Chapter Text
The bond between the Tenma siblings was unshakable. While many considered Tsukasa as a loud and exuberant attention-seeker, Saki saw her brother as the star he claimed to be. Or at the very least, a star in the making. Unbeknownst to Tsukasa, she had ensured that anyone who disregarded her dear brother ended up regretting it.
Akito still wasn’t aware of the real cause of the stomach-ache he had after he first met Tsukasa. (Hint: No one gets away with insulting Saki’s brother in front of her.)
Similarly, Tsukasa has always been present for Saki in the darkest times of her life. When her friends stopped visiting her at the hospital, Tsukasa visited her as often as he could, sometimes to his own detriment, to brighten her world. When he couldn’t see her, he called her, and when she was scared, he would hold her hand and tell her stories of knights in shiny armor, of princesses saving princes, and more generally, stories that gave her hope and wonders for the future that life reserved for her. If anything, his stories ever steeled her resolve to get better and group back with the friends she lost of view. It made her believe, unconsciously, that there was solution to every problem and that patience could bear fruits.
The point was, Tsukasa meant everything to her sister. Exaggerated as that might sound (nowadays, she had many people she cared about after all), she took upon herself the duty of protecting her poor elder brother that so easily brushed aside his own problems.
She always told herself that if Tsukasa ever decided to date...
She’d ensure that his chosen partner would be worthy of Tsukasa.
Saki never really was one to break rules, but she made exceptions for emergencies. So when she noticed, as she left that morning, that Tsukasa forgot his lunch, she decided it’d be a duty as his sister to bring his lunch to school! Well, yes, she could easily leave the task to Emu, whom Tsukasa often complained about her visits during lunchtime...
But Emu wasn’t someone she saw on daily basis plus... Saki have been worried about her brother.
… Tsukasa was acting weird lately. He was caught up in his thoughts and very skittish. Silent, even. She would usually hear Tsukasa’s loud voice echoing through the house as he practiced, or even talk to himself. Bothering as it was, it always brought a smile to Saki’s face. It was a warm house kept alive by her brother’s voice.
(If it ever bothered her, she could easily find a refuge in Sekai, but it rarely happened.)
With Tsukasa’s silence, the air seemed colder. Whenever she’d ask her brother what happened, he’d just say that he was fine with an embarrassed look on his face.
She didn’t like it. It reminded her of a time before Wonderland x Showtime, where Tsukasa was keeping to himself the brash words of teenagers that couldn’t understand those who didn’t act like the flock.
The school bell rang, announcing the lunch break to the delight of the students and the dismay of teachers who didn’t get to finish their sentences. Saki drew a smile to her face and got up energetically. It’ll be fine. She’ll just see her brother and ensure *no one* dares to criticize the blonde.
She smiled apologetically to Ichika.
“Ichika! I’ll see you all at practice tonight! My brother forgot his lunch at home, so I’ll be delivering his lunch.”
Ichika nodded, understanding. “I’ll see you then.” It brought warmth to Saki’s heart as she was reminded that she had a group she belonged to. Friends that she gets to see and practice with every day.
Her smile lingered on her lips as she dashed out of the school, to ensure she’d arrive on time to her brother’s school.
“Hmmm... If I remember well, my brother and his friends usually eat at the rooftop.”
Saki spoke to herself, navigating inside the unfamiliar hallways of the school. In a hidden corner of the deserted hallway, she heard a familiar voice:
“R-Rui! Don’t do that!”
Saki accelerated her pace. She knew her brother was often teased by Rui, but what if it was more serious? Troupe member or not, no one should bother her brother.
She wasn’t ready for what she saw.
Rui stood at an intimate distance in front of Tsukasa, leaning a little towards her brother. Their faces were close, and while she couldn’t see his expression well, the red blush painting the blonde’s cheeks was evident. Shocked, she turned around and hid herself behind the wall. While out of sight, she could still hear the ongoing conversation.
“Relax. No one saw.”
“T-That’s not the point! You can’t just do that out of nowhere!” Her brother sounded nervous, but not in a bad way. It was a tone of voice he often had when Rui teased him.
“Hmmm? I just wanted to help you Tsukasa, and here I thought you appreciated my help... You pain me!”
“That’s not!” Silence. “Aaah- fine for this time. Just tell me in advance next time ok?”
“Oh? So you don’t mind it. You find me relieved.”
What did Saki just see? And, more accurately, how did she never notice it before?
Tsukasa liked his director. And if he was more absent minded lately...
It was probably because he started dating. But why not tell her? Saki silently walked away as she continued to look for the rooftop. Her brain was actively thinking about how she should deal with the information. She arrived at her destination and saw Nene wait for the two boys, playing on her phone in the meantime.
She sent a text to her brother.
“Tsukasa! I brought you your lunch. I'm at the rooftop, but I don’t see you there.”
“I’LL BE RIGHT THERE SAKI.”
Saki saw the two older boys arrive a few minutes later. Tsukasa smiled happily at her, opening his arms for a hug.
“SAKI! HI! YOU SHOULD’VE TOLD ME YOU WERE COMMING.”
She smiled and accepted the hug. Her brother tends to be louder when excited. He looked like his usual happy self.
“Hehe, I just wanted to surprise you! I hope it’s fine.”
“You could never bother me! Though, I could’ve come to find you at the gate!”
Saki pacified her brother. From the back of her eye, she saw Rui sit next to Nene.
“Sorry for the wait Nene, how are you?”
“Not now Rui, I don’t want to lose my combo.”
The two boys of them didn’t stand close together anymore, acting as if nothing happen. Very well, she thought, if her brother wished to keep his relationship a secret, then as the good sister she was, she would act as if she didn’t see anything.
However, she narrowed her eyes as she waved goodbye to Tsukasa, she’d have to see if Rui was truly serious about him. She didn’t want her poor innocent brother to be taken for granted.
Saki started walking back towards her school, the outlines of a plan forming in her mind.