Chapter Text
“Hello everyone and welcome again to Heart Signal. Each night our residents send an anonymous text message to the person they’re interested in and we panelists attempt to figure out the senders! I’m your host Sanada Shunpei! Joining us as we watch our residents are fellow celebrity panelists: Kamiya Carlos, Isashiki Jun, Furuya Satoru and Kominato Ryousuke!”
The camera pans around the table, focusing on each panelist briefly as they wave and greet the camera, before it returns to the main host, Sanada.
“Last week our residents went on their first blind dates! This week we’ll finally find out who our guests messaged and we’ll continue to watch as they develop their relationships with each other. I’m your host Sanada Shunpei and welcome to Heart Signal!”
“Alright let’s recap a little about last week before we finally get our answers and hop into today’s footage,” Sanada said, turning to face his fellow panelists.
Brief footage of last week’s dates plays as the panelists narrate.
“Kuramochi and Mei surprised us all with their chemistry! They had a heart pounding pottery date followed by an electrifying motorcycle ride,”
Footage of Kuramochi sitting behind Mei and helping him shape his pot plays briefly before cutting to a shot of Mei clutching at Kuramochi tightly as they rode Kuramochi’s motorcycle together.
“Kazuya and Tanba attended a foreign movie and went to dinner. Unfortunately for them their conversation didn’t flow and some jokes fell flat,”
A replay of Kazuya and Tanba awkwardly sitting side by side in the movie theatre plays, it then cuts to show Tanba’s blank stare in reaction to Kazuya’s Shrek reference.
“Haruichi wowed not only Itsuki but also the panelists with his date course, and Itsuki showed off some of his charming side,”
The scene of Haruichi and Itsuki clutching each other at the VR cafe plays, it then cuts and Haruichi’s blushing reaction to Itsuki feeding him is shown.
“On our last date of the day Chris melted as he got a peak at Eijun in his work element and Eijun got flustered at Chris’s straightforward earnestness.”
Footage of Chris staring with an infatuated smile while Eijun takes care of tiger cubs plays followed by a focused shot of Eijun’s blushing face and wide eyes at one of Chris’s comments.
After the footage finishes playing the screen cuts back to the panelists .
“With last week’s dates fresh in our minds let’s finally find out who and what our guests texted,” Sanada said, as two staff members rolled out the green chalkboard with last week’s guesses on it.
“I can’t wait to see if we were right in our guesses,” Carlos said, leaning forward in his seat and staring at the board in front of him.
“Me too, I feel like we’re watching a morning drama,” Jun admitted, an excited smile on his face.
“Alright! Let’s flip the board on three 1, 2, 3—”
On three the staff members flipped the board displaying the correct answers and all the panelists let out a shocked gasp.
“...We got one wrong,”
“But did he send it out of politeness or interest that’s the real question,”
“This is the first time Kazuya has received no messages right?”
“Yup, it’s also the first time Chris has ever received two messages at the same time,”
“If you notice a lot of these messages are more personable. So I think the receivers will have an easier time figuring out who sent them,”
“Well, now that we’ve finally had our answers let’s see what our residents are doing and how they react to their messages….or lack of messages,”
***
Camera footage continues from after the residents sent their messages.
Mei is seen with a smile as he quickly types out a message and sends it, clearly sure in who he wants to text. A moment later his screen lights up and a smile passes over his face as he reads the message there. Mei mouths the words ʻTokyo Princeʻ to himself with a slight smirk before he closes his phone and puts it away.
Next Kuramochi is pictured laying on his bed as he waits for a message. After a period of waiting his screen brightens, indicating the delivery of a text. Kuramochi looks down at his phone, as he reads the message delivered his eyebrows raise and the corners of his lips tug slightly upward.
Tanba is shown sitting in the garden outside wearing a thick pair of sweats and a pullover sweatshirt. He is sitting in the darkness of the garden, waiting for his phone to light up with a message. He continues to sit there for several more minutes, but no message lights up his phone. Tucking his phone back into his pocket, Tanba sighs and stands up leaving the dark garden and heading back to the brightly lit house.
Kazuya is wearing workout clothes and his hair is slightly damp from sweat as he does ab exercises while he waits for a message. After he finishes another set of exercises Kazuya picks up his phone to check the time. As he notes that several minutes have passed and that he has not received any messages a small frown tugs the corners of his lips downwards and his brows furrow slightly.
The next guest shown is Itsuki. Itsuki is wearing a casual t-shirt and joggers and is sitting in the dining room drinking a glass of wine and staring pensively out the windows. At the buzz of his phone on the table Itsukiʻs eyes widen slightly in surprise. He places his glass back on the table and then picks up his phone to view the message, as he reads it a small pleased smile spreads over his face.
Haruichi is seen laying on the top bunk of his bed, the back of his head resting on his pillow. He’s dressed for bed and his pink hair is pulled charmingly back from his face by a fluffy bunny headband. A soft sound makes Haruichi lift his head up suddenly, he quickly pulls out his phone and as he reads it a pleased look passes over his face.
Chris is the next guest to be shown. He has changed into a tight maroon shirt and black sweats and is sitting comfortably in the living room. At the sound of his phone buzzing Chris looks up from the book he was reading. He grabs his phone and opens the message, smiling as he reads it but as he reads the message his phone buzzes again indicating another message received. At the notification of another message Chris’s smile dims slightly and his expression becomes difficult to read as he goes into thought.
The last guest to be shown is Eijun. Eijun is wearing an old looking yellow pullover and black shorts and his hair is pulled back cutely from his face with a sunflower clip. As Eijun stares at his phone and waits for a message his expression remains troubled. He reads the two messages he received and instead of making his expression better he seems more stressed now.
The camera then zooms out and scenes of all the guests as they read their messages or distract themselves from their lack of messages plays side by side briefly before the screen then fades to black.
The next scene shows the morning sky outside and then cuts to one of the house members getting out of bed. As the camera focuses it is revealed to be Kazuya.
Kazuya rolled out of his bottom bunk bed sluggishly, his hair sticking up in every direction. He blindly reached up and pushed his sleep mask out of the way, squinting as he searched the table next to his bed for his glasses. Instead of putting them on immediately Kazuya placed his glasses in his lap and then rubbed his face tiredly. He then sighed and put on his glasses, stretching his arms above his head as he stood up from the bed. He navigated across the large room and into the bathroom where he stared at his reflection for a few moments.
***
“I wonder if heʻs thinking about not getting a message last night,”
“How do you think heʻll react?”
