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Bustling with life, the school cafeteria seemed more crowded than usual. It probably was the warmest place in the school, the perfect place for students to recover from the winter's cold, especially with the help of a warm meal.
Seated at one of the tables, Tsukasa and Rui were discussing their next show.
"What should we do?" Tsukasa seemed so lost in thoughts that the hot soup he had ordered was getting colder.
"Umm…" Even Rui looked troubled.
It was rare to see the two famous school weirdos in the cafeteria as they would usually eat lunch on the rooftop.
It's the "Oddball 1,2 finish"!
Are they making a new show!?
Are they going to blow up the cafeteria now?
The other students were whispering. Some were eager to see what they were up to, while others were looking at the two with suspicion, not wanting to be caught up in any of their gigs. Unfortunately for them, for better or worse, the weirdo combo wouldn't be able to meet their expectations since there was no grand show planned for the day. They had opted for the cafeteria just because it was getting colder outside, and because Tsukasa had forgotten his lunch once again.
"Maybe we can use a more simple concept." Disinterested in the constant whispers, Rui continued their discussion.
With Christmas approaching in less that month, it was no surprise that today's topic was about a possible Christmas show.
It seemed that the main problem was time management: they had been very busy with their work as ambassadors, meaning they had less time to prepare for yet another show, but in no way canceling it was an option and neither was half-assing it. They still had their usual audience to satisfy after all.
"That's rare coming from you." Tsukasa pointed out.
Rui was the same guy who would make thunder on the stage or make him fly 5m from the ground. Was there even the word "simple" in his vocabulary?
"Weren't you the one that asked for more down to earth shows? I'm just providing." Rui scrolled his shoulders.
"I don't know if I can believe you when you say it like that." Tsukasa frowned his brow.
"Tsukasa-kun, to think you won't believe me when I say that I always put your needs first, you hurt my feelings, sob sob…"
Rui started rubbing his eyes to go along with his fake crying. Obviously it was all an act, it was always fun to tease his dear star.
"I know you are just faking it!!" Tsukasa complained, "But you won't get a reaction out of me this time!!"
He turned around, looking away from Rui.
…
Silence. The discussion had suddenly come to a stop. Unable to bear the awkward atmosphere, Tsukasa took a quick peek at his director: he had lowered his head. Maybe he really was hurt?
"Rui…?"
…
"BOOH!" He pranked him with his cat-like smirk.
So it was just an act!!!
"I knew it!! You are just teasing me!!" Tsukasa stood up, pointing his finger in Rui's direction.
He couldn't believe Rui got him again.
"Fufu~"
And now said director was laughing his head off at Tsukasa's expenses.
Tsukasa-kun's expressions are just fun! Rui thought.
"GRRRR…" Tsukasa grunted. "Ahh…" And then sighed.
At least someone is having fun…
He knew it was because of his funny reaction that Rui would endlessly tease him, if only he could ignore him! But that was clearly impossible: all things considered, Rui was still his precious director.
"We should get back on topic." After having calmed down, Tsukasa sat down, ready to resume the discussion that had been previously derailed. "What do you have in mind?"
"As I was saying I wanted to try a simple concept, for example the story of a lonely boy that learns the joy of spending Christmas with his friends." Rui began explaining.
Tsukasa was surprised, it was indeed a simple concept. While there were already many stories like that, they could still put their own spin on it.
"I see, simple yet effective. It will be easy for the audience to feel sympathy for the protagonist."
"I'm glad you agree."
"Do you have a general idea for the story? For example, why is the boy feeling lonely? If we establish that early on we can make him more sympathetic."
"Because of their parents' jobs the boy would always change schools. It may have been fine in the beginning, but as the years passed the boy had to bid farewell to many friends. Not wanting to feel that sadness again he decided to give up having friends all together."
"I see." Tsukasa was carefully listening.
The story had already caught his full attention, which made Rui delighted. He considered part of his job to keep Tsukasa entertained after all.
"His new classmates, worried about the boy, decide to invite him to their Christmas party, but unfortunately he refuses. The party might be fun, but the boy couldn't help the thought of one day having to say goodbye to those new friends too. It made him feel miserable. In the next scene…"
Before he could continue explaining the plot, Rui was suddenly interrupted.
"Oh I know! This being a Christmas show, in this scene, we can make Santa Claus break into the class from one of the windows!" Tsukasa enthusiastically proposed. "OH OH OH, SANTA IS HERE TO SAVE YOUR CHRISTMAS!"
A perfect Santa Claus imitation. If Rui could give it a vote, it would be a perfect 10, but unfortunately that wasn't what he had in mind.
