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Rui supposed the message wasn’t entirely unexpected. He was just trying to finish the last bit on his study guide, in preparation for some debate thing that his teacher had signed him up for. (But Akito and Toya were also going to be there, so. Haha. Suffering).
Speaking of suffering, why was the study guide thirty-three pages long?! Oh well. The integration of migrant workers into the workforce was certainly interesting, but worth 33 pages?! Not a chance. Just when he was contemplating his life choices, his phone buzzed once. Huh. Weird. It was…3am in the morning. Out of pure curiosity, Rui picked up his phone and checked the message. And his brow furrowed, because it’s the person he least expected (but also most likely) to ping him at 3am.
Girl next door
Oi r u up I need ur help
Star’s bf
Nene go to sleep it’s 3am
Girl next door
I was playing abyss
Star’s bf
What.
Girl next door
Gotta stay strong in Nirvana
Anyway
Can u give me advice on what to give Emu for Christmas
Star’s bf
…
Girl next door
Rui I genuinely need help
Star’s bf
On any normal occasion I would be happy to
But it’s December 7th
And 3am
Girl next door
Can you stop it with the 3am thing >:(
And you responded within like 5 secs so WHY WERE YOU AWAKE TOO???
Star’s bf
I got debate thing
Also you’ve been w/ her for like 6 months now
Do you not know what else to give her??
Girl next door
I’m scared if I give her the wrong thing she’ll dump me
Star’s bf
Are you sure that’ll happen
Isn’t it like “love will win above anything” kind of thing
Idt she’ll ditch you because you gave her the wrong thing
Also it’s emu here
She’ll like anything prob
Hellooo
Nene did you fall asleep on me
Oi
Girl next door
Yes what
Uhhh
K tks
[Status : Last Seen at 3.15am]
Rui pinches his nose once. At this rate, he’s going to get gray hair before he even reaches his thirties. And now that he reflects on it, it’s getting quite late, even for him. So he turns off his room light, plugs his phone into the charger, flops into bed, and falls asleep almost immediately.
⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆
Toya was eating breakfast when the text came.
Gamer woman who beats me at everything
Hey Aoyagi r u awake rn
Yatta
Yes, Kusanagi. What do you need?
Gamer woman who beats me at everything
Soooo Christmas is coming
I need to gift Emu something
But idk what to gift
Yatta
Oh.
Toya pauses momentarily to sip his coffee and take a bite of his sandwich. Nene’s text icon comes in, three dots that signal she’s still online and typing.
Gamer woman who beats me at everything
U got ideas
Like what do u give your aibou
What do you feed him he instantly becomes happier when you get him anything
Yatta
Pancakes. Cheesecake. That’s it.
Gamer woman who beats me at everything
Low maintenance much
Yatta
Yeah Akito’s easy to please
Gamer woman who beats me at everything
It was a joke but ok
Idt Emu likes cheesecake tho
Yatta
Kusanagi, Emu’s more low maintenance than Akito. You can give her a trash bag, and she’ll frame it up in her house and say “because it’s a gift from Nene-chan!”
Gamer woman who beats me at everything
but I need to be original here
I can’t think of anything
Anyways thanks
Have a nice debate thing with your bf
Rui got into single debate so haha L on him
R u planning on writing the whole script for Akito to go up there n speak for GSL (general speaker’s list)
Yatta
Maybe :)
Gamer woman who beats me at everything
I’ve never seen you use smiley faces b4
Scary
Toya laughs, and resumes drinking his coffee. (Maybe he would torture Akito with public speaking later that day.)
⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆
Tsukasa woke up, prepared breakfast for Saki, and proceeded to have his phone ring like crazy. He picks it up, not caring to look at the screen, assuming it’s just a scam. “Look, I don’t need anything-”
“Tsukasa, I need your help.”
He nearly drops his phone. “N-Nene?!”
The girl on the other end of the line draws in a sharp breath. “Please, you’re my only hope.”
“Eh-What?!” He nearly reaches for the door and rushes out, because his whole body is saying that Nene never calls him and that this must be an emergency-
“What do I get for Emu for Christmas?”
…What.
Tsukasa nearly falls onto the floor, because he screeches to a stop and nearly trips on the rug. “That’s what you called me for?”
“You know whenever you get Rui something or Rui gets you something you both never shut up…so I thought you’d know.” Nene replies, voice (mostly) calm, with a tinge of desperation lining it.
“…I’ve never heard you so stressed before.” Tsukasa replies, with a blank expression, trying not to let his phone drop from his hand.
“Answer the question, goddammit. I’ve asked Rui, asked Toya…you’re my last hope, Tsukasa.”
“You can ask Akito-”
“Absolutely not.”
Despite himself, Tsukasa laughs. “Get her. like. Chocolate. Manga. Novels. Books. Flowers. Anything. It’s the thought that counts.”
“Are you stupid. That’s so cheesy.”
“Hey, that’s what I got for Rui.”
The phone line goes dead. Tsukasa stares at his phone. Did Nene really just hang up on him…?
⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆
Nene sits down thoughtfully. What can she get Emu?
Let’s see, from what she knows from Saki, Tsukasa’s sister, Emu loves manga. And since she’s a regular at the arcade, she can get a plushie or two with ease.
And maybe…flowers?
She scribbles it down on a notepad before opening up her Honkai Impact 3rd, because it’s Friday, and there’s an Abyss reset and she wants crystals and is about to attempt to get Senti’s brick.
⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆
Nene fidgets nervously by the train station, her hands filled with flowers, a large cat plushie, and a book gift-wrapped. (She thinks the recommendation came from Toya. “Komi can’t communicate”.) Any time now…
“NENE-CHAN! WONDERHOY!” Emu crashes into her seemingly from nowhere, her puffy winter coat and very cute earmuffs, her breaths forming tiny clouds in the air. It’s December 22nd, decidedly a few days before the actual date, but no one really cares. “Merry Christmas, Emu.” Nene can’t wait and steals a quick kiss on the cheek from the pink-haired girl. Emu smiles back. “Awww, are those roses you have?”
“Yeah. Though it’s a little weird, giving them to you like this…”
“I don’t mind!” And god, Nene loves her so much, bouncing up and down like a little girl once more. “As long as they’re from Nene-chan, I don’t care!”
Smiling, she passes over the plushie and the book, and if it wasn’t possible for Emu to smile even wider, she somehow defies that expectation and her grin could split her face in half. “Nene! Is it too late to say how much I love you?!”
Nene’s gaze flits over to the giant bag lying to the side. “But it seems like you got more for me than I did for you.”
“Silly Nene-chan! It’s what’s inside that counts.” Emu practically throws herself at the bag and rummages through for a while.
“Here!” She hands a package over. Hesitantly, Nene flips it over and nearly drops it.
“Did you get me a PS5?!”