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___ Miyamasuzaka Girls Academy, 2:39PM, breaktime ___
“Truth of Dare, Shiho-chan?” Kohane said in her half-mischievous voice.
“...Truth”, Shiho sighed, knowing that months of idol activities probably gave Minori a library of scary things for her to do. And Kohane would probably ask her to do some embarrassing thing with her bandmates again.
“Have you kissed anyone in your band yet???” Shiho regretted everything. Of course this kind of question would come out of Emu, the suddenly-appearing 4th player of the game.
“Why would you…”
“...”
“ Yes.” Shiho said, cheeks red. Minori and Kohane, as Shiho classmates (and Phoenix Wonderlands mates, if that is a thing), were not surprised, but Emu instantly directed her star-filled eyes to her.
“How does it feel??? Is it like in those romance anime where everyone go super-duper-wonderhoy???” Shiho doesn’t know the intention behind those questions, but one thing for sure is that her face is beet red from even just thinking back at all the times… Nope, why is she starting to think about them again? Whatever, it’s Emu’s turn next, and Shiho will make her pay.
Kohane stopped giggling before joining in, “Don’t pressure our Shiho like that Emu-chan, and if I remember correctly it was only one to the cheek.” Shiho makes sure to also add Kohane to the payment list. “It’s your turn now Emu! Truth of Da..”
“Dare!” Emu yelled as expected (both the choice and the yell). Before Minori and Kohane can say anything though, Shiho attacks with full force:
“How about… you have to confess to one of your groupmate?” Shiho stated with a straight-face.
Minori gasped, while Kohane started giggling again. Emu’s face does the complete motion of typing “Ehh?” with a keyboard.
It was really hard for Shiho to find anything that can go against Emu’s limits. Anything that might break the school rules are out of the table (Shiho doubt that would stop Emu’s rampage anyway), physically demanding, in anyway, would be a piece of cake for Emu, and anything romantic-like that limit to Miyajo would be too simple for someone who would say “I love you so much Honami-chan!” just from an apple pie.
However, knowing how close Emu is to her stagemates, it would be a lot more awkward for her to just casually say something like that to them (coming from Shiho’s own experience, unfortunately (or fortunately, who knows?)). As much as Shiho is feeling guilty for taking advantage of Emu’s feelings, she decided to call it even knowing how embarrassed she was a minu….
“But they are all at Kamiyama though… Do you want a recording, or do I have to bring him here?” Emu said innocently.
Nevermind everything then, Shiho notes to never play this game with Emu ever again, or maybe just this game in general.
“But isn’t this too much??? Emu, you can refuse this if you want… Confession is not a good thing to throw around randomly you know?” Minori said, before quickly noticing something strange in Emu’s words. “Also what do you mean ‘him’? Don’t tell me you already know who…”
“It’s Tsukasa-san isn’t it?” Kohane finally spoke after totally not having small laughs at Shiho’s disappointed face and Minori’s worry.
“Hehehe… I was actually asking Shiho-chan to know what a kiss feels like so I can try it with Tsukasa-kun!”
“But you two aren’t datin…” Shiho stopped midway, realizing that saying what she was about to would imply a lot of things due to what she just claimed some minutes ago.
“Ohhh actually… If I just text him to pick me up at the school gate, maybe I can do the dare there for you all!”
“So you mean confessing right after school, with literally every student hanging outside?”. Shiho asked.
“That means there will be a lot of audiences, right? So it will make the confession extra wonderhoy!”. Emu said, and Shiho started having a medium amount of fear at Emu’s bravery, shamelessness, boldness, and every other adjective that exists in this world right now.
“Andddd…. text sent! Since everyone gave me the prompt, everyone has to watch it too!” Kohane and Minori nod, the latter seems a bit nervous for her pink-haired friend, while Shiho just sits still in thought…
“I’m going to look for a certain senpai now, see everyone after school!” Emu said before wonderhoying out of the window.
'Hope Tsukasa-san is fine with this.' Shiho thought. Guess she has to deliver the news to Leo/need for this “surprise show” that will happen later.
___ Kamiyama High School, 2:45PM, 3rd Period ___
“Nene, if I remember correctly, only the teachers for the 2nd year classes are absent. You still have class right?”
“That teacher probably doesn't even care if someone is missing. He can’t even remember like half the class’ names anyway.” Nene said before looking back at her Switch. Apparently the game she is playing had an update, and Nene unsurprisingly would prioritize that over participating in academic activities anytime.
The three of them are sitting on the school rooftop, and Rui is currently applying some updates to one of his drones. Apparently it is for some increase in recording quality, and Tsukasa decides not to think about the legibility of that.
Suddenly, a notification sound played from Tsukasa’s phone. It’s Emu to their group chat for all the Wandasho-related stuff. It looks like only his phone is not put on silent, just like him.
