until their dying days.  

Luckily, Nene calls them for dinner and they drop the topic. Hopefully for forever and Tsukasa forgets about it. Rui wishes he could forget, but his memory is too good, so his mind keeps replaying the scene like a broken record.  

Despite his sickness, he still enjoys the food and the time with his friends. But when the conversation turns melancholic as Shousuke reminds them that their dreams are incompatible and that they will eventually have to part ways, his sickness turns sour and bile rises in his throat. He clenches his fists until they hurt to redirect the pain and keep his facial expression neutral. Hopefully, his nails don’t leave marks.  

Nene cheers them up, reminds them that everything will be okay and that they’ll get through this if it means achieving their dreams. His friends agree, but Rui can only emit one word of acknowledment that he doesn’t believe in.  

His photo album awaits him at home with countless unfilled pages. If they part ways, will they stay forever unfilled or will other people replace them?  

As if anyone else would want to take Rui’s directions as well as his troupe members do. 

That night, as the stars twinkle overhead, WonderShow sleep in their usual positions, with Emu and Nene cuddling each other and the two boys protecting them from whatever evils lurk around them, his yellow eyes stay open. A lonely future awaits him, even if he achieves his dream. So many smiles, but no friends in sight. They are too busy achieving their dreams to see him succeed. 

He buries his face in Nene’s hair and squeezes her tightly. 

“Nene?” he whispers into her ear, making sure their friends don’t wake up. She shifts and turns around, staring straight into his eyes tiredly. 

“What?”  

“Do you…” Rui looks to the side and swallows. “Do you think… all of us will stay friends… even if WonderShow disbands?”

 Her eyes soften and she smiles sympathetically. 

“Of course. Our friendship goes beyond our troupe. We’ll see each other at school, during our friend outings and just whenever we want.”  

“But what about when we graduate? When we become adults?” His friend bites her bottom lip and her eyebrows furrow.  

“I‘m sure we’ll figure it out. We’ll stay in touch.” Nene grabs his hand soothingly. “Adulthood doesn’t mean the end of our friendship. We’re not giving up on you. I love you guys and I know that the others feel the same as me.” 

Rui hums in acknowledgment, unconvinced but calmed. His thoughts have stopped going haywire and he believes he can sleep, at least, for now. He holds his arms out in a wordless question and she rolls her eyes playfully. 

“Come closer,” Nene orders and slightly shifts in Emu’s embrace.

He scoots closer and she embraces him in a warm hug. He wraps his arms gently around her, clinging to her just as he did when they were younger and he came running to her after other children harshly told him that he was too strange to hang out with. Now that he is taller than her, he cannot hide behind her or cry on her shoulder without ending up in an awkward position, so he buries his face in her hair.  

“Everything will be alright. You won’t end up alone again. We’re by your side now,” she whispers before falling asleep.  

The full moon glimmers overhead and smiles down at him. He stares at her and silently prays that Nene’s words are right. The moon smiles at him, and even if she doesn’t know what the future holds for them, she, too, hopes that their friendship stands the test of time. 

Chapter Text

Rui folds back his house plan and tucks it into its little plastic pocket. The next few pictures remind him of both painful and wonderful times. 

A time where he met his friend and coworker, Asahi Genbu.

—

Everything good comes to an end eventually. 

He always knew that. He constantly thinks about the dwindling time, how he will never get back any wasted moment, and how the hourglass’ sand pours down until there is none left at the top. 

He knows. That’s why he started his photo album in the first place. 

When the Otori brothers tell WonderShow that their next performance will be their last one as ambassadors, his heart drops and an extremely suffocating feeling mounts over him. Rui has to remind himself that this doesn’t mean the disbandment of his troupe or a friendship breakup with the others. This marks the end of an era, a fun era for sure, but not the end of WonderlandsXShowtime.

He can breathe again.

But working with ArcLand sounds like a wonderful ending to their promotional show days. The four of them will learn greatly from such talented actors, especially Tsukasa and Nene. So really, they should enjoy this opportunity as much as possible.

But working with people other than his troupe…

It could go either way. Many find his ideas strange, dangerous and too intense. Perhaps the ArcLand actors will despise his vision, turn their backs on them and refuse to perform with WonderShow, thus cutting their last promotional show short. It would be a shame really, especially since his friends are so excited to team up with such a talented crew. Should he hold back, just this once? Even if Tsukasa told him to never hold back on him…

Ah, but his friends would hate it if he wasted this opportunity for them and didn’t go all out. Their last performance has to be out-of-this-world. 

In SEKAI, a birdie argues with its friends, saying that it must create a show on the train high up in the sky. The others want to perform with it, but it’s too dangerous for those without wings. Having a feathery opportunity on hand, the birdie insists that even if no one else will follow it, it will produce the most spectacular show on the train. Even if it ends up leaving its friends behind. 

Alone again. 

The next day, as they wait for the ArcLand crew, Tsukasa can barely stand still. Amused, Rui watches him pace around to distract himself from his beating heart. He really hopes the other actors are kind, open-minded and accepting of him. And if not…

If not, then…

He’d rather not think about it. 

Their partners for the next month finally arrive and everyone but Emu internally passes out. A brown-haired young man walks up to them; the Asahi Genbu in the flesh, a brilliant Center Theater actor. Rui can’t believe he has the honour to direct someone as talented as that. 

Suddenly, cold sweat runs down his back. 

Asahi and Tsukasa’s eyes meet and the slightly older actor pauses. The air grows tense and even the Future Star doesn’t know what to say. Is Asahi disappointed? Happy? What is this reaction?

“ It's really you!! WXS in the flesh!!” the ArcLand actor exclaims and breaks the ice. 

Surprisingly enough, Asahi is an energetic, enthusiastic and slightly strange individual. He loves shows, gives his all in every performance and steals the spotlight wherever he goes. His voice can reach heights similar to Tsukasa’s. 

Rui wouldn’t mind having him as a secret fifth WonderShow member. 

But for now, he wants both him and Tsukasa as his star actors. Which one will end up as the true star of the show, Alfred? He can’t tell, but either way, their Two Androids performance will be incredible. 

During their first roundtable practice, Asahi shines brightly and overshadows the second star of their group. He knows exactly how to tackle his role and barely needs any pointers, despite this being their first practice. 

Tsukasa struggles as Bartlett, not yet familiar with the character. Asahi helps him out and gives him pointers. Well, everyone in ArcLand gives them advice, suggesting tweaks to their acting and ways to improve their roles. As expected of such a talented crew.

Rui’s so glad that his troupe has the opportunity to work with such incredible actors. Hopefully, they will grow as actors and get closer to their dreams from this experience. Still…

His eyes trail on his star actor. Tsukasa’s shine falters and he bites his bottom lips. Watching a genius actor in action, someone with far more experience and skill than him, is bound to hurt his ego a bit. But his troupe leader is talented in his own way. He just isn’t the number one actor in the entire world, which is expected for his young age. He has room to grow,  room that Asahi has to offer.

Once they finish their first readthrough, another cold sweat runs down Rui’s back. He has to ease the ArcLand members into his out-of-this-world stunts. They can refuse, and then Rui will tone it down… 

But he really doesn’t want to, so he hopes they accept his ideas. 

As he explains the gist of his idea, the others listen intently to him with unreadable expressions. Tsukasa stays close by and his eyebrows furrow in worry. Oh well, if the others push back, then-

The ArcLand actors test his idea out. And even suggest a few improvements.

They say yes.

His heart stutters and a giddy feeling appears in his gut. Has he found other people who will accept his eccentricities? There are more people like that, not just his three friends?

If so, then Rui can go all out.

The two troupes practice for the rest of the afternoon until dinner time. Asahi helps Tsukasa out, giving him more tips on how to get into character, and Tsukasa takes it well, but…

His eyes stay on his star actor, unsure of what his true feelings are. Even if, usually, Tsukasa’s expressions are easy to read, even for someone like him, he cannot tell. Occasionally, his friend's expression turns pained, hesitant and disappointed, but is his troupe leader perhaps practicing as Alfred or Bartlett? Or are those genuine?

Well, Tsukasa will surely tell him if anything is wrong, right? In the meantime, Rui can only watch from afar until given permission to come closer.

As they finish their practice, everyone is famished, especially Asahi whose stomach grumbles as loudly as an earthquake. The ArcLand actor suggests grabbing something at a nearby diner and his friends discuss if they should go. As usual, Nene is hesitant, but eventually relents and agrees. Rui finishes cleaning up and only half listens, ready to go home. 

Asahi approaches him and includes him in the conversation.

“How about you, Rui? Will you be able to join us?”

Oh.

He’s invited too? He probably should have guessed since he’s also a member of the troupe. But people rarely invite him anywhere, so he didn’t want to assume…

“Yes... I'd also like to go.”

At the restaurant, they order food, cheer and debrief their first rehearsal together. Tsukasa acknowledges his skill gap and how he has so much to learn. Ah, so he really had something on his mind during practice. His expressions weren’t all acting and Rui’s gut feeling was correct. Even so, his friend seems in good spirits and wants to use this opportunity to grow as an actor. As expected of a star. 

The conversation somehow shifts to Rui and his inspiration, Tom Gray. Coincidentally, Asahi also loves Tom Gray’s works and even met him! Although, it was under terrible and life changing circumstances. Still, Rui’s idol’s message also resonated with the talented ArcLand actor, inspiring him to pursue acting and reach the Center Theater. 

It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, clever or foolish, among the majority or minority…  All people laugh, cry and feel anger in the same way… That is what ties us all together after bearing witness to a truly marvelous spectacle.

Those were once his inspiration’s words. Words that he hopes to turn into a reality.

Rui wants to achieve this dream, this old childish dream that has brought him both pain and endless happiness. If one day his shows can make a little Nene smile, a grieving Emu regain her smile, an anxious Tsukasa hoping that his sister will survive the night have hope, and a lonely, alienated young Rui keep waking up in the morning, then maybe it’ll all be worth it. And maybe he can add a lost Asahi, scared for his life, finding his parents into his list. 

But he has such a long way to go, opportunities to gain and room to grow. 

Unlike those of ArcLand who coincidentally also share his dream. They are at least ten steps ahead of him. Rui would give so much to have the opportunity to tour Japan, and eventually, the world. Bringing smiles to everyone’s faces, he can do that here, but he could bring many more if he traveled with his troupe. Just as they did during their promotional shows.

Asahi praises his directing, strangely enough. No one except his friends compliments him, especially not anything relating to his shows. The first one who truly loved his directing was Tsukasa. Then Emu and Nene adore it. 

For a fourth person to be enamoured with it, well, it feels surreal.

Tsukasa boasts and smirks proudly, as if any of Asahi’s words are directed at him. But the mood suddenly shifts when the ArcLand actor says,

“I know! Why don't you come join us and become our director?!”

His troupe members tense up and Tsukasa scoots closer to him. Both he and Nene grab his arm protectively and glare at the person who dared to try stealing their director. 

“What?” his star actor exclaims and presses himself onto him. 

Rui’s heart races for some reason. Is it the sickness? Is it the offer? But the sickness makes him light headed, warm and breathless. This squeezes his chest really hard while also loosening something in his gut. The offer is everything he could ever want, right? That would spring him ten steps up closer to his dream, so he’s happy, right?

Thankfully, the offer is a joke and the conversation ends there. The rest of their lunch is pleasant and filled with fun stories, little banter and joyful quips. The knot in his chest completely loosens, but his sickness rages on. Tsukasa doesn’t move away and stays close to him, arm wrapped around the director’s as if releasing it means that Asahi will take him away.

But he has to let go eventually when they part ways. Emu drags Nene to her house for a ‘girls only sleepover’ and Tsukasa’s house is on the opposite way as his, so he expects to walk home alone, but…

Asahi follows him, saying that his house is in the same direction. They walk in sync and talk about their favourite Tom Gray pieces. 

“Have you ever seen the Center Theater?” his coworker for the month asks, glancing at him with something twinkling in his eyes.

“No. Only the most talented can stand up there, right?”

“Yeah. But… Do you want to see it?” Asahi grins boyishly.

“Eh?” The director almost stops in his tracks.

“I can take you! It’s not that far and I think it’s worth the detour.”

Rui has only seen pictures of the grand stage where those with far more talent than he can imagine have stood on. To see it with his own eyes, then…

“Yes, I would like that. It would be an honour.” 

Asahi ups his pace and guides him to the closest station. The train approaches them and its yellow lights illuminate the young actor just as he turns and smiles at him. Suddenly, a flash of blonde graces his vision, but the second Rui blinks, it regains its shade of brown. A trick of the light, perhaps. 

He’s almost tempted to take a picture.

After a few minutes of travel, they enter the Center Theater. The large room houses thousands of seats, some on balconies and others on the ground floor. Purple, blue and pink lights illuminate the giant stage. He could pull so many stunts on a stage like this. They could jump from so high up, fly around, have hundreds of actors on scene for a final battle…

So many possibilities.

His heart races and his eyes shine. Suddenly, Asahi appears on the stage and walks around.

“Welcome to the Center Theater!!!” the ArcLand actor exclaims loud enough for anyone to hear him even on the farthest seat. “Come closer! It’s even cooler up close.” Rui joins him closer, but remains on the floor. 

“It’s beautiful. I understand why every young actor wants to stand on this stage,” the director comments, entranced by the beautiful decor, different entries and exits on stage and red curtains. “Can I take a picture?”

“Sure!” Asahi shrugs. “Ah, wait! Take a picture of me on stage!” 

He runs around and frantically poses many times, testing each and every one until he finds the perfect one. Chuckling, Rui presses his phone’s camera. It flashes and immortalizes an image of Asahi flexing his muscles with a funny expression. Despite the tough act, the ArcLand actor resembles a squirrel. 

“Do I look good?” Asahi runs up to him and he shows him the picture.

“Yes. Truly a Center Theater star fufu~” The smile he receives blinds him similarly to a certain star’s.

“Anyway, this is the stage where I’ve become so many different characters. A king.” Asahi puts on a cocky expression, looking down on him. “A lost boy.” He hunches in on himself and keeps his hands close to his body, eyes wary. “Or even a knight.”  His expression becomes serious and he straightens his back. Crouching on one knee, the ArcLand actor reaches his arm out towards him.

“This stage has given me so many beautiful moments. I love it a lot. I also appreciate everyone that has stood on this stage with me.” Blue eyes meet yellow ones. “They are all so talented. And so are you. I hope that one day, we can stand on this stage together.”

Another flash of blonde and a glint of orange eyes. The stage is no longer illuminated by countless colours, but a singular white light on Tsukasa’s kneeling frame.

“Won't you join my troupe again?”

And before that, on the rooftop, with an earnest smile…

“I'll get to the point, I want you to make shows with me!”

“Give me any role, and I will perform it to 12,000% satisfaction!”

Rui blinks and Asahi’s smile replaces his friend’s.

“I hope so too. It would be an incredible opportunity, but I have so much to learn before I can be worthy of standing on such a beautiful stage,” Rui answers, returning the smile. 

“Hm… maybe you’re closer than you think,” the other replies cryptically and stands back up. Soon, they leave the giant theater and return to their respective homes. 

For the next week, Asahi joins him and his childhood friend as they walk back home. Tsukasa side-eyes them and watches them leave, never saying a word despite something bothering him. Nene, at first, is tense the entire way, a little too shy to engage in conversation with them even if they include her. She eventually comes out of her shell and they talk about shows for thirty minutes until they have to part ways. Rui gives them little pointers and Asahi immediately improves his act. Depending on the day, the ArcLand actor energetically talks about his favourite shows, his favourite foods, favourite hobbies, friends… Rui learns so much from Asahi and about Asahi. 

Who knew he could make another friend so soon and so quickly? He thought he had reached his friend limit, but perhaps he was wrong.

He couldn’t be happier.

Even when they don’t have practice, his new friend sends him articles about shows or videos of his acting to make sure it aligns with Rui’s vision. 

He’s so glad to have two amazing star actors for WonderShow’s last performance as ambassadors!

Two weeks later, the two androids roles still haven’t been decided still hasn’t been decided. As they practice, Rui often stops his main actors and gives them advice, even to Asahi, although rarely. Tsukasa is frustrated after every slight change in his acting, probably because he thinks he should have already known how to perform during certain difficult scenes. Still, despite his struggles, his star takes his directions like a champ and improves at a rapid rate.

But not rapid enough.

When his main actors ask for their permanent role, the director has to be honest. Even when Tsukasa’s shoulders slump, even when the adorable stars in his eyes fade and even when his smile turns strained, Rui has to stand with his decision. To put on a wonderful show, he has to cast Asahi as the main lead. Such a delicate role requires an elegant and perfect performance. Maybe one day Tsukasa will have the skills to take on such a role, but not today. 

