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I guess taking an occasional vacation really does pay off in this line of work , Tenn mused to himself. Lying down on the sofa, he could hear the chirping sound of cicadas even from inside the apartment. The bright rays of sunlight felt glaringly warm even through the windows, and the skies were an endless shade of azure with no clouds in sight for miles. He’d usually still be working during this time of the day. The idol and entertainment industry stops for no one, even during summer holidays.
Today is different though . Tenn sighs, staring listlessly at the ceiling. “I know they told me to relax and have fun, but I have no idea what to do right now.” The others are still in the middle of work. He can’t go out anywhere without attracting too much attention from unassuming fans either. This was supposed to be a day off, so he’s currently banned from singing and dancing too.
“I wouldn’t want to waste a whole day doing nothing.” Tenn mumbled. Looking around, his gaze stumbled upon an old cardboard box. I don’t remember putting anything here , Tenn cocked his head to the side. He walked up and opened the box.
The box contained a single old, frayed photobook. It looked like something you would bring out during a reunion with some high school friends, or something a parent used to keep pictures of their children. Tenn would recognize this particular book anywhere. “I don’t remember bringing this here. It really has been a while, hasn’t it?” Tenn smiles wryly. Riku must have given this to him at some point. He touches the worn cover fondly, lingering over the words etched onto it.
Tenn opened the book and turned to the first page. The words “Day 1” looked like it had been written on the page with crayon. There were two pictures; the first picture showed him and Riku folding origami and the second showed the two origamis side by side. Both origamis seemed to be rabbits, but the one on the left was a bit more mangled than one on the right. A seemingly childish handwritten caption under the two pictures.
I folded origami with Tenn-nii today! I couldn’t do it at school because I was absent that day, but Tenn-nii taught me himself!
Riku’s good at it too. You managed to make the rabbit exactly like I taught you to.
The next page showed something similar. This time there were two pictures of Riku smiling while eating omurice and him frowning while trying to cook something on the stove. The caption under this looked like it had been written by the same author.
Mama showed us how to cook omurice today! Tenn-nii and I both failed though. Ours looked kind of black and not yummy looking at all… Ah! Tenn-nii said that he would learn all the secrets of omurice from mama so that he can cook it for me anytime. He’s so cool!!
My omurice wasn’t that bad, Riku! I just need more time to practice, then I’ll definitely be able to cook it perfectly.
Tenn smiled at their written antics. Turning to the next page, he saw a picture of… Riku trying to copy him from behind? Child Tenn looked like he was having the time of his life holding in his laughter. He looked at the caption.
We played hide and seek today! I pretended to copy Tenn-nii from behind him so I could hide without him noticing. It worked out perfectly and he didn’t notice at all. Today was so fun!
Riku hid really well today. I didn’t realize you were behind me all that time. I’m glad you had fun.
The following pages showed something similar. This was a photobook they decided to fill up during one summer where Riku could handle playing around for a bit without any heavy attacks. They may have been mundane activities to other people, but every single one of those days were precious memories to Tenn. He continued to flip the pages until he stopped dead in his tracks.
Tenn-nii, where are you? Why aren’t you coming home?
Tenn sighed. Riku must have written this soon after he left with Kujo that day. After all, he did like looking at the photobook whenever he was stuck in the hospital.
Tenn has never regretted what he decided to do that day. Given the choice, he would do it all over again. Even if it hurt Riku, even if Riku grows to hate him, he would never regret giving his younger brother that fighting chance. He pondered a bit about closing the photobook. No, I won’t shy away from how Riku felt during his time away from home. Mustering his courage, Tenn continued to flip the next page.
To his surprise, it wasn’t another angrily written message. Instead, there was a picture of Riku at what seems to be a school festival. He was smiling proudly while showing what looks to be a painting at the camera.
Look, Tenn-nii! I managed to draw something at the school festival. It’s a drawing of us going to school together. I definitely want to give it to you soon.
Tenn-nii, I graduated from junior high school today. I wonder if I can get into a decent high school…I’m sure you would be able to get into the best high school ever!
I went to karaoke with some friends from class today! It really was fun. I get why you liked singing so much back then. Nowadays, I’m healthy enough to copy the way you sang and danced back then!
All the pages were filled with memories from the years Tenn had been missing from Riku’s life. It was nowhere near as tidy and chronological as a diary, but every page was addressed to him. As if Riku was trying to reach him no matter how far or distant he was. School festivals, sports day, clubs, even the day he decided to become an idol…
Everything was there. It was as if everything Tenn had lost along his path on becoming the top idol and protecting Riku had been in his pockets all this time. Like cleaning up a warehouse and finding small tidbits of your life, no matter how insignificant they were. It wasn’t the best arrangement of complete and cohesive moments, and yet Tenn felt as happy as he did back when he was making those memories together with Riku.
Tenn looked at every page with careful consideration. This was Riku’s way of keeping Tenn in his own life, and he’s given it to Tenn as a gift. One that Tenn will cherish as much as he possibly can. Finally, he turned to the final page. A letter fell out of the photobook.
Tenn-nii, I’ve considered this photobook to be my treasure all my life. Even if you weren’t by my side physically, I was always thinking of you. I wanted you to see everything I experienced while you were gone. After all, I got the chance to experience all this thanks to you! I won’t search for the old Tenn-nii anymore. Tenn-nii is Tenn-nii no matter what! There may have been other choices, but this is the future we’re in together. I won’t look to the past to find the future because you’re still here now, in the future we'll make together !
P.S. I got that picture of us printed the other day!
P.P.S. I hope this didn’t collect dust in your storage room or something o((>ω< ))o
P.P.P.S. I love you!!!
Tenn slowly read the letter and chuckled. He closed the book and stood up. I guess I should probably call Riku to tell him I read everything. I bet he’s been waiting to hear from me for a while.