Chapter Text
"Are you prepared, Fuyune, dear?" Banica says.
"Yes," Fuyune says. "Thank you so much for helping me."
"Anything to see love triumph!" Rilliane laughs.
Her parents are fast asleep, she drugged their dinner. She's already got a corpse ready to take her place.
Now, all that's left is to light the match and watch her horrid past burn away.
~
Toya had a committee meeting and then he and Saki are meeting to go to watch Tsukasa-senpai’s new show, so Akito is alone for once, trying to kill time when someone calls his name.
“Shinonome-kun!”
Akito turns around spots… Fuyune Shimizu? Holy shit wasn’t she dead? Her house burned down, it was all over the news.
He goes closer hesitantly because, while he isn’t scared of ghosts, he’s not stupid enough to mess with one, but she closes the gap and hugs him, proving she’s very real.
“Shinonome-kun!” she cries.
“Shimizu? Holy shit what happened?” She doesn’t look physically any worse, but she’s clearly freaked out about him the way she’s clinging to him. “Hey, it’s ok, we’ll go get help.”
“No!” Shimizu says. “I-I really need you to come with me. Other people can’t get involved!”
Damn what happened to her? She doesn’t seem like the type that’s easy to spook. Akito quickly pulls her into a quiet alleyway to try and calm her down.
“Ok, calm down, you’re safe now alright? I won’t let anything happen to you”
“Hehe… Aki, you’re so sweet, you took the words right out of my mouth.”
“What?”
Shimizu pulls out her phone, and plays a song. Akito blinks and suddenly they’re in some kind of manor.
“Wait, you have a SEKAI?” Akito asks.
“Oh so you are one of their kids. Good job, Fuyune dear!” a haughty version of Rin in an opulent dress says.
Actually, all the Virtual Singers are here, but there’s something… wrong with them.
“Whoa, what’s going on?” Akito asks, looking at Shimizu. She’s not scared anymore, but she has a manic grin on her face and is holding a pitch black katana.
“H-hey, what are you doing with that?” Akito backs up but bumps into Weird KAITO.
“Aki, look at me.”
Suddenly, her eyes start glowing, and while vaguely he’s confused by this, he’s more thoroughly overcome by the realization that she’s gorgeous.
He wants to kiss her, to hold her, to hear her call him hers.
She was saying something, he realizes belatedly.
“What was that?” Akito asks.
“Nothing.” Fuyune says. “Aki, kneel for me.”
He drops down to the ground, no questions asked.
“Good job!” She says, and Akito shudders with delight.
She’s done something to him, he knows this, but he’s too interested in getting her praise again to care.
“Oh Aki, do you like that?” Fuyune asks.
“Yes. Yes, God yes.”
“Hehe… ok, I’ll tell you you’re good all you want. Just do what I say.”
“Of course, my Queen!”
Fuyune laughs. “Am I your Queen? What does that make you?”
“What do you want me to be?”
“Well you’re very precious to me Aki… without you I have nothing. And so many people want to take you from me, but I won’t let that happen. I believe that makes you my King.”
People who want to take him from her? Who—
Oh. Toya.
Again some part of him knows it’s wrong that he forgot his partner like that, but who can blame him when Fuyune’s overwhelming presence is right before him?
“Aki, do you trust me?”
“More than anything.”
“Good, because there’s something I need you to do for me…”
~
Toya checks his phone at intermission, and nearly has a heart attack when he sees a bunch of missed calls from Akito.
“Partner? Where are you? I really need to talk to you.”
“Toya, please I need to talk to you.”
“I know you’re busy but I really need you right now.”
“Toya, I… I’m leaving. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t live like this anymore. It’s just practice day in and day out, and I don’t know if I love singing anymore. I… Could you meet me at that little bridge near Vivid Street?”
What the hell is going on?
“Saki, apologize to Tsukasa-senpai for me, I need to go check on Akito.”
“Hm? Is something wrong?”
“I’m not sure,” Toya replies. What was that last message? Did something happen? Surely Toya would have noticed sooner if something was wrong with Akito, right?
Just like he’d said, Toya finds Akito at the bridge overlooking the river.
“Hey partner,” Akito says, not looking at him.
“Akito? What’s up.”
“I just… realized I can’t do this anymore, and I thought you deserved a goodbye.”
“Woah wait, Akito what are you talking about—“ Toya says, but then Akito climbs over the railing. “Akito stop! Climb down, please, we can talk this over.”
“There’s nothing left to talk about, partner.”
And then faster than Toya can blink, Akito disappears over the edge and into the water.
Someone is screaming. It’s probably Toya. Onlookers have gathered around and Toya rushes to the bank of the river to try and find Akito. He’s prepared to dive in, but someone holds him back.
