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Fights were not uncommon in the IDOLiSH7 dorms. Even if the members grew closer with every performance and every year they lived together, their personalities still clashed at times. They were not as intense as they were in the past, but they still happened, and no matter how much they went on, it still broke Nagi’s heart to see his friends fighting.
This time, it was none other than MEZZO. Nagi had hoped that their various falling outs had led them to learn how to manage their ups and downs, but once again, some arguments were inevitable. However, this time was slightly different, as Tamaki had confided in him about it instead of keeping it in and dragging on the argument for longer, which the blonde appreciated.
And so, with Tamaki rambling on in his room, Nagi decided it was time to do something. The argument hadn’t gotten out of hand yet – it was just a couple of misunderstandings judging by what the younger boy was telling him, something about not being in sync enough to work well together.
But as Tamaki kept on talking, Nagi’s head was already swirling with ideas. If cooperation was the issue, just talking about it would probably do little to help them, even if Nagi would have been more than willing to mediate between the two. Another way to approach it would be to make them cooperate, one way or the other, so as to get back into the flow but… Would that be counterproductive? Nagi didn’t want to force his friends to do something they didn’t want to do, but once again, if he meditated, then… It wasn’t out of the question.
When Tamaki finished retelling what had happened, Nagi directed his eyes to one of the multiple boxes he had laying around in his room. The one where he stored older videogame consoles he was not currently using.
After reassuring Tamaki, it was time to put his plan into action.
Frankly, Sougo wasn’t sure if he could deal with anything else at the moment. With his workload as an idol increasing every day (both in IDOLiSH7 and MEZZO’’), plus his ongoing fight with Tamaki and his tries to talk things out (which hadn’t been very successful), he was exhausted, as much as it pained him to admit it. And as glad as he was that Nagi had asked him to hang out, Sougo couldn’t help but think about how he could make up for the work time he’d lose by doing this.
Still, he didn’t want to refuse Nagi’s invitation nor leave him hanging. So there he was, about to step inside the living room, confused as to why the lights were off when Nagi said he was waiting for him through the door before. He took another step, trying to turn on the light switch in the process, until the room lit up without him having to move.
That was when he noticed what was really going on.
“ Ladies and gentlemen! ” Nagi’s voice resounded, using his Kokona wand as if it were a microphone. “ Welcome to… MEZZO’’ Friendship Game Show!”
On one of the sofas, Sougo could see Tamaki sitting down, looking just about as confused as he was. Although Nagi hadn’t put up many decorations, his loud voice and enthusiasm completely conveyed the atmosphere of an exciting TV program, which was likely the vibe he’d been trying to go for.
But… why? Why was Tamaki here? Could it be that Nagi was aware of the fight they’d had…?
Sougo didn’t have enough time to ponder the questions when Nagi spoke up again, also urging him to sit down opposite to Tamaki. He obeyed, trying not to stare too hard at the boy sitting in front of him. They still weren’t on good terms, and judging by Tamaki’s expression, his partner felt the same.
“It seems that my two dear friends and guests haven’t been speaking lately, even though they want to.” Nagi dramatically shook his head.. “But don’t worry, because there are other ways to make up! Like… videogames!”
With that, Nagi picked up the TV remote placed on the table, and turned on the TV, revealing the title screen of a videogame that neither Tamaki nor Sougo recognized (probably due to their upbringings, even though Tamaki’s hobby of playing mobile games was well-known both within the fans and his fellow IDOLiSH7 members).
“N-Nagi-kun, I understand your enthusiasm, but–” Sougo was about to comment on how this would likely wouldn’t work, as he wasn’t familiar with the game, but Nagi stopped him halfway through.
“ Don’t worry ! It’s very simple. Plus, the fun part is figuring it out along the way! You can always ask your partner, too~”
“But–”
“... If Nagicchi says so, I’ll go along with it.” Tamaki intervened, still not very enthusiastic. “Are we doing it?”
