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With golden eyes glued to the open pages of his notebook, Tsukasa lazily drags his pen across the rough surface of the paper.
As the voice of his teacher becomes distant in the background, Tsukasa's mind is everywhere but where it should be—as if he got transported into a whole new world, an empire made out of his imagination.
Lost in thought, Tsukasa continues to sketch potential props and costumes for his troupe's next spectacular show.
Some could say it's a bit troublesome to see him not pay attention to what the teacher is saying, especially considering the fact this is not his best class, but to him this was simply dedication to his craft. A path towards his dream of becoming a shining star that can proudly stand on the world's biggest stage and make everybody smile with his heart-touching performances.
It's only natural to see him working hard every chance he gets.
Luckily for Tsukasa, the bell rings shortly, snapping him back to his senses, before the teacher gets the chance to notice him zoning out and scold him in front of his peers.
He lifts his head lazily and takes note of the time. 12:00. Lunch break.
With a satisfied smirk on his face, Tsukasa leans down and starts digging through his bag in an attempt to find the lunch box—a bento he made all by himself.
When he pulls out the orange box with a star sticker on top and sets it on the table he can't help but feel pleased with himself. It's only natural that a star like himself would be able to prepare a lunch as sumptuous as this one!
Closing the notebook in the process, he hides his breath-taking ideas from the curious stares of his classmates. (He has yet to find out that his classmates don't exactly care about the contents of his notebook, but for now he dreams.)
Quickly, he gets up and makes his way towards the doorway, greeting his classmates along the way.
The moment his foot is out of the classroom, he speeds his pace, making his way towards a familiar destination—the class next door.
Just like every day for the last few months, Tsukasa peeks through the doorframe and scans the room in order to look out for the familiar individual. It takes him a while to inspect the entire room and another while to double check that he hasn't miraculously missed his friend so the realization that he isn't here today takes him aback.
"Excuse me-" a shy voice calls out, behind him, "Are you perhaps looking for Kamishiro?"
"Ah!" Tsukasa turns around, unable to hide the troubled expression from the girl in front of him, "I am! Is he not present today?"
"No, he hasn't shown up today." Her voice is timid but warm. Tsukasa's not well acquainted with most of Rui's classmates, and he's fully aware of the rumors being spread around about his friend. However the girl in front of him doesn't seem to have bad intentions so he decides to loosen up and trust her.
"I see…" Tsukasa replies, biting on his lip, unaware of the fact his hands are tightly gripping around his lunch box, "Thank you very much."
He leaves with a bow of gratitude, leaving the girl behind, without giving her any time to muster a reply.
Why isn't Rui in school today? Does that mean he won't show up to practice? The thoughts began popping up in his head one after the other as he mindlessly walks the hallways of Kamiyama High, his lunch still in his hands.
Before he knows it, he's standing in front of a familiar classroom. Without even realizing it he walks inside, feeling at ease when his eye catches a sight of a familiar sage haired girl.
She's sitting at her desk, curled up as her eyes scan the screen of her phone that she's sat up against her pencil case for support.
Without a second thought, Tsukasa approaches her as if it's second nature and slowly taps on her shoulder, asking to be acknowledged. However, Tsukasa has never been particularly good with reading the room so when the girl in front of him shrieks in surprise, her elbow flies straight into his stomach.
"OUCH!" he whines, sheltering his stomach with one of his arms as he holds the lunch box in his other hand. "What was that for?!"
Furrowing her brows, the girl in front of him gives him a cold glare. Sensing a cold shiver run down his spine, Tsukasa could swear that the room temperature suddenly dropped by 10 degrees Celsius. "Maybe if you weren't sneaking behind me like a creep…"
"Hey-grh!—" words mush in his mouth, "I was not!"
"You were."
"WAS NOT!"
Nene is the first one to break the banter, "What do you want?"
"Tch." Tsukasa furrows his brows in disapproval, like a little kid who's just been denied a toy, "I was going to invite you to eat lunch with me…"
"Pass."
"YOU DIDN'T EVEN HEAR ME OUT!"
"Could you—" Nene shoots him a glare, "be a bit quieter. You're embarrassing me."
"Me?!" Tsukasa gawks at her, unable to contemplate why anyone would be embarrassed by his starly presence.
Frustrated and tired, Nene rubs her temple, "Whatever. I don't even care."