“Let me go! Let me go! I have to help him.”
“Toya, please!” Tsukasa-senpai says. “You’ll only get caught in the current too!”
“But— Tsukasa-nii,” Toya gasps. Akito did not just do that, he couldn’t have. He wouldn’t… Toya would have noticed if something was wrong, right?
“Toya, come here.” Tsukasa says. He holds onto Toya as Toya breaks down sobbing in his arms.
~
Akito swims to the bank of the river, just like Fuyu told him to, and meets her when he climbs out.
“Did I do good?” He asks.
“Oh you did very good, dearest,” she says cupping his face. “I am so proud of you!”
Her words make him feel warm inside. She’s so amazing and smart to come up with this plan. Now they can finally be together forever!
He looks to the other side of the river where people have started to gather, and there’s a pang in his chest when he thinks about Toya.
“Hey~ Aki~” Fuyu says, and Akito turns his attention back to her. “Aki~ were you thinking about something else?”
Akito blinks. “No, I don’t think so.” Right, what was there to think about?
“Great, let’s go.”
~
Toya feels lost.
After a week, they don’t even have a body to bury, Akito’s just… gone. Swept away by the river.
It’s been a week and Toya still feels numb. Like it’ll be impossible to feel happy ever again. He’s just sitting in Akito’s bed and thinking about how they’ll never hang out in here ever again. How he’ll never again hear Akito call him “partner.”
“I should have told you I love you,” he mutters to the empty room.
His life is over, it’s sunk to the bottom of the river with Akito, he’ll—
“TOOOOOYAAAAAA!”
Toya pulls out his phone and Len pops out.
“What’s up? Have you seen Akito?” Len asks, “he’s ignoring me.”
Oh. Oh God did no one tell them?
Wait, shouldn’t they know already?
“T-toya?” A voice calls from the doorway, and he Toya and Len both see Ena.
“I-is that Len? Do you have a SEKAI?” Ena asks.
“Y-yeah,” Toya says. “It… was with Akito.”
“Of course,” Ena sighs. “Of course if anyone’s feelings would be strong enough to make a place like that, it was him.”
“Huh? Was?” Len asks. “Toya, what’s going on?”
“Len,” Toya says, his voice hoarse. “Akito’s… gone.”
“Huh? Whaddya mean gone?”
“Hey, Len, I’m Akito’s sister,” Ena says. “And I’m sorry, but Akito threw himself off a bridge a week ago.”
“What?” Len says flatly.
“He killed himself,” Toya says. “I’m so sorry I should have been able to stop him , I–”
“No he’s not?”
“Hm?” Toya asks.
“Akito’s not dead,” Len says.
“I know it’s hard to accept, but I saw him jump myself,” Toya says.
“I… Ok come to SEKAI. Both of you. Right now.”
Ena and Toya share a look and Toya takes them to Street SEKAI.
Len runs up to them. “Ok so tell MEIKO what you just told me.”
Confused, Toya recounts what happened that night, and all the Virtual Singers seem more… flabbergasted than horrified, which seems a little rude. Their friend just died. They could stand to be a little somber.
“Ok,” MEIKO says slowly. “Toya, I want you to look around for me. What looks wrong with the SEKAI?”
“Nothing,” Toya says. It’s actually almost, eerie how normal it is considering everything. It doesn’t fit the mood at all.
“Exactly!” Rin says, “so there’s no way Akito’s dead.”
“What?” Ena asks.
“Think of it this way,” KAITO says. “This SEKAI is made up of all of your true feelings. Those feelings can persist through a lot, but not death. If Akito was dead, we’d lose a quarter of what makes up the SEKAI, and there would be some visible differences. Hell, if Akito was even getting to that point where he was about to kill himself, we would have noticed changes sooner.”
“What?!” Toya gasps.
“Honestly the only changes we’ve noticed is that you, An, and Kohane have been upset recently, there’s nothing from Akito, his feelings are completely intact,” Miku says.
“WHAAATTT??????” Ena and Toya say together.
Toya’s gone from feeling like his life is over to being incredibly confused.
Ena looks as confused as he is. “So, what, Akito jumped off a bridge and faked his own death, but didn’t do it because of anything that affected how he feels?”
“What even happened?” Toya asks.
~
“He’s on a secret mission and had to fake his death to protect everyone he cares about!” Tsukasa-senpai suggests.
After the revelation from the Virtual Singers, Toya and Ena agreed they needed all the help they could get figuring this out, so they called their friends and met at WEEKEND GARAGE. Thankfully Wonderlands×Showtime also has a SEKAI so there’s less for them to explain about this incredibly weird situation.