Thankfully, his defeated friend takes the news with grace. Moving on with a pained smile, he promises to put on a great performance as Bartlett and prepare himself for the final scene. 

Rui grits his teeth and refuses to go back on his words. He’s doing this for the show. Anything for a show. He always followed this philosophy since he was a child discovering his theater passion. He won’t change to please his friend.

Even if his chest hurts.

—

The day before the show, Rui buys flower petals with his two main actors. His troupe leader worries about the final scene, thinking he can do better. Asahi encourages him, saying that he did everything he could, but Rui disagrees. As his director, he knows that Tsukasa can exceed his expectations, put on an awe-inducing performance, and shine brightly like a star.

His dear friend too, feels the same. He runs back home to practice the final scene. 

The walk back to the station is quiet, despite the two usually never running out of topics. Asahi’s eyes brim with unsaid words; words that Rui cannot decipher.

“How would you like to work at ArcLand?”

His world freezes and his heart drops. This question again. He hates it. His heart doesn’t know how to react. 

Rui almost refuses because… He doesn’t know.

Asahi’s troupe has embraced his eccentricities. ArcLand actors are out of this world and appreciate extravagant directions. The Center Theater will bring him so much experience, so many shows and so many smiles.

It’s all he wants. 

In that case…

He should be honored. Rarely do directors get offered to work at such an amazing stage. He’s lucky that Asahi even considered him. It’s perfect. Perfect for his dream. 

Logic dictates that he should say yes. Thank his friend profusely and happily achieve his dream in a few years, maybe less. 

But…

But… Why? Why can’t he answer?

Ah, and he says he loves chaos. But not today. Today, Rui wishes that the world was a big scripted show that told him exactly how to act and what to say. 

Because joining ArcLand means leaving WonderlandsXShowtime. Disappointing fans, disappointing his friends, disappointing Phenny land… 

But…

He’s sure everyone would be happy for him. His troupe already knows that their dreams are incompatible and that they will have to disband one day. They can still see each other, hang out, and maybe put on a show once in a while. 

So that's why…

That’s… why…

Nene stops him in his tracks before he enters his garage. She was practicing with Emu for the show but noticed him coming back with a tired expression. It must be their intense practice catching up to him, Rui says instead of the truth.

Ah, but his friends still worry.

Because he can’t make a decision. Even if he knows which one is right, his heart still childishly clings to his troupe. 

Nene asks to tell them what’s wrong, but he… 

He can’t. Because nothing should be wrong. It’s a simple problem, really. Someone allowed him to achieve his dream, that’s all. Rui just has to say yes.

She lets it go and asks to tell them when he’s ready. 

His friends don’t have to worry. He’ll tell them soon, maybe after their last show. Because by then…

He’ll have robbed them of a director and left them behind.

Oh…

No, that’s not what he’s doing. He’s just chasing his dream. His troupe mates will encourage him and offer him lunch to ‘celebrate’ his achievement. Because, wow! How did he get such an offer? How incredible…

—

SEKAI at night is peaceful despite being an amusement park. The Virtual Singers and plushies are asleep, so Rui strolls around peacefully and his mind wanders. He should be happy and excitedly tell his supportive friends. They’ll all smile and laugh and cheer him on and… His heart throbs.

Miku tends to an exhausted birdie who created a dangerous show on the train. Despite leaving its friends behind, it still performed the best possible show.

But it was lonely.

And Rui, too, will be lonely if he joins ArcLand.

Making shows alone…

Even if he has so many other actors, all incredibly talented and open-minded, they are not his three friends. 

But…

If he wants to make the world smile and create a show that everyone, no matter their differences, can laugh or cry about, his dream requires different talented actors and opportunities. Opportunities that ArcLand offers.

“As lonely as it was, I had fun!” the birdie says. “I got to do what I really wanted to do, and it ended up being super duper fun!!”

…

In elementary school, little Rui put on shows with Nene until they drifted off. He was okay with that and performed alone. She couldn’t always do the tricks that he wanted to test out anyway…

In middle school, Rui put on shows alone. He did whatever he wanted and created robots that could pull incredible stunts! It was fun! Really! Just because…

Just because he was on the rooftop, watching others live out their youth, doesn’t mean he wasn’t having fun…

It was lonely sometimes.

It was, but…

Rui clung to his dream. And his dream brought him Tsukasa who gave him friends.

Surely…

Surely like Nene said on the island, their friendship will transcend shows, so he won’t truly be lonely. They just won’t spend as much time with each other as before. That’s all…

He’s so childish.

This is a simple problem with a simple solution. No, not even a problem. 

Rui mulls over his decision in his room. How incredibly childish. Just because he also wants to put on shows with his friends forever. As if that desire is realistic! Forever doesn’t exist! Everything eventually comes to an end! So why…

He looks through his photo album and flips through his happy memories. What? Is he going to delay achieving his dream for a few more months of shows with his troupe? It’s not like Tsukasa won’t want to soar higher soon. And Nene will want to improve too. Emu… He isn’t sure exactly what she would do if they wanted to extend their horizons. 

So, surely, Rui can reach for the stars too.

The plastic pockets of his unfilled pages are soft.

They were supposed to be filled with photos of his troupe mates. Maybe, photos of his ArcLand memories will replace them. Wonderful memories nonetheless, he’s sure. 

It doesn’t sound right.

No. It’s fine.

Rui falls asleep on his desk.

–

The next day, he ignores his heavy heart and focuses on their show. His actors perform beautifully and take his breath away. Ah, how lucky he is to have them…

He’s leaving them…

No, no. He already went through this. He’s just following his dream. 

Finally, it’s time for the last scene and he holds his breath. But his actors blow him away, especially Tsukasa who flawlessly follows his directions. His heart races in sync with the audience’s. 

Tsukasa shines like a true star on stage.

Ah, he really can’t thank the world enough for giving him such a wonderful star actor. And for giving him the chance to see him improve to this point.

It’s a shame this might be the last time Tsukasa takes his directions. At least… for a while. 

—

After their last performance, Rui accepts Asahi’s offer. 

“As a director, moving to ArcLand is what I should do…”

His heart squeezes tightly; so tightly that he cannot breathe. His legs tremble and his eyesight blurs. Why? He should be happy. 

Please be happy. 

This is for his dream. Please. Why…

He’s still smiling, so… So why is it so painful?

Please stop this childishness. 

This is the logical step. He’s doing the right thing. Little Rui would be proud. So would his middle school self. And the Rui of the present too. And… future him will thank him. 

Right? Right?

“That's quite an expression you've got on your face…” Asahi smiles sadly.

Oh…

But he’s smiling. He’s happy…

Why does… 

Rui ruined his chance.

Maybe it’s for the best. 

He wants to continue putting shows on with WonderShow. That’s what his heart truly desires, even if logically, it should strive for grander stages. His friends are just… Too incredible. 

His precious jewels. 

As he rejoins his friends, Tsukasa happily expresses his wish to grow as an actor. He wants to learn from other actors and from his director as well. Looking at his smile, Rui’s heart clenches painfully, thinking about how he almost took away Tsukasa’s director. He quickly changes the subject, ignoring Emu and Nene’s whispers, and, eventually, bids goodbye to their partners of the month who stay behind to talk to the staff. 

On the train, the girls fall asleep fast, leaving only him and Tsukasa awake. His star-like friend chats about his future, his ambitions as an actor, and how he wants to get more opportunities to work with other talents in the industry. All for the sake of his dream. 

Rui needs to see his success. He wants to support him and his other friends. He yearns to make them fly high, higher than they can imagine, and never fall down. They deserve the best.

How come he didn’t realize how much he wanted to stay by their side? There has to be a way to achieve their dreams while staying together as WonderShow, hopefully. 

Tsukasa snores loudly enough to disturb the other passengers. To Rui, his voice and noises are soothing. His sleeping friend presses his head onto the train window, the sun reflecting around him, and Rui gently brushes a stray strand away from his eyes. 

Before closing his eyes, Rui whispers a guilty “I’m sorry” to his friends. And an even softer “I love you guys” before falling asleep. 

—

That night, Rui paces in his room, unable to open his show notebook. His precious photo album lies open in the middle of the room, countless photos splayed around it. He analyzes every single detail in them as if they will reveal something important. Specifically, why Asahi stopped him from making a regrettable decision and why Rui himself didn’t realize the depths of his feelings before. 

And maybe he should have known. Because really, why else would he have started this album if he didn’t love his friends? If not because he was scared to lose them?

So, yeah, he clearly never wanted to stop making shows with them, terrified of the possibility, even. So agreeing to work with ArcLand was… self sabotage in a sense. 

Rui wouldn’t be happy to achieve his dream without them. He can’t be satisfied with only one desire, he needs both his dream and friends. 

Even if it seems impossible.

Well, thank God for Asahi, then. Even if the actor is the cause of his troubles, without him, Rui wouldn’t have realized how deeply he loves his friends.

He calls his ArcLand friend who picks up on the first ring.

“Rui! Glad you guys made it home safe!” the other show nerd enthusiastically greets.

“Yes, the train ride went smoothly. I hope you guys also had a nice trip.”

“Yeah.”

Rui bites his bottom lip when the call falls silent. Usually, they talk about anything and everything, but their earlier conversation looms over them. Even if they are good actors, they can both tell that the other is holding back, unsure of how to talk to the other. 

“Well, I simply wanted to call to thank you,” Rui continues. 

“Eh? For what?”

“For stopping me.” The director passes his finger over a picture of one of WonderShow’s sleepovers. “I almost made the worst decision I could have made by joining your troupe.”

“Oh, yeah! It’s nothing.” Asahi’s voice betrays his disappointment.

“Oh… I…”

His eyes trail towards three photos of his friends individually smiling, taken at different moments during one of their outings. A particular one captures his attention, his first-ever picture. His most precious one, where they all smile side by side as everyone cheers them on. Rui remembers his thundering heart, the pure elation filling his body, and his aching cheeks once everyone left. 

Tsukasa, Emu, and Nene all made this moment possible. He created this incredible show with his friends and even got to see the audience’s acclamations by their side. Where would he be without them?

Alone on the rooftop, fiddling with his robots or reading a script. Perhaps, he would be far, far away from achieving his dream.

How…? Seriously. How did he never notice that his dream had morphed from ‘creating a show that can reach everyone’ to ‘creating a show that can reach everyone alongside his friends’?

He should have known. Every picture in this album is proof that he loves them and wants to make shows with them forever. Anyone with eyes can see that he would be miserable without them. 

Is he blind?

“Is there something on your mind?” Asahi cuts through his train of thought.

“Yes… It’s… I just… Why?” Rui stammers, gently grabbing the picture.

“Mh?”

“You said you wanted me as your director and that with someone like me, we could put on shows that could achieve both of our dreams. And I said yes…. But you… still stopped me.” Rui gently grabs a picture of the aftermath of their first ambassador show. 

“Ah… Well, there’s a lot of reasons.” Something shifts on the other end of the line. “First, I couldn’t in good conscience let you do something you would regret, especially when you made that face. You looked like you were about to cry.”

“... I…” Rui bites the inside of his cheek.

“Let me put it like this.” Another shift. “Sometimes, even if you want something really badly, you have to let it go. You can’t cage a free bird or it will sing sad songs for the rest of its life.” 

Oh.

That makes sense.

Like a mourning dove, Rui would be unhappy without his other half. Or other quarters in this case. Forever, he would sing heartbreaking melodies to ignore the wound in his heart.

He wonders how the birdie in SEKAI is doing. 

“And besides, I should have never made that offer!” Asahi exclaims and a sound of papers fluttering down comes from his end of the line. “What was I thinking? I almost separated my favorite couple!!!”

Rui blinks.

“...? What?” 

“I went in the way of you and your boyfriend! No wonder Tsukasa said this would probably be the last time we talked to each other! I made Miles angry noooo!!!” His ArcLand friend dramatically wails.

Rui’s heart accelerates and he seriously hopes his friend isn’t implying what he’s thinking. The sickness returns. 

“My… boyfriend? I’m not in a relationship.”

“Oh! Oh, are you guys not together yet? I’m so sorry! I must be rubbing salt in the wound then! But by the way, you should totally confess.”

Rui tenses up. This can’t be real. Where did such an assumption come from? 

“Confess what? About the offer? I… that… maybe eventually.” The director chuckles awkwardly.

“No! Your love!” Asahi insists, with a serious intensity that makes Rui drop his photo.

“My… love…”

A photo of his star-like friend lays on the floor before him. The yellow firework around him shines brightly and his smile rivals the sun’s. The sound in Rui’s ears could have been the fireworks or his heartbeat. Either way, he couldn’t concentrate on anything but his troupe leader, not even his sickness. Tsukasa and his endless warmth. His countless endearing traits. His pretty hair in the wind. Just him. 

The picture of himself surrounded by jellyfish sits beside it. Rui never deciphered his own expression; the fond glint, the small smile, the body language, just everything. Objectively, Rui knows what this means, but logically, with context, it doesn’t make sense. 

Because he can’t be. Not Rui. It’s terribly selfish and will just leave him heartbroken. 

Because he’s him. And Tsukasa…

Tsukasa is everything.

A breath of fresh air, but also a beautiful storm that turned his life upside down in the best way. 

Tsukasa is his dear friend. 

That’s all.

“Yes!” Asahi exclaims and Rui can imagine the stars in his eyes. “Or he should. Honestly, it doesn’t matter. Well…” His friend trails off and sheepishly regains his voice. “Okay, it does! Because I bet on you having confessed first!”

“You… You bet? What?”

“Nene and Emu said it would be Tsukasa.” Something shifts and pacing footsteps reach the line. “My other actors were on my side, so you have to confess first! We can’t make Nene and Emu that rich! Emu is already rich and as her wife, Nene is too!”

“Okay… you’re starting to confuse me a little.” Rui rubs his temple and lies on the floor, surrounded by his pictures.

“Oh oh!” Asahi startles him. “When did you realize your feelings? We also made a bet. Emu and Nene say that you still haven’t realized, but that can’t be true! I mean, seriously! The way you look at him, it looks exactly like a scene from a movie! You even have a smile just for him!” The sickness intensifies and something flutters in his chest. His aquarium photo taunts him, showing off exactly what his ArcLand friend means. “Arghhhh! Why can’t I fall in love like that?!? Maybe then, I’d be soooo good at romantic lead roles, you’d really want to join ArcLand and direct me!”

“You’re going too fast. Also… you can’t fall in love?” Rui raises an eyebrow, distracting himself from the increased room temperature.

“Nope! I tried really, really hard, but it’s just… not my thing. Romantic love is overrated. Except in shows! I don’t mind watching a romance show.”

“... You’d only want to fall in love… for shows.” Rui chuckles in disbelief.

“Yeah! Why else would I fall in love?” He can imagine his friend smiling proudly.

“Fufu~ I’m sure Tsukasa-kun would say something similar.”

Because Tsukasa doesn’t think about romance, only shows. His star-like friend said it himself. Even mentioned that he isn’t sure if he can fall in love.

So isn’t it a good thing that Rui isn’t in love with his friend like Asahi claims? 

It wouldn’t work and simply sour a perfectly good friendship.

“Mh… I’m not so sure. Maybe he would think that at first since he is a showmaniac. But then, he’d really fall in love. With you!!!”

“Ha… I don’t think so.”

“Well, anyway. I’m exhausted.” His friend yawns. “Nice talk. Oh, and don’t forget to confess. And tell me!!!” 

The room falls silent and Asahi’s words echo in his mind.

In love.

With Tsukasa.

Ridiculous. 

Tsukasa is his friend. His friend who makes him sick… And makes his heart race… And feel warm… And happy… 

The thought won’t leave his brain like a curse. Even as he puts his pictures back in their plastic envelopes. Even after he cleans up and prepares for bed. And even after he closes his heavy eyelids.

Boyfriends.

No. Friends.

That would be too much.

Couple.

Of friends! 

He furrows his eyebrows and turns on his couch. 

Tsukasa.

Unfortunately, that word bounces around his brain like a ping-pong ball. Even worse, his mind supplies him with the surreal, painting-like image of his friend at the aquarium, surrounded by fish. Then, it filters through countless memories of his friend, his smile, his shining eyes, his voice, his hand in his…

Rui flings his eyes open when the sickness returns with a vengeance. His face is so warm, feverish even, and his heart has never beat this hard. But still, still…

Why is he smiling?