Nene always had a habit of saying something then doing the opposite. She could complain about Tsukasa, how he's embarrassing, loud and bad for her ears (as well as reputation) and yet she always goes along with his suggestions. Which totally has nothing to do with how much she trusts him (despite being unwilling to admit that). So it's no surprise to see her get up, pack her things and shove her phone in the pocket of her blazer.
"Where to?"
Tsukasa's eyes light up in pleasure. If he was a dog instead of human he would be wiggling his tail excitedly. "The rooftop!"
"Lead the way, mr. World Future Star." She says, following close in his footsteps.
The walk to the rooftop is filled with chatter, mostly coming from Tsukasa as Nene follows close behind, holding onto his cardigan in order to not lose her friend in a sea of hungry high school students. She listens to everything he says and he tells her about the new show idea he got (not a bad one in the slightest), about the props he designed and of course—
"By the way, why isn't Rui in school today?" He turns to her, worry hinted in the way he looks at her like a sopping wet cat.
"Oh," Nene looks up for the first time since they left the classroom, "He sent a text earlier today. Something about getting sick." Suddenly, she stops in her tracks, "Wait, didn't you read the message? I'm pretty sure it was in our troupe's group chat…"
"I—" a realization hits Tsukasa like a truck, "I forgot to check my…phone."
Before he knows it the girl in front of him chuckles loudly which takes him aback just a bit. Turning red in his cheeks, he covers his face with his arm. "Don't laugh at me…"
"You're so—"
"Arg!" Tsukasa interrupts her by facepalming himself, "I should probably message Rui and tell him to get well soon."
"He's probably asleep so don't worry. Emu already sent him a bunch of encouraging messages." Nene explains, "Besides, Rui's the type of guy to sleep it off until he feels better."
It's a relief to know Rui's fine. While a part of Tsukasa still feels a tad guilty about not checking his messages he's glad to know that his friend will make it out of his illness soon enough. After all, Nene said so and when was Nene ever wrong?
The two troupemates arrive at the rooftop soon enough, with not a single soul in sight. It's no surprise considering rooftops are not most student's ideal place to spend a lunch break. However, Rui liked them. He says being so high up where he can see everyone made him feel at peace so Tsukasa adapted quickly. The two would usually spend their break talking about shows and oftentimes Nene would make them company. Sometimes she'd practice her singing and sometimes she'd just listen to music as the other two discussed. There were times when even Emu joined them. Rushing out of Miya girls academy just to spend time with her dear friends, which would earn her an earful from Tsukasa (who was happy to see her regardless.)
The two students settle next to each other and Tsukasa finally gets the chance to open his lunchbox, revealing a home-made bento. Ginger fried pork, rice, carrots and bean sprouts never looked more tempting to Tsukasa as saliva practically ran down his mouth.
Just as he's about to take the first bite he gets hit by sudden realization that Nene didn't have any lunch with her. Confused, he gives her a questioning look, "Nene! Did you not bring your lunch?"
"Oh." Nene doesn't look at him as she mindlessly scrolls through her phone, "I had a snack before you arrived in my classroom."
"A snack is not a proper meal Nene!"
At that the girl simply shrugs.
Surprising both of them, Tsukasa takes out a piece of his food and holds it in front of Nene's mouth. He just can't have Nene not eating enough. Not on his watch. "Open."
"What."
"I said open your mouth."
Nene stares at him blankly for a second, "You can't be serious."
"Shhhhh—" he moves closer, "Here comes the airplane."
…
When she moves closer, opening her mouth to bite the piece of meat that Tsukasa's shoved into her face, he notices red tint sprayed across her cheeks. It's only then that he really realizes what he's done. However, it turns out to be a very rare occasion where he does read the room correctly and decides to stop himself from saying anything.
(He has to admit that Nene looked really adorable though.)
The two sit next to each other, arms brushing against each other as they share food and discuss future show ideas. Tsukasa takes pleasure knowing that Nene's satisfied with the meal he's prepared.
When they finish, Tsukasa sets the lunchbox aside and leans his head on Nene's shoulder. After all, it was only natural for both of them to be exhausted after a good meal.
Nene doesn't move nor indicate for him to pull back. On the contrary—she welcomes him, leaning her head on top of his as she sits in peace.
This kind of intimacy wasn't exactly a stranger to members of Wonderlands x Showtime. While some were definitely more touchy than the others (Emu) none of them hated physical contact. Hugging or even just having parts of their bodies touching. It was nice. Familiar.
Suddenly, Tsukasa speaks up, "Hey Nene."
"Yes?"
"Could you sing for me?"
"Now?"
"Yes."