“Would he do that though?” An asks. “Like without leaving some sort of coded message in a song or something? I feel like he’d know what that would do to Toya.”
“Besides, what mission would he even be on?” Kusanagi adds. “What, has he been a secret agent this whole time?”
“I think Tsukasa-kun’s on the right track though,” Kamishiro-senpai says. “Clearly this is a very abnormal situation, so we need to think out of the box.”
“He’s been bewitched by a sorceress and whisked away to become her lover!” Otori-san suggests.
“Good thinking, but that’s probably… too far out of the box,” Kamishiro-senpai says. “It’s likely someone is blackmailing him at the very least.”
Ena throws her hands in the air. “But who, why, and how? It’s not like Akito’s palling around with the frickin’ Yakuza, and has to worry about us getting our throats slit.”
“Are you sure?”
“Has Akito’s behavior been strange at all?” Ena asks. “Like, everything’s been normal and I think he’d have a hard time hiding it if he was being forced to work for the Yakuza.”
“No,” Toya says. “Nothing’s been different about him until he threw himself off a bridge.
“Yeah, so unless he managed to get himself into some deep shit in approximately two hours, how did this happen?”
They all sit in silence until Mizuki gets a text. “Oh my gosh. You guys have to see this.”
They show an Instagram reel of a couple taking a selfie while listening to some other guys singing karaoke.
“That’s Akito,” Toya says. “He’s singing… Aun No Beats?” with someone other than Toya ?!
“Yeah, you can see him in the background, but if you go here for a split second, you can see—”
“FUYU-CHAN-SENPAI?!” Otori-san gasps. “B-but she died too didn’t she?”
“What the fuck. What the fuck .” An says. “It’s weird enough with just Akito, but now Shimizu’s also faked her death?”
“Maybe someone threatened to burn down Shinonome’s house too?” Kusanagi says.
“But it’s weird imagining Fuyu-senpai being blackmailed too,” Kohane says. “Ugh, this is so confusing…”
“Mizuki, where’s this video from?” Kamishiro-senpai says.
“Looking at OP’s posts, they’re on their honeymoon in Okinawa.”
“Okinawa?!” Ena gasps. “That’s almost two straight days of driving!”
“Of course, we’re going to fly,” Tsukasa-senpai says. “We probably shouldn’t say we think Akito’s alive and we’re tracking him down, but we’ll tell Emu’s brothers that we want to go for inspiration for a show.”
“Oh,” Otori says, “but they’re out of town, and mom’s using the private jet.”
“My parents won’t let me drop money on plane tickets to Okinawa,” Toya says. “They’ll think I’ve gone insane with grief.”
“Why don’t we pretend it’s for a joint school trip?”
Everyone jumps and turns to see Chikako Kobayashi behind them.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Ena asks. “And what do you mean ‘we?’”
“I came to get something from Azusawa,” Kobayashi says. “And I mean, you said Shimizu-sama might be alive, so I’m coming with you.”
“You can’t just—”
“I’m. Coming.” Kobayashi says. Despite being no taller than Kohane she’s got an intimidating air to her.
“...Well since this involves Shimizu-kun, having Kobayashi-kun might help us figure it out,” Kamishiro-senpai says.
“How are we going to convince anyone to let us take a school trip to Okinawa?” Kusanagi asks.
“Well, the faculty advisor of our last joint Miyajou and Kamikou show would probably be willing to take us all if we say it’s for the next show,” Kamishiro says. “And there is one student he has a particular soft spot for…”
Everyone turns to Toya.
“Right, leave it to me.”
~
“Thank you so much,” Toya says in German as they leave the Okinawa airport.
“I’m always happy to help.” Herr Boehm says. “If this is what you need to feel better Toya, I’ll do what I can.”
Toya feels a little bad for lying to him that the trip was for a show and letting him think the real reason was because he needed an escape after grieving Akito, but it’s not totally wrong.
Hopefully, Toya will not be as distraught about Akito when they’re done here.
“Ok, so we’ll drop our bags off at the hotel, then we’re gonna start tracking down Shimizu-sama!” Kobayashi whispers excitedly while Herr Boehm calls someone.
“And Akito,” Toya reminds her.
“Yeah, yeah, him too.”
“I can't check in for several hours,” Herr Boehm says in Japanese. “If you wish, we will store your children's luggage while you explore the area.”
“Huh?” Kobayashi asks.
“He’s offering to watch our bags.”
“Ok!” She drops her bags and takes off like a bloodhound, and Toya follows.
There are tons of vacationers in Okinawa, so it’s quite a throng of people.