“Knowing Kazuya….heʻll likely be a little hurt but bury it so no one can see...How he interacts going forward with the other members, especially Eijun, is going to depend on how much heʻs interested. If thereʻs one thing I can tell you with absolute confidence itʻs that Kazuya is extremely determined, especially if he already has a goal in mind,”
***
Camera cuts back to Kazuya.
Kazuya had washed his face and was now staring at his bare face in the mirror with a thoughtful expression. Out of one of the bathroom drawers he brings out a small contact lense container, with practiced motions Kazuya inserts the contacts and then blinks them into place. After putting on the contacts Kazuya took a small dab of pomade with his fingers and ran it through his hair, creating a tousled piecey look. He checked his work in the mirror and after he felt satisfied with his results he walked into the closet and began to look through his clothes section. Almost immediately after he began looking, Kazuya reached for a bright purple long sleeve with a large star in the middle but he froze right before he made contact with the shirt.
“…. I think it’s a nice shirt,” Kazuya muttered under his breath, his mouth pouting slightly as he reached past the shirt and grabbed a simple black Henley.
***
“Ah…I told him that that shirt should be burned and that if he was serious about trying to impress someone to not wear it,” Sanada said, a hand ruffling the back of his head sheepishly.
“One, you’re definitely right about it needing to be burned. Two, that means he’s serious about trying to impress someone!” Carlos said as he drummed his pen on the table in front of him.
***
Camera cuts back to the Heart Signal kitchen where Eijun and Chris are seen talking.
“So you're off the whole weekend?” Chris asked Eijun as he waited for his coffee to finish brewing.
“Yup! I—,” Eijun’s words stopped suddenly as another person entered the kitchen.
Camera cuts to a shot of the whole room and shows that Kazuya has just entered the kitchen.
Eijun’s eyes were wide and it almost looked as if his brain was shorting out.
“Eijun? Oh, Kazuya!” Chris said, turning around to see what had caused Eijun to pause and greeting the other man with a polite smile.
“No glasses today?” he asked.
“No, haha...Someone once told me I’d look extra good without them,” Kazuya replied with a cheeky smile.
“GAA—,”
Chris and Kazuya turned to look at the sudden noise and noticed that Eijun had accidentally choked mid-sip. His face was bright red and there was a small red mark on his right hand from where his tea had accidentally spilled on him.
“ACK! Hot,” Eijun said, quickly placing his mug on the counter and rushing over to the kitchen sink to run his hand under cold water.
As soon as he noticed the red mark Kazuya quickly grabbed a bowl and then walked over to Eijun at the sink.
As Eijun continues to run his hand under cold water the footage cuts to a flashback of when Kazuya and Eijun had breakfast at the cafe.
Kazuya had just lifted up his mug of coffee when the steam from his drink caused his glasses to fog up.
“Hehehe! You look—,” Eijun’s words suddenly cut off as Kazuya placed his mug on the table and took his glasses off to wipe them.
At the sight of his bare face Eijun’s eyes grew even wider and a light flush spread over his cheeks.
“You look handsome with glasses. Why do you look extra handsome without them? How unfair,” Eijun accidentally blurted out.
As he registered the words that had just come out of his mouth Eijun’s light pink flush turned bright red and he buried his face in his hands.
“Hoooo? Extra handsome huh? I’ll have to remember that,” Kazuya said, returning his glasses to his face and picking up his mug with a smirk.
The footage stops there and then switches back to the earlier scene.
“I’ll go grab a bandage,” Chris said, glancing at the red mark on Eijun’s hand and then running upstairs.
After Chris left Kazuya gently took Eijun’s hand with his own. He filled the bowl with cool water and then gently placed Eijun’s hand inside the bowl, looking at the mark which had since faded to a lighter color.
“How are you gonna spend the rest of your weekend?” Kazuya asked, looking up from the bowl to meet Eijun’s eyes.
“Im meeting up with a friend for brunch today but after that I’m free the rest of the weekend,”
“Hmmm...I was going to say that we could play catch later but then you got hurt,”
“CATCH?! My hand is more than fine already. See? Waha, I’m a speedy healer,” Eijun boasted, taking his hand out of the water and waving it in front of Kazuya’s face, splashing the lingering water drops everywhere.
Kazuya caught Eijun’s wrist easily and rolled his eyes in amusement at the other man’s antics.
“You should keep your hand in the water longer—,”
Eijun pouted slightly and grumbled a little under his breath while he put his hand back in the bowl.
“—As for playing catch, we’ll see when you get back,” Kazuya continued.
At Kazuya’s response Eijun beamed in delight, no longer pouting but smiling in excitement. His response however was cut off by the return of Chris.
“I brought some neosporin and a small bandage for after,” Chris said, placing the bandage and the ointment on the counter and standing on the other side of Eijun.
“Thanks Chris! It feels good to get advice from a reliable person,” Eijun said, bumping Kazuya playfully with his hip as he looked at the doctor next to him.
“Hey now. This person offered to maybe catch for you later,” Kazuya said, a fake pout on his face.
“Oh, right! Yes, you did…..Hmmmm….. suspicious,” Eijun said, turning to look at Kazuya’s face with somewhat narrowed eyes.
As Eijun and Kazuya continued to banter Chris silently walked away and to the fridge.
The footage switches to a camera in the fridge and catches Chris’s expression.
Chris was staring blankly into the fridge, his lips pressed into a tight line as he listened to Eijun and Kazuya laugh and talk in the kitchen. But when he heard Eijun and Chris greet someone his eyes widened and his lips suddenly parted.
Camera cuts back to full view of the kitchen and films Tanba walking in.
“Good morning Tanba!” Eijun called out cheerfully, waving his unhurt hand at the other man.
Kazuya also waved hello at him, not bothering to move out of his position that was close to Eijun.
At the sound of their greeting Chris straightened slightly and he took his head out of the fridge, closing the door slightly to look at Tanba. His eyes widened even further and his greeting was strangled to silence when he took in Tanba and his appearance.
Tanba was wearing a tight sleeveless compression top that showcased his defined torso and muscled arms. He was also wearing a pair of work out leggings that clung to his long shapely legs and emphasized the lean muscles he had. Since arriving at the house Tanba’s hair had grown out slightly, he now had about ¾ of an inch of dark hair that covered his skull. The slightly longer hair combined with Tanba’s height, defined facial bones, and impressive body made the man look like an edgy model.
“Morning everyone,” Tanba replied in his quiet voice. He then moved towards the fridge with an empty water bottle in his hand.
“—Ah, morning Tanba,” Chris said slightly awkwardly, his eyes appearing a little dazed and the smallest hint of red tinting his ears.
“Can I help you with something?” Chris asked, tilting his head in confusion.