The question leads him to his computer. Sitting at his desk, Rui searches for scientific article after scientific article to find something, anything that can explain his symptoms. Medical article after medical article, everything he experiences is too vague. Once again, after hours of nothing, he finds himself in a slump and nowhere closer to an answer.

Love.

Again, that word. An explanation that couldn’t possibly make sense…

But his hands move on his own and thousands of results appear.

How to know if you are in love?

His eyes scan every word, entranced by the text. Every symptom and every point in the article checks out. 

You think about them almost all the time.

When he isn’t thinking about shows.

You crave physical closeness.

He likes their cuddles and warm touches.

You feel excited and joyful around them.

Always. Tsukasa brings him so much laughter and smiles.

You are changing for the better.

…

Oh. 

He has, hasn’t he?

Tsukasa brought so much change in him. A place of belonging, closeness with others, and much much more. His middle school self would be proud of what he's become.

Check after check, he fits every little symptom box. With such irrefutable evidence, there is only one conclusion which is that…

He’s in love with Tsukasa.

No… Why…

Chapter Text

As he fiddles with his robots in his garage, Rui tells his childhood friend about his issue. Well, not an issue, but it is bothering him. She stares at him for many long moments and blinks.

“Congrats on finally figuring out the obvious, genius.” Sighing, Nene sits down on his couch, not even caring if she accidentally crushes a robot that he has left lying around. She takes out her phone and texts someone.

“I’m not sure about ‘obvious’…” The deathly glare she shoots sends shivers down his spine.

“It really is. I‘m pretty sure everyone and their mother knows you love him-”

“I never said lov-”

“Love him,” she ignores his protests and continues with her speech. His mouth stretches out in a thin line. “Maybe except you and him. And you finally figured it out, so I guess that just leaves Tsukasa. But, well, I doubt he’ll ever figure it out since his mind is constantly filled with shows, Saki, and Toya. If we’re lucky, we might occasionally break through his one-track mind and appear in his train of thought.” 

“Oh…” Rui waits until she finishes her text. “What are you doing?”

“Texting Asahi that he owes me money and to stop messing with my ship!” His friend aggressively presses the send button.

“Can you tell him not to tell Tsukasa about this?”

“Well, yeah! Obviously! He’s done enough damage as is! Damn homewrecker.” Her eyes roll as she closes her phone.

“... I’m going to ignore that last comment.” He reaches for a screwdriver and tightens a metal piece inside NeneRobo’s chest. “But really, Tsukasa can’t know about my feelings.”

“...Why?”

“Because… it would ruin our friendship.”

“Good. Then you’ll finally be boyfriends.” Nene crosses her legs and lies back farther into the couch.

“... That’s not…” Rui rubs his temple in frustration. “Look, he can’t know because he doesn’t love me back, and I have to forget about my feelings.” 

Because why would Tsukasa even want anything more? He’s never been interested in romance and doesn’t even think he can fall in love. And even if he can, what are the chances that he likes Rui? 1%? 0.1%? Even less? 

Unless there’s proof that Tsukasa wants to take their relationship further, Rui will bury his feelings until they return to platonic territory.

“What?” She straightens her back and looks at him incredulously. 

“Besides, since he never thinks about romance, he won’t ever figure out how I feel about him, and we can move on like nothing ever happened.” He finishes screwing the last bolt on NeneRobo and closes her chest. “There. Hm?”

When he turns around, Nene fixes him with such horrified eyes, one could think Rui murdered her mother in front of her.

“Something wrong?” Rui tilts his head. The look on her face isn’t that uncommon, but usually, it is caused by his most extreme ideas (that are safe, always.) 

“...” She blinks out of her stupor and shakes her head lightly. “I thought I just heard you… imply that you wouldn’t confess? And that you want to… ‘forget your feelings’?”

“And you’d be correct.” He stands up, and his knees crack. 

“You have to be kidding me!” His childhood friend jumps from the couch and paces around, kicking stray pieces of metal and some papers away. “I’m not tolerating this whole ‘pining consciously’ arc! Do you know how painful it was to see you give… heart eyes to this guy and not even realise? All directed at one loud, self-proclaimed star! Seriously! Do better.”

“I… do not do that. Do I?”

“Yes, but that’s besides the point. You are not ‘moving on’. Grow a pair and confess!” A somewhat choked sound leaves his lips.

“... No. There’s no way I’m doing that.” He pushes NeneRobo away from Nene’s path. “Our friendship is pretty comfortable, and I shouldn’t ask for more. That’s pretty greedy, don’t you think?”

“It’s not!” Nene grabs his hands firmly, stopping in her tracks. “Listen to me for a second. It’s not greedy. You can ask for more, and he’ll accept your feelings. And even if he says that he doesn’t reciprocate, which is unlikely, Tsukasa wouldn’t just toss you like a used sock because you like him. He’d probably say something like,” She clears her throat and deepens her voice, a crude, yet amusing imitation of Tsukasa’s loud speeches. “Ha ha ha! Of course, you fell for a star like me! Who wouldn’t? I’m flattered!”

“Fufu~”

“But in all honesty, Rui, I just want you to be happy.” His childhood friend smiles, eyes twinkling with fondness. “Repressing feelings, telling yourself that you don’t deserve this and that you’re selfish for loving someone, that’s just going to hurt you. I know you’re bad with feelings and that if you could, you would just think about shows, but just this once, can’t you let yourself be happy?”

“But I have…” His hands tremble as he recalls how he almost threw away his happiness. “I’ve been so happy ever since we formed our troupe. These have been the best months of my life.”

“Then…” Her eyebrows furrow, and she squeezes his hands. “Let me rephrase this. Let yourself be happier. Because ignoring your feelings will just make you miserable. You should be honest. With him and with yourself.”

“I think I’m being very honest with myself right now. I want to keep making shows with everyone and achieve my dream. Those are my true feelings.” Desperation laces his voice.

“And you also want to be with Tsukasa. You want to let yourself love him because even if you never realized it, you loved him for so long.”

“I… No, that sounds like a disaster. I shouldn’t.” Rui takes his hands away and steps back from her. 

“Okay. Let’s put it this way. For a second, let’s forget about whether you ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’.”

“That’s pretty hard fufu…”

“Just play along.” Rui nods. “What do you want? What does your heart say? Not your brain, not anyone else, what do YOU want?”

“I…”

He takes a shaky breath and recalls his dilemma from the previous week. How he thought his two goals were fundamentally incompatible, how his chest internally bled when he ultimately came up with a decision, and how his heart soared as he realized that he was wrong, that he can want both. 

“For our troupe to stay together forever. To achieve my dream with everyone by my side. To stay friends with everyone and never be lonely again. To…” 

His eyes drift to the blue paper on his desk, recently completed. On it, Rui drew a house plan similar to the one Tsukasa drafted on the island. He tweaked a few details and added multiple rooms: a soundproof one for his troupe leader to practice his vocals in the morning, a gymnasium for Emu, an arcade for Nene, and a large garage full of tools and robots for himself. Plants will dominate the backyard, all cared for by him. Tsukasa will complain about bugs and force him to grow vegetables for their meals. Such a cruel, cruel lover he will have…

The two men will wake up in the same bed, tangled in each other’s limbs, and the light will reflect through the tiny gap in their curtains. Tsukasa will hold him until their alarm raises them from their slumber. Rui will hate the alarm because it will mean that his husband will detach himself and start his day. Ah, but at the same time, he will be happy to go to work and create shows with his friends.

The smell of breakfast food will permeate the air, and he will wrap his arms around his husband’s waist, pressing his chin on his shoulder. Soon, Emu will join them and help Tsukasa with the food. As they will eat, Nene will finally wake up and slump into her chair, barely awake. Emu will feed her, and the three awake members will chat about shows. 

If they work separately, his beloved will kiss him goodbye and give him a homemade lunch. They will work and come back later after a busy day. His heart will race when Tsukasa says ‘I’m home’ or ‘Welcome back’. Really, he will never get tired of seeing him and hearing him talk about his day and kissing him and bantering and just… just him. 

At night, Rui will actually sleep in a warm bed and not on the floor. After exchanging an ‘I love you’, the two men will kiss and bundle up under the sheets. And maybe Rui will pretend to sleep for a bit and simply admire his lover, every line on his face, soft strand, and the upward curve of his lips. 

With a life like that, he will never be lonely. Not a moment will pass without happiness, and even if they sometimes fight, they know that they love each other and will come back from whatever issue they have stronger. Unconditional love, that’s what he wants.

A childish dream or maybe a long-buried desire, but Rui craves a love like that. Not too complicated, just them being themselves. 

“I want to build a mansion where you and Emu have your own room and Tsukasa and I have our own,” he blurts out, still imagining his beautiful future.

“Exa- what?”

“And Tsukasa and I would be married.”

“W-what?!?” his childhood friend exclaims, eyes wide. “That’s not the answer I expected. I thought you would say something like ‘I want to be with Tsukasa’ or something tame. This is… ugh, why am I surprised? You’re not a predictable guy.”

“Fufu~ Well, you wanted me to be honest.”

“You’re never this honest!” She sighs and plops back onto the couch. “Whatever. I just wanted you to admit that being with Tsukasa is also part of your true feelings. And to make that goal come true, you have to tell him. He would want you to. If you don’t, then you’d be holding back. He hates when you hold back on him, so just do it!”

As his eyes meet Nene's, reality crashes down on him. Even if he wants this future, it isn’t guaranteed to be compatible with his two other important goals. Tsukasa would never push him away for something so stupid… But what if things become awkward? What if their friendship is never the same after he confesses and his best friend rejects him? 

God, just thinking of being rejected, Rui’s heart throbs. He should be used to rejection. No one ever wanted to befriend him, and people usually told him to stop talking to them. ‘You’re too weird’, ‘leave us alone, freak,’ and ‘can’t you be normal’; those are only a few of the common sentences uttered in his presence. Eventually, those words became as harmful as a small passing cloud.

Maybe it’s because the rejection would come from someone important, someone who Rui wants to be liked by, that the thought of ‘I’m sorry, but I don’t like you back’ hurts so much. 

He finally found incredible friends, precious treasures. He can’t damage any of them.

Even if it’s a tiny chip on his yellow jewel.

“I’m good.”

“Ugh, you’re so frustrating.” Nene clenches her fist and harshly waves her arm around. “You’re not gonna change your mind, are you? Unless I bring some… ugh, do I seriously have to write a whole scientific paper to convince you to do the right thing?”

“You need proof, Nene. I’m not risking my friendship with Tsukasa without foolproof evidence that asking for more wouldn’t ruin everything.” His eyes narrow, irritating his friend.

“I can’t believe you.” She jumps from the couch and stands in front of him intimidatingly. Although since she has to tilt her chin up to meet his eyes, the effect fails. “Fine. Give me a few days, and I’ll bring you at least ten pages with references on why you should confess to Tsukasa.”

“Methods included?” He crosses his arms.

“Ugh, methods included. With results and discussion. And graphs since I know you like your graphs.”

“Good good.”

“And peer reviewed, so it’ll be foolproof.” A fire burns in her eyes.

“Peer reviewed? By whom?”

“Emu, of course. And Akiyama. They’re my experts.”

“Hm, I see. I expect a great report then.”

The two childhood friends shake hands as if they made a business deal, and Nene confidently walks out of his garage, leaving him alone with his thoughts. 

Unfortunately, a few days later, as he reads the girl’s 15-page report, Rui annotates the flaws in Nene’s logic. Even if he understands where she comes from, he doesn’t agree with her methods, finding them too unrealistic. The results are unlikely, and the conclusion unsatisfying, so he rejects her proposal and writes a counter paper. Nene reacts angrily and presents the article to her ‘peer reviewers’ who reject it. 

Why is he arguing with her when the decision is ultimately up to him? He won’t test out Nene’s confession plan. Probably ever. Even if she insists that it would be best for him.

Unless Tsukasa gives him signs that he likes him back, Rui will bury his feelings deep down until they return to platonic territory.

—

On the next page, there is a picture of his troupe leader’s audition for Rio, where he chased the phoenix and cried at his failure. Seiryuuin kept going even when the scene ended, answering Tsukasa’s Rio with her phoenix. Everyone applauded, and he got the role. As Rui watched his friend smile brightly and rejoice at his win, he whispered to his other troupe members,

“Our star is shining really brightly, isn’t he?” 

When all he wanted to say was “My star”. 

Under the picture sits a photo of Tsukasa’s ginger-fried pork. 

—

Like every lunchtime, Rui hangs out on the rooftop with his best friend. Occasionally, they eat with the girls in SEKAI, but today, Nene has an exam, and Emu has to help a classmate with their math homework.

Tsukasa sits next to him. A little dangerous for his sensitive heart, but Rui can manage. He’s hung out many times with his troupe leader alone, sometimes in his garage and other times on the rooftop just like this.

But back then, he didn’t harbor romantic feelings for his star. Back then, they were just friends, not even thinking that they could be more. Or, well, on Rui’s part.

He really has to take care of his issue. And soon.

Tsukasa takes a photo of his bento, his typical ginger-fried pork. Recently, because of his audition as Rio, he has amassed 50k followers on his Instagram. People praise his performances, and some girls gush over him. Rui understands them a little too well.

He does the same thing, both online and off.

He has created an anonymous account to comment on his friend’s post like a fangirl. Not only is it extremely funny, but it makes his troupe leader happy. Tsukasa doesn’t need to know. That would be awkward.

Unabashedly, Rui grabs a piece of pork from his friend’s bento without even looking.

“HEY!!!” Tsukasa exclaims and hides his lunch with his arm. “You have your own food! Stop stealing mine!”

“But Tsukasa-kun, I’m just helping you out. Ginger fried pork has a lot of sugar and salt, which is bad for your health,” the genius director lectures and tries to grab another bite. “It wouldn’t do for my Future Star to have health problems down the line, would it?” 

Oh.

Rui’s eyes widen when he realizes his words and prays that his star didn’t hear his miswording. Fortunately, Tsukasa is too busy swiping his hand away to mention it.

“Don’t try to ruin my favourite meal just because you want it!” His friend scoots away. “Now eat your veggie sandwich.”

“Yes…” 

The director pouts and whines the entire lunch break. He begs Tsukasa to reconsider, but his cruel, cruel star ignores his request. He even cries, but the other sees through his crocodile tears. 

So, the next day, Rui enacts revenge on him for being such a mean friend. During their first break, he sneakily enters Tsukasa’s class and, while the coast is clear, exchanges their bentos. 

Once the lunch bell rings, Rui bolts for the rooftop and immediately unwraps Tsukasa’s perfectly made food. Ah, another ginger-fried pork portion, nice. Ignoring the stray vegetables, bites of food quickly disappear.

“RUI!!!” Tsukasa barges through the door, smiling. “How was class?” he asks, completely unaware of Rui’s mischievous revenge.

“Fine as usual. Nothing I don’t already know fufu~” His friend sits next to him and grumbles.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re a genius… ugh! I had physics, and I couldn't get the concepts right.” Tsukasa complains and waves his arms around dramatically. 

“Then, maybe you want a demonstration?” Rui ups the speed of his bites, in case his friend discovers his prank. 

“No, thank you!” his star exclaims and puts his bento on the ground. Yes, Rui bought the exact same bento box as Tsukasa just to lessen his suspicions. Yes, he put a veggie sandwich in it. Yes, his friend is still unaware. “By the way, someone said you left me a gift? Or a love letter?”

Rui chokes on his food. 

“What? Where did they get that from?” He coughs, heart racing faster than a jet plane. 

“My classmates said they saw you enter our classroom and put something in my bag. They said it was a love letter, but I didn’t see it.”

“It’s not a love letter,” Rui clarifies. “But you could call it a gift.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll have to see for yourself.”

“It’s not a bomb, right?”

“Not a bomb. I’m not that cruel.” He is. Tsukasa will find him extremely barbaric for his prank, but his friend was so cruel yesterday, too. It’s only fair that Rui gets revenge.

“Fine, stay mysterious.” Tsukasa rolls his eyes and puts his bento on his thighs. “Oh,” He blinks when he notices Rui’s almost finished lunch. “You’re having ginger fried pork too? We match!” His troupe leader smiles brightly and… 

“Fufu~”

Tsukasa opens his bento and stares at it for a few moments. 

“WHAT?!?” he exclaims and almost drops the sandwich on the ground. Quickly, Rui takes his last bite and closes the box.

“Thank you for the meal~” Standing up, the mischievous director winks and runs away laughing.

“Y-YOU!!!” Tsukasa stutters, frozen in place. “You’re not getting away with this! That was my cherished ginger fried pork!!!” 

His star runs after him and yells unstar-like words at him. Eventually, a teacher stops them for causing a raucous and forces them to clean all of the boards after school.

