Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

< Third-Person POV >

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

Late afternoon.

It has been about two weeks since that fateful night, when a young man and a zombie girl confessed their love for each other. It was then that they learned what love was, and that it can somehow manage to spring up in such a short amount of time. The duo shared a fun-filled week that neither of them expected to have, and now they grew to not just be good friends… but romantic partners.

“I’ll see you all later, I’m heading out now!”

Ai Mizuno, aka Number 3 of Franchouchou, tells her companions while inserting her feet into some light purple flats with ankle straps (her current outfit for the day also included a yellow striped shirt with indigo overalls).

Saki Nikaido (Number 2), Junko Konno (Number 4), and Lily Hoshikawa (Number 6) were all lounging in the living room as they heard her voice. Saki smirked before yelling back at her.

“Oi! Make sure to bring protection, Ai! Heh heh, have fun…”

An annoyed Ai clicks her tongue before shutting the door and walking out. Saki began chuckling to herself as Junko let out a sigh.

“You really need to learn how to be more respectful, of course they won’t try anything so… risqué.”

Saki turned back to her while still being all smiles, “Will they? Or are you just telling yourself that?”

“I-I… Of course not! They’re both still young… well, at least Ai-san is physically, but… um…” 

Junko’s face was getting redder and redder the more she thought about it, Lily tilting her head cluelessly.

“Eh, Lily doesn’t get it… hm, so what are their date plans supposed to be today?”

The young girl puts her index finger on her chin as she kicks her legs.

Junko turns to her and answers, “Ai-san informed me that they were going to see a movie before going over to Ren-kun’s apartment.”

Saki’s eyes lit up at the last few words of that sentence.

“Oh ho ho… lover boy’s apartment? Now this I gotta see…”

Saki was about to sit up, but Junko held onto her jacket to stop her.

“Saki-san, please wait! None of us should be getting in the way of this, it’s the first time he’s inviting her over. It could end up messing a lot of things up if we were to come too…”

“Agh, c’mon! Aren’t ya a little bit curious on what his place looks like? And we also gotta make sure Ai’s gonna be treated well. She’s our friend, riiiiight?” Saki eggs her on.

Lily pumped her fists and nodded, “Yeah! Lily wants to go see Ren-kun’s apartment, that sounds so fun!”

“Ha ha, that’s the spirit, Shrimpy!”

Lily puffed her cheeks at Saki’s nickname, “It’s Lily, you should know that by now!”.

“Yeah, yeah… so whaddya say, Junko?” Saki puts her arms behind her head and awaits the floofy-haired girl’s response.

Junko showed hesitation, “S-Still… Ai-san might get annoyed at us….”

Saki shrugged with her shoulders, “So what? She’s always like that, that’s no big deal.”

Junko shakes her head and places her hand over her heart.

“I know, but this time it’s different. From what we’ve seen and what she’s told us, being with Ren-kun has managed to ease some of her worries. Have you seen Ai-san smile that much off-stage before? And I wouldn’t want to end up accusing Ren-kun of being untrustworthy either, he’s quite kind…”

Lily grins as she places her hands on her cheeks, “He’s nice! Very dorky, but nice!”

Saki takes a few seconds before replying back,

“.... I guess I see your point…. But I’m going anyway because I want to, later! Yo, Kotaro, I need some makeup pronto!”

Saki dashed off in search of their manager as Junko was sitting there with her mouth open in surprise. Basically like she does in this image:

“Me too! Me too!” Lily followed her.

Junko lets out a sigh while placing her face in her hands, ultimately deciding to come along too.

“Please forgive me, Ai-san, Ren-kun…”

________________________________________________

“Y’know I wasn’t expecting to like a romantic comedy, that was pretty nice.”

Our main guy, Ren, tells his girlfriend as they walk out the theater. Their hands slowly etching towards each other before their fingers intertwined, the two of them softly laughing at their lingering awkwardness. Seems they still have some ways to go before being completely comfortable.

Ai smiled as they walked hand-in-hand, “I told you so, a way better experience than that horror movie we saw last time…”

Both she and Ren quivered while recalling it, “Ugh, agreed. The freaking jumpscares from that movie keep popping up in my dreams almost every other night. This one was fun though, since… you were clutching my hand like this the whole time, Ai-chan…”

Ren’s cheeks began to glow light pink as Ai’s did the same.

“W-Well… the story was just that compelling, can you really blame me for that?”

Ren shook his head, “Not really, you were getting quite emotional at the end when those two confessed their feelings…. pretty sure you used up all of the tissues you had in your bag, ha ha…”

“S-Shut up, you dummy…”

Ai lightly punched him in the arm as the two of them kept on walking. But unbeknownst to them, they were being followed by three snooping Franchouchou members donning facemasks, baseball caps, and sunglasses. They all peeked out from behind a light pole as Saki snickered to herself.

“Huh?” Ren quickly turned his head as Junko pulled Saki back into their hiding spot.

“Shh!” Junko warns the blonde biker girl who rolls her eyes.

Ai raises an eyebrow and turns her head with him, “I heard something too…”

“Hm… eh, I’m sure we’ll find out what it is once we keep moving…” Ren shrugged.

“Good point. Though whoever it is, they’re a lot better at hiding than Kotaro was…” Ai continued clutching his hand as they walked on.

“How were you able to tell when he was around so much? Am I just not very observant?” Ren questions.

Ai giggled, “Well there’s that, and the fact that my eyes and ears are much sharper than others.”

Ren smirked after hearing that, “You’re so cool, you know that?”

“I do, but I appreciate you saying that.” Ai plants a kiss on his cheek at the compliment, which he returned immediately.

Junko’s eyes go wide and her face goes red after witnessing their showing of affection.

“Kyah! They’re so bold to do these things right now, don’t they know they’re in public?! If they got caught by the media, who knows what might happen?!”

“And you were telling me to shush…” Saki snarked as Junko was mumbling to herself.

“Be quiet! Lily wants to hear…” The younger girl told her older group mates as she listened in.

“So… you sure you feel like coming to my place? It’s not really anything special, hell it’s not even that big.” Ren rubs the back of head with his free hand.

Ai nodded in reassurance, “I don’t mind at all, it’ll give me more of a chance to see the sides of you that I haven’t seen yet. Besides, I prefer it being smaller since it’ll just help us snuggle closer…”

Ren began to blush again as a wobbly smile formed on his face, “Jeez, you’ve gotten a lot more flirty lately.”

Ai smirked as her hand gripped his tighter, “That’s only to keep up with you, darling…”

“Ha ha, you’re doing well with that then. Although… you haven’t forgotten that…” Ren asks as their words get harder and harder for the three girls behind them to hear.

The sounds of other pedestrians and cars weren’t making it any easier either as our couple crossed the street.

“Forgotten what?” Saki lifts an eyebrow, only hearing a bit of what he said there.

“Hey hey, we need to catch up quickly!” Lily tells her as the three of them continue their pursuit of Ai & Ren.

Both parties eventually make it to Ren’s apartment complex, which looked quite simple despite the name. Ren struggles to find the right key for a moment before unlocking his door, letting Ai go in first. She undoes her ankle straps and steps barefoot into his abode, taking in the look of everything.

“You weren’t kidding about it being small, but you really downplayed how it looks. It’s decent, not much in terms of furniture, though everything’s pretty organized…”

Ren removes his shoes and readjusts his socks, “I try to keep everything neat and I don’t really care much about having a lot of stuff like potted plants or vases. Just seems like a lot of stuff I could end up accidentally breaking, probably as soon as I buy them…”

“Ah ha ha, I can see that happening. You almost bumped into some people while carrying the popcorn earlier! You and Sakura could compete over who’s more clumsy…”

Ren rolled his eyes at her joke, “Oh I’m sorry, I was just so focused on trying to preserve enough popcorn to put in your hair for your next show, honey… excuse me for being considerate…”

Ai snorted at his retort, “It’s cute that you think that comeback is good enough to shut my statement down.”

“Yeah, well…. Ah, damn you.” He stated as she continued laughing at her boyfriend, “Hmph, if you’re gonna act that way, I guess you don’t want some of these…”

He led her over to the kitchen to show off a large container full of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, carefully stacked so they were not smashed up as they were before.

“Wow, you really did make me ones that were actually cookie-shaped this time. Thank you!”

Ren scoffed at that, “Who said they were for you? I told you I bake to satisfy my own cravings…”

“Oh is this how it’s gonna be? Come on, I know you made them for me. Why else would you make that many?” Ai began poking his cheek as he refused to budge.

“Maybe they’re for the others, hm? Or for when I feel like gorging myself? Also stop doing that, it tickles…”

Hearing that last part gave Ai an idea as a sinister smile creeped onto her face. Ren turned back to her and noticed this as he put down the container and took a few steps backwards. Ai etched closer and closer as Ren bumped into the side of his couch.

“Please no…”

“Hee hee hee… shouldn’t have said that last part, Ren-kun… Ha!”

Ai tackled Ren onto the couch and began to tickle him mercilessly. The young man did his best to hold back his laughter as he squirmed around and messed up the cushions and pillows. Meanwhile, peeking from the balcony window were the other girls, who could only get a glimpse into what their friend was doing to him.

“Lily can’t see! What is Ai-chan doing to Ren-kun?” The younger girl tried standing on her tip-toes to see what was going on.

Saki was grinning from ear-to-ear, “I knew it! I knew Ai would be the top outta the two of ‘em! Ren really gave me some bottom vibes.”

Junko was simply looking on with her face completely red and her hands covering her mouth. Not saying a word as Ai just kept tickling Ren, but it looked like he wasn’t just gonna lie down and take it. His arms began slowly moving towards his sweetheart and managing to turn her over so that she was now below him.

“Heh, my turn. And I think I found a better spot for my onslaught, you should’ve worn socks today…”

Ai gulped after seeing his smirk, “Oh no…”

“Oh yes… Come here, you! Rah!”

While Ai had gone for his neck and face, Ren chose to aim lower, going for her feet. She tried to kick at him a bit as his fingers danced across her soles and toes, but he kept dodging. Ai didn’t stop her previous tickling assault however, and the room was filled with their loud giggling. Junko gasped as her imagination went wild on whatever was happening between those two, clearly regretting having come here.

“Huh, so he’s a switch? Or are they both switches? Either way, cool…” Saki chuckled.

“What? Lily thought switches were video game consoles or for turning stuff on and off…” Lily innocently asked.

Saki patted the little girl on the head, “Well from the sound of things, something is definitely getting turned on in there, eh Junko?”

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”

“Huh?”

“Mm?”

The floofy-haired girl let out a yell in response as Ai and Ren stop their tickle fight and immediately get up to check where that sound came from.

“Shit! Shit!” Saki whispered as she and the other girls lowered their heads to try to not be seen.

Ren opens the sliding door and steps out, his eyes darting all around to see where that yelling came from.

Ai walks up behind him, “See anything?”.

The other zombie girls began to sweat as they tried to breathe softly, unfortunately for them…

“Ah… ah…” Lily’s nose begins to twitch as Junko moves her arm to cover it, but it is too late.

“ACHOO!”

“Ah?” Ren moves closer and spots Junko’s fluffy hair sticking out from the edge of the balcony.

Immediately knowing who it was, but unable to resist temptation… he began patting the soft fluffy hair.

“Eyah!” Junko lets out a smaller shout as she reveals herself.

“Ah, s-sorry Junko! I’ve always wanted to do that.” Ren quickly bows his head as Junko did the same to him.

“N-No! It’s fine, I shouldn’t have been here in the first place!”

Ai crosses her arms as she decides to call the other two out, “Hm... obviously you couldn’t have gone without a certain someone convincing you, no more hiding now!”

“Aw, man…” Saki groans as she and Lily pop out alongside her.

“Ha ha… hiya Ai-chan…” Lily waved to her.

Ai waved back, “Hey Lily. Now you three better have a good explanation for this…”

“Yes ma’am…” The other girls uttered as Ren opened the sliding door open for them.

___________________________________________________

“I… I guess it could have looked like that from where you were watching… but no we weren’t doing… that. Honest.”

Ai’s cheeks flushed pink, while she and Ren went to work on making dinner and the other three sat in the living room next to the kitchen.

“Yeah, plus I’m not interested in that sort of thing anyways. You wanna tell ‘em, Ai-chan?” Ren asks his partner while washing the rice.

Saki put her left hand on her knee as she raised an eyebrow, “Hah? Tell us what?”.

Ai nods before bluntly stating, “Ren-kun is asexual.”

“Eh? He’s a sexual, but he’s not interested in sex? The hell are you on about?” Saki tilts her head at that as Ai sighs and puts her hand on her forehead.

“Asexual, not a sexual. It means that our relationship is purely romantic, we don’t plan on doing anything other than kissing and cuddling…”

“We still need to attempt doing the latter though!” Ren chimes in as he turns on his rice cooker.

Ai nods in response, “Oh we certainly do. But regardless, nothing to be worried about, girls.”

Junko breathed a sigh of relief, while Saki sighed in disappointment.

“Lily just wanted to see more of your lovey-dovey stuff and see where Ren-kun lived!” Lily defended herself.

Ren softly smiled as he walked over to the eternal 12-year-old and handed her a cookie.

“Well we can’t punish you for being curious. Here you go!”

“Yay!” Lily cheered as she began chewing on it.

Ai puts her hands on her hips after seeing that, “Hey! How come she—”

“You’ll get one later, sweetie, don’t want to spoil your dinner now…” Ren shot back as he went back to coating pork cutlets in panko breadcrumbs.

“Hmph!” Ai pouts before she boils some broccoli.

Junko giggled at this, “Ha ha, ah, I shouldn’t have been so worried. Although I did want to just leave you two be, but Saki-san just couldn’t be talked out of it.”

The biker girl took offense to that last remark, “Oi, you wanted to know what was going on too!”

“That’s true… my apologies, once again for interrupting your date.” Junko bowed her head apologetically.

Ren plunged the breaded cutlets into the frying oil before speaking up, “It’s nothing to worry about. I’d also be keeping tabs on a friend of mine if they were to start dating someone out of the blue.”

Ai nods, but raises a finger up to emphasize a point, “We forgive you, though I should point out that we don’t often get too many chances to spend time together with our schedule as an idol group. I would prefer not to have this precious time interrupted, thank you very much.”

“A-Alright, we’ll leave you two be unless we’re invited as well. Right, Saki-san? Lily-san?” Junko asks the two girls beside her.

“Mhm!” Lily smiles as she finishes her cookie.

Saki rolls her eyes, “Agh, whatever. You got a deal, lovebirds…”

Ren puts the finished pork katsu pieces on a plate with paper towels on it to drain the oil. He glances over and sees the rice still has quite a lot of time left.

“Hm… I guess I’ll leave the katsu in a low oven for a bit. Do y’all wanna play a game before dinner?”

Junko puts her hands up and shakes her head, “We should really be staying out of your way now, we showed up uninvited and…”

“Come on, we made about enough for all of us. Might as well stay for a bit, but it’s up to you of course. Gonna boot up Smash Bros. Ultimate.”

Ren went over to his tv and took out five controllers, Saki and Lily immediately grabbing two of them.

“You’re on, lover boy! I’ll definitely kick your ass and then some.” Saki taunted him.

“We’ll see about that, team with me Ai-chan?” Ren passed a controller to his girlfriend as she sat down next to him.

“Sure, I feel like squashing someone who’s too overconfident.” She gladly takes the light-blue controller in her hands before turning to Junko, “It could be fun, want to try it?”

Junko hesitantly looks at her four companions before ultimately taking the white controller. 

The poor girl was not familiar at all with modern day games, only briefly getting the chance to play with the Game & Watch, Pac-Man (Who she was playing as currently), and Donkey Kong. Meanwhile Saki had chosen Terry Bogard for her time in the arcades playing Fatal Fury and King of Fighters, Lily chose Pichu for its adorable look, and the power couple had Ren going with Pyra (without switching to Mythra) and Ai choosing Lucina.

“Hah! Landed a Buster Wolf, baby! Woo!” Saki raised her fist at her first KO.

Ren smirked as he respawned, “Lucky shot, but you left yourself open!”.

One Smash Flare sword strike later, Saki was launched offstage.

“Gah! You’ll pay for that, you bastard!” Saki told him as he stuck his tongue out at her.

“H-H-How do I use a special attack?!” A panicked Junko asks as she repeatedly jumps into the air and accidentally self-destructs by jumping off the platform.

“That’s not how you do it, Junko-chan… this is how you do it!” Lily uses Thunder to blast Ai away.

“Tch, you didn’t choose that attack on purpose right?” Ai flinched as she briefly recalled her past trauma.

Lily just kept on outrunning her sword swings and zapping her whenever she sees an opening. Seeing Ai dodging over to his side, Ren looked at her and they both nodded at each other. That’s when they switched opponents and went to town on the opposite team! Ai countered Saki’s heavier attacks to use them against her, while Ren was easily able to send Lily’s Pichu flying.

“W-Wait! Have mercy, Ren-kun!” Junko begged him.

Ren lowered his head as he charged a Flame Nova special.

“This is mercy, Junko-san… my sincere apologies.”

Eventually the battle winded down, with Ai and Ren managing to overcome three opponents at once… even if it actually was a two on two during the entire thing.

“Agh, damn it… got too cocky… Not bad, Ren.” Saki offered her fist out and her opponent bumped it.

“We’ve still got time, how do you feel about a few more rounds?” Ren asks the four Franchouchou members.

“Okay! Lily wants to fight with you, Ren-kun!” The little girl says and he obliged.

“Sure, sure. I’ll take Junko too, I’ll do my best to tutor you in gameplay.”

“Thank you, I do need it…” Junko tells him.

This goes on for about an hour, and due to his experience Ren managed to get the most KOs out of the group. Saki took second, who had to be held back from breaking her controller, followed by Ai, Lily, and Junko. However, thanks to Ren’s guidance Junko was able to knock out two opponents at once, and to her that was a small victory worth celebrating.

“Ha… I must admit that was fun…” Junko smiled as Ren gave her a thumbs up that she reciprocated.

Ai nodded in agreement, “It was, but now I’m ready for—ack!”.

Ai’s right hand popped off her arm, she must have been moving it around like crazy with how well she played.

Ren immediately sprang to action, “Oh! I gotcha, here you go, sweetie.”

“Thanks, Ren-kun.” Ai reattaches her hand as Ren plants a quick smooch on it, “Ah ha ha…”

“Heh…”

The two of them sat there and stood into each other’s eyes until Saki cleared her throat.

“Yo, the grub should be ready now. I’m starving!”

“Eep!”

“Gah!”

The couple broke their intense gaze as they rushed back to the kitchen, making the other girls laugh. Their dinner tasted wonderful, near perfect in fact: The pork katsu was just the right amount of crispy on the outside, while being juicy on the inside… the rice was fluffy… and the broccoli was correctly seasoned after its initial boil. By the time everyone was finished, the other girls thanked the power couple and ended up falling asleep on the couch.

Ren hands Ai her cookie at long last, “Thanks for helping me out with the cooking, Ai-chan. I’ll handle the cleanup.”

Ai swipes it from his hand and enjoys the semisweet chocolate melting in her mouth.

“How about you give me more of these in return for helping you out more? I can’t just let you take care of everything, even if I’m your guest.”

She grabs a dish towel and begins to dry the dishes as Ren washes them by hand.

“I guess I have no choice. I did make those cookies for you after all…”

“So you admit it, hm?” Ai leans against him as he continues scrubbing a plate.

He scoffs, “Well it’s not like those other reasons I stated aren’t wrong either. I made enough for both me, and all of you girls. Though… I did regret giving you only a sample of crumbs back then, so I needed to redeem myself.”

Ai gave him a genuine smile as she placed a cup into the cabinet.

“I’d say you've done that and then some, it was a perfectly balanced cookie. Not overly sweet, with a bit of saltiness.”

“Heh, thanks darling…”

Once the dishes were put away, the two of them wiped sweat from their foreheads and thought about what to do next.

“Hm… you know, you haven’t shown me the one place I’ve been curious about since I got here…” Ai informs him with a smug look on her face.

It took Ren a few seconds until he realized what she was talking about.

“Uh, hold on, I gotta go readjust some things…”

“I’m sure it’s not that bad, which way is it?” Ai asks, but before she could get an answer Ren booked it to his room, “Oh no you don’t, you’re not outrunning me! And I saw which direction you took!”

Ren busted through his door and right as he was about to pick something up…

“Hm… well the bed’s not fixed and there’s some manga left on your desk, but for the most part it’s about as neat as the rest of the apartment.”

“Grgh…” Was the only thing Ren could respond with as his girlfriend tiptoed behind him and tapped his shoulder.

“Now what was it that you were trying to hide from me?”

Ren admits defeat and steps out of Ai’s way as her eyes widened as she saw… the shrine.

Posters, tapestries, keychains, acrylic stands, plushies, cds, t-shirts, figures and more in just one corner of the room. Franchouchou Number 3 merchandise was perfectly organized on multiple shelves, based on what kind of item they were. At its center though was a large figurine of Ai in a wedding dress, except on her wrist… was a small blue ring, decorated with a yellow flower pattern.

Ai looked over at Ren who was covering his face with a pillow, yet it couldn’t hide the blush that was spreading all over. She smiled before jumping on the bed and wrapping her arms around him. Upon feeling her body right up against him, Ren dropped the pillow and sighed.

“Ugh, I really should have put that away before we went to go see that movie…”

Ai simply hugged him tighter before she replied, “Awww, that’s nothing to be ashamed of! I already deal with a lot of fangirling by living with Sakura, compared to that it’s harmless. I was your oshi, and now I’m your girlfriend, it’s not like you’d want to get rid of all of it.”

“I know, I know… I just thought you’d think I was weird. Having that stuff around… makes me feel like you’re with me, even when you’re off doing idol things.” Ren admits as he puts his arms around her.

Ai giggled as she snuggled closer to his chest, “You are weird, that’s why I love you, dummy. You’re also adorable, that was such a sweet way to say that you miss me a lot!”

Ren couldn’t help but let out a few laughs, even with his embarrassment.

“Oh, you be quiet. But yes, that was basically what I was saying. Do you feel the same way?”

Ai glances over at the shrine again before answering, “Obviously yes. Although now I feel a lot better about it, since I know you want to put that ring on my finger.”

Ren’s blushing returned and he began to stammer, “Y-Y-You little… gah! Just stop teasing and come here…”

She did just that, the both of them holding each other tight in their arms. Nuzzling their cheeks together, as well as their noses before they pressed their foreheads against each other. They once again got lost in each other’s eyes and soon their lips couldn’t resist being apart any longer.

“Mmm…”

That kiss of theirs lasted for minutes on end, refusing to break for a second. To them it felt like the world around them didn’t matter, only they did as their hearts began beating to the same rhythm. Ren’s arms held Ai close, while her hands stroked his black hair and her legs wrapped around his. By the time they did manage to pull their lips apart, they didn’t feel like leaving the bed.

“Mm, hey Ren-kun?”

“Hm? What’s up?”

Ai readjusted herself on the bed and hugged his back.

“Can I be the big spoon? I just want to hold you, if that’s alright…”

He smiled as he got into a more comfortable position as the little spoon, “Anything you want, Ai-chan… I’m all yours.”

*creak*

“Oi, Ai, we should be getting going no—oh damn, never mind. Heh heh heh…”

“Tch, Saki, will you please leave?!” Ai tells her fellow idol who kept snickering at the two of them.

“Nah, just pretend I’m not here! I can’t miss this even for a—YOW! HEY!”

Junko pinched her ear and dragged her away from the doorway, “No, you were right, we SHOULD be going now. Come on, Lily.”

“Bye bye, Ren-kun!” The young girl cheerfully bid him farewell.

He returns that smile and waves to her as well, “Later, Lily!”.

Both he and Ai briefly whispered, “Thank you”, to Junko as she gave them a smile of approval before leaving the apartment. After they hear the door close Ai returns to hugging Ren like he was one of those plushies he had in the room. The couple finally get the chance to relax after dealing with their unexpected snoopers.

A thought then occurs within Ren’s mind, “Are you fine with being late coming home? Pretty sure Kotaro might kick my ass for this.”

“I’ll beat him down before he even lays a finger on you.” Ai pecks his cheek affectionately.

Ren lets out a grateful sigh, “Ah, my hero…”

“Besides, it’s like you said…”

Ai then leaned her head by his ear and whispered:

“You’re all mine.”

Chapter Text

< Third-Person POV >

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

Early morning, Valentine’s Day.

“Mizuno-senpai, am I in trouble?”

The young man entered the student council room and took his seat right in front of the president. She was looking down for a bit, some of her hair getting in front of her eyes before pushing it back. Taking a deep breath, without the boy seeing, she took a small box out of her bag and held it in her hands.

“No, no… you didn’t do anything wrong, Ren-kun. I wanted to congratulate you on your improvements on exam scores. You were near the top of your class when I last checked them!”

Her proud smile made Ren gulp and fidget awkwardly in his seat.

“T-Thank you, senpai, but I owe it all to your tutoring. You took time out of your busy schedule to stop by my house and help me realize what I wasn’t getting. If I didn’t have you there, I would have dropped out…”

His upperclassman (or upperclasswoman?) shook her head, her hands starting to clench the box.

“There’s no way I could have let that happen, not to someone like you. You’ve been so helpful to the people around you, your fellow classmates may not always see that but… you’ve always done your best despite everything. And besides…  someone else might be saddened if you stopped coming to school.”

Ai looked at her underclassman in the eyes seriously as he tilted his head confused.

“Really? Who exactly? It’s not Baba-san is it? I told her I wasn’t interested…”

Ai let out a sigh at that, “Of course it’s not Shiori. But for that person, to not be able to greet you every morning, walk to school with you, eat lunch on the roof with you… it would hurt them if the school gave up on you.”

Ren’s eyes went wide at his senpai’s words, his mouth was parted open. After hearing all that, he realized who he was talking about and couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His glasses slipping down his face. Mizuno-senpai then looked him in the eyes and brought out the box holding the gift chocolate she made for him.

“Senpai… is this what I think it is? That doesn’t look like any obligation chocolate I’ve ever seen…”

“Ren-kun, will you accept—”

*SPLAT!*

“Ack!”

“Eh?!”

She unfortunately had the box upside down, and the clutching of the box she did earlier loosened the top of the packaging. The hardened chocolate shell was shattered onto the table, with the soft creamy filling now splattered onto each corner. A disheartened Ai slumped back into her seat after her little slip up.

“I… I’m so sorry…” She began to utter out, her expression about as crushed as the chocolate in front of her.

Her kouhai then stood up and leaned over to scrape a bit of the chocolate onto his index finger. He inserted it into his mouth and took the time to savor the taste, contemplate the flavor. Ren looked up at Mizuno-senpai after a few seconds and took a deep breath in.

“Mizuno-senpai, it tastes—”

…

…

“H-Huh?! What was he about to… what did it taste like?!”

Ai suddenly sat up from her futon as the other zombie girls began to stir at the noise she made.

“Oi, keep it down, will ya? It’s too early for this crap…” Saki complained groggily.

“Ah, s-sorry.” Ai apologized as her head fell back onto her pillow.

After a few minutes, the Heisei-era idol couldn’t return to sleep. She stood back up, her bandaged feet stepping into some slippers as she went to go get a drink of water. After gulping it down, she leaned against the kitchen counter and pondered a little about something important.

“Today’s Valentine’s Day .” She thinks to herself, her index finger tapping her chin.

She knew she had to figure out what kind of chocolate to make for Ren, store-bought wasn’t going to cut it here. Her boyfriend was OBSESSED with chocolate, and a homemade gift from her would end up making him melt just like it. There was a lot to consider though when it came to what he would like to consume today of all days, so Ai sought to think about all of it.

1. He had a nut allergy, which she had to be aware of in order to not send her boytoy to an early grave. Unless she had some way to grant his wish of being a zombie like her (which she still hates the idea of), it was a big fat NO.

2. Milk chocolate was his favorite kind. Ai usually saw him picking out plenty of truffles in candy stores they went to, and the common trend was that they were covered in milk chocolate and contained a select few fillings. He wasn’t huge on dark chocolate, which she preferred, so whenever he baked for her they shared semi-sweet morsels as a way to satisfy both of their tastes. Perhaps going for that as an option wouldn’t be a bad choice either…

3. Speaking of fillings: chocolate ganache, marshmallow, or caramel.  Those were his favorite kinds, although each came with their own problems. Marshmallow, while good, could get pretty chewy and she wanted something he could bite through smoothly. Caramel was way simpler, yet she feared it would be too boring of an option for him. Chocolate ganache though… Ren would eat a tub of it with a spoon, yet she felt like trying something different than just chocolate on chocolate. What to go for?

4. Finally, the last thing to think about was… how would this one treat stack up to the treats he had given her? After sampling his chocolate chip cookies and eventually his fudge brownies, she’s worried about how this one singular chocolate will stack up to his. It’s not just a Valentine’s Day gift to her, it’s also a gift to thank him for the sweets he’s shared since they started dating.

“How am I going to do this?” She thought aloud before she heard someone enter the room behind her.

“Ai-chan? It’s so early… can’t sleep?”

Sakura Minamoto, probably Ai’s Number 1 fan (both figuratively and literally, considering she’s Franchouchou’s Number 1). She was rubbing her eyes and yawning as she entered the door, Ai turning to greet her.

“Sakura, good morning. I’ll go back to sleep soon, I just needed some time to think.”

Sakura blinked her droopy eyes twice before speaking again.

“Think about what?”

Ai twiddled her fingers a bit before deciding she couldn’t just drop the subject, letting out a sigh.

“I was… struggling to figure out how to make Valentine’s chocolate for Re—”

Sakura suddenly perked up and dashed over to clutch Ai’s hands, her drowsiness fading away instantly after what she heard.

“You’re making chocolate for Ren-kun?! That’s so romantic!! Let me help you out!”

Ai was not expecting a reaction like this out of her at five in the morning, “U-Um, are you sure? I appreciate the offer but…”

“It’s no problem! I plan on making chocolates anyways, so helping you out with your boyfriend sounds like a win-win in my book! Come on, I’d be glad to help you with half the work.”

The redhead with the egg-like head beamed at her inspiration, Ai being a bit hesitant until deciding to accept the assistance.

“I appreciate your help, Sakura. I just wish it wasn’t on the day of, I was so busy with practice yesterday that I neglected to think about it.”

Sakura gripped her fists, determined, “Nothing to worry about, it’s never too late to get started! I’ll be here to help speed things up, and it’ll be fun too! Trust me…”

A soft smile forms on Ai’s face as she nods back at her.

“Right, as long as I make something he’ll enjoy, he obviously won’t mind how late it is. Still, I’d rather be on time for this, so in a few hours we’ll head out to buy ingredients. You got it?”

Sakura saluted with her eyes shining brightly, “Aye aye, Ai! Ren-kun will be so happy with this, that he might propose to you on the spot!”

Ai flinched after hearing that last sentence.

“Grgh, let’s not assume such things, Sakura… even if that does sound like something he’d do… ha, that dork…”

The two of them softly giggled at that before returning to their futons. Sakura was all pumped-up to start helping, while Ai stared up at the ceiling before closing her eyes. Hoping to herself that this hard work will be worth it in the end, to see his smiling face after he takes a bite.

“Do it for him…” She whispered to herself before falling into a deep slumber.

________________________________________________

“Ba da da da da ba dada da! Be yourself, can't be no one else… Another day, gotta give 'em hell! It's burning straight through the dark… This rebel heart, this rebel heart!”

Ren bops his head to the exciting tune playing through his wireless earbuds, all while shaving the facial hair that was beginning to grow on his face. To him it felt itchy to have a mustache or goatee, so whenever he could he’d cut it all off for the sake of easing himself.

“Alrighty, just need to take care of the chin area and—”

*BZZT!*

“AGH! OUCH!”

The sudden vibration of his phone within his pocket had caused him to cut his cheek with his razor, he clenches his teeth while observing his injury. He takes out his phone to see who was calling him, seeing his girlfriend was on the other end.

“Urgh, hey Ai-chan, what’s up?”

Ai was using a phone model not nearly as high-tech as his, mostly due to Kotaro being a cheapass. She did still have calling and texting, so at least there’s those features.

“Hey, is this a bad time? It took you longer than usual to answer the call.”

Padding the small amount of blood dripping down his face with a tissue, Ren cleared his throat.

“No no, it’s a good time. Perfect time, actually. I was wondering when you were gonna call since today’s… y’know…”

Ai nods at his words while readjusting the shopping basket she’s carrying. She and Sakura are currently gathering the ingredients they needed at the grocery store, while the other members of Franchouchou were out shooting a commercial. Sakura was scanning the various shelves to see which items would be the most delicious.

“Of course I remembered Valentine’s Day, what do you take me for?” She teased him.

Ren chuckled at her reply, “I never doubted you, darling. I’m pretty sure you also have something planned for us today, right?”

Before she could answer that, Sakura showed Ai a bar of low quality baking chocolate.

“No, not that one.” Ai tells her as her fellow idol went to return it to its original spot.

Ren raises an eyebrow after overhearing that, “Eh? No?”

Ai gasped as she attempted to correct that, “N-No, you misheard that. I do have something planned today, I’m not one to push things back until the last minute... In fact, I planned on what to do today right as the month started!”

She was right about remembering and planning what she was gonna do that day, but she lied about how she was unable to execute said plans due to indecisiveness. Sakura gives her a small thumbs up, silently telling her “You’re doing great!”.

“That is impressive, Ai-chan! Now you’ve got my hopes up if you’ve been working on things for that long. Although, don’t feel too pressured into making things perfect, okay? Ever since we met, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected, so don’t worry too much!”

Ai clutched her heart after that last statement, his considerate nature is a bit overwhelming.

“Ah, you know just what to say… Thank you, Ren-kun.”

Ren smiled hearing that on the other end, “Anytime, Starlight.”

Ai’s heart fluttered after he uttered that nickname he gave her, referencing his love confession towards her.

“Ha ha, you’re such a dork. Okay, be sure to meet me at our mansion in the afternoon, about 2pm. I’ll send you the address and I’ll greet you by the gates outside, is that fine with you?”

Ren opened up his calendar app to make sure.

“2pm? I’ve got a free schedule for the day, so I’ll definitely be there for sure. Having the address will definitely save me some time though, I would have gotten more lost than I was at the festival.”

“Thank goodness for that. It’s a date then, see you soon! Love you Ren-kun.”

Ai’s cheeks went pink when she said that, making Sakura smile with delight.

“Haaa, I never get tired of hearing that… Love you too, Ai-chan!”

After ending their call, the two of them briefly hold their phones close to their chests and let out simultaneous sighs of love, right before returning to what they were originally doing. Ai then looked up to find Sakura with her hands clasped, clearly overjoyed.

“Awww! You two are so cute, you know that?”

Ai’s blush increases as she clears her throat, “Ahem, so did you find a better type of chocolate to use?”

Sakura whipped out a large bar of semi-sweet baking chocolate and Ai observed it up close.

“I’ve never seen this brand before… the packaging looks quite sleek and fancy, so it has to be expensive right?”

Sakura shook her head, “It’s only a few more yen than the normal brand, and apparently it’s an import from overseas! Although it does look smaller than the usual type of baking chocolate…”

Ai puts her thumb and index finger on her chin to think it over before coming to a decision.

“Sakura, go and grab a few more of these bars. Quality over quantity here, got that?”

“Roger that!” Sakura saluted as Ai placed the chocolate into the basket.

*POP!*

The extra weight causes the basket to fall to the floor, Ai’s hand and forearm still attached to the handles.

“...”

The two zombie girls stared blankly at the sight for a few seconds before Sakura finally broke the silence.

“I’ll… go get a cart.”

“Yeah, definitely for the best.” 

Ai sighs, hoping that none of the containers for the ingredients got damaged.

_____________________________________________

After returning home, the two of them went straight for the kitchen and unloaded their groceries. They tied aprons around their waists as they immediately got to work on crafting the perfect chocolates. They also bought a bunch of tools to help them customize and shape the designs of their creations.

Ai rolls down her sleeves as she begins to chop the baking chocolate into easily meltable pieces.

“Only have a few hours until he arrives, no more procrastinating!”

“Yeah! Let’s do this!” Sakura pumped her fists into the air as she began to set up the three molds containing the shapes Ai wished to use.

Ai placed the chopped chocolate into a heat-proof bowl and heated up some heavy cream before pouring it into said bowl. Mixing well until the chocolate was fully melted. Sakura meanwhile, was making caramel in a small saucepan nearby.

“EYAH! HOT! HOT! HOT!” Sakura yelled as she turned the stovetop burner on too high.

Ai went over to her side and fixed the problem, “Aw, jeez… just turn the dial left and it’ll lower.”

Sakura bowed her head apologetically, “Sorry…”

“It’s alright, just be more careful or you could have burned something or hurt yourself.” Ai tells her as she begins to mix some homemade marshmallow creme.

After everything was finished blending, the time had come to begin pouring the chocolate and fillings into their molds. Ai wipes some sweat off her forehead before she and Sakura double high five at their success so far.

“Hooo, quite a workout… let’s take a quick breather before we continue on.”

As soon as Ai finishes that sentence though, in walks their fellow Franchouchou members.

“Oh my, what a delightful aroma…” Yugiri says as she enters the room.

Junko steps out behind her and gasps upon realizing, “Homemade chocolate, it has to be for Ren-kun!”

Ai nods her head at her best friend’s observation, “It is, we’re just about to fill up the molds. We made plenty so we can have you guys try some—”

Right on cue, in came Saki, Lily, and Tae. Rushing into the kitchen to try and get more than just one sample. Tae in particular was drooling and her eyes were gleaming.

“Hehe, don’t mind if I do! I ain’t a sweets gal, but I wanna see how far Ai’s willing to go for her man…”

“That smells yummy, Lily wants some!”

“Ragh! Ragh!”

“AFTER! I was gonna say after! Junko, Yugiri, would you mind taking care of them please?” Ai requests while facepalming.

“Right away.” Junko tells her.

Yugiri also agrees, “Now now, let Ai-han finish crafting her sweets, girls…”

The two girls began pushing the other three back and away from the kitchen, much to their disappointment.

“Aww… Lily wanted some chocolate now…” Lily pouts.

Tae whimpers, “Mmph…”

“Tch, these better be hella good if you’re keeping us waiting...” Saki grunts as they all leave.

Ai lets out a sigh of relief, thankful that no one else is trying to sneak a taste… until she hears the marshmallow bowl shift on the counter.

“Sakura, that means you too.” Ai states as the redhead backs off.

“Ah! Sorry, sorry!”

After that situation was thankfully solved, they filled up the molds to form the chocolates into three types of shapes. Layering on the melted chocolate, inserting the fillings, before topping it with more chocolate to seal them in. After placing them in the refrigerator to help them harden up, a conflicted Ai leaned against the kitchen counter.

“Is something wrong? We’re nearly done…” Sakura walks up to her as Ai shakes her head.

“No, I’m just… this is my first time doing this for someone. Ren-kun’s new to dating as well, but for me I've only been thinking about this from an idol’s perspective.”

Sakura tilted her egg-shaped head at that sentence, “An idol’s perspective?”

“I’ve always tried to put my heart into idol work, making sure our fans are always left with smiles on their faces by the end of each performance. However, it’s somehow harder to do something like this for just one person. Especially since this one person is… him. Not that the fans matter any less, but… to me, I don’t want to let him down the most.”

“Ah…” Sakura softly nodded in understanding.

After that explanation, the two of them didn’t speak for a while until the time came to take the chocolates out of the fridge. Sakura’s eyes lit up as she saw the finished candies be cleanly removed from the molds.

“Wow… they look like chocolates that could be sold at a fancy sweets shop!”

Ai crosses her arms while making sure there’s no cracks or leaking of the fillings, carefully placing fifteen into a gift box and wrapping it tightly with a dark blue bow.

“Hm… all that’s left now is to taste. You can call everyone back in now.”

Sakura went to gather the other Franchouchou members as Ai places the extra treats on a separate plate. The other six zombie girls gathered around it, while she stood behind them anxiously waiting.

“Well? Go ahead.”

“Thanks for the food!” The others told her as they each took one and inserted them into their mouths.

They slowly chewed the candies to truly get the feel of the flavors present within them. The silence started to get to Ai as she impatiently tapped her foot on the floor.

“Come on… say something…”

After another few seconds, they all turned around at her after they swallowed them. The six of them went into a quick huddle, whispering amongst themselves much to the flowerhead’s dismay.

“Okay, whatever you all have to say about them… just say it. Don’t be afraid of telling me the truth.”

Breaking the huddle, Sakura looked up to Ai and calmly said with a smile:

“Ai-chan… I don’t think you have to worry anymore.”

“HUH?!”

*POP! POP!*

Ai gasped with surprise as her eyeballs popped out and rolled on the floor.

The other girls giggled as she scrambled to place them back in.

Saki grinned before popping another chocolate into her mouth, “Ha! You really thought these wouldn’t be good enough? You really wanna impress your loverboy.”

“They’re so good that I’m getting addicted to all the flavors! The hard work was worth it, Ai-chan!” Sakura chimed in again.

“Lily loves these ones with the marshmallow, the chocolate's melting in my mouth!” The younger girl happily dances in place.

Ai blows off any dirt that was on her eyes before placing them back in, “You all shouldn’t have been so secretive then! But… do you really think they’re delicious?” 

“Indeed, they are truly wonderful sweets. Be sure to feed that boy well, Ai-han.” Yugiri smiles innocently, while Ai blushes at the comment.

Junko gives a polite nod towards her bestie, “Ren-kun will love them, no doubt about that.”

*BZZT!*

Ai feels a vibration from her phone and sees a text notification pop up.

“And speak of the devil…” Saki smirked as Ai clicked her tongue in response.