Kobayashi grabs Toya’s arm. “Hey, we’re looking for his sister? Have you seen her? They have the same hair,” she says.
“What are you doing?”
“Gathering info, duh,” Kobayashi says. “No one knows this because she’s embarrassed about it, but Shimizu-sama actually has a light part in her hair like you, she just hides it with her hat. I know because I’m her best friend.” She adds that last part smugly.
“Oh, her?” a shop owner says, “her boyfriend just picked up a watermelon.”
“Boyfriend?!” Kobayashi and Toya say at the same time.
“Yeah, sweet boy. He’s so enamored with her, young love sure is precious. Anyway I think they’re staying someplace down the beach that way.”
“Thank you!” Kobayashi shouts, sprinting off.
“W-wait, hold on!” Toya calls, but she’s gone soon so he just texts the others and walks along the beach hoping to see Akito.
Towards the end, when the houses are getting fewer and farther between, he sees a familiar flash of orange hair.
It’s Akito. He’s really alive, carrying a watermelon and some sticks down the beach.
Toya almost can’t breathe. He hadn’t even realized, but a part of him was terrified that they were wrong, that this was a wild goose chase and Akito really was dead. But here he is in the flesh.
Toya runs up to him and hugs him. “Akito! I can’t believe it, I was scared, I—”
“Do I… know you?”
With four words, Toya’s whole world comes crashing down.
“I-it’s me, partner.”
“Partner?”
“Toya!” Tsukasa-senpai shouts, and the others run to catch up with them. “You found Akito! What happened? Are you being coerced?” Tsukasa-senpai leans forward and whispers, “blink in morse code if you need help.”
“Help? I don’t need help,” Akito says. “Sorry I think you’re confused, I don’t know any of you.”
“What?” Ena gasps. “That’s not funny Akito, mom and dad have been so worried about you!”
Akito shrugs. “Sorry, I really don’t know any of you. I just moved here with my girlfriend.”
“Tell us about your girlfriend,” Kamishiro-senpai says.
Akito’s face just… lights up and Toya feels like he’s being stabbed with every word that comes out of his mouth. “Her name’s Fuyune, she’s amazing! She’s super smart and nice and she’s always looking out for me and she has the prettiest eyes.”
“Huh? Ok there’s no way you faked your death and ran off to be with some girl,” An says. “I get you were the leads in a show together but come on.”
“Faked my death? I really think you have me mixed up with someone.”
“Where were you two weeks ago?” Kamishiro-senpai asks.
“Here? Obviously? My girlfriend and I moved out here a while back for my health.”
“Can you tell me any details about something that happened to you more than a week ago.”
Akito frowns. “I…” Then he winces. “Ugh, my head, why do I—”
“Aki!” Shimizu comes sprinting over the sand dunes and grabs Akito by the arm. “There you are, I was worried. I shouldn’t have let you out too long.”
“Fuyu!” he says, looking at her adoringly. “You’re just on time, I was getting another migraine.”
“Oh poor dear, let me take you home and you can rest up.”
“Thanks, Fuyu!” He turns back to them. “Sorry about the confusion, hope you find your friend!”
Shimizu shoots a glare back at them before pulling Akito along into a house at the edge of the beach.
~
Chikako spots Shimizu-sama waiting on the steps of a house by the beach and cries tears of joy. She’s safe! She’s as pretty as ever, looking over the beach in a blue sundress.
“Shimizu-sama!” Chikako yells, tackling her in a hug.
“Chi-chan?!” Shimizu-sama gasps. Her eyes go wide, like she realizes she just made a mistake. “W-what are you doing here?”
“We’re here to rescue you, of course!” Chikako says. “You and Shinonome are being blackmailed by whoever burned down your house, right? That’s why you faked your death?”
“I…” Shimizu-sama sighs. “I’m so sorry Chi-chan. I didn’t know how to tell you this but it’s not like that at all. Aki and I fell in love and ran away together.”
Chikako blinks. “What?”
“I couldn’t live with my parents anymore, I need a fresh start away from it all. Aki was willing to come with me.”
“W-why didn’t you tell me?” Chikako asks. “Y-you know I can keep a secret.” No way, Shimizu-sama’s really in love with Shinonome ? But didn’t he say he wasn’t interested in her?
That liar.
“I didn’t want to burden you,” Shimizu-sama says. “I want you to be free to live your own life.”
“I don’t have a life without you!” Chikako says. “I l— you’re my best friend.”
“Oh Chi-chan, of course you do. You’ll be very successful even without me.” Shimizu-sama smiles and the smile is fine. Normal. Too normal. It’s like she doesn’t get why Chikako’s upset at all.