“What did she say, Tsukasa-kun?” Rui asked, “It would be troublesome if there is a problem right now, since the show tonight has our Emu-kun as the main character.”
“She asked if we can come pick her up at Miyajo after school, and apparently I am especially needed.”
“What does that even mean?” Nene questioned, her thumbs playing wrestling with the controller.
“She said that she needs to confess to me for a Truth of Dare.”
It was around 5 seconds of almost complete silence (except the sound of Nene’s button pressing) before Rui started showing his amused face.
“That sounds like something Emu-kun would do.”
“Wait… both of you aren’t dating each other yet?” Nene said, apparently also half-amused, “Weren’t you two cuddling with each other right here just two days ago? You two almost kissed each other there.”
“I need to refill my energy that day, okay? And isn’t that just what good friends do to help each other? We even had a group hug a week ago?”
“That’s a lot different… and Emu forced that…” Nene sighed while putting down her Switch, and actually turned her vision to Tsukasa now, “Anyway, what are you going to do about the confession?”
“If it is just a Truth or Dare, then I don’t see a reason to not help Emu out with that. Plus I can meet some of our fans there!”
“So you are just going to be confessed to by Emu, right in front of her school, probably with around five dozen people around, for Emu to win a game? Such bravery, as expected of our star!” Rui said while giggling, “You really do love her huh? Maybe I can get some interesting show ideas from this.”
“You said like we all wouldn’t do the same thing for her! As a world-future STAR!, it is my duty to keep our princess there be wonderhoy when she needs it!” Tsukasa stated with his over-the-top stage voice, completely ignoring (or simply not caring) about the implication of Rui’s words.
“I’m completely flabbergasted by this dude…” Nene whispered loudly to Rui, her face completely contradicting what she said. “Though he wasn’t wrong with that first part…”
“Look like we will have to follow him, it’s not like this kind of thing happens everyday.” Rui whispered back, and they both smiled while looking at their future star, posing at the middle of the school’s rooftop.
___ Miyamasuzaka Girls Academy, 4:31PM, Self-studying Period ___
The “self-studying” period that begins at the end of every Friday is a very good time for Emu to invade other classrooms, of course.
“Ehhhh?!?? So you are going to confess to my brother outside of school???” Saki asked, her eyes gleaming, and there were enough question marks in her question that everyone in 1-C probably heard all of it.
“Don’t be so loud Saki-chan, Ichika-chan is concentrating right now!” Honami (dragged along by Emu) is playing with Ichika's hair, who is tapping the eraser side of the pencil down onto her notebook full of lyrics.
“But Emu, confession is not something that you should throw around randomly like that you know? Are you sure you want to use this occasion for it?” Haruka is sitting opposite of Saki, half-chatting on her phone.
“Hehe, you sound just like Minori-chan! Of course I’m sure, I love Tsukasa-kun!”
'Sounds like Minori huh…' Oh right, Emu’s confession, “But don’t you love everyone, Emu? Why is it that you are choosing Tsukasa-kun and not the other? Your group has 3 other people in it right?”
“That’s right Emu, my brother is a star loved by a lot of people, so you will have to do more than that!” Saki chimed in, before slapping both her hands (calmly) down to the table in front of the pink-haired girl, “Now, what do you love about him?” Saki will never miss this chance to hear about her brother, especially from her possibly future sister-in-law.
“I love a lot about him! I love how he bought everyone Taiyaki when we take a break, how he would make small skit for us to laugh every time we are feeling down, how he would send me picture of them playing (breaking thing) in his school, how he would secretly make soup for everyone when we have an accidental sleep-over because Rui was sick, how he would sometimes call me “our princess”, and I would call him “our prince”, and then we would laugh together… and I love how he would call me a dummy everytime I’m feeling down, and then he would pat my head while telling me to keep dreaming…”
“Okay stop stop stop!” Emu’s voice started to lower at the end when Saki started feeling kinda guilty for accidentally having a sister talk with Emu, as well as getting the entire bibliography of her brother’s relationship.
“So you don’t have to worry anymore right Saki-chan? You can always believe in our Emu-chan, you know?” Honami said, one hand raised in front of her mouth to hide her obvious giggling.
“You know I didn’t mean it like that Hona-chan! Ic-chan, Hona-chan is bullying me… Eehh, Ic-chan?”
“Emu, it seems like it’s almost time, you should go back to your class and prepare your stuff.” Haruka said, before looking at Ichika, who is sleeping impressively in her sitting state.
“Umm! See everyone there! Adios!”
___ 200 meters away from Miyamasuzaka Girls Academy, 5:02PM ___
“Hope we are not too late.. Though why are you two so behind?” Tsukasa questioned Rui and Nene, who is walking just a little behind Tsukasa, and little as in that Tsukasa actually has to start using his normal volume for both of them to hear anything.