“Hey sweetie! On the bus rn to your place. But it looks like you’re already here riding with me!”

He sent a picture of the special bus that has Franchouchou on the side of it. The red on Ai’s face increased even more, making the other girls struggle to hold in their giggles.

“Only a few more stops until I’m there! See you soon, babe. <3<3<3”

Ai looked back up at the other girls, who gave her reassuring looks, before she texts him back.

“Can’t wait to see you, darling! Love you tons! <3”

Ai gulps while staring at the box of chocolates for him, picking it up and heading over to the front gates.

“Do your best, Ai-chan!” Franchouchou tells their friend as she leaves.

After finishing the plate of chocolates, the others soon start to leave the room too. But then Sakura stops Junko for a second.

“Sakura?” The floofy-haired girl turned back to see what she needed.

Sakura held a finger in front of her mouth and shushed her.

“There’s still some chocolate and fillings left, why don’t we make some more for someone else…”

Junko’s eyes went wide briefly before gladly agreeing to do this. And so they picked up the leftovers and found some new mold shapes…

___________________________________________________

Ren stood around by the gate, his hands in his pockets and whistling “Atsuku Nare”. Checking the time to see that it was 1:55pm, five minutes before the scheduled time. 

“The earlier, the better.” He thinks to himself before hearing the gate unlock behind him.

“I’m here! Sorry to keep you waiting!”

“Huh?”

When Ren turns around though, he’s met with Ai looking right at him… without makeup on.

“GAH!” He yelps while jumping an inch backwards.

Ai raises an eyebrow before realizing her mistake, “Ah, I’m so sorry! I should have told you that I didn’t have time to put on any makeup.”

After Ren manages to catch his breath, he finally responds.

“No, no, you look fine. I told you that I didn’t mind your zombie look, it’s the sneaking up behind me thing that got me…”

Ai fidgets as she holds the box of chocolates behind her back, “Um, okay, good. Wait… how did you get that?”

Ai points out the bandage on his cheek as Ren taps it and gave an embarrassed laugh.

”This? I would call it a close shave but… the razor blade was more than close on my end…”

Ai shakes her head at his clumsiness, “You should have been more careful… you could have cut yourself worse than that if you didn’t pay attention. Anyways… won’t you come in?”

She invites him by extending her hand to him and he takes it.

“Lead the way, Ai-chan.” Ren tells her, making her softly grin as she welcomes him into her abode.

Ren takes the time to study the layout of the place, before Ai directed him over to the living room. They sit down on the sofa as Ai finally reveals the box of chocolates to his surprise.

“Holy… Ai-chan, is that what I think it is?”

Ai softly nods and reveals the types of chocolate she made for him.

“Ren-kun, will you accept these chocolates?”

”Y-Yes, of course. Thank you so much…”

Their faces are illuminated with red as Ren slowly takes the box from her and opens it up. Ai began to explain what each shape had inside.

“The flowers have caramel inside of them, the stars have marshmallows, and the hearts have ganache. I… hope you enjoy them.”

Ren softly chuckled as he picked up a flower shaped one first, “You know, I’m holding myself back from making a joke about the caramel ones, considering what they’re shaped like.”

Ai playfully swatted at his shoulder upon realizing that it looked like her popcorn-like flower earrings.

“Just eat it, you dummy.”

Ren’s expression shifts from joking to serious as he inserts it into his mouth. Chewing through it slowly, before swallowing. Ai waited for an answer from him, but instead he grabbed the star-shaped ones next. After consuming all three shapes with the three different fillings, he placed the box down on the coffee table and scooted towards her, so now they were face to face.

“So… what did you think?” Ai asks sheepishly, not expecting things to go this direction.

“Ai-chan… why don’t you try one yourself?” Ren gives her a question instead, grabbing one of the heart-shaped ones.

She raises an eyebrow at this before shrugging with her shoulders, closing her eyes, and opening her mouth wide enough to have the chocolate fit in. The flavor exploded into her mouth after her first bite, and it continued to flow constantly until she reluctantly swallowed it.

“That was…”

“... Amazing?” Ren guesses.

Ai giggled while picking up another chocolate, “Yeah, is that how you feel about them too?”

“Eh, that’s not the word I would use. I’d go with stellar, phenomenal, or even GLORIOUS! You did flawlessly, sweetheart.” Ren grins while holding up another heart-shaped one to represent the last thing he called her, making her laugh a bit.

Ai lets out a sigh of relief while chewing on a caramel choco, “Thank goodness… I really shouldn’t have been so worried about this, but I wanted to make sure our first Valentine’s Day together went right.”

Ren gave her a smooch on the cheek, “Well it did, thank you for that. Expect me to work hard on White Day in return, ha ha.”

She returned the kiss with one on the lips, pulling back to say:

“I look forward to it. Although between that and my birthday earlier that next month, you’re probably planning on spoiling me rotten, aren’t you?”

Ren smirked, “Maaaaayyyybe…. I can afford it just fine though, no need to worry at all.”

Ai took a moment to wonder what Ren did for money, but ultimately brushed it off as a passing thought.

“If you say so, but don’t overdo it okay? And your birthday is in March too, so why not treat yourself around that time instead of just me?”

“No promises, babe. Although if my birthday is as good as this Valentine’s Day is, then I have nothing to worry about with you around.” Ren patted Ai’s head, as she pouted.

“Ha, well I’ll be sure to actually prepare everything in advance next time. I was so indecisive about today for some time, until Sakura offered to help me out.” Ai mentions while feeding him a marshmallow star.

“Shakura? Wow, sheesh sho shchweet…” Ren says, say with his mouth full.

“Swallow your food before talking, I barely got that.” Ai scolded him.

Ren swallowed before speaking up, “Yes ma’am.”

“Excuse me, did you just call me ‘ma’am’?” Ai replies back, slightly offended.

Ren holds his hands up defensively, “I didn’t mean it like that, okay?! Ugh, seriously though, I might pay her back on White Day too. So she just offered to help just like that?”

Ai nodded her head, “I told her about my dilemma and she volunteered immediately. She did say she was planning on making chocolate anyways, don’t know who they’re for though…”

The two of them briefly brainstorm who Sakura would give those chocolates to before giving up.

“Eh, it’s not too big a deal. By the way, you said that this Valentine’s Day was good…. But it’s only gonna get better.”

Ai smirks as she scoots closer to her boyfriend before leaping onto him and unleashing a barrage of kisses all over his face.

“Ah ha ha, hey, slow down!” Ren tells his girlfriend, but she just keeps going.

The sounds of the couple’s laughter and smooching filled the living room and spread through the rest of the mansion. Their energy is about as sweet as the chocolates they completely finished, or perhaps even sweeter. 

Meanwhile their question was unknowingly answered as Sakura and Junko knocked on a certain someone’s door in the mansion before running off before it opened. Out walked Kotaro Tatsumi, Franchouchou’s noisy and eccentric manager, who found a small box at his feet. He opens it to find eight chocolates shaped like cherry blossoms and tiny mushrooms, as well as a note that simply said:

“Thank you for all of your hard work.”

Tatsumi stared intensely at the message, breaking away from it after overhearing Ai and Ren’s makeout session.

“PIPE DOWN, YOU HORNY KIDS!” He shouts down the hall before walking back into his room and popping both chocolate shapes into his mouth.

“... Delish.”

Art by my good friend, Zarius. Thank you so much for this absolutely spectacular artwork!

Chapter Text

< Third-Person POV >

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

Nighttime.

It was close to the time Ai went to sleep, not Ren though since he plans on staying up despite his girlfriend’s scolding. The former wanted to talk to him for a while on the phone just to help tire him out… it was now over two hours and they’re both still awake, so you know how well that’s going.

“Ah ha ha, seriously though, you need to start thinking about what you put into your body.” Ai softly giggled while laying on her stomach in her futon with her feet in the air.

“What do you mean? I’m just fine, ha ha…” Ren responds while leaning back in his desk chair and reading through a manga.

“Really? You’re fine, even after eating an entire pizza by yourself tonight?”

Ren put his hand over his chest and gave a mock gasp at her remark.

“It was only a medium 12 inch one! Besides, according to the ‘zero calorie theory’, the pizza is circular to represent the number zero. Thus making it zero calories!”

Ai snorted at his explanation and shook her head in disbelief.

“Your math is blowing my mind here. Ha ha, you’re such a dork, you know that?”

“And you love it.” Ren shoots back with a smirk on his face, Ai sighing while picturing it in her head.

“... I do. But try to eat healthier for me, okay?”

“No promises.”

“Hmm? What was that?” Ai spoke up in a mildly threatening tone.

Ren’s forehead began to sweat when he heard that, “Um, o-okay I will, darling…”

“That’s what I thought. Anyways, as I was saying earlier, since we’re heading to a park I figured I might as well take Romero out on a walk with us. Do you mind that at all?”

“Of course, I love doggos! And from what you told me, he’s pretty well behaved, so I don’t really see how that would be a problem. Ahhh…” Ren yawns and Ai picks up on that.

“You better get some rest then for tomorrow, I don’t want you half asleep while Romero uses you as a walking chew toy.”

“Sure, I’ll head to bed soon after we’re done here…” He lied.

Ai scoffed, not believing him for a second, “Ren-kun, you better go to sleep soon.”

“Okay, okay… man, you’re starting to sound less like my girlfriend and more like my mom.” Ren groaned.

“I’m just doing what’s best for my boyfriend, whether he likes it or not. But you know I do it because I care, right?” Ai changes her tone to be more sincere.

Ren sighs and softly nods, “I know, and I do appreciate that. You don’t have to baby me too much, but you really help keep me grounded when my head’s in the clouds. Sorry if it seems that I’m annoyed at you.”

A small smile forms on Ai’s face as she answers back, “No, I’m sorry if it seems like I’m pushing you too hard. I just don’t want you to look dead tired tomorrow, I’m supposed to be the zombie here, not you.”

Ren softly chuckles as he readjusts his seating position.

“Ha, yeah, it would be a lot more different if it was the reverse… or even if both of us were the same. I’ll try to sleep soon though, I promise, so don’t worry too much about me.”

Ai grins after hearing some truth in that last statement, “Okay, I’ll trust you on that. Before you go though, I have to tell you the key to getting Romero to like you it’s—”

“Hold on, I’m getting another call, it’s from…”

Ren paused for a few seconds, Ai wondering why he went silent before speaking up.

“Is something wrong? I can hang up now if you need to talk to them.”

“It’s nothing, Ai-chan. Just a spam call, hate those things. I think I’ll head to bed right now actually, you can text me what I need to do tomorrow morning. Is that alright?”

Ai raised an eyebrow at this before replying, “Oh, okay. I’ll be sure to text you before we head out. Sleep well, Ren-kun.”

“Right back at you, Ai-chan. Have a good night, sweetie, I love you.”

Even with her being a bit concerned, those three words always hit the bullseye in her heart.

“Mhm, I love you too, babe. See you tomorrow.”

She hangs up and lets out a sigh as she turns over on her back, still thinking about how abrupt that call ended. Sure she wanted him to head to sleep, but she felt that something was up. 

She opens up a photo of the two of them he took during their last date, where she gives him a surprise kiss while he was trying to take a normal selfie. The mischievous, yet loving smile on her face as he captures his lips… his wide eyes and blushing cheeks when he got caught off guard… the picture being slightly crooked, but still a good quality… It made her smile and gave her motivation before her most recent performances.

“Ren-kun…” She utters his name while looking at him in the photo, wondering if he has his own things he’s hiding.

“Oi, finally done with your booty call? That took forever.” Saki yawns while walking into their shared room.

“SHUT UP!” Ai blushed furiously and threw a pillow at her face.

__________________________________________________

Afternoon.

Ai squatted down to give Romero a few headpats before attaching a leash and harness to him. Her outfit for the day was a blue hoodie with a black vest over it, a black skirt with small blue dots on it, white socks, and blue and dark gray high-top sneakers. Romero was excitedly padding across the sidewalk, sniffing all around as the sunlight hit his blue fur.

“Now be good to him, Romero. He’s a very nice boy, and he’ll give you treats if you don’t be mean to him. You’d like that, won’t you?”

“Woof!” Romero answered, making Ai softly chuckle.

Soon the zombie idol and her undead poodle found her boyfriend on a bench with a small brown bag next to him. After noticing them, he exits out of the manga scans that he was totally reading legally and heads over to them. The young couple greet each other with a short, but sweet, kiss on the lips.

Ren welcomed her into his arms with a warm smile, “Hi, honey.”

“Hey.” She answers back with another peck to his cheek.

“Grrrrrrr, ruff! Ruff ruff ruff!” Romero growled at Ren who grunted in response.

Ai shook her head in slight disappointment, “Yeah, sorry. I told him to behave politely towards you but… he’s so protective.”

“Hm, it’s alright, no need to worry. Besides, I already got what you told me about right here. Before that though…”

Ren squatted down and held his hand out to the zombie dog, the hound not in the mood to greet him nicely.

“Arf! Arf! Arf! Arf! Bark!”

“C’mon, give me paw.” Ren nonchalantly says, even after seeing the sharp teeth the mutt had.

“BARK! BARK!” Romero answers back, rejecting the young man’s offer.

Ren clicked his tongue in response before whipping out the small brown bag.

“Fine then, be that way. I guess you don’t want one of these.”

He pulls out a packet of dried squid, (which you shouldn’t give to normal dogs, but it’s fine here), and eats some of it in front of him. The dog whimpered as Ren smugly chewed on the squid, and without even batting an eye he held out his hand again to ask for his paw.

Romero places it in his hand and Ren shakes it, “Good boy.”

Ai looks on, impressed at the way her boyfriend is handling the zombie hound. After getting some more paw shakes from him, he was able to get Romero to spin (with his body while his head stayed locked in place), roll over, and sit. She pats him on the back for a job well done.

“Wow, you really got him wrapped around your finger.”

Ren laughs awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head, “Hopefully he still is once the squid is long gone… but I am glad he’s warming up to me. He’s the last one of your group that I haven’t gotten the chance to spend some time with, and like I said I like dogs.”

He softly petted the top of Romero’s head as the pooch softly closed his eye (the one that still had an eyeball in it), relaxing under his touch.

“He’s so adorable… aren’t you, you little guy? Aww…”

Ai watched as Ren nuzzled his cheek against the pup, and that’s when Ai felt a bit… off. She felt the need to pout, crossed her arms, and let out a huff as she sat down on the bench. She looked to be somewhat jealous, but at that point she didn’t know who she was jealous of in this scenario.

“Shall we get going then, Ai-chan?” Ren asks and she huffs again, shifting her head away from him.

“Hmph, very well.”

The girl stood up and led Romero into the park with her, Ren standing by her side and wondering what her problem was. He tried to hold her hand, but Ai avoided his touch and kept looking on at their surroundings. Confused, he scratched his head and cleared his throat.

“Nice weather we’re having…”

“Mm…” Ai grunts while continuing to pretend not to care.

Raising an eyebrow, Ren tries again, “You feel like grabbing something sweet later?”

“I guess.”

Ren lowers his eyebrows at her before looking in the opposite direction. They stay silent most of the time, only speaking up to stop Romero from biting other people or eating things he shouldn’t be putting into his mouth. Even when they felt bitter with each other, they still worked well together. The two of them soon found a small area that Romero could run around in, so Ren decided to play a quick game of fetch with him.

“Go get the stick, little buddy!” Ren tells him and he immediately dashes over and brings it back.

“Arf! Arf! Woof!”

“Good boy, Romero. Such a cutie-patootie…”

“Hmph…”

Ren turns to find his date crossing her arms and glaring at him and that’s when he’s decided he’s tired of this.

“Is there something wrong? You're either staring daggers at me like I took the last piece of yakiniku or looking away from me, annoyed, like I’m Tatsumi. Did I do something wrong?”

Ai shifted her eyes away from him before giving a blunt answer, “Maybe.”

He crossed his arms in reply and stepped over to her so they were now face to face.

“Maybe? Do you mind being specific then? It would really help so I can—”

She walked past him and picked up Romero in her arms, pouting and clutching the pooch to her chest. Ren clenched his fists as he stomped over to her and looked her in the eyes again.

“Seriously, tell me what’s up with you! I can’t help if you’re not gonna say anything to me!”

“If that’s how you’re gonna act, I won’t tell you! Maybe I’ll tell Romero about it instead!”

Ren felt his teeth clench before shooting back, “Fine then! Be that way!”

“Okay!” Ai replies with annoyance before the two of them hold a glaring contest.

They scowled at one another for about a minute and a half before they both gave up and headed over to a bench nearby. Sitting in silence while Romero was panting in the sun. That silence would thankfully last one more minute before their hands shifted towards each other and stuck together like magnets.

Their fingers intertwined and they lifted their heads back up to face each other and both say:

“I’m sorry.”

“Wait, no, it’s my fault.”

“I mean… ah ha ha ha…”

The two of them laughed off their ridiculous moment of saying things at the exact same time before wrapping each other in a close hug, with Romero in the middle of them and giving some licks out to both.

“Seriously though, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so jealous…” Ai placed her hand over her heart and sighed in relief.

Ren chuckled, “Jealous of me or him?”, he says while pointing at Romero with his thumb.

Ai laughed lightly while petting Romero’s head, “Both actually, you were paying more attention to him and he’s already pretty close to you, even if you just met today! Pretty stupid of me, isn’t it?”

Ren shook his head, “Not really, I shouldn’t have been so ticked off at you acting that way. You were pretty quick to start acting that way though.”

“I was admittedly, but we made up pretty quickly too, didn't we?” Ai brings up.

Ren joins her in patting the doggo while nodding in agreement.

“Oh, definitely. But I can tell we really can’t stay mad at each other for too long. If you hadn’t spoken up at the same time as me, I would have tried to apologize first.”

Ai smiled and brushed his hair out of his face, “You’re so sweet, I would have done the same thing. Guess that’s why we both said sorry at once, ha ha…”

“Yup. But in all fairness, could you really blame me for focusing too much on him? I mean, just look at him! The zombie thing is weird, but besides that he’s an adorable pupper!”

Ren nuzzled his cheek against Romero and Ai snuggled him from his right side.

“I know! I wasn’t so sure about him at first, but now I can’t help but feel attached to this little undead furball. Oh you’re such a cutie, yes you are…”

The couple swooned over the dog as he let out a huff, the dog equivalent to the sigh.

Ren then realized something and turned to her real quick, “After thinking about it more, the way you were acting earlier...”

“What about it?” Ai looked at him in confusion.

“With you trying to deny that you wanted attention… There's a three syllable word that I can use to describe that behavior.”

“And what, pray tell, is that word?” Ai put her hands on her hips while awaiting his answer.

Ren smirked while using his finger to point out each syllable.

“Tsun-de-re.”

“I’m not a tsundere!” Blush flashed onto Ai’s face as her boyfriend snickered to himself.

“That’s what they all say…”

Ai clicked her tongue at his remark, “Gah, you dummy…”

“Aha, a key word tsunderes use to describe the person they like!” Ren pointed out and Ai hid her face from him.

“Agh…”

After strolling through the park for a few more hours, they got that sweet treat Ren suggested earlier, ice cream. Ai got a french vanilla (she appreciates when the classics are done right), and Ren got swiss chocolate with sandwich cookies. The two of them were happily eating while watching an anime on Ren’s phone.

“You should really quit smoking…”

“Bite me! What are you, my boyfriend?!”

“Why not? Sounds good to me.”

“I still can’t believe he actually had a hundred thousand yen on him.” Ren says while seeing a student council president kiss a blonde delinquent.

Ai spoons some ice cream and swallows it, “I still can’t believe he hasn’t zipped his pants back up.”

“And I’m still wondering what kind of ‘testing’ he did to make sure he’s not ga—”

*Bzzzzzzzzz!*

“Ah, damn it, this fly won’t leave me alone… ack, almost went in my ear that time!” Ren complains.

Ai continues to eat her ice cream while watching him try to clap it with hands. Laughing at how he holds his hand in pain after slamming his fist into the table hard.

“I have heard they’re attracted to the carbon dioxide people breathe out, just let it be.”

“Ugh... Why should I let it BEE, if it’s a fly?” Ren jokes and Ai rolls her eyes.

“Tch, please don’t…” She replies while burying her face in her hands.

Ren smirks, “Come on, with how much this fly is BUGGING me I should keep this up so I don’t remain EAR-itated at how it finds my ear EAR-resistible.”

Ai groans and just shoving spoonfuls of ice cream into her mouth, hoping the brain freeze could help her forget she ever heard all of that. She pauses however, after seeing Romero eyeing the fly with a gleam in his eye.

“Hey, hey… what are you thinking…?”

*CHOMP!!*

That’s when Romero snatched the fly with his jaws like a venus flytrap and swallowed it whole.

“...”

“...”

Ai and Ren stared at the pup and blinked twice.

Ren popped a question, “So… do zombie dogs get sick?”

“I… have no clue. Fingers crossed that they don’t, otherwise let’s just move on and hope he’ll be fine…”

It seems that the brief moment of Romero going feral stunned the two of them.

The rest of the date went on pretty well, quite the peaceful day for the two of them. The sound of the river flowing, the soft wind blowing through their hair, the way Romero frolics through the flowers… it was all so wonderful… and it made Ren glad he remembered to take allergy medicine before leaving home.

“Getting late, maybe we can grab dinner to go?” Ren suggests, feeling his stomach growl loudly.

Ai giggles at the sound from his gut, “Sure, you okay with eating back at the mansion?”

Ren nods, “Of course… my treat. You know… I think I can buy food for all of you girls tonight.”

Ai raised an eyebrow at this, “Really? Seems a bit much, are you sure you can afford all of it?”

He gives her a confident smile and wink, “I’m sure, consider it a thanks for welcoming me into the family… er, I mean… well, you all do seem like just one big happy undead family so… ah ha…”

After hearing him stutter for a bit, she grabbed his arm and held him tight.

“I’m glad you’re a part of this family, Ren-kun…”

“Ruff! Ruff!”

Ai giggled after hearing Romero chimes in, “And it looks like he agrees!”

Ren blushed before eventually leaning against her head as they kept walking on, stuck together as close as an otaku to a good manga.

“Thank you both, truly…” He states, feeling warm and content.

He ended up buying gyudon, or beef bowls, for everyone on the way back. Ren struggled to lift all of it in the large bag they gave him, so they both decided to carry it together and lighten the load. Soon enough they got back to the mansion just as the sun was getting low.

Ren sighs in relief as he temporarily sets the bag down so he can stretch his arm.

“Ah, finally… I’m expecting Kotaro to give us an earful as soon as we walk in. I can’t believe you have to live with the guy sometimes, as much as I kinda respect him.”

“Ha, yeah…”

It was then that Ai thought back to the previous night, seeing him look a bit tired here reminded her of the way he sounded tired on the phone. Due to that reminder, Ai thought to speak up about something.

“Hey, so... About last night?”

“Last night?” Ren tilted his head in confusion.

Ai hesitated a bit before asking him, “... Who was it that called you? After you saw it you stopped talking before heading to bed soon after, is it something personal?”

Ren’s eyes widened, “Oh, that? Well, you see it was… uh…”

“YOU’RE LATE, AI-CHAN!”

Ren and Ai hold their hands over their ears to stop the ringing, courtesy of Kotaro’s squawking.

“Jeez, say his name and he appears…” The young man snarked.

Ai scoffed as she responded back, “We just stopped to grab dinner, it’s no big deal.”

The idol manager crossed his arms and looked at the bag, “Hm, I see. Did you buy something for me?”

“...” They stared at him and didn’t answer.

“I can see nine bowls there, I know you’re hiding it!”

“That one’s for Romero.” Ren tells the manager while Ai picks up the doggo and the two of them walk away.

“WHAT?! HEY! GET BACK HERE!”

His yelling fell on deaf ears as the two of them sat down at the dinner table and simultaneously winked at each other, before feeding the mutt some meat. However, Ai can’t help but look at her partner with slight suspicion. She shook it off after he caught her brief staring, but what was he about to say? 

Ai couldn’t help but worry that even with him knowing her big secret… she didn’t know about all of his.

Chapter Text

< Third-Person POV >

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

Early morning.

*SLAP!*

“You ungrateful child… take your damn money and leave if you really want to! Go!”

A younger Ren ran out the room and slammed the door. Leaning against the door, his breathing was quick and uneven as he lifted his head up to see a girl who looked about a year or less than him. She had black hair in a ponytail and a sky blue nightgown, clutching her skirt before responding to him with a pleading look.

“Kuya Ren, please don’t leave… think about this more…”

Ren clutched his chest and readjusted the bag on his shoulder, “I’m sorry… I can’t take it anymore, okay?! I’m just so tired of him…. so tired…”

“Are you really sure?” The girl asked him, her lips quivering.

“I am absolutely sure, Jenny, spent weeks thinking about it in fact. It’s why I’ve been learning Japanese for about a month. You can’t convince me otherwise, I’m getting on the plane and leaving Manhattan tonight.”

Jenny came closer and saw him holding a brand new debit card alongside that bright red mark on his left cheek. Ren turns away from his sister, frustrated and just looks out the penthouse window as she grabs his arm. They stood in silence looking at the stars for a few minutes, Jenny looking at him with her eyes beginning to water.

“We can try to fix this… The fact that father gave you money is a sign that he does care… we could hire a therapist, help you two come to an understanding…”

Ren interrupts her, holding a quivering finger as he looks at her with a solemn expression.

“I don’t want to see him ever again, Jen. The only thing that made me tolerate him for so many years is how kindly he treated you, with me gone he won’t even bat an eye. I’m just done… okay? I’m sorry.”

Jenny clutched her heart as he began to make his way out the door, putting on his sneakers before he looked back at her with a wobbly smile.

“But… if anything happens, you can call me and come visit. Okay? I… hope to see you again someday, sis. Love ya…”

The door shuts.

…

…

“Ack!”

Ren jolted awake in his bed, one hand on his head as he took some deep breaths. He looks to his right and finds his phone charging, tapping the screen to see that it’s 6am, a time that someone like him wouldn’t dare wake up at. Ren sighs through his clenched teeth as he flopped back onto his pillow.

That wasn’t a dream… it was a memory.

He picks his phone back up again and looks through his recent calls. A few days ago, it looked like Jenny finally decided to call him. Ren looked at his calendar and saw that today was the day he was supposed to meet up with her. Putting his phone down and closing his eyes, he decides he needs the extra sleep before taking on the day. The young man repeated a small mantra to himself to lure himself back to sleep, all while his nervous heart pounded like it was doing a drum solo.

“Breathe in, breathe out…”

___________________________________________

“Hm…”

Ai was constantly checking her phone, waiting for her boyfriend to message her back after she just sent him a couple of online tickets to watch today’s performance. One for him and another one in case he wanted to bring a friend. Usually she’d be practicing the choreography for the upcoming show, yet here she was pacing back and forth in the dance training room as the others watched it happen. 

Ai’s eyebrows lowered as she stared at her phone screen, once again there’s no response. As she began muttering to herself, the girls looked at each other before deciding to step in.

“Ren-kun hasn’t answered yet, huh?” Sakura asks first.

Ai shakes her head, “He usually answers quicker than this, am I being too anxious about all of this?”

“Of course not, you just care a lot and that kindness is one of the things he loves most about you.” Junko says reassuringly.

Saki leans against the wall while smirking, “Heh, yeah. Loverboy’s just freakin’ smitten with you, girl. Shouldn’t be worried about him cheating or whatever.”

Ai scoffs at the thought, “That is certainly not what I’m worried about. What I am worried about is that phone call he received the night before our last date. He went quiet on his end after receiving it, and after I asked him about it he had a certain look in his eye… it was fear.”

“Fear? He’s scared of a phone call? Hm…” Sakura racks her brain trying to come up with an idea.

A thought popped into Junko’s head and she gasped, “M-Maybe he’s being threatened by someone dangerous?”

“Grrrrr…” Tae growls in response.

Yugiri places a hand on her cheek and ponders that concern, “If that truly was the case, the young man would have informed you of something so frightening, am I correct Ai-han?”

Ai bit her lip before answering, “Knowing him, he wouldn’t want me to get involved for my sake. So selfless, yet never thinks about himself... Ugh, not gonna jump to conclusions here, at this rate it’ll make me even more stressed! That’s it, back to practice. One… Two… Three… Four…”

The other girls get back in line and join her, but not taking their eyes off of Ai as she’s clearly failing to ignore her uneasiness.

“Ren-kun’s not gonna get hurt, is he?” Lily nervously whispers to Sakura.

The egghead struggles to answer that, “Um… well, I really hope so. He doesn't seem like the type to get involved with scary people, and he definitely wouldn’t cheat on Ai-chan either… maybe it’s something else?”

“Something else…” Lily repeated softly to herself as she looked at Ai’s still concerned face.

Ai’s movements were swift and precise, always looking to perfect her craft. Her toned legs display her dedication to the art of dance. Despite her zombified form, her undead heart beat as quick as a boxer rapidly hitting a speed bag. While her boyfriend’s current predicament clouded her mind, she constantly repeated something in her head to steady herself:

“ Breathe in, breathe out… ”

_________________________________________

Ren fidgeted in his booth seat at a family restaurant, their agreed meeting place. He immediately tensed up when he felt a sudden vibration from his pocket, only to sigh in relief when he saw it was from his girlfriend. Looking over what she sent him, he smiled for the first time in hours that day and began to type out his response to her…

“Kuya Ren?”

Upon hearing the Filipino word for brother, Ren’s anxiety returned as he found his younger sister looking over his shoulder. She still had that ponytail, was wearing a violet wool jacket and black slacks, and dark brown boots.

“... Hey, Jenny.”

She sat down opposite to him and picked up the menu, looking over each word with her eyes squinted.

“You’ve gotten taller…” Ren starts with a compliment.

 “And you haven’t.”

Ren groans after she burned him and just held his menu up to block her out.

“That mouth of yours hasn’t changed much though, very grateful for that. Wouldn’t be you without it.”

Jenny scoffed and just focused on reading over the menu… well, more like using her phone to translate the kanji written down on it. Her eyes moved from the menu and back to her phone constantly, yet she was visibly struggling to understand any of it. By the time the waiter showed up, the young woman had trouble speaking up.

“H-Hello, I… would like… um…”

A subtle, yet smug smile began to appear on Ren’s face as he spoke up in her stead.

“She’ll take an omurice and I’ll have a hamburger steak. Thank you so much!”

The waiter took their menus as Jenny’s eyes went wide at how well her brother spoke in Japanese.

“You’ve… become quite fluent since I last saw you.” She tells him while Ren confidently pushes up his glasses.

“Mhm, I may get things wrong here and there, but for the most part I am. It seems you haven’t brushed up on any of the language though, why not?”

She crosses her arms and huffs, “I’m only gonna be here for two weeks, one week here before I spend another one in Tokyo. And don’t make fun of me for that when you haven’t learned any Tagalog.”

“Touché.” Ren acknowledges that flaw of his.

“Hmph… so… how have you been lately? It’s been years after all.” Jenny places a hand on her cheek and her elbow on the table.

“It’s been decent… until a month ago. That’s when things started to look up.”

Ren twirls his chopsticks around as Jenny looks on curiously.

“Really now? What happened last month?”

“Kanojo.” The young man states to purposely confuse his sibling.

“Ren, in English, please.”

Ren takes out his phone and shows her his lock screen wallpaper, the picture he took of Ai at the beach on the night he confessed. Her feet in the water, the joyful smile on her face, and the diamond sky above her. Jenny audibly gasped at the sight of her.

“My girlfriend.” Ren translates for her.

When he says that, Jenny immediately starts lightly smacking his arm.

“What?! You idiot! Why didn’t you tell me you were dating someone! This is huge!”

Ren rolls his arm before sighing, “Because I told you to call me all that time ago. I’m busy these days, and I know you probably are too. Didn’t think you’d answer even if I tried to tell you.”

His answer made Jen slump in her seat, “Yeah… y-you’re right, I’ve been busy. This is the longest amount of vacation time I had, so I thought I might as well reach out and catch up with big bro…”

Her brother looked at her suspiciously as he stopped twirling his chopsticks.

“Is that the only reason you’re here, though?”

“...”

Upon seeing her go completely silent, Ren’s expression switched to one of remorse as he leaned back in his booth seat. The waiter soon arrived with their orders and Jenny looked at her omurice with hesitation, while Ren clapped his hands together and gave a soft “Itadakimasu.” or “Thanks for the food.”. He cut into the juicy hamburger steak and swooned when he began to chew it along with some fluffy rice.

“I-I-Itadakimasu…” Jenny uttered timidly before opening her mouth and inserting a spoonful of the egg and rice, “Mmph!”

The flavors exploded in her mouth as she soon began to shovel more of it in and made Ren chuckle.

“Oh yeah, the food is another reason I stay here. I’ll be sure to show you Drive-In Tori later, it’s amazing.”

 The two of them began to eat and started chatting again. The earlier tension seemed to fade away and be replaced by familiar camaraderie for the siblings, like the food was the key to easing their minds. Looking at how his sister was enjoying her meal, Ren softly smiled. Seems like he’s starting to relax after all that time stressing over seeing her again…

“So, have you and your girlfriend done it yet?” 

“Gwack!”

Nevermind, that one question from Jenny made him start choking on his water. After a lot of coughing, Ren finally replies.

“You know I’m not into that kind of stuff, and she’s fine with that…”

She gives him a teasing look, “Is she though?”

“Of course she is! So unless you or our cousins decide to go for it, our bloodline ends with us. Acknowledge that.” He jokes as he finishes up his hamburger.

“Hilarious…” Jen rolled her eyes as she continued eating.

After a few seconds, Ren then realized something as he began to send that unfinished text to Ai. “Y’know, if you’re so doubtful of me…”

He then whips out his phone and shows her the concert tickets.

“... Then you can ask her yourself.”

_________________________________________

Ai sees the text notification on her phone and breathes a sigh of relief as she and the rest of Franchouchou finally arrive at the concert venue. Her cheeks gained a tinted red as she read every word.

“Hey, sorry for not messaging! It’s been rough lately, but hearing your singing will surely improve my mood! It always does… I’ll be there soon, break a leg out there! Not literally though, but you know what I mean. Love youuuuu!” ^_^ <3

A smile enveloped her face as she stepped out of the van and turned to the other girls.

“Let’s do our best today, everyone!”

The other girls giggled at her behavior, her cheerful tone making it seem like she was already in “idol mode”.

“Hee hee… Ai-chan’s getting all giddy, must have been a pretty sappy reply from Ren-kun.” Sakura says as she sees Ai twirl happily.

Junko nods, “It seems so. It’s as if all that worrying managed to turn into pure delight. So happy for her…”

“Ha, look at Ms. Serious Idol being so upbeat! Feels weird, but I ain’t complaining. Let’s do it to it, girls!” Saki pumps her fist and so does the others.

“Yeah!”

About an hour or so later, Ren and Jen arrived at the venue, with the latter not used to hyped up crowds. Tons of pen lights and fan signs were clenched in the hands of the fans as big bro hands a blue pen light to his little sis. She looks over it with a bewildered face.

“What are these for? Landing a plane?”

Ren shakes his head at her guess, “You shake these in time with the music, typical idol support. Come on, let’s find our seats…”

He leads her over to the front seats, being sure to greet some fellow fans who recognize him. Jenny was once again impressed by how well adjusted he was to speaking Japanese, and her head lowered in mild embarrassment at not knowing much of it. Ren high fives the two metalheads that usually came to Franchouchou’s shows and gives a quick side hug to a former member of the idol group.

“Yuzuriha-san, it’s great to see you again.”

Maimai beams while readjusting her glasses, “Ren-kun! Glad you made it, but who’s this girl?”

Jenny presses her fingers together awkwardly before answering.

“K-Konnichiwa… I’m Jennifer… his, um,  imouto?”

“She mainly speaks English.” Ren whispers to his fellow fan.

Maimai nods in understanding before answering in Engrish, “Ohhh, hello! I am Maimai Yuzuriha, nice to meet you!”

“A-Arigatou…” Jenny shook her hand as the three of them sat down as the lights began to dim.

Observing the crowd, a puzzled Jenny raises an eyebrow and turns to her brother for clarification.

“Hey… I thought your girlfriend was supposed to be here, where the heck is she?”

He pressed a finger to his mouth and silenced her, “Shooooosh please, a-thank you.”

She pouted at him and was about to protest as the lights on stage turned on, answering her question. Franchouchou took the stage and Ai quickly grinned upon spotting her boyfriend. Ren greeted her briefly with a small wave as Jen looked on, baffled.

The group greeted the crowd before performing their signature song, Mezame Returner. Each time Ai did her “cut-in” motion, Ren blushed and melted into his seat. Jenny on the other hand noticed his eye contact with his romantic partner, completely focused on Ai. He was absolutely captivated by her, the usually so quiet brother she knew was now cheering on the girl he loves with pure excitement.

She should be happy that he found someone, in fact she was happy when he told her earlier. The last time Jenny saw him, he could barely hold a smile before removing himself from her life, but now he seems like he’s done a complete 180. With each song, he shook that pen light more and more… while she didn’t even do it once.

She shot a glare right at him, which he failed to notice, before sitting back down in her seat as she just watched the show. As much as she felt like she didn’t want to be there anymore, she could appreciate the good music and dancing at least. The feeling that was bubbling inside of her, her jade eyes signifying this well…

… Envy.

____________________________________________

Ai had texted Ren to meet her backstage after they finished up with the show, and so the siblings stood around waiting to meet up with the big brother’s sweetheart.

Ren then sought to break the silence, “So… how did you like the concert? It’s technically my second one, but it’s the first time I got to sit down and watch a full one in person.”

“Hm, it was good. Didn’t understand the lyrics, but the choreography was impressive…”

Jenny’s tone prompted her brother to put his hand on her shoulder and look her in the eye.

“Okay, tell me what’s wrong.”

“There’s nothing wrong.” Jen bluntly tells him.

He was not convinced, “That’s a load of bull, seriously… you can talk to me, sis.”

“You want me to say it that badly, huh? Fine, I’m gonna tell you all of it.”

Jen brushed Ren’s hand off her shoulder before lowering her eyebrows at him.

“The thing is… I want to be happy for you, I really do… but I can’t.”

“What?” Her brother was taken aback right away.

Jenny took a deep breath in before continuing.

“You left me behind, kuya. Do you know how hard it was to find people who liked me in  school? Because everyone thought I was some stuck up rich girl, who thinks she’s better than them! You were my only friend for years… and even if Dad wasn’t as hard on me as he was on you, he was barely there anyways!”

Ren clenched his fists as he spoke up, “Look, I already told you I’m sorry. I know I can’t change what I did, but I just couldn’t stand living with him anymore, even if I enjoyed having fun with you.”

“You could have brought me with you! That card probably hasn’t even run out of money yet, and you have a job too don’t you? Then why did you not try to help me feel free too? Why do you have to be the only one not tied down by father’s expectations? Why did you decide to leave me, Ren…? Why?”

“Jen…” He tries to reach his hand out to her, but she pushed it away.

“You must be so glad to be far away from those responsibilities… but now it’s all on me!”

Ren’s eyes went wide at the implications of what she said, as Jen clenched her teeth.

“Dad’s gone, kuya… and I have to be the one to succeed him. I can’t just spend my days here, like you. Watching your little girlfriend sing on stage, eating good food, enjoying life… I have to run a freaking business. Why are you the one who gets to be happy, while I get to feel trapped?!”

The way she shouted at him, it was like daggers pierced his heart one after another. Despite being so distraught, he still sought to make things right. However, all that yelling Jenny did had caught the attention of a certain zombie idol, who was looking on from a short distance.

“Sis, Jenny, I really am sor—”

*SLAP!*

As soon as he took another step towards her, her hand collided with his right cheek and he stumbled back. Upon realizing what she had done impulsively, she covered her mouth and watched her brother begin to quiver. His breathing became erratic, he clutched his head and fell to his knees.

She unintentionally reminded him of what their father had done.

“Hey! Get the hell away from him!”

Ai ran towards her boyfriend, pure rage in her voice as she embraced him. She stares daggers at the girl she only saw as someone that hurt the boy she loved, even if she couldn’t understand their conversation she understood that she needed to leave.

“Don’t you dare touch him again… if you do, you’ll regret it…”

Her tone shifts to a quieter, yet still protective tone as Jen booked it out of there in tears. All while her brother was still in a state of shock, even with the love of his life holding onto him. The zombie idol gently rubbed his back and tried her best to reassure him.

“I’m right here, honey… I’m here… Breathe in, breathe out… shhh…”

“...”

It seemed her words weren’t reaching him and she tightened her hug on him. About a few minutes passed and the other Franchouchou members caught up with them, all of them worried about their friend.

Junko gasped, “What happened to him?”

Ai speaks softly to her love, “Ren-kun… we’ll take you home with us. Whatever happened there… you don’t have to tell us if you’re not ready.”

She pressed her lips onto his cheek to kiss the area he was slapped, and after a few seconds… he finally said something.

“... It doesn’t matter if I’m ready… I have to tell you, Ai-chan… tell you everything.”

Chapter Text

< Third-Person POV >

About three years ago…

“Okay, just knock the disc back at him and blast that pump with paint! You got this…”

Ren instructs his sister as they play through a childhood favorite of his.

“Got it, just two more and he’s done, yeah? This is a lot more timing-based than that Clock Tower boss…” Jenny replies after successfully following his command.

Her brother softly chuckles as he watches her narrowly dodge an attack, “Yeah, well, that’s how certain games go. Harder and harder as they go along, the next boss even has three different ways of defeating him!”

Jen’s eyes widened after hearing that, “No kidding? Jeez, this morality system is something, huh? Defeating or redeeming your enemies… hm…”

As Ren takes a sip of a chocolate energy drink, he pauses to notice something is on his sibling’s mind.