Before they finish their punishment, Tsukasa mutters under his breath.

“I’ll get you back for this, Rui!!!”

And, it takes him a while, but eventually, his troupe leader acts on his words.

A week later, Rui happily walks up to the rooftop, ready to eat his veggie-less pot stickers. Finally, his mother packed him something edible. 

Tsukasa waits for him on the rooftop, bento on his thighs and a happy smile on his face.

“Rui!” He pats the space next to him. “Did you read the script I sent you yesterday?”

“Yes.” The director sits down and drops his lunchbox on his lap. “A very thrilling story. The main character is so nuanced. It’s rare that we make shows with anti-heroes as the main character.” He opens his bento and…

“... That’s not my pot stickers…” 

Salad is his worst enemy. Only poison, not even anything food. He frowns, and Tsukasa opens his ‘own’ bento, quickly taking his first bite and smirking. 

“Tsukasa-kun…” Rui whines and pouts. “You swapped our lunches.” His friend swallows the pot stickers and sticks out his tongue.

“Thank you for the food! Ha ha ha!” His star takes another bite unashamed. The director’s arm reaches for the pot stickers, but Tsukasa guards them like a treasure. 

“Tsukasa-kun,” Rui pitifully says. “Can I have my lunch back?”

“No,” his friend says point blank and taunts him by taking another bite. “Maybe now you’ll stop stealing my food!” 

As Tsukasa continues ‘his’ meal, Rui sadly stares at the poison and tosses the lettuce around with his chopsticks. He can’t even take a bite, even if an unknown dressing covers the nasty greens. In regular meals, maybe there is a little poison, making the result somewhat edible, but this has no food. Even the slight smell makes him nauseous. His stomach grumbles, but he ignores it. He has no food to satisfy his hunger. 

Tsukasa sighs and grabs a pot sticker with his chopsticks, pointing the food in his direction. 

“Here. Have some,” he offers with a defeated smile. “I think you’ve learned your lesson, and I wouldn’t want my director to starve.” 

Rui gapes at him, and Tsukasa waves the food around to wordlessly tell him to take it. The director eats it directly from his friend’s chopsticks, a warm feeling consuming him. The bright sun overhead certainly isn’t the cause. His star feeds him a few more bites, not enough for a full meal, but enough to satisfy his hunger for an hour or two. 

“And…” Tsukasa breaks the calm silence. “You know… if you wanted to eat my cooking, you could have just asked.”

“Eh?”

“I don’t mind making an extra portion for you. I noticed that you almost always have veggie sandwiches or other simple bentos, so maybe you’d want something… worthy of a Future Star’s director! I know how your mom’s pretty busy, so she doesn’t have the time to make you anything too fancy, but maybe if I made you lunch, she’d have more time to do other things.”

Rui swallows harshly and glances to the side. Ah, Tsukasa caught him. He really loves his cooking and wouldn’t mind eating a lunch made by the Future Star himself now and again…

Or really, forever.

“Sure,” Rui tries to reply as casually as possible. “Thank you.”

So, the next day, smiling proudly, Tsukasa drops a homemade bento on his lap. The wonderful aromas of chicken teriyaki pleasantly tickle his nose. Taking the first bite, his insides warm like the hot summer air. When his friend asks him how it tastes, he praises him endlessly, saying how the texture is perfect and the taste, like heaven. Tsukasa tells him that the bento deal means that the director owes him something in the future. He promises that it isn’t anything too bad and that, unlike Rui, he won’t ask him to do anything dangerous. If it means his star cooks for him every day and it makes him happy, then Rui will do anything for him.

Besides, how bad can it really be? What could Tsukasa possibly ask that he wouldn’t say yes to?

—

So…

Maybe he isn’t ready to say yes to everything Tsukasa asks. 

Rui expected his friend to ask him to build something extravagant for him, help him with homework, or grow him certain flowers for Mother’s Day that’s coming up. Hell, Tsukasa could have asked him to do a crazy stunt or even eat vegetables without complaining. It would have been better than this. 

But no.

Instead, catching him off guard, his friend cashes in on his favour one day as they peacefully sit next to each other on the rooftop. Rui fiddles with his robots as Tsukasa talks about whatever comes to mind, mostly ways to improve his role as Rio.

His friend’s speech slows down, and he stares at the clouds in contemplation. The director lifts an eyebrow, glancing at the sky. Who knows? Perhaps the other saw an interesting cloud that sparked a show idea. But the sky is clear; only the sun shines brightly over them.

“Hey, Rui,” his star starts, head in the clouds. “Remember how I told you that I would keep cooking for you in exchange for a favour that you can’t refuse?”

“... Yes?” the director hesitates, even though he knows that he would never refuse Tsukasa normally.

“Then, my favour is that you have to test a few things with me.” That he can do. He loves testing things.

“Sure. Is it a robot? Lighting? Something to do with acting?” Rui enthusiastically asks.

“No,” his troupe leader answers seriously. “It’s not about shows. You’ll have to put your robot and tools to the side.”

“Okay.” The director does as asked, almost jittery from his friend's idea. 

His troupe leader takes a deep breath before reaching for his hand on the floor. His fingers intertwine with his, and they fit perfectly like two puzzle pieces. Tsukasa’s warm, soft hand, not unlike himself, contrasts with Rui’s cold, calloused one. His star passes his thumb over his bony knuckles like they are a precious, smooth stone. He smiles softly to himself, completely at peace from such a small, yet oddly intimate gesture.

“...What… What exactly are we testing?” 

His mouth runs dry. Tsukasa’s touch, so tender, holds a hint of a silent tension. This is nothing like Emu’s crushing hugs, Mizuki’s little nudges, or Nene’s kicks. And it’s different from their usual hand-holding. It’s warmer, thrilling, yet still peaceful and so, so right. Like the sunrise in the morning, the tides of the waves and the twinkling of the stars, them holding hands seems like the natural way of the world. 

“This.” 

And Rui knows, oh, how he knows, but he can’t understand why Tsukasa wants to test holding his hand, as if he holds his lover’s. His eyes glint with unspoken feelings, a softness so unlike his confident Future Star. 

If only it weren’t a test.

“... What are the results?” Rui whispers, but cannot hear himself over his heartbeat.

“Very positive, but it needs further testing.”

—

Tsukasa will be the death of him. It’s supposed to be the opposite; he’s the crazy director who asks his slightly also crazy star actor to do insane stunts, not the other way around! 

So yeah, they keep ‘testing’ hand holding on the rooftop almost every single day and every single moment they are alone or with close friends. Even Nene notices and raises an eyebrow at them, but otherwise stays quiet. Tsukasa’s hand is a constant heating pad that shoots warmth straight into his veins. Rui might get addicted. Or he already is if the giddy, happy feeling in his chest and crushing disappointment when they separate indicate anything. 

What happened to burying his love? Getting rid of it? Shouldn't he stop these ‘tests’? They worsen his feelings. Not only that, but Tsukasa certainly isn’t helping, especially with his adorable face and beautiful smile. As if the other couldn’t ask for a better gift from the world, but to hold Rui’s hand.

…

Does this mean something? Is Nene right in saying that Tsukasa reciprocates?

Maybe he should wait before making any hasty conclusions, even if his heart screams at him to express his love for his troupe leader instead of caging it deep inside him.

A week later, his friend holds his hand and asks him again:

“Can we test something?” And Rui can’t say no.

“Sure…” the director says with less enthusiasm than last time. 

Tall walls build themselves around his heart, protecting it from stupid false hope. But they are too thin and crumble to dust the second Tsukasa’s head rests on his shoulder. 

“Is this okay?” his star whispers as if his loud voice could disturb the moment. 

“...” Rui swallows harshly. “Yeah.”

But he wishes it wasn’t. His heart flips happily.

Tsukasa closes his eyes and talks about shows. His breath tickles the director’s neck, and his words go almost directly into his ears. 

Even if he knows he’ll regret it, Rui presses his head onto his friend’s. If he had a little more courage, he would have kissed the top of his head.

—

Tsukasa continuously proposes various oddly intimate experiments. Every time the word ‘test’ comes out of his mouth, Rui tenses up and hopes his heart can take it.

It never can. 

Today, his star asks to lie his head on Rui’s lap, as if his firm, bony thighs are the most comfortable pillow in existence. From his laid position, his friend grins and his big, orange eyes blink at him.

“You look even taller like this! Scary!” Tsukasa chuckles to himself. 

“Or maybe you just got shorter, fufu~” 

“Never! And I am not short in general. You’re just a giant.” His troupe leader scowls.

“Sure, sure, dear troupe leader. Very tall and cool.”

“Stop teasing me!” Tsukasa exclaims and lifts his arm. “Anyway, about the show, I’m having a hard time with this scene.”

As the words ‘Rio’ and ‘phoenix’ fly around, Rui watches the way his friend’s lips dance as they move. A beautiful smile as bright as Sirius stays on his face as he talks about his favourite part of being alive. Warm notes fall out of his mouth like a beautiful symphony, and Rui can’t help but fall deeper and deeper for him.

He knows he shouldn’t, but…

Tsukasa is just so easy to love. 

He’s so perfect for Rui, so kind, so accepting. He always gives his 12,000%, listens to his every direction, and even helps him improve their shows along with Emu and Nene. His star. 

He caresses the one he loves' soft, golden strands and smiles at him. 

His monologue stops for a moment, replaced by a breathless chuckle. 

“No one’s played with my hair since I was a kid. Saki’s the last one who did, and she used to braid my hair.” Tsukasa closes his eyes in bliss. “It feels nice.”

“Really? You know, I could braid your hair if you wanted,” Rui offers and takes a few strands in his hand, twirling them between his fingers.

“Eh?” His sunset-coloured eyes widen. “You know how to braid hair?”

“Yeah.” Without waiting for a verbal confirmation, the director twists a few strands together. “Mizuki used to braid my hair because she loved playing with it. I’m sure she really wanted to braid her own hair. Eventually, I learned to do the same to her, and we both rocked the look fufu~”

“Is that so…” Tsukasa relaxes under his touch. “You know, every time I learn a new tidbit about you, I can’t help but think ‘Rui’s so kind’.”

“Eh?”

“I will never understand why anyone thinks otherwise. You always make sure we are safe, smiling, and having fun while putting on a show. You take care of all of your friends even if you have strange ways of doing it.” 

Is the warmth rising in his body a result of the warming days or Tsukasa’s words? Ah, who is he kidding? Tsukasa always has the kindest words that can melt him. 

“I remember during the Shibuya festa, you were so worried about whether you'd be able to perform while you were injured. You wanted everyone to smile, and you were worried the audience and the rest of our troupe would be disappointed, but really, we were worried about you. You care so much about everyone else’s smile that sometimes you forget to protect your own.” His star gently puts his hand over his. “It’s okay. I’ll protect your smile.”

“Fufu~ What are you talking about?” The director lets go of his third braid. 

“I never want your smile to disappear. Never again.” Tsukasa vows and guides Rui’s hand to his cheek. “Because you are so kind and have a beautiful smile. You’re my hand-picked, amazing director. As your star, I have to make you smile. Forever.”

Rui’s breath barely leaves his lips, and his hands shake. Tsukasa has to know the effects of his words on him. He may be oblivious to romance, but he isn’t completely blind to others’ emotions. 

“During our last ambassador show, you didn’t smile as brightly. Even Emu and Nene didn’t know why, and they were worried. You don’t have to tell us why, but I want you to know that I will make sure that you get your smile back.”

“But Tsukasa-kun, I’m smiling right now.”

“Yeah, but I feel like you’re holding back on me again.” His star’s smile turns bitter. “And one day, you’ll tell me, right? Then, we can fix whatever’s wrong, together.”

“Tsukasa-kun.” Chuckling, Rui caresses his cheek. “As long as you and the others are by my side, there’s nothing wrong.”

“Hm…” Tsukasa frowns.

“And you’re here with me right now. So I couldn’t ask for more.”

“If you say so, my dear director.” His troupe leader guides the director’s hand to his mouth and presses a gentle kiss on his palm. His heart flips, and he internally explodes. 

“W-what…. Fufu~ What was that for, Tsukasa-kun?” Rui looks to the side, hiding his small blush.

“Another one of our tests.” His friend passes his thumb over the other’s knuckles.

“Ah, then what are the results?”

“It depends.” Tsukasa’s eyes flash with a cocky look. “Would you let me do it again?”

And if Rui were any weaker, he would have passed out. He takes a shaky breath and bites his bottom lip.

“Sure.”

“Then the results are positive, but more tests are needed.” His star smiles and kisses his hand again.

—

In the next few photos, new faces appear. Miyake, Hayashi, and Taniyama smile, laugh, and pose strangely on the next few pages. 

Suddenly, his high school life became typical, filled with moments with friends and twice as much mischief. 

None of this would have happened without Tsukasa…

And his Kyoto trip during his second year of high school.

—

Kyoto is such a beautiful city, but with his friends by his side, it’s the most ethereal place on the planet. 

Rui never expected to make three other friends. It’s WonderShow’s beginnings again! Three strange individuals accept him for his quirks and want to know more about him. Has he seriously not hit his friend limit yet?

He used to only have two friends, if he squinted and pretended that they still talked to each other, but now he almost has enough to fill two hands!

During his trip, he learned so much about his new friends. They played cards and his star lost. When Weirdo Wombo Combo tried to sneak out, the teacher checked on them. Rui hid his non-roommate friend in his futon and held him close while pretending to sleep. His heart raced, and Tsukasa definitely noticed, but probably thought that it was because of the adrenaline. His acting was for nothing since, the second they stepped out of the room, their teacher caught them and scolded them. 

The next day, the boys hung out with Mafuyu, Shizuku, and Airi, too. And yeah, Rui and Shizuku lost the others for a bit, but unlike during the summer festival, he found a way to get his friends’ attention. He saw the parade with them and even took a picture of their time together. On their last night, the boys had a pillow fight tournament that the teacher cut short. 

As they write an apology letter, or well, Rui does since Tsukasa hasn’t even started, the director reminisces about their trip. The countless smiles, genuine laughter, and friendly banter… His heart grew ten sizes as he finally experienced a normal high school trip with his class! 

And it’s all thanks to Tsukasa!

Had his troupe leader not told him to do something different for a change, not just put on shows, Rui wouldn’t have had such a wonderful time. Oh, and if Tsukasa hadn’t brought him so many smiles, shown him that others could accept him despite his weirdness, and that he doesn’t need shows to befriend others, then he would have never gotten to know his new friends.

“Thank you, Tsukasa-kun, for giving me the chance to change.”

And thank you, World, for creating Tsukasa and having them meet.

Even if his star doesn’t want to take all of the credit, Rui will always feel immensely grateful to him. Sometimes, he feels indebted to his friend for giving him so many beautiful things. He doesn’t even know if he can ever completely repay him, but in the meantime, he will make sure Tsukasa shines brightly on stage and give him as many opportunities to achieve his dream as possible. 

But maybe another day.

Their trip isn’t over, so he has to create more incredible memories with his friends. 

And one of them is seeing Tsukasa scream about Rui’s treacherous action of finishing his apology letter. 

The next day, the director wakes up before sunrise as promised and meets his friend outside. Tsukasa waits for him near a tree, the moonlight reflecting in his hair. He smiles and runs up to him, grabbing his hand for the first time during the trip. Rui instinctively squeezes it before letting his troupe leader drag them to the Kamo River. 

Due to the early time of day, no one else walks by the flowing river, and even the nearby buildings are empty. Tsukasa brings them near the edge of the water, grabbing a nearby flat stone. He twirls it in his hand and passes his thumb over the smooth surface.

“Watch and learn, Rui! I am a master at stone skipping!” His friend aggressively swings the rock onto the river, where it skips five times.

Rui takes a random rock and throws it inelegantly into the water. It doesn’t even skip once; it simply sinks to the bottom. He tries again and fails once more. How frustrating. He even imitated Tsukasa’s strange form. 

His friend observes him and eventually takes mercy on him. 

“Let me help you out.” Stepping behind him, Tsukasa grabs his arms. He gently guides them into a certain position and helps him go through the movement. “Like this,” Tsukasa breathes in his ear, and Rui shivers, not from the slight breeze. The director swallows and tries the movement. 

The stone skips once.

“You did it!!!” Tsukasa cheers and gives him another flat rock. 

They skip stones together for a while and eventually sit down on the grass. The sky turns orange like Tsukasa's eyes, and the town wakes up. His friend settles his head onto his shoulder and intertwines their hands again. Unlike the first time they did this, Rui hesitates less and presses his head onto his, fluttering his eyes closed.