“Ah...I’m trying to grab water from the fridge,” Tanba said with a slight smile, gesturing at the fridge that Chris was currently standing in front of….and blocking.
“Right! Right ,” Chris said, eyes widening in understanding as he quickly stepped to the side and out of the way of Tanba.
After Chris moved out of the way Tanba quickly and efficiently filled up his water. He then began to exit the kitchen, only stopping to tell everyone goodbye. He headed to the gym, swinging his water bottle back and forth and humming a song under his breath.
At his departure Chris stared after his back with a slightly stunned expression.
***
“Looks like Chris has finally noticed Tanba,” Jun noted with a smug smile.
“I think part of it has to do with receiving more than one message last night. I wonder if he thought that Eijun was the one sending messages this entire time and that receiving two messages last night caused him to realize that Tanba might have more than platonic feelings for him” Ryousuke said, tapping his chin with the back end of his pen.
“That’s probably part of it. Even in high school Chris was pretty bad at noticing if you had a crush on him, especially if you were a close friend,” Jun added.
***
Camera cuts backs to kitchen
“Well, I have to go and get ready. So I’m heading out,” Eijun said, pulling his hand out of the bowl of water and picking up the bandage and ointment.
“Thanks again for the bandage and ointment Chris,” he continued, waving to the taller man that was standing, still dazed, by the fridge.
“I’ll see you later,” he said to Kazuya, tapping him on the shoulder playfully before he walked out of the kitchen.
As Eijun began to leave Chris snapped out of his stupor and returned his goodbye. He then moved to the coffee pot which had finished brewing and was now just warming his coffee.
“Did you want some coffee?” Chris asked Kazuya, holding up the pot of freshly brewed coffee.
“Sure, want some toast?” Kazuya asked, as he pulled out slices of bread for his own food.
“Yeah that’ll be good,” Chris replied, grabbing out another mug and pouring the coffee.
After the toast was finished the two sat at the dining table and began to have their breakfast quietly.
“Do you have any plans today?” Kazuya asked Chris after a few moments of silence.
“I have plans for lunch with a friend and then I’ll probably just relax and unwind,” Chris said after he swallowed the bite of toast in his mouth.
“You?”
“I might look through some footage and then go out to the grocery store. If you need anything you can send me a text and I’ll grab it,” Kazuya replied.
Chris nodded that he would do that and then the two lapsed into silence once more. As they continued to eat their breakfast Kuramochi walked into the kitchen.
“Morning,” Kuramochi said, his voice still gruff from sleep. He was wearing a pair of loose fitting black track pants and a plain white shirt. His green hair was still slightly messy from sleep but his eyes were slowly becoming more awake as he moved around the kitchen.
As Kuramochi pulled out various ingredients from the fridge for breakfast Haruichi entered the kitchen. Haruichi’s pink hair was pulled back into a small low ponytail and he was wearing an oversized white sweater and a pair of loose cotton pale pink pants. At his entrance Kuramochi looked up and smiled.
“Morning. Did you want breakfast?” he asked the smaller man.
Haruichi flushed slightly at his attention and silently nodded his head in response. He then walked further into the kitchen and began to pull out things to make tea. As Kuramochi cooked breakfast, Haruichi prepared his tea alongside him.
“Did you want some tea?” Haruichi asked Kuramochi with his quiet voice.
In order to hear him better Kuramochi tilted his head closer into Haruichi’s space.
“What’d you say?” he asked, staring directly into the other boy’s peach colored eyes which were now widened and flustered.
“Uh-um, Would you like tea?” Haruichi asked, repeating his earlier question.
“I’d love some,” Kuramochi said smiling, still leaning into Haruichi’s space.
At his response a light pink blush passed over Haruichi’s face and tinged his pale skin.
After a beat Kuramochi turned back to the stove, returning to his cooking with a small smirk on his lips. When he finished cooking he served the food into two plates and carried them over to the dining table. Haruichi, who had kept him company in the kitchen and had continued to make conversation, followed after him with the two mugs of tea. The table was entirely empty as Kazuya and Chris had already left after finishing their light breakfast of toast and coffee.
“What are your plans for today?” Kuramochi asked Haruichi before taking a sip of green tea.
“I actually have to go in for a client meeting later today. I need to leave the house at eleven,” Haruichi said, wiping his mouth with a napkin and then neatly placing it back on the table.
“That only gives you—”
Kuramochi checked a clock on the wall.
“—two hours before you need to head out” he finished, one eyebrow raised.
“Yeah,” Haruichi said with a sigh, leaning back slightly in his chair and brushing a strand of hair back that had escaped his rubber band.
As the two continue to converse and eat breakfast the camera cuts to footage of Tanba exiting the house and carrying a towel.
Tanba had just exited from the back door of the indoor gym and was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. The muscles on his arms were defined and were clearly pumped from the workout he had just had. Tanba placed the towel on the grass and then plopped down on it, stretching his long legs in front of him and leaning back on his two hands. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes as he soaked in the rays of the sun. As he continued to relax in the sun a ringing sound was heard from the side pocket of Tanba’s compression leggings. Tanba sat up straight and reached in with a hand to pull out his ringing phone. The corners of his lips turned upward as he read the person who had facetime called him. Swiping across the phone screen with a finger, Tanba held his phone up in front of him and smiled widely at the friend who had called him.
“Keisuke!” Tanba called out warmly to the man displayed on the phone screen. The man had short black hair that was spiked in the front and shaved on the sides, arched brows, and what appeared to be a slight frown.
“Koichiro,” the other man replied, huffing some steam out of his nose.
***
“Jun! Do you know this man as well? Is he part of your high school friend group?” Carlos asked, turning to the other panelist with a curious tilt of his head.
“Yeah! Oh man, Miyauchi Keisuke! I haven’t seen him in years. I think he owns a gym now. He was always really close and supportive of Tanba, especially since those two were on the quieter side,” Jun said, a nostalgic smile on his face as he recalled the past.
“Ahhh...Interesting. Let’s continue to see what this old friend called Tanba for!” Sanada said, gesturing to the screen monitor in front of them.
***
“How has everything been in the house?” Miyauchi asked, his eyebrows pinched together in concern.
“It’s been okay. I’m getting along well with everyone…..Actually, Chris is here,” Tanba said, glancing to the side and watching as he pulled at some grass with his long fingers.
“Oh... Chris, Chris?”
“Yeah, Chris Chris,” Tanba replied, a wry smile on his face.
“Hmmm….How does that make you feel? Has he noticed you?”