“Now, did you say ’we’?” Shimizu-sama asks.
“Yeah, I’m with Aoyagi and his friends.”
Shimizu-sama’s eyes darken. “Aoyagi, of course.” She gets up and starts heading down the beach, Chikako trailing behind. She sees Aoyagi with Shinonome and Shimizu-sama sprints over to them, grabs Shinonome’s arm, and leads him away.
~
“What the hell is wrong with him?” Ena gasps. “I mean does he seriously not recognize us?”
“He loves Shimizu…?” Toya mutters. God, he wishes the ocean would just swallow him up.
“Azusawa-kun, could you take us to your SEKAI?” Kamishiro-senpai says. “I have something I want to discuss with MEIKO-san and the others.”
Azusawa nods, and soon they’re back in Street SEKAI.
Suddenly there’s a scream.
“WHAT THE FUCK?!”
They all turn and see Kobayashi behind them. Right, Toya forgot about her. She’s got tears coming down her eyes. “Oh my gosh, please tell me I’ve gone crazy and I’m having a really weird nightmare and when I wake up I’ll be having a sleepover at Shimizu-sama’s house and everything will be normal again?”
Toya winces in sympathy. So he’s not the only one who just got his heart broken.
Kohane explains everything to Kobayashi, who doesn’t seem to be fully paying attention, but accepts the glass of water MEIKO brings out.
“So… is GUMI here?” Kobayashi asks when Kohane finishes.
The Virtual Singers share a look.
“We… don’t talk about her,” KAITO says.
“God, nothing can salvage this day.”
“It’s a good thing you’re here, Kobayashi-kun,” Kamishiro-senpai says. “Did you notice anything strange about Shimizu?”
“She… she said she and Shinonome fell in love and ran off together,” Kobayashi says.
“Did she recognize you, though?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“Akito didn’t recognize us,” Toya says.
“He’s under a love spell!” Otori-san suggests.
“Come on, seriously?” Ena asks.
Kobayashi looks around. “Is that weird for here?”
“Actually, I think Emu-kun is right,” Kamishiro-senpai says. “I think Shimizu brainwashed him.”
“What makes you think she isn’t brainwashed?!” Kobayashi snaps.
“Who would have the motive to make the two of them fall in love and run off? Besides, she did recognize you, but Akito-kun had no memories of any of us or of recent events,” Kamishiro-senpai explains.
“...How would she have done that?” Kobayashi asks, a defeated tone in her voice.
“I don’t know.”
“Seriously?”
“Hmm, I wonder…” KAITO says, turning to the other Virtual Singers. “You think she could have bonded with that SEKAI?”
“What SEKAI?” Kusanagi asks.
MEIKO sighs. “You’re not really supposed to know about this, but basically there are more SEKAI than just your own,” she explains. “Tons, in fact, and they can stick around even if the person who created them died.”
“There’s one where…” KAITO waves his hands, “well I don’t mean to be rude but it’s a little weird. The Virtual Singers there have forgotten they’re Virtual Singers and think they're actually the characters from the Evillious Songs.”
“How does that happen?” Otori asks.
“You don’t want to know,” Luka says. “That SEKAI had to be sealed off, and the versions of us there can’t leave. But, their SEKAI can sort of float through the sea of the collective unconscious until it finds someone who resonates with it, and then give them access to the SEKAI.”
“Why would they do that?” Kobayashi says. “The Evillious characters aren’t the best people and some of them have insane powers, why do they need to bond with anyone?”
“Because they want to kill us,” MEIKO says.
“W-what?” An gasps. “You can die?!”
“Other Virtual Singers are one of the very few things that can harm us, yes. The way their SEKAI is sealed off, it’s one way,” Miku says. “They can’t get out, but we could go in if we needed to. The only way they could leave if there’s a vacancy. So like, if I went in there, and Margarita killed me, then there would be a Miku missing, and she could leave to take my place. From there she could access any other SEKAI, or even where the Original Miku is.”
“Original Miku?”
“You know, the archetypical Miku. The one you see in all the advertising?” Miku says. “She’s like the template all the other Mikus are based on, and if she goes, so do we.”
“B-but Miku’s not…?” Kohane says. “How can you kill a concept?”
“The software would still exist,” Miku explains, “but the… the being that is created by people’s collective imaginings of her would cease to exist.”
“I… don’t understand,” Kobayashi admits.
“It’s ok, neither do I.” Tsukasa-senpai says.
“It’s difficult to explain, and no offense, humans kinda aren’t supposed to get it,” Rin says. “The important thing is if Shimizu is bonded with that SEKAI, then she could sorta borrow some of their powers.”