“You know, that was an awfully bold move of you to ask me out to come here with you, you know?” Tsukasa breaks the calm silence.

“How so?” The director reopens one eye. 

“Well, we’re watching the sunrise while skipping stones on the Kamo River.” His dear troupe leader gestures at the water, now reflecting the orange light. “Had we waited about a month, we could have seen the cherry blossom petals floating down on the river. It’s almost a scene straight out of a romance show.”

Rui chuckles to hide his embarrassment. 

“I’m surprised you even thought about that. Usually, you’re oblivious to romance scenes, even in shows.”

Tsukasa lightly blushes and smiles a little. It’s a smaller one, reserved for his loved ones. Rui’s favourite smile.

“Well, this is a bit embarrassing, but I’ve been reading a lot of Saki’s romance manga these days.” 

“Eh? That’s so unexpected. Did you have a show idea or something?” 

“For once, no. I’ve just had a realization not long ago.” His thumb passes over Rui’s knuckles.

“A realization? Wait. You like someone? Romantically?” His heart drops, and his breath leaves him. 

Oh. 

Tsukasa likes someone. 

That’s good, right? He’s happy for his friend. Tsukasa said that he didn’t know if he would ever fall for someone, but now… Now he has. That’s a good thing, right? The person is probably amazing, someone worthy of a Future Star. They must be talented and beautiful and charismatic and perfect! Because Tsukasa deserves no less. 

Is it… Shizuku? Maybe Airi? Mafuyu? Akito? Someone he doesn’t know?

His smile falls.

But that’s okay. Maybe now, his heart will behave, and his brain will stop thinking that he even has a chance at winning Tsukasa’s affection like that. 

He always knew his love would amount to nothing.

“Maybe. It doesn’t matter. I need to figure some stuff out.” His best friend stares at their hands in contemplation.

“If you need my help, then I will always be here. As your friend and director, you can tell me anything. And I’m sure I can gather some information about this person’s feelings for you.” Rui forces a smile and adds some cheer to his voice.

“What? Like how? Wait, don’t answer that. But no. This is something I have to figure out on my own.” 

“Can I at least know the name of the lucky person who’s stolen this Future Star’s heart?”

“I promise I’ll tell you when I figure everything out. I need to make sure of some things, of my feelings and of this person’s. Can I ask you to be patient?” As if Rui could ever say no to his pretty smile.

“That’s a tough ask, dear star, but I’ll do my best fufu~” 

They sit in silence, and Tsukasa throws a stone. It skips 2 times before sinking. Rui still can’t get the hang of stone skipping. He finally found something, other than making friends, that he struggles with. His stone only skips once.

Eventually, the sun completely rises, and Tsukasa stands up. After stretching his body, he takes a step forward. The sun beautifully illuminates and, when his friend turns around, he truly looks like a shining star. His smile, ethereal as always, blinds him twice as much as the light behind him. 

“Hey, Rui. Let’s come back when the cherry trees bloom.” 

When he says it like that, Rui knows that it doesn’t have to be this year.

Chapter Text

The next few pages contain both beautiful photos full of love and wonderful moments, and rushed, pained images. Many letters, little words, and tiny trinkets also sit beside some pictures.

Ah, that period was a little painful, wasn’t it?

—

A few days after they return from their trip, Tsukasa asks to test something new; a… hangout? Rui blinks in confusion when his troupe leader proposes to get a drink at a nearby cafe. As if they haven’t done that before?

“Yeah, but we’ve never gone just the two of us,” his friend insists, leaving no room for argument. 

After class, Tsukasa waits for him outside the gate, wearing formal and fancy attire. Rui feels underdressed for this supposed hangout, but joins him nonetheless. 

His star brings them to a cute cafe decorated in pastel colors. A few other students, mostly girls or a girl and a boy on a date, sit in the other seats while servers bring them beautifully made drinks. They sit down near a large window, and Tsukasa chatters about his sister and her latest adventures as a high schooler. A waitress interrupts his speech, and they order: a latte for his friend and a delightful chocolate milkshake for himself. 

Eventually, the conversation shifts to Rui’s new project: an army of flexible robot dogs for a future show about the friendship between a dog and a man. Their trust and bond will help them win a dog trick tournament, even in the toughest competition. A simple premise that all can enjoy, if the play ever sees the light of day.

He’d rather not think about his future decision relating to his troupe today. 

Tsukasa presses his chin onto his hand and smiles softly. His eyes shine with unspoken, yet intense affection. Rui’s monologue slows down when his friend’s other hand gently covers his own. Rarely do they ‘test’ handholding in public, so the director hesitates before releasing the tension in his shoulders. The light air returns, and his troupe leader adds his ideas to Rui’s.

The waitress sets their drinks on the table, but Rui’s milkshake has two straws, oddly enough. The waitress; wait.

Minori?

The idol winks at them and bounces off towards the backroom where…

Saki?!? 

Tsukasa’s sister peaks from the door and watches them. And Mizuki too?!

He wasn’t paying attention to his entourage, but now that he observed the place…

Tsukasa chose the cafe where his sister and Mizuki work. Why? And more importantly, why do the girls have such smug faces? 

Well, whatever, Rui’s here to hang out and test something with his friend, not discover why three girls whisper amongst themselves in the backroom of their workplace. 

Casually sipping his latte, his troupe leader remains unaware of the stares from the kitchen.

“This is really good. Try it.” 

Tsukasa scoots his cup closer to Rui, who takes a small and burning sip. Cringing, the director quickly gulps down his cold drink.

“It’s good, but how are you not burning your tongue?”

“Ha ha ha!!! My tongue is used to high temperatures! It doesn’t affect a Star like me!” his star boasts, puffing out his chest. 

Rui chuckles and pushes his milkshake in the middle of the table. He drinks from his straw, and Tsukasa does the same. When their eyes meet, his friend smiles as a beautiful, dusty pink settles on his cheeks. For the first time since they sat at the cafe, the director notices the strange tension around them. Something unspoken hangs in the air, something that someone should mention. Maybe he should ask Tsukasa ‘What is this?’ or maybe let slip the question that has stuck on his tongue ever since Tsukasa first asked him to ‘test’ out different gestures with him. 

What are we?

What does this all mean?

But as usual, like a coward, his lips stay shut. His troupe leader would scold him if he knew. The director promised to never hold back again, but when it comes to toeing the lines of friendship and something else with Tsukasa, he can’t take an extra step and ask for more.

So, to distract himself from his thoughts, Rui blows bubbles in his drink, and a droplet explodes on the other’s face. Outraged, Tsukasa pulls back, wiping the mess off his face.

“Rui! Can’t you drink properly?” his friend scolds, grabbing his porcelain cup. “I’m trying to have a serious da-hangout with you…” Tsukasa’s face pales, and he bites his bottom lip. 

The bubbles stop just like Rui’s heart. Like opening a wound, the almost admission finally reveals what neither of them wanted to express. And, if Tsukasa’s tense posture indicates anything, their ‘tests’ should have stayed experiments and not morphed into a…

A da…

Well, Tsukasa never said the full word, so surely, they can go back to ‘testing a hangout’.

“Fufu~ my bad,” the director casually says, ignoring his friend’s slip-up. “I’ll behave.” 

Tsukasa frowns, and his eyes glisten with… disappointment? Did he do something wrong again? 

The tension turns heavy.

The conversation shifts to his robot dogs again, but Rui monologues to a pensive brick wall. He tries to ignore it. He really does, but the other’s golden eyes stay on his drink, words bouncing off of him and never reaching his ears. At some point, the table quiets, and his hands play with his straw. Tsukasa glances between his latte and Rui, hesitatingly opening his mouth a couple of times. The director waits, because what else can he do? He did something to ruin the mood somehow.

“If…” His star breathes in deeply. “If this were a date…” Rui bites his bottom lip. “Would you… dislike it?”

The rhythmic tap of his fingers fills the tense silence. Why bring up the subject again? This is a difficult conversation, something neither of them is ready to address, yet his friend dives in head first, scared of the result but not enough to hold back. 

Ah, he loves this about Tsukasa. His ability to push forward, his honesty, his courage to never let any problem be left untouched…

But Rui fears his feelings.

“... Haha… What are you talking about, Tsukasa? Such a strange hypothetical.” 

Tsukasa grits his teeth. 

“Fine, then let’s ‘test’ this out.” The director clenches the end of the table. “If I declare that we are on a date, would you be okay with that? Actually answer this time.”

Blood pounds in his ears, and his hands tremble. He doesn’t want to answer. He can’t answer. Tsukasa may be oblivious, but if Rui answers honestly, even a brainless jellyfish would figure out his true feelings. And… How would his friend react? What is the best answer?

He swallows.

“Anyone would be honoured to go on a date with this Future Star.” His voice remains as neutral as possible, and his smile never wavers.

Tsukasa’s expression turns serious.

“That’s not what I asked. I asked, would YOU be okay with that? I want to know what Rui thinks, not someone else,” Tsukasa insists and grabs his wrists, preventing him from bolting away. His amber eyes shine with unspoken hope, and Rui hates that he has to answer honestly. 

“... I would,” the director whispers loud enough for the other to hear. 

He glances to the side as Tsukasa releases him. Bracing himself for a reaction, good or bad, he curls his toes in his shoes.

“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind.” His friend smiles brightly.

“Eh?”

“Anyway, sorry to cut this hangout short, but I have to go!” Tsukasa chugs his last latte sip and slides from his chair. “I have all the answers I need.”

“What answers?”

“Hm… let’s put it like this.” His troupe leader points at him dramatically. “I have the results of our test!”

“And what would those be?” Rui raises an eyebrow.

“You’ll see them very soon! Please be patient for a little longer. Just like I asked back in Kyoto.” Tsukasa bolts to the cash register and pays for their drinks before the director can take out his wallet.

Rui simply watches him from the table, mouth slightly agape, as the tiny doorbell chimes when he exits. A familiar whistling startles him out of his trance. 

“He certainly walked out quickly. I thought things were going great between you two. What happened?” Mizuki asks, popping behind him. 

“I… have no idea.” Rui sighs, eyes frozen on the door. “He just… left and said he figured something out. Ah, Tsukasa-kun really is a beautiful tornado. He comes into my life and makes a beautiful mess out of it before leaving.”

“Hm…” She taps her fingers on her chin. “He never leaves permanently. I think that to you, Tsukasa is more like the wind. Sometimes he makes an interesting mess, sometimes he’s gentle and warm, but rarely does he ever leave completely. You can almost always feel his presence.”

“He’ll never leave my side, will he?” The director chuckles to himself.

“Yup! You’re stuck with him!” His rooftop friend sticks out her tongue. “But, for you, that’s a good thing.”

“Yeah… I’m so lucky to have him.”

Mizuki narrows her eyes and smirks before returning to the backroom, leaving him to finish his drink. With his glass empty, Rui leaves his friend’s workplace, millions of questions circling in his brain, which he only acknowledges once he reaches his garage. Closing the door, his face turns red, and his knees buckle. This was a…

No.

The word spins around in his mind, but, like a shooting game, disappears once he notices it. He doesn’t want to name their test, but he knows. Tsukasa almost said it himself, but it’s still unbelievable. 

This is all too much for his poor, weak heart.

But if Rui looks at everything objectively, the way they suddenly started testing borderline romantic gestures together, how his friend mentioned he liked someone but had to make sure of something, and how Tsukasa took him on a…

A…

Yeah.

He doesn’t want to admit it. He hates that he might have been wrong about Tsukasa’s feelings, about how unlovable he is, and how he should bury his love until it disappears. Because his feelings are wrong, right? 

But, Tsukasa…

Feels so right. 

Maybe Rui should actually stop holding back. His star said to never hold back. He said it so many times. The director ought to listen for once.

And he’s pretty sure that Tsukasa likes him. Why would he initiate all of these ‘experiments’ with him if he didn’t? The chances are 99.0%, no, 99.9%. Very high, almost certain, but…

What about that 0.1%?

What if Rui ends up being wrong and ruins everything? He can’t afford to destroy his friendship with Tsukasa, and for what? A silly crush that will likely lead to heartbreak once their troupe disbands, once they step out of high school and into the adult world, once they get too busy for each other? 

Besides, Tsukasa figured something out and said he would tell him. Rui has to be patient. Just as he was during the countless lonely years when he waited for a friend to accept his eccentricities.

Uncertainty started this album. He won’t let this uncertainty end it. 

—

And yet…

And yet, he let himself do something so risky; something that would either break his troupe or keep it together for longer. 

Hah.

Who is he kidding? 

Rui already knew that it would break them. Emu told him that she would stay behind and watch her friends achieve their dreams while she sits on the Wonder Stage. 

He simply hoped. Hoped like an idiot and let his heart decide his next actions as he asked the Otori brothers if his troupe could go independent. And he acted like a fool when he asked Emu if she wanted to join them, even if he knew she would say no. Because what if she changed her mind? 

Of course, she didn’t. 

She cares so much about the Wonder Stage. It’s here that she saw her first show, and where she learned that stories could move people and make them smile. It’s her grandpa’s precious stage, his legacy, along with the whole park. 

So why would she choose her three friends whom she met not even a year ago over so many precious memories? 

Rui’s selfish. He wants to keep WonderShow together. He wants to stay with his friends for as long as possible. Forever.

Why can’t they stay together for eternity?

In the house that he and Tsukasa imagined, with three rooms, one for Emu and Nene, one for sleepovers, and one for Tsukasa and him, there could be an outside stage where his troupe creates stories and amasses a happy audience. Or maybe they could travel the world together, become so famous that even the international community knows them. They’d laugh and smile and put on the greatest shows. The sun would always shine and the birds would sing joyously and…

And Rui would never be alone.

But reality is cruel.

And Rui ruined his troupe.

As he rereads his script, the show that brought them together again, he wonders if it will work its magic again. Maybe Nene will kneel for Emu and say, ‘Please come with us! Your dream is to make as many people smile as possible! We can do that together!’

And Emu will say yes because Nene will have asked. And she has to say yes to her girlfriend, right? Especially if her most precious friend asks so earnestly.

…

Ha… 

Ha ha…

Probably not.

Rui broke up their troupe. 

He sings ‘Becoming potatoes’ and laughs brokenly to himself.

—

On their last day as an official troupe, even if they changed the ending to their story, his heart feels heavy. This isn’t the end of their friendship. WonderShow will perform more shows together in the future, maybe once in a while. They’ll have sleepovers and go eat taiyaki. The four of them will create plenty of other memories together, and he’ll fill his album with thousands of pictures. 

A lump forms in his throat, but his smile stays on his face. 

After they clean up, Emu stays behind. She watches them leave, walking farther and farther away until they become unreachable.

Rui forces his tone to remain light. He has hope. The play ended with the troupe coming back together to put on shows in the future. 

He’s happy. It’s not exactly what he hoped for with his plan, but he still gets to be with his friends as they all achieve their incompatible dreams. Two out of three friends will continue making shows with him for a while, and the other one, well, they’ll still see her. That’s more than a passing grade!

His hands tremble.

It’s fine. Really. He’ll see her tomorrow, for sure. And besides, even if they don’t go to the same school, Emu always breaks into Kamiyama to have lunch with them. They still have SEKAI, and they have their group chat. 

Nene forgot something at the Wonder Stage. The three ex-PhennyLand employees follow her back and…

Ah…

Of course, Rui made her cry.

Why wouldn’t she?

Rui took away her friends and broke up her troupe. 

Because he’s selfish and he couldn’t be satisfied with what they had. Because he knew everyone wanted to soar high, but Emu wanted to stay at the Wonder Stage with them forever. And instead of finding a good enough middle ground, instead of consulting his friends, he ripped the band-aid off and asked to become an independent troupe. 

And Rui has the audacity to cry with them.

When really, Emu should yell at him for being stupid. Or cut him off completely, bringing the others with her. 

He deserves it. 

He’s such a fool. 

Instead of keeping his treasures close to his heart, he left one behind. And now, his collection is incomplete, and his heart has a missing piece.

But luckily, Shousuke and Keisuke find his cherished pink jewel and convince her to follow them. As he hugs the best people in the entire world, so close and tight, his heart warms, and Rui feels complete again. 

That night, during their sleepover, the camera shutters incessantly, yet doesn’t disturb the three sleeping figures. No matter what his friends are doing, the three of them shine brightly, but together, they are blinding. Rui must immortalize every moment. When he loses them again, at least he will have physical proof that they were once his treasures. 

—

The next day, the Kamiyama students walk with Emu until she reaches her school. They hesitate on parting ways, but their sunshine smiles and squeezes them tightly, promising to see them later. Rui almost grabs her sleeve to beg her to come with them, but that’s so childish. 

