Chapter Text
The Sunday morning sun filtered through the sheer curtains of Honami’s bedroom, casting quiet, golden stripes across her desk.
It was finally the day after that horrendous, catastrophic encounter at the café where every single one of her "clients" had physically intersected. Her uniform still smelled faintly of Emu’s pink confetti, and her brain cells were only just beginning to recover from the sheer density of Tokyo's overlapping romantic emergencies. Finally left entirely to herself, Honami collapsed onto her bed, wrapped her blankets around her shoulders like a protective cocoon, and cautiously unlocked her phone.
She needed to see the damage.
Opening the global server logs, she bypassed the initial spam and scrolled way up, past the frantic warnings from the previous morning. Her eyes stopped when she found it—a massive, unread block of text drop-shipped into the chat right around 2:00 AM on Saturday.
It was a long, incredibly raw vent essay from Toya.
Usually, Toya spoke with a carefully measured, polite restraint, but the text on the screen was completely stripped of his usual structure. It was just an honest, unfiltered stream of consciousness.
Toya:
I’m writing this because I know Akito’s notifications are probably muted right now, and if I don't type it out somewhere, I think my chest is actually going to burst.
Last night, when we were practicing behind the garage, the streetlamps were buzzing and everything felt completely still. Akito was standing right under the light, completely frustrated with a vocal shift, and he looked at me. His hair was a total mess, his eyes were bright, and he just looked so intensely alive that my heart completely left my chest. I didn't think… I couldn't. When he reached out and kissed my cheek, my entire world just went completely quiet.
I didn't even get to tell him it was okay before he bolted down the alley. Akito, if you ever read this, you don't ever have to run away from me. I left my father's house, I threw away classical music, and I chose the back alleys because a life without you singing next to me isn't a life I want to live. I'm not looking at a partner anymore. I’m looking at the person I want to hold hands with under the diner tables.
I don't care if it's a sin or if the streets think it's weird. I'm just waiting for you to come back to the alley. I love you, partner.
Honami pressed her phone against her chest, a single, genuine tear of pure relief slipping down her cheek. It was incredibly beautiful. Beneath the long essay, the comment section had completely melted down.
Saki:
OMG I AM CRYING IN MY BED RIGHT NOW 😭😭😭🌈
This is the most romantic thing on the entire street network!!!
Mizuki:
VBS IS CRASHING DOWN TOO?! THE CHIEF VALUE OF THIS SATURDAY IS PEAK INTEL 🍿✨
otouto-kun~ you better run back to that garage right now…or else…
Ena:
Wait, Akito actually did that?!
My little brother has real human emotions????
I am screenshotting this master track and setting it as my desktop background forever to mock him at breakfast.
An:
OH MY GOD.
TOYA JUST DROP-SHIPPED HIS ENTIRE SOUL CONVERSATION???
😭😭😭
@Kohane, look at them! Our boys are finally being honest!
Kohane:
Ah, um... congratulations to Aoyagi-kun too..? 🐹🎉
I hope Shinonome-kun checks his screen soon...
Tsukasa:
BRAVO! A MAGNIFICENT, HEART-STOPPING DECLARATION FROM THE VERY DEPTHS OF THE SOUL, TOYA! 🌟
The stars themselves weep at such profound, unscripted emotional projection!
As your undisputed theatrical sovereign, I grant you the full, unyielding applause of the global stage! Go forth and conquer the streetlamps!
Do not let the curtains fall on your love!
Rui:
Fufufu~ What an incredibly moving monologue, Aoyagi-kun. Truly a masterful climax to a back-alley drama.
It reminds me quite vividly of how my own star lost his absolute composure when we returned to the quiet pews of the cathedral. The way your breath hitched, Tsukasa-kun... it was the ultimate, unscripted masterpiece ;)
Tsukasa:
RUI!!! DO NOT EXPOSE THE PRIVATE ACTS OF THE ALTAR BACKSTAGE TO THE UNDERCLASSMEN!!!
HAVE SOME THEATRICAL COMPOSURE, YOU FIEND!!!
MY FACIAL MUSCLES ARE STILL RECOVERING FROM GAY PANIC!!!
Nene:
Aoyagi-kun, thank you for being honest, but please take him away from the main logs. I am already dealing with Rui being completely insufferable over text.
Emu:
WOWOWOW DOUBLE THE WONDERHOY, DOUBLE THE ROMANCE!! 🎪💖🏁
Go get your pancakes, street boys!!!
Honami smiled softly, feeling a rare moment of peace for her friends. But then her eyes drifted to the very bottom of the unread notifications, where the chat took a sharp, chaotic turn straight back toward her.
BZZZZT.
Mizuki:
wait... i can feel it... honami-chan is reading all of our secret data... @Honami
An:
@Honami
HONAMI PLEASE HELP ME!! How do I tell my singing partner that I want to hold her hand during song drills without her hiding under her desk forever?!
Emu:
HONAMI-CHAN!!!
How do I make Nene-chan stay in Tokyo instead of moving to London?! Does the church have a script for pink confetti stabilization?!
Ena:
@Honami
Since you're the official authority on sins now, is it a crime to want to bite your video editor's shoulder when they wear stupid pink ribbons?! Please verify the parameters!
Akito:
i think you should ask reddit like your friend did
Ena:
I did NOT ask for your advice.
Wait...
How did you know that??
Akito:
👀🤷
Rui:
Ah, while the confessional booth is still digitally active... @Honami
Could you perhaps grant me a clerical loophole? What is the most optimal, silent method to bypass a reinforced second-story window latch and break into your boyfriend’s house without alerting his family?
Asking for a theatrical prop deployment, of course.
Saki:
WAIT 👁️👄👁️
@Rui WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO BREAK INTO MY HOUSE???
Saki:
@Tsukasa ONII-CHAN DID YOU GIVE HIM A SPARE KEY OR IS HE ACTUALLY GOING TO USE A ROPE LADDER TO CLIMB INTO YOUR BEDROOM???
Tsukasa:
HE IS NOT CLIMBING ANYTHING!!!
RUI, DO NOT INVADE THE TENMA ESTATE VIA THE BALCONY WINDOWS!!! HONAMI, DO NOT GIVE HIM THE INSTRUCTIONS!!!
Mafuyu:
The voice of my mother is loud today. Mochizuki-san, the priest software you utilized... can it delete a parental database overwrite permanently?
Saki:
HONAMI-CHAN IS THE HOLY MATCHMAKER!!! 🙏💖🏁 BUT ALSO PLEASE SAVE MY HOUSE FROM THE PURPLE FIEND!!!
Honami’s face went entirely, devastatingly white. The romantic text storm had completely broken through her bedroom borders. They were begging for structural advice regarding their friends, their families, their lovers, and legal trespassing.
"Stop," Honami whispered to the empty room, her voice trembling in a state of total panic. "I am a drummer. I am not a bishop."
Her fingers flew across the keyboard in a blind, frantic sequence of defensive keystrokes. She needed a firewall.
Honami:
PLEASE STOP TAGGING ME IN THE MAIN LOGS!!! I am no longer operating the confessional database!
Honami:
If you have unscripted anomalies regarding your relationships, please do not bring them to the cathedral! My grandmother is coming back for the evening shift!
I will NOT return to that cursed place anymore!!!
Honami:
[Link: anonymous-frequency-forum.jp]
Honami:
If you need to vent, use this link instead! It’s an anonymous forum network where anyone can ask anything without a digital footprint! There are moderators there who can handle these tracks! Please leave the cathedral alone!
[Honami has left the server.]