She doesn't add on anything else. There's no need to. She simply starts singing because the answer has always and will always be sure.
Her melodies dance in the air around them, putting Tsukasa's mind in a trance. It was something so magical. Something so majestic. Nene's singing truly was like no other, at least in Tsukasa's opinion.
She sings Starry sky melody. A song well-known to both of them as they've performed and rehearsed it for multiple versions of the same show up until now. The song—or better said Nene's voice gives Tsukasa chills.
The way her voice delivers the verses, the way she sings the chorus, putting so much emotion in her performance despite there being one singular spectator—she still strives to give it her all.
Tsukasa gets lost in thought, almost falling asleep, head still on Nene's shoulder as he enjoys the song.
Unfortunately, the song comes to an end faster than he would have prefered. When she closes her mouth, a small smile creeps up on the corner of Tsukasa's mouth.
"This is why you're our precious diva!" He says as if it's not a big deal. As if the mere compliment doesn't make Nene's heart beat faster. But he doesn't feel her heartbeat, nor does he see the way her face turns red so he keeps on showering her with compliments of all sorts as she's forced to sit there and pretend she's alright.
"It's whatever." She says but her voice comes off a bit raspy and Tsukasa notices immediately. Of course he does.
"Is your throat okay Nene?" He asks worriedly, "Did you overwork yourself again?"
"I'm fine," she coughs in her fist, "I guess my throat just got a bit dry."
Faster than the wind, Tsukasa gets up, startling Nene who's heart skips a beat at the sudden motion. Raising a brow, she gives him a questioning look.
"WAIT HERE NENE!" he shouts with the brightest grin on his face because the greatest, smartest, most amazing idea just came to his mind.
"WH-" her eyes widen but Tsukasa gives her no time to finish her thought because before she gets the chance to blink he's gone and she's left alone on the school rooftop.
Proudly, Tsukasa rushes through the halls of Kamiyama, almost bumping into Akito and Toya to whom he passes a flashy greeting and carries on to his original destination. (He decides to ignore Akito's grumpy comment.)
See, it was Tsukasa's request to hear Nene sing. He enjoyed her songs and could listen to her forever. However he failed to take into consideration that it might leave her throat feeling dry, especially because he fed her just moments prior and she had nothing to drown the food with. So~ it seemed like a splendid idea for Tsukasa to make it up to Nene by buying her favorite grapefruit juice from the vending machine. Both as a token of his gratitude and because he cares deeply about his friend's well-being.
Fidgeting with his pants pockets in an attempt to find some coins he walks up to the machine. He finds the money and inserts it inside, selecting Nene's favorite drink, the proud smirk not once leaving his face.
Tsukasa chuckles under his breath, proud of his genius brain and outstanding ideas.
Casually, he starts to make his way back to the rooftop where he left Nene. However as he's walking up the stairs a bell rings startling Tsukasa out of his mind. He screeches in surprise, almost dropping the juice he holds in his hands so securely.
As Tsukasa becomes aware of his surroundings he decides to go for a run and rushes to the rooftop, praying Nene didn't leave just yet. When he finally climbs to the top he reaches out for the doorknob but somebody, from the other side of the door, forestalls him and the door swings open before he gets the chance to grab it. Clumsily, Tsukasa trips on his feet and the juice goes flying out of his hands.
Before he knows it, a gasp startles him back to reality as the worst case scenario flashes before his very eyes. Hesitantly he lifts his head up, praying to whatever deity is up there to spare him the awkwardness but alas there she is—Nene, covered in grapefruit juice, standing in front of him with anger brewing on her face.
Apologies come spilling out of Tsukasa's mouth one after the other as Nene stands in front of him motionless. Both of them have long forgotten about the class that was about to start any minute now.
"What the fu—"
"Nene, I am SO sorry."
"My blazer is ruined." She frowns, taking off the soaking wet uniform. Underneath she's wearing merely a t-shirt. While it's not freezing cold outside it's still a bit chilly and Tsukasa couldn't forgive himself in thousands of years if he were the reason his beloved troupe's diva got sick. So he takes off his cardigan and hands it to her without a word.
At first she stares at him confused for a second. As if he's making fun of her that he has a cardigan and she doesn't. Then it hits her and she takes a step back, "Oh no!" Anger in her voice slowly fades out, "I couldn't do that."
"It's my fault for spilling the juice over you." Tsukasa notes, pushing his cardigan in her hands, "So take it."
Hesitantly, she looks at him, "What about you?"