He’s already selfish enough. He asked her for the impossible, and now he wants to ask for the unreasonable. 

Tsukasa’s eyes stay on him and only leave when they part ways to their respective classes. During breaks, his troupe leader waits for him outside the classroom and chats about a new show idea. Even at lunch, his blonde-haired friend sits beside him in SEKAI and presses his shoulder against his. His hand settles over his and his thumb passes over his skin to…

Soothe him?

Why?

Rui should be the one soothing his friends, apologizing profusely for not consulting them, and begging for their forgiveness. 

Emu’s voice lost its spark and energy. She holds onto Tsukasa and Nene as she talks about ‘fun math problems’. Their shyer member barely speaks, and their troupe leader desperately tries to regain a sense of normalcy by boasting about his passing physics grade. 

It falls flat

Rui just wants to hold them close and never let go. 

But they can’t skip class or they’ll get into trouble.

He can’t concentrate. He can’t doodle, write show ideas, or draw prototypes. 

And during their last break, Emu writes that she has family business and that she can’t meet up tonight. Nene decides to cancel whatever plans they had, instead just playing video games alone. Tsukasa answers with a ‘that’s okay!!!! See you tomorrow!!!!!’

So his plans are ruined.

Rui supposes he’ll… build new props? Come up with new show ideas? 

Let himself be consumed by regret, really think over what he’s done, hope that tomorrow he can see his friends again, and that everything will be back to normal. 

Tsukasa wordlessly follows him back home and grabs his hand like it’s natural. He talks about the clouds, the trees, anything. Even Rui, who can understand Emu and her strange vocabulary, has a hard time following. His words come out so fast, incoherently and desperately.

His friend doesn’t part ways when they reach the corner where they usually separate. His voice fills with fake cheer that slowly turns worried. His smile doesn’t reach his eyes, and his lips wobble, forcing themselves to remain upwards. 

When Rui enters his garage, Tsukasa sneaks in behind him before he can close the door. He squeezes his hand and brings him to the couch, but Rui stops him.

“Tsukasa-kun. What are you doing here?”

Oh.

That’s harsh. He didn’t mean it like that.

Tsukasa’s smile falls.

“I mean, I thought you would have better things to do than to come to my garage. The girls already cancelled our outing, and you probably prefer hanging out with your sister and-”

“There’s nothing better than hanging out with you,” his friend says earnestly. 

“Fufu~ you’re exaggerating, but fine. If you insist, I can show you my new project.” Rui takes out a small plane-like prototype and explains everything about it, from the wings to the engine. 

But even so, his voice loses enthusiasm, and he repeats his words. His monologue stops halfway through, and the prototype returns to its place on his desk. Rui stares at the window in thought, almost forgetting his guest.

“I’m sorry,” Tsukasa blurts out.

“Eh?” The director whirls his head in his direction.

“I said I would protect your smile. I’m failing.”

Tsukasa smiles sadly and stares at the ground, eyes shining with guilt. As if he did anything bad. 

As if Rui isn't the reason for their rift.

Again.

And again.

And again.

He always messes up his friendships one way or another. 

“No! No, Tsukasa-kun, it’s me!” Rui exclaims, eyes widening. “I’m the one who made Emu-kun sad. I’m the one who almost forced Nene to be away from her girlfriend for longer than she had to. I almost made you lose your troupe! I made you all cry! It’s the least I deserve.”

“Rui, what-”

“I was so selfish and I thought that I could come up with a ‘perfect plan’ to make you and Nene soar high while also keeping us all together, but… But I knew it wouldn’t work!”

Holding his hands close to his chest, Rui lightly trembles. In front of him stands the couch where he spent countless sleepless hours mulling over a rational solution to achieve his two desires: his dream and his desire to stay with his friends forever. The platypus plush that his friends gave him for his birthday sits on a cushion next to a half-hazardly thrown purple blanket. The thousands of papers full of show ideas, prop blueprints, and especially his friend’s written words of encouragement litter the floor like autumn leaves. He read and reread all of them like a madman who lost contact with reality. 

Rui memorized their writing quirks: how Tsukasa’s strokes are elegant, how Emu writes big kanjis, and how Nene’s are smaller. Emu’s smiley faces, Tsukasa’s stars, and Nene’s letters without drawings… 

He loves them.

He almost lost them.

“But-”

“And I still went through with it!!!” Rui cries out and squeezes his eyes shut, a tear sliding down his face. “Emu-kun said she would stay behind. Instead of rethinking my plan, I was brash and I… I almost tore our troupe apart.”

“No, no, you didn’t.” His troupe leader steps forward and hovers his hand over his shoulder, not yet touching. “Your idea was wonderful! We’ll get to experience so many things and learn from other people. We’re grateful, I promise. Even Emu.”

“No… No, she isn’t.” Hunching back on himself, Rui’s back hits his desk. His friend’s eyes stay on him, as if observing a scared and hurt animal, yet he stays a few steps away.

“I keep only thinking about shows and my dream, but what’s the point? What’s the point of putting on a show that can make everyone smile if those whom I care about the most won’t smile by my side?” The director’s voice trembles. “Without Emu-kun, it would be lonely. Without Nene, it would be lonely. Without you! Without you, it would be so lonely and quiet!”

The same shameful tears from the day before slide down his cheeks. How selfish. So, so selfish. Crying while he should be consoling his friends. How must Tsukasa feel, seeing his monstrous friend pitying himself over something he caused, especially when Rui chipped the very fragile troupe he and Emu carefully built? The air between them today was so cold and heavy, all because of him. 

He hurt them, so much so, but the egotistical part of himself feared them leaving him the most.

“I don’t want to be alone again.” Rui sobs. “I just want us to achieve our dreams together, but we can’t! We all have dreams that are too big and ambitious to achieve by just staying… WonderlandsXShowtime forever.”

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends forever!” His friend cracks a desperate smile.

“You can’t know that.” 

“That’s-”

“I almost lost you all. Twice! I didn’t even realise how precious you all are to me until Asahi stopped me from making a decision that I would regret.”

His troupe leader tenses up, and wary orange eyes meet Rui’s. The gears in his mind turn faster than a wind turbine, denying the obvious and hoping that his precious hand-picked director never even thought of betraying them in such a way. 

“Wha… What kind of decision?”

“He asked me to join his troupe and become his director.” His voice lowers as he utters his next sentence. “I said yes.”

“Y-y-you did?” Tsukasa’s voice cracks, but he clears his throat. “A-ah, that makes sense. ArcLand would help you achieve your dream faster. I would have said yes too if I were in your place…”

His fake cheer doesn’t stop the awkward air from enveloping them. Why does Rui keep hurting the most precious people in this world? Maybe his old classmates were right. He is dangerous and will cause pain to everyone around him. Not in the physical sense. Never physically. But hurting others’ feelings makes him as monstrous as people from his past have claimed. Rui sniffles as his tears stop falling.

“I’m sorry…” 

“No! No, it’s good! I’m glad you got such a great opportunity. Congrats on becoming ArcLand’s new director…” Tsukasa closes his eyes and forces his lips to quirk even higher, as if that could hide his broken expression. “But wait! You said he stopped you from making a decision you’d regret?”

“I’m not… I’m not ArcLand’s director. I’m still WonderShow’s director." Rui clenches his hand to his chest. “Asahi… He said that he would come back to recruit me after I finish high school. Because… I was making such a sad face, and he felt it was cruel to take me away from you guys.”

“Oh…” A long-held breath escapes Tsukasa’s lips.

“It’s pathetic, isn’t it?” The director slumps his shoulders and chuckles humourlessly.

“No, it’s not.”

“But I would have been miserable. I always think that I can do everything on my own, but I don’t have to. I don’t want to.” Rui takes a deep breath. “Because putting on shows without you guys… It’s not as fun.”

“Yeah… Even if it’s to improve and get experience, it’s not as fun.” 

As another tense silence settles around them, Tsukasa steps forward, holding out his hands. With nowhere to go, Rui can only brace himself for whatever his friend wants to do to him. Perhaps lash out in anger, hit him, yell, and leave.

“Rui? Can I hug you?” Tsukasa’s arms hover near him.

“Why?” Rui’s eyes cautiously observe the other. “I hurt you and the others. Shouldn’t I be the one asking to hug you?”

“It doesn’t matter who asks who. I think you need a hug, and I want to hug you.”

Ah, where has his rational thinking gone?

This is his kind, precious friend. Of course, he would never be angry at Rui, even if he betrayed him.

“F-fufu… Who am I to say no to this Future Star?” 

Rui slumps into Tsukasa’s arms, tightly grabbing onto his back. He buries his head onto the other’s shoulder. Closing his eyes, he basks in Tsukasa’s warmth and kindness. His senses focus on the fabric of his friend’s smooth uniform cardigan, his steady breathing, and the subtle whiff of his probably expensive strawberry-scented shampoo. 

“Tsukasa-kun?” Rui whispers after some time.

“Yeah.” Their eyes meet, and Tsukasa wipes away an old tear from his cheek.

“I’m sorry that I never realized how much I love you guys before.”

His friend smiles tenderly.

“It’s okay. I also almost didn’t realise my feelings until it was too late.”

Chapter Text

A letter falls at his feet.

Rui opened his locker to change his shoes, not his life!

Crouching down, he picks up the unwrinkled white envelope and flips it over, ignoring the other students’ stares. Pretty pink hearts surround his name, written in a familiar handwriting. Rui passes his thumb over the kanji characters, chuckling to himself. ​

Well, the wait is over.

Tsukasa made his move, having finally solved whatever he wanted to figure out. And it seems… Rui’s suspicions were correct. His heart races, and he grins to himself, scaring his fellow students.

“Oi, Rui!!!” Tsukasa calls out to him from afar with his loud, happy voice. Rui scolds himself and hides the letter in his bag before anyone else can see it. “Good morning!” His friend’s smile blinds him, and a dusty pink blush colours Tsukasa’s cheeks.

He saw. They both know it. But the conversation shifts to their next practice session with Shunmeiza.

As they walk, their hands brush, a light atmosphere surrounding them. Tsukasa’s voice is louder than usual, more cheerful, and he greets everyone like it isn’t 8 am on a random Wednesday.

“Fufu~ You’re very energetic today, Tsukasa-kun. Has anything happened?” Rui probes, already knowing the answer.

“Well…” His friend beams at him with a smile. “Yeah! And you’ll know what it is after school!”

The bell rings, and the boys part ways. In class, after gently opening the letter, Rui holds a beautiful lilac-coloured paper. The neat kanji characters confirm the author of the note.

Meet me on the rooftop after school :).

The mysterious love-letter writer left no signature. Oh well, maybe his friend wants to ‘surprise’ him, for some reason. Rui will play along until the confession is made.

During lunchtime, he joins Nene and Tsukasa on the rooftop and settles the bento his troupe leader cooked for him on his lap. His star presses his side onto his and intertwines their fingers as he usually does. Nene’s disgusted stare is the only proof that she notices, but otherwise, she focuses on her meal. Chatter fills the rooftop until the door opens, revealing their other first-year Kamiyama friends. Mizuki skips over towards them, uncaring if she interrupts anything, and plops down next to him. Tsukasa waves at them happily as he quickly finishes his bite.

“Join us, join us!”

An sits down next to Nene and Mizuki, taking out her lunch. Toya slowly joins them with a very grumpy Akito following along. Laughter, teasing, and other light-hearted banter replace the previous chatter until Toya asks Tsukasa to talk privately—something about sibling business.

Rui’s hand and side are cold despite the warmer air.

A certain grumpy singer grumbles under his breath when his partner leaves and glares at his lunch.

“Is Lil Bro upset that his boyfriend left?” Mizuki teases and pokes the singer’s cheek. He lightly bats it away.

“Not my boyfriend.”

“I know~” she chirps. “You haven’t confessed yet.”

“You haven’t either!” Akito barks. “You and my sister better get your shit together. I’m tired of hearing both sides.”

“Ha… well…” His middle school friend recoils, glancing to the side. Rui subtly pats her hand in comfort. “It’s… complicated.”

“Hey! Mind your own business, Akito!” An slaps him behind his head, and the grumpy singer winces.

“She started it.”

“Anyway, Rui!” An smirks as she changes the subject. “You and Tsukasa, huh? How are things?”

“Hm?” Rui lifts an eyebrow.

“I heard that you two went on a date not long ago. And now this.” The street singer gestures towards his hand, referencing the missing warm one.

“You guys what?” Nene exclaims and drops her chopsticks. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“Why are we surprised?” Akito blinks. “That’s what boyfriends do. It’s not a big deal.”

“Ah…” Rui bites his bottom lip. “It… It’s not exactly a date?” His middle school friend gasps in indignation, and everyone gapes. “We just went to a cafe and tested out the idea of a date…?”

“What kind of weirdo lingo is this?” Akito sighs. “It’s a date or it’s not. And since you guys are dating, then yeah, it’s a date, geez.”

“We… we aren’t dating yet…” Rui stares at his lunch and bites the inside of his cheek, hoping his embarrassment doesn’t outwardly show.

“You aren’t?!?” the orange-haired singer exclaims, his eyes wide. “Then what the fuck did we walk in on a few minutes ago?”

“Yeah! What’s with the handholding and the two of you being basically glued together?” An asks, gesturing towards him.

“... So, Tsukasa and I have a deal where he makes bentos for me every day, and I have to do whatever he wants. That being ‘testing’ certain romantic gestures with him for the last month and a half,” Rui casually explains despite the mortified feeling in his gut.

Akito’s frown deepens, and Nene rolls her eyes. All of them judge him, some more subtly than others.

“And you guys… aren’t dating?” Mizuki clarifies, hesitantly.

“You would be correct.” Rui clenches his chopsticks.

With a groan, An flops onto Mizuki’s shoulder.

“Love is not real!!!!” she fake sobs. “Men are so stupid! Just confess and kiss already! That’s what I did with Kohane.”

“What YOU did?” Akito glances at her, eyes narrowed. “She confessed to you because you were too much of a coward to do so.”

“Shut up! At least I have a lover, unlike you!” An sticks out her tongue.

“Hahaha! I guess the only person who isn’t a coward here is Nene,” Mizuki chimes in, her smile too fake for his liking.

Blinking, his diva finishes her bite.

“Emu confessed to me. But I had sorta recently developed a crush on her, so I guess I didn’t have to wait long,” his childhood friend admits and looks to the side, taken off guard by her inclusion in the conversation.

“Then we’re all cowards!” Mizuki exclaims, but Rui knows the meaning behind her words.

“None of us are cowards,” the director intervenes and closes his bento box. “It takes a lot of courage to confess and risk rejection. I think that as long as everything works out, it doesn’t matter who confesses. Of course, it’s better to take matters into your own hands, but sometimes… sometimes it’s hard.” With a tender smile on his lips, he grabs his middle school friend’s hand. “Take your time, Mizuki. She’ll wait for you. Because she’s your precious friend and she loves you for you.”

For a moment, Mizuki’s cheerful act drops.

“I… I hope so.” She chuckles weakly.

“Yeah! I’m sure Akito’s sister is a good person. She will for sure accept you, no matter what. She said she’d wait for you on this rooftop, didn’t she?” An grabs her hand. “So I’m sure she’ll understand and will keep loving you just like we do. Because we love Mizuki just as she is.”

The other two people in their circle stare at them awkwardly, not completely understanding what they are referencing, but probably having heard the rumours about Mizuki. The hug she receives from her friends makes his middle school friend laugh.

“You guys…” Mizuki’s smile reduces the tension on the rooftop. “You’re so sappy.” She basks in their affections for a few more seconds before pointing at Rui. “Good speech and all, but you really should confess, Rui.”

“She’s right. This is getting ridiculous,” An agrees as does Nene with a small nod.

“Even Lil Bro’s situation is less pathetic than yours.” Mizuki chuckles.

“Mine and Toya’s relationship is not pathetic! I’m… I’m making progress,” Akito grumbles, refocusing on his lunch.

“Anyway, just do it!” His middle school friend encourages, ruffling his hair.

“Well, no,” Rui simply answers, trying to hide his smirk.

“Huh?” Everyone gapes at him as if he killed their mothers. “Why?!?”

“Because…” His unnecessary dramatic pause annoys Nene and Akito. With a gesture of her hand, his childhood friend pushes him on. “Tsukasa will confess to me today.”

“WHAT?!?” His friends’ voices rival Tsukasa’s, but they could never beat him in a contest.

“How do you know?” Nene exclaims, so flabbergasted that she joins in on the conversation once more.

“Fufu~ I got a love letter in my locker this morning.” Rui takes out the letter in his pocket and shows it off like a trophy.