"That… certainly would surprise our audience, but I was thinking of a more slice of life story."
"Oh, I see…" Tsukasa sounded disappointed.
I guess I can indulge him a bit, Rui thought.
"We can make Santa appear there, but it turns out to be just the class president, who kept insisting on being Santa Claus."
"It's not the real one, but I guess I can accept that." Tsukasa nodded to himself, his lips curling in a small smile.
Hehe, how cute. You just can't hide your happiness.
*Cough, cough.*
Rui cleared his throat, that was not the time to think about how cute his dear star could be.
"Then after this heartfelt encounter, the boy would accept the invitation. The gift he ended up receiving from "Santa" was friendship," he picked up from where he left off. "Even if one day you will be separated from your friends, there is no need to spend your days alone. You might feel sad when it all ends, but that's not a good reason to not be happy in the present."
"I think this is the kind of message I want to convey in the play." Rui concluded.
"Rui… What an emotional story!!" Tsukasa started sobbing. Since he could remember he would always easily cry at these kinds of stories.
"Eheheh, I'm glad you like it." Rui smiled.
"As for the role, I think you will make a Great Santa." He commented and after Tsukasa's display he was even more convinced. "Emu and Nene could be the worried classmates and as for me…" He paused for a moment, "I will play the role of the lonely boy."
"I don't usually play the protagonist, but I think this role fits me perfectly," Rui murmured.
"..."
The Lonely alchemist, and now the lonely boy… Rui would always take those types of roles in their show.
Was this story based on your personal experiences too? Tsukasa reflected.
He thought that maybe, because of his childhood memories, Rui felt a connection to those kinds of characters…
But it should be different now!
Tsukasa was always there for him and so was the rest of Wonderlands × Showtime.
"Rui!" Tsukasa called out to him.
It was time for an earful: Rui needed to know he wasn't alone anymore even if Tsukasa had to spell it out to him.
"Yes?" Rui was surprised by the other boy suddenly shouting his name.
"Do you know how we are called by our fellow schoolmates?"
An unexpected question. Rui knew that thanks to his "experiment" they had piqued the interest of both students and teachers alike, so much so that they even had been labeled with a funny nickname.
"I think it was "Oddball 1, 2 Finish" ?''
"Exactly 1, 2! That means two people! It's not just me or just you." Tsukasa remarked, "As there isn't 1 without its 2, there isn't a star without his director."
"I guess?"
Rui had a feeling where this was going.
"What I'm trying to say is that we are friends! Not only me, you have plenty of friends, Emu, Nene, Akiyama and the list goes on. You are not alone anymore!"
"And even in the future, I plan to rely on you not as my director, but as my friend as well."
His hunch was right: Tsukasa had read a bit too much into the story he had proposed. It was true that it was partly based on his experiences, but he already knew that he wasn't alone anymore.
"Thank you Tsukasa-kun."
Nonetheless, it was reassuring to hear that from Tsukasa himself, his words were always full of warmth.
"As long as you understand!"
"Then I guess I already got my Christmas present." Rui joked.
"Uh!? We are already friends, so that doesn't count as a Christmas present!" Tsukasa made clear, "Obviously, I already have a magnificent gift prepared for you!"
A lie. He still had no idea what to give him for Christmas. It was easy enough to find a present for his other members of the troupe, in fact Emu would be happy with anything shiny and the list of games he could buy for Nene was infinite. As for Rui, he still didn't know what to do.
"Oh my, you shouldn't have~! I would have been happy with just "you" as my present ♥." Rui moved his hand closer to that of Tsukasa, interlocking their fingers together. He was back again with his teasing.
"E-EEHHH!?" Tsukasa jumped, trying to get away from Rui's touch.
The implications of that phrase made Tsukasa blush from ear to ear. Rui's sensual tone of voice and manners certainly didn't help.
"Ahahah… I know you want to use me as your guinea pig for another one of your experiments!" He nervously laughed, trying to find a justification for Rui's proposal.
It was impossible that his director just wanted to flirt with him, there must have been another reason… Or not?
"Oh no~~, you saw right through me."
"HAHAHAHA, I won't fall for it again!"
Tsukasa was still blushing an awful lot. He had always been clueless about Rui's flirting attempts, but lately it seemed that those attempts weren't going unnoticed.
Fufu, I just can't get enough of you... Rui thought.
Since the day Tsukasa had recruited him on the school rooftop, there hadn't been a single dull moment in his life.
Talking together at school, working together at Wonder Stage…. Everyday has been so colorful.
Yes, there was only a name he could give to this overflowing emotion: it was love.
Tsukasa-kun, thank you for finding me…