“What’s up, sis?”

“Hm… well, I’m just thinking if it’s possible to redeem any bad person. It sounds dumb, for sure, but… seeing that we can make these villains change their ways then it doesn’t sound like it’d be a bad thing to try.”

That assumption made Ren sigh and shake his head, “I wish I could say that it might be true, but there’s a difference between people who can be saved and people who can’t.”

Jen paused the game and turned to him, “What kind of differences?”

“First off, people who can be saved haven’t done overwhelmingly bad stuff, feel heavy remorse for their actions, and want to be helped deep down inside. They may take some convincing, sure, but ultimately with enough time they can put in the effort into making up for their actions. Preferably with help of course, if they need it.”

“And for the people who can’t be saved…?” Jenny asked while nodding along with the explanation.

Ren drank more of his energy drink before continuing, “They don’t see anything wrong with what they do, and even if they know it’s wrong they feel like they’re too far gone and are unwilling to stop. They reject redemption and continue doing bad things, and even if they “feel bad” about it that doesn’t make what they do okay. They don’t try to put in the work to change, and if they do they probably just want something else for a selfish reason. They can’t be talked down no matter what.”

Jenny unpaused the game and after a few minutes of playing through another phase of the boss fight she stopped again.

“... What about dad?”

Ren scoffed, “What about him?”.

Upon hearing that, Jenny hesitated to continue, but she sighs before asking outright.

“Which of those categories do you think he falls under? Do you think… that I can convince him into treating you like he does for me? Equally…”

“... Just keep playing, you’re almost done.”

Jen looks at him with concern when he doesn’t answer the question and the two of them soon finish up the boss fight, eventually stopping after a checkpoint. After the console was turned off they sat in silence on the couch, the awkwardness of how that last conversation ended being clear as day… even if it was about midnight. Ren cleared his throat as he finally tried to provide some kind of response.

“Look I really am not sure, okay? All I know is that neither of us are gonna be like him, we’ll live our own lives and treat everyone we care about fairly. Yeah… we’re our own people.”

Jen sat up and stretched with her uncertainty showing itself on her face.

“How do you know that’s not the case?”

Ren shrugged, “I’m not sure, but I still doubt that you’ll act or do anything he would. I have more faith in you than I do myself, you know?”

Jen chuckled and began poking his cheek, “You need to get that fixed, kuya.”

“Hey, what ain’t broke…” He says while flicking her finger away.

“Ack! You jerk, I’m gonna mmmph! Mmph!”

Ren placed his hand over her face and kept pushing her back with a smirk on his face.

“Sorry, could you speak up? You’re sounding like a certain kid stuck wearing a big parka. Think I may need to bust out the translator…”

She soon frees himself from his grip and begins to head back to her room.

“Freaking asshat, I hope you bite your cheek whenever you eat your favorite foods!”

Ren just laughs softly, “Ha, hope you bump your leg on the door frame everytime you enter a room.”

“Ugh, good night brother . I hope the next time you watch an anime on a pirated website, you get so many ads that you can’t hit pause or play.”

“I hope you chip the end of your fingernail out of nowhere and end up accidentally scratching yourself. Love you too, sis, g’night.”

Jenny gives an annoyed grunt, albeit with a smile she couldn’t hide, before closing her bedroom door.

…

…

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

Evening.

“Ah!”

Jenny’s eyes shoot open and look around the empty apartment, placing her face into her hands and taking a big deep breath in and out. She falls back down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling as that pleasant memory she revisited fades away and is replaced by the thing she wanted to forget the most.

*SLAP!*

That noise rang out as loud as it did hours earlier. She still couldn’t believe she did that to her own brother. The look on his face when it happened, the way his girlfriend ran up to protect him from her, the fact that she ran away without apologizing… it ate her up inside. To top it all off, he had given her his keys and she was sleeping alone in his apartment.

What a rough reunion for the brother and sister.

She checked her phone to look at the contact finder app, seeing that he was at Franchouchou Mansion.

“So he’s staying with his girlfriend tonight… I don’t blame him.” She thinks to herself  as she decides to sit up and get a drink of water.

Right as she’s about to enter the kitchen though…

*Bump*

“Agh! Son of a… huh?”

She bumps into the door frame before noticing something on the ground in front of the refrigerator. Turning on the light, she picks up two pictures off the kitchen floor.

One is of the two siblings at Halloween (Ren was wearing an outfit of a man with a baseball cap, jorts, a brightly colored t-shirt, and branded sweatbands on his arms, while Jenny was dressed as a white-haired fox girl with a seifuku like white uniform and white arm sleeves with blue ribbons.), while the other one was of Ai and Ren at a yakiniku restaurant with their cheeks nuzzling together. She stares at both pictures, trembling for about half a minute until she hangs them both on the fridge.

Clutching her heart as she realizes that she had ended up doing something that their father would do to him, feeling as if that faith that her brother had in her had dissolved.

She begins to sob, turning to both Rens in the pictures again before whispering:

“I’m so sorry…”

___________________________________________________

“I grew up in New York City with a typical family of four. Myself, my sister Jenny, my late mother, and… and…”

“... Your father?” Ai guessed as she clenched Ren’s hand.

She was right by his side as Kotaro and the other Franchouchou members listened in on his story.

Ren softly nodded, “Yeah, that guy… The four of us were upper class, lived in a penthouse where you could see the Empire State Building outside the window. No butlers or anything like that, but it was far above any cheap apartment you’d find in the city back alleys.”

Kotaro crossed his arms, “So you’re rich, huh? Didn’t think our precious Ai-chan would be such a gold digger… you got a ring ready, kid? Yow!”

Saki punched him in the arm, “Time and place, numbnuts!”

“Come on, we’d never be in debt again!” The manager defended his remark, only backing off when he saw Yugiri getting ready to slap him.

Ren pinched the bridge of his nose before continuing, “I didn’t have many friends growing up, mostly people I interacted with online. Only person I could bond with was Jenny, and she was the same. Social interaction was never my thing, while she tried and failed to find some kind of group. It was always just us… mom passed away and… he was always at work.”

“So your sister was your only friend? Well, Lily’s happy you’re friends with us now, Ren-kun!” Lily spoke up while leaning forward in her chair.

Her positive energy managed to temporarily put a small smile on Ren’s face, he gave her an affectionate head pat.

“Thanks Lily…”

Sakura then decided to ask a question, “Um, I hope I’m not prying too much by asking but… the reason you’re not calling that man your dad, is it because he’s…”

Hearing a question about that man made the boy’s mood shift in almost an instant.

“A complete jackass who put a lot of pressure on me while I was growing up? A bastard who made me feel like whatever I did wasn’t enough? An abusive SOB who once gave me this for bringing home a C in calculus?”

Ren took off his glasses and revealed a scar by his left eye, surprising the girls and angering them.

“How cruel…” Junko says while clutching her fists.

Saki slammed her own fist into her palm, “Alright, go ahead and invite your pops here. I wanna send him flying through a wall or three.”

Ren huffed, “He’s already gone, missed your chance. Not like I care about him anyways… he’s the reason why I moved here in the first place.”

“You moved to Japan all the way from America in order to escape that vile father of yours, what a story…” Yugiri nods along while she smokes.

Junko’s eyes then widened upon realizing something, “So then… you left Jenny by herself?”

“... I did. I just couldn’t take all of that crap anymore, and she was seen as the prodigy between us two in that man’s eyes. The longer I stayed there, the more I would disappoint him. I may have hated leaving Jen behind, but I had to go for my own sake.”

Ai thought back to what happened earlier before saying something.

“So that was her you were with earlier, I knew that you looked kind of similar.”

“Yup… my decision just came back to bite me, huh? I deserved that… I didn’t realize what would happen if I left her, she’s so justified in hating me…” Ren begins to berate himself, but Ai wasn’t having it.

“Hey, what are you saying, Ren-kun?! You left her behind, sure, but you were running away from an abusive household. You didn’t deserve to get smacked for that, and besides… you felt it was a reminder of what your father did to you, right?”

“...”

He doesn’t answer, Ai turns him to face her.

“Yes, you should apologize for abandoning your only sibling and friend, but she should apologize more for not considering the reasons why you left and hitting you. Understand? You’re not completely at fault, so please don’t say you deserved it…”

“You looked so scared back there, Ren-kun! She should definitely apologize first.” Sakura nodded in agreement.

Saki patted him on the shoulder, a bit hard from the looks of it.

“Maybe you should smack her right back, make it even!”

“N-No way! That would make things a lot worse!” Junko puts down that suggestion, “Just… try to talk things through the next time you two see each other, okay?”

“But…” Ren tries to utter out, but then Lily steps up to him next.

“Family shouldn’t fight with each other! Especially when you’re the only ones left!”

“Surely your fractured bond can be severed, Ren-san, after all she did come all this way to find you. Perhaps that is what she desires most…” Yugiri states.

“I…”

Ai takes a hold of both of his hands and looks him in the eyes.

“You’ll get through to her, darling, and I’ll be right there for support.”

Her face was filled with determination as he lifted his head up and saw it, he lets out a sigh before falling into his girlfriend’s arms and saying:

“Thank you… thank you… thank you…”

Ai smiles as she embraces Ren, softly blushing upon realizing the others were enjoying the lovey-dovey showcase. 

An hour or so later, they brought out a spare futon for Ren, along with some of Kotaro’s pajamas for him to wear. He felt too vulnerable to head home when Jenny was there, so they allowed him to stay the night. While the girls slumbered however, the young man couldn’t help but wander out by the porch to watch the stars.

And it looked like he wasn’t going to do it alone.

“A lot on your mind, hm? I always come out here when I feel like that, you’re actually right in my spot.”

Ren let out another sigh at Ai’s question, “Am I really? Ha… it’s pretty soothing. But yeah, I still feel pretty guilty.”

He scoots over so she can be right next to him, shoulder to shoulder as the moon reflects off their faces.

“Did you ever think of asking her to come with you on the day you left?” Ai asked and he shook his head.

“I thought she’d be fine, but it turns out she wasn’t. Emotionally speaking, but since she’s taken up his position she’s probably been through the wringer when it came to business training. She’s way stronger than me though, I wouldn’t have survived.”

Ai grunts in understanding while slowly intertwining her hand in his.

“You certainly don’t seem like the person who can work in an office setting, what do you do for money though?”

“Well… ugh, dad, left me a debit card with a lot of cash that I haven’t nearly exhausted yet. Other than using that though… I organize manga in a bookstore, I chose it so I can get physical volumes early.”

She softly giggled, “Of course… I suppose I can count on you for recommendations then?”

“I’ve got a few in mind, look up Happy Kanako’s Killer Life sometime as my first one.” He chuckles as the two of them keep looking at the night sky.

“... Do you think she will forgive me? Or for that matter, apologize back?” He gives her a question.

Ai shrugs her shoulders in response, “Hopefully, but I have a feeling she will for both. Like I said earlier though, I’ll be by your side the whole time, just so you won’t be too stressed out.”

“I appreciate that, Ai-chan… I am definitely full of doubt at the moment, but I trust your own judgment. You always manage to steer me in the right direction in the end…”

Ai kisses his cheek and hugs his arm, “Just doing my job as your girlfriend. It goes hand in hand with working as an idol too, considering I perform for the sake of the fans happiness. Admittedly, it does feel a bit nicer to help you through things, Ren-kun.”

They admired the diamond dusted atmosphere above their heads for a while longer before heading back in as the air got too chilly. As soon as they step back into the main bedroom though…

“Hey, Ai-chan?”

“Yes?”

“You know… I may sometimes treat you like you’re a princess or queen, but I honestly consider you more as my knight.”

Her cheeks illuminated the dark room with their red glow as she softly giggled at his remark.

“I see, so I’m your knight, am I? Does that make you the damsel in distress?” She teases as he rolls his eyes in an unserious manner.

“Damsel no, distress kinda. Mental or emotional distress probably, since I can always count on you to save me from myself. You will always have my gratitude, my brave and beautiful lady.”

A warm smile spread on her face as the two jokingly bowed at each other.

“I’ll always be here to fight for you, my dear prince. Ahaha, alright that’s enough. You have some important things to take care of tomorrow, so it’s best you sleep now.”

Ren smiles back at her as he enters his futon, “I know, I know… thanks again, sweetheart.”

“Anytime, darling…" 

Ai was about to lean down beside him and give a good night kiss, but then…

“W-Whoa! Ah…”

Ren had pulled her into his blanket and snuggled up by her side. Before she could protest, she heard him beginning to breathe softly. His resting form is now peaceful enough to prevent Ai from wanting to wake him up, so she gave a soft peck on his lips before pulling him into her arms.

“Good night, Ren-kun…” She whispers while hugging him like a big teddy bear.

The Heisei Idol felt very much content with having eased her partner’s worries, along with having an unexpected but very much welcomed cuddling session. Whispering reassuring words to her beloved while stroking his hair carefully, assuring that his next trip to dreamland was a much more pleasant one compared to recent visits. There was nowhere either of them would rather be than here.

___________________________________________________

The next day, Ren returned to his apartment alongside Ai and knocked on his front door. He took some deep breaths and his girlfriend squeezed his hand reassuringly, making him smile back at her and getting a kiss for good luck. Soon Jenny opens the door and sees them right in front of her.

“Hey sis…” Ren waves to her.

Ai waves as well, “Hello…”

*SLAM!*

The duo was speechless as Jenny quickly shut the door on them, wondering what was up before she slowly reopened the door.

“Sorry… I know it’s your door, kuya…”

Ren leads Ai in as the two of them remove their shoes.

“It’s fine, Jen, really.”

The three of them made their way towards the living room, the couple sitting down on the couch while Jenny sat in the chair to their right. The siblings gulped as they tried to find the right words to say, their hearts beginning to beat out their chests with their bodies tensing up. Seeing that this had to start, Ai nudged Ren with her shoulder and silently urged him to speak up first.

“Breathe in… breathe out…”  

He repeated to himself in his thoughts as he took deep breaths, and soon after clenching his fists he looked up… and saw Jenny tearing up.

“... Kuya Ren… I’m so sorry for hitting you… I’m really, really sorry…”

Her brother’s eyes widened in response before they began to glisten like hers.

“No, no… I should have asked if you wanted to live here too, I shouldn’t have left you behind… I’m sorry, Jen…”

“You don’t have to… *hic*... I should have known you were still traumatized by dad… you didn’t deserve all of that… *hic*... I’m so happy you found a place to belong…” She sobbed.

Ren was crying into his arms as he said next, “You didn’t deserve to be left alone, Jen… I promise I won’t be a bad brother anymore… thank you for being so supportive….”

“You’re not a bad brother, Ren…. you’re the best…” She sniffles as the two of them etched closer and closer.

They still hesitated, which made Ai roll her eyes so she once again nudged her boyfriend so he could hug his sister. After a few minutes passed and the tears had all dried up, the siblings finally let go of each other with an awkward laugh.

“Ha ha… didn’t know you were such a crybaby, sis…” Ren teases.

Jen wipes away one last tear before choosing to fire back, “Says the guy who bawls every time he watches Endgame.”

“It’s a good freaking movie, and you cry too!” Ren scoffs.

Jen just placed her hands on her lips and laughed smugly, “The first few times, but you still cry your eyes out every time you watch the ending… or even just listening to the soundtrack, waaaaahh! Waahhhh!”

The back and forth between the siblings made Ai giggle to herself, which caught Jenny’s attention. She clears her throat and walks up to the zombie idol.

“Okay, let’s do this properly this time… Ohayou… gozaimasu, hajimemashite… you must be, Ai-chan…” 

Jen held out her hand out to her potential sister-in-law and Ai took it.

“Yes… nice to meet you too, Jen-san. Sorry for… getting mad at you… last time. I… hope we become… good friends!”

Despite a bit of a language barrier, the two of them managed to communicate well. Ren smiles at the sight of the two girls interacting, relieved that everything turned out fine.

“Okay, now then, how about we grab some food?” He suggests.

“Yeah, I could eat!”

*POP!*

As soon as Jen pulled away from Ai, her hand went with her and the fingers were still wiggling.

Beads of sweat rolled down Ren & Ai’s faces as they saw her stunned reaction.

“Uh, um… Jen-san?”

“Sis… don’t freak ou—”

“.... KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

Too late, she ran all the way into the bathroom while still screaming her lungs out. The couple sighs as Ren picks up the hand and reattaches it to Ai’s arm, softly kissing the top of it.

“So… Drive-In Tori?” He suggests their meal destination.

Ai flexes her fingers while nodding her head, “Sounds good.”

The two of them went over to the bathroom, dreading the amount of time it’ll take for them to explain everything. At least they were going to eat some good chicken.

Chapter Text

< Third-Person POV >

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

Afternoon.

This particular day was not going the way Ren expected it to.

He wasn’t having a bad time, goodness no, it’s just kind of awkward for him. The young man wasn’t used to big group hangouts, much less ones where he was the only boy around. And to make it more difficult for him… his girlfriend wasn’t around to keep her idol friends in check.

“C’mon Richie Rich, you gotta use that cash you got! Move your ass, and let’s get some good stuff!” Saki shouts while tapping him on the back as Ren sighed.

“I never should have said that I had a lot of money…”

He mumbled to himself as Junko reassuringly patted his back. Just his luck that his sister decided now to get to know her potential in-law, bringing Ai along with her as she tries to enjoy her trip to Saga. As a result, Ai suggested that Ren hung out with the other girls for a change, which Ren accepted… 

But as much as he enjoys being friends with Franchouchou and is a big fan of their performances… hanging out with them can be a bit overwhelming.

“Ren-kun, are you feeling alright?” Sakura asks him, concerned.

Ren blinks twice and awkwardly laughs before answering.

“I would be lying if I said that I was, but I’m only a little uneasy. Just need to get used to the camaraderie, that’s all.”

Junko turns to him to say, “If you’re feeling stressed out, just be sure to let us know. It means a lot that you’re willing to put up with this, and we don’t want to trouble you too much.”

“I’ll be fine for now, but I appreciate the concern. I won’t try to be rude, nor sugarcoat it if things aren’t going well on my end. I don’t want to end up insulting any of you, but I want to make sure I’m not fainting from exhaustion either, ha ha…”

Sakura nods her head in understanding, “Yeah! And just in case anything happens to you, we’ll call Ai-chan right away. She might come rushing over immediately if you end up in bad condition.”

Ren chuckles at this, “As funny as that image is in my head, I would prefer it if she doesn’t find out the other reason I’m here.”

Both Junko and Sakura tilted their heads at that and questioned him at the same time.

“ Other reason?”

He looks back at them and after thinking about it, he shrugs and takes a few steps back so he’d be in between the two girls.

“Hm, I suppose it would be best if I told you two rather than everyone. But you gotta promise to keep your mouths shut about it to Ai-chan, got it? Especially you, Sakura.”

“O-Okay…” The redhead utters as she scooches closer.

Ren lowered his voice so only the three of them could hear it.

“So… you know how Ai's birthday is coming up next weekend, correct?”

The girls’ eyes lit up at that and then vigorously nodded their heads after seeing where this conversation was headed.

“Her birthday present!” Junko exclaimed in a whispered voice.

“Indeed. And she’s probably out with Jen for the same reason, since my birthday is soon afterwards. We needed time to pick things out for each other without giving away the surprise factor. I also need help with making a decision, my indecisiveness could get in the way of choosing, even if I do have a vague idea on what to get her.”

The girls continued to nod along as they politely listened to his reasoning for going out with them.

“It has to be something that represents what she and our relationship means to me. Something as bright and awe-inspiring as the starlights I nicknamed her after, so are you two willing to assist me with this? I understand if you don’t want to—”

“Yes!”

“Of course!”

Sakura and Junko suddenly blurted out, which caused the other three girls ahead of them to look at them in confusion.

“Now what might you three be discussing?” Yugiri asks curiously.

Ren clears his throat, “It’s uh, a secret. My apologies, but it's just between us.”

Lily pouts at this, “Awww, that’s no fun! Tell me, tell me, tell me! Lily wants to know the secret!”

Ever the negotiator, Ren walks over and holds his hand out to the 12 year-old.

“How about I don’t tell you, but in return I bake you cookies. Deal?”

Lily squints at him before slowly taking his hand and shaking it, “Deal, but Lily’s watching you, Ren-kun…”

Saki shrugs with her shoulders, “‘Prolly something complicated, so no biggie if I don’t know. Now are we shopping or what?”

“Yeah, yeah…” Ren sighs as he rejoins Sakura and Junko, “So you’re positive about helping with this?”

“Absolutely! Ai-chan deserves a happy birthday, and an amazing present from her boyfriend will brighten up her day a whole bunch!” Sakura grins.

Junko thinks about his description once more, “Something that represents her and your relationship… something that’s as bright as the stars… surely we can find a gift with that description here. Although Ai-san would end up liking anything with thought put into it from you, Ren-kun, since she adores you with all her heart.”

Ren’s cheeks heat up in response, “Aww, thanks. I’m gonna do my best to try getting something special though, and with you two with me… we’ll be done in no time! Here we go!”

“Yeah!” Sakura cheered.

“Y-Yeah!” Junko followed up.

Ren raised his fist into the air and the other two joined him, albeit with Junko lifting hers a bit more awkwardly. After a second of thinking, Ren looked ahead and did a quick headcount.

“Hey, where the heck did Tae-san go?”

“Ragh!”

And right on cue, the Legendary Tae Yamada sprang up from behind him and began treating the young man’s skull as a chew toy.

“Guh!” Ren let out in shock.

“T-T-Tae-chan! Let go of him!”

 Sakura and Junko panicked and immediately tried to separate the zombie girl from his cranium, finally succeeding with one final pull. Ren unenthusiastically wiped the saliva dripping down his forehead with his sweatshirt sleeve and sighed.

“In hindsight, I should have seen that coming when I asked…”

__________________________________________________

“You should tell Ren to get his ears pierced.”

Ai looks up from her yakiniku and raises an eyebrow at Jen’s statement.

“And why would either of us want that?”

Jen points to Ai’s exposed right ear, “So you two could have matching earrings, duh. Doesn’t that sound Hawaii or something? Or… kawaii, my bad.”

“Matching earrings…” Ai thinks about the image of Ren having flower earrings similar to hers and some light blush appears on her cheeks, “That’s not a… terrible idea….”

Jenny smirked, “Right? They’d look good on him, and next to you it would be twice as stylish.”

Ai pondered it more as she swallowed some of the grilled meat with a bit of rice.

“It’s a good idea in theory, but in practice… I’m not sure, I’ve seen him flinch a lot whenever there’s something sharp or pointy around. Even when cooking dinner he moves a bit slower and I have to help him out, so piercing his ear would likely freak him out.”

“Ah, right, he still has aichmophobia! It was fun seeing him whine and squirm every time he had to get a shot when we were young, hehe…” The sister softly laughed.

Ai laughs along with her, “Ha ha, I can imagine so.”

Jenny’s eyes then lit up as she then took out her phone and began to scroll through her photos.

“You don’t have to imagine it, because here he is!”

Ai leaned forward and took the phone in her hands, looking at the picture of Ren as a child at the doctor’s. He had tears welled up in his eyes, oh-so-pinchable cheeks, his tiny hands balled up and being held to his chest, and his blue t-shirt had the head of a 1920s cartoon rabbit on it. The zombie girl’s mouth was open as her eyes scanned the image for about two minutes until speaking up.

“... Please send me this photo and any others you may have as well, I need them.”

Jen chuckled at that reaction, “Right away, sis.”

When Ai received the texts containing the kid Ren pictures, she squeed before noticing the smug look Jen was giving her before putting her phone away.

“Ahem… he’s quite adorable.”

“Yeah, he was a cute kid…” Jen looked at the photo herself and sighed solemnly.

Ai noticed her change in tone and decided to bring it up, “Is something wrong?”

Jenny shook her head, “Nah, it’s just that the last time I saw him he was absolutely miserable. What dad put him through managed to strip away the innocence he had in these pictures.”

“Mm, I see…” Ai uttered sympathetically as she listened.

A grateful smile then began to form on Jen’s face, “But you really managed to turn him around, and then some. I’ve never seen him smile as much as he has when he’s thinking about you, or when you’re with him. Thanks a lot for taking care of him, big sis.”

Ai was taken aback by what Jen had just called her, but after letting it sink in she smiles right back at her.

“It’s my pleasure, I’m happy to have helped him out for what he’s done for me. Your brother really managed to win me over in a surprisingly short timeframe, you know?”

Jen tilted her head at that, “Really? How short was it?”

“Um… about a week.” Ai answered hesitantly.

Jen blinked twice with surprise, taking a second to drink some water before replying back.

“I’m sorry, a week ?”

“Y-Yeah… turns out he had a bit of a crush on me before we met, and after a few days we both fell for each other for real. As short as seven days sound, a lot happened.” Ai explains to her while returning to her meal.

That familiar smirk returned to Jenny’s face as she got into teasing mode, “Yeah, I bet a lot happened, hehehe...”

Ai’s face became as red as her eyes as she began to stutter.

“W-W-WE N-NEVER DID… D-D-DON’T YOU KNOW THAT H-HE’S… WE WOULD NEVER…!!”

“Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha! I can’t believe you fell for that, of course I know! You two are both so easy to fluster when it comes to this stuff.”

“YOU….” 

Ai stared daggers into Jenny as she continued to laugh her butt off, holding off the urge to strangle her.

“Haaa… sorry, sorry. I’ll try not to bug you too much about it though. Just a bit bummed that I won’t be getting any nieces or nephews anytime soon. You seem like you’d make a great mom, big sis.”

Ai settled down into her seat and sighed, “You… You think so? I’m not sure about that… and it’s way too early to think about this stuff.”

“Yeah that’s true. And hey, if you don’t think you’re cut out for it that’s all good.” Jen says before blowing on a piece of meat.

Ai nodded in agreement, “Yeah, with my life as an idol and… my condition, I don’t think I could be a mom even if I wanted to. I already have my hands full taking care of the other girls, at this point I’m basically the team’s mom.”

“I do not envy you there, girl. Ha ha…”

The two of them laughed as they continued to grill their meat to perfection before eating them. The girl talk helping them bond after their initial meetup not turning out the best. Jen however, was in awe of how quickly Ai managed to take care of her portion of the yakiniku.

“Damn, slow down girl. You eat enough of that meat and it’ll go straight to your… actually, now that I’m seeing them your thighs are actually—“

“B-Be quiet!” Ai shouted before she could finish that sentence.

__________________________________________________

Ren and the other girls were having a surprisingly good time together. Despite his wallet getting lighter by the minute, and him being stuck carrying most of the bags (he just couldn’t stop himself from volunteering), the guy was starting to get used to the group dynamic. Their latest stop was at the bookstore he worked at, choosing to make use of the employee discount on his day off.

“The fact that Kouno-san made chocolates for both Toru and Yuki… even though both girls had feelings for Toru…” 

Sakura sniffles as she and Junko read a romance manga Ren recommended.

Junko wipes some tears using a tissue, “Supporting her friend, even if she had gotten her heart broken… poor girl…”

Ren smiles at the sight, “Yup, had that same reaction too when I first read that chapter… ack…”

The boy nearly drops the bags he’s carrying on his left arm and Saki notices immediately.

“Oi, if you couldn’t handle it you could have just said so, dumbass.” Saki tells him while taking those bags from him.

Ren chuckles embarrassingly, “Sorry, ha ha, I just wanted to show my gratitude by being of use to you gals. You all accepted me pretty quickly, and even gave me your blessing to date Ai-chan, so it’s the least I can do.”

“Ha, it’s all good! We’re glad to have you here, loverboy, you’re honestly a pretty chill dude. No need to thank us, man!” Saki grins and gives him a thumbs up.

Yugiri chimes in, “I agree, your efforts to pleasure Ai-han have truly been impressive.”

“Yugiri-san, phrasing again! But yeah, you’re really nice, Ren-kun! You care a lot about Ai, and the fact that you’re willing to hang out with us means so much too!” Sakura nods in agreement.

“Gawr! Gragh!” Tae lets out, presumably accepting him as well.

Lily joins in on the encouragement and even hugs his arm, “Ren-kun bakes us all sorts of things and accepts us for who we are! He’s the best boyfriend for Ai-chan!”

“Cannot agree more. We’re proud to call you our friend.” Junko tells him reassuringly.

The girls crowd around him as Ren lets out a sigh and rubs his eyes, “You’re really about to make me cry out in public, curse you all…”

The girls laughed at that as their shopping trip soon nears its end. After paying for the manga, the group starts walking back home with Ren, Sakura, and Junko watching the others go on ahead.

“Ah, sorry we couldn’t help you find a gift for Ai-chan, Ren-kun. If only we had gone earlier in the day…” Sakura apologizes.

Ren attempts to reassure her, “No worries, we’ve still got some time left until the party. And we can just go again if you’re willing to join me.”

“That would be great! Surely we can find something that she— Hey! Tae-chan, that’s not food!”

Sakura races after the other zombie girl as he and Junko are now left alone. The young man then turned his head after hearing the floofy-haired girl clear her throat.

“So… I didn’t mention it back there, but since you’ve been here… in my opinion, Ai-san has changed for the better.”

Ren’s eyes widened, “Huh, you really think so?”

Junko softly giggled, “I know so. She’s usually so focused on practicing for shows and doing research in order to boost our publicity as idols, but lately she’s been giving herself more breaks. Spending a lot of that time thinking about you at that, I’ve even caught her looking at photos of you more than once.”

His cheeks warmed up as he awkwardly laughed as they continued to stroll casually.

“As her closest friend, I truly appreciate what you’ve done for her. And I trust that whatever you manage to get her will be meaningful, as I said before.”

“Thanks… I’ll do my best for her sake. You care a lot about her too, huh?” Ren asks her.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

Ren took a second before asking this next question, “My apologies if I’m asking something too personal… but did you have feelings for her too?”

Junko stops walking and takes a moment to let that question register in her head. Her cheeks began to light up at how sudden it was.

“You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to, I just… was wondering, other fans really can’t help but assume and I just wanted confirmation.”

Ren patiently waited as Junko took a deep breath in and faced him.

“...”

“...”

“.... It may have passed my mind a lot, but ultimately… no. Not those kinds of feelings anyways…. I respect and care for Ai-san with all my heart, but the love I feel for her isn’t the same as what you have. I admire her determination, her selflessness, and her resilience. All of those traits making her into a role model, not just for me… but for all of us. We may have had our differences at the beginning, but now I want to continue to perform by her side for as long as my undead heart still beats…. And I want to support you as well.”

Ren was speechless after hearing all of that, not knowing what to make of it until another thought passed his mind.

“Y’know… I told Ai-chan this before we started dating when I asked a similar question to her, so I’ll tell you the same thing. If you did have the same feelings I have right now… then maybe I’d—”

Junko suddenly took his hands and looked him in the eyes.

“No, don’t even say it… you deserve her, okay? You do… It’ll do you no good if you believe that you’re not worthy of the love she has for you. You’ve done nothing wrong, Ren-kun, you shouldn’t be willing to throw away your own happiness so easily. Smash through that wall of doubt forming in your mind… Ai-san needs you.”

“...”

Both of their eyes glistened before they hugged each other tightly. After a few minutes of silent sobbing, they heard the others call them over and they began to wipe their tears. Ren and Junko manage to form smiles on their faces before shaking hands and hugging once more.

“Thank you, Junko-chan… sorry for making you cry…”

“No, it’s okay, Ren-kun… I’m sorry for making you cry…”

The pair softly laughed before preparing to make their way out of the shopping center… but not without Ren catching a glimpse at a nearby jewelry store.

“Hold the phone…” Ren says as he spots something that interests him.

He rushes over to the store, thankfully before closing time, with a confused Junko in tow.

“Sorry for the inconvenience, I’m looking for a gift for a special someone.”

The salesperson sighs, not pleased at getting a customer right before he gets to leave.

“Very well… what are you in the market for, sir?”

Ren looks at the selection of available necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings before deciding to ask something.

“I’m curious... Do you happen to have any of these in aquamarine?”

Chapter Text

< Third-Person POV >

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

Ren’s Apartment.

Evening.

Ai & Ren’s eyes were locked to the tv screen, their hands were clenched together, and they held their breath as they prepared themselves for what happened next. The girl on screen took a breath of her own and clenched her fist before looking up at the boy in front of her.

“I love you.”

Ren covers his mouth as he takes it all in, “S-She said it… oh my god, she admitted it…”

“I’m glad she did, but… what about Taichi’s response?” Ai says as her eyebrows lowered.

After seeing the boy not answer for a few seconds, the couple’s worries look to be confirmed.

“I’m really happy that you feel that way about me… but right now, I’m in love with Nagase.”

“Urk, a-are you kidding me, dude?! Inaba’s obviously the better choice than Iori!”

Ren covers his face with his hands out of frustration, but then Ai pulled on her boyfriend’s shirt collar to get his attention.

“Hold on a second, Inaba’s… laughing? She’s taking it rather well…”

That’s when they both shut up and paid close attention to the next part of the scene. Inaba calmly told Taichi that since it was only “right now”, she still had a chance to change his mind. The fact that she and Nagase were gonna have a fair fight over Taichi’s heart had RenAi intrigued.

“Agh, I have a love-hate relationship with these kinds of love triangles. The drama is spicy, but you feel bad about who gets their heart broken!” An invested Ren says to Ai and she nods.

“Right, and with what these kids are already dealing with, relationship trouble is just gonna make things more tense… Oh!”

They cut their conversation short as they see what happens, Inaba pressing her lips against Taichi’s before he could keep speaking.

“Oh my gosh…” Ai whispers as the duo watch Inaba walk away after that surprise smooch.

Ren lets out a whistle as he sits back against the couch, “Hooo… okay, she’s definitely my favorite.”

“Hm, so those kinds of girls are your type, Ren-kun?” Ai remarks and Ren notices her pouting.

Seeing an opportunity, Ren smirks.

“Yeah, the calm and serious type who is quite blunt at times… yet is deep down a sweetheart to those closest to her. Reminds me of… you.”

“Ack…” That manages to get to Ai as she turns away from him, embarrassed, “I-I-Is that so…?”

Ren nods and gives her a genuine smile as he scoots himself to her side.

“Absolutely, and look right here!”

Ren points to the screen as they see Inaba in a secluded area of the school crying tears of joy and laughing. Feeling elated at having admitted her feelings and having kissed Taichi. Ren turns back to his girlfriend while softly chuckling.

“You were acting the same way on the night we became a couple, you were absolutely adorable…”

Ai starts to lightly slap his shoulder a few times in response, “S-Shut up! We both were giggling like love-struck idiots that night, don’t single me out!”

Ren continues to laugh at her while blocking her slaps with his arm.

“Okay, okay, sorry. I just couldn’t help myself, darling, meant no harm.” He kisses her cheek as he stands up and stretches.

“Hmph, I’ll get you back for that, you know…” Ai utters as the two of them head to the kitchen for some water.

“I know you will, but how about I fix something for ya to make up for it. Want a sundae with a freshly baked brownie?” Ren suggests.

His girlfriend finishes her cup before answering, “Hm… bribing me with sweets that could mess with my idol diet, you’re a cruel man…”

Ren rolls his eyes as he gets out the ingredients and places them on the counter.

“Yet you voluntarily indulge said sweets every time I make them, don’t try to make me the baddie, Miss Carb-Hater.”

Ai giggled at the terrible nickname, “Guilty as charged, but I did tell you about watching what you eat. So next weekend, you’re joining me for one of my morning jogs to burn the calories away.”

Ren let out a sigh, knowing how he had no other choice in the matter.

“Fiiiine… Alright, could you chop up some of this bittersweet chocolate for me please?”

Ai takes the bar of baking chocolate as she ties an apron around her waist, “I’m on it.”

Ren boils about a half a cup of water in a kettle, and when Ai places the chopped up chocolate in a bowl full of cocoa & espresso powder he pours the water on top. After mixing it, he adds in butter and vegetable oil. Once it starts to cool down, Ai adds in some eggs and vanilla extract. Once those are added, sugar and flour complete the mixture alongside some more chocolate and finally the brownie pan is in the oven.

“Ah… now we wait…” Ren uses his arm to wipe a bit of sweat from his forehead.

Ai leans against the counter and lets out a sigh of relief, “Yeah, only time will tell how well it turns out. For now, let’s clean up. Well done, sweetie.”

Ai and Ren high five each other before taking care of the dishes. This time Ai was washing, while Ren was drying them. With enough time the dishes were squeaky clean and the brownies were almost done baking. As the duo were starting to relax, Ai notices something and tries to hold back her giggles.

“Mmph, pff…”

Ren raises an eyebrow at her behavior and tries to get an answer.

“Hey, what’s got you all giggly?”

Ai snorts before shaking her head, “Oh nothing… hee hee hee…”

“Ai-chan?” 

He gives her a puzzled look before Ai stands up and shows him what she’s snickering about. She takes her finger and gently swipes it across the tip of his nose before inserting her finger into her mouth.

“Mmm, delicious… oh, and the brownie batter on your face tasted nice too.” Ai says with a wink.

Ren’s face lit up in an instant and turned him into a stuttering mess, which made his girlfriend giddy with laughter.

“Ah! Y-Y-Y-You… gah!”

Ai flashed a peace sign towards him and smirked, “Revenge successful!”

Ren groans as he tries to hide his blush, “Ugh, I’ll let you have that one. Well played, Starlight…”

“Why thank you, darling…” She gives him a smug look as he crosses his arms and avoids eye contact with her.

“Hmph…” He grunts in a standoffish fashion.

Ai lets out a sigh at his behavior before poking his cheek to get his attention.

“Aww, don’t pout, honey… here.”

*smooch*

With one gentle peck on the cheek, it was enough for the guy to stop pouting. He kisses her back and hugs her.

“I really can’t be mad at you…”

Ai chuckles and wraps her arms around his back, “I know, and neither can I…”

As soon as they let go of each other, which took a bit of time because they just couldn't help themselves, the oven went off and the brownies were finished.

“Oh! There we go, I’ll grab the ice cream. Got some cake batter if that sounds good to you.”

Ai grabbed a bowl and scoffed, “Wow, a super sweet ice cream on top of an already sweet brownie. Surely that’ll be fine for your health, Ren-kun.”

“Gee, Ai-chan, I wish I had some batter options here for you. I just thought I’d fix you something like this, because you’re both cool and sweet, but I guess I’ll give you the secon-dairy option.” Ren tells her with a dumb smile on his face.

Ai literally couldn’t roll her eyes harder without popping them out of their sockets.

“You’re hilarious, darling… just get right to the point.”

“You mean… get right to the pint?” Ren snickers while handing her a pint of vanilla.

“UGGGGHHHHH… I hate you…” Ai groans loudly as she plops a scoop on top of her warm brownie.

Ren leans in closer to her, “You don’t mean that…”

“Tch, I do…” Ai focuses on eating her sundae while pouting herself.

“If you do, why are you smiling?”

When Ren points it out, Ai flinches before turning back to him trying to look angry.

“I-I’m not!” She denies it.

Ren pokes her cheek in response, “Come on… it’s just me here, and I won’t tell anyone about it.”

Ai lets out a sigh before finally giving him that smile, “... Fine, I admit it, I like your awful puns. Happy now?” 

“Very happy, although with you… I always am.” Ren says sincerely while pecking her on the cheek.

Ai quickly returns the peck with her own, “You’re so sappy…” 

“I know you are, but what am I?” Ren jokes.

“A dork. You’re a dork, Ren-kun.” Ai bluntly states with a giggle.

 “And you’re a cutie, Ai-chan. Love you, cutie.”

Ren and Ai looked into each other's eyes and smiled warmly.

“Oh, you… I love you too, dork.”

Before they could press their lips together, they turned to their sides and saw their sundaes starting to melt.

“Shoot, eat quickly!” Ren says as the two of them spoon the brownie bits and ice cream into their mouths.

After they finish their sweets and clean up, the two of them return to the couch as they were before, checking the time and finding that it’s half past 7pm.

“Hm… I’ve got a photo shoot to do tomorrow, maybe I should leave soon.” Ai turns to her sweetheart, who sighs disappointedly.

“If you have to, I won’t stop you, but allow me to walk you home at least.”

“Oh, you don’t have to trouble yourself, Ren-kun. You probably have some plans for tomorrow too.”

Ren shook his head, “True, I don’t have to, but… I want to.”

“Did you just…?” Ai picked up the reference he made.

Ren grins, “Yup. I thought I’d try my hand at saying it this time, I just needed to find the right opportunity. Now then, shall we?”

He offered her his hand, but after a minute of thinking… Ai sat back down on the couch to his surprise.

“Eh?”

“On second thought… I’m curious to see what’ll happen to the club members next. I can’t stop thinking about that last episode we watched, so do you mind if I stay a little longer?” Ai asks him.

Ren hesitates for a second, thinking about the consequences briefly… before ultimately deciding to say:

“Screw it, we have seven episodes left anyways. You sure about this though? It’s a bit unlike you to neglect your duties…”

Ai ponders on that before pulling him onto the couch and snuggling next to Ren.

“I get your point, but I’d rather make the most of the time we have together. There’s alway plenty of other gigs, yet each moment I spend with you feels unique in their own way. Is it a bad thing to make them last longer?”

Ren’s eyes widened at her statement, before a smile spread across his face and there was nothing stopping him from locking his lips with hers.

“Mmm…” The two of them hummed before letting go after a minute or so, when Ren finally answered the question she had given him.

“Not at all…”

Ai switched on the tv and leaned her head against his, thankful that she gets to have a chill night like this with the boy she loves. Their eyes often shifted between the screen and each other, both of them looking for reactions to the show on their partner’s faces. Obviously it got late by the time they completely finished the anime, but they didn’t care.