“Right,” KAITO says. “Think of them as actors who’ve forgotten they’re playing a role. In the SEKAI, they’re on stage and have all their props, so they can have the full powers of the characters they’re playing, but not when they’re off-stage.”
“So Banica can summon an army of the dead there, but not here?” Kobayashi asks.
“Yep, and someone else could temporarily take up the role of someone and use that power.”
“...Duke Venomania’s sword!” Kobayashi gasps.
“Huh?”
“Seriously? None of you are into Evillious?” Kobayashi sighs. “Duke Venomania’s sword houses the Demon of Lust and he can use it to brainwash anyone he’s attracted to. He uses it to form a great big harem of brainwashed wives ‘til a dude disguised as a woman stabs him.”
“So… a bisexual with that sword is a force to be reckoned with,” Kamishiro-senpai says.
“Yeah, but that never happened in the series. Probably because it’d be too OP. Anyway if… if Shimizu-sama is behind this, then she could have used that to brainwash Shinonome as long as she brought him into the SEKAI first, right?”
“Yeah,” Luka says, “you catch on quick.”
“It’s a requirement for a reporter,” Kobayashi says.
“Then how do we snap Akito out of it?” Toya asks.
“...In the song they had to kill Venomania.”
Toya shudders. “We… have to kill someone?”
“Well, not that far,” KAITO says. “It’s still a SEKAI based ability even if it’s based on the power from the song.”
“Which means,”
“You can just snap Akito out of it by reminding him of his true feelings.”
“Oh thank goodness.” Toya’s enraged that Shimizu did that to Akito, but he’s not a murderer.
“So, step one, grab Akito, step two bring him here, step 3, snap him out of it and get the hell out of dodge?” Ena asks.
“Basically.”
“...Shimizu-sa… Shimizu is going to be onto us,” Kobayashi says. “She’s stubborn, if she went through all this trouble to run off with him, she won’t let him go easily. She might’ve already re-brainwashed him to be wary of you guys.”
Kamishiro-senpai grins. “That is where you come in.”
~
On any other day, climbing up the window to sneak into the room of one of her like, top 6 least favorite people in the world at the moment would be the weirdest thing she’s ever done.
Count on Miku to be full of surprises.
Aoyagi’s going to confront Shimizu and distract her while Chikako grabs Shinonome. She knocks on the window.
Shinonome comes over. “Um, who are you?”
“I’m Chikako Kobayashi, I’m—”
“Oh, you’re Chi-chan!” Shinonome says, opening the window.
Chikako bites her tongue so she doesn’t tell him that he doesn’t get to call her that. Oh well, at least Kamishiro was right and Shimizu didn’t brainwash Shinonome to avoid her.
“I want to surprise Shimizu-sama with a present before I leave,” Chikako says. “Can I come in?”
“Sure, my girlfriend’s best friend is my friend too.”
Chikako winces. “Thanks.”
“Fuyu said a lot of really nice things about you, you know. You helped her a lot before we moved here, right?”
“Y-yeah.”
Is this a play? Chikako thinks, and god it hurts to even suspect Shimizu of that. She’s the person Chikako looks up to most in the world, which is why she wouldn’t put it past her to program Shinonome to say all that stuff to throw her off.
“A-anyway, I saw some stuff that I took pictures of and want to know what you think she’d like.” She holds out Aoyagi’s phone to Shinonome, and when he’s right next to her, she hits Ready Steady just like Azusawa told her too.
Within a second they’re whisked back to that Street SEKAI place.
Shinonome looks around, but there’s no sense of familiarity in his eyes. “Huh? What’s going on?”
“Akito!” Shinonome’s sister shouts, running over to him.
He looks freaked. “Y-you?! G-go away! Leave me alone!”
“We’re not going to hurt you,” his sister says, “listen, Shimizu brainwashed you.”
“Brainwashed? Are you kidding me? She’s the love of my life!”
“Aki-kun, don’t you think it’s strange you can’t remember anything clearly before a week ago? What was your life like before you met Shimizu?”
“Miserable!” Shinonome snaps. “Because of all of you! Y-you all did terrible things to me! That’s why I can’t remember clearly!”
“You seriously buy that?” Chikako asks, and he turns to glare at her.
“You. You’d really betray Fuyu like this?!”
“Listen, I don’t want to be here either, but—”
“Akito! Snap out of it please!” Len shows up, pleading, and suddenly something shifts in Shinonome’s eyes. There’s recognition, maybe?
But then his eyes seem to glow for a second, and Shinonome tackles Chikako to the ground before grabbing Len, throwing him over his shoulder, and sprinting down the alley.