"HA!" he laughs. Of course he does. "A star like me can handle it."
"Are you implying I couldn't?" Nene begins to tease.
"I did not say that." Tsukasa pouts, furrowing his brows, "But I don't need you getting sick because of me."
"How caring." She jokes, staring at the cardigan and the wet blazer in her hands. "I'll take you on your offer."
"Great!" Tsukasa exclaims, "Now give me your blazer."
"Huh?"
"The blazer! Give it to me."
"It's far too small—"
"I meant, I'll wash it."
Nene argues with that, " You really don't have to go that far." It's embarrassing.
"Just let me do this for you alright?"
…
"Alright."
With that, Nene rushes downstairs. The speed in her steps shows her praying she gets to her class before the teacher does. Tsukasa quietly watches as the girl slowly becomes distant in his field of vision, too embarrassed to move.
What was that? Not only did he fail to bring Nene a drink but he also managed to ruin her uniform.
If the sound of roaring thunder, creeping up in the background, didn't startle him out of his thoughts he'd probably remain standing there, basking in his own embarrassment, for at least a while longer.
Quickly glancing at the sky, Tsukasa takes note of dark gray clouds soaring above him. The sight, followed by another loud bang, sends shivers down his spine.
He's kind of glad that he made Nene borrow his cardigan because it seems like it will be raining today which means chances of her catching a cold increase. Oh what a good thing it is that he's persistent.
Aware of the fact he's already late to class he takes his time cleaning the pound of juice sprawled across the rooftop entrance.
When he's finished cleaning up, he neatly folds Nene's blazer and places his lunchbox on top of it as he sets off to his classroom, trying to come up with a good enough excuse that he can use on his teacher.
Luckily for him he hardly gets any complaints from his teacher who seems as equally tired as he is.
His classmates don't pay him much mind as he walks back to his seat in shame, still clutching on Nene's blazer in his hands.
The notebook with all his ideas is still where he left it. Immediately after shoving the stuff from his hands in his bag he begins to write again.
He recalls the suggestions Nene came up with and the ideas the two of them discussed while feasting on the rooftop.
As the time goes on and he writes more and more it becomes harder for him to focus on the show ideas. All he can think about is Nene and he wonders if she made it to class on time. He wonders if her classmates are giving her weird looks or making up scenarios in their heads as to why she's not wearing her blazer. If she's had anything to drink…
The thoughts plague his mind and he shifts in his seat uncomfortably.
When did he become such a worrywart?
Giving up on brainstorming about shows for the day, Tsukasa puts his pencil down and leans his face on his hand as his gaze drifts outside. Barely keeping his eyes open, Tsukasa stares out of the window as the dark clouds enter his field of vision. He remembers Rui mentioning how rainy weather makes him sleepy and in that moment Tsukasa couldn't agree more.
While it didn't start raining yet, the clouds indicated the arrival of a downpour very soon.
Barely keeping his eyes open, Tsukasa drifts into his thoughts, getting lost in his head once again—the sound of his teacher's voice quickly getting drowned out by his own thoughts.
However instead of show ideas he thinks about Nene. He silently wishes for her presence—for her voice. If Nene were to sing him another tune then he'd surely rest peacefully that night. If Nene were here he could enjoy the same warmth he felt today on the rooftop as she set his heart ablaze by the sheer power of her voice.
Letting out a dreamy sigh, Tsukasa thinks about how much Nene's changed—how much they changed since their first meeting.
He thinks of Nene's growth and the way she grew from a shy girl who was too weak to face an audience to a confident diva with an ability to ad-lib in any situation. The thought reminds him of their first failure of a show and how he, foolish and overstimulated by his own feelings, took his anger out on her. That day, he said some mean things to her.
The memory, burned into his brain, still hurts whenever he thinks of it but at least it serves as a reminder that despite the hardships they managed to overcome it all and move forward.
He's had the chance to get to know Nene better, to understand her on more than just a surface level. It feels like a blessing of some sort—being able to say he knows Nene Kusanagi. The world's future dazzling diva. He's sure that if she continues at this rate she'll become unstoppable. As for him, he'll be right beside her. No matter how good she gets, Tsukasa won't let her surpass him. They both have bright futures ahead of them and it would be amazing if the two were able to keep on cooperating even after they fulfill their dreams.
Standing on the world's biggest stage alongside Nene doesn't sound bad. On the contrary, Tsukasa ends up liking the thought just a bit too much.