Time just seemed to stop when they were together, and it was all so perfect…

Chapter Text

< Third-Person POV >

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

“Hm…”

Ren carefully piped out some frosting onto an already ganached cake, making sure not to leave any spot on it uncovered. Well, aside from the very top where he had planned to write his and Ai’s names on. This was his first time making something specifically for a party, so it was a lot of pressure on the young man. Not helped by the fact that his younger sister was attempting to make off with other sweets he had made.

“Put the cookie down, now.” he bluntly told her.

Jenny pouted before returning it to its container.

“Come on, I just wanted a taste test before we give them to the others…”

“You already had a couple of taste tests. You’re lucky I made two baker's dozen, Jen.” he retorted back.

She stuck her tongue out at him before peeking over at how the frosting was going. The chocolate ganache cake was now completely covered in brown butter vanilla frosting, and all that was left was the writing on top.

“Okay… almost got it… wait… shoot!” Ren lets out after noticing something.

Jen looked it over to see what was wrong, “What happened? It looks fine to me, pretty damn flawless.”

Ren shook his head as he pointed out his mistake.

“I forgot to include the & in between me and Ai’s names. Now it just looks like one word…”

Jen holds her fist underneath her chin as she looks at the cake once more before she responds to him.

“… It actually seems better this way. Feels right for some reason… Anyways, I’m gonna go pick out my outfit for tomorrow. Nighty night, kuya!”

Ren looks at the writing again and sighs, placing the cake into a container before putting it into the fridge. Deciding there was nothing else he could do, he washes the dishes and puts them away. As he finishes up and turns off the light in the kitchen, he thinks about what the writing on the cake said once more.

“Huh, RenAi…”

_____________________________________________________

Meanwhile his girlfriend was busy concocting her own cake, after all who could say no to two of them? Ai knew Ren’s cake was gonna be super rich and sweet, so she decided to go with something simpler: a classic vanilla that has some strawberries inside. Ren isn’t really a fan of fruit with cake, but she’s gonna try her damndest to get him to try these things, whether he likes it or not. And thankfully, she had help.

“Just a little more and it’s done. Careful, Junko…” Ai instructed her floofy-haired bestie.

Sakura is beside her to cheer her on, “Do your best, Junko-chan…”

Junko lowered her eyebrows as she squeezed the last bit of frosting on the tippy top of the cake. Wiping the bit of sweat from her forehead as the other two clapped in support.

“Great job! It looks so good, I really want to try it!” Sakura’s eyes sparkled as she moved from side to side, admiring the sweet treat.

Ai puts her hands on her hips as she takes a closer look.

“Now now, we can’t have anyone cutting into it before tomorrow. It won’t be fair to everyone else. Have some patience, Sakura.”

“Ah ha ha… sorry.” The redhead rubbed the back of her head awkwardly,

Ai smiled gratefully, “It’s fine, I’m honestly holding back on trying it myself. I couldn’t have made a better cake on my own, all thanks to you two.”

“It was our pleasure, it’s for you and Ren-kun after all.” Junko smiled back, and so did Sakura.

“Yeah! This is gonna be an amazing party, you two deserve it!”

Ai then caught a glimpse of the top of the cake and then pondered something.

“Hm…”

“Is something the matter?” Junko asked as she walked up behind her.

That’s when the Showa Idol gasped and saw the mistake.

“Ah! I’m so sorry! I forgot to put the & in between your names!”

Ai put her hands up in reassurance, “It’s okay, really! Not a big issue, it’s still wonderful, Junko.”

Sakura took a look at it, but then that’s when a lightbulb turned on in her head and she began to giggle.

“Huh? What’s so funny?” Ai asked her, confused.

Sakura points at their now connected names and grins.

“Don’t you see? It’s RenAi, romantic love! It’s so fitting for you two that it’s funny, don’t you think?”

After thinking about it more, it made Ai’s cheeks slightly glow red in embarrassment.

“Y-Yeah… it works unexpectedly well… it’s a strange coincidence.”

“Strange, yes, but it sums up the journey you two have gone on thus far. That you’ve grown closer and ended up in a strong romance, it’s something to be proud of, Ai-san.” Junko says to her as Ai leans against the wall.

“I am proud of our relationship… which is why I truly hope we both enjoy tomorrow. It’s a celebration of us, of how far we’ve come… the challenges we’ve faced and triumphed over… and the love we have for each other.”

Sakura clasped her hands together and let out an: “Awww…”

Ai then takes out the gift she plans to give to Ren tomorrow, still inside its small box to keep it safe. She holds it close to her heart before pocketing it once more and turning to the other two.

“Now let’s clean everything up here, we’ve still got plenty of work left to do before tomorrow! No slacking off, do you hear me?!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Sakura salutes her idol and Junko does the same.

“You can rely on us, we’ll do our best to make this party a success!”

Ai nodded as the two girls began to put away the ingredients, with her looking at the cake once more and softly whispering to herself.

“RenAi… ha ha, I guess it does sound pretty cute…”

_________________________________________________

The day of the party had arrived, with both siblings having dressed up in some snazzy attire. Violet dress with open-toes heels for Jenny, navy blue dress shirt with black slacks and dark brown loafers for Ren. The former was busy applying eyeliner as the latter just received a notification on his phone.

“Hey sis, can you take the cookies and head to the mansion by yourself?”

Jenny turned to him and raised an eyebrow, “Why? What’s up?”

“Ai-chan’s gift is ready, so I need to drop by the jewelry store and pick it up.” Ren told her while looking in the mirror and fixing his collar.

She shakes her head in disbelief, “Her present is just now ready? Cutting it real close, kuya. What about the cake?”

“I’ll take it with me. It’s not a hot day, so the frosting and ganache will still hold up fine. Go ahead and tell them when you get there, I’ll catch up. Later!” Ren reassures her as he puts on his loafers and leaves the apartment, alongside the cake in a large container.

Jen sees him off and takes the cookie container in her arms, sneakily trying to open it up to take a bite or four. But then she saw her phone vibrate and checked it to see the following text from her brother:

“If you eat a single crumb, you will regret it tomorrow morning.”

Jenny simply huffed and chipped off a piece out of spite before leaving for the party.

She arrived at Franchouchou’s mansion, her eyes going wide in amazement before entering the open gates and knocking on the door.

“Ah, Ren-kun! Happy Birth-oh… you’re here by yourself Jenny?” Ai opened the door with a wide smile before realizing her partner wasn’t there.

Jen decided to tease her as usual while she explains, “Kuya’s gift for you just got done being made, so he’s off picking it up. He’ll drop by soon… but are you disappointed to see me, big sis?”

“What? No, of course not!” Ai says in reply.

Her potential sister-in-law rubbed her eyes and shed some crocodile tears, “You’re too cruel to me, I thought we were getting along so well up until now… how dare!”

Ai rolled her eyes before letting her in.

“Just get inside before I do get cruel, okay?”

At the serious threat, Jenny immediately scurried in.

“So… did he say when he’d be showing up?” Ai asked her while adjusting the dress she chose to wear.

Light blue dress with some bracelets (including the one Ren bought for her) and heels to match it.

Jen answers as she admires the interior of the mansion, “Nope, but he’ll probably be here in about an hour or two. All I know is, whatever he got you… it’s gotta be something special if it took this long.”

Ai placed her hand over her undead heart as she and Jen make it to the living room, where all the other Franchouchou members (honorary member Maimai included) are still setting up for the party. Dressed in their own outfits too.

“Tae-chan, no! Not until everyone’s here!” Sakura struggles to pull her away as Tae continues to try pouncing on the cake.

“Gragh! Ragh!”

Maimai tries to blow up a balloon, but ends up blowing it too big and…

*POP!*

“Eyah!”

The glasses girl gets startled before tripping onto a pile of more balloons and popping them as well. Ai lets out a sigh before going to help her up, with Jen holding back a laugh and Saki letting hers ring out loud.

“Bwahaha! Priceless, wasn’t it?! So you’re Ren’s sister, eh? You sure are prettier than him, even if he’s not bad himself, ha! Saki Nikaido’s the name, glad to have ya!”

Jenny gave her an arm hug and chuckled, “Jennifer Reyes. You all look pretty dolled up too, can’t even tell you’re all zombies…”

Saki smirks at the compliment, “Freakin’ sexy, aren’t we? But I guess we owe the makeup stuff to Shades… only thing he’s really good for, hehe…”

Kotaro scoffed at that remark as he set up the chairs, deciding now wasn’t the best time to use his usual indoor voice when guests were there. However, as soon as Jen got a good look at him… she couldn’t look away. She leaned over to Ai to ask her something.

“Hey, uh, quick question… is your manager single?”

“Huh?” was Ai’s only response after hearing that, while Sakura and Junko both spat out their drinks.

_______________________________________________

“Thank you so much, it turned out amazingly! I’ll be sure to come here again if I need any more jewelry in the future.” Ren bowed his head gratefully before placing Ai’s gift into his shoulder bag.

He checks his phone to see the time with his right hand, while his left arm held onto the cake container.

“Shoot, the bus already left, guess I gotta head there on foot. Maybe there’s a shortcut around here… aha!”

He found a pathway through an alley on his map app and off he went. Navigating the many twists and turns this way would take him before ultimately ending up in a familiar location.

“Wow, it’s been months since I last came here. The day I met her… neither of us would believe that we’d end up where we are now…”

He walks around the shopping center on his journey to the mansion, experiencing the nostalgia of their week “dating” before dating for real.

“Ah, right through here and it’ll be a straight path forward!” Ren exclaims as he looks at his directions.

“Nyeh heh heh, look who came crawling back here… and without that bitch too, musta dumped your ass, didn’t she?”

Ren tensed up as he came face to face with that same thug that he and Ai met long ago. The same one that tried to kidnap her before the eventual couple kicked his ass to the curb. Despite his heart beating faster than he would have liked it to, the young man swallowed before glaring at the jackass.

“As if someone like you would know how relationships work, now would you please excuse me.”

Mr. Likely Hasn’t Showered in Months blocked his path with his hairy and rank-smelling arm.

“Nah, I feel like serving up some delicious payback. And for dessert, that cake you got with ya… “

The scumbag stepped closer to Ren, making him back all the way up until his back bumped into two of the former’s fellow unwashed friends. Finding himself cornered, his breathing starts getting heavier and heavier. Their smug laughter filled the air as he shut his eyes, clenched his teeth and his fists, and took another breath in… but then Ai’s face popped into his mind.

“I need to see her… no, not just her… everyone…”

He gently placed the cake container on the ground behind him, noticing a large trash can lid in the corner. Reminded of a certain kid from Brooklyn, he stomps onto it and the handle meets his palm as he stares down the toxic, troublesome trio. Despite the nerves, he stood his ground and beckoned them to come forward.

“As a man that you can’t see once said… if you want some, come get some.”

As you might expect, three on one isn’t very fair, so of course Ren was getting beaten down with ease. Didn’t stop him from landing some good hits in here and there. Tossing the trash can lid like a metal frisbee was effective, but unlike that kid from Brooklyn, Ren could not catch for the life of him.

“Stay down if you know what’s good for ya!” The main asshole yells as he punches him right in the stomach.

Ren coughs hard, yet his wobbly legs were able to support the young man up, much to the trio’s annoyance.

“Hah… hah…. I can… do this… all day.” He boasted.

But before he knew it…

*WHAM!!!*

Everything went black.

Ren collapsed to the ground, his glasses shattered into pieces and blood running down his forehead. Creating a crimson mask over his face as the scoundrels surrounded the unconscious young man. One strike with a pipe was all that was needed to extinguish his spirit.

“That’s what ya get, you son of a bitch…”

The head creep snickered as he lifted his foot up to deliver a finishing stomp…

“Freeze, scumbags!”

“Shit, it’s da fuzz!” 

The rat bastards ran off, with Saga’s own Policeman A in pursuit on his bike.

“Hey, hey, hey! Slow down, will ya?! I can’t pedal that fast here!”

After they left, the ones that called Policeman A started to pick up the bleeding Ren. It was Maria Amabuki, and her two friends from the Dorami Dance Group. Maria wiped away a bit of the blood and gasped as she managed to recognize who he was.

“Hey, he’s the winner of that Franchouchou dating contest… Ben?”

“Ren.” Her glasses-wearing friend corrected her.

“Ren, yeah! Are you okay? We’re gonna get you to the hospital, it’s nearby so no need for an ambulance… hang in there, ‘kay? Migikawa, Sayama, help me carry this guy…”

Maria helps lead the way and carries the cake, as the other two each take one of his arms. 

His vision blurred by both his nearsightedness and the blood dripping down his face, all Ren could muster to let out was only one word…

“Ai…”

___________________________________________________

Pacing around the living room, restless, Ai was getting more worried by the second. It was more than two hours since Jenny got there and yet Ren, her fellow guest of honor, had not shown up yet. All the while, there was some minor issue that was REALLY starting to bug her.

“I'm just saying, there’s nothing wrong with just one date! Let me borrow him for a day!” Jenny pulls on Kotaro’s left arm.

Sakura and Junko pulled on his right, “Not a chance!”, Sakura tells her.

Yugiri watches on with great interest, “I see, Lord Kotaro is planning to build a harem…”

“A what?” Lily tilts her head at that last word.

Saki boredly watches the tug-of-war go on, “We’ll tell you when you’re older, shrimpy.”

“I’m never gonna get older, and it’s Lily!” She pouted.

“Please stop…” Kotaro uttered softly as the three girls pulled him back and forth.

Junko refused, “Not until she gives in, we refuse to let her take you!”

Soon Ai finally has enough and shouts out, “WILL YOU CUT THAT OUT?!”

Kotaro then fell over as they let go, Junko and Sakura going to help him up.

“Ren should be here by now… if he doesn’t show up soon, then I’m going out to look for him. Agh… why is this happening today of all days?” Ai says everyone as she plops back into her seat, upset, holding her face in her hands.

The other girls instantly feel regret over not worrying as much as she was as they all go to comfort her. Junko gives her a hug and the rest join in to make it a full group hug. Ai felt her breathing slow down as she relaxed into the big embrace.

“Ai-san, it’s going to be okay. We’re sorry for the way we had been acting. Perhaps we should all come with you in finding Ren-kun to make up for it?” Junko suggests.

Ai shakes her head, “No, it’s fine. He’s my boyfriend, so I have to—”

Saki then chimed in to interrupt her.

“Yeah? And he’s our friend too! We’ll find the dude and drag his ass back here so we can have an awesome time!”

Sakura nodded her head vigorously, “We’re here to help you, Ai-chan, we’re a team after all!”

“I want you and Ren-kun to have a super happy birthday, so Lily will come too!” Lily holds Ai’s hand reassuringly.

“We can find him with all of us out there searching, I just know it!” Maimai said with a grin.

Yugiri steps up next, “Whatever trouble that boy may be facing, surely it can be stopped through our efforts.”

“So sorry for causing trouble here, even if you got a hottie for a manager I should have been thinking about my brother. I guess I’m still getting used to having him back in my life…” Jenny bowed her head apologetically towards them all.

“Hottie?” Kotaro’s mind lingered on that one word to his confusion.

Ai shakes Jen’s hand and the two girls hug it out… before Jenny gets an idea.

“I just remembered! I can find out his location by locating his phone, this’ll be way easier if we know where he is.”

Maimai pumped her fists, “Great! Alright, Kotaro-san, fire up the van!”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do, Number 7!” Kotaro yells at her.

Sakura questions his logic, “But didn’t she quit?”

“BE QUIET, SAKURA!” He shoots back at her.

As the group shared a little laugh, Jenny suddenly dropped her phone to the floor.

“Jen-san?” A concerned Junko approached her.

Jen placed a hand to her head as she soon stumbled into a nearby chair. Ai then walked over to her phone and picked it up to see what was going on. After regaining her footing, Jenny spoke up again.

“I-I-I’m okay… I just… I swear, I looked at Ren’s location and it said that he was in the hospital… T-That can’t be right, can it?”

“HUH?!” The others let out before hearing the door slam shut.

“A-Ai-chan!” Sakura cried out to her.

Kotaro placed his jacket on, “All of you, get in the van, now.”

_________________________________________________

She ran as fast as she could… not wanting to believe what she saw on that phone until she could confirm it herself. Not caring about any pain or injuries she could sustain, she removed her heels and ran barefoot the whole way there. None of that could compare to what she would feel when she got there.

“WHERE IS HE?!” Ai yelled as soon as she got there.

She ignored the confused waiting room patients who recognized her as she walked up to the front desk.

“Can… I help you?” The front desk lady was a bit unprepared for this.

Ai looked her dead in the eyes before speaking, “Ren Reyes… do you know what room he’s in right now?”

The other front desk girl gave her a nod as the nervous one looked up his name as Ai impatiently tapped her foot on the floor.

“We just checked him in about an hour ago, in room 2018… so are you related to him or…?” Ai ran off before the girl could finish. 

She was getting winded, but she needed to reach him… just to make sure he’s alright… just to see his face…

She took the stairs up and dashed over to room 2018, stopping to check if the name was correct. After having it be confirmed, she took a minute to regulate her breathing and brush any gravel stuck to the soles of her feet. She soon stepped in and…

“Ren-kun…?”

The sight of him lying in that bed shocked her into silence. She hadn’t seen him without his glasses that often, but she knew that face of his too well. Bandages wrapped around his forehead, a few cuts on his arms, and two bruises on both sides of his face. 

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Today was going to be their first time celebrating their birthdays together as a couple.

A happy time… that got ruined out of the blue.

Ai tearfully cried out his name multiple times as her arms enveloped his unconscious body. His light breathing and heartbeat being the only things keeping her from feeling even worse, a reassurance that he was still there. Her forehead lightly pressed against his, as to not cause him any more pain, and she gave him a soft smooch on his lips.

“I’m here, sweetheart… I’m here… I love you, Ren… Stay with me, okay? I love you... I love you… I love you…”

Ai repeats it over and over, hoping that those three special words reach out and bring him back to her.

Chapter Text

< Third-Person POV >

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

Art of Prince Ren and Lady Mizuno by my friend Zarius, thank you friendo!

“Ha… ha… ha… ack!”

After running deep into the dark woods, Prince Ren suddenly finds himself surrounded by a horde of rotten boar-like creatures. With his right hand glowing with pure white magic he immediately begins firing a beam of light directly at the leader of the pack, dealing decent damage… but not enough to down the monster. It snarled back at him as he took a step back.

“Tch, how disgusting… hah!”

He completely eradicates one of the beasts with another blast from his left hand this time, before striking another with a jumping back elbow when it tried to leap at him from behind. One of them managed to strike him across the face with its tusk, so Ren pinned it to the ground and struck it with a forearm to its skull. Unfortunately, that was simply a diversion.

“OOF! GAH!”

The prince was sent flying into the base of a tree by the leader, now recovered from the initial blast. Now it was getting ready to finish the job, charging forward with immense speed at the weakened young noble.

“Agh…”

The prince raised his right hand, wincing with pain as he tried to fire another beam of light. The magic flickering in his palm as the beast got closer and closer, until…

WHAM!!!

The boar-like beast was sent flying through the forest, as its remaining friends fled in fear of the sudden attacker. Ren tried to pick himself up off the ground himself before he saw the other person’s hand reach out towards him.

“You shouldn’t be running off without me, my liege. You’re lucky I managed to arrive just in time, what do you have to say for yourself?”

Lady Mizuno sheathed her baguette blade, her blue cape flowing in the breeze as she helped up her prince.

“You don’t have to call me that anymore, you won my hand in marriage so you’ve earned the right to call me by my name. And I was about to finish it off before you got here…” He tells her while dusting himself off and cracking his back.

Lady Mizuno scoffed at his words, “I have no doubt you could have, but you still would have been helpless against its remaining colleagues. I would never forgive myself if I found you beaten and bruised or even worse, when I should have been supervising you Ren.”

The two of them continued their trek through the woods with their hands clenched together as the prince let out a sigh, his head hanging low as his knight looked on worriedly.

“You shouldn’t have to protect me all the time… I don’t enjoy putting that burden upon you each and every time I leave the castle. I just wish… that I could be as strong as you, my lady…”

__________________________________________________

Ai watched Ren in his hospital bed with a dejected expression, despite her tears subsiding you could barely call it an improvement on her mood when she arrived. She clutched his hand tight, not looking to let go until he woke up (and even then she wouldn’t want to). Her eyes filled with worry over her boyfriend, even despite the lingering pain in her feet from running here with her heels off.

“I’m here, sweetheart, I’m still here…” She softly uttered to his unconscious form.

Soon, the others finally managed to reach the room and joined the girl by his side.

Jenny came closer and was close to tears, “Kuya… can you hear me…?”

When she got no answer, she softly sobbed into Junko’s shoulder. The floofy haired girl turned to her best friend and asked:

“What did the doctors say about him?”

Ai clutched his hand harder as she answered.

“Bleeding from the forehead, a sprained ankle, some bruises all over his face, and a mild concussion.”

“Christ… Okay, I’m gonna head out and find the bastard that did this to him. Who’s with me?” A pissed off Saki turned to the others with gritted teeth.

Jen nodded her head in agreement, “Nobody messes with my brother and gets away with it, count me in…”

Thankfully Sakura holds her arms out to block the two of them from charging outside.

“That won’t solve anything! You two could end up getting into more trouble, and we don’t need that now! Right, Ai-chan? Um… Ai-chan?”

The blue-haired girl sat in silence, her eyes not breaking away from Ren at all as the others looked on with gloomful expressions. What could you even do in a situation like this? Getting revenge for a failed concert is one thing, but getting revenge against someone who attacked someone close to them?

Yugiri broke the silence, “... As appealing as retaliation against the assailants that targeted Sir Ren may sound, our presence may be needed here so he could awaken sooner.”

“Tch…” Saki scoffed before sitting in one of the provided chairs.

Maimai then asks the question that’s on everyone’s minds, “So… what do we do now?”

After a few more seconds, Junko slowly approached Ren’s hospital bed with Romero in her arms, but to her surprise the zombie dog leapt out and landed near him.

“Romero?”

The dog softly whined and pressed his nose against Ren’s side, trying to get him to stir. When the young man didn’t budge, the undead canine patted the hand Ai was using to hold Ren’s before laying his head on the boy’s stomach. Ai used her other hand to pet Romero’s head as the others began to whisper among themselves.

Once they were done chatting, Lily tapped Ai on the shoulder.

“Ai-chan… how about we sing and cut the cakes? It’s still you and Ren-kun’s birthday party after all.”

“After that, we’ll leave you two lovebirds alone for a bit.” Kotaro adjusted his sunglasses as he told her.

After seeing the other members of Franchouchou were in agreement, Jenny as well, Ai nods and allows them to start vocalizing.

Kotaro snaps his fingers and says, “Vocals, come on…”, as the idol group gathered around the birthday couple and began to sing. Not too loud to disturb Ren’s rest, but enough so that he may be able to hear it in his dreams.

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Ren-Ai

Happy Birthday to you…

As they all finished, the group softly clapped before asking one of the nurses for something to cut the cakes with. They saved a few slices for both Ren and Ai to share together before leaving the room one by one, each of them stopping to wish Ren a full recovery.

“Hang in there, loverboy… you still owe me some video game rematches.” Saki lightly bumped her fist against his before exiting.

Tae gave a legendary message with her attempted repeating of his name, “Regh… Regh! Grawr!”

“We’ve got a lot more concerts to go to, Ren-kun! You can do it!” Maimai tells him before walking out.

Yugiri chose to speak to Ai in order to reassure her, “Surely if you keep giving him your hand, he will come to. You have him all to yourself, so do your best to take care of him.”

The ways Ai interpreted some of the words in that statement made her lightly blush as an oblivious Yugiri simply smiled without a care in the world.

Lily hopped up and smiled cutely at him before saying, “Get well soon, Ren-kun! Lily is sending Magical Lily Power to you right now, hnnnnnnn~!”

Ai smiled in amusement at the little girl squinting and rubbing the star in her hair to focus said “Magical Lily Power” towards him. Junko then steps up and bows her head to them.

“You’ll get through this… you both will”, she tells both Ren & Ai before whispering in Ren’s ear, “Smash through that wall… for her.”

Right after Junko was Kotaro, Ai briefly lowered her eyebrows at him. Expecting a snarky remark, her eyes widened when he simply patted her on the shoulder and walked away. Ai softly smiled at that unforeseen gesture before turning to Sakura and Jenny.

“You’ll take care of my brother, right?” His sister asked.

Ai finally started talking again to give her a short but meaningful statement, “I promise.”

“Ai-chan is super reliable, your brother is in good hands!” Sakura praises her idol, much to her embarrassment.

Jen laughs a bit before turning back to Ai, “I already know he is. Come on, I want to stuff this cake into my mouth hole.”

The others left with their slices as Ai sat and waited for Ren. After a few minutes of quiet, the Heisei idol soon found herself taking a quick nap by his side, Romero right with her as the exhaustion from running the whole way here started to kick in. Her head flopped onto his chest, still holding onto his hand despite the sweat beginning to form, enjoying the close contact she had with him after it’s been a while.

After more than an hour passed, Ai felt the bed sheets shifting from under her head as she looked up and saw her boyfriend beginning to open his eyes.

“Mm, agh…”

“R-Ren!” Ai exclaimed as she became the first thing he sees after awakening.

“Ai…?”

He blinked twice as she slowly wrapped her arms around him.

“Yes… it’s me. I’m here, Ren… Thank goodness you’re okay…”

He smiled as he returned her hug, but that smile slowly faded away… After a quick chat with the doctor he leaned back into his hospital bed and audibly sighed. Ai watched his conflicted expression with worry in her eyes, wondering what was up.

“I know you’re starting to get better physically, since you’re awake… but how are you really feeling?”

“... Not the best, as you could tell.” Ren shook his head, knowing that he couldn’t hide it from her.

Ai’s expression turns serious as she leans closer, “You’re still thinking about that attack… You didn’t deserve that, not one bit… If only I could have been there, then maybe…”

“... Then maybe something could have happened to you as well. You probably wouldn’t have gotten hurt too much, sure… but they could have taken you away. I don’t need you to fight my battles for me, Ai… not when you could be in worse danger than me.”

The zombie girl shook her head and placed her hands on his face to make him look at her.

“Ren, I am very well aware of the risks. I just don’t want you to get hurt like this… You’re not like me, so I worry so much about what could happen to you. And earlier today, my fears were proven true...”

The boy clenched his fists before he softly uttered in an insecure tone:

“But… what if I were like you?”

“What?” Ai asked in a stern tone.

“Ai, I’m obviously not as strong as most people. I’m… weak, honestly. I can’t run too fast or else my breathing gets heavy, I can barely lift furniture without my arms cramping, and I get easily hurt by walking into a coffee table. I was only able to take down that jackass in the alley with you by my side… while alone, it was like I was hit by a golden shovel. Buried into the sidewalk. But… maybe if I can talk to Kotaro-san, then…”

Ai cut him off by raising her voice, “No! We’re not discussing this again!”

“But Ai—”

*SLAP!*

Ren’s eyes widened in shock as Ai rubbed his cheek apologetically.

“Sorry, I really shouldn't have done that when you’re still injured. But you shouldn’t be so willing to throw your own life away like this, Ren… I’ll never forgive you if you do. I don’t want you to die and resurrect just to spend eternity with me. You’d be throwing away your own humanity, are you even hearing yourself?”

After a few seconds, Ren looked down at his legs as he responded back to her.

“I… I also wanted to do it, just so that you wouldn’t have to worry about losing me.”

Ai’s head lowers as she begins to visibly shake.

“I refuse to just wither away. I want to stand by your side for as long as I can… I don’t care if I’d have to throw away my own humanity, I want to keep making you happy. Because I know that if something happens to me…”

“Please… no more of that.”

“Huh?”

Ai clutches his hand desperately as he finds tears beginning to fall down her face.

“You don’t know if it’ll even work if you go through with it… We don’t even know how the process works, I can’t take that risk right now. Please Ren… don’t try to change yourself for my sake. That’s not how relationships work… I fell for you because of who you are right now, not who you were or how you see yourself.”

Ren let her words begin to sink in, little by little as she continued. Her hands rested on his cheeks as the tears continued to fall.

“I want my Ren, the boy that was willing to not run away after learning I was a zombie. A kind soul who would bake sweets or help pick up my eyeballs off the ground if they get knocked out. Someone brave enough to sing his heart out on stage by my side, even if you were scared out of your mind. I love you, Ren, and I want you to promise me you’ll always stay yourself.”

“Ai…” was the only thing he could say as she finished.

Not looking for that answer, she instantly replied back, “Promise me!”

After clutching his chest, he scooted closer to her despite the pain still lingering in him. He wiped the tears off her face, softly chuckling after he saw that he smudged her makeup, before finally giving his answer.

“I-I promise… You really did mean all that, huh?”

She let out a shaky giggle before a smile finally returned to her face,

“Yes… It’s the truth of what’s on my mind, completely honest and no bull. Ha ha ha…”

He smiles back at her, “Heh, just stealing my lines now, hm?”

“Is that a problem?” She asks with a bit of a smirk.

He nuzzles noses with her briefly before replying, “Not at all…”

They share a soft kiss, one that lasts about two minutes before they finally break apart and lean their foreheads against one another.

“Some birthday this turned out to be, huh?” Ren remarks and Ai laughs at that.

“Yeah, not how I wanted today to go at all. But at least you’re safe… Ah, I almost forgot!”

Ai takes out a small box and holds it out to Ren, while he gasps and takes out his own present.

“Happy birthday.” The both of them say to each other as they trade gifts.

Ren lifts off the cover of his present to find… an aquamarine bracelet! The base itself was silver, with aquamarine gems spaced out on every side.

“Ai, this is glorious…” He says in awe of its shine.

The girl smiled as she pointed at it, “Look on the inside.”

Ren turns it and sees a small message inscribed into the inside of the bracelet:

“To the one who showed me what love means.” - Ai <3

Ren slowly starts to tear up to Ai’s surprise as he hides his face in his right arm.

“You’re the best girlfriend in the world… I really can’t thank you enough… Agh, they won’t stop coming out…”

Ai hands him a few tissues before pecking him on the cheek.

“You’re very welcome, darling. I’m pretty sure it pales in comparison to your gift though…”

“I dunno, I can’t imagine it driving you to tears…” He said after he finished his crying session.

“I’ll be the judge of that… oh!”

Ai’s present is… a necklace with various aquamarine charms on it! Five of them to be exact.

Ren pressed his index fingers together shyly, “So… each of these charms are meant to represent the things I love about you. The popcorn—I mean flower is obvious, ah ha…”

Ai rolled her eyes at that before listening intently with a big smile on her face.

“The music note is to represent your lovely voice, not just in singing because your speaking voice is also music to my ears, heh…”

She giggled at his dumb joke as he clears his throat and prepares to explain more.

“A heart to symbolize that kindness you show not just to me, but to your fans and to your friends. A lightning bolt might be a little mean, sorry, but I used it to say that whenever I’m around you… the energy is electrifying.”

Ai pats his back reassuringly, “I’ll forgive you for that, ha… and this shooting star… your nickname for me, Starlight?”

“Right on the money, always shining down and giving me guidance when I need it… as shown earlier, thank you for that.”

“Aww… Ren, I love it. No, I absolutely adore it!”

She plants a big kiss on Ren’s lips before he could speak up about her referencing his confession, stealing his words again.

“Ah, I’m so glad you do… I really put a lot of thought into it, you deserved nothing but the best, sweetheart.”

Ai leans back into her chair and puts on the necklace, as Ren puts on the bracelet.

“You too, especially after today. And once again…”

“Happy birthday!” The two of them repeat themselves before laughing joyfully.

Ren then pauses after he notices something, “By the way, Ai, did you really run all the way here without your shoes?”

Ai looks down at her bare feet and lets out a sigh before nodding her head.

“Yeah… I was just so worried that I just didn’t care enough about that. Even if I kinda regret it now, ha… ow.”

“Hm… I think I owe you a massage after the stuff I put you through today. You‘ve earned it.” He tells her sincerely.

Ai tries to turn him down by shaking her head, “No no, it's fine. You don’t have to—”

“But I want to.” Ren cuts her off with a smirk at his own stolen line and Ai puts her hands on her hips.

“Oh, you dork… it better be a good one then!”

She says to him while tapping her toes on the cold floor.

“I’ll treat your tootsies well, just you wait!” He confidently says before looking off to his right, “For now though, cake?”

“I thought you’d never ask…”

The two of them happily ate their birthday cakes as their companions stood outside looking on. This private time looked to be their gift to the couple as they all quietly appreciated the wholesome display. Finally, it seemed like the time for tears was over, and the celebration could finally begin in earnest as it should have.

Chapter Text

< Third-Person POV >

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…”

The other Franchouchou members looked on as Ai continued to practice the routine, despite the others stopping for a few minutes.

“Ai-chan hasn’t taken any breaks yet, I’m worried her limbs will go stiff and she’ll fall apart again…” A concerned Sakura whispers to Saki as Ai repeats the dance once more.

“This is just sad, it hasn’t even been a day yet and she’s letting it get to her. Girl needs to chill.”

Junko leans in to reply to Saki’s words, “Could you really blame her? She’s grown so used to him being around. Imagine being away from someone you love for a while…”

“Not only that, but her dearest is in a different country entirely. To Ai-han, it may feel like they’re worlds apart for more than merely a week.” Yugiri explains while taking a smoke.

Sakura nods in understanding, “Mm, and him having to leave not even a week after he got out of the hospital too… Ai-chan's probably worrying about his condition a whole bunch.”

After seeing Ai repeating the routine for the ninth time in the row, Saki groans and kicks up to her feet in order to talk to the bandaged zombie.

“Oi, Ai! Sit the hell down for a bit, we still got time!”

Ai’s concentration wasn’t broken, however, as she continued to drill each step into her mind.

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…”

This annoyed Saki, who then got in front of Ai’s face to speak up.

“Come on, flowerhead, snap out of it! It’s not like he’s gone for a month, he’ll be back soon! Just stop for a sec and drink water at least!”

“... One, two—”

“Grrr… quit it!”

*POP*

Saki smacked Ai across the back and her head got knocked to the floor, to the other’s surprise.

“Ah! Uh, m-my bad…”

“Saki-chan, you dummy! You hit her too hard!” Lily calls her out as Sakura and Junko help reattach Ai’s head to her body.

Junko spins her noggin back onto her neck like she was a plastic doll before turning back to the biker girl.

“What were you thinking?! That wasn’t gonna help her at all! Are you okay, Ai-san?”

Ai brings her hand to her neck and suddenly gasps before frantically crawling around on the floor as the girls watch in confusion.

“W-Where is it? Come on, come on, I can’t lose it!”

“A-Ai-chan?!" Sakura lets out in bewilderment as Ai continues her search.

Upon locating what she had been worried about, she quickly makes her way over to the corner of the practice room, right next to the large broken mirror. She picks up the item and checks to make sure it was undamaged before sighing in relief and clutching it close to her chest. Ai takes a moment to look over it again as she reminisces for a moment.

“I kept it safe… for you.”

The aquamarine charm necklace, since she’s received this gift a few days ago she is rarely seen without it. She only takes it off before bed or during a bath, while cleaning it at night. And as of right now, it’s helping her through a current predicament she’s in.

But we’ll have to turn back the clock a bit to get the full picture here, so we’ll move away from today and visit yesterday.

__________________________________________________

“Ahhh, man, that was amazing! I’m so glad I didn’t watch any trailers before seeing it blind.”

“Ha ha, you were so lucky there was no one else around during our showing. You were getting pretty loud during those last thirty minutes, Ren-kun.”

Ren & Ai walked out of the theater all smiles after a successful movie date. Ren was wearing a dark gray hoodie with blue jeans and black sneakers, while Ai was in a light-blue fleece sweater with a cream-colored skirt and light-blue sneakers. Their hands clenched together as they walked and talked to their next destination.

“That definitely has to be my favorite of the trilogy, but did you have fun Ai-chan?”

Ai softly smiled before answering, “I did. A couple of scenes with the villains were too childish and goofy for me, but I enjoyed just watching you react the most. You knew so much about the story and characters…”

“Ha, I am a fan of the game series it's based on, but I am no expert. I rely more on EveryonecallsmeJoanna & GamesPrison to completely understand it. Your reactions were great too though, I know I saw a tear or two…”  Ren lightly blushed while chuckling.

Ai blushed back before responding, “You got me, that relationship between the young girl and the ultimate lifeform really hit me hard.”

“Yeah, same here…”

All this back and forth, the memorable chit chat, these conversations that they have while together always manage to bring smiles to their faces. Though not as much as perfectly grilled yakiniku for dinner. Ren had gotten a lot of practice with cooking the meat on that small grill, mostly because his girlfriend’s meat-tooth always calls for it.

But even with the sizzling of beef and the sounds of chewing, the pair always found time for a chat.

“That new music video you guys did, excellently done as always.” Ren sent a complement her way as Ai swallowed down some meat.

“Mmm, it was a fun one to perform! The song itself stands out from what we typically release, so it felt like such a unique experience.”

Ren places another piece on the grill and nods, “Yeah, that song is still in my head after weeks of listening to it. Also, that one dance you did by the train… I feel like you tried to kill me there with how cute you were being. Was that on purpose…?”

(This gif is made by my good friend franchouchou on Tumblr/@sagajeune on Twitter!)

Ai gives him a smug face before answering back.

“Maaaaaayyyybe… I do know how to push the right buttons to make your heart race like crazy. Like so, mwah~!”

She kisses her finger and points it at Ren like she was shooting the kiss like a bullet, right through his heart.

“Guh… you…” He utters, looks like a direct hit.

“Ah ha ha… gotcha.”

Ai winks at him for double damage as he clutches his chest, but he immediately snaps out of it when he hears his piece of yakiniku sizzle loudly.

“Ack, dang it! You distracted me, now this piece is all burnt and nasty…”

Ai returns to her own unburnt meat and takes it off the grill.

“Quit whining and just get another piece, sweetie, there’s still more there.”

“Hmph…”

Ren grunts as he places new pieces on. For a while, the two of them just eat in silence. Choosing to simply enjoy the taste of perfectly charred meat until they finished everything they had. After splitting the bill, however, one of the lovebirds found themselves fidgeting a bit…

“Hm? What’s up, Ai-chan?”

“Well… we kind of have been skirting around discussing something, and I wanted to just… talk about it.”

Ren’s eyes widened as she said that before letting out a sigh, “Yeah… okay, we should talk about it.”

He takes out his plane ticket for Los Angeles, California.

“This… is pretty much the reason why I wanted to see you tonight, before I go.”

Ai nods as she takes his hand in hers as they stroll back to the mansion.

“I figured… but what I’m wondering is, are you feeling well enough to make the trip in the first place? And you know you’ll be going on lots of dangerous rides at that theme park as well.”

“Well, you see…”

Ai’s eyebrows lowered as she looked at him stubbornly.

“Ren, I know you can’t lie to me, so spill it. You can tell me, so please?”

The young man clenches her hand a bit tighter before turning to her.

“I’m about… 70… er, 65% better.”

“Decent percentage, but that’s still not 100%. I know you’re dead set on going, so I’m just letting you know that you need to be careful over there.”

Ren lowers his head in guilt, “I know… I will, I promise. I’m not gonna call you out for being cautious after what happened, but I want you to trust me, okay?”

Ren stops walking and so does Ai as the former waits for her response.

“Ai, I know you’re stubborn, but I will be careful over there.”

“...” Ai continues to grip his hand as she formulates her thoughts.

“I just want to have fun with my sister after so much time apart. It's her last bit of vacation time before she heads back to work too. So… please, sweetheart?”

“... Fine, I trust that you’ll stay out of trouble. Ha ha, you’re pretty stubborn yourself too, you know?”

“Yeah, I do. Thanks Ai-chan…”

He kisses her forehead and she kisses him on his left cheek before they keep walking.

“And besides, I don’t even like thrill rides. Big drops scare the hell out of me, so the only drops I can stomach are the ones on the pirate ride.”

Ai giggles at his honesty, “I don’t think I could go on any fast moving ride with how easy we can fall apart, ha.”

“That sounds like a pain, trying to keep track of all your parts. It would be fun if you could come with me though…”

Ai shrugged at his statement, “It would, plus I could keep an eye on you. But for some reason, Kotaro prevents us from leaving Saga. Couldn’t even take any jobs outside this prefecture…”

“Uh-huh… that’s a letdown. But if we do end up going to any place with rides one day, let’s be sure to take the ferris wheel.” Ren suggests.

Ai’s smirks at him, “Oh, how romantic of you… just the two of us up high, watching the city lights… you been planning that out for us one day?”

“Nah, I’m just someone who plays a lot of dating sims. It’s a popular spot, but it does sound nice, right?”

Ai leans her head against his shoulder, “Absolutely…”

When they finally reach the gates of the mansion, Ai once again begins to fidget.

Ren raises an eyebrow as he questions her again, “Is something else the matter?”

“No, not really. I just… really want to spend the night with you, what time do you need to be at the airport?”

Upon hearing that question, Ren checks his calendar before looking back up at her.

“I think I can make it… guess I’ll borrow Kotaro’s pajamas again, ha…”

A wide grin spreads across Ai’s face as she yanks him into the mansion. After a brief camaraderie with the other Franchouchou members, Ai chose to sleep early tonight so Ren could be able to wake up on time in the morning. While fixing her futon, Ren put his hand on her shoulder to catch her attention.

“Hm?”

“Come on, sit down” He tells her.

She did as she was told and sat down on the futon next to him.

“Okay… now what?” She asked him, puzzled.

“I still owe you a massage, might as well do it before I go, right?”

Ai couldn’t protest, she did agree to it after all, so she put her feet on his lap and leaned back.

“Make it good!” She encourages him.

He nods back at her with a sincere smile, “I’ll do my best for you, and these cute tootsies of yours.”