“When I first saw him it really felt like I was back in high school for a bit. But as the days continued to pass by I realized that I don’t really know the current him as well as I did back then. I think last night though really made me question my feelings though,”
“What happened last night?”
“Last night marked over a week of one-sided texts on my end...and I even chose him over the person who I went on a blind date with. I think that not receiving any sign from him even after sending so many myself, has made me question what I’m doing….I find myself asking if its an attraction and connection I feel right now or if it's the same hero worship that might have carried over from high school,” Tanba answered, a slight frown pulling the corners of his lips downwards.
“....I think that’s definitely a question you should consider. It wouldn’t be fair to him and to yourself if that was the reason you’re continuing to pursue him at this time. Why don’t you try stepping back from Chris and looking at the others around you?” Miyauchi suggested.
Tanba nodded and sighed quietly, running a hand through his short hair.
As the two continue to talk, the camera then fades away and cuts to the panelists.
***
“Wow! I’m actually really proud of Tanba for taking a step back to consider what he feels for Chris,” Sanada said, a smile on his face.
“I agree. It can be really hard for people to do that especially, when he’s already had such a long history with the other person,” Ryousuke added, tapping the book in front of him with his pen.
“I think, like what Miyauchi said earlier, that if Tanba started to look at the others around him more he would realize that he has more options than he noticed,” Jun said, tugging gently on his goatee.
***
The camera then cuts to a scene of Eijun parking his car.
The door of a white Tesla swung open and Eijun emerged from the car, a pair of brown sunglasses perched on his face. He was wearing tight black jeans and an oversized pale blue sweater that displayed his collarbones. Eijun’s hair was wavy and messy and he had a large smile on his face as he made his way to the restaurant.
Once he entered the restaurant he pushed his sunglasses on top of his head and glanced around the seated guests, clearly looking for someone. His eyes brightened when he found who he was looking for and he quickly walked to the table. The person Eijun approached had his back facing the door, he appeared tall and had a head of black inky hair and broad shoulders. When Eijun plopped himself into the chair facing the other person the camera followed his line of sight and the person seated was revealed to be none other than Fuyura Satoru.
“SAAATORUU!” Eijun bellowed, beaming a bright smile at his friend and ignoring the startled stares of the restaurant’s other patrons.
Furuya sighed through his nose at his friend’s loud greeting, and though he didn’t return his friend’s enthusiastic smile and greeting, the corners of his lips did twitch upward.
***
“Oh, you were the friend who Eijun was having brunch with?” Ryousuke asked, turning to face his fellow panelist with a raised brow.
“Of course, I’m his best friend after all,” Furuya said, staring blankly back at the psychologist.
“Well, let’s find out what our panelist and house guest talked about during brunch!” Sanada said, returning the panelists’ attention to the screen in front of them.
***
The camera cuts back to Eijun and Furuya.
Furuya was wearing a charcoal turtleneck sweater that contrasted strikingly against his milky white skin, his blue eyes were, for once, alert and focused on his friend in front of him.
When the waiter approached and asked with a grin if they were getting the usual , it became clear that the two men were regulars at the restaurant. Both Eijun and Furuya nodded and indicated that they would get their typical meal and when the waiter finally left they relaxed back into their chairs and looked at each other.
“How is it?” Furuya asked bluntly.
Eijun smiled crookedly and sighed, running a hand through his already messy brown hair and accidentally dislodging his sunglasses. As he picked up the sun glasses he stared at them and seemed to be collecting his thoughts.
“It started off pretty easy. But now I find myself feeling confused and a little guilty,” Eijun said, his eyes still downward as he toyed with his sunglasses.
“There’s a guy there who is textbook perfect and treats me so well. He’s calm and mature and he’s always so good to me. He’s a really nice guy and I always have fun when I hang out with him….but there’s another guy. The other guy teases me and riles me up but he also takes care of me and looks after me in his own way. And sometimes he’s super sweet and remembers random things….he just…I feel so….so mushy around him. But…but the other guy he’s so nice ,”
Furuya sighed and reached over to pluck the sunglasses out of Eijun’s hands. He placed the sunglasses on the table and waited for the other man to look him in the eyes before saying,
“You need to ask yourself, if you like them because they’re being nice to you or if you just like them .”
Eijun’s eyes widened in surprise.
“That’s…that’s actually good advice Satoru!” He exclaimed in surprise.
“I got it from one of those mangas you suggested,” Furuya said, avoiding eye contact as a light embarrassed flush colored his face.
***
“Ahem, ” Jun fake coughed, drawing the attention of the other panelists.
“That sounds like some familiar advice, Furuya,” he said with a small smug grin.
“….I’d hope it was familiar. It was from your manga Jun,” Furuya said blandly, staring at the other panelist.
Carlos cracked a smile as he patted the back of a sputtering Jun.
When Furuya raised a brow in question Carlos just shook his head and waved a hand, indicating that they should go back to watching the footage.
***
The camera plays a few more minutes of footage of Furuya and Eijun laughing as they eat their food before it fades out and returns to footage of the house.
In the kitchen Kuramochi had ingredients in various stages of prep laid out in front of him and was skillfully maneuvering cooked eggs into a roll on a fry pan. When he judged it cooked he transferred the egg roll from the pan and onto the plate in front of him and then replaced the pan on the stove. Kuramochi then sliced the egg roll into even pieces and placed it into a multi sectioned lunch container that already contained some cooked vegetables. As he was placing the food inside an alarm rang on his phone, wiping his hands on a kitchen towel Kuramochi turned off the alarm and then put on a pair of oven mitts. He turned to the oven and then pulled out a baking sheet that contained three pieces of salmon. Kuramochi selected the two nicest looking pieces and then placed them into the largest section of the container. He then filled a non sectioned container with cooked multigrain rice and placed it next to the other filled container. After he was done Kuramochi washed his hands and then began to put away the leftover ingredients into containers and cleaned up the used dishes.
***
“Do you think that he’s making himself a lunchbox or do you think it’s for a houseguest?” Jun asked, cupping his chin in his hand as he stared at the screen in front of him.
“Well, we still don’t know if he has work today but if he doesn’t there’s a chance it could be for Haruichi,” Sanada said.
“ Interesting ,” Ryousuke said, cracking his index finger knuckle with his thumb and smiling a tight closed lip shark smile.
Seeing his reaction the other panelists' sweat dropped and Sanada quickly gestured back to the screen in front of them with a slightly forced smile.
***
The footage cuts to the room one closet where Haruichi is shown.