Kamishiro moves to intercept him, but Shimizu shows up and tackles him out of the way. “Go Aki!” she shouts before taking off after him.
“That’s the way to Evillious SEKAI!” Miku yells.
“We’ll get him!” Shiraishi shouts while helping Chikako up.
Then they all take off after them.
~
Toya hopes Kobayashi can get Akito into SEKAI and the others can help him as he knocks on the door.
They’re taking a few gambles here, one is that Shimizu will want to gloat over Toya enough that she won’t notice Kobayashi sneaking in.
He knocks, and Shimizu opens the door. “Did you really think it was a good idea to come here?” she asks.
Toya takes a deep breath. “You win,” he says.
“Huh?”
“We’ve got similar lives, right?” Toya says, remembering what Kobayashi told him. “Controlling parents, being burned by our passions, hell we even look alike. It’s natural that we’re placed in competition with one another, so I’m conceding. You win. You’re smarter than me, you’re stronger than me, you’re better at me than everything.”
Shimizu smiles. “Oh please, do go on.”
“Please just give me back Akito,” Toya says. “You’ve already won, I’ll sing it from the rooftops, you don’t need him to prove it.”
“That’s your mistake, Aoyagi, you think everything has to do with you,” Shimizu says. “I love Aki, I loved him before you did. Getting him isn’t a way to spite you. I’m finally living my perfect life, and I wouldn’t let anyone get in the way of that.”
“Shimizu, please . You can have anyone you want. I can only have Akito.”
“I’m only interested in Akito.”
“Shimizu—”
“Enough!” she says. “Not that I don’t enjoy your groveling, but—”
There’s movement upstairs, and Shimizu glares at him before running up the steps. Toya follows her, and what must be Akito’s room is empty.
She growls in frustration, and pulls out Akito’s phone. In a second they’re in Street SEKAI, and Akito’s running off with Len. Shimizu elbows Toya in the face and then tackles Kamishiro-senpai away from Akito. Pretty quickly the two of them disappear, and the others follow.
~
“Akito! Snap out of it!” Len screams as Akito carries him towards the manor. Shimizu is behind them, and Akito dispenses Len on the ground in front of the manor.
“Oh ho ho ho! Amazing!” Rilaine says, fanning herself.
“Here, we held up our end of the deal,” Shimizu says.
“Yes, yes you’ve done a wonderful job, Fuyune dear. Allen!”
Len’s counterpart, Allen, shows up holding a rapier.
“Go bring the other me, then we can both leave together!”
“Of course, Princess,” Allen says, pulling out a rapier that glints darkly.
“A-Akito, please help!” Len cries. “He’s going to kill me!”
Something whisps past them and barely scratches Allen, and they all turn to see Emu and the others running towards them, Emu having thrown a shoe.
“G-guys! Be careful they can still hurt you!” Len shouts.
To prove his point, skeletal hands pop out of the ground. “Hmmm you’ll all be so tasty!” Banica says. “I haven’t had someone from your realm in a long time…”
“Do keep some of them alive, Banica,” Gallarion says. “We need them to lure the others.”
“Kayo~ Can I borrow your scissors?” Shimizu says. “There’s one I really want to cut up.”
Kayo smiles elegantly and pulls out a pair of razor sharp scissors to hand to Shimizu, who makes a beeline for Toya.
Kobayashi wriggles her way out of the corpses’ grip and goes to block Shimizu’s path.
“I can’t believe you would do this to me, Chi-chan,” Shimizu says, pouting. “Aren’t we best friends?”
“Did that friendship even mean anything to you?!” Kobayashi yells.
“Of course it did! Chi-chan, you know I care about you!”
“But not more than some guy who doesn’t love you back? Not more than having an opportunity to murder your parents with that fire?”
“I would have let you help if I could,” Shimizu says.
“You don’t even understand what I’m saying!” Kobayashi cries. “Fuyune, I loved you! As a friend, as more, I don’t care but I loved you so much! And you didn’t care enough to say goodbye? You didn’t care enough to think the fact that I loved you was enough even if he didn’t?”
“No.” Shimizu says simply. “Chi-chan, he’s the one thing I’ve ever wanted.”
Something seems to snap in Kobayashi and she screams, tackling Shimizu to the ground and pulling at her hair.
“Well, let’s let them have their fun,” Riliane says. “Allen?”
Allen continues towards Len, sword in hand, and Len turns back to Akito.
“Akito, please help me! He’s gonna kill me!”
Allen raises his sword, ready to go for Len’s jugular, and then suddenly there’s a blur of orange and Akito’s in front of him, the tip of Allen’s sword sticking out of his side.
“Why did you do that?!” Allen gasps.