She blushed at the little compliment before feeling him press his fingers into her soles gently. He gave each part equal amounts of attention, leaving no toe untouched. All the while, Ai’s eyes closed as she simply relaxed to the point where she was now lying down on the futon. After about five minutes, Ren let go of her feet and Ai sighed blissfully…

“Mmm… ahhh… thank you… I honestly didn’t expect much, but… that was great.”

“I did say I’d treat them well.”

Ren softly kissed the top of her foot, making her giggle and her toes curl as he shifted himself closer to her face.

“Hey.”

That simple greeting made Ai want to shift closer to him.

“Hello~.” She answers back.

She wraps her arms around him and nuzzles her cheek against his, Ren doing the same as they pulled the blanket over themselves to settle in.

Ren removes his glasses and Ai looks into his chocolate-brown eyes. Not willing to wait any longer, she presses her lips against his firmly. While initially surprised, Ren doesn’t back down and kisses back to match her energy.

As soon as they break, he has this to say, “You’re pretty eager, aren’t you? Usually you wait until I’m ready.”

“Well, it’s my last night with my Ren. I need to make the most of this time, like always.”

He softly laughs, “True, true. Also, I’m your Ren, hm?”

“Yes, my Ren, remember? You’re all mine. Mine, mine, mine. Is that a problem?” She answers while snuggling into his chest.

Ren shakes his head and hugs her back.

“Not at all, I’m all yours… and besides… you deserve to be a bit selfish after giving me so much. Thank you, my love…”

“No, thank you, Ren…”

The two of them kissed again, and again, and again… before the inevitable pull of sleep caught up to them. Ai was already pretty close after that massage, but the fact that they were cuddling in the same futon made them even more comfortable. They simply held each other in their arms, without either of them budging.

It felt that all was right in the world as long as the two of them were together…

__________________________________________________

… But that was yesterday, and we’re back to today… or the morning of today rather.

“Mmph… huh…?”

Feeling her arms grasping at the air, instead of the warm chest of her boyfriend, Ai slowly awakens in confusion. She sits up in her futon and turns her head to look all over the room, yet only sees her fellow zombie girls still snoozing away. She blinks twice before letting out a yawn while calling out his name.

“Ahhh… Ren…? Ren…?”

That’s when she felt a slight rumble on her outdated phone, with the light of the screen illuminating her face she gets her answer on where he is.

“Good morning, sweetheart. Sorry I had to go so soon, but I got the time wrong and needed to rush over to the airport. Jenny gave me a real earful for that, ha. I hated to just leave you without saying goodbye, so I gave your cheek a smooch before I left. See you in a week, Ai-chan, I’ll miss you tons. Remember to keep that necklace of yours safe, alright? I love you, Starlight, with all my <3.”

Ai softly rubs her cheek and feels the lingering warmth left by the smooch he mentioned, and then she steadily types out her response.

“I love you too, have fun on your trip! <3”

After hitting send, she notices something dripping onto her phone screen. Upon realizing that it was her tears, she quickly wipes them away before making her way to the nightstand. There she takes out the charm necklace and places it upon her neck, taking a deep breath in and out…

“I promise I’ll take good care of it, Ren-kun…”

Her voice was shaky, clearly affected by his absence. Despite the emptiness she’s feeling in her heart, she gets dressed for training and heads to the practice room. An idol’s gotta do what an idol’s gotta do, but right before she could get started… she softly whispers to herself.

“Please, come back soon… please…”

And I can’t believe I forgot to post this, but thank you so much to @megu_art_ on Twitter for making this double-sided RenAi keychain and bonus art for me! Go commission her if you want to get one of your own!

Chapter Text

< Third-Person POV >

Anaheim, California

Evening.

Ren sighs as he flips through the photos on his phone, which is one of the few things he can do at the moment. He forgot to buy a SIM card before traveling and even after leaving the LA airport, so all he could do was fiddle with his camera and watch videos or movies he had downloaded. His sister turns to him briefly before looking back to the road ahead.

“Really missing Ai, hm?”

“You read me like a book, sis.” Ren tells her while watching the palm trees outside his window.

Jenny snickers, “More like a billboard that reads ‘I wish I was back home with my babygirl, instead of with my boring sister!’”

Ren sat up and lowered his eyebrows at her.

“Okay first off, I’ve never called her my ‘babygirl’, and secondly I’m fine being here with you. Don’t try to guilt trip me so you’ll get me to buy you ice cream or whatever, you’re not a little girl anymore.”

“Ha ha, I know, I’m kidding. Still, you didn’t have to come. You sure you’re gonna be able to walk around without any pain?” Jen asks, seriously.

“I am sure. Besides, it’s been years since we went to these parks, so it would be fun to refamiliarize ourselves with them. And also you bought the tickets already and I know how expensive they are, so I can’t refuse.”

Ren leaned back and returned to looking out the car window.

“I am still thinking about her though… how she’s doing.”

Jen nods along as she turns to the right.

“Lovesickness, that’s what you’re feeling right now.”

“Yeah… I guess. It’s just… ever since we started dating, we’ve never been apart this long. Despite her usually being busy, she’s always found the time to chat with me and invite me out. And now… I can’t even imagine how she’s feeling, it’s worrisome.”

Ren sighs again as he looks through his photos again. Stopping at a particular picture he and Ai took together: Ai had tried to lead Ren in a fun little ballroom dance at his place, yet when she dipped him down… he ended up slipping and falling onto the floor, dragging her down with him. As soon as they lifted their heads back up, they saw how disheveled their hair was and both started laughing, which was when the photo was taken. A wonderful memory, but a painful reminder of their distance.

Jenny glances over and sees the picture when they get to another stoplight.

“You two are so close that it’s sickeningly sweet. Seriously, I feel like I’m gonna get diabetes the longer I'm around you two, but what you’re saying makes sense. I won’t tell you to not worry about Ai, just try to find something to enjoy out here, okay? You’ll be back snuggling your sweetie in Saga soon.”

“Hm… thanks…” Ren says softly, appreciating her words even if he still feels down.

The two remain quiet for about thirty seconds, until Jenny suddenly gets an idea.

“How about this, if you can manage to have fun at the park tomorrow without worrying too much about Ai… I’ll let you borrow my phone to text her.”

Ren’s head suddenly snapped back to look at her, “For real?!”

“Better try your best if you want it… And there’s no punishment if you fail too, I’m not that mean.” Jen teasingly holds her phone in front of his face before putting it away.

Ren bit his lip and considered his options before shaking her hand to agree to the task.

“Deal. And I better have enough time to say what I really want to.”

“Sure, sure… by the way… I wasn’t trying to guilt trip you for ice cream earlier buuuuut…”

Ren bluntly answered, “Fine, we’ll go. Only because I’m hungry and wanna try a place that has good milkshakes.”

“Thank you, kuya~! I know just the place, it’s right by the hotel so we can just walk.” Jen smiles brightly as they enter a downtown shopping district near the titular theme park.

“… By the way, you’re paying. No takebacks.” Ren states smugly.

“What?! Hey!”

The two of them went back and forth before Jen ultimately gave up and chose to pay for their meal. They dropped off their luggage in their hotel room before heading straight to the restaurant and sitting down. Scouring the options on the menu, there was quite a selection on the lunch menu for both entrees and appetizers. A lot of it was uniquely American though, which is exactly what Ren was hoping for since he landed.

There were only two things that really caught Ren’s eye though and when the waitress arrived, he informed her immediately.

“Konnichiwa. Toryufubāgā o onegaishimasu!”

“Excuse me?”

Ren flinched as he realized his mistake, “Ack, uh, um… a black truffle burger please… And a cookies & cream milkshake too…”

Jen tried her best to hold in her laughter as she spoke up next.

“Ha, ha… Steakhouse burger and a cake shake please… hee hee hee…”

Ren rolled his eyes at his sister as the waitress headed back after writing their orders down. Minutes later, the two of them inhaled their burgers in no time. As Ren’s cookies & cream shake arrives at their table, the young man cracked his knuckles and Jenny’s eyes wide and her mouth agape.

“T-That’s crazy! How are you gonna—”

Ren spun his straw with his fingers, like a sheriff would with his gun before slipping it into the spiraled, cookie crumb-topped whipped cream tower before him.

“Ha ha ha… that black truffle burger was just the start. Time to shake things up!”

“Ugh, just for that I hope you get a brain freeze or a stomach ache.” Jen rubbed her forehead, annoyed.

Ren chews on the cookies and cream ice cream sandwich that was attached to his shake and basically pays her no mind as he’s in complete bliss.

“Mmm, so good… oh! Look there, guess you aren't any different than me, huh?”

Jen lifts her head up from her arms when Ren points to her cake batter shake… which had a slice of funfetti birthday cake on top.

“Ack—I… I mean thank you…” She tells the waitress as she simply stared at the tall glass of sprinkles before her.

“That looks amazing, good luck!”

Ren returns to slurping down his milkshake without a care in the world as Jen’s hand trembles with hesitation as she pulls the dessert closer. It seems as though she didn’t look at the description before ordering. Jen takes a deep breath in, clearly intimidated by the size of the cake and shake, before exhaling and bringing her mouth to the straw.

…

“Mmph!”

The flavor goes off in her mouth like a party popper, which is fitting considering the rainbow coloring of the sprinkles all over it.

“Glad to see you enjoying it. How about we race to see which one of us finishes first?” Ren suggests.

Jen smiles at the challenge, and after making sure their shake counts were even, she agrees.

“You’re on, bro. I’m gonna suck off all of it!”

Ren raises an eyebrow, “Don’t you mean ‘suck all of it’?”

“I know what I said, let’s go!”

And away they went… for about two minutes. That was when Jenny got both a brain freeze and a stomach ache, while Ren polished off his shake and was scraping the vanilla frosting off the rim of his glass.

“Bleh…” Jen let out, with about slightly less than half her shake finished, “It tastes so good when it goes in… but when it went down, ugh….”

“Want me to finish it for you?”

Jen slowly pushes the cake shake towards him without hesitation.

“Please do...”

Jen’s head falls on top of their table, making Ren chuckle as he whips out his phone and snaps a picture.

“Ha, man… Ai’s gonna give you an earful once she sees… oh.”

Reminded that he can’t really send Ai any pictures, his expression falters. After a few seconds of silence, he pockets his phone and slurps up the rest of Jen’s shake with his own straw. He puts his sister’s arm over his shoulder and carries her back to the hotel. 

As the day came to a close, Ren once again found himself flipping through his photo album, just to see his short blue-haired beauty’s smile again. He removes the aquamarine bracelet Ai gave to him from his wrist, rereading the sweet message she had inscribed into it. Taking a few deep breaths and clutching his chest, he places it on the nightstand alongside his glasses and turns off the light before crawling into bed.

Hoping that tomorrow’s venture will be able to block out the lovesickness he’s currently feeling.

*SNORE*

… Well, right after he blocks his ears from that ungodly noise coming from Jen.

__________________________________________________

The next morning…

“Hey, hey! Wakey wakey!”

“Wuh?”

Ren drowsily rises from his bed as he sees Jenny already dressed and bouncing on her toes.

“Get excited, this is our first time at a theme park as adults ! Going at our own pace, not having to keep up with a schedule someone else sets… it’s so wonderful…”

Ren stretches and puts on his glasses, “I sure do hope so… are we even going to meet up at all for anything?”

Jenny takes out her personal schedule on her phone, “For the parade and fireworks, obviously, but we can go on a few rides together before splitting up. I do need you on this one ride that requires teamwork to pilot a space ship though, other than that we can wander all over the different lands!”

“Mm, ‘kay.” Ren replies nonchalantly as Jen tilts her head in response.

“You good, kuya?”

“Yeah, my mind just needs to focus on today. I’ll be fine after a while.”

He softly smiles in reassurance, but Jen wasn’t entirely convinced.

“If you say so. Remember, try to have fun and I’ll give you your reward at the end of the day.”

“Hm, hm.” Ren grunts as he takes his clothes and enters the bathroom.

After they both got ready, they entered the magical place’s gates and already the atmosphere felt different. It was loud and overwhelming for poor Ren, sure, but the smiles on everyone’s faces and the laughter in the air made it difficult to frown. Especially for Jen, who was excitedly gathering all the merch she could in her arms, much to her brother's exasperation.

“No.”

She pouts childishly in response, “Hey, come on! I run a company, you can’t tell me what I can and can’t buy with my cash!”

“Look, even if you are gonna spend it all, you can’t just do it all in one place. Put some of this stuff down, and if you can find it somewhere else or something better then go for it. I’m gonna go look for souvenirs for the girls.”

Jen scoffs at his scolding as she places half of what she’s holding back on the shelves and sticks her tongue out at him.

“Hmph, you’re starting to sound like your girlfriend, you know?”

“I do know, isn’t it great?”

He sticks his own tongue back at her before going off to find a few souvenirs.

“Hm… Saki would probably like a sword, so I’ll hold off on her until we get to the pirates store… oh, Junko would love this one!”

Ren found a plush of a marshmallow-shaped healthcare companion and hugged him to test his softness. 

The verdict? Comfy, so he got him.

As for the rest of his gifts, he managed to find four others in the surrounding stores. A feeding bowl for Romero, a fairy wand for Lily, a red and white polka dot bow for Sakura, a few packs of gummy worms for Tae to chew on, and a green comb hair accessory with a white flower on it for Yugiri. After paying for all of it, he waits outside for Jen.

“I’m here!”

When he turns around, he sees that she’s got two bags full of plushies, a bunch of collectible pins attached to her jacket, and a baseball cap with an angry duck on it atop her head.

“I… ugh, whatever.” Ren gives up trying to talk her out of things.

Jen simply grins and plops a hat with long black rabbit ears on his head as she leads the way to their first destination as a duo. 

The siblings surprisingly collaborated well on the spaceship ride Jen mentioned before, yet the other ride in the land from another galaxy was the one that had them most excited… even if the line was excessively long.

“The cast members performed so well there, it was like we walked right into the movies!” Jenny exclaimed with stars gleaming in her eyes.

Ren began to gush as well, “Yeah! It felt less like a ride, and more like being transported into another universe. Could have done without the line, but I guess we can’t FORCE our way through.”

“Let’s just go to Pirates and split up afterwards so I don’t have to hear that for a few hours.”

“Aye, aye…” Ren chuckled as Jen groaned.

After a quick seafaring adventure (with a good sea shanty that’ll get stuck in your head), the brother and sister split and went off on their own. After buying Saki that sword and Kotaro a pirate hat and eyepatch (being aware of the many costumes he wears during his meetups with the girls), Ren decides to head towards a quaint little town for toons. On the way, he spots a Japanese tourist and her daughter sitting on a bench, but then the little girl’s balloon was about to float up into the sky.

Ren quickly jumps up and snatches it before handing it back to her.

“Hup! Here you go, hold on tighter to it so it won’t fly away, okay?”

“That’s so nice of you, now what do you say to him, Rika-chan?” The mother asked her little girl.

Rika clutched her balloon string gratefully, “A-Arigatou!”

“You’re welcome.” 

Ren nods and smiles back at her, but before he could fully walk away…

“E-Excuse me! Are you the boy who danced with Franchouchou one time?”

“Ah..!”

Ren gasped as he thought back to that fateful day, gulping as he tried to get his bearings.

“I’m… sorry. You must be mistaking me for someone else. Goodbye!”

He awkwardly waved at the girl and her mother as he walked into the next land, trying his best to not think too hard about that day. Being reminded of the day of his confession is not what he needs on a day where he’s supposed to not worry about Ai. While he’s there, he spends his time on a train with some friendly mice, joking around with a goof, and shaking the hand of a sailor duck before heading off to his final land of the day:

One that represents the world of tomorrow… or what it was supposed to look like back then.

The young man gets in line for a space shooter ride, which was unreasonably long once again, so he was forced to flip through his phone once more. As much as he doesn't want to, and as much as he has tried to distract himself… he can’t stop thinking about her. He begins to tremble, much to the confusion of the other ride goers, as he whispers to himself a single name.

“Ai…”

But before he could let out a single sob, he got a tap on the shoulder.

“Eh?”

He turns around, tears poking out from the corners of his eyes… and sees his sister.

“Hey, I figured you shouldn’t have been alone right now. I was just so excited to check this whole park on my own… but then I didn’t think to consider how you’re feeling. Sorry, bro.”

She bows her head apologetically as Ren wipes the tears from his eyes.

“It’s okay… I should have done better with focusing on enjoying myself. Wanna come blast some targets?”

Jen softly smiles as they walk in, “Sure… it’ll be a blast.”

Ren proudly smiles at her pun as the duo give it their all to get a high score on the ride. The end result was Ren getting a score of 50,000, while Jen got 400,000. A big victory on the younger sister’s end, but our guy wasn’t sour at all about it, in fact he was happy for her… even if he had to carry her plushie bags as punishment. They continued to ride and have fun throughout the day, up until 9:30pm.

That’s when the fireworks show kicked off at the park! Bright colors filled the sky, in addition to dazzling projections on the castle and various other buildings, as well as a sensational soundtrack backing it up.

“Wow… the fireworks themselves aren’t as pretty as Imari Bay, but… everything else is helping it feel unique! Beautiful…” Ren says while looking up at the explosions above.

Jenny turns to him, before softly giggling, “Ha, now you’ve got tears of joy coming out of you now. At this rate, you’ll be a sprinkler when we get back to the hotel.”

Ren dries his eyes before answering back.

“Shut up, you… ha, but… thanks for earlier. I did have fun, even if I did fail in the end.”

“Well… I’d say you still deserve this after what you went through today. Here.”

Jen unlocks her phone and hands it over to him. Ren hesitates, but with his sister’s urging he accepts it. He holds it close to his heart, before turning his attention back to the fireworks.

“I waited this long… a few more minutes can’t hurt.”

_____________________________________________________

“Hey sweetheart. I’m enjoying myself here, but I really want to see you again. Sorry I couldn’t reach you until now, Jen let me borrow her phone, but you’re probably worried sick about me. I’ll make it up to you, I swear. Once I get back… I’m gonna kiss you so much. So much that my lips might get sore, and then you’d be able to scold me for going overboard ha… Seriously though, I miss hearing your voice, whether it's when you’re scolding me or your adorable laugh. I can’t wait to hear it, and see your face. I love you Ai <3" - Ren

Ren sends the text message, and lets out a sigh of relief as he meets up with Jen once more.

“Alright, you done?”

“Yeah, thanks for letting me use it. Wanna head back now?” Ren asks after handing back her phone.

“Hm… well I know that you still haven’t picked up a souvenir for your sweetie yet. And based on what you’ve told me about her tastes, I’ve got an idea on what to get her…”

Jen grabbed him by the arm and led him to a nearby shop that was still open. Scouring the shelves, their eyes eventually land on one particular plush. Something that fits the moniker of creepy AND cute, that Ai would approve of… a small, green, and round monster with one eye.

“Perfect.”

Ren bumps fists with his sister as their day comes to a close.

Chapter Text

< Third-Person POV >

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

Nighttime.

“God damn, is that girl still practicing?”

Saki complains as she and the other Franchouchou members (sans Ai) sit in their bedroom.

Lily softly pet Romero’s head before speaking up, “Is she even going to sleep tonight? Ai-chan is practicing so much, and our next concert isn’t even until next week!”

“It’s like Saga Rock all over again… but at least Junko-chan hasn’t locked herself away like before.” Sakura sighs.

“Since then I still find myself growing mushrooms at times…” Junko lightly rubs the top of her floofy head where the mushrooms typically grew, “… But that’s besides the point. We should do something or she’ll—”

“Eyah!!”

*THUD*

“Ah, that must be Ai-han…” Yugiri says nonchalantly as all of them walk out the room.

“Ow… Ah! Um, shouldn’t you all be asleep?”

The other girls looked at Ai with pity after seeing the state she’s currently in.

“Shouldn’t you be in one piece, Ai-san?” Junko remarks with unexpected snark.

We see that Ai basically turned into a certain toy based on a root vegetable, with her body parts scattered on the floor before them.

“I… ugh, can you guys please help me out here?” She asks them, exasperatedly. 

That’s when Saki got an idea. An awful idea. A wide smile spread across her face, much to Ai’s increasing concern. Saki picked up a few of the girl's parts in her arms and leaned her body against the wall.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at the blonde’s actions, “Saki-chan?”

“Don’t worry, egghead, just leave this to me. Heh heh…” She chuckled before immediately getting to work.

Ai gasped in horror before yelling at Saki, “Hey, hey! Quit it, Saki! Watch where you’re putting those legs! Ah, don’t attach me here!”

Junko fidgeted while watching this go on, “Um, that doesn’t go there…”

“Oh my, what unique placements…” Yugiri comments as she rests her hand on her cheek.

“And… alright! You’re all set, Ai.” Saki pats her shoulder, proud of herself.

Ai trembles with building rage as she begins to softly laugh.

“Ha… ha… ha ha ha… Am I now? If that’s the case… HOW DID I TURN OUT LIKE THIS?!”

Ai’s body was a mangle of body parts in incorrect places, it looked like a Picasso painting if it was focused on the body instead of the face. Her right foot was attached to her neck, her left leg took the place of her left arm and vice versa, her right hand replaced the right foot and her head took its place. Saki was holding back her laughter, while the other girls watched in a blend of confusion, surprise, and disgust.

“That’s a good look for you, girl! I definitely need to snap a pic to remember it.”

Ai gritted her teeth while watching her take out her phone, “Saki, I swear to god…”

“Oh! I gotta send it to your boy toy. He’d loooove what you’ve done with yourself! Ah ha ha ha!”

“NO NO NO NO! DON’T YOU DARE!” Ai bursts out in a panic.

“S-Saki-san… I don’t think this will help with her current state of mind…” Junko whispers to her, but the biker chick ignores her.

“And send! Got a good caption for it too, man I wish I could see his reaction when he— YOW!”

“Grgh…”

Ai winces as she uses her own head as a weapon to knock Saki atop her forehead.

Sakura places herself in between the two girls to separate them.

“N-No need for any violence! Come on, everyone, let’s fix Ai-chan the right way…”

After a few minutes of detaching and reattaching limbs, Ai was back to normal as she storms off to her futon.

“Tch, that was the last thing I needed tonight…”

“Hey, I just wanted to lighten the mood! And it was your fault that you ended up in pieces in the first place! Don’t ya think you’re overdoing it with the practice?!” Saki fires back.

“Hmph…”

Ai turns over to ignore her, but the other girls approach the Heisei idol worriedly.

“Ai-han, we understand your heart is aching for Sir Ren, yet you should not let his absence affect your emotions too negatively.” Yugiri softly tells her, as the blue-haired girl goes silent.

Junko steps in next, “He means a lot to you, we all know that. If you keep doing this to yourself, however, you won’t likely won’t be able to get to your feet and be with him. Do you understand that?”

“…”

“Ren-kun’s probably really worried about you right now, don’t try to make him feel like you can’t be without him for a long time!”

“…”

Even after hearing Sakura’s statement, Ai didn’t get up and face them. Franchouchou watched her with sympathy, before turning to each other with determination. They soon all turned in for the night, but unbeknownst to the rest of them, Ai was still awake.

“I miss you…” She whispered sadly while clutching her aquamarine charm necklace.

_____________________________________________

Ai got up the next morning and looked in the mirror. She had bags under her bloodshot eyes, which were almost as red as her irises are. She looks like she didn’t get much sleep last night, but that didn’t stop her from getting into her training outfit and heading over to the studio.

Or… at least the front door to it.

“What the—?!”

The door to the dance studio had wooden planks screwed onto it, barring anyone from entering it. Ai then hears a power drill sound off behind her, and turns to see Junko holding it with Kotaro next to her. The Heisei idol crosses her arms as she listens to what they have to say.

“So the others have told me what you’ve been doing recently, missing your sweetie-kins? Your hubby wubby? Your darling snookums?”

Ai clicks her tongue at her manager’s teasing, not in the mood for his annoying quirkiness.

“Obviously! Now get to the point, why did you block off the dance studio? We’ve got some important things to prepare for.”

“You’re right, we do have some important things… that you won’t be a part of.”

“Excuse me?” Ai raised an eyebrow at his words.

“Ai-san… we discussed this thoroughly, and ultimately decided to give you these next four days off. The rest of us already have our lessons memorized, and Tatsumi-san just put out an announcement to the fans that you’ll be absent for a while. It’s already been finalized as well.” Junko explained.

“You can’t be serious… you’re both being so unreasonable, you know that?! What am I supposed to do now?!”

Despite her outburst, Kotaro and Junko were unmoved.

“Jeez, only you could complain about getting days off, Ai-chan! As long as you aren’t practicing or performing, I don’t care! Do whatever, gosh!”

“I’m sorry, Ai-san, but this is for your own good. See you…”

Junko bowed her head apologetically before walking off with Kotaro, leaving Ai to contemplate her next move. Angrily mumbling to herself, she changes out of her training clothes and into a casual dress she uses during some of their duties. Once again she finds herself staring intensely at the necklace as she puts it over her neck.

“Woof!”

A certain zombie dog steps into the room and Ai squatted down to pet him.

“You want a walk, don’t you Romero? Well, I guess I could go for one too. Hmm… maybe a change of scenery would be better for both of us, don’t you think?”

After a few seconds, she took Romero into her arms and walked over to her moped, placing her helmet on (plus one she got for the undead poodle). Once she was sure he was secured, Ai inserted her keys into the ignition and sped away from the mansion. With clear skies above her, and Romero’s tongue out as he feels the wind on his face, the zombie girl focuses on the road ahead.

“For my own good, huh?”

Ai decided to head over Yutoku-Inari, the site of one of the group’s previous jobs, to explore the temple in the area. Parking her moped, she and Romero walked around the area. Wandering around the garden together, admiring the various art and ceramics on display, she couldn’t help but think that it would be a nice spot for a date.

“Maybe I could take Ren here when he gets back… ah! No, I shouldn’t think about him too much. He’ll be okay, right Romero?”

The dog tilted his head to her question and she let out a sigh.

Thinking that lack of reassurance from her dog wasn’t helpful, she decided to get help from the gods to help ensure her boyfriend’s eventual flight home goes smoothly. Dropping some yen in the offering box, she begins the praying ritual in earnest. She rings the bell, bows twice, claps her hands and holds her palms together as she prays, before bowing once again.

“Please let him return safely… to me.”

Once finished, she figures that she might as well get some exercise. Walking alongside Romero, Ai climbed up the long set of steps to get to the Myobu Shrine up above. For any normal person and dog, these stairs would be exhausting to climb, so thankfully Ai and Romero were not normal physically at least.

Finally making it to the shrine above, Ai takes it all in.

“Ah, just as nice as before...”

Ai let the wind blow through her hair while she overlooked the scenery. The sizes of the older buildings being more toy-like, the trees slightly shifting in the breeze, locals and visitors from overseas or other areas of Japan looking like ants as they climbed up or down those steps… the atmosphere gave her a lot of time to be with her thoughts. Sitting down with Romero on a bench and flipping through photos on her phone, she found a particular one that made her smile, but also made her heart ache.

Ai looked back on this one fondly, due to how unexpectedly sweet it was:

Ren was curious about how her zombie limbs could pop on and off her body with ease, so he asked if he could try something out for himself, and Ai let him out of curiosity. The boy then removed her head to her surprise, yet he was gentle with the way he handled her. And the fact that he was doing this without blinking an eye, despite holding someone else’s head in his hands, had made her flustered. Even more so when he kissed her warmly on the lips, the photo capturing that exact moment.

Looking at this photo and recalling this memory… it drove her to tears, the liquid dripping atop her phone screen like a light rain.

She wanted to see him, be by his side, kiss him… a lot. She’s still got about half a week left until he returns though, so how could she get through it if she’s barely scraping by now? But then, her time of sorrow was interrupted when she sees a ball bouncing by her side, causing Romero to bark excitedly at it.

“Ah! Wait, come back!” A little boy cries out while chasing the ball.

Ai wipes her tears with her right arm before stopping the ball with her foot. Picking it up and handing it back to him along with a polite warning.

“Here it is. Be careful with it next time, you don’t want to end up dropping it off the cliff.”

“Thank you, onee-san!”

The idol softly smiles at the boy’s gratitude before hearing someone calling for her.

“Sanko-chan?”

Hearing the name she used during her part time job, Ai turns to see the boy’s caretaker show up, recognizing her as her former co-worker at the dry squid factory.

(That's her in the middle with the violet-ish hair.)

“Obasan!” The little boy greeted her with a side hug.

“It’s good to see you, girl, thank you so much for helping my nephew!”

“Ah, Machiko-san… it’s my pleasure. How have you been?”

“I’ve been well, but look at you! Looking a lot healthier than the last time I saw you.”

“Mhm… I guess…”

Machiko sees the younger girl being so distant and glances down to see her clutching the necklace.

“Ah… suffering from problems of the heart?”

Ai flinched before answering back, “Y-Yes, actually… my boyfriend’s out of town for a bit and I’m feeling… iffy.”

“Is that why you’re out here then? Because you miss your sweetheart?”

Ai sighs with her eyes to the ground, “Kinda… My friends were telling me that ever since he left, I’ve been focusing too much on work, so they forced me to take a few days off. I’m only trying to keep myself busy until he comes back, what’s wrong with that?”

“Hm… and is working yourself to the bone what he would want for you while he’s gone?”

“I…”

Ai found herself without a reply to that statement, so Machiko decided to ask her another question.

“Tell me, San-chan, do you truly love this boy?”

“… I do. I really do.”

“Then you should know that both of you want nothing but the best for each other! That includes making yourself happy on your own. Try to show yourself that same love you have for him!”

“Mm…”

As the girl listens, she clutches her necklace and takes a look at that photo once again, contemplating what to do with herself.

“Missing the one you love isn’t a bad thing, but not taking care of yourself is. Don’t make yourself miserable until he returns. The both of you should be able to stand tall on your own, so that when you two are together you’ll overcome anything.”

After she finished, Ai finally unclenches the necklace and lifts her head back up to face her old co-worker.

“Oh, does that make sense?” Machiko asks.

Ai softly giggled before reassuring her, “Ah, don’t worry about it, it does!”

“Ah, thank goodness. I was worried you were getting bored listening to an old lady ramble, my nephew even falls asleep sometimes when I talk!”

“Ha ha, I truly appreciate what you said though. I definitely needed to hear it, thank you Machiko-san.”

Ai slightly bowed her head towards Machiko gratefully, before turning to watch the little boy and Romero play with the ball.

Later, after half an hour of chatting about various topics (like the factory, their coworkers, and trading recipes), Ai waved goodbye to Machiko and her nephew. Watching the view once more, snaps a photo of the landscape to help convince Ren to come with her next time. She chuckles, thinking about how she might need to carry him up those steps, knowing his lack of athleticism.

“Okay, Romero, where to next? I want to see where else I can take Ren when he comes back.”

“Bark! Bark!”

“Ah, Karatsu! Great idea, let’s get going now!”

The trek down went much faster than going up, it helped that Ai got a sudden boost in energy after that talk with Machiko. A determined expression was front and center on her face, ready to explore more of Saga and share what her boyfriend has been missing. Speaking of her boyfriend though, a text pops in… from his sister?

“Oh! He didn’t get a SIM card before leaving, so he had to use Jenny’s phone. How careless of him, but I guess I’ll trust that he can get by without me… for now anyways, ha ha.”

She types out a heartfelt message for him and sends it right back to Jenny.

“Awww, I can’t wait to see you too, darling! And don’t worry about wanting to kiss, I want to kiss you too, my lips feel so lonely lol.  I miss hearing your dumb jokes and snuggling up next to you whenever possible, it feels so much colder now! I need my doses of Ren Cuddles as soon as you get back, okay? I love you too, see you soon, babe. <3 “- Ai

Hopping back onto her moped, she secures Romero’s spot in front of her and takes a second to admire her necklace once more. Instead of clutching it worryingly like before, she polishes it with a handkerchief and admires its shine, as well as the reminder of who gave it to her. Revving up her engine and lowering her goggles, the zombie idol set off on her short trip around the prefecture.

Ai may long for her dearest partner, yet she now knows that as long as she shows just as much love to herself as she does for him… they both will be alright.

“… Wait a minute, I’m off for three more days after today. Ren’s back the day after tomorrow! Did they plan this…?”

Chapter Text

< Third-Person POV >

New York City, United States

“Mmph, thunks fur brking lest noght!” Jenny tells her brother as she stuffs her face with cookies.

Ren sighs, “At least try to save some for later, or for your friends and coworkers… that would be nice, right?”

“NO! THEY’RE MINE… ALL MINE…”

Jen clutches her container of cookies close to her chest as Ren hands his luggage off to the airport staff.

“Of course, of course… So, do you know when you’re visiting Saga next?”

After snarfing down one last cookie she wipes the crumbs from her mouth before answering.

“Ugh, I gotta check my calendar for the next few months. Last time I saw it, it was mostly filled up… damn it.”

“I do not envy you, sis. You really should give yourself a break though, even if you’re not coming to see me.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re not running a competitive business in New York. But… I’ll try to find some gaps in my schedule so I can come visit. No promises though.”

“That’s fine, drop by whenever you like. No pressure. Alright, better get going…”

“Mhm, you sure your girl’s not gonna be too mad at you for leaving her for so long?”

“Oh, I’m definitely gonna get lectured for not buying a SIM card and calling her. But underneath her seriousness, she’s a real angel…”

Right as he says that, Jen then hears her phone go off and sees a text from Saki.

“YO, JEN!! Ask your bro “This your girlfriend?” and show him my masterpiece. LMFAO!!”

Jen audibly snorted as she tried to keep herself from laughing her ass off at what she saw.

“This is what an angel looks like to you, bro?”

Ren leaned over at the picture on her screen and jumped about an inch back. It was an angry Ai shouting at Saki who jumbled her body parts around, the blonde biker girl with a thumbs up and a wide, smug grin plastered on her face. After recovering from that sight, Ren readjusted himself, pushing his glasses back up and clearing his throat.

"Well, a biblically accurate angel I guess..."

“How majestic, bah ha ha!”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. I’ll tell her that you laughed at her, by the way, so you better watch out. See you, alright?”

“Ha ha ha ha…”

He rolls his eyes and gives her an arm hug before heading towards the airport security checkpoint. As soon as her laughter dies down, Jen watches her brother get farther and farther away. She clutches her chest before suddenly calling out to him.

“Hey, kuya!”

This surprises her brother as he turns around confused.

“Eh?”

“Go get her, tiger!”

Ren took a second to process that before smiling and giving his sister a two finger salute as he entered the checkpoint. Making his way to his gate, he stops to buy some seasoned pretzel sticks and some mini glazed donuts to chew and crunch on during the flight. Once boarded he sits down and looks at the flight path on the screen in front of him: one-way trip for 18+ hours to Saga, with one stop.

“I’m coming, babe… just a bit longer, hold on okay?”

He says to his aquamarine bracelet and to the photo of Ai on his home screen. Whipping out his mobile game console, he decides to revisit a classic from his era: a cozy little game where he travels around a kingdom, helping people like a DJ or a caveman using a magical wand that summons furniture and building parts. Though not before setting a timer on his watch.

“18 hours, 25 minutes… until I see Ai again.”

_____________________________________________

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

Ai arrives home from another short trip around Saga, most recently a visit to Ureshino City to stop by the hot springs at Hotel Kasuien (thankfully remembering to bring the waterproof spray with her). She also took the time to soak her feet in the foot bath as well as visit Café Moka. The Café in particular was a highlight, since she once had a photo shoot as a maid over there, plus she also wanted to get coffee and try this straw-beauty:

After all, Ren hadn’t been around to supply her with free sweets, for better and worse. Despite her usual idol diet, she felt like she deserved to treat herself once in a while.

“I’m home!”

Ai called out to her fellow idols as they greeted her back.

Sakura waves her over to the dinner table, “Welcome back, Ai-chan! Where did you go today?”

“Ureshino! Ah, dinner’s ready, I’m starved…”

“Of course, Ai-han, eat to your heart’s content. After all, you need the energy for tomorrow.” Yugiri smiles as she pulls a chair out for her.

Ai nods in determination, “Right, Ren’s coming home and I’m going to be the one to pick him up. No staying up late tonight for me, going straight to bed after I eat.”

Shoveling food into her mouth quickly, the other members watched on in amusement. Once she finished her supper, she cleaned herself up and changed into her pjs before settling into her futon. But… a certain someone was there to prevent her from resting too early.

“Ragh?”

The Legendary Tae Yamada peered down at the Heisei Idol from above, making Ai sit up and face her.

“Tae, I need to go to bed early. I don’t have time to play right now.”

“Gwar…”

“No, and that’s final.”

Ai lies back down as Tae sulks and continues to look down at her. She shifts to her left and the unawakened zombie was there, she turns over to the right and she was there too. Soon, Tae hopped onto her lap and made Ai go “Oof!”, before sitting there and waiting for more attention.

“Look, I’m sorry. But you know how important Ren is to me, right?”

“Ragh.” Tae answers and nods.

Ai continues with her lecture, “And as his ride and girlfriend I have to make sure he gets home safely, right?”

“Ragh.” The legend replies again.

“So I should be resting early in order to be fully ready to pick him up tomorrow… right? Ai asks her final question.

“…”

“Right?!”

Tae mumbled in defeat, “… Ragh.”

The zombie girl got up and slumped away from her, her head hung low and whimpering like a sad puppy. Noticing this, Ai sighs before calling back to her.

“Okay… I promise to give you twice as much dried squid tomorrow morning.”

“Rgh…”

Ai rolled her eyes, unamused.

“Fine, fine, thrice.” She says while holding up three fingers.

Tae happily ran over to her as Ai braced herself for the inevitable head munching. While she let herself be used as a chew toy, she decided to bring up the weather forecast on her phone. Her eyes then widened as she saw what she’d have to face in order to reunite with her boyfriend:

“Heavy rain and thunder…”

_____________________________________________

Ren yawns as he looks down at his console and groans.

“Ugh, battery’s dead. At least I remembered the charger.”

He plugs it into his console before exiting his seat to stretch and head over to the restroom. Only a couple people ahead of him, surprisingly, so it was a good choice to get up now. Checking his watch, he groans when he sees the amount of time remaining on it.

“Not even a third of the way there, damn it. I just wanna hug my girlfriend already! Is that too much to ask?”

“…”

“Ack!”

He turns around to see a taller and slightly more toned guy. His silver hair covered half of his face, and he had a stone-faced expression. Ren gulps before immediately stepping out of his way.

“Oh! After you, sir, you probably need to use it more than I do. Ha ha ha…”

The young man moves to the back of the line as the other guy gives him a subtle nod before entering the restroom. 

“…”

“Hoo… scary.” Ren wipes a sweat drop from his forehead as he waits longer.

Once he reaches the restroom, he does his business before washing his face at the sink. Looking in the mirror, he rubs his temples and checks the time again. Three hours since the flight began, a sixth of the approximate time it’ll last. Letting out a heavy sigh, he exits the restroom and makes his way back to his seat.

“Hmph…”

Ren opens up the window to see nothing but dark clouds. Once he closes it, he puts his neck pillow atop his shoulders and leans back into his seat to nap. Hoping that once he wakes up, he’ll be in Saga instead of in the air.

Unfortunately for Ren though… he failed to realize that something of his had fallen off his wrist and rolled away…

_____________________________________________

Later in the evening…

“I’m heading out now! See you all later!”

Ai tells the others as Junko walks up to her, worried.

“Ai-san, it's starting to get cloudy. I know your fear of thunder isn’t much of an issue anymore, but the rain isn’t going to let up while you’re out there.”

Saki nods in agreement, “You’re gonna get hella drenched out there, girl. Really gonna risk it for your bae?”

“He’ll get sick waiting out in the rain for a taxi. I’ll be fine, don’t you worry.”

“Wait, Ai-chan! Don’t forget this!”

Sakura tries tossing her an umbrella, but knocks one of Ai’s eyeballs out as it collides with the side of her head.

“Ack!”

“Oh nooo! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m soooooorrry!!” Sakura frantically apologizes as she tries to help get back that Ai-ball.

“Come on, I can’t drive without both eyes on the road!”

Ai states as she’s attempting to grab the rolling eye. It’s like the zombie equivalent to losing your contact lens, the girls trying their best not to step on the eye while it just escapes their grasp. Thankfully, one of the girls came in clutch.

“Ragh!” 

Tae held the eyeball in her mouth like a dog would hold a ball as Ai carefully removed it from her teeth.

“Eugh…” Sakura grimaced as Ai rubbed the saliva off of it.

“T-Thank you, Tae… I’ll quadruple your amount of squid in return. See you all later…”

After inserting the eye into its rightful socket, she exits the mansion before she could lose any more body parts. The other Franchouchou Members wave goodbye, but then Kotaro walks up from behind them.

“What are you stupid zombies waiting for?! Get in the van!”

“H-Huh?! We don’t have a job today!” Junko was taken aback by her manager’s command.

Kotaro then crosses his arms and scoffs.

“Come on, don’t you want to witness a romantic movie scene play out right before your eyes? This is your chance.”

Saki grins in response, “Shades is right, with how long they’ve been separated… there’s bound to be something spicy, heh heh.”

The other girls looked at each other briefly before nodding back at their manager.

“So when are we leaving…?” Sakura asks.

“RIGHT NOW!!!” Saki and Kotaro shout together as they make a mad dash. to the van.

Meanwhile Ai revs up and gets moving on the road to the airport, being quick yet still careful to avoid getting pulled over. She couldn’t afford any other distractions, her man was arriving and he needed her.

“Just hold on until I get there, okay Ren? It’ll all be fine…”

*BA-BOOM*

The sound of thunder blasted through the clouds, startling the girl, yet not deterring her from reaching her destination.