The two of them would make a dazzling duo. Nene and her astonishing singing, Tsukasa and his confident acting, both of them and their mesmerizing looks…
Nene is really pretty. That is not an opinion but rather a fact that Tsukasa is so certain of, that he is ready to argue.
Her sage hair is messy and soft to touch. Sometimes when Nene gets mad she bristles and her hair gives off an impression of a distressed cat. Well, thinking about it now—Nene really is cute, just like a kitten. Sometimes when you surprise her she'll hiss and…
At that, Tsukasa catches himself slipping, falling into territories yet undiscovered. He's always thought girls were pretty…it's merely a coincidence that he finds himself thinking Nene is the prettiest girl who has ever walked the earth.
It doesn't mean anything.
Right?
It doesn't mean anything that everytime he sees her deliver her lines on stage his heart skips a beat and he has to work extra hard to not make it show. It doesn't mean anything that he admires her video game skills despite constantly getting beat by her.
It doesn't mean anything…surely…
Luckily for him, his daydreaming that has been on verge of becoming a crisis soon comes to an end because just as he was about to soar into another scenario in his head the bell rings, snapping Tsukasa to his senses. Realizing that he somehow managed to miss the entire lecture because he was daydreaming about his friend suddenly hits him as he feels shame wash over him.
Dwelling on it will get him nowhere, Tsukasa decides, so he comes up with a decision to simply pay more attention next time. Hopefully tomorrow there will be no dark clouds in the sky making him sleepy and no pretty green haired girls to distract him from his studies.
Speaking of dark clouds, the first thing Tsukasa notices when he steps foot outside is the absolute downpour that has fallen upon their area. He shivers at the cold air, touching his bare skin. A part of him regrets giving away his cardigan but the other part of him is glad that at least he won't have to carry Nene catching a cold on his consciousness.
He opens his umbrella but just as he's about to leave school property Tsukasa notices a figure hiding under the entrance roof, taking shelter so as to not get wet. When he comes closer the sage hair is the first thing that gives her away.
"Nene!" Tsukasa shouts, immediately rushing to her side, "What are you doing?" He shifts his arm a bit so the umbrella in his hand covers both of them.
Nene rolls her eyes without giving him a reply.
At that moment Tsukasa realizes she is still wearing his cardigan. It's a little big on her and the sleeves slip from her hands but she looks just soooo cute regardless. When he checks her out a bit more he can physically feel himself burning up so to not raise any suspicion he immediately starts shaking his head and scolding her.
"Don't tell me you forgot your umbrella at home Nene," Tsukasa clicks his tongue, "You're so forgetful sometimes. What would you do if I didn't arrive at your rescue?"
"Oh come on—" she tries to argue but Tsukasa is far too deep in character.
"Seriously! We can't have you catching a cold." Tsukasa fights the urge to look at her, "You are so lucky that I spotted you here looking like a soaked wet kitten."
"What did you just call me?"
"BUT FEAR NOT NENE!" he brings his free hand to his chest and flashes her the biggest, most confident, most annoying grin she has ever seen, "I, TSUKASA TENMA, WORLD FUTURE STAR, AM HERE! AT YOUR RESCUE AHAHAH—"
"OH MY GOD!" Nene hides her face in her hands, "Do you ever turn off?!"
"WHA—HEY!!" Tsukasa protests but he can't say anything because Nene, embarassed of the eyes on them, slaps her hand on his mouth while still hiding her face behind her other hand.
"Shut up…"
The two stand in silence, the downpour getting stronger with each second they stand there motionless.
"Sorry." Tsukasa pouts, "Please allow me to walk you home."
Nene's face jolts up and her gleaming lavender eyes are staring at him wide open, "What?"
"I'll walk you home…please." Tsukasa repeats himself, praying that the dull atmosphere around them hides the bright red tint on his burning face. He's embarrassed himself in front of Nene enough times today.
"Ah—" Nene shifts on her feet, "You don't have to. I'll just wait it out."
"You'll catch a cold for sure!!" Tsukasa argues, "Besides, my umbrella is big enough for two."
Nene glances at him hesitantly but sighs in defeat, "Whatever. I'll go."
The cackle escapes Tsukasa's mouth, "HAHA! You always do that."
"Shut it." Nene rolls her eyes, wrapping her hands around Tsukasa's arm. At that Tsukasa forgets about the rain and chilly wind and can only think about how soft Nene is. Despite him only wearing a t-shirt and standing in the downpour he feels strangely warm. "Lead the way Mr.star"
"Just for you my dearest diva."