“Oooo!” Mizuki and An gush over it.

“How do you know it’s from him?” Akito asks, eyebrow raised.

“That’s his handwriting. It’s so… frilly and elegant for no reason,” Nene answers him, staring at the kanji characters in disgust.

“Yes, yes, yes!” An cheers and shakes his arm. “Finally!”

“Go get him, boy friend! Woo!” Mizuki encourages.”Tell us all the juicy details after.”

Nene scootches closer to him.

“You’ll accept, right?” She fiddles with the hem of her skirt. “Because now, you can’t refute this evidence!” She gestures at the letter.

“Yeah. I’ll accept.”

“Good. I’m glad you’re finally letting yourself be happy.” His childhood friend smiles softly. “Also, thank you for making me rich.”

Rui laughs heartily before the rooftop door reopens. Everyone tenses up when Tsukasa and Toya return, cutting their conversation short. The one he likes sits beside him, taking Nene’s spot, and holds his hand. The other boy joins his singing partner’s side.

“What’s that?” Tsukasa points at the letter, eyes glimmering with something smug. Rui takes it away from his sight and folds it, hiding it in his pocket.

“Nothing~” Their eyes meet, communicating a silent understanding. ​

After a few minutes, the bell rings and everyone cleans up, ready to return to class. Before he can open the door, Nene’s voice stops him.

“Y-you can do this, Rui!!! You can be selfish for once!” she exclaims, smiling despite her embarrassment.

“Yeah! Wooo!!!” An cheers.

“Go get 'em, tiger wooo!!!” Mizuki joins. “Accept it with your whole chest!”

Akito hides his laughter and smile while Toya looks at them, little question marks flitting behind his eyes.

“What’s that about?” Tsukasa tilts his head.

“You’ll find out after school~” Rui smiles before leaving the rooftop.

The rest of the school day passes slowly. The director gazes at the window, observing his flowers to distract himself from his racing thoughts. His heart flutters excitedly as the seconds pass.

This will be new for him. No one has ever confessed their love to him. Not that he expected anyone to ever do so, but this was a nice surprise.

Maybe this confession will be a nice change, not a friendship-ruining change like when he risked the disbandment of his troupe not too long ago. Finally, his three desires are compatible, and he doesn’t have to risk rejection.

Isn’t it nice to be proven wrong like this?

The bell rings, and Rui grabs his bag. Without caring for his surroundings, he bee-lines for a place full of painful memories, but also incredible moments with the people he loves. Recently, the rooftop has become synonymous with new beginnings. Actors, troupe mates, and close friends, Tsukasa offered him all of those in this very spot.

And today, his star will offer him something new, something different, something wonderful…

The rooftop is empty since the other students chatter to their friends further down, returning home after a long day. Rui grabs the warm metal fence and looks down at the people. The tree leaves are slowly regrowing, and soon, the cherry blossom petals will rain down on them.

The door creaks open, and Rui turns around. His star-like friend greets him with an excited grin.

“Rui!” The glowing boy approaches him.

“Ya, Tsukasa-kun!” The wind blows through their hair. “Are you the one who wanted to meet me on the rooftop?” Rui asks, feigning ignorance of the author of the note.

“Yes! Are you surprised?” The other’s expression turns smug.

“Very.”

Tsukasa’s shining eyes are always worth a few white lies.

“Ha ha ha! Of course you are! My plan was perfect!” His troupe leader poses with his hands on his hips and chest proudly puffed out. “You didn’t even suspect a thing. I had Saki write the letter for me so you wouldn’t recognize my handwriting.”

“Fufu… Wait, what?” Yellow eyes widen.

“She happily helped me out. Even added hearts so you would never think that it was me!”

Rui takes out the letter and analyzes the handwriting. The lines are perfect, like Tsukasa’s elegant strokes usually are, but this is his sister?

How interesting.

“I was totally clueless.” And unfortunately, he was. He was fooled, but not in the way that his star thinks.

“Anyway! I asked you to meet me here for a reason!” Tsukasa drops his cheerful air, his eyes glinting with something serious. After a deep breath, orange meets yellow. “First, I wanted to thank you for being patient and testing all of these things with me.”

“It’s really no problem.” Rui shrugs, leaning on the metal fence.

“I know that they were strange requests and that I should have been less vague about my intentions, so I’m thankful that you let me do this.” The hands that the director loves to hold are intertwined, slowly turning white. “I know that you were sometimes hesitant and tense, but you never said anything, letting me hold your hand and lie in your lap and all that."

“Like I said, I didn’t mind. You let me test so many inventions on you, so it’s only natural that I return the favour. Especially if it’s something as tame as that.”

“Well, it helped a lot. Also, thank you for not questioning it. I expected you to ask what we were doing, for what reason, and stuff, but you never did.” Tsukasa’s shoulders slump. “But it’s also disappointing because I had a whole speech prepared! What a waste. I didn’t get to use it.”

“Fufu~ I have no reason to question your motives.” Rui smiles tenderly. “I trust you, and I knew you had a good reason.”

“Still, it was unlike you. You’re always curious.” Worry seeps through his words.

“Haha… I guess so…”

“I’ll still tell you why I did all this because I know you want to know,” the one he likes starts, his back as straight as a metal rod. His eyes widen slightly, and his pupils roam all over the other’s face. 

“I’ve… never really liked thinking about romance, even in shows. Just in general, it’s not something I think about. When I was younger, I always imagined my future self being a successful star with my sister and parents cheering me on in the audience. I don't think I’ve ever imagined having a romantic partner by my side. Friends, coworkers, sure, but a boyfriend or girlfriend? No. I still understood that I would probably eventually marry someone. Have kids or something because that’s how life goes, right? But I only really cared about shows and my family.”

Rui is…

Unsurprised.

As a showmaniac himself, he, too, always dreams of shows, stories, and smiles. In his fantasies, his loved ones applaud him, praising him for his wonderful project. Maybe in his dreams as a very young child, the audience seats were full with his unknown friends, his family, and his future lover that he had yet to meet. As he grew up, the seats filled with happy strangers, replacing the company he longed for.

It’s different for Tsukasa.

Even when younger, his troupe leader was charismatic and well-liked by his peers. Well… Rui considers anyone who isn’t alienated by their classmates as ‘well-liked’. Maybe that’s a low bar…

The point is that Tsukasa has no reason to think that he couldn’t get a lover. His star loves freely, and his friends and family love him back. If he wants to befriend someone, said person will (eventually) like him back. Such was the case with Rui during their beginnings as WonderShow.

Maybe Tsukasa’s explanation is deeper than the director expected.

“But then…” His troupe leader takes a deep breath, his eyes forced to stay on Rui’s. “My classmates started having crushes and talking about them. They would ask me, ‘Tenma-kun, do you have a crush on anyone?’ and I would always say no, because what even is a crush, really? No one made my heart beat, or took my mind away from shows. And eventually, people caught on and stopped asking because ‘Tenma-kun’s head is just full of shows.’ I didn’t know how to feel about that, especially since they said it was strange. Shows are amazing! Why wouldn’t my head be full of them?”

“Indeed, shows are amazing.” Rui chuckles at his friend’s expressiveness.

“Yeah!” Tsukasa exclaims and regains his cheer. “Anyway, I never understood what the hype about romance was when shows were much more interesting. I always shrugged off anyone who asked me about it. Well, until one day in middle school, a girl asked me to meet behind the school and confessed to me.”

“What?!?” Rui’s back straightens up.

Not that he shouldn’t have expected that. After all, anyone would fall for Tsukasa in his humble opinion.

“She said that she liked me and wanted to go out with me. I didn’t even know her, only knew her name.” Instead of boasting about it like Rui expects, Tsukasa acts annoyed. The blonde boy sighs, passing a hand through his hair, troubled. “I asked her how she liked me since we had barely talked, maybe worked on a school project together once. She said that she found me attractive, kind, and that I had pretty eyes. She loved my passion and thought my loud voice was cute.”

Rui understands her on a spiritual level. Although he loves many more things about his troupe leader. From his adorable poses to his love of fish, really, is there anything that he dislikes about his star?

“But then… that’s all pretty shallow.”

The other’s harsh words crush whatever thought he has. Perhaps it’s wrong of him to think of everything he loves about Tsukasa… Yet, Rui thought that his friend loved having his qualities acknowledged…

“She didn’t know me, only that I was a loud showmaniac who loved his sick sister.” Tsukasa’s annoyance boils over, and his eyebrows furrow. “But everyone knows that. She didn’t know that I liked ginger fried pork, how I used to fish a lot during the summer with my family, my favourite show, nothing! And she liked me romantically? What did she even like? Her idealized version of me?”

Rui lets out a breath. He knows all of these things and much more. And he doesn’t love an idealised Tsukasa, just the true, beautiful him; both the showman and the kind, sometimes fragile boy.

“So, I turned her down,” Tsukasa says a little flatly, taking him off guard.

“Y-you didn’t tell her all that, right?” Rui can’t help but ask, cold sweat sliding down his back.

“I have tact!” his star exclaims, pressing his hands on his side as if to scold him. “I just told her that I didn’t feel the same and that I didn’t know her enough to go out with her. She said we could get to know each other on a date, but it didn’t feel right.”

“Phew.” The director leans on the metal fence.

“Later, a friend of mine got a girlfriend,” his friend continues, making a dismissive gesture and looking up at the clouds exasperantly. “He liked this girl, but they barely talked to each other before dating. They shared fond glances and shy smiles, but really, they weren’t even friends. He liked her and kept talking about her, and it got worse when they started dating. I couldn’t understand why he felt so strongly about her when he didn’t even know her favourite colour.”

“That’s… because he was attracted to her,” Rui tentatively tries. “It’s quite hard to explain. Sometimes, you feel this inexplicable pull towards someone. Like, ‘This person is very handsome. I’d feel nervous talking to them.’ And maybe you wouldn’t mind dating them…”

“Without knowing anything about them?” Tsukasa’s attention goes back to him.

“Not necessarily. Sometimes it’s at first sight, sometimes it’s after you get to know them a bit, or even when you get close to them.”

Unfortunately, Rui doesn’t know much about it. Ah, if only his emotions were as easy to decipher as his friends’. He can tell when Emu is sad, when Nene is stressed, and when Tsukasa has something on his mind far more than whatever he himself is feeling.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt the first two… Or even the last one! I don’t feel nervous talking to pretty people.” His troupe leader puffs out his chest.

“It was just an example fufu~” The director smiles. “But you know I’m not the best person to explain this.”

“Anyway,” his star abruptly keeps going with his story. “At some point, I thought ‘Well, maybe romance isn’t for me and that’s okay.’ I like shows and my family. I don’t need more. If I fall in love, I fall in love. If I don’t, I don’t.”

The light breeze interrupts the tense silence, whispering something that none of them understands. It’s okay. Rui can be patient, especially with his friend. He waited years alone on the rooftop for someone to reach out to him. He can wait a few more minutes for that same person to compose himself.

His loud showman of a troupe leader bites the inside of his cheek, averts his beautiful orange eyes to the side, and awkwardly clamps his hands together. Still, despite everything, he takes a deep breath and smiles tenderly.

“And then… I met you. And I love your directing! It’s so incredible!” Rui’s heart warms like the first spring breeze after a harsh and cold winter. “When I first saw you, I thought, ‘I want this guy as my director’. And then, it really happened! We became friends and we created shows with Emu and Nene. You became my very precious friends. With our troupe, I’m much closer to my dream. Ever since we met, in my dreams, I saw myself as a star and my family and you guys cheering me on in the audience.”

My precious jewels.

His friends all feel the same, don’t they?

“I don’t know why… But something changed.” The one he likes furrows his eyebrows. “Back when we were in America, I had a dream where you waited for me backstage. You embraced me and smiled, saying how proud you were of me. My heart fluttered for some reason. I didn’t understand what it meant, but… I was so happy. A bit more than usual.”

“Back… in America?” That long ago? But Tsukasa hadn’t acted that differently…

“We had a lot of fun back then, didn’t we?” His star chuckles, smiling brighter than the sun. “You roped me into so much trouble, and you kept pranking me. You really were a menace!”

“Fufu~ Sorry~” the director says teasingly.

“At least look a little repentant, geez…” With such a soft tone, how could Rui ever take his scolding seriously? “I should have felt at least a little annoyed, but… Ah, I can never stay mad at you! And I shouldn't admit this because it’ll just encourage you to get us into more trouble, but I like it when you rope me into your shenanigans, argh!”

“That’s not very Future Star-like, Tsukasa-kun~”

“S-shut up! I know, but…” His ashamed expression morphs into something more vulnerable. “Every time you prank me, or tease me, or get me in trouble, I can’t help but think, ‘Rui really trusts me, huh? I’m so glad.’”

The director’s breath hitches, and his teasing facade crumbles.

“Every time you prank me or even when you make me explode, you trust that I won’t walk away, that I’ll forgive you and stay your friend. Despite your past, you trust me enough to never hold back. As for me, I trust that you’ll keep me safe. I think it’s this deep trust that we built over the time we got to know each other that helped me see you differently.”

“Differently…” Rui says pensively.

“Do you know how much you glow when we pull off a stunt?” his star changes the subject. “Your eyes shine brightly, and even if you smile mischievously, it’s still so beautiful. I used to shiver in fear, but really, now I shiver in excitement, thinking ‘What’s the next idea that’s gonna pop out of his head?’”

The director closes his eyes for a moment, letting his friend’s warmth take over. His heart races from the other’s charming words. Ah, his old self would never believe him if he ever found out that someone could see him in such a light.

“Before you pranked me by almost kissing me, I had never thought about kissing anybody. But for the first time in my life… I thought, ‘Is kissing really as pleasant as they make it out to be in books? I’m sure if it’s Rui, he’ll make sure that I enjoy it.’ But it was only because it was you that I even thought about something like that.” The blonde boy sighs in frustration. “And then, on the deserted island, you jokingly proposed that we should be married in our hypothetical future.”

“You’re the one who humoured it,” Rui points out, deflecting away from his awkward feelings.

“Yeah, yeah.” Tsukasa rolls his eyes. “You didn’t seem to dislike the hypothetical. You made a funny face, and your cheeks were a pretty pink.”

“I… I was?” Suddenly, the director feels like burying himself in the dirt. Unfortunately for him, the floor under him is concrete.

“You didn’t realise?” His orange eyes widen and twinkle. “That’s something else I find so interesting about you. You know everything about science, engineering, and shows, but you sometimes don’t realize when you’re lost in your head.”

Yellow eyes stare at the cracks on the floor. Orange ones stay on him, observing amusedly.

“Do you want to know how I found out that I liked you as a little more than a friend?” Tsukasa asks with a light tone of voice.

“I guess so.”

“It was during our time with ArcLand.” For the first time since the start of their conversation, his star walks towards him and sits next to him, gesturing for him to do the same. The director slumps, subtly bringing his arm closer to Tsukasa. Their hands interlock like magnets. “You were spending a lot of time with Asahi. One time, you went back home with him. My heart squeezed so hard, and I didn't know why. You found a new friend. Wasn’t that great? It’s not often that you click with others this fast, so I should have been happy.”

A warm thumb passes back and forth over his knuckles rhythmically. Rui presses his head over the one on his shoulder, observing the chirping birds nesting on the nearby birch tree.

“That night, I had a strange dream. It wasn’t the usual one where you were waiting for me backstage. Instead, you were in the audience with Asahi. A golden ring glimmered in your hand that held his. When I saw it, I couldn’t continue my performance.” Pain finds its way into his friend’s voice. “It’s unfair because… I should have been happy for you. You’re my precious friend and director. You’ve probably always wanted this. Someone to love you like that. I thought that I was a bad friend for hating the image of you with a romantic partner.”

“I don’t think you’re a bad friend for that,” Rui reassures him. “If anything, it’s normal to feel that way when you like someone like that.”

“But… It’s selfish of me not to want to see you with anyone else,” his star says with slight melancholy. “Even if I like you as more than a friend, I don’t think I can love anyone like they do in shows. My feelings aren’t fiery or that intense. I like holding your hand and going on dates and all those romantic things we tried, but…”

“But?” the director pushes on, encouraging him with a brush of his finger over his hand.

“I… I really love being your friend too. I wouldn’t mind kissing you or all the things that come with romance, but really, if it means that we aren’t friends anymore… It would make me sad.”

Rui laughs. A full belly laugh completely inappropriate for the situation. His friend huffs in indignation, but it only increases the fondness that the director feels for the other.

“You’re something else, Tsukasa-kun.” The director stifles his amusement. “I don’t see why we can’t both be best friends and boyfriends.”