“Stay calm, Ai… remember what you’ve been through since then… you’re stronger now. You have the girls… you have Ren… just think of them and keep pushing on…”

Ai softly says some words of encouragement to herself as she feels some drizzling come from above, hitting the top of her helmet. She lowers her goggles and her jacket’s hood, keeping her eyes locked to the road and trying her best to keep her moped from slipping in the rain.

*BA-BOOM*

The thunder gets louder, but Ai isn’t shaken this time. Her hands were clutching her handlebars, and her focus was entirely on getting to the Saga Airport. She had to make it through this storm, because at the end of it… was the one who taught her what love meant. She whispers his name while clutching the necklace he gave her…

“Ren…”

_____________________________________________

“Where… where is it?!”

Ren gasped loudly as he finally noticed that his bracelet was missing. Unfortunately, he had to find out right as soon as he reached the end of the gate. Running back inside, sweat drops from his face and his teeth are clenched.

“Come on… come on… where could I have dropped it?! Why now, why now?!”

He frantically searches around his seat and the aisles, as other passengers look at him weirdly as they scoot by him to get off the plane.

“Sir, you can’t be blocking the way.” A flight attendant told him.

“I can’t move… not until I find it… it’s important!”

However, after a few minutes of searching… His efforts turned out fruitless.

“Why… Why did this have to happen now…?” Ren dejectedly uttered as two flight attendants guided him towards the exit.

He slumps down into a nearby chair as soon as he gets out of the gate and puts his head in his hands.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Ai…”

Feeling disappointed in himself, Ren couldn’t bring himself to sit back up. That gift meant so much to him when he got it after being hospitalized, so losing it at a time like this made him feel like Ai would get upset. He just couldn’t face her without it, and it made him want to break down and cry.

“Stupid, stupid idiot…”

“…”

“Ah!”

He looks up to find someone looking directly at him, making him flinch unexpectedly. Ren then blinked twice and realized that it was that same silver-haired ikemen from the plane. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Ren spoke up.

“Um… hi? Can I help you?”

“…”

The other young man holds out his hand to reveal the bracelet, all shined up and looking brand new.

Ren gasps, “Ah! T-Thank you so much! I really owe you one, do you want me to buy you a drink or…?”

The ikemen slightly raised his hand to turn him down, giving Ren a nod before heading towards the exit gate. Our guy watches him leave with curiosity, wondering if he’ll see that guy again to pay him back. Reattaching the bracelet to his right wrist, he kisses it for luck before setting out to find his own way out.

“On my way…”

Ren makes his way through the airport gates and past security, finding his luggage, and stepping out into the drenched outdoors. The skies were blackened, people were rushing inside or out to quickly get into taxis or shuttles, and there was barely any ground left untouched by water.

“Jeez this weather is crazy, I really should call a cab. But who’d want to drive out here in a storm this intense?”

*BA-BOOM*

Ren heard thunder sound off from above, the flash of lightning revealing a silhouette a few feet to his left and making him jump in surprise.

“GAAAH!” Ren yells out at the figure before him.

He takes a step back, thinking this person in the hood was some kind of rainy day killer, up until they stepped into the light.

“R-Ren!”

That voice… he instantly knew as soon as he heard it. 

From his time hearing her singing on albums, to now when she shares pleasant conversations on calm date nights… He knew he found his beloved, as he peers up to see her. Her human makeup dripping down on her left side to reveal her zombie face, yet the smile forming on her lips and her red eyes shining through the dark drew him towards her.

“Ai… Ai!”

Meanwhile she looked at him, admiring the boy she fell for sometime ago. His soft hair drenched because he forgot to wear a jacket with a hood, his glasses covered in rain and fogged up, but through it all he was clearly as happy to see her as she was for him. So much so that Ai couldn’t stay still as she began to close the distance between them.

“Ren!”

“Ai!”

Little by little, they began to pick up speed. All just to reach their partner that they had been without for what felt like forever. Unfortunately…

*Slip*

“W-WHOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA!”

“AH—!”

*CRASH*

… The wet sidewalk was not the ideal place for a dramatic run into each other's arms. The two of them groaned as Ren picks himself up, seeing that Ai’s body had fallen to pieces like a tower of wooden blocks. Her head now laying on top of his chest, with her body on his legs, and a few of her limbs in the puddles on the pavement.

“Agh… are you okay?” Ren asks, rubbing his forehead.

Ai replies as her eyeballs stop spinning, “Yeah… you?”

“Mhm…”

“…”

“…”

“... Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

The couple laughed it off as Ren worked to put Ai back together, much more properly this time compared to Saki’s attempt that he had seen in the photo.

“Well then, it seems like we both fall apart without each other… For you literally, Ai-chan, ha ha.”

“Oh… I missed you, you big dork.”

“I missed you too, Starlight. Come here.”

They hug it out, clinging tightly to each other and unwilling to be separated after all this time. Seven days felt like seven weeks to them, even if they managed to overcome their lovesickness they couldn’t be cured of them missing each other. Ai and Ren simply stood there in the rain without a care, as long as they were together.

Ai rubs his glasses with her sleeve so that she could look into his eyes.

“By the way, darling, you left too early so I couldn’t give you a parting gift.”

“Sorry about that, ha. I think I know what it is already, so feel free to give it now.”

The zombie girl smiled at his words, and happily got up on her tiptoes to kiss the heck out of him. Ren’s eyes closed as the two of them leaned closer and closer to each other. After a few seconds however, Ai got a bit too bold, which made Ren briefly break the kiss.

“Ah, um… Ai? Was that your…?”

Blush spreads across her face when she realizes she got caught.

“Y-Yeah… sorry. Was that okay?”

Ai twiddles her fingers, embarrassed, but then looks up to see Ren nodding with his face getting red too.

“…. It is, but it’ll take some getting used to. Ha, you really did miss me, huh?”

“You have no idea, now give me more.”

“Gladly, babe.”

Ai immediately pulls him back into the kiss with the rain bouncing atop their heads. All while the members of Franchouchou watch on from the van. Looking glad to see the couple reunited, and providing their usual commentary on this moment.

“I’m glad that they’re together again, but couldn’t we have all gone to pick him up together?” Sakura asks.

Kotaro pushes up his sunglasses and answers dramatically.

“A true romance story calls for a reunion in the rain, a beautiful sight to witness firsthand…”

“While that is true, it would have been a lot less trouble if we didn’t drive separately from Ai-san.” Junko states.

Saki’s eyes widened as she peered out the window, “Holy shit! I think I just saw Ai’s tongue go in! Attagirl!”

“Ew…” Lily utters disgustedly.

“Mmm…”

The couple finally ends their kiss as they finally move into a somewhat dry area of the sidewalk and sit down at a bench.

“I waited for so long to give that to you…”

Ren smiled at Ai’s words and gently held her hand.“

“It was well worth the wait, sweetie, so tell me what you’ve been up to!”

The two of them both took the time to share the photos they’ve taken during their days apart. Ai giggling at the pictures of Ren freaking out on an elevator drop ride at the park, Ren in awe of the view at Myobu Shrine, they just had fun reminiscing on their solo ventures. Ai leaned against Ren’s shoulder and Ren leaned against her head, taking in the sight of the rain beginning to cease before their eyes.

After a few minutes of blissful silence, they finally sat up and decided it was time to head back home.

“By the way, I actually made some cookies for you guys before I left and… A… A… ACHOO!”

Ai softly laughs, “Bless you.”

“Thanks, I think you deserve one right now for driving all this way for me and… oh damn it. Again?”

He takes the cookies out of his bag and finds a container full of crumbs.

“Aw, it’s the thought that counts, darling. Now let’s get you out of the rain, you’re already looking like you’re gonna catch a cold.”

Ai takes his hand and leads him toward her moped.

“Ugh, that’s the last thing I need right now when we’re back togeth—ACHOO!”

Ren sniffles while sitting down and wrapping his arms around her. Ai giggles as she places her helmet on and lowers her goggles before speeding off with her boyfriend into the night. Kotaro and the other Franchouchou members close behind them, the girls waving to the couple as they drive by them.

Despite Ren’s body being colder in temperature, his heart feels as warm as ever when clinging onto his girl. And with him back, Ai could finally rest easy as she scoots closer into his embrace.

Now that they’re back together… it’s unlikely they’ll ever let each other go again.

Commissioned art by @mana_chan__ on Twitter! Thank you so much for making this once again!

Chapter Text

Saga Prefecture, Japan

< Third-Person POV >

That night Ai stayed over at Ren’s apartment so she could get her cuddle fix. Spending the night together catching up on what they’ve been up to, from their travels in America and Saga to how they both missed one another dearly. They ordered some yakiniku pizza for dinner and had a pretty relaxing night watching some romance anime.

Ai ponders the plot setup, “A fake marriage plan… surely the two of them have to realize the downsides of this kind of thing, right?”

Ren nods along while giving his girl a foot massage.

“Mhm, people get super excited when they find out someone’s getting married. These two are gonna get overwhelmed by their coworkers’ enthusiasm.”

“No doubt about that, that’s probably gonna happen to us when we… a-a-actually, let’s not think about that just yet. Ha ha ha…”

Both of their faces lit up as they began to stutter and laugh awkwardly.

“Y-Y-Yeah, too soon, too soon. Ah ha… I mean we’ve only been dating for a few months, right?”

“R-Right. It’s unreasonable to be thinking about marriage this early, truly absurd! Isn’t it, Ren-kun?”

“Can’t agree more, Ai-chan!”

They take some time for their faces to cool down as they turn their attention back to the tv… for about a few seconds anyways.

“You know… I’m not against the idea of marriage, just not right now.” Ai tells Ren as she reaches over and clutches his hand.

“I feel the same way. I know I want to be together with you for a long, long time… but it may be nicer to have more memories as boyfriend and girlfriend before tying the knot. Does that sound good to you?”

Ai turns to him and leans in close before answering:

“More than good, it sounds perfect…”

*Kiss*

The kiss ends after a couple of minutes as they pull their lips apart with a *smack* sound.

“… Even though we got together quickly, it’s better if we wait to take that next step. There’s still a lot we haven’t done as a couple, so let’s keep doing our best together.”

That determined and reassuring smile forming on her face prompted Ren to return it with his own.

“Yeah, together. I really don’t know what I’d do without you, Ai-chan…”

The couple lean their heads against each other and let out simultaneous sighs of love.

“You don’t even have to think about that, I’m right here and I always will be when you need me… No, especially when you need me.”

Before the two of them could kiss again however, Ren finds himself stopping and clutching his head.

“Urgh…”

Ai’s eyes widened as her voice became worrisome.

“R-Ren?! Is everything alright?”

His fists clenched up as he stood up and headed towards the bathroom.

“I just feel tired all of the sudden, it's probably jet lag. I’ll go take a shower and turn in early for the night, sorry we have to cut this night short…”

Ai patted his back in understanding, “No, you’re exhausted after being stuck in that plane for hours. Nothing to apologize for, I’ll be waiting for you in bed, okay?”

“Mm…” He grunts as he closes the door and she hears the shower running.

As Ai goes to change into her pajamas, she can’t help but wonder if it’s more than just simple jet lag he’s feeling…

_____________________________________________

The next morning.

“Ah… Good morning, Ren…”

Ai softly whispers as she snuggles up against her boyfriend’s back, spooning him with her nose nuzzling against his shoulder. Her eyes open and she’s greeted by his bedhead, making her giggle as she sees his hair sticking out like he was a shounen anime protagonist. After a week of separation, this was what she felt she deserved: holding her partner close in bed on a pleasant morning.

“Mm, you don’t mind me holding on a while longer, right? You feel so warm… wait… too warm. ”

“Ugh…”

Upon hearing him uncomfortably groan, Ai released her grip around his torso before sitting up and checking on him.

“That doesn’t sound good, let me see your face.”

Ai’s hands cupped his cheeks and turned him towards her. She lightly touched his forehead with the back of her hand and gasped as she felt the temperature. The good news is that Ren didn’t manage to catch a cold in the rain the previous night… The bad news is, it looks like he managed to get sick anyways.

Her eyebrows lowered as she asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Tired… woozy… head hurts…”

At his response, Ai crosses her arms and huffs.

“You caught something, didn’t you? You should have been more careful on your trip! This is another thing I was afraid of when you told me you were gonna travel, catching something from the crowds you’ll be walking through. You likely got infected from the theme park or the airport, that’s so careless…”

“Uggghhhh….”

Upon seeing the condition of her partner, her arms uncrossed and she leaned in to kiss his forehead.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to start lecturing you. I just don’t want you to downplay how you’re feeling for my sake. Like what if you catch something really bad? If you’re not feeling well, you can tell me. Don’t think that it would cause trouble for me, because it won’t, I’d be willing to do what I can to make sure you’re feeling like yourself.”

Ren couldn’t respond to that, just continued to groan and moan, as Ai sighs.

“I’m gonna take care of you, darling. Make sure you’re healthy enough so we both can enjoy our time back together. You’ll get through this, okay?”

“Mm… Ai…” Ren weakly utters as she listens in.

“Yes?”

To her surprise however, Ren just started to thread his fingers through her hair. Gently stroking her locks as her cheeks began to redden.

“Hair soft… pretty… blue… I love blue… my favorite…”

She could tell the fever was getting to his head from the delirious way he was speaking, but the compliments she was getting from him made her embarrassed. Especially since he would say these kinds of nice things about her hair when he’s healthy, (albeit with some remark about her popcorn/flower hair clips). Not wanting her face to match the color of her eyes, Ai took his hand and softly pressed her lips against his knuckles.

“T-Thank you, Ren, but I should be getting you some medicine. I’ll be right back, so don’t move a muscle.”

Ren slowly nods his head with a bit of understanding as Ai leaves the bed and goes to complete her task as a caretaker. She finds some cold & flu syrup in his bathroom’s medicine cabinet and also grabs a few room temperature bottles of water from his pantry.

“From how much he’s groaning and clutching his head, he may have a headache too. Headache and a fever… so he probably caught the flu, though he thankfully hasn’t started coughing or sneezing yet. I just hope he’ll be able to sleep at the very least after taking this…”

Ai returned to his room and kneeled by his bedside. She carefully looked over the recommended dosage on the medicine bottle, before pouring it into the small measuring cup until it reached the exact amount. Once she helps Ren sit up, she holds the cup close to his face.

“Open up now, and don’t stop drinking it until it’s all gone. The taste isn’t pleasant, but you have no choice.”

He slowly parted his mouth open and she dumped it down his throat. He swallows it, cringing at the taste, while she uncaps a water bottle and he weakly drinks it so he could be rid of the bitterness. The liquids soon reach his stomach, as Ai lies her boyfriend back down on his pillow.

“Easy now, just rest. It’ll take a while, so get plenty of sleep until you’re better.”

As soon as Ai went to put the medicine back however, her arm was suddenly grabbed.

“Where are you going…?”

Ai replies, “I was only trying to put this medicine back. Do you need anything else?”

“Need… you…”

That answer made Ai stop for a second and considered her options.

“Hm, I guess it would be a lot more comfortable if you had someone next to you…”, but she quickly comes to her senses and shakes her head before heads out to put away the medicine, “… Never mind, I’ll be right back! Don’t worry too much, I won’t go anywhere.”

Seeing his hands reaching out and trying to grasp her again after she freed herself made her heart ache, but it was only for a little bit of time.

“He’ll be alright, just focus on what needs to be done to treat his illness.”

Her next destination was the kitchen as she rolls down her sleeves and begins to chop some chicken thighs and vegetables. Once she places the latter into the pot, alongside some melted butter, she lets it all cook together until she adds the chicken, noodles, chicken broth, and a few seasonings. There wasn’t a lot in the fridge due to Ren being on vacation (thankfully the stuff there was still fresh), so she had to make due with what was available. 

Once it boils she stirs the concoction around until everything gets well acquainted with one another. She takes a spoon and takes a sip of her soup.

“Hm… not gonna be winning any awards, but it’s decent enough to soothe him for a while. Okay, Ren, soup’s on!”

She ladeled him a bowl of soup with a plate on the bottom so he wouldn’t feel how hot it was. Walking back into the room, she’s met with him looking directly at the door. He must have been staring at it the whole time she was gone.

“Missed you…”

Ai gives him a reassuring smile, “I missed you too. I don’t like leaving you alone while you’re like this, however, it’s important that I make stuff like this for you. Here, drink up.”

She hands Ren the bowl and his shaky hands take it, placing the soup on his lap as he sickly claps his hands together.

“Thank you for the food…”

Upon watching him slurp down the broth, Ai notices a habit of his that made her slightly annoyed.

“Hey, why are you picking at it? You need all the nutrients you can get.”

“Don’t like celery…”

Ai raises an eyebrow, “Then why do you have it in your fridge?”

“Impulse buy…” He answers.

Ai puts her hands on her hips and clicks her tongue. Seeing no other option, she takes the spoon from him and scoops up some soup. Celery not included.

“Say ahh for me, Ren…”

“Ahhh…”

The zombie girl ended up having to feed him the rest of the bowl, and despite her initial dismay, she didn’t hate having to baby him. It was cute from her perspective.

“Now you better not be whiny while I’m cleaning up the dishes, alright? I’m not gonna end up leaving you completely alone while you have the flu, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I do that?”

“Mmmkay…”

She nods back to him as she goes back to clean the kitchen, once she’s finished she heads back into his room and sees him tossing and turning.

She frowns sympathetically, “Can’t sleep?”

“Yeah…”

Seeing how miserable he was feeling, she just couldn’t take it anymore. Being thankful that her zombieness likely prevents her from getting sick (at least in the ways humans can), she slides back into bed and cradles him close to her chest. Rubbing his back slowly with one hand and stroking his head with the other to make sure that he’ll be comfortable enough to fall asleep.

“Is this better?” She asks him and he nods as he begins to doze off.

“Mhm… thank you…”

Watching him look so vulnerable, it made her want to keep him safe. He told her before that she was his knight, so she felt like it was her duty to care for her weakened prince. A few minutes passed by as she continued to lay by his side, and it was then that she felt compelled to speak her thoughts.

“Y’know… it’s strange that in order for me to meet you as I am right now, I had to become a zombie. If I was still a human, I’d be old enough to be your mother, ha ha…”

She combs her fingers into his hair like he had done earlier to her. It looked to become one of her favorite pastimes, while neither of their hair was as fluffy as Junko's, the act itself was quite intimate with the way you’re touching your partner. You’d only get away with it to this degree if you were super close, and it felt so nice on both ends.

“… Even if it was bad luck that led to me and the others dying young, it’s amazing how it ended up being good luck by allowing me to meet them and you. Getting another chance to shine as an idol on stage, singing my heart out to all our fans… I would never have thought something like this would be possible.”

Ai takes the time to brush the hair away from his face, and that’s when she recalls something and starts to pout.

“But it looks like you can’t help but get yourself into trouble lately, hm? First you end up in the hospital, and now this? You’re lucky I can’t have a heart attack with how much you’re worrying me.”

He briefly stirs after hearing her complaints, so Ai goes back to comforting him and speaking in a more gentle tone.

“Hm… you’re probably gonna start thinking about becoming a zombie again too, just so you wouldn’t go through these types of things and worry me. You’re stronger than you think you are, Ren, plus it’s a big risk to have your humanity suddenly gone… To hide behind a mask in public… to not be able to go back to your old life… would you truly be ready for a decision like that?”

“A-Ai…”

“Hm? Ren, go back to sleep, you’re still feverish. I’m just talking to myself, you don’t have to—”

“Love… you…”

Her eyes widened at that and a smile formed on her face as she leaned in and gently smooched his lips.

“I love you too… I guess we’ll still have time to answer that question another day. For now, I’m happy the way things are, with me as the zombie, and you as the human.”

Ai then finds herself beginning to tire, the comforting embrace between the two of them managing to get to her as well. She nuzzles her cheek against his as she settles into the blanket. Her eyes close as she speaks one last thought softly before sleep takes her.

“Still, I wonder what it would be like if we were both humans… Getting to grow old with you… to live our lives until our last moments… to have a family… How would that life turn out for us…?”

…

…

…

…

“Mommy, Daddy, wake up! Come ooooonnnnn, I wanna play!”

“Eh…?”

“Hm?”

The two of them slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep from their eyes before giving each other warm and affectionate smiles.

“Ah, good morning.”

Ai plants a big kiss on Ren’s lips as they hear a grossed out, but cute sounding “Ew!”.

“Ha ha, morning, Ai… and a good morning to you too, Aiko.”

Ren and Ai face the small girl by their bedside, bringing her closer for a hug between them. Long black hair, red eyes, with an idol’s bright smile… Without a doubt, this was their daughter: Aiko Mizuno.

Happy Birthday, Ai!!!

Chapter Text

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

AU Dream World: What If Ai wasn’t a zombie & Ren wasn’t asexual?

After their little girl woke her parents up, she hops off their bed and excitedly bounces by the door.

“Hurry up! I just finished practicing the first part of the song!”

Her parents glanced at each other in surprise and back to her with proud smiles.

“Did you now? I can’t miss this then, let’s get going then, honey!”

Ren takes Ai’s hand and yanks her out of bed without warning.

“Ha ha, hold on! I need to put on my slippers, it might get cold!”

Ren scooped her into his arms to her surprise and amusement.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure your tootsies won’t touch the chilly floor!”

Ai giggles in response, “Ha ha, Ren, put me down! I can walk just fine, how would you like it if I picked you up all of a sudden?”

“I dunno, would you even be able to—whoa!”

Ai had managed to slip away from Ren and then put him on the receiving end of a princess carry, much to his embarrassment.

“O-O-Okay, I see your point…”

He softly blushes as Ai smirks before returning him to the floor. Aiko peeks her head from behind the corner and pouts.

“Hey, quit messing around, you two!”

Ren softly chuckles at the sight, “She gets that bossiness from you, Ai, heh…”

Ai rolls her eyes at his remark as their daughter leads them into the living room.

“Alrighty! The show is about to start, so just sit down right—owie!”

The little girl had accidentally bumped her knee into the coffee table as her mom and dad rushed to her aid.

“You okay, Aiko? Need a band-aid or an ice pack?” A worried Ren softly rubbed the girl’s knee.

Ai gives it a look over with concern, “You didn’t cut yourself on the edge? Any bruising?”

Aiko manages to stand back up and taps her foot on the floor to make sure there’s no pain.

“All good here! All the ouchies went bye-bye!”

Ren breathes a sigh of relief as Ai jokingly bumps her elbow into his stomach.

“And she gets that clumsiness from you, Ren.” He groans at her statement while she walks over to her munchkin, “You gotta watch where you’re going, sweetie. If this keeps happening we might need to get you some glasses so you can avoid things.”

Aiko puffed out her cheeks in opposition to that idea, “But Mommy, I don’t wanna get glasses! Glasses are for dorks!”

Ai pinches the girl’s cheek teasingly.

“Well, your daddy wears glasses all the time, so is he a dork?”

“He’s the biggest dork in the world!” She proclaims as her father is taken aback by this information.

“H-Huh?! Biggest?! Aiko, you wound me…”

Ai smirks as she approaches her husband, “Well, you are right about that. But he’s also my dork. Mwah!”

She kisses his cheek softly and he kisses her back with just as much affection.

“Aww, Ai…”

Aiko grimaces as she witnesses her parents’ lovey dovey moment, “Ew… Okay, okay no more of that! Time for the super special awesome pre-breakfast concert!”

Aiko inserted a CD into the nearby laptop and took out a mini microphone. Taking a deep breath, she clutches the mic as her parents look on. The music starts, and she raises her head back up to start singing.

Insert Song: Mezame RETURNER by Franchouchou (Zombie Land Saga)

Mezame RETURNER negaeba iin da

Kiseki kanjite mitain da

Mezame RETURNER nozomeba iin da

Shigeki girigiri na hodo choudai dai, dai!

Ai and Ren were clapping along to the familiar song as Aiko was twirling around and striking idol poses. Peace signs, winks, bright smiles all around! Although her dancing wasn’t very coordinated, her parents could tell she was trying her hardest.

Akogareta no wa itsu no koro no yume?

Mune no oku ni kakushita sutoorii

Irokoku shita tegowai riaru e to

Kiechaisou de

I awake in the light!

Aiko’s train of thought then began to slow down, as she struggled to remember some lyrics.

Um… something something… Succeed!

Humina, humina, humina, Proceed!

Hmm… uh, ahh…

That’s when her mother chimed in quickly to help her girl out with the lyric after that.

“Yawarakai mirai ni maishinjuu.”

Aiko nods towards her and clears her throat, “T-Thank you, Mommy. Ahem…”

Aa mou kore ijou, arukenai…

Sonna koto nai desho?

Hora ne furikaette mite

Guruguru guruguru… guruguruguru!

Hai!

Knowing that this part is the precursor to the big finale, Ren and Ai brought out some penlights and began to shake them in time with the song to help out Aiko.

Ai wisshu!

Aa issho!

Tomo ni futto sutanpu!

Anrimiteddo na Dreaming!

Aa, aa, aa, aa!

Hitori janai!

Mezame RETURNER negaeba iin da

Kimochi hikari hajimetan da

Mezame RETURNER omoeba iin da

Suteki wakuwaku na hodo choudai dai, dai!

Mezase mezase saijou sairyou

Kowai mono nado nai! nai! nai!

Todokel todoke atsui kimochi

Kanaderu souru ni Cut IN!

At the “Cut IN!” bit, Ai does it with her little girl on instinct, as the song comes to a close. Aiko starts panting and flops over in exhaustion, her parents applauding her show. Ren picks the four year-old up and nuzzles her closely in between him and Ai.

“Wow, wow, wow! You did so amazing, Aiko! Just like mommy in her prime!”

Ai nods in agreement while kissing her cheek, “I agree, you have a lot of talent, sweetie. Just keep practicing and you’ll make it on a real stage soon, and we’ll support you all the way!”

Ren kisses Aiko’s other cheek in time with Ai’s before placing Aiko in her chair at the dining table.

“I’ll go ahead and make breakfast, you take it easy, idol-in-the-making.”

Aiko blushes as her father gives her headpats, “Hee hee…”

Her mother watches on with joy at the sight of her two favorite people in the world, but as she glances at Aiko’s hair she then gets an idea. She walks back to her and Ren’s bedroom to get something out of a drawer, while Aiko tilts her head in confusion. Ai’s eyes were lit up with excitement as she held something behind her back.

“What’s that, Mommy?” The child asks.

Ai slowly holds her hands out towards her, and reveals…

“Popcorn?”

Ai could hear Ren snort from the kitchen at Aiko’s innocent question. She quickly glared at him before looking back at her kid with sweat rolling down her forehead.

“T-They’re hair clips, Aiko, I wore them all the time when I was an idol. I still wear my flower earrings these days, but I don’t really wear these ones much since I retired. I figured you could try them out and see if they fit you.”

She takes a couple of the clips and carefully snaps them onto Aiko’s dark hair, and uses her phone camera as a mirror to show her how she looks.

“Well, what do you think?” Ai asks as Aiko shifts her head around, flipping her hair from side to side.

“Ooooo, I look super duper cute!!”

Ai tenderly brushed her fingers through her hair as Aiko beamed with every glance at herself on the camera.

“You absolutely do, I can’t wait to see you wear these in front of a crowd of fans…”

“C-Crowds…?” That word gave the poor girl chills, “L-Like a lot of p-people watching me…?”

Hearing his little one in distress, Ren attempts to calm his little princess down as he walks in with plates of bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay… you won’t be performing in front of too many people at first. Mommy had to work from the bottom with groups of at most twenty people!”

“T-T-T-TWENTY?!”

Aiko begins to shake with fear as Ai has a go at helping her.

“Remember the stories I’ve told you about me and your aunties? It took a while for the fans to start pouring into the stands! We started with small shows and even a “Guerrilla Performance”, where we had to perform on the streets to attract people passing by!”

The thought of standing out in public singing and dancing gave the girl more anxiety. Seeing no other option, Ren decides to change the subject completely.

“Uh, hey Aiko, wanna go out to celebrate your training success tonight? We’ll get you some yummy food, maybe burgers…?”

That brief moment of stage fright formed from her imagination was quickly over and done with at the mention of good food.

“Burgers! Yes, please! I wanna get a big one with extra cheese!”

“Sure thing, baby girl.” Ren tells her while fixing her breakfast.

Ai fixes her own plate as she smiles at her sweetheart, “You’re too good at that, honey, it’s like you know just what to do to calm her down.”

Ren chuckles as he sits right by her side and leans against her lovingly.

“I do what I can for the both of you. I live by two mottos after all, ‘Happy wife, happy life’ & ‘Happy daughter, happy father’, make sense?”

Ai leans her head against his before answering.

“Yeah, you’re the best, darling… ”

“Hey Mommy, can we go get ice cream too?”

Aiko asks, interrupting the minute of tranquility between her mom and dad.

“Ice cream? Your daddy’s planning on baking brownies later.”

“Ice cream and brownies!” The little girl suggests, as her mother crosses her arms.

“No, Aiko, that’s too much sugar. You’re gonna get sick if you eat that much.”

Aiko widens her eyes and tries to make herself seem irresistible.

“Pleeeease?”

Ai was unphased by her puppy dog eyes attempt.

“No.”

“Pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaase?”

“No!”

“Please?”

“Stay out of this, Ren!” Ai tells her husband when he chimes in.

Tears then started to well up in Aiko’s eyes before she then started bawling, Ai beginning to regret her sternness.

“Waaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!”

Ren shakes his head and gives his wife a judgemental look, making her pinch the bridge of her nose and sigh in defeat.

“… Okay fine. Just this once…”

“Yay! Yay! I love you mommy and daddy!”

Aiko hugs her parents as Ai laughs softly. As stubborn as she is, it looks like she can’t resist her little girl’s demands for too long.

Thus the day went on with the three of them taking care of some chores done on the weekends: laundry, vacuuming the carpets, mopping the floors, etc.. Eventually the tasks were completed and the trio soon began their day out. A mall was a good choice to have plenty of family activities on the weekend, in addition to the burger and ice cream places Aiko wanted to go to.

Before they went to eat though, they headed to the arcade and played a few games that they excelled at. 

Ai was of course skilled at rhythm/dancing games, Ren was good at some arcade classics involving a giant ape and a yellow ghost gobbler, while their daughter… was a fan of shooters. She played loud and was excited to blow the brains out of whatever poor fool got in her way. This concerned Ai of course, Ren gently patted her on the shoulder and reassured her.

“She probably got that from my sister, it might be something she’ll grow out of eventually…”

“I sure hope so… oh, look there!”

Ai points ahead towards a crane game with Aiko eyeing something inside of it. Her parents come closer to the machine and see that the prize she wanted… was of a tan fish with big lips and buggy eyes. Ren visibly cringed, while Ai smiled pleasantly and Aiko’s eyes sparkled in amazement.

“Y-You… really want this one, sweetie?” Ren asks as he squints at the plush before him.

Aiko nods vigorously, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! It looks so cute, I want her so badly! I’m gonna name her Feefee!”

“How adorable, we’ll get you Feefee! Right, Daddy?” Ai turns to her husband as he sighs and takes out his small coin purse.

Ren tries over and over, yet the fishie keeps slipping back into the sea of stuffies. The more he dropped it, the more he looked to see Aiko’s expression get more and more hopeless. But right before the eighth try, Ai tapped Ren on the shoulder and gave him a quick smooch on the cheek, and with that extra bit of luck…

“Feefee!! Thank you, thank you, Daddy! You’re amazing!”

Ai hugged his arm as he embarrassingly rubbed the back of his head.

“That’s right, Aiko, he is…”

After a few more games at the arcade, some clothes shopping (which Aiko felt bored doing), and the promised burgers and ice cream… the Mizuno family’s outing concluded as they headed back home. A stuffed and exhausted Aiko was piggyback riding on her father, tuckered out after the fun day she had while still clutching Feefee in her left hand. Her parents helped bathe and dress the girl into her pajamas before letting her rest in their bed for the night.

As they watch Aiko sleep, the husband and wife can’t help but admire their sleeping angel softly snoring in between them.

“She really is kind of like us, in more ways than one…” Ai says as her finger brushes against the girl’s cheek.

Ren nods as he runs his fingers through her hair, “Mhm, I agree. First off, she’s talented…”

Deciding to list another term, Ai goes next.

“Stubborn…”

“Grateful…”

After Ren’s second answer, the couple chose to back and forth with words that can fit with Aiko, as well as them.

“Resilient…”

“Uplifting…”

“Funny…”

“Mature…”

The whole time they’re repeating these words, they move an inch closer to each other. Their eyes locked as they focused on praising their child and getting close to cuddling.

“Bright…”

“Determined…”

“Hard-working…”

“Supportive…”

“Innocent…”

“Sincere…”

The two of them pause as the both of their noses touch, they wrap their arms around their child and each other, and now they’re all clinging together tightly like a trio of koalas on the same tree. Ai nuzzles her cheek against Ren’s before deciding to end the list off strong.

“And there’s one more trait that all three of us share, and you should know it by now, darling…”

Ren chuckles as he pretends to ponder it, “Hm… I think I do, but let’s say it together to make sure. Ready?”

“Ready.” Ai nods.

Ren begins a countdown. “3… 2… 1…”

“Loving!”

When they both say it, Aiko squirms and mumbles in her sleep, prompting the parents to whisper.

“Ah ha… we should call it a night then. Gotta be ready in case this munchkin wakes us up early again.”

Ren laughs and Ai giggles before making herself comfortable.

“You’re right, can’t wait for another day with you two… good night, Ren.”

She turns off the lamp on the nightstand before settling in next to them.

“Good night Ai…”

____________________________________________________

“Mm…?”

Ai opens her eyes to find herself still in Ren’s bedroom. She starts to feel for someone in between him and her, but finds nothing but an empty space. Letting out a sad sigh, she leans over and checks her boyfriend’s temperature.

“Ah! His fever has gone down, what a relief… hm… I wonder if he’s dreaming too. Hoping it was as good as mine, he deserves it after being sick the whole day…”

The zombie girl snuggles against his back and lets out a more content sigh.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever meet Aiko for real, darling, but I hope that our love will remain as strong regardless. I’ll always be here for you, Ren… hope you wake up soon…”

Chapter Text

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

AU Dream World: What If RenAi was a noir story?

< Third-Person POV >

Detective Mizuno enters the captain’s office with an annoyed look on her face, something she’s used to considering who her captain is. A bit of sunlight trickles in from the blinded window, shining on her blue suit and fedora as she sits down and lets out a sigh. Captain Tatsumi takes a gulp of his coffee before slamming the mug on top of his desk.

“You’re late!”

“Tatsumi, what is it this time? I’m close to finishing an important case here.”

The captain crossed his arms and shook his head, “Oh that? That case is now being handled by Detective Konno, I’ve got a new one for you!”

The blue-haired gumshoe stood up instantly and got up in his face.

“Excuse me?! There’s still some work to be done, you can’t just move onto another case just like that! That’s not right!”

“I’m the captain here, so you listen to me! This case is even more important, since you’re not gonna be alone in this.”

“And what do you mean by that?”

Her question was instantly answered as a knock was heard on the door. In walked a young man in a black and gray suit with a matching fedora, adjusting his glasses as he glanced at the girl before him. The two of them locked eyes for a while until Captain Tatsumi audibly cleared his throat.

“Ah, sorry sir… I guess you have my first case?”

“As a matter of fact, I do Detective Reyes! Take a seat.”

He follows his orders as he awkwardly sits in the chair next to Detective Mizuno, much to her confusion.

“A-Actually I don’t really go by that last name sir—”

“ANYWAYS! Mizuno, meet your new partner! Detective Ren Reyes, he recently got a promotion to homicide after doing well in several traffic cases, so I’d like for you to take him under your wing.”

Tatsumi smirked as the two of them turned to each other with their eyes wide.

“It’s… nice to meet you, Detective Mizuno! I’m sure there’s so much you can teach me about this desk, so I’ll try not to hold you back too much.”

He gingerly held his hand out to her and she shook it with a bit of hesitation.

“Likewise, but… Captain, this is all too sudden for me to both train a newcomer and solve a brand new case with him right off the bat. I’m sure he’s skilled but…”

She notices the new homicide detective’s hands clearly shaking with nervousness and turns back to the captain.

“Is there no one else in the department able to show him the ropes?”

Tatsumi shook his head, “Everyone else was busy and you had nothing better to do!”

“I just said I was close to finishing—“

“Nothing better to do! So you two head out to Jofuku’s Bar to investigate and make the Saga Police Department proud! GO GO GO GO GO GO GO!!!”

He points at the door as the pair exited his office to get away from his noise.

“Detective Mizuno… sorry that you have to deal with training me when you were already in the middle of something.” Ren bowed his head apologetically.

Ai leads him down the stairs before replying, “It’s fine… it would be rude of me to put any kind of blame on you. And you can call me Ai, if it’s easier.”

“Ai… yeah definitely is easier, thank you. It’s… a nice name.”

Her eyes widened upon hearing the compliment, before smiling softly.

“Thank you, glad someone is a gentleman around here. Yours is quite a good name too, would you mind if I use it so neither of us have to worry about formalities?”

“Sounds nice… although I would preferably want to show you more respect, since you’re more experienced… How about Ai-senpai?”

She nods as he politely opens the door for her towards the station’s parking lot.

“That’s fine. Now then, let’s save the chit-chat for later and get going to the bar!”

The more experienced detective leads her junior towards her personal vehicle, a motor scooter and he’s immediately taken aback by this.

“Uh… please excuse me for critiquing, but this doesn’t look big enough for two people. Is there a sidecar lying around somewhere we could attach to this? Or maybe we could try using a squad car instead?”

Ai shakes her head at Ren’s question, “It’s more fun like this. Why so hesitant? Afraid of getting too close?”

He softly blushes and looks away in response to her teasing as she softly giggles. She puts on her helmet and hands him the goggles she typically wears with them. Patting the spot behind her, Ren carefully encircles his arms around Ai’s body as she begins to rev up.

“Whoa! Hey, could you slow down a bit?!” Ren tells her with his teeth clenched.

“Nope!”

She smirks as she swerves around the corner, making her junior panic and hold on tighter. Despite enjoying messing with him, the senior detective couldn’t help but worry about him. After all, if a bumpy ride through the streets of Saga on a scooter is enough to scare him… what will happen if he’s in the middle of something much more dangerous?

Like an encounter with a murderer, they are on homicide after all…

They park right by the entrance to the bar as Ren tries not to vomit, “Gurgh, I wish I didn’t have such a big breakfast…”

“Well, now that you’re investigating homicides, you should try not eating at all with what we’re gonna be seeing…”

As soon as they entered, the duo got bombarded with both reporters and photographers from all sides. All of them were looking to get the scoop on the victim to create some juicy headlines for the papers, despite intruding on the crime scene. One photographer in particular was very determined for a clean shot of the victim’s body.

“Come on, just one clean shot of the dead broad and we’re golden!”

“Hey! We’re going to need you to step away from the body, this is a homicide investigation!”

The photographer turns around and a smirk begins to creep onto his face as soon as he gets a good look at Detective Mizuno.

“Oh, never mind, a lot more bozos will wanna grab a paper with this lady’s face instead! A hell of a lot better than some bloody-faced bitch. Come on sweetheart, smile for the camera…”

“Back off or else…” The young woman tells him, but he continues to try and get a better angle.

“H-Hey, you should listen to her! You can’t be—”

The photographer shoves the young sleuth away and continues to get closer to Ai.

“Eh, get lost kid! You’re getting in the way of the shot.”

And at that moment, it was like a switch flicked on in Ren’s head. He dusted himself off, readjusted his glasses… and grabbed the man by his collar.

“Ey! Whaddya think you’re doing, knucklehead?!”

“That’s no way to speak to a woman, back off you lowlife cad.”

His voice was soft, but still audible enough for him to hear his threat. Ren yanks him outside, right into the reporters, before taking Ai by the hand and bringing her back inside. She watched his expression relax from that cold and intense glare back to being more at ease. 

“You know… you really like holding onto me, do you Detective? First you cling to me on my scooter, and now you’re holding my hand…”

Ren immediately pulled his hand away as soon as she mentioned it.

“Ack, I-I’m sorry! I just wanted to help you get away from them, won’t let it happen again!”

“No, it’s alright… you were only trying to help me out, so thank you. Another word out of that man’s mouth and I would have knocked his lights out.”

Ren softly chuckled at her claim, “Ha, I’d have loved to see that. And… don’t mention it, I’m your partner after all. We have to look out for each other.”

Detective Mizuno smiled to herself when she heard that, “Yeah, partners…”

“...”

“... Um, senpai? Why are you staring at me like that?”

“N-Nothing, let’s just get started shall we?” She quickly turned away from him as she went to talk to some of the bar’s staff.

“Yugiri, it’s been a while. How have things been?”

The stunning bartender of the club turns around and greets her friend with a welcoming smile.

“Ai-han, wonderful to see you. If only it were under better circumstances, it’s such a tragedy what happened to that poor girl. She had only started working here as well…”

The private eye (or private Ai) nodded as she whipped out her notebook.

“Where were you at the time of the murder?”

“I had only just arrived for my shift when she was discovered dead. We were preparing for our happy hour event, and she volunteered to come in early for some additional preparation. And to think that this day was supposed to be quite the busy one, yet it seems now we will likely have to close early…”

“Uh… I feel like the murder of a fellow employee is a lot more important right now…” Ai states, unamused. 

Yugiri bows her head solemnly, “My apologies, I was simply trying to lighten the mood for a moment. The lady there by the corner appears to be a friend of hers, so perhaps you could get more information out of her?”

She points over to the redhead in the corner who’s wiping her tears with a handkerchief.

“Okay, I’ll go check in with her. Good luck with the cleanup, Yugiri.”

“By the way… who is this handsome fellow with you?”