“ Of course! ” Nagi, however, pulled through. He was determined to make his plot a success. “ Let’s go! ”
“... Tamaki-kun, move it a little to the left…”
“I know, I know!” Tamaki screamed, frustrated, watching as the boat in the screen balanced dangerously when they put down their characters on top of it. It eventually stayed still. “See? I knew they wouldn’t fall off!”
“That’s because we’ve just started out…”
Nagi watched, a bit saddened. He thought that one of the few cooperative minigames the videogame offered would be the best option, as the combination of minigames with puzzles sounded just like any other variety show games they’d played in the past, but even then, it seemed like they weren’t off to a good start. Still, he put on a smile once again, and continued doing his job as the ‘MC’.
“ Good job! Now it’s time for the next minigame! Let’s see what’s next~”
After the screen showed that the characters were “balanced”, the game moved on to the next round, with another minigame to determine whether the next pair of Miis would be the same size or not. They were approximately halfway through the game, so things would only get more complicated from then. Nagi was starting to doubt his methods, but…
… Despite their fights, none of the two seemed discouraged as the next minigame finally loaded.
“Ohh, this one seems easier. It’s just basketball, isn’t it?” Tamaki asked out loud, watching the preview in the instructions. “Let’s go!”
“W-Wait, rather than basketball, we have to alternate our shots to score as many points as possible…”
“But that’s still easy, isn’t it?” Tamaki glanced at Sougo. “We did this a lot before debut, though I don’t know if you remember, Sou-chan.”
“Of course I do! That was when we first met the Manager… I didn’t expect us to play too well, actually.”
Nagi listened to his friends talking. He was about to urge them to start playing, but their nostalgia about their days before debuting got to him, and opted to listen instead.
“Yep. It was pretty cool.” Tamaki smiled, though he didn’t look directly at Sougo.
“Right…” hearing Tamaki talk about teamwork and how well they matched together, Sougo couldn’t keep on ignoring the issue any longer. It was time to speak up. “A-Actually, Tamaki-kun, I’ve been meaning to apologize…”
“Huh?”
“About the new song, I mean… I should have listened to your suggestions better when reviewing the choreography, but I didn’t want the staff to get mad if we strayed too far from it…”
“... I thought you wanted to change it?”
“Eh?” Sougo was surprised.
“Yeah, since you were making faces at the screen.” Tamaki imitated Sougo’s expression from back then, frowning. Sougo didn’t seem too happy. “So I asked you.”
“I-I mean… It’s true I wasn’t convinced about a few parts, but I have no idea on choreographing, and…”
“Then you should’ve told me! We could have talked about it together! Speak your mind!”
Tamaki was yelling, but he wasn’t angry. In fact, he had a smile on his face, likely relieved now that he knew the reason why Sougo had been mad at him. Tamaki ruffled Sougo’s hair, trying to get his point across. As they continued to banter, Nagi decided this was the perfect time to intervene.
“There it is! Our participants have finally made up during the course of this game! But this is not over yet, as half of the rounds remain! Can you do it?”
“Yes!” the two from MEZZO’’ answered, more energetic than ever.
After that, their resolve was strengthened, and both Sougo and Tamaki did their best on the remaining rounds, getting much further than they first imagined and making up in the process. Nagi joined in their celebrations without neglecting his ‘MC’ role (though, in all honesty, that had been forgotten along the way as he assisted his friends through the minigames and even took their places at certain times).
“It’s… It’s done…” Sougo stared at the screen, picturing their perfectly balanced avatars in the boat.
“Yeah, we did it!” Tamaki exclaimed, high fiving Sougo, who seemed a bit surprised by the gesture, but accepted it nonetheless. “Nagicchi, you join in too!”
“ Congratulations! ” Nagi joined the hug with no hesitation.
“We couldn’t have done this without your help, Nagi-kun.” Sougo thanked him. Before Tamaki could protest, he continued. “And of course, you were a great partner, Tamaki-kun.”
“Of course! We’re both in MEZZO’’, after all.”
“ Oh, guys… Thank you. ”
They continued to laugh and play until the rest of the members started coming back to the dorms from their jobs that day, who joined in gradually as well. One thing was for sure – all seven of them would always have their backs, whether there was a game in between to help them out or not.