Haruichi’s hair was slicked back with gel and he was standing with his arms crossed and one foot slightly out as he stared at his closet and clothes. After a few more moments of contemplation Haruichi stepped forward and plucked three hangers down. He had grabbed a navy suit jacket, matching navy pants, and a white button down. With the clothes over his arm Haruichi disappeared into the bathroom to change. He then reappeared fully outfitted as he passed through the closet to enter the bedroom he put a watch onto his left wrist and then grabbed a pair of socks and shoes.
The scene cuts to a different camera and Haruichi is shown padding down the stairs with sock covered feet, his shoes dangling from his hand, and a leather shoulder bag over one shoulder.
As he passed the open kitchen door and started to head to the front door he was stopped by the sound of his name.
“Haruichi!” Kuramochi called, jogging out of the kitchen with a lunch bag in his hand.
Haruichi stopped and then turned around to look back at Kuramochi, one eyebrow raised in question.
“I figured you might need lunch while at work and I didn’t see you in the kitchen after breakfast...So I figured I’d make you some,” Kuramochi said, a sheepish smile on his face as he held out the lunch bag to Haruichi.
“Oh!” Haruichi exclaimed, his eyes wide in surprise.
He looked down at the lunch bag being held out to him and then gingerly took the bag from the other man.
“Um, thanks...I’ll be sure to enjoy it,” Haruichi murmured quietly, a light pink blush coloring his face.
“No problem at all! Have a good day,” Kuramochi said, waving at Haruichi as he walked backwards and started to head to the stairs.
After he left the footage cuts to a close up shot of Haruichi’s face and wide eyes looking at the stairs that Kuramochi had just went up.
***
“So it was for Haruichi!” Jun exclaimed, slapping a hand excitedly on the table.
“Mmhmmm… It was ,” Ryousuke said as he wrote something, rather aggressively, down in his book.
Once again the panelists shivered at the big brother aura that Ryousuke gave off.
“Well shall we continue?” Ryousuke continued, not bothering to glance at the other panelists.
***
Footage cuts to show Chris standing in front of a display case in what appears to be a dessert shop.
“Masuko, what do you suggest besides your puddings?” Chris asked the large man who was standing on the other side of a display case that held dozens of varieties of beautiful desserts, each clearly made with love and passion.
The man Chris was speaking to was round and had a closely shaven head, despite his large and imposing size he had gentle eyes and his lips were pulled up in a smile as he gestured at the pastries in front of him. It appeared that he was attempting to show Chris his favorite dessert choices without speaking...and it looked as if that wasn’t working too well. After a few more moments of this Chris bought an assortment of what appeared to be the top selling pastries in the bakery he then began to head to a lone table on the side of the bakery that had a reserved sign perched on top.
Taking a seat he waited a few more minutes before Masuko came to join him, carrying a tray that contained four different puddings, a croissant, and two steaming mugs of coffee.
“Thanks Masuko,” Chris said with a grateful smile, picking up one of the mugs of coffee and taking a careful sip after blowing.
While Chris sipped at his coffee Masuko stared at him with slightly narrowed eyes. A few moments later Masuko’s lips turned slightly downwards and he grunted at Chris, clearly wanting him to say something else.
At the noise Chris met his friend’s eyes and sighed, placing his cup of coffee down on the table in front of him.
“I thought that one person was sending me messages and was interested in me the entire time but now I think I might have been wrong in who it was…It’s caused me to start rethinking and reconsidering how I’ve been approaching the other guests in the house.”
Masivo nodded slowly, his cheeks full of the pudding he had just taken a bite of. He swallowed the food before placing his spoon down and clearing his throat softly with a small cough.
“Well, if the possibility of a different person also being interested in you is enough to shake you this much, maybe you should rethink how interested you actually are in that first person,” he said, pursing his lips slightly.
Scene then cuts to footage of the signal house. On one side of the screen Tanba is pictured lounging in the sun, on the other side of the screen it shows Eijun returning and entering the front door of the house. The screen then changes and cuts to the signal house lounge.
Itsuki was sitting on the floor with his back against the couch as he worked on his laptop. Mei was sitting next to him quietly sketching on an art book. He was wearing a thin, loose grey long sleeved shirt that slouched forward to reveal his collarbones over a pair of comfy looking cotton drawstring charcoal pants.
***
“Mei looks really at ease,” Carlos commented, his eyes thoughtful as he watched the pair on the screen in front of him.
“That’s a good point Carlos. Maybe Itsuki brings out a different side of Mei,” Sanada said, writing a note in his book.
***
Camera returns to lounge room
As Mei and Itsuki continued to work quietly side by side, Mei suddenly shivered.
Camera focuses on Itsuki’s eyes which are now trained on Mei.
Mei moved one of his hands off the table to wrap around his own body and conserve warmth. In the meanwhile Itsuki had reached over the side of the couch and appeared to be rummaging through his work bag. After a few moments more he pulled out a slightly worn but comfy large sweatshirt. Itsuki quietly took the jacket and tucked it around Mei’s shoulders. At the touch of the jacket and Itsuki’s warm, gentle hands Mei’s face suddenly colored pink.
“A-ah! Itsuki, thank you,” Mei stuttered, his voice uncharacteristically shy.
“It’s no problem,” Itsuki replied, a crooked smile on his face as he took in Mei’s slightly flustered reaction.
***
“Oh my!” Jun exclaimed, fanning himself slightly with his book.
“Mei is definitely affected by this guy. It’s nice to see him thrown off his usual behavior,” Carlos said somewhat smugly.
***
Camera then cuts to the front of the house where Kuramochi had just parked his motorcycle.
Kuramochi swung one long leg off his motorcycle and then reached into a saddlebag, Pulling out a large paper bag. He opened and glanced into the bag briefly and then sighed in relief.
Brief flashback to the end of Kuramochi and Mei’s date.
“I’ve been really craving some of those pastries from the bakery down the hill, but I never seem to have time to get them or when I do I end up forgetting” Mei said, his lips pushed together in a small pout as he cupped his chin in his hand.
“Mmmm…that definitely sucks. Those pastries look amazing,” Kuramochi commented, tilting his head at Mei with a slightly thoughtful look in his eye.
Camera returns to present and Kuramochi
After Kuramochi reclosed the bag he tucked it under an arm and jogged to the house’s front door. Entering the house Kuramochi ducked into the living room and all the downstairs rooms. Clearly not seeing who he was looking for, Kuramochi went into the kitchen and placed the paper bag on the counter. He then began to slowly walk up the stairs.
***
“Oh my god. He bought pastries. OH MY GOD. He’s going to see Itsuki and Mei!!” Sanada gasped.
“AHHH,” Jun squealed, covering his face with his hands but peaking between his fingers to stare at the screen in front of him.