“Is… Is that so? I’ve never heard anyone call their partner their best friend,” Tsukasa says pensively. “Besides, don’t you deserve someone who will love you passionately?”

“Deserve?” Rui furrows his eyebrows. “I’m not sure. But I like the way you love, Tsukasa-kun. You are passionate, even if you say that you don’t feel romantic love that strongly. I would have been satisfied if you only ever saw me as a friend, but I’m glad that you feel more for me. I like you a lot, and I don’t need anything more than you as you are.”

“Even if I don’t understand this whole ‘attraction’ thing?” Tsukasa asks in a small voice.

“Even if you don’t understand attraction.” Rui chuckles.

As they enjoy the light breeze flowing through their hair, the chirping birds, and the warm sun, a comfortable silence falls over them. Rui could stay like this forever, with the one he loves and his best friend by his side. He’s sure Tsukasa’s tender smile mirrors his own and that their hearts beat in sync.

“Hey Rui?” Tsukasa disturbs the warm silence. The director hums in acknowledgment. “Can we test one last thing?”

“Sure.”

Tsukasa disentangles their hands, lifts his head from his shoulder, and faces him with a fiery intensity in his eyes. Carefully turning Rui’s head to the side, his friend stares at his lips hesitantly before pressing his own onto them. A gasp leaves his lips as he suddenly feels their warm softness. His eyes flutter shut blissfully, but as soon as he does so, the other pulls away.

His orange eyes shine in the sunlight. Rui will never stop admiring them. Two tiny sunsets that will never truly set.

Before he can even think about whether it’s alright with his partner, the director returns the kiss, putting part of the love that he kept hiding for all those months into it. Even if his star makes a surprised sound, Tsukasa doesn’t stop smiling. It’s as beautiful as the day they met, or maybe a little prettier.

“Tsukasa-kun, thank you for reaching out to me on this rooftop.”

Once again.

And thank you for giving me the chance to experience this kind change.

Chapter Text

Rui folds the letter back into its plastic pocket in the photo album. 

Really, their relationship didn’t change much. Back then, the two of them still ate lunch on the rooftop hand in hand, talked about shows incessantly, and hung out with their friends. They occasionally kissed, but otherwise, they stayed best friends with the additional label of boyfriends. 

It was comfortable. It was silent. And it was wonderful.

His peer didn’t notice any change. Some people teased them, thinking they still weren’t together. ‘Kamishiro-kun, how’s your boyfriend~’ in a teasing voice was met with a casual ‘he’s doing good as usual fufu~’. Their friends were aware that was all that mattered.

Rui loved his new label. He loved that he was allowed to love Tsukasa in such a way. The director loved that he could comment funny, fan-girl-like comments on his troupe leader’s Instagram with his actual account.

But not everything was perfect. Rui feared that Tsukasa would one day stop loving him. What if one day, they broke up? 

Ah, but they would remain friends, so what would that matter?

It wasn’t the same to him. Rui didn’t understand why; why breaking up scared him just as much, if not more than losing their friendship.

The small, hurt version of himself clawed its way out from the deepest part of him. It cried, ‘Please don’t leave me. I want us to stay together forever,’ the same way that it had when he realized how much he loved his troupe mates. 

The director pushed his feelings away, forcing himself to enjoy his time with the one he loved, but his demons always found a way to rise. 

Tsukasa noticed. He always did when Rui was feeling off. His star confronted him on the rooftop one day, insisting on answers for the director’s elevated walls. And they talked.

They talked, and Rui was selfish. 

But Tsukasa listened to his selfish worries. His bright, beautiful sunset-coloured eyes stayed on him, kind and unjudging. Then, as the once lonely boy’s insecure, unprompted, and melancholic thoughts consumed him, his best friend reassured him, loudly proclaiming that he would always want Rui by his side, no matter what or how. His star actor crowned his speech with, “I told you before, and I’ll tell you again. Don’t hold back on me! I’ll always give you my 12,000%, and that includes in our personal lives.”

His star’s love is so earnest.

As the days, weeks, months went by, Rui fell deeper and deeper for his troupe leader, as the next few pages of his photo album show. Tsukasa was in almost all of the pictures, either alone or with their friends.

Rui adored their graduation photo, where their friends bid them farewell with tears and smiles. Mizuki, especially, cried incessant tears; far more than she had when he graduated from middle school. 

The director remembers how, that morning, again, a letter fell at his feet. It had the same, familiar handwriting as the last one.

Rui takes it out of its plastic, carefully opening it up after so many years.

My dear director,

Congratulations on finishing high school! I suppose it isn’t exactly a surprise since you’ve never struggled with classes, but I’m proud of you nonetheless. I know it wasn’t that easy for you.

I know that you’re sad that a part of our youth is ending, that we have to grow up, and that we probably won’t see Nene and Emu as much as we do now, but this isn’t the end. We won’t just leave you because WonderlandsXShowtime isn’t together anymore. Everyone still wants to be your friend and will keep fighting to have you in their lives. That includes me, of course. I’ll do anything to still stand by your side and for you to stand by mine. And if we ever start to drift apart, I will create another show and kneel to ask you to come back to me, just as I did during the early days of our troupe. But maybe differently this time, and with a ring.

I’m sure we’ll have fun at university. I’ll make sure of it! Our classes together will be amazing, and I will become the World’s most shining, most talented, and most brilliant star ever. You will become the most sought-after and incredible director the world has ever seen. We’ll create the bestest shows together until we truly have to forge our own paths. But even then, I will always want to create shows with you because you’re my director and you create the most entertaining shows I’ve ever acted in. 

Wonderhoi!!!!

Ignore Emu, she found my letter.

I love you. Forever.

Your World Future Star, Tsukasa Tenma

Rui smiles to himself.

He passes his thumb over the old paper and folds it in a tiny square so it can fit in the album’s little plastic sheets. It resides next to a picture of them saying goodbye to their school and friends.

The next few pages are filled with pictures of his adventures with Tsukasa; other dates, shows, University, Tsukasa struggling, Tsukasa exploding, Tsukasa trying to take Rui’s phone so he doesn’t take a picture…

Fun times.

Finally, Rui hits a page with a moment that had his heart racing.

—

Finally, after working for months, selling his robots on the side and finishing his directing projects, Rui has gathered enough money to take his boyfriend to America once more. He has even found a ranch for them to rent a horse and ride it into the sunset in some desert. 

Tsukasa probably doesn’t even remember their talk at the hotel. His lover hasn’t watched a Western in a while, since he’s so busy learning his countless scripts. He is a Star now, after all. Every director in Japan, and even some from overseas, wants to hire him for their movie or show. Despite his heavy schedule, he makes time for Rui. 

Always.

When the director proposed the trip, saying that they needed some rest from their hard work, Tsukasa perked up. Although he had no idea what or where ‘Montana’ was and thought they were going to some other country. After a few Google searches, his favourite actor lit up like the star he was. 

After a long flight with his energetic boyfriend and after settling their baggage in a random fancy hotel, the director reserves their activity for the next day. He spoils his star with a nice dinner and spa evening. He buys every souvenir his beloved could ever want and one for everyone he knows. Rui spends so much and acts suspiciously kindly; Tsukasa dreads whatever he will ask of him next. Some other crazy trick? A year without vegetables in his diet?

The next day, the secretive director wakes them up bright and early. After a long taxi ride, the couple arrive at a nice red wooden ranch. Many adorable horses await them inside the building, neighing, flicking their tails and thumping their hooves every once in a while. 

An old, hunched-back man with white hair and a long beard walks up to them. He shows them around his wonderful land, where he also cultivates wheat and other cereals. The beautiful green grass sways in the tender wind, thriving despite the arid environment. 

Inside the ranch, some horses greet them with a huff from their nostrils while others ignore them completely, eating their hay away. The owner presents his tamer horses, knowing that the couple have basically no experience riding horses. Immediately, Tsukasa falls in love with a black horse with a white star on its muzzle. As for Rui, a blonde horse with shining eyes catches his eye. The old man gives them the reins and teaches them the basics before they are off into the sandy desert. 

As they walk through the new environment, the vegetation slowly shrinks, eventually only becoming cacti or other xerophytes. The ambient air grows hot, and the sun’s rays are evident. Sweat slides down their backs, sticking to their clothes. Thankfully, they brought plenty of water to hydrate and continue their route.

Rui brings them near a giant rock and gets off his horse. His boyfriend follows him curiously and ties his horse to a cactus. Flashing him a smile, Rui takes out two gun replicas from his bag and tosses him one. Fumbling, his star catches it, and his jaw falls to the floor.

“H-huh? Wha? I-What!!! Why do you have two guns?!?” Tsukasa exclaims, and, luckily, they are so far from civilization that he alarms no one. 

“It’s not a real gun.” The director chuckles. “I finally got my hand on a real one-”

“YOU WHAT?!?” 

The horses neigh in fear. 

“Well, I wanted to make a harmless replica for the longest time. I finally had the chance to get my hands on one during my last work trip.” 

Tsukasa’s eyes narrow judgmentally.

“Did Asahi help you get one? What tricks did you use to convince him this time, you fiend!” The one he loves harshly accuses him of very untrue things. Rui would totally never use underhanded tactics to guilt-trip his friends into helping him gather illegal material. Just as he absolutely never manipulated Tsukasa into doing a potentially dangerous stunt. 

“So mean,” Rui sniffles and wipes a fake tear. “Anyway, let’s have a fake duel, Western movie style.”

“W-Ah, whatever. Sure.” Tsukasa sighs tenderly. “But it’s not dangerous, right? I won’t accidentally kill you, right?” 

Ever so cocky, the director chuckles to himself. His star assumes that he will win, but he isn’t wrong. 

“There’s no bullet in it. It just makes the sound.” 

Rui points the gun at his head, and Tsukasa’s eyes widen. His lover reaches out toward him in fear, but Rui pulls the trigger. With a loud gunshot noise, the mischievous director smiles at his screaming boyfriend, who throws himself at him and crushes him in a worried hug.

“See?” 

“SEE?!?” Tsukasa yells in his ear, making the other wince. “I thought you shot yourself!!! Why did you have to test out your invention like that?!?” 

His nagging star scolds him for fifteen minutes to never test out such ‘dangerous and scary inventions’ on himself. Eventually, he tires himself out and squeezes him tightly.

“You’ll be the death of me. One day, you’ll scare me so bad that I’ll have a heart attack.”

“It’s okay. I know how to do chest compressions, so I’ll revive you.” His beloved glares at him. “Anyway, I promise that I’m always careful. Do you want to duel me?”

“Fine.” 

Tsukasa rolls his eyes and walks into position. The director follows him and presses his back against his. The scorching sun assaults them, not a cloud in sight. They take 20 steps, counting aloud, and his heart races in his chest. On the last step, Rui turns around, but his rival has already fired a shot. After a second, Rui clenches his heart and, with a dramatic scream, falls on one knee, writhing in pain. 

“Well, you win. I guess this town wasn’t big enough for the two of us. So long, partner,” he says between his teeth and groans. 

“It’s a shame it ended up like this,” his boyfriend ad-libs in heavily accented English. He adjusts his cowboy hat. “There were no other ways to get through to you.”

“Fufu… Despite our grievances, can I still ask you for one last favour?” The ‘dying’ man weakly lifts his head, and they lock eyes. 

“Fa…vour?”

“Yes. I wanted to give my lover something before I die.” Rui continues, ignoring the other’s character break.

“Sure…”

“Come closer so I can give it to you,” the director insists, and his star complies, albeit a little hesitantly. 

Once in front of him, Rui brings his hands behind his back and takes out a small velvet box from his pocket. With a swift movement, he straightens himself and opens the box, revealing a beautiful amethyst ring glistening in the sun. 

“Tsukasa-kun, will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?” 

Despite the anxiety beating in his chest, a tender, happy smile settles on his lips. Tsukasa’s eyebrows shoot to his hairline, and he stiffens.

“H-HUH?!?!” the one he adores exclaims, and dust falls off the giant rock. “You’re proposing?!? Right now?!?”

Suddenly, a long-ignored doubt emerges from the depths of Rui’s mind. Is it too early? They’ve been together for almost five years, but maybe his star doesn’t want to marry him. Ever. He thought that everything was going well, but maybe Tsukasa didn’t. Maybe he wants to break up, actually. Or just finds the idea of marrying Rui repulsive, preferring to stay boyfriends forever, never calling him his husband. 

Emu helped him craft his plan and even said that Tsukasa would ‘absolutely, super duper wonderhoi-ly’ say yes. Usually, his sun-like friend is right about anything emotional, but she isn’t omniscient. She’s wrong this time, isn’t she? 

His smile cracks, and he takes a shaky breath.

“Ah… I’m sorry-” Rui slowly pulls his box back, but his beloved’s words stop him.

“You’re seriously proposing in the middle of the desert when I‘m all sweaty and wearing a cowboy hat?!?” His boyfriend scowls and looks at himself. 

“Is… that not okay?”

“... I guess it’s okay. It’s certainly weird, but it’s very you.”

“So mean.”

“I love weird,” Tsukasa says fondly and cracks a small smile. Like a flash, it disappears, replaced by a frown. “What’s not okay is that you proposed before me!!!”

“Eh?”

“I wanted to propose!!! It’s my responsibility as a Star to give my perfect director the best proposal ever. I asked Nene for help and even bought a citrine ring so you could always have me by your side!” his star rants and paces around, waving his hands dramatically. Sand dust floats away with every step. 

“Too slow, my star.” Tsukasa glares at him and stops in his tracks. “But will you still answer my proposal?” Rui smiles in anticipation. 

“Of course I’ll marry you, Rui.” Orange eyes soften. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. As star and director, as best friends, and as husbands.” 

Rui gently grabs his right hand, rubbing his thumb over the smooth surface, and takes the ring from its box. Slowly, he passes it through Tsukasa’s ring finger, giving it a warm kiss before looking into his fiancé’s eyes. Without a warning, his star yanks him up, their chests colliding, before diving in for an eager kiss. The hands in his hair pull him so close that they could fuse into a singular person. Rui gently cups his chin and returns the kiss. With his left hand, he reaches into his pocket and taps a small button. Meters away, a drone snatches a picture of them staring into each other’s eyes with all of the love in the world.

—

Rui turns the page and reaches the last two pages full of wedding preparation photos. Himself in a suit with his dressed-up friends, Mizuki putting makeup on him, Nene and Emu’s wedding a few months before his… He reaches the last photo of himself and-

Someone enters the house and takes off their shoes. Loud footsteps, not unlike their owner, resound through the otherwise quiet room, stopping behind him.

“Rui? You’re actually unpacking?” 

Rui flashes his husband a happy smile. He stands up, knees cracking like a glowstick, and kisses him as a greeting. 

“Why so surprised? I wanted to do something nice for you and not just leave the unpacking to you.” The director pouts, and his beloved kisses it away. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Tsukasa’s eyes trail to his open photo album. “Are those our wedding photos? Wait, is that a photo album?!?”

“Yes and yes.” Rui chuckles as his star analyzes the object with great seriousness.

“I didn’t know you took photos. Since when have you had this?”

“Since our second year of high school. I’ve taken many photos of our time with WonderShow and our other friends.”

“You never told me you did this,” his husband says pensively.

“Fufu~ It’s my secret hobby. Do you want to see my precious treasures?”

“Treasures? Ah, alright, sure. I don’t mind feeling nostalgic for a little while and remembering our time together.” 

Tsukasa grabs his hand before guiding him to the couch. They wrap a heavy and warm blanket around themselves and cuddle as they go through every fond memory from their youth. His favourite actor points at certain photos as he launches himself into a nostalgic story. He comments on every picture, especially his own, and compliments them. They reach the last photo, his favourite wedding picture, where he and Tsukasa hold hands and stare into each other’s eyes tenderly while standing near a patch of garden full of yellow and purple tulips. Their suits contrast with each other; his husband’s white sleeve stands out from his black one. 

Many pages stay unfilled. For now. Because Rui’s photo album isn’t finished and will probably be a work in progress until his death. In the next few years, they will be filled with beautiful moments with himself, Tsukasa and his loved ones. Eventually, perhaps a child will appear in them. Or two. And the album will document their growth, their laughs, their smiles, their milestones…

Once gray and old, someone will discover the album, a child. They will ask him, “Grandpa, what’s this?” and Rui will open the album before launching himself into stories of his youth. The child’s eyes will grow wide and shiny, like two little stars, as they learn about an olden time before they were born.

Perhaps the true reason why Rui created this album wasn’t just for himself. Perhaps, photos aren’t only meant to remind him of past times, but to share those memories with his loved ones, even far into the future.