Ren, who was respectfully staying silent and observed from afar, perks up in response.

“Me? Handsome? That’s not really what I believe, but thank you? I’m Detective Ren, her new partner.”

Yugiri smirks at Ai after he said that last word, “Partner? I never anticipated Ai-han ever finding herself a man with how dedicated she is to her job, but I should have known it could have made it easier to find one…”

Ai’s cheeks went red and she grabbed Ren’s arm and pulled him away to avoid talking about this any further. Yugiri waved farewell to them, very much aware of how embarrassed she made the detective girl. The partners then walked up to the young woman crying in the corner.

Ren clears his throat, “S.P.D., ma’am. We’re here to discuss how you know the vic—“

“First Yui gets murdered, and then I get called ma’am?! This day just can’t stop getting worse and worse…” She sniffled as the investigators looked at each other confused.

“Uh… my apologies, Miss...?”

“Baba, Shiori Baba. So what are you here for? Gonna accuse me of doing it? That I killed one of my best friends? Is that it?”

“I… uh, no… that’s not it at all, we just…”

Seeing that Shiori is pressing Ren and making him feel nervous, Ai steps in and takes hold of the situation.

“Ms. Baba, we only want information. We’re not gonna bring you in, but you better not give us a reason to. Calm down.”

Shiori turned her nose up at her and huffed. Both of the investigators letting out a sigh before they whip out their notebooks. As annoyingly snooty as she was, they needed to get some answers.

“We were told you were the one who found the body, what prompted you to come to the bar at this time of day?” Ai asked, being reluctantly polite.

“It’s happy hour, isn’t it?”

At that snide remark, Ai decided to be more assertive, “Very funny, now tell me or we’ll take you down to the station and make you talk.”

“Fine, fine! Yui invited me to check this place out after we quit our old jobs at another bar. She already got hired, so she thought she could get me a job here too.”

Ren quickly jotted her story down before he decided to take a shot at her.

“Since you two know each other pretty well, do you happen to know if there is anyone who would want her to end up like this?”

“...”

“Just spill it, if you know anyone then we’ll be sure to find them and bring them to justice. Keeping things to yourself will only make it take longer and let them get away with it…” Ai tells her with a serious expression.

Shiori crosses her arms and groans when she finally decides she has no choice.

“Look if I tell you two dicks this, then you better keep me safe.”

“I dunno if I should take it as an insult or not, since that is another word for detective.” Ren mutters and Ai shrugs in response before turning back to the girl.

“Ms. Baba, we promise to keep you out of trouble. Now who do you think would want to kill your friend?”

“Well… I suspect it’s either our old boss, Mr. O’File… or Yui’s boyfriend Oga. We couldn’t take another week working for that asshat, and that guy of hers always rubbed me the wrong way…”

Ren scribbles it down before looking back up at her, “Now we’re getting somewhere… but we might need a bit more than just 'he's an asshat’  or ‘he rubbed me the wrong way’ if we’re gonna lock one of them up.”

“I can’t really tell you much about Oga, only know he’s a mechanic, but O’File? That man couldn’t give us any reasonable hours and guilt tripped us whenever we tried negotiating! But this one time I got right in his face, and he did this to me.”

She shows off a scar right on her cheek, making Ren gasp and Ai clench her fists.

“Yeah, Yui reacted the same way as you two when I showed her. She also told me something about finding something to get him back for it, no idea if she ever found it…”

“That’s all the questions we have for you, Ms. Baba. Thank you for being cooperative.”

They shake her hand has they put away their notes and she begins to walk off, turning around to say one last thing:

“Whoever it is, catch that guy for me. Yui never did anything to anyone, always thought about others first.”

“We’ll do our best.” Ai promises as the partners regrouped.

Ren let out a sigh of relief and slumped against the wall, “Hoo, I could have done a lot better…”

“It wasn’t awful, but you do need to try being more assertive. If you can tell they’re lying, then go ahead and express your doubt! Don’t be afraid of taking control.”

His senior gives him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, as he takes a few deep breaths in and out before standing straight back up.

“Right… I’ll do that. So now that the interrogations are done, what’s up next?”

“We try to see what evidence is lying around, most notably around the body.” Ai answers and Ren grimaces.

“I was afraid you might say that, if you’ll excuse me I’ll handle the clues away from the corpse, thank you…”

She quickly pulls his arm back before he could walk off.

“Oh no you don’t! If you’re gonna be in homicide, then you need to get used to seeing this. Don’t worry, you can hold my hand if you get scared…”

“I hate how likely I am to take you up on that offer…”

“Hm? But I assumed you enjoyed holding my hand with what happened earlier.” She teases.

“Be quiet senpai...”

They slowly approach the corpse and look her over. Dried blood that had been oozing from the back of her head was staining the carpet. Right next to her is a red handbag with the contents having been spilled out. Ai taps her chin while deducing something, carefully inspecting her head.

“Blunt force trauma most likely, it takes a special kind of psycho to beat a person to death in broad daylight. What made them think that was a good idea?”

Ren lowers his eyebrows as he comes up with a theory, “No clue, my guess is that they did this on a whim and it wasn’t fully planned out. Sure they may have decided to kill her, but maybe they were in a rush and needed to take care of her now?”

“That’s quite the thought process you have, detective. I’m starting to see why they promoted you, even if your interrogation skills need some work.”

Upon hearing that compliment, Ren shyly grins back at her.

“You’re too kind, Ai-senpai. You’re definitely no slouch of a sleuth either! I can see why the captain chose you to train me, you’re amazing!”

She returned his smile and the duo briefly got lost in each other’s eyes before remembering there was a corpse right in front of them.

“W-We should get back to work…” Ren uttered with blush on both their faces, Ai awkwardly nodding in agreement.

“Huh, now why would this be here?”

Ai finds a ring by the hip of Yui’s body and attempts to fit it on her slender finger.

“Too big, can’t be hers unless she enjoyed having to pick it up every second.”

Upon further inspection, she finds a small inscription on the inside of the ring and uses her magnifying glass to get a closer look.

“The ring size appears to be around 12, and the inscription has the initials ‘OF’. We could easily tie this to O’File, but we can’t know for sure.”

Ren takes the ring himself and pockets it, “I guess we can bring it to the suspects to see whether or not it fits them. Hm…”

He carefully placed the ring on his finger and it was just too big for him.

“Ah, thank god. Sometimes you can’t even trust yourself, so just making sure.”

Ai giggles at his attempt at a joke, “Come on you goof, this isn’t the time.”

“You’re smiling though, so I’d say it was worth it.”

She rolled her eyes in amusement, while the junior detective then picked up her handbag and tried to see if there was anything useful in there. He does manage to find her wallet and checks out her ID.

“Hm… so her name’s just Yui? The blood stains are covering her last name, so after bludgeoning her the killer must have dug through her stuff…” 

Then something else catches his eye right as he tries to put her wallet back in. He takes out a business card that was hidden away in a small pocket and hands it over to Ai who reads it aloud.

“O’File Pub, must be her old workplace, but she didn’t just throw this card away?”

“Well we got an address anyways, it’s just a few blocks down from here. To answer your question though, maybe she just forgot?” Ren suggested, but Ai didn’t buy it.

“Or… she kept it around for a reason.”

Ai turns the card over to reveal that there was handwriting on the other side of it!

“Let’s see… 5, 17, 11… has to be some kind of combination needed for something. For what, we’ll just have to find out for ourselves. I’ll go get our wheels.”

“Oh, joy…” Ren replies, unwilling to go on another ride with her.

After a slightly less chaotic venture through the streets, the investigators make it to O’File pub. Right as they walk in, they encounter a hairless man in a yellow suit greeting them with a wide grin. Detective Ren reluctantly shakes the man’s hand before wiping his own hand on his pants when he isn’t looking.

“You must be Mr. O’File.” He says cautiously.

The bar owner continues to be all smiles, “It’s pronounced Fee-lay, but yes I am him! Welcome officers, what brings you here? Stopping by for a quick pick-me-up before getting back on duty?”

Ai shakes her head before introducing the two of them, “Detectives Mizuno and Ren, we’re inquiring into the death of one of your former employees, goes by the name of Yui?”

“Ah… she was a sweet girl… It was already a shame that I had to let her go, but having her end up dead is even more unfortunate.”

He pours a couple of glasses of water for his guests while they sit down at the counter.

“You sound really broken up about this…”  Ren snarked.

“Of course I am! She was quite a good worker, you know…”

Ai blinked twice at his obliviousness to Ren’s sarcasm, but chooses not to think about it as she takes out her notebook.

“Did you have a good relationship with the victim? No problems when she was in your employment whatsoever?”

Mr. O’File raised his hands in front of himself in defense, “Not at all! She was like a daughter to me, in fact I treat all of my workers here like they were family.”

Neither of the S.P.D. operatives were fooled by this act and with one at each other they knew they had to go bad cop.

So Ai pulled down her fedora and went for it, “Okay listen up you bald fraud, we already got word from a Ms. Baba that you weren’t exactly the best boss.”

“That’s preposterous! I’ve done nothing but show respect for both her and Yui!”

Scoffing at that answer, Ren pushed up his glasses and offered his own rebuttal.

“We’ve seen the scar you left on Ms. Baba’s face. I’m sure you’ve left a lot of similar marks in the past, or perhaps even a lot worse with a blunt object upon that young woman’s skull.”

“I have not even seen that woman since she and her friend quit! Don’t just come in here and accuse me of a crime when you have very little to go off of!”

Ai scoffed as she took her glass of water and left the counter.

“Fine then, if you’re so squeaky-clean then I guess you won’t mind if we take a look around. You’ve got nothing to hide, right?”

The bar owner was suddenly dumbstruck, his voice getting a lot more panicky.

“H-H-Hold on for just a moment, don’t you need a warrant?!”

Ren shrugged his shoulders, “Usually yes, but we’ll make an exception in your case since your tap water tastes like crap.”

Our sleuths scoured the bar, looking up, down, and all around for evidence. Not much was there, aside from a dirty bathroom and a very cheap selection of alcohol on display, but there was one exception to this. Right behind the counter was a small green safe, with a three number combination needed to open it.

“Nice safe you got here, sir. A class C I believe?” Detective Mizuno halfheartedly complimented him.

“You’re correct, but I don’t think you’re authorized to—”

“5-17-11… “

*click*

“Ah, I’m in!”

Ren smirks with his victory as Mr. O’File gasped with horror at the sight of his safe opening. The junior homicide detective took a hold of a notebook that was in there and immediately returned to his seat to look through it. Ai noticed the look on his face, eyebrows furrowed in focus as well as disgust, and was curious as to what exactly was in there that made him feel this way. She soon got her answer though as soon as Ren shut the book.

“So… you fuck young girls, Mr. O’File?”

Ai spat out her water right when that blunt question came out of Ren’s mouth as the older man began to stutter at the accusation.

“A-A-ARE YOU INSANE?! YOU NEED TO BE LOCKED IN AN ASYLUM FOR EVEN THINKING THAT I WOULD—“

Ren, undeterred, reads off what was listed down in the notebook.

“Nanami, age fourteen, the feisty one. Tachibana, age twelve, has angelic features. Suzuki, age fourteen, will do anything for money. Shion, age thirteen—“

Ai shuts the book for him so that she could avoid thinking about this any longer, “Okay we get the picture… what now, Mr. O’File? You’re gonna be taken in regardless, so are you gonna come clean?”

The man was distraught, sinking into a nearby booth as he finally accepted his fate and dropped the politeness act.

“I… when that bitch had quit I was glad to be rid of her… but then I found out that she discovered the notebook and I needed her dead. I wasn’t the one who did it, hired some douche named Fubuki and he took care of her. Are we finished?”

Ren quickly whispered into Ai’s ear and she nodded in response.

“Oh just one more thing…”

POW!!

The duo socked him right on the jaw and he was instantly knocked out.

“Wow that felt good, I was holding that back since I got here and saw that ugly-ass suit he was wearing.” Ren says as he shook off the pain in his right hand.

“You were thinking that too, huh? The way the yellow was covering the entire outfit, blech… anyways, let’s get some uniforms down here to take O’File out of here then decide what our next move is.”

“Sure thing, just give me a second…”

Ren whips out the ring and walks over to O’File’s unconscious body. He looks at his finger and the size of the ring and sighs in disappointment.

“His fat fingers aren’t nearly the size of the ring, guess he was right about him not being there. But what about this Fubuki fellow…?”

Comparing notes once more, they ponder and ponder until it manages to click in their heads.

“Fubuki…”

“… Could be that boyfriend’s last name!”

Making her way to a nearby payphone, she puts in a call to dispatch.

“Mizuno, Badge 1992.”

“How can I help, Detective?” The phone operator woman answers.

“We need an address on a Mr. Oga Fubuki.”

“Just a moment… he’s found on 2000 West Kyushu Street.”

“Thanks for your help.”

Once she hangs up, Ren walks up to her.

“I just called for a pickup on O’File on the radio, he’ll probably wake up by the time they get here.”

“Great, I’ve got Fubuki’s address. Are you ready?”

“As ready as I can be…”

Detective Mizuno notices the hesitation in his voice and she gives him a quick look of reassurance.

“Hey, you did super well just now. Took control of the situation by being assertive like I told you… albeit in an unexpected way with that last question, but you really impressed me.”

She holds out her hand to him, and after a few seconds of holding back he takes it and shakes it.

“Now let’s go catch a potential murderer.”

Ren holds on tight to Ai as they make their way down to Kyushu Street. The apartment complex had the apartment numbers on the mailboxes by the entrance, and Oga looked to be on the top floor. Both of them ran up the stairs to the final apartment, but Ai ended up getting there first, while Ren slogged behind.

He pauses to catch his breath as Ai looks exasperatedly at him, “You need to work on your stamina.”

“Ha… ha… Sorry I just… maybe need some orange slices… hah…”

Ai sighs as she walks over to Fubuki’s door and knocks on it.

No response.

“Oga Fubuki, S.P.D.!” She yells while knocking again.

No answer again.

“He’s not home… welp, case closed! Guess he’s innocent after all, let’s go.”

Ai softly punched him on the arm for that joke.

Ren chuckles as he leans against the wall, “What? You know I’m kidding! So… how do we get in?”

THUD!!

Ai kicked the door wide open with ease and that made her kouhai’s eyes go wide.

“Y-You’re so cool, senpai…”

She winks at him, “I know.”

They walk in and find a messy apartment, holding their noses shut as they traverse a floor of trash. Being very careful not to step on anything wet or molding, as if it were a minefield of waste. After successfully avoiding any garbage, the detective duo enter the man’s bedroom to search for clues.

“The sooner we find what we need to put this guy behind bars, the better… We really should have gotten gas masks before heading here.” Ai says while trying to fan the smell away with her left hand.

Ren disgustedly nodded, “Mhm… I’ll go check the closet, just in case there’s a worse smell in there. I’ll take the brunt of it.”

“You’re too kind…” Ai states as she walks over to the nightstand.

There she finds an unframed picture of Oga right next to Yui, except half of Yui’s face is blackened out. It also had some writing next to it in pen, saying things like “Why can’t you stay with me?” or “I need you here forever…”. Seeing that briefly disturbed the investigator, but her concern was quickly dissipated as she found another ring right by the picture.

“Ren, can you toss me the other ring?”

She catches it with ease as she compares the two pieces of jewelry with her magnifying glass.

“This ring is slightly smaller than the one we got, and it has the initials ‘YF’. I guess he proposed to her with the wrong ring, if he had brought the correct size then we might have just assumed it was hers. Either way though, she likely turned him down and it drove him mad…”

“... Mad enough to beat her to death with a wrench?”

Ai turned back to see Ren opening the closet door to reveal a bloody wrench and worker clothes. And with one glance at each other, they knew that they had their guy… and that guy soon arrived home.

“Who the fuck are you two?!”

Our duo reveal their badges towards the buff red-headed culprit and both say at once:

“S.P.D., you’re coming with us, Oga!”

“.... Oh shit.”

He books it right out the window and down the fire escape, the officers giving chase as Oga reaches the streets. Ren was still a little exhausted from climbing up all those stairs, so he was starting to slow down a bit, however… a lightbulb went off in his head. Once he catches up to Ai he whispers in her ear.

After he explains his plan he looks into her eyes and asks, “Do you trust me on this?”.

With a quick glimpse ahead at how far Fubuki was, she nods and gives him a determined smile. Ren keeps a steady pace towards the killer, while Ai completely stops in place. The more experienced detective took a deep breath in…

… And pulled the trigger.

BANG!!!

Oga screeches to a halt, clutching his chest tight… but when he realizes that he hadn’t been shot at all it was too late. Ren tackles him to the ground with the force of a spear ramming into his ribs, subduing him, and that’s when the murderer looks up to see that Ai shot a bullet at the sky. Our detectives soon slap the cuffs on the ex-boyfriend before sending him straight to the slammer.

Once the excitement was over, the two sleuths sat on a nearby bench with some ice cream cones in their hands.

“Not bad, kid. I don’t mean this in a rude way, but you’re surprisingly reliable. I think we’ll get along just fine now, partner.” Ai smiles proudly at her new teammate.

Ren laughed awkwardly as his cheeks went red, “Yeah, I’m glad to be working with you, Ai-senpai. Thank you for showing me how homicide works, let’s clean up the streets together!”

He held out his hand for her to shake it… and to his surprise she hugged him.

“Are you ready to wake up now?”

Ren tilted her head at her question, “Huh?”

“I’m waiting for you, so you better not keep me waiting...”

…

…

…

____________________________________________________

“Mmm… eh?”

The young man’s eyes flutter open and he’s immediately greeted by the sight of his zombie girlfriend snuggling him.

“Ren…? Ren! You’re up, are you feeling any better, darling?”

Once he sits up in his bed and stretches he lightly nods, “Still a bit groggy, but I don’t feel all dizzy and weak like earlier. What time is it?”

Ai checks the time on her phone before answering, “It’s not too late, if you’re really feeling better… then do you want to grab some dinner?”

“That sounds lovely, sweetheart. And to thank you for taking care of me, it’s my treat!”

“Awww, you don’t have to do that! I was just making sure my boyfriend gets better so we could enjoy our time together. And it was the right thing to do as well, I couldn’t leave you like that!”

“And I appreciate it, but are you really gonna turn down free yakiniku?”

Right as soon as he mentions the magic word her eyes light up in excitement, and that’s when he knew he got her.

“Ha ha, really though… Thank you for taking care of me. From the bottom of my heart, I’m absolutely grateful. You’re the best… partner.”

After hearing that, Ai pulls him close for a nice long kiss in celebration of his recovery. The two of them finally being able to spend some quality time with each other, without any worries. The times spent in their dream worlds may have been exciting or heartwarming, they would both rather be where they are here and now.

In their own dream made reality.

…

“.... We’re gonna split the check by the way.”

“Okay, fine by me, ha ha ha…”

Chapter Text

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

< Third-Person POV >

Sunlight shines through the blinds of the bedroom. Ai, impatient, tugs at the wool blanket, trying and failing to get her lazy boyfriend out of bed for the day.

“Come on, let’s get going already!” she says. “After today, I get back into doing idol work and it could be a while until our next date.”

Ren’s head lifts up and he rubs at his eyes. “Huh? But it’s earrrrlyyyyy…”

“Ren, it’s almost noon.” Ai shows him the time on her phone.

“Earrrrrrrrlyyyyyyyyy….”

She rolls her eyes at him repeating himself, going over to pull him up. “Okay sweetie, up and at ‘em.”

*pop*

“Hey!”

Ren had managed to pull her arm right out of her socket, turning over to snuggle up with it. Now, the sight of someone cuddling a detached arm would usually be considered horrific, but Ai can’t help but find it a bit adorable. Adorableness won’t help him stay in bed though. 

His girlfriend soon tosses his blanket off the bed, and leaves him shivering. With a triumphant smile at her success, Ai trades Ren’s glasses for her arm. “There you go, now hurry up!”

“Ugh… it’s cold…. Whuh ?” Ren looks down and finds himself shirtless. “What the… Ai, have you seen my shirt?”

He looks towards her — and then his eyes widen as she sees her wearing it. 

Upon noticing the way he was staring, she begins to show off how it looks from every angle. “Oh, I was just borrowing it for a bit. Why wouldn’t I? You’re gonna get changed anyways…”

Ren’s cheeks start glowing red at the sight. “N-Never mind, you can keep it.”

“Thank you! I’ll return it once it stops smelling like you.” Ai winks at him, making him blush even more.

“Gah! Why do you do this to me?!” Ren shouts while covering his chest.

She then shoots back with, “Because you do this to me!”

“... Fair. Hm, actually that could be the basis for something fun we can do…” Ren ponders, while tapping his chin.

Ai raises an eyebrow with intrigue. “Fun, you say? Like some kind of competition that involves blushing?”

He nods while he sits up and stretches, letting out a groan. 

He stands and heads over to his closet. “Exactly! Since we both manage to get each other flustered all the time, we might as well make it a game: the first one to blush five times today loses. You already got me once just now, but I bet I can manage to outdo you in no time. Wanna prove me wrong?”

The young man gets one hand in a drawer, and the other out to his girlfriend, waiting for her to finish contemplating. After a beat, Ai shakes his hand to accept the wager… and then Ren kisses the top of her hand. 

Her cheeks light up in seconds. “H-Hey! You cheater…” She grumbles.

He chuckles. “Score’s even. Now, to shoot for four more…”

Current Score: 1-1

Ai scoffs and pulls her hand away from him. “You won’t get any more if that’s how you’re gonna play. You’re on.”

Ren goes back inside his closet to find himself an outfit. Ai collects some clothes from her bag so she can change in the bathroom. After a few minutes they meet back in the bedroom so they can put the finishing touches on their ensembles.

Their previous conversation continues as they are fixing themselves. Ai clips on her left earring before speaking up. “Now then, I found a new cafe nearby with some interesting drink options. Does that sound okay?”

“Yeah, of course it does. I trust you the most out of the two of us when it comes to date plans… you really manage to find some hidden gems around the prefecture,” Ren adds, while cleaning his glasses with a piece of cloth.

Ai laughs softly as they check themselves in the mirror. “Ha ha ha, well I do more than just do idol research on Tatsumi’s computer, you know. You can try it too when you’re not busy looking for things with my face on it.”

“Oi, I’m not that obsessed with you. If I was, I would be getting multiple items with the same outfit on them. I pick and choose which merchandise is worth it, not just buy everything featuring you!”

“Why do you have two corocots of me then, hm?” She points out the pair of small round plushies hanging off the closet door knob.

“I was just lucky to get a second one. Buying two increased the likelihood of getting yours from 1/7 chance to 2/7!  Plus, they’re adorable - look at these spherical borbs!” His eyes light up as he gently squeezes both of them. Ai contemplates as she observes them.

“Hm, I won’t deny that. Actually, while I might not really be an expert when it comes to sewing, I could try making some cute plushies of us one day if you’d like…”

Her voice trails off a bit. She awkwardly twiddles her index fingers, as Ren turns to her in confusion.

“Mm? What was that last thing you said, babe?”

“N-Nothing, let’s just go.” Ai takes his hand and they walk out into the world.

It is a nice spring day with barely any clouds in the sky. The wind isn’t as intense or pollen-filled, but was much more pleasant as it flowed through each of their hair. The two of them could of course ride over there on Ai’s moped, but they both felt that the weather was fine enough - and that it was a lot more calming to have a stroll.

Soon the two of them notice the outfits they wear are coincidentally the same ones they wore on their first date many months ago: blue flannel shirt, black jeans, and dress shoes for Ren, while Ai is in a pale pink and tan dress with a bright pink bow around her waist, along with a pair of platform sandals on her feet.

“Feeling nostalgic, Ai?” Ren asks, while admiring her getup.

Ai laughs while softly squeezing his hand in hers. “It does feel like a good time to wear it in this kind of weather. Just gonna try my best to not lose these sandals like last time, or my arm… again, ha ha.”

She taps her foot and rolls her right shoulder to test how connected it is to its socket. The two of them briefly reminisce on the day they met, then deciding to cut through a nearby park to get to the cafe. While they’re there however, they discover a bench by the fountain and they can’t help themselves but to relax there for a bit.

It is like a cozy little spot where they can sit and enjoy the atmosphere together. The laughter of children playing in the grass, the sound of the water flowing upwards behind them, the chirping of the birds… all of it just background noise, as they focus on each other. Their heads lean against one another, hands still intertwined, with eyes closed as Ren and Ai simply let the world pass them by for a while.

Nothing else could compare to the bliss they are feeling in that moment.

Ai soon reopens her eyes and looks over at her boyfriend, who’s still vibing. She notices his glasses - and an idea pops into her head. Carefully removing them, she puts them on herself and taps his shoulder to get his attention.

“Hey, Ren? How do I look?”

Ren opens his eyes and blinks at his sudden loss of sight. He squints in her direction as he tries to make out what was in front of him, making Ai look a bit concerned with how he’s struggling to see without his lenses.

“Uh, flying kinda blind here. Could you take a picture and show me?”

“Oh, sure thing. Just hold on… mwah!”

*surprise smooch*

His face starts heating up. Within seconds, he figures that he’s down a point. “W-What the…? Dang it, I literally didn’t see that coming. Well done…”

He sighs defeatedly while Ai takes a selfie. “And… there! Here are your glasses back too.”

Ren returns his glasses to their rightful place before looking at the photo. “Ah! K-K-K-Kawaii…”

“Ha ha, thank you~. And that’s another one for me… the lead is mine once more!”

“Yeah, yeah, for now anyways…” He smiles in acceptance.

Current Score: 1-2

Afterwards, it is back to walking for our couple as they exit the park and increase their pace a bit. While there wasn’t any sense of urgency to get there quickly, neither of them want to arrive when it is still too busy. Thankfully by the time they finally get there, a few tables are still available and they are seated in minutes.

Ren takes the time to bring up the name of the cafe. “Lebleu? Well, from the interior and the outfits of the waitstaff, it is a really fitting name.”

“Mhm… although the menu, despite having a lot of colorful food and drinks, doesn't really have too many blue options aside from this one drink that I wanted to try.” Ai murmurs, flipping to the drinks section to point it out.

Ren shrugs in response. “I see. A bit disappointing, but understandable if they didn’t want to throw food coloring into everything.”

The sweethearts browse the menu until something catches the zombie idol’s eye.

“Red String Spaghetti, huh? From the looks of that picture it could be nice, but is the name referring to how red the pasta is when covered in the meat sauce? Or maybe it’s…” Ai tilts her head, pondering.

“It probably is referring to that myth - an invisible red string around the fingers of two soulmates. It’s been referenced in a few romance mangas I’ve read, but… I’ve never really believed in that sort of thing.” Ren tells her, peering closer at the item descriptions.

“Yeah, me neither, but it is interesting. Honestly I have no idea if we were meant to be together as decided by some outside force. Or if we just defied fate by meeting. All I know is that I wouldn’t choose anyone else.”

“Same here…”

Both of them beam at each other affectionately.

Then, the waiter nearby clears his throat and grabs their attention. 

“Uh, sorry for making you wait! We’ll take the spaghetti, and I’ll have a hot chocolate.”

“And a blue soda for me, please,” Ai requests, and they hand their menus back to the waiter.

“Hm, going back to the waitstaff though… their outfits really remind me of the ones you once wore for that collab. Loved those!”

Ai thinks about it, before she recognizes what he’s talking about. “Ah, the cafe outfits. Correct?”

“You got it. There’s so much to love about them: the loafers that show off the ankles, the nice apron that’s color-coded based on the member, but my favorite has to be the ponytail… I, uh, really enjoy seeing what you can do with your hair, even if it’s shorter than the other girls. Like when you had them in pigtails, or that little braid on the side that one time…”

Ai was starting to get embarrassed by how much he was complimenting her so genuinely. Then, she recalled what he had said when he was feverish… and it made her face even redder.

“Hair soft… pretty… blue… I love blue… my favorite…”

“G-Gah, you’re too sweet without even trying…” Ai mutters. 

Ren finally notices her sheepish expression, and promptly panics. “Huh? You’re blushing so hard, and I didn’t even plan that! Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine… so you’re up another point then?”

Ren waves his hands in front of him to reassure her. “No, I won’t count this. I wasn’t even trying to make you blush.”

“Ah, okay thanks,” Ai grins. Her face slowly returns to its normal pigment. “Ren, honey, can you try to tone down the compliments right now? I know you’re always genuine, but it’s making it real difficult to make this competition of ours fair.”

“Well I can’t help but express things that way, especially when it comes to how good you look in a ponytail,” Ren shrugs.

Ai scoffs. “How about we try seeing if you look good with your hair tied back? Your hair is getting a bit long…”

“I guess you can try, but…” Ren gently rubs a bit of his hair on the back of his head between his thumb and index finger.

Ai leans forward in her seat and takes a look at her boyfriend’s face. “And now that I’m thinking about it, your face might look great with a bit of makeup! Your eyes in particular, some eyeliner could work great on you!”

“Uh, h-hold on, Ai…” A sweat drop rolls down his face, but Ai continues to gush with her eyes lighting up in excitement.

“Ooh! Since you’re always complimenting the outfits I wear, why don’t you try some of them on yourself! Our main idol outfits could be perfect for your body type and— mmmph!”

Ren quickly holds his hand over her mouth nonchalantly, while Ai was clearly getting annoyed. “Mmph! Grt ur hnd offa me!”

He lets go of her mouth, and Ai returns to breathing. “Ahh, thank you… Now as I was saying—”

*smooch*

“Okay, go on?” He places a hand on his cheek in amusement, while watching her cheeks go crimson.

“Y-Y-You…! Ugh, never mind.”

Ren smirked, “Now that was planned.”

Current Score: 2-2

Soon, the waiter arrives with both their drinks and the plate of pasta meant for two. The hot chocolate has a bit of steam coming off of it, with some whipped cream and blue sprinkles on top. Ai’s soda is exactly as it was described, a bright blue like in heavily exaggerated pictures of the ocean. Really pretty-looking!

Ren whistles at the spaghetti as the waiter places it at the center of the table. “Wow, it looks delicious! But… we’re sharing the same plate?”

“That is pretty strange…” Ai mutters, taking a sip of her soda. “Mm, that’s shockingly sweet! Not overpowering, yet definitely something that can give someone a lot of energy.”

Ren slowly lifts the mug of cocoa up to his face and slowly lets the warm liquid go down his throat. “Ah… not tongue-burning hot. Just how I like it. And taste-wise, this is way better than the last hot chocolate I made for myself!”

“What happened with your last attempt?” Ai asks. Ren grimaces at having to remember it.

“Ech… kinda used some milk and heavy cream that were… a couple of days past its expiration date.”

Ai couldn’t help but giggle at his screw-up. “Are you kidding me, Ren? Ah ha ha ha, what did you expect??”

“Look, I didn’t want to just waste it! But I really should have strained it out and left behind all those curdled bits. I ended up tasting those things every time I reached the bottom of the cup…” 

Ren goes to drink more of his current cocoa, to let its sweetness overwhelm the memory of its predecessor. Ai wipes a tear away as she finishes laughing, The two of them then manage to drain half of the drinks in their cups.

The time has come to finally taste the spaghetti in front of them. With forks in hand, they grab a bundle each and bump them together.

“Cheers I guess! Heh, that makes up for the missed chance we had with our drinks.”

Ai snickered at the dorky act. “Ha, yeah. Cheers!”

They both take their bites and are amazed at the flavors to be found here. Well-made meat sauce, even if having both that and meatballs was a little overkill (though a meat-lover like Ai doesn’t mind), silky and perfectly-cooked pasta that smoothly goes down their throats, topped with some rich parmigiano reggiano cheese.

“Mmm… that’s definitely in my top five favorite pastas I’ve ever eaten…” Ren says, taking another forkful.

Ai takes a smaller amount for herself. “Whoa, slow down! I enjoy this too, but you shouldn’t be having this many carbs!”

They keep taking turns getting more pasta for themselves, up until they are more than halfway through. When they both decide to go for their next bite at once…

“Mm?”

“Hm?”

The realization sets in, as they are greeted with their lips connected via slurping the same noodle. This prompts them to awkwardly try to figure out how to pull away from it. 

Ren quickly bites his half off and swallows it as he sits down. “Ha ha, what are the chances? I guess that’s another reason why it’s named after the Red String of Fate…”

“I-I guess so… I never thought that could be actually possible, ah ha ha…” Ai forces out some laughter too. Both their faces become as red as the sauce.

“... We can count this as a loss for both of us.” Ai murmurs, and Ren nods in acceptance.

Current Score: 3-3

Seeing an opportunity to keep the references going, Ren uses his fork to nudge a meatball over to her side of the plate. 

Ai softly giggles. “Aw, come on… Don’t just keep reenacting the scene from the movie, it’s embarrassing!”

“Embarrassing? Like those giraffe outfits I saw you wear recently?”

“Hey! The pachinko machines needed advertising, and it was decided to have us dress like that. Don’t blame me!”

“But really, giraffes? Er, what’s the correlation there? Is there some kind of connection between long-necked animals and gambling that I’ve never heard of before?”

“Maybe there is! You should do some research if you don’t know!”

“Why don’t you just explain it to me then? If there’s a connection, go on and elaborate. I’ll wait…”

“...”

“...”

“.... Tch, you’re lucky I love you.”

“I know. For what it’s worth… you looked cute.” 

*cheek smooch*

Ai’s cheeks turned crimson after that kiss before she clears her throat, “Ahem, thank you… so now it’s 4-3 in your favor, isn’t it?”

Current Score: 4-3

“Yep, but I’m sure you’ll come up with something! I would much prefer we settle it with one final shot each after a tie. Despite me saying I wanted to outdo you, it would feel like a much more satisfying victory if it was a close game.”

Ai smirks after hearing this. “How honorable of you, darling.”

“We’re equals, aren’t we? Even in competition, I want us to both keep up with one another.”

“Agreed. Also…” Ai swipes her finger across his cheek and licked it.

“H-Huh?!” Ren sits back and places a hand on the cheek that she just touched.

“Gotcha. You had some tomato sauce on your face - you really need to remember to use your napkin, sweetheart.”

“Grgh…”

Ai did some recounting before speaking up again. “All tied up again, we’re in the endgame now…”

Ren nods, determined to succeed, while he holds his hand out to her. “Right, good luck Ai.”

“You too, Ren. May the best partner win.”

They shake hands before getting back to eating.

Current Score: 4-4

Once the plate of spaghetti was no more, the two partners split the bill and got up to leave, Ren however gasps upon realizing something.

“Dang it, forgot to leave a tip! I’ll be right back!”

“Alright, don’t keep me waiting.”

Ai watched from the outside window as he re-entered the cafe and took out some money from his wallet. For some reason Ren pauses for a brief second and looks behind him, making his girlfriend raise an eyebrow in curiosity. As soon as he joined up with her again, she decided to press him on the matter.

“What happened in there? I thought you were just leaving a tip.”

Ren put his thumb and index finger on his chin before answering, “I… think I saw a waiter who looked familiar. Some toned guy with silver hair, I know I saw someone like that before just…”

“Well, we can come back another time so you can figure that out. He’s likely busy right now, whether or not it is the person you think he is. Come on, can’t waste any daylight.”

Ai took his arm and pointed ahead at their next destination, Ren smiling at her eagerness to make the most of the day. Still, in the back of his mind he can’t help but think about why that guy seemed so familiar to him… 

…

The rest of the day passes by quickly, but for these two it feels longer as they anticipated a final action taken by the other that would never come. Evening has arrived and the sun is starting to go down, so they need to do something soon. Both of our love birds begin to brainstorm on what could push their partner to the edge one last time.

“Okay, neither of us had made any moves in a while…” Ren’s eyebrows furrow as he ponders.

Ai bites her lip as she thought about what was coming next. “... So maybe he could be planning something big when we get back to his apartment!”

“She has to have something up her sleeve, right? I might need to catch her off guard with a move that’s unexpected…”

“Hm… oh! I could…”

“Wait, maybe this could work… but would it?”

“It’s something he wouldn’t think I would do… though I don’t want to push his boundaries too far…”

“Making her uncomfortable is a no-go for me, and I have my own limits! But I guess I could try being a bit bold just this once…”

“Well… it can’t hurt to try making him flustered in this way… not too much though!”

“There’s no going back now… I have to do it!”

Once their inner monologues conclude, they have both made it back to the apartment. Their hearts racing in anticipation of what’s to come.

Ren lets Ai use the bathroom first to freshen up, and that gives the two of them the opportunity to mentally prepare. Voices at the back of their minds beg them not to go through with it, but it was too late.

They’ve come too far to quit…

Ai re-enters the room, as Ren sits down on his bed. The two of them turn to each other and discover…

“...?!”

… 

…

…

… They are both in their underwear.

Their eyes widen, their hands covering their mouths. It was like time had frozen, as they simply stand there. Completely paralyzed at the action they both had taken in order to make each other flustered.

The only things that were moving are their eyes, as they constantly shift back and forth to avoid directly staring. Ai trying to keep her eyes off of Ren’s chest (she hadn’t gotten the chance to check it out aside from a small peep that morning), while Ren attempts to avoid gazing at her legs and tummy. And in the end, their blush illuminates the room and spreads through the visible skin of both their half-naked bodies.

Once the shock of the moment wears off and the heat of their cheeks die down, Ren and Ai finally get the courage to speak again.

“I’m sorry...”

“No, I’m sorry…”

“No, I… ah ha ha ha ha ha!”

The duo suddenly burst out laughing at how ridiculous they were being. Apologizing both at once, the fact that they are sitting down with most of their clothes off, the silliness of the competition in general… It all feels so funny.

“This was stupid,” Ren deadpans.

Ai nods awkwardly. “Completely unneeded…”

Ren shakes his head as Ai scoots closer to him. “I shouldn’t have suggested this…”

“I shouldn’t have pushed you this far…”

The two of them are now facing each other and clasping their hands together, letting the embarrassment of their current states ebb away as they embrace. It feels different than the usual hugs they shared, but it wasn’t bad at all… even if they both honestly wish they were fully clothed.

Their foreheads touch, and they let out a sigh in relief.

“So… we both lose.” Ai breaks the silence first.

Ren holds her a little tighter. “Yeah. What a way for us to fail…”

“Yeah, let’s never do that again, okay?” Ai looks him in the eyes as she says this.

“Promise. While it was fun to see each other flustered like this, those moments back to back made them all feel a little less special. I see that now.”

Their foreheads lean against each other and their noses touch, Ai warmly smiles. “I agree, but I do hope we do manage to keep surprising each other and have these rosy cheeks of ours whenever it happens. They’re pretty cute honestly, being physical signs of the ways our love can impact our emotions. And we aren’t that far into our relationship yet, so of course we would be blushing often… ha ha ha.”

Ren chuckles as he hears her giggling. “Heh, that’s true… I hope for the same thing, Ai. I can’t wait to make more memories with you, the ones with our rosy cheeks included.”

“Mm, I love you Ren…”

“I love you too, Ai…”

*kiss*

“...”

“...”

The two of them pause upon remembering they are half naked, and quickly cover up, their faces glowing once more.

“I-I’m gonna go take a shower…” Ai pulls away and gets back up on her feet.

“O-O-Okay, I’ll wait…”

She uncomfortably pads out of the room while Ren flops onto the bed and screams into a pillow. 

What a day these two just had…

Final Score: 5-5

Thank you to small papers on Tumblr for the commission of the cuties in their date outfits!

Thank you so much to cereal-bunny on Tumblr/Sashalino on Bluesky for our cuties cuddling!

Chapter Text

Saga Prefecture, Japan.

< Ren’s POV >

My girlfriend is… the coolest person in the world.

On stage she’s a spectacular dancer with a singing voice that makes me swoon, while off stage she’s a sweetheart with that same voice saying such supportive things.

She’s so strong, so resilient, so patient with me… why?

There’s so many reasons why our relationship shouldn’t work, what could get in the way of it too, but she just doesn’t care about it. Although she considers every option and does her best to make sure we aren’t doing anything that could get us in trouble. She’s obviously far from being an idiot, yet she doesn’t let these problems bother her too much.

Again… why?

When she’s with the other girls, she’s usually super focused and no-nonsense about her work. She never gives up even when the odds are stacked against her, standing up even if the others are knocked down… It shows how dedicated she is to being an idol, so I really respect her for it… however she’s a bit different when she’s around me:

She’s giggling more often (which I am thankful for), gets super excited when she sees weird & mostly creepy merch or eating grilled meat, and just… a lot more relaxed. It’s strange, but… I love it. I mean, yeah, I love her in general, but being right by her side when she’s like this… It’s such a gift.

Once again though… why?

All this kindness, active support, brutal honesty, and straight up being herself… just for my sake. It’s a lot for someone like me to handle: having someone so dedicated to making you feel like you’re worth it. She even has to remind me of this constantly because I often don’t treat myself with the same kind of love that I give her or she gives to me.

Ha, I guess that old saying about having to learn to love yourself before loving others is true.

Before I met her I couldn’t be more alone. Sure I was comfortable with how life was, but I had no real direction until I first saw her on stage. Like a bolt out of the blue, that bravery, resilience, and warm smile of hers brought me out of the dark. I truly owe this girl so much for what she does for me, helping me feel more optimistic and willing to try new things. If I had never met her… there’s no telling what might have happened.

Now to conclude on a high note, if I were to describe who she was to me, a few images come to mind.

A dazzling light shining down upon me like a star in the cold night, a courageous knight who extends a hand to guide me through a lost forest, or in reality… an undead performer on an illuminated stage pointing directly at my heart with an adorable “Cut-in!”. That’s how I’ll always see her, the selfless girl that sparked my heart and lit up my world to save me from myself…

… My beloved Ai-chan.

< Ai’s POV >

My boyfriend is… such a dork, and I love him for it.