***
Kuramochi had just made it to his room door and was about to head in when he heard laughter pour out the open door of the lounge room. Tilting his head he mouthed “ Mei?” before making his way to the lounge room. When he arrived in front of the open door he paused in the doorway and his eyes widened slightly.
At the sight of Kuramochi Mei’s laughter awkwardly cut off and he turned a bright shade of red.
“Ah, um hey Mei. There are pastries in the kitchen,” Kuramochi said before he turned back around and walked to his room.
Mei, now flustered and red, sat still for a moment longer before he gingerly took off Itsuki’s jacket.
“Um– I–, I’m going to take a nap,” Mei blurted out, returning the jacket to Itsuki, gathering his stuff, and scurrying to his room.
Upon reaching his room Mei quickly closes the door behind himself and then dives onto the bed face down, burying his head in his blankets and screaming in embarrassment.
***
“WHA– OH MY– I DON–,” Jun stuttered, for once just out of words. His face was bright red with second hand embarrassment and his hands were slightly pulling the ends of his own hair.
“Did you notice that he didn’t even acknowledge Itsuki?” Ryousuke asked the other panelists in a casual tone.
“Oh shi–,”
“–Yes! Now that I think of it he totally didn't,” Sanada said, cutting Carlos off, and likely preventing him from swearing on air.
***
Camera now cuts to Haruichi who is sitting in his office, surrounded by paper work.
Haruichi sighed and then checked his watch. After noticing the time he began to methodically gather up his paperwork and place them in neat piles, clearing up the space directly in front of him on his desk. He then reached behind him and picked up the green lunch bag that he had received from Kuramochi earlier that morning. He placed the bag on the desk and then pulled out the two tiered lunch box. As he went to open the box his eyes suddenly widened at what he saw.
Camera focuses on the lunchbox .
On top of the lunchbox was a folded piece of paper. Haruichi gently unfolded the paper and a light pink blush spread from his cheeks to his ears at what he saw.
“ You’re really awesome Haruichi. Have a great day at work. You can do it!”
Haruichi cleared his throat after reading the note and his eyes quickly darted around for a different place to look. After a bit Haruichi reached out slowly and gently refolded the note to which he then placed in his desk drawer.
***
“….”
Carlos, Sanada, and Jun all awkwardly stared at Ryousuke who had broken his pen by gripping too hard. They then looked at each other with wide eyes, all urging the other to do something.
“You broke your pen,” Furuya noted with a bland tone.
“Ah, yes it seems I did,” Ryousuke said, clearing his throat and then smoothing the front of his shut down.
“Here,” Furuya said, passing an extra pen to the smaller man.
Ryousuke nodded his thanks at him before he then looked at the other panelists. Who were staring at the exchange with wide, amazed eyes.
“Well? Let’s get back to the footage,” Ryousuke said, raising an eyebrow.
“Hahaha. Right, right,” Sanada replied, pasting his photo ready smile on and gesturing to the screen in front of the panelists.
***
Camera shows footage of the sun setting and the day turning to night before it cuts to the house.
Kazuya had just come down the stairs when he heard a knock on the front door. Tilting his head he headed to the door and pulled it open. In front of the door was a box with the words ‘ For Room Two’ printed on top. Raising his brows in intrigue, Kazuya tucked the box under his arm and then began to make his way to the stairs.
Camera cuts to the living room
Eijun was sitting in the living room by himself, playing with one of his yellow house slippers. Hearing footsteps he looked up, at the sight of the person passing the doorway his entire face lit up and a small smile graced his lips.
“Miyuki Kazuya!” Eijun shouted, smothering his smile and pointing at the other man, who had frozen in the doorway, with his yellow slipper.
“Ho? Someone’s excited to see me,” Kazuya teased playfully, winking at a now sputtering Eijun.
“PFF! As if,” Eijun huffed, throwing his yellow slipper in Kazuya’s direction.
Kazuya laughed at the other man’s antics and easily caught the slipper raising an eyebrow at what he found.
Camera zooms in on the slipper. Eijun had drawn a smiley face with its tongue sticking out on his yellow slipper.
“It’s a good thing you’re a vet,” Kazuya said, smirking at Eijun.
“Of course it’s a good thing I’m a vet! I’m a–,”
Realizing what Kazuya had been implying, Eijun cut himself off and narrowed his eyes at Kazuya.
“You be careful there you Tanuki! You’re on thin ice with me. That’s strike two,” Eijun declared, crossing his arms and turning to look away from Kazuya with a pout.
“Hmmm…..and what pray tell me was my first strike?” Kazuya asked, a slightly wary smile on his face as he looked at Eijun’s pout.
“YOU PROMISED YOU'D CATCH FOR ME BUT DID WE?!” Eijun shouted, returning his full attention to Kazuya and slapping a hand on the table in front of him.
Kazuya let out a small amused breath, relieved that Eijun didn’t seem to be seriously mad.
“Yes, yes. I can catch for you tomorrow. Remember we both should be off?”
At his words Eijun lit up completely.
“Alright you said it! No take backs!” He said, bouncing up from the floor over to Kazuya and beaming up at him.
Kazuya blinked slowly a few times as he took in Eijun’s blinding smile.
“Um….r-right. No take backs,” Kazuya replied, coughing slightly to clear his throat and distract from the light flush that had started to color his ears.
“Alright then, I’m off!” Eijun said suddenly, snatching his yellow slipper from Kazuya’s grasp and bounding in the direction of the stairs.
Camera focuses on Kazuya’s dazed face as he stared at Eijun going up the stairs.
Kazuya shook his head slightly to clear his mind before he glanced down at the box in his hands. His eyes widened as he remembered what he was going to do before he was distracted and a small blush colored his face as he remembered the reason behind his forgetfulness. He then began to slowly head up the stairs, making his way to room two to place the box from the show’s producers. After he placed the box in the room he began to search for something in one of the rooms' side drawers. A mysterious smirk graced his face as he emerged with a purple colored sharpie and then sat down on a chair, no paper in sight.
Camera cuts to the kitchen where Chris and Itsuki are shown preparing the dinner meal.
The two men were calmly and methodically preparing the meal. Itsuki would wash and pat dry a vegetable before adding it to the pile of cleaned vegetables in front of Chris. Chris would then take the cleaned produce and begin to cut and peel them, preparing them to be cooked. After he finished washing all the vegetable ingredients, Itsuki moved to the cabinets and began to prepare the sauce, calmly measuring out each thing and then mixing it all together. He carried over the sauce to Chris who had begun heating up a frying pan on the stove. Placing the sauce on the counter next to Chris, Itsuki then began to wash the dishes that were finished. Chris then began to cook, frying first the meat and then the vegetables. He added the sauce Itsuki prepared to the stir fry and began to incorporate it fully with skillful flips of the fry pan. Once Itsuki had finished washing the dishes he double checked the time on the rice cooker and then began to gather all the dishes for the residents. Once the food was finished cooking Chris plated the food and gave the used frying pan to Itsuki to wash.