“She might come out any moment, so we don’t want to ruin the moment for you.”, Nene yelled back, while Rui is messing around with a controller, “This will be a remarkable day for you Tsukasa-kun, so do your best!”
“Aren’t you two a bit too serious about this Truth or Dare?”
“Gate ahead!” Nene ignored the question and changed her sight back to her phone’s screen, it’s been quite a while since she last texted Ichika, after all.
There are already a lot of students going out from the gate as Tsukasa walks to it, looking around for the suspicious pink-haired girl…
Emu was standing to the left side of the school gate where the name is imprinted, talking to one of Saki’s bandmates. The silver-haired girl quickly retreated as her gaze met him, and it was then that Emu turned back.
“HI TSUKASA-KUN!!!” Emu yelled, sprinting toward his whereabout before jumping right in front of him, landing on her heels and spinning her hands around like a 90’s anime.
“HELLO EMU!!!” Tsukasa yelled back, as standard practice. “There’s something you need to say to me right??”.
“Yep!” Emu squeaked before clearing her throat, “I want to say that I love you a whole whole lot Tsukasa-kun!”
“Hahahahah… and I love you a lot too, Emu!” Tsukasa said before doing an exact 180 degree spin with his feet, “Now we should get going for practice before tonigh..”
Tsukasa was halfway through his sentence before he felt a gentle touch at his neck. He turned back (like a normal person this time) to see Emu look at him with a bright smile and eyes closed.
“No, Tsukasa-kun! I mean the “I wanna be with you forever!” kind of love! I love you that much!” She said in a mixture of the usual happiness and an abnormal calmness. “So, do you also want to be like that with me?”
“Like, being with you forever?”
“Umm!” Emu made a confirmation noise along with a nod, before opening her eyes, which sparkle like they are filled with stars.
Tsukasa loves that pair of eyes a lot.
It used to remind him of Saki, who would have the same eyes when she watched that show in complete awe.
Then it reminds him of his dream, to become a star, and to make his sister, and make everyone happy, to show his talent to the world.
Then it reminds him of the first time he met Emu, when Emu introduced him to Wonder Stages, and how she wonderhoy-ed him from two-story height. Emu’s eyes were beaming with light, and she was the first person ever to recognize his talents.
Then it reminds him of that day, on the ferris wheel, when Emu was looking at him with a fake smile, and those eyes that had nothing.
Tsukasa doesn’t like that smile, and those eyes.
He wanted to always see the Emu that would surprise everyone with her little-too-tight hug, or digging holes to wonderhoy those unaware, and she would then spin around with those sparkly eyes and shiny smile before shouting about the next show.
Tsukasa loves Emu’s bright, and Tsukasa loves Emu.
“Tsukasa-kun?” It has been around 8 seconds since Tsukasa last said anything, which is probably why Emu decided to call him back to the present. Her face looks like that of a 4-year-old questioning their mom about what’s next for dinner.
“Emu…”
“Hmm???”
“I also love you a whole lot, like the “I wanna be with you forever!” kind of love.” Tsukasa said gently.
“...”
Tsukasa sensed a smile forming on Emu’s face, but what he focused on first was the pink-haired girl jumping right into him, eyes closed and arms wide opened.
Tsukasa stretched his arms before catching Emu with a tight hug, spinning her in the air.
“Wahahahaha~~...” Their laughter overlaps each other as Tsukasa lower Emu down, still hugging, and making almost a two-cycle spin.
“Ahh~ I love you so so much!” Tsukasa said as he lowered his head to Emu’s shoulder.
“I love you even more than that!”
“Right right…” Tsukasa said before he relaxed his hand, quickly planting a kiss on Emu’s forehead, “Now, it is time for our show practice!”
“Umm! Let’s go!” Emu yelled, raising her right hand forward, the one intertwined with Tsukasa’s left. Both of their faces shaded pink.
___ Miyamasuzaka Girls Academy’s Gate, 5:06PM ___
“You seeing this Icchan???”
“Um… Yea…”
“I think Ichika-chan is really tired today, we should help her go back home.”
“I guess Tsukasa-san owes me that one huh.”
“Rui, I know this is very important, but you are recording around 50 plus people with no permission..”
“Don’t worry Nene, I know how to blur them out. What’s important is what we should prepare for this change… Maybe we can get some new show ideas out of it.”
“Minori, you can look at them now!”
“Um.. Ah Haruka-chan! Sorry about that!”
“Honestly, I can’t understand how you get more red than those who are in the actual confession! Then when will Haruka get her wish?”
“Ah Airi-chan, you are not supposed to say that out loud…”
"Tsukasa-san is such a brave person huh!"
“I think the better word here is 'shameless'... but good for him! Let's go Kohane, the boys are waiting!"