Chapter Text
Evening yet again. Gentle clematis bordered bright amaryllis, and the final sparks of the tired sun began to burn out. The moon had begun to rise, bringing up with it the quilt of the night with stitched-in stars, capturing the vestiges of the clouds in a soft pale glow.
The sole light switched on above the piano served as a safe haven from the cold of the night, a visible boundary between safety and suffering. Small dainty fingers glided across the keys, deftly pressing them in to create a sweet melody. Besides the gleam of the one lightbulb, the rest of the house was shrouded in haunting darkness. Neither dared to leave the unwavering protection of the gingerly swaying bulb.
They had been sitting here for close to an hour now. It was almost routine, ritual even. Being two young kids, barely even ten, left all alone due to circumstances out of their control, they could only do so much to pass the time. And so, the piano became their third companion, its songs became an anchor in the otherwise turbulence of their lives.
“Tsukasa-san… can you play the other song again?” Hesitant, quiet, barely even a whisper in the deathly silence of the night. A pause, small hands stilling on glinting piano keys. The older male sat up and turned to the younger girl who had placed herself next to his side. They hadn’t known each other for very long— she had been hoisted into his care for only a month or so as of today— yet she had already managed to carve out a space into his otherwise dull life.
Tsukasa smiled, eyes crinkling close. He pushed himself up, adjusting the sheets above him on the piano’s ledge. It took a bit of adjusting before finally reaching the page of that song.
“Of course, Minori!” Comfortable silence soon became replaced by the clacking of keys and the hum of his piano. The young girl took a deep breath and sighed. Finally, rest. She allowed herself to pause and sink into Tsukasa’s side, a position she was becoming more familiar with, letting the melody wash over her. She closed her eyes, willing her mind into compliant silence. Violent waves crashed back into subordinate gentle rolls, the storm beginning to break, leaving behind undulating cumulus. Just a single thought remained.
“Is this really okay?”
Try as she might, she couldn’t find the answer in transient notes.
***
“Minori-chan, good work today!” Jolted awake by the frost piercing her right cheek, Minori squawked. A momentary lapse of consciousness had left her defenseless to Shizuku’s little prank, though she graciously accepted the sports drink nonetheless. The cap had already been popped, so she downed half its contents before wiping her lips. The froth of the drink burst in her tongue, bubbles popping against her teeth. It was enough to perk her back up.
Turning up to her senior, she returned the grin. “Shi-Shizuku-chan! You scared me!” Despite her shock though, a laugh bubbled from her throat. “But— thank you! Today’s choreography was really hard~!”
Haruka smiled from Shizuku’s side as the two walked towards Minori's rising figure. “Mnh, you've been improving so much recently, really. Good job.” The accompanying pat sent a shockwave through her body, triggering her cheeks to redden again. She took a moment to breathe before replying, hands flying towards her cheeks.
“Wahhh—! Haruka-chan praised me~!”
It had been another routine stream for ‘More More Jump!’, cycling through the same few games— they really needed to come up with new ones, Minori didn’t know how much longer the viewers would be kept satisfied by watching them play charades and heads up— and responding to comments, before trying out whatever choreography was trending. The choreography they had chosen today did turn out to be much harder than it seemed, the footwork unlike anything Minori had remembered doing.
It was probably because the group the choreography came from was known for their emphasis on movement and speed in their dances. Still though, it was enjoyable enough, enough so that she didn’t feel the need to complain about not doing the dance again. And the fans did enjoy watching her struggle, so that was always a bonus. After all, where was the fun in watching Minori succeed on a dance on her first try?
And after enough time had passed, Airi had closed out the stream with a promise of something new the next Live. That was the reason why they were still here after all, even as the sun had begun to dip back into the horizons, its sleepy gaze permeating through Tokyo, casting everything in a sentimental deep orange.
Now, as the breeze whispered through the gates of the school roof, as Haruka had begun packing up their filming equipment, Airi pulled out her laptop (it was covered in cat stickers and, surprisingly, donut stickers) to reveal to the group what that ‘something new’ was.
“— AH?! I-is this—!” Minori's gasp was the first thing to break the silence. Airi nodded, grinning.
“Yep~ It's an offer from Phoenix Wonderland!”
Sitting there in their inbox, more empty than the group would have liked, was an email from Phoenix Wonderland, the contents of which were asking about a collaboration between the Wonder Stage, Emu's troupe, and More More Jump.
Haruka was next to reply. Though an air of calmness besieged her features, her voice contained undeniable excitement. “Oya, I wonder what the Otori Corporation wants with us then. This is big, after all.”
Shizuku chimed in too. “Yes… I know we've been getting more and more viewers since our appearance on those TV programmes… but—?” She paused, running a hand through the rivers of hair. “And what sort of collaboration are they asking for?”
Clapping her hands, their friends smirked. She slapped a fist over her chest, chuckling proudly. “Well, I'm glad you asked! See, they want us to… perform with Wonderlands x Showtime!”
“—Ehhh?!” Cue equally surprised gasps from the three other members.
Performing? An idol group like them? Sure, faking or exaggerating emotions was something idols had to do for the sake of entertainment, and perhaps that was somewhat similar to acting, but to actually act in a stage play with actual actors no less? New, and terrifying.
Not to mention the fact that their fans might not even enjoy theatre and plays, since they were idol fans and not theatre fans, meaning the collaboration could potentially go to waste. And of course, the prep time for these sorts of events would no doubt eat into their stream time, reserved for precious fan interaction.
Haruka was silent for a bit, quietly processing the implications. Minori was more quick to respond, however. “Eh… is that really such a good idea?” She began, drumming her fingers against her cheeks. She closed her eyes for a moment. “Acting is really hard!! What if we're all bad at it?”
“I don't think being bad at acting would be a problem, especially if Wonderlands x Showtime gave us smaller roles.” Haruka spoke up. “It's the logistics I'm still considering. We'd be missing out on potentially weeks worth of fan interaction. And I'm not so sure how many theatre fans would watch idols and vice versa.”
Shizuku agreed. “Yes… that's certainly another thing. We'd have to pause all More More Jump's activities for the collaboration too.” She returned to combing through her hair soon after. “That would mean no more TV appearances."
“That was what I thought at first.” Airi hummed, turning her laptop back towards them after fiddling around with it. “But they gave us the all clear to stream during practice sessions. See? Plus, we should be able to fit at least one TV appearance during the collaboration period. Besides, who's to say we won't gain new fans? I think it's worth a shot!”
“Well…” Haruka began. “I suppose that does quell most of our worries.” She gave a small smile, turning to Minori and Shizuku. The two smiled back in wordless communication. That was it then. “Then, let's accept the offer.”