“Thanks for helping me again,” Chris said, smiling in appreciation at the other man.
“It was no problem. I’m glad I could help,” Itsuki replied, shaking off the thanks with a hand.
“I’ll go and tell the others that dinner is ready then,” Chris continued, gesturing to the doorway with a hand.
Itsuki nodded in acknowledgment before he turned his attention back to his task.
***
Camera cuts to panelists
“For some reason Itsuki and Chris seem very similar to me,” Carlos said, tilting his head and holding his chin as he thought.
“I actually agree. Chris and Itsuki have both proven to be organized, mature, and to have a calming presence,” Ryousuke added, rifling through his notes as he spoke.
“I definitely didn’t notice any sparks but I do think that they could actually become pretty good friends,” Jun commented, a slightly amused smile on his face as he looked at the screen in front of him.
A staff member approached the panelist table before handing Sanada a note card and then running away.
“Ohh, looks like the residents will finally reveal their ages today! I wonder if that’ll change any of their opinions,” Sanada noted after reading the notecard.
“Let’s continue!” He said, gesturing at the screen in front with a smile.
***
Camera returns to the signal house where the house guests were making their way to the dining table.
The last person to enter the room was Haruichi. He was wearing a cream colored oversized sweater and a pair of loose grey pajama pants. His pink hair appeared to still be slightly damp from a recent shower and the long ends were charmingly tucked behind his ears. After he took his seat Eijun perked up and waved an envelope in his hand at the fellow houseguests.
“When we started to come in I heard a knock on the door and this was outside,” he declared with a bright smile, tapping the envelope in his hand for emphasis.
“Now that everyones here I can open it!” He continued, opening the envelope excitedly once he determined that everyone was paying attention.
“Do you want to read?” He asked, turning to Haruichi and placing the opened letter in front of the pink-haired man.
Haruichi blushed slightly at the sudden attention of the rest of the houseguests but quickly composed himself with a quick clearing of his throat.
“Hmm...It simply says that we can reveal our ages now,” Haruichi summarized with a slight arch of one brow. He then refolded the letter neatly and placed it back in the envelope.
“Wellll….I’m not sure that finding out anyone’s age will really make me act any different towards them,” Eijun said, tapping his chin as he thought out loud.
“Tsk, Tsk. Haven’t you heard of respecting your elders?” Kazuya teased from his place across the table.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN RESPECTING MY ELDERS? OF COURSE, I DO. I RESPECT THOSE WH—,” Eijun’s tirade suddenly broke off and a slightly bewildered expression crossed his face. He then glanced down under the table to find out what had hit his leg and what he saw caused him to laugh out loud.
“MIYUKI KAZUYA, What in the world!” Eijun said, bubbling with laughter as he reached down and pulled the yellow slipper from the socked foot that was resting on his leg.
Kazuya’s yellow slipper now had a silly face drawn on with a purple sharpie that matched Eijun’s own slipper.
After admiring the silly slipper for a little longer, Eijun then reached down and placed it back on Kazuya’s foot. When he looked back up at the table he froze upon realizing that the rest of the houseguests were staring at him with raised brows.
“I really hope you’re going to wash your hands before you eat Eijun,” Haruichi said with a slight sigh, breaking the silence and taking the attention off of Eijun.
Eijun relaxed as the attention left him and he smiled fondly at Haruichi.
“But of course my Harucchi,” he exclaimed, quickly pushing his chair back and bounding to the kitchen to wash his hands.
When he returned all of the houseguests began to eat, thanking and complimenting Itsuki and Chris’s cooking skills between bites. Once they finished the houseguests continued to relax in the chairs, not moving to put away the dishes immediately.
“Shall we reveal our ages quickly?” Chris asked, noting inwardly that everyone had finished eating and drinking.
“I’m 35,” Chris said after the rest of the houseguests had nodded in affirmation.
“I’m 33,” Itsuki offered.
“Me too!” Eijun chimed in, a bright smile on his face.
“I’m 33 also,” Haruichi said with a nod.
“I’m 34,” Mei said, his eyes thoughtful as he watched the other houseguests.
“I’m the same age,” Kuramochi continued.
“I’m 34 as well,” Kazuya said with a playful grin as he stared at Eijun.
“I’m the same age as Chris, 35,” Tanba commented.
“We’re all pretty close in age,” Itsuki noted.
“I know! No wonder we all get along pretty well,” Eijun replied, leaning forward in his chair excitedly.
As the houseguests continue to talk the camera zooms out from the house and then cuts to the panelists.
***
“Hmmm….I know, at least for Eijun, that age won’t change much but do you think it’ll concern any of the other contestants?” Sanada asked, looking at his fellow panelists.
“Honestly it might be with Mei...I’ve never seen him date anyone younger than him. He’s always dated older, more mature men,” Carlos offered, tapping his finger on the table in front of him as he talked.
“That’s definitely interesting. I could see how age might be something he thinks about. However, Itsuki seems pretty mature for his age. Maybe that’ll work in his favor,” Jun replied.
“I agree with the idea that Itsuki’s maturity will work in his favor, at least with Mei. Did you also notice that Itsuki was quick to point out how close in age they all were? As for the other houseguests, from this video at least, it doesn’t appear that age matters to them that much,” Ryousuke commented, referring to the notes in the notebook in front of him.
“Oh! Good point,” Sanada said with wide eyes, quickly scribbling down a note in his book.
“Do you have any insight to offer?” Jun asked, turning to Furuya who had been watching the other panelists with a slightly blank expression.
“...No...I agree with Ryousuke’s observations,” Furuya replied with a small nod.
At his response a small smile passed over Ryousuke’s lips.
Seeing this Carlos’s eyebrows raised slightly but before he could comment he was interrupted by Sanada.
“Alright guys! Let’s continue watching,” Sanada said with a smile, pointing at the screen in front of them.
***
Footage cuts to the occupants of room two who are all sitting around the table in their room, on the table is the box Kazuya brought in earlier.
After a few more moments of staring Kazuya reached for the box.
“Shall I open it?” He asked, quickly taking charge of the situation.
Chris and the others nodded, watching as Kazuya opened the box to reveal a small paper with instructions, a small sealed envelope, four blank cards, and four sets of coloring pencils.