“I… don’t…” Akito mutters, and Len uses that opportunity to slam his headphones over Akito’s head and play Cinema.
~
Akito becomes aware of things in this order:
- Wow his head hurts.
- Oh hey, Cinema’s playing
- What is this sharp metal thing sticking out of his stomach
- Where the fuck is he?!
“Akito?” Len asks.
“What the fuck is going on?!”
There’s a howl of the damned, and Akito turns to see… is that Kobayashi fighting Shimizu over a pair of scissors?!
Akito’s stomach hurts so he turns to see who the fuck is stabbing him and it’s another Len, who his Len tackles.
“Let’s go! We gotta help the others,” his Len says.
Akito awkwardly pulls the rapier out of his back and follows Len to the others (and why are Ena and Wonderlands×Showtime here?), slashing at some fucking, he doens’t know, zombie hands grabbing at them?
“Akito, are you ok?” Toya, who’s got a black eye, says.
“Mostly confused but probably not stabbed anywhere important,” Akito says. “Now will you explain what’s going on?”
“In a second,” Toya says, pointing over to Kobayashi, who’s got two massive gashes on her forehead and cheek and screams in triumph as she grabs the scissors out of Shimizu’s hand and then decks her in the face, causing Shimizu to pass out.
She pulls… ok either Shimizu stole his phone or they have the exact same taste in cases, and presses Ready Steady as they all get there, and they’re all warped back to Crase Cafe.
“Ok!” Akito says, “now for the love of Miku someone explain to me what’s going on?!” Akito demands.”
~
They use some bandages MEIKO keeps in a first aid kit to patch up Kobayashi and Akito, then return to reality, dragging Shimizu with them. Akito leans against Toya, both from the injury and the confusion from a week of his life being completely blank.
Herr Boehm runs over to them.
“Where were you?” He pants. “And… aren’t they dead?” he asks, pointing at Akito and Shimizu.
Toya’s about to give an excuse but he sighs.
“No, that’s better I don’t know,” Herr Boehm says. “Call an ambulance. However, I would like to point out that the school did not give us an additional ticket for this.”
“You can go back without me,” Akito says. “I think I have to talk to the police anyway.”
“No, you take my ticket, I’ll stay behind for a bit,” Toya says.
“That’s insane, it’s in your name anyway.”
“Please , Akito, I watched you jump off a bridge. I just need to make sure you’re safe.”
“I did what?!”
“This will be determined after a doctor's examination,” Herr Boehm says.
“Plus, Aoyagi, you’re a bishie prince, your parents will let you buy one plane ticket so you aren’t stuck in Okinawa,” Kobayashi points out.
Toya blinks. “Thanks, I forgot.”
“I think everyone needs to see a doctor or rest,” Herr Boehm says, “and I need beer.”
~
Kayo Sudou’s scissors are pretty sharp, just like in the song, since Chikako ends up needing stitches on her face.
“‘Sup,” Shinonome says, walking over to her.
“Should you be up?” she asks.
“I feel like I’ve been sleeping a whole week. Like the longer it went on the blurrier it gets. I cannot handle sitting down right now.”
“Well, things are gonna go back to normal for you soon,” Chikako says.
Shinonome sighs. “Sorry.”
“What’re you apologizing for?”
“The love of your life being a psychopath.”
“‘S not your fault, I guess.”
He sits down next to her, and they’re silent for a bit.
“You should go make out with Aoyagi,” Chikako says.
“What?!” Shinonome turns red. “We’re not… it’s complicated.”
“Come on, you shoulda seen him when he thought you were dead. This trip already sucks enough with one broken heart, we don’t need any more.”
Shinonome sighs. “I dunno. Maybe. I’ll talk to him.”
Silence again.
“You’re gonna find something else you know,” Shinonome says. “I know we haven’t, you know, super hung out, but you’re too gung ho to let this stop you.”
“I only joined the newspaper club because of her.”
“Well if you like it, don’t let her ruin it for you. You’ve got a whole life ahead of you. No need to waste it.”
“Shinonome!” Someone calls, and a nurse down the hall spots them.
“Shit,” he says.
“Oh my gosh get back in your room before you do something and rupture your spleen or whatever.”
“My spleen is not where I was stabbed.”
“Go already!”
Shinonome groans but heads back with the nurse, leaving Chikako to think about his words.
What she wants to do, huh? He’s not wrong, necessarily, but she’s not sure where she’s supposed to find the drive to ger that something else, newspaper or otherwise.
She sighs. Might as well listen to some music while she’s hanging out. She scrolls down to “Unknown Mother Goose,” but notices something below it.
“Untitled”? When did she download that?
Curious, she presses it.