“Draw on the postcard what you would want to do on your next date. After you finish, replace the cards inside the box with the sealed envelope and then hand the closed box over to the occupants of room one, ” Kazuya read aloud.
After Kazuya read the instructions each of the room occupant’s grabbed a blank card and a set of coloring pencils and then began to draw.
As Kazuya reaches for a blue coloring pencil the footage zooms out.
***
“For those who are drawing the smart thing to do would be to include something that identifies who you are subtly….For example, if you talked about something in a conversation before you would add that in so the person knows who you are….and if the person understands that hopefully they choose your card knowing who you are,” Sanada said, explaining his take on the date prompt situation based on his previous seasons experience.
***
Camera then cuts to the occupants of room one.
Mei had just emerged from the walk-in closet when he heard a soft knock on the door. Tilting his head to the side at the noise, he then made his way to the door and opened it slightly, peeping through the crack. His eyes widened slightly as he took in who was standing at the door. Itsuki was standing outside the room, shirtless, holding a box in his hands. Itsuki’s shirtless state revealed a surprising amount of muscles and a chiseled torso.
At the sight of Mei, peering out of the door in what appeared to only be a large oversized shirt Itsuki blushed. He blushed even more when he registered that he was only wearing a pair of low-hanging joggers and his hands quickly tilted the box in an attempt to cover more of his shirtless torso.
“I— uh, I forgot to um...grab a shirt, but this is for you guys,” Itsuki said hurriedly, wincing as his voice cracked slightly.
As soon as Mei took the box from Itsuki, Itsuki smiled awkwardly and then hurriedly walked back to his room.
Camera focuses briefly on Mei’s dazed eyes before it cuts to the panelists.
***
“Man, that whole interaction was both awkward and adorable. I wonder how he forgot a shirt,” Sanada commented, chuckling and shaking his head at the situation.
“Mmmm….I forget shirts all the time. I think it’s more comfortable,” Carlos said, ruffling a hand through his hair and shrugging nonchalantly.
“I bet that’s a treat for whoever’s around you and it certainly appeared that Mei thought he had quite the treat as well,” Jun exclaimed with an excited grin.
***
As the panelists continue to chuckle, the footage then cuts back to the occupants of room one who are now sitting around the table and looking at the four cards laid out.
On the table there are four cards laid out next to each other. The card on the far left featured blue colored trees, a pair of ice skates, and a well drawn winter peony flower in the corner. The next card had a pair of winter cherry blossoms on either side of the card with a large steaming bowl of nabe in the middle. The third card was orange and red, with a beautiful sunset taking up half of the card, in the middle of the sunset sky was a tree, on the other half of the card was a large jellyfish. The last card had drawings of books open to various pages and multiple desserts in different baking stages.
While most of the contestants sat there and stared thoughtfully at the cards, Eijun immediately reached forward to one of the cards and tentatively touched a finger to it.
“Can I—, Can I take this one?” Eijun asked in a soft voice.
The other occupants raised their eyebrows at the uncharacteristic softness of his voice but none of them objected to his request.
Upon seeing his roommate’s easy acceptance, Eijun's shoulders relaxed and a pleased smile stretched across his lips. He then picked up the card he had chosen and looked down at it to admire the drawn peony that had immediately caught his attention.
After deciding the rest of the order with rock, paper, scissors Haruichi leaned forward from where he was seated to consider the cards a little more.
“Hmmm...I’d probably enjoy this sort of date the most,” Haruichi said to himself, reaching forward to grab the card with books and desserts drawn on it.
Tanba nodded at Haruichi’s choice before he then reached forward quickly to grab the card with the jellyfish, leaving Mei with the last card that featured winter cherry blossoms.
The occupants of room one sat around the table with their chosen cards but before they could move Tanba stopped them.
“I almost forgot! We have to guess who drew our cards now,” Tanba said, glancing back down at the small envelope and letter next to him.
“Kazuya,” Eijun blurted out suddenly, his face turning bright red as he surprised himself and the others with his sudden outburst.
Haruichi chuckled at Eijun’s sudden reply.
“I’m not as sure about mine. Maybe Itsuki or Chris? I could see them choosing out a great bookstore,” he said, pointing at the various drawn books on the card.
“I think this is Kuramochi’s,” Tanba said, tapping his postcard lightly, “the jellyfish is drawn very well.”
Mei nodded at Tanba’s observation before picking his card up to show the rest of the occupants.
“The flowers on this are drawn nicely but I can tell it's not Kuramochi, whose style is different. Perhaps it's Itsuki?”
As the contestants continue to discuss their potential dates the scene zooms out and cuts back to the panelists.
***
“Honestly it’s hard to tell who drew what just from these cards itself,” Sanada commented.
“I agree. It appears that most of the contestants are just choosing based on what they want to do...except for Eijun who seems to have fixated on the peony,” Jun noted.
At his words Furuya’s eyes widened slightly and a cough was startled out of the stoic man.
“Oh?! What’s this? You perhaps have insight into Eijun’s mind and know who the peony is?” Jun half asked half demanded, leaning forward enthusiastically.
Furuya remained silent and quickly turned his face to the side, refusing to answer Jun.
Ryousuke chuckled at the chaos that ensued as everyone demanded Furuya give them a hint.
He then cleared his throat to cut through the chaos.
“I think that Tanba also seemed to have grabbed the jellyfish card rather quickly. He seems to think it’s Kuramochi’s date plan. Could he be attempting to move past Chris?” Ryousuke noted with a raised brow.
The other panelists looked at Ryousuke with various expressions of surprise.
“I totally forgot about that,” Carlos remarked.
“...Wow, I never thought about that. I’d have liked to see Tanba get a date with Chris but I definitely support whatever he endeavors to do,” Jun said, clapping his hands together and nodding in determination.
“Well, we won’t be able to see who gets which date until next week and it seems this week we also won’t be guessing the house guest’s texts. It seems the producers are really trying to string us out,” Sanada said to both his fellow panelists and audience with an apologetic chuckle.
“So that’s all for this week. Hopefully we catch you next time on Heart Signal!”
At the sound of his words audible groans are heard from the fellow panelists and the camera zooms out.
~~~
Brief preview of next week’s episode briefly plays.
Itsuki is seen waiting alone in the living room, at the sound of something he suddenly looks up and gets up from the couch. Mei is shown sitting slightly awkwardly as he stares at two cups in front of him. Chris is shown with surprised but pleased eyes as he waits next to a large window. The panelists are seen exclaiming in delight, with Jun completely overwhelmed as he excitedly smacks Carlos who is sitting next to him. Footage then fades to black.