He may be a bit timid, and in some ways clueless, but he has a truly kind soul that always manages to make me smile. Not just that, he goes out of his way to make it happen whenever we’re together! I think it would be best to describe a few specific things about him that show how much he resonates with me, and that starts with my favorite thing to do with him: kissing.

Despite both of us being in a relationship for the first time in our lives (or second life in my case), as soon as we started smooching we can’t seem to go a day without it when we’re together. Kissing him is like eating a cookie fresh out of the oven, albeit after some waiting to avoid getting burned. It’s warm, soft, and sweet. Those words are exactly what I would use to describe locking lips with him, such a calming feeling so I tend to indulge myself with them more often than not. 

I never expected to be greedy about it, but I can’t help it, he’s such a kissable dork!

Onto a different thing about him I enjoy indulging in: his baking. Guilty as charged here, he’s single handedly making me break my usual idol diet! I still hate eating so many carbs, but even I have to hold myself back when he bakes brownies. Even when he screws up they still have excellent flavor, damn these desserts from my darling! He does his best not to make them overwhelmingly sweet or bland, carefully following each recipe and that makes me a little jealous ha ha. In some ways, he’s more feminine than I am, especially when it comes to baking. Not that it’s a bad thing of course, I always look forward to whatever he has for me and the others when he’s got that apron on.

And as embarrassing as this may be to say, he’s honestly got some good house husband potential… Ah, I need to move on before I start to fantasize!

The last thing I’ll touch on is that his sincerity always shines through in whatever he does. He gives me compliments that can make my heart race and my cheeks rosy out of the blue! And I know he means what he says when I see that small grin of his, which is adorable by the way. Genuine through and through, always doing his best to make me smile. The fact that I was lucky enough to snag a guy like this instead of some irritating perv or a disingenuous jerk is what I’ll always thank the gods for. I’ve never met someone so unapologetically sweet as him, even if he doesn’t think that he is.

And that’s the one thing that frustrates me about him, I hate it when he’s so hard on himself. He reminds me of Sakura during her slump before the Arpino concert, except he’s yet to fully grasp my “mistakes or failures aren’t bad things” speech. Sure he’s made some improvements for the better, but I can tell that he’s always worrying about messing up and thinking that I might end up hating him one day. That is never going to happen though, he means too much to me and I want him to one day see what I see in him.

I’m not perfect either, why can’t you see that it’s okay that you’re not?

You never ran away after learning who I really am, you’re so dedicated to making me happy, and whenever you’re around I feel at peace. If I had never met you, then I’d feel like something is missing from my life beyond being an idol, questioning who I would be without it. That’s why… I’d get struck by lightning over and over if it meant that I would get to meet you and fall in love again. The kind boy whose sincerity captured my heart…

… My precious Ren-kun.

Chapter Text

Saga Prefecture, Japan

< Third-Person POV >

“Come on, girls! Pick up the pace, we still have another mile to go!”

Ai jogs in place as the other members of Franchouchou lag behind her. They looked pretty winded, most notably Sakura, Junko, and Lily. Saki wiped sweat off her forehead and huffed.

“We’ve been at this for what? Two hours now? I know we can’t get worked to death, but come on!”

“Hah… hah… hah… hah…” Tae panted like a dog with her tongue out, definitely needing water.

Ai stops her jogging and crosses her arms, “The next concert’s just around the corner, so we have to stay active! Don’t just sit around and let those joints of yours rot!”

“But Ai-chaaaannn… my joints feel all wobblyyyy…” 

Sakura looked so tired that she was teetering and about to fall over, so Junko tried to keep her friend steady.

 “Sakura-san, stay strong!”

“Hm… Ai-han, perhaps a brief excursion could benefit us before we continue? We are in a shopping district after all.” Yugiri suggests.

Lily’s eyes lit up with anticipation “Lily agrees with sis Yugiri! Let’s go shopping!”

Knowing she was in the minority in this scenario, Ai let out a defeated sigh.

“Ah, fine… where do you feel like going first?”

The girls peered around at the various stores until one catches Junko’s eye.

“Hm… oh! Isn’t that the bookstore that Ren-kun works at?”

Sakura snaps out of her wooziness to look at it, “Wow, it is! Small world, isn’t it? Why don’t we drop by to see him?”

Ai shakes her head at that idea.

“He’s likely very busy, we shouldn’t get in the way of his work out of the blue like this.”

Saki grins and nudges her with her elbow, “Heh, what’s wrong, Ai? You’re usually itching to get the chance to see your boytoy, your relationship on the rocks right now?”

“Don’t even joke about that, Saki.” She bluntly told her, unamused. 

Lily huffed and crossed her arms just like Ai, “Yeah! Ren-kun & Ai-chan are super lovey dovey! Nothing can get in the way of their super cute love!”

“R-Right…” The little girl’s claim made Ai blush a bit, “Back to the matter at hand, I don’t want to just walk in and intrude on his duties. We both respect our alone time, even if we love being together much more. Being over-reliant on each other’s presence isn’t very healthy, independence should be a key part of any close relationship. To sum it all up, I’d rather make plans for our own time than interrupt his. Does that make sense to you all?”

Ai opened her eyes after her explanation and to her confusion saw only Junko standing there clapping supportively.

“Ai-san, that’s truly a wonderful thing to hear… but unfortunately everyone already left.”

“...”

The Heisei Idol holds her face in her hands and groans.

“... Why do I even bother?”

__________________________________________________

Ren wipes some sweat off his forehead before he sees a customer approach the register and turns on customer service mode.

“Hey, how’s it going? All set I see, looks like you got the latest volume of… wow, that is a mouthful of a title. Anyone Who Says I’m Flat-Chested Needs to Step in a Pile of Dog Poop?”

He raised an eyebrow after he finished reading the title out loud, the male customer awkwardly chuckling after hearing it.

“Ah ha, yeah… name aside though it’s actually great! I’ve been waiting a while to get this new volume since—”

The customer was soon interrupted by a girl walking in eating some melon bread. Ren spots the crumbs she’s leaving on the floor and tries to hide his disdain with an overly friendly smile.

“Nukumizu-kun, there you are! Off looking for light novels as usual, huh? Typical, I wanted to go on this trip to see the sights of Saga!”

The customer sighs, as if he’s dealt with her attitude before.

“Probably to the detriment of my wallet as per usual…” He says under his breath as he finishes paying for his light novel.

“Hmph! For that remark, you’re buying me lunch! And I’m in the mood for yakitori at that Drive-In Tori restaurant, come on!”

“Hey! Yanami-san, slow down!“

The girl then dragged the boy out of the store much to the bafflement of the employees as well as other customers. After witnessing such a scene, Ren simply shakes his head and sighs before taking a broom and dustpan to sweep up the crumbs.

“Jeez… just get married, you two.”

“You’re one to talk, loverboy.” Saki snarks from behind.

“GYAH! What the heck are you guys doing here?!” 

Ren jumped a few inches back as Saki laughed at his reaction, the other members of Franchouchou browsing the bookshelves.

“Sorry for the sudden intrusion, we just came by to browse your selection. I hope it’s not too troublesome…” Junko bowed her head apologetically.

The young man scratched the back of his head in confusion, “It’s alright. Just wasn’t expecting this today of all days, it’s been kinda slow up until now…”

“Well, better to have it slow than deal with a hectic rush period.”

Hearing a familiar voice from behind, Ren turns around and is met with his beautiful girlfriend. A warm smile formed immediately on his face.

“Hey, darling. Tried to tell them to leave you be, but you know how they are…” Ai smiled softly as she walked up and smooched his cheek.

He kisses back awkwardly, “Hey, Ai-chan. And I understand, though helping you all might make this shift less boring at the very least. So… what would Saga’s top idols like to add to their reading catalogues today?”

“SHONENSHOUJOMAGICALGIRLS!!!”

Both Ren and Ai looked at each other with bafflement at what they all heard from three of them (Sakura, Saki, & Lily), the former scratching his cheek as he tried to figure out what they all just said.

“Okay, not all at once this time. Sakura-san, you first.”

“Ah ha ha… oops. Ahem, I want to see what kind of shoujo manga they have these days!”

Ren nods before turning to the biker chick, “Hm, hm, alright then. Saki?”

“I need me some action, show me the shonen!” Saki grinned and slammed her fist into her palm.

The boy chuckled watching her enthusiasm, “Ha, as expected. What about you, Junko-san?”

“Oh, me? I would prefer something relaxing to read through, nothing with any violence or vulgarity.” Her answer made Saki scoff.

“Pff, says the girl who smashed a guitar to bits…”

Junko replied back embarrassed, “T-That’s different!”

Ren steps in before the idols could go back and forth.

“Hey, no need to make fun, Saki. Now where were we… oh, my apologies! Yugiri-san, you’re next.”

The courtesan placed a hand on her cheek as she eyed the shelves, “Oh my, I’m not quite sure myself. I’m not well-versed in manga, so I may require a push in the right direction.”

“I gotcha, now who’s left… ah! I think I heard your voice in the shouting from earlier, Lily-chan. You said magical girls, right?”

The eternal 12-year old’s eyes lit up as he said that.

“Yeah! Lily wants to see some super special awesome girls fighting bad guys with magical powers and flashy outfits!”

“Lame.”

“No one asked you, Saki!” Lily tells her as Ren shakes his head.

“Okay, okay, I’ve got the gist of everything. All the books are ordered by genre, so you all can head over to the ones you want and I can give my own personal insight so you can walk away happy. That sounds like a good plan?”

The zombie idols all gave him a thumbs up and he gave one right back.

“Alrighty, time to get started! Head to your genre shelves and I’ll be with you shortly.”

Once they leave, Ren overhears someone clearing her throat behind him.

“Ahem, forgetting about me? Strange how you just skipped Number 3 after going through 1-6. Or are you having trouble remembering how to count to my number in particular?”

Ren awkwardly laughed and patted Ai’s head.

“Heh, I thought I’d save the best for last if you know what I mean. Mostly though, it’s because I rarely get the chance to hang out with the other girls as often as you, so I hope you don’t mind that.”

Ai gives him a reassuring smile and pokes his cheek affectionately.

“I don’t actually, getting along with your partner’s loved ones is important after all. Have fun, I’ll be browsing on my own until you’re ready to recommend anything to me.”

They trade cheek smooches once more, but before Ai could leave, Ren had one more thing to say.

“Thanks, I’ll be with you as soon as I can, sweetheart! And you’re right, if I’m gonna be a part of this family, I have to get along with everyone!”

Hearing that last bit made Ai’s cheeks feel warm and a small smile formed across her face. She places a hand over her heart, sighs dreamily, and gets started on her own exploration of the store. Ren on the other hand sees the Legendary Tae Yamada leaping up onto a shelf and snatching a book with her teeth.

“Hey, hey! Try not to do that until you buy it!”

He plays a bit of tug-of-war with her until she reluctantly lets go of the thankfully thick info book. Ren cringes as he wipes off the drool with his sleeve.

“Blech, Tae-san, I hope you’re looking for something to actually read instead of chew on… hm?”

Ren then spots the title of the book that she had in her mouth, “Urban Legends: The Sagako”, which causes him to briefly stare at Tae in bewilderment before opening it up. Upon skimming through the pages however, his eyes went wide and chills started to run down his spine. He closes the book immediately and places it back in between Tae’s jaws.

“Okay, that’s enough nightmare fuel today. I’ll ring you up later, buh-bye!”

Quickly walking away from whatever that was, he made his first real stop by the shoujo manga section.

“R-R-Ren-kun! There’s just so many, it’s amazing how many they’ve made in the years since I di–mmph!” Sakura quickly covered her mouth before she could slip up, “I-I mean they’ve made so many over the years…”

The other customers around her simply ignored that and went about their days.

“I’m surprised you all still keep this secret under wraps for the most part.” Ren snarks as Sakura smiled embarrassingly, “So, did any of them catch your eye yet?”

“To be honest, all of them look so interesting! There’s this one about a student council president who works in a maid cafe, a girl who lives with a family who turns into animals, and this amazing one I read before about one girl who joins a school host club! So many stories that are pulling me every which way because of the plots and good art that I just… I just… haaa…”

Ren gently shakes the redhead after she exhausted herself, “Hey keep your head screwed on! Literally, it’s starting to spin, Sakura-san!”

He stops the spinning by placing his hand atop her head and turns it back towards the shelf.

“Hm, I don’t blame you for being overwhelmed. There’s so many good options here, but if it was up to me…”

Sakura looked on as Ren scanned through each one alphabetically before landing on one particular first volume.

“You probably aren’t a video game person, but this love story is pretty wholesome regardless of your knowledge. Take a quick look!”

Sakura’s mouth opens in awe as she looks through the pages of this one, Ren looking confident that he made the right choice.

“After getting over a bad breakup with her boyfriend, a college student meets a stoic fellow online guildmate who she ultimately falls for! The boy seems apathetic at first, but he’s actually quite kind to her, while she’s a bit of a clumsy mess ha ha… They’re really cute together, but really it’s up to you if you want to check it out.”

Her eyes were practically glued to the pages, giggling to herself at almost all the jokes and cute moments, and she was nearly in tears by the end of the first volume.

“Yamada-kun is such a good guy… sniff… and so are you, Ren-kun…”

Sakura utters as she hugs the book to her chest as a tear rolls down her cheek.

“You’re too kind, Sakura-san. I’ll grab you the second volume as well, thank you for your patronage!”

She then pulls on his shirt collar to stop him, “Wait!”

“Gyah! Y-Yes?” Ren coughs as he readjusted himself.

“The girl in this story kinda reminds me of… me, was that on purpose?”

Sakura’s question made him look through the book just to be sure, and after seeing her point he shakes his head.

“That definitely wasn’t intentional, but you do share some similarities. You’re both cute and a bit wishy-washy from what I’ve seen, you’re like a heroine in your own right!”

The girl smiled at his compliment, “Aww, that’s so sweet of you to say… wait, wishy-washy?”

Before she gets any further elaboration, he pats her on the back and hands her the next volume before moving onto the shonens. Greeted by an impatient Saki tapping her foot.

“Took ya long enough, pal. Egghead really likes that mushy stuff, huh? She was like this when she found out you and Ai were together too.” Saki mentions and Ren’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Really? I mean I guess the way we got together was kinda something out of a romance novel, but…”

“Eh, it’s cool, but not my style. Love is a bit complicated for me, hah… so let’s get to the action!”

“Right…”

Saki lowered her eyebrows as she tried to scout for something that sounded badass, but then she loudly gasped when she found it. She roughly pulled the book out as some of the others in that row fell onto the ground. As well as Ren’s cranium.

“Ow, ow! Watch it!”

Saki meanwhile was busy staring at the cover art with a familiar spiky-haired martial artist on it, “Holy shit… they made another series! I watched the anime all the time whenever it came on! Those fights were so freaking legendary that whenever I got into a scrap I tried to use some of the moves I saw!”

After rubbing the small bump on his head, Ren perks up once he hears what she’s talking about.

“Oh yeah, I love this series too! And while this one doesn’t really live up to its successor, it still has some strong moments and some of my favorite transformations! I think that’s a solid choice.”

“Nice, I think I’m just gonna grab that and get goin—”

Ren quickly raises a finger up and interrupts her, “However, trying something new that wasn’t around during your time could help broaden your horizons a bit. What do you say?”

“Uh… sure, four-eyes. What do ya got for me?”

The so-called four-eyes tossed over one of the books that fell on him. Saki takes one look at the cover art and she’s immediately unimpressed.

“… A caped baldy? What’s so cool about him?”

“Just take a quick look at the art and see…”

Saki takes a second before shrugging her shoulders and opening it up. She sees the “caped baldy” reducing some monsters to chunks with a single blow and her jaw drops.

“Dude… this is so sick! I’ll get both of these!”

“Ha, another victory in the bag.” Ren smirks as he says this, which makes Saki attempt to dismiss it.

“Hey, this doesn’t count! You still owe me a rematch, and I choose the new kart game I saw on tv!”

He flinches as soon as he hears that challenge before reluctantly bumping Saki’s fist, “Ugh, I guess. But I get to pick the courses because the item roulette is never on my side! Hope you enjoy your shonen manga…”

“Heh, you’re cool I guess, loverboy.” 

She gives him a genuine grin, Ren reciprocates and they bump fists again to say “see ya later!” as they went their separate ways.

“Junko-san?”

“Eep! H-Hi…”

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have approached you from behind. Have you found anything yet?”

“It’s no problem, and unfortunately no… The art on all of these new manga have me feeling a bit self conscious. The art styles are so different from what I was used to back then…”

“I see, it’s kind of like a culture shock, isn’t it? Sorry to hear about that, but I’ll do my best to try to find something you’ll enjoy. That’s my job after all, just like how you all dedicate yourselves on stage to us fans.”

He looks at her with a soft smile that helps restore some of her confidence as the two of them worked to find something that could fit her criteria.

“Hold on, what is this?”

“Oh, this is a favorite of mine actually! The plot is simple, just girls going camping together around the Yamanashi Prefecture. It’s just so cozy… it makes me want to bundle up in a blanket by a fireplace!”

“That sounds wonderful, Ren-kun… oh!” She peeks over his shoulder when he opens up the manga, “This artwork is adorable, and the way they depict these lakes around Mt Fuji… it’s so peaceful. The fact that a girl so young is going to these places on her own and camping there as well is surprising!”

“Mhm! And the way she has blue hair and rides around on a moped reminds me of a certain someone, ha ha…”

Junko quickly picks up who he was talking about, “You think about Ai-san a lot, don’t you?”

“Yeah, just so much. I’m thankfully able to go about my day without being around her, but whenever I think about her at least a few times a day… it makes things a lot easier. Especially at work… does that sound strange?”

The Showa Idol shook her head and smiled.

“Of course not, you wouldn’t be as great a boyfriend to her if you never thought about her at all. The affection for each other you both share is heartwarming, everything I hear from you two lets me know how sincere your relationship is. I can’t picture you two with anyone else!”

“That really means a lot, Junko, thank you…”

“You’re welcome, Ren-kun.”

“…”

“…”

After a small bit of silence for reading, something then popped into Ren’s mind suddenly.

“Hey Junko-san, quick question… what has Ai actually told you about me?”

Junko keeps a pleasant smile on her face, not answering his question as his face starts to glow red.

“I… I’ll just leave it at that then. Hope you like your book, there’s a bunch of cute moments and even camping facts if you’re interested…”

“Great, I’ll be sure to pick up more volumes in the future. See you, Ren-kun.” 

She politely bowed her head to him, and he bows as well, but then he gets an idea as he sees her floofy hair in front of him.

“S-See you… wait, one more thing though, if you don’t mind?”

“Yes? Ah!”

Ren then started to pet Junko’s fluffy hair, his fingers gently combing through her wool-like locks awkwardly just to make her flustered as “revenge”.

“U-Um… ah… what are you…?” Her cheeks went about as warm as his.

“T-There, now we’re even. Bye, Junko.”

He quickly walks off as she tries to fluff down any locks that were sticking outward. An eye for an eye, a blush for a blush.

__________________________________________________

“Hm… what to choose…?”

The courtesan of Franchouchou wonders aloud as she exhales whatever she has in her pipe. 

When Ren spots her roaming about, he stops to take in how pretty she looked. While the other members are no slouches in the looks department (with makeup on and arguably without it too), Yugiri had a different aura surrounding her. The fact that she was from an era far removed from the others, the Meiji era, made her quite alluring as well.

It was like seeing a well crafted antique that had been untouched by time.

Her aforementioned aura had intimidated Ren to the point where he was hesitating to approach her.

“Yugiri-san, how are you holding up?”

She lets out another puff before answering, “Ah, Sir Ren. It’s unfortunately not going well, nothing seems to be calling out to me.”

“Well, this is what I’m here for. Before we get started though… there’s no smoking allowed in here, sorry.” Ren points to the rules sign and Yugiri politely places her smoking pipe away.

“My apologies, if it’s common courtesy then I’ll refrain from smoking whenever I enter this store.”

He nods as he turns towards the shelf she was eyeing, “Thank you… hm… isekais, eh? A person entering another world quite different from the one they left… you probably relate to that sort of thing, don’t you?”

“This new era I found myself in is unique in its own right compared to when I was alive. So much has changed, yet I’m not affected at all by those changes. Every day I’m amazed at what this world can offer…”

“Yeah I guess this world does indeed have its good qualities, even if sometimes we feel like we need an escape to a more fantastical reality. That is what these isekai stories provide, even if uh… they’re made so often that it’s hard to find some well-written ones out of the pile, ha…”

“I see… an escape to another reality. What a concept, are there any stories that you believe are well written in this genre?”

That question made Ren think for a second, what kind of isekai would Yugiri enjoy? 

Of course there’s the ones that form a certain quartet, some reverse isekai where fantasy characters end up in modern day Japan, and also this one involving a smartphone that Ren promptly tossed in the bargain bin to Yugiri’s confusion. Isekais weren’t anything he would take time out of his day to read or watch, but if he found a good one he wouldn’t be against checking it out for a bit. Lucky for him though, he managed to spot one of the interesting ones sticking out of the shelf.

“This one takes place in the Sengoku period, so farther back than the era you came from, but it has a girl from modern times ending up there and freeing a half-demon guy. Take a look to see how you like it.”

“Oh my, such an intriguing storyline. Don’t mind if I do.”

Once Yugiri takes the manga from Ren, she carefully goes page by page reading each and every line.

“…”

“Um… do you like it?” Ren asks

“…”

“Yugiri-san, hello?”

“…”

She seemed completely focused on going through it, her smile hadn’t changed as she went on so it seemed that she did manage to find something she liked… even if it looked like she was sucked into the story.

“… I’ll just leave you to it then. Enjoy yourself…”

Ren leaves her to continue with the classic isekai as he goes over to the youngest member of the group now.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Lily! Anything in particular you want to check out?”

“Hi hi, Ren-kun! Lily wanted to see if you had this one series in stock, only read a bit of it and Lily wants to see more!”

Ren hunches over so he could speak to her on her level, “Alrighty then, I’d be glad to check the shelves for you. What magical girl series was it?”

The twintailed girl bounced excitedly, making the older boy chuckle at her cuteness.

“Thank you, thank you, Renny!”

The boy beams when he hears that new nickname, finding it adorable coming from her, but that grin slowly fades after what Lily said next.

”Okay, it had this little cat thing with beady red eyes as a mascot! He offered girls the chance to be magical girls after signing a contract with him!”

Upon hearing that description, Ren nearly choked once he realized what she was talking about. That particular manga had some some… unsettling moments that made him feel it wouldn’t be suitable for Lily. Unless of course she’s numb to that sort of thing, but Ren doesn’t want to take that chance.

“O-Oh, that one? You sure…? Really sure…?”

“Uh… Ren-kun, are you okay?” Lily tilted her head at his reaction.

“Me? I’m fine, just 40% fine!”

“Doesn’t that mean you’re mostly not fine?”

“I can’t do math right now, let’s go and get your book, shall we?”

He tells her with a wobbly smile while in his head he’s telling himself:

“Oh this poor sweet child, I don’t want her to be traumatized. But it’s what she wants though…”

Ren looks at Lily and seeing those big ‘ol eyes of hers staring back at him with concern is making him conflicted on what to do next. The boy doesn’t want to make her sad, and yet this manga she wants to buy is a complicated one. But then the little girl gasps as she finds what she’s looking for… up near the top of the shelf.

“Aww, man… Lily really wanted it…”

The look on her face was heartbreaking, she had such a big pout that it was enough for Ren to break out of his overthinking and finally tell her:

“… I’ll get it for you.”

“Really?! But it’s so high up!” Lily tries hopping up to grab the volume herself and fails, “See? And climbing up a shelf that high might be scary…”

Ren gulps as he sees her point, so he looks around to see what he could use as a platform. He looks to his left and sees that the only ladder in this area was in the middle of being used to get down multiple copies of a textbook. Seeing no other option, he attempted the climb upwards.

“Ren-kun, be careful!” Lily warns him.

The other members of Franchouchou paused their reading to see what was going on and they all looked on with concern. 

“One step at a time, Ren…” The young man told himself.

Making sure he doesn’t accidentally step on any of the volumes and dirty/crumple them up, he moves up a few inches a second. He spots the spine of the manga peeking out from the shelf and his eyebrows lowered as he sees his opportunity. His fingers barely managed to touch the spine and with his other hand grips the edge of the shelf.

“Almost… got it… there!”

He pulls two volumes out at once and shows them to Lily, but before he could breathe for a minute…

“G-GAHHH!!!”

His hand slips and lets go of the shelf, and the momentum carries into his feet as well. The members of Franchouchou from their corners in the store all ran towards their friend as quickly as they could, calling out to him in panicked voices.

“REN!”

Before they could reach the impact zone, he was just too close to the floor. It was too late… 

…

…

… for them at least.

“AHHH—oof! Wait, huh?”

“Ren, are you okay?!”

Ren lifts his head up to find his girlfriend carrying him bridal style. The speed at which she reached his landing zone, the way she was holding him like he was the most precious thing to her, her eyes filled with worry over him, and the dedication she had to making sure he’s safe and sound… all of it touched his heart and brought him joy. He lets out a sigh of relief and hugs her tightly.

“Ai… you’re the coolest girlfriend, you know that? Thanks…”

Ai could feel his heart racing alongside her own, as she closes her eyes and leans into the hug.

“I’m just doing my job… like you were doing yours for everyone else. Just don’t scare me like that again, okay?”

They trade warm smiles with each other before the whole store erupted with cheers and applause, much to the duo’s embarrassment. Franchouchou reunites with them and all give Ren a group hug, thankful his girlfriend stepped in to save him. Once they all broke however, Ren leans down to hand Lily her manga and a headpat.

“There you go, as requested.”

The little girl held them close to her chest, “Yay! Thank you so much! You were so cool up there, Renny!”

”We’re so happy to see you’re safe. After what you’ve done for us, I wouldn’t want you getting hurt for your efforts.” Junko tells him, her hands clasped with lingering worry.

Yugiri bowed her head respectfully, “Your knowledge and hospitality has certainly managed to pleasure us enough to satisfy our needs, Sir Ren.”

“Phrasing, Yugiri-san… but she’s right! You helped us a lot, and we appreciate it!” Sakura chimed in.

Saki grinned and patted the boy on his shoulder, “Here, here, egghead! Loverboy got us some good stuff and showed some real guts, so let’s show him our respect! Ready girls?”

The girls formed a circle around him and simultaneously bowed their heads and shouted:

“THANK YOU, REN-KUN!”

Their friend almost didn’t know what to say, rubbing the back of his head and awkwardly chuckling until he responded in kind.

“YOU’RE WELCOME! Happy to help you all with satisfactory service! I’ll ring you all up in just a moment though, my work isn’t finished.”

He holds his hand out to Ai and she gladly takes it.

“Lead the way then.”

He gently intertwines his fingers with hers, “With pleasure, honey.”

The other girls watch them leave proudly as they enter the line, anticipating the moment they get back to the mansion to read in a more comfortable environment. RenAi however were now in a more secluded area of the store, so they could rest without any more excitement. After taking a moment to scour the shelves, Ai broke the silence.

“I was really scared back there, darling.”

He sighs as he steps closer, “I know, I’m sorry… it’s just… I couldn’t help myself from trying to get Lily-chan the one she wanted.”

”You could have at least tried to find another ladder instead of doing something dangerous like that, sometimes the more simpler option gets better results. And lessens the chance of you breaking a bone when you fall.”

He laughs softly at that cautious statement as she pokes his cheek.

“True, true… I am happy that you were there to catch me though, there you are being my knight again. Ha ha…”

“I always have to make sure my beloved Prince Renny stays out of trouble.” She giggles teasingly, while he rolls his eyes.

“Now don’t you start that, it’s only adorable when Lily says it.”

“Oh, so is that your way of saying I’m not as adorable as her?”

“Of course not! Her cuteness is great, but yours is unique. Want me to elaborate, Starlight?”

Her cheeks went pink when he used that nickname as she shook her head.

“N-Not right now, dummy… I wanted to see what you would recommend out of all of these. Go ahead and surprise me!”

“Sure thing, now let’s see… oooh, this one is a recent favorite of mine.”

He opens up the latest volume and shows her one of his favorite chapters.

“Would you mind reading it aloud with me? It might be fun to act out the scene.”

Ai thinks for a moment and makes sure the coast is clear before nodding.

“Okay, where do we start?”

Ren pointed to the page he wanted to read with her and cleared his throat as he started to voice the boy in the manga.

“Umi…”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“… You mean… Um, not as friends, but…?”

“Yup, I meant it as ‘I have feelings for you’.”

After those first pages, Ren & Ai looked at each other and laughed at the way they voiced the characters.

“I don’t know what the future holds for us, we might even quarrel the longer we’re together. There might be days when we can’t stand to look at each other, but… even if that were to happen, I’ll try to give it my all. So… I want you to be my girlfriend.”

“… Mmm!”

“Mmm?”

“I said okay!!”

“You’re crying, Umi.”

“Buzz off, idiot!! Don’t tell me you forgot how I didn’t mock you when you cried!!”

“Sorry, sorry.”

They turned the page, and after a quick beat… they mimicked the young couple with a kiss of their own.

“Ah~!! A real-life love story right before my eyes…!”

Blush enveloped their entire faces as they turned around to see who made that outburst.

“Sakura…” They both glared at her, spooking the apologetic egghead.

“S-Sorry! Pretend that never happened, keep kissing!”

She hid behind the corner as the couple’s faces returned to their normal color.

“We… really should get going now. You probably have a few more hours left on your shift, right?” Ai asks him.

Ren shrugs, “I’m about to go on lunch anyways, so I might as well have a small appetizer before then. And Sakura did say to keep kissing after all, if that’s alright with you?”

“Ha ha, who am I to argue with that then? Mmm…”

*smooch*

Sakura stays mostly silent this time as she witnesses the lovely trading of kisses, whispering in a voice only she could hear:

 “And they lived happily ever after…”

Artwork by @eemapso.bsky.social, @smashtoons.com, & @mikeytoast.bsky.social on Bluesky, thank you so much for allowing me to commission you! Support these artists because they brought our beloved couple to life in beautiful ways! Those comic pages are based on the scene from Chapter 7, the kiss in the rain is from chapter 13, and the bench art is based on chapter 17!

Chapter Text

Saga Prefecture, Japan

< Third-Person POV >

“Ah! It’s good to meet you, and your name is…?”

“R-Ren, Miss Number 3! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

The idol and her fan shook hands as he walked up to her awkwardly.

“Likewise, did you enjoy the show?”

“Of course! You always manage to stand and deliver up there with the others, it’s inspiring to say the least. Ah ha ha…” The young man rubbed the back of his head

“Hee hee, so happy to hear that! We always do our best for fans like you. Now then, ready for the photo?”

“Uh, sure! Just gotta…”

He quickly pats down his hair, readjusted his glasses, and dusts off his hoodie before giving her a thumbs up.

“Good to go, 3-san!”

She lets out a giggle before the two of them make a double peace sign toward the camera.

*click*

“Okay, looks like you’re all set! Just let me sign here and… there we go! Thanks for coming to see us!”

Number 3 hands him the signed photo with a dazzling smile, and he reciprocates it while taking it.

“No, thank you for being so good at your job. Hope to see you some other time!”

They shake hands before going their separate ways, the fan looking down at his oshi’s autograph.

“See you tonight, handsome~!” - Ai  💙🌼

It was signed with both a heart and flower right by her name as he lets out a heartfelt sigh.

“She’s so cool…”

Hours later and soon RenAi was reunited by a fountain in the evening. Ren waves to her as he sees her approaching, Ai jogging up to him with an excited grin on her face.

“Hi, honey...” The boy says once they’re face to face.

His girlfriend pinches his cheek affectionately, “Hi, handsome…”

The two of them laughed at those greetings before beginning their stroll. Ren lets out a sigh, his breath creating water vapor due to the cold air.

“Man, I have no idea how you were able to keep a straight face back there, I was struggling not to call you by your name in public.“

Ai smiles while taking Ren’s hand, “Years of media training can make it a lot easier. It was a piece of cake for me, but you actually held up better than I thought you would to be honest, I’m proud of you. Although did you really need to pretend that you don’t know me?”

“Look, not many of the familiar faces that know me were there, so I had to keep a low profile. And remember you talked about how crazy idol fans can be when they see their favorites getting too close to men? The last thing I’d want to do is give you trouble, Ai-chan.”

“You’re being too considerate… but I get it. On the surface some fans can come across as super passionate, yet underneath they could be unhealthily possessive of their idols. So many of our fans here are genuinely kind though, like you, so I guess that’s the good thing about being Saga-exclusive.”

“Aw, thanks. Ha ha, and yeah… I wouldn’t even be able to get close to you at all, if we were in somewhere like Tokyo.”

“That would be such a pain… We were both struggling with separation when you went to LA, so something like that would be an absolute nightmare…”

The duo shudder at the mere thought of it before they reach their destination: the movie theater. Ren’s eyes lit up upon seeing what was playing and he began trembling with anticipation. Ai smiled warmly as she watched him act like a child at one of their concerts, unable to sit still and had one of the most eager grins she’s seen on his face.

“Haaaaaaaa, it’s finally here! I’ve been waiting months for this and now I… haaaaaa!!”

Ren was starting to hyperventilate, so Ai quickly got him to take deep breaths and rubbed his back.

“Okay, okay, settle down sweetie. I’ll buy the tickets to the one you want, high picture quality too.”

“Thank you Ai-chan, you’re an angel… marry me…” He says with tears in his eyes.

Ai immediately goes red as she hands the money to the theater usher.

“N-Not yet, you dummy!”

He pauses and his face goes red too upon realizing what he said. “Sorry, ah ha… forgot. It just slipped out.”

“Yeah yeah… don’t forget we’re still boyfriend & girlfriend for now, okay?” She clears her throat as she takes the tickets, “Ahem, moving on… I’ve actually been curious about this movie myself. After seeing you gush on your Rooster account about the visuals from the trailers, I couldn’t help but be intrigued. It could be fun!”

“Really now? Well glad my enthusiasm gave you incentive to come see it with me and… wait, you’re following my Rooster account? Since when have you been there?” Her boyfriend raises an eyebrow.

“A few weeks, thought it could be a good opportunity to see what fans are looking for when it comes to idol content, but… the less you know about the stuff I’ve seen on that site the better. I’ll just stick to using the internet for research purposes…”

“Smart choice…” Ren pats her shoulder sympathetically.

“Mhm, but enough about traumatic experiences now. You want to go and buy the snacks?”

“Sure thing, though I have a feeling we won’t be needing to buy popcorn…”

Ren smirked while teasingly poking at her popcorn flower earring.

“Oh shut it…” The girl rolls her eyes.

They purchased a small popcorn since Ai wasn’t going to eat that many carbs, plus she wanted Ren to cut back on them too. They also got some gummy bears and crunchy chocolate bits to go along with it. As for the drinks though…

“Jeez, what happened there? That whole area’s flooded with soda…” Ren winced as he sees the sticky puddles splattered against the carpet and counters like some carbonated crime scene.

“Someone likely took a spill, but that much? Better move to the next one…” The duo scooted over to the opposite soft drink machine, “Oh, on the subject of floods… what exactly did you do when Saga was flooded? You didn’t go to work, right?”

“Nope, I basically just holed up in my apartment until it was over. There was still plenty of food and games, plus my internet was still running too surprisingly. Didn’t even step out until it was all over.”

Ai squints at him in slight annoyance before shrugging her shoulders. “… Well that’s a sign that we need to go on more outside dates so you can get more sun.”

“H-Hey… I wasn’t that bad! And I haven’t done anything like that since!“

She crosses her arms in response. “Along with your new diet, you need to start getting out more. I’m only making sure you’re taking care of your own health, not letting you end up like me.”

“Hm…” Ren pouted as he reluctantly fills his cup with lemonade instead of cola like he originally wanted.

Ai smiles and pats his head. “Good boy.“

The young man was about to speak up against referring to him as that, but then notices a familiar face stepping out of the women’s restroom.

“Oi, Yuzuriha-san!”

“Ah, Ren-kun! And Ai-chan!” Maimai waved to the couple as they approached their friend.

But as they got closer they saw her school uniform damp with cola stains, guess that answers what happened back at the machine. “Figures.” The couple thought to themselves as they recalled Maimai’s clumsiness.

They decide not to bring it up as the zombie idol greets her former fellow member, “Nice to see you, how’s school been?”

“Oh the usual, ha ha. Are you two out on a date?”

The couple nod at the same time before Ren answers, “Yup, yup! We’ve got two tickets to see this picture on the big screen!”

He flashes his own ticket and Maimai gasps.

“No way! We’re watching the same movie together, what a coinky dink!”

“Oh, cool! Are you a fan of these movies too?”

“I’ve seen a bunch, but not all of them! This one looked a lot of fun though, with that metal lady and giant purple helmet guy! Do you know a lot about these characters, Ren-kun?”

“As a matter of fact I do, need a quick info dump before we head on in?”

“Sure, sure! Gimme a lore drop!”

“Ha ha, you got it. So it all starts when four scientists go into space and get hit by cosmic rays…”

Ai blinked twice while watching this exchange between the two glasses-wearers. Sure it was nice to see him getting along with someone, he mentioned not having too many friends growing up before, yet… this felt strange. Feeling some aching in her chest as well…

“Woooooow! So he eats whole planets?! That is so scary and cool! I can’t wait to watch it now!”

Ren chuckles at how much Maimai got into it, “I told you it would be crazy!”

Before the two could continue nerding out over this, Maimai’s friends decided to stop by.

“Maimai, the previews are just about to start!”

“Eh? Who’s that guy you’re talking to? Wait, is he your boyfriend?!”

Ren raises his hands up defensively. “No no! I’m just a friend and fellow Franchouchou fan, completely platonic! And I’m here with someone else too.”

“Awww…” The other girls slumped in disappointment before heading back into the theater.

Maimai laughed embarrassingly. “Ah ha… sorry about that! Well I’ll see you two inside! Let’s have fun with this movie!”

“Yeah, let’s—whoa!”

Ren turns around and finds his arm getting pulled back by his girlfriend.

“Ai-chan? What’s up?”

“…”

Ai doesn’t answer, just simply holds his arm in hers as she takes him into their theater. Ren could hardly see through the darkness of the room, but he manages to notice a pout on her face as she continues to clutch his arm. Thankfully the good movie helped her ease up a bit (asides from a few intense scenes like the metal woman surfing on a black hole, when her hand clutched his tight), yet when they got back out she was back to being moody.

“Man that was even better than I hoped for, so much fun! Did you like it, honey?”

“…”

“... Ai?” 

She simply turned away and hugged his arm close.

“...”

“Ai? Uh, Ai-chan?”

“...”

He raises an eyebrow at her silence as the two of them continue their night out. Ren attempts to wave goodbye to Maimai and her friends, but is pulled closer to his girl, much to his confusion. 

This unusual behavior from Ai went on even as they went shopping. While picking out a new outfit, she had this scowl on her face the whole time. As she headed into the changing room, Ren sat down on a chair right in front of her curtain.

“Did I do something wrong…?” I mumbles to himself as his head lowers into his hands.

The idol’s sharp hearing helps her catch what he says, the guilt in his voice making her sigh regretfully. “... Ren.”

“Uh, y-yes?!”

He stands up in a straight and disciplined manner, like he was in the army. Ai opens the curtain to show off her new outfit: Black long-sleeved top that displayed the charm necklace he got her, grey skirt, and long black heel boots. Ren’s eyes were wide and gleaming and his mouth slightly parted as he stared, completely captivated by this girl.

“So… how do I—”

“Glorious, stunning, charming, pretty, stellar, amazing, gorgeous, sensational, dazzling… beautiful.”

For the first time in hours, Ai let out a laugh and smiled warmly at how much he was complimenting her.

“Ah ha ha… thank you, darling. I think I’ll go with this outfit then, since you love it so much.”

She closes the curtain as she gets changed back to her other clothes, as Ren recovers from such a wonderful outfit.  Out of the corner of his eye however, a smaller employee was carrying a stack of shoe boxes in her arms that was close to tipping over.

“Please excuse me, I’m coming through… ah! No no no!” 

She nearly drops the boxes, but thankfully she finds Ren lightening the load by taking half of her stack.

“Careful now! Here, let me take some of these.”

She takes a few deep breaths as she recovers. “T-Thank you so much, sir! Um, are you here to change as well?”

He shakes his head and gives a reassuring grin her way.

“No, I’m only waiting on someone. It won’t be long.”

“Ah, I see… whoever you’re with is lucky to have someone so helpful by their side! You really saved me from taking a tumble, ehehe…” The worker girl laughed embarrassingly before offering a handshake.

He gladly shakes her hand, “My pleasure. Carrying that much had to be tough on you, so I’m happy that I could help you out!”

“...”

“Ack!” Ren flinched when he sees Ai’s glare from behind the curtain.

“Eeek! U-um, it looks like you both are finished here, I’ll go and ring you up! Thank you for coming!”

The employee bows apologetically before rushing to get away from the annoyed zombie girl. Ren turns to her in fear.

“A-Ai, it wasn’t anything bad, I just… ow!”

Ai took his arm and dragged him along to the register to pay. Once they finished in the store, Ren held her bag with his left hand while his whole right side was taken hostage by his girlfriend. Not a single inch of space in between them as she continued to give cold stares toward any person who came close to her man.

“…”

Ren looks at her with concern. “Ai… come on…”

She still wouldn’t budge, so he decided to get through to her via her stomach.

“So I’m making beef bulgogi tonight… Do you wanna go get some meat for it?”

Ai halts and her eyes immediately light up with excitement. “M-Meat…”

“Ha, I know just the place.”

The boy grins as he takes her to a market he frequents, and as soon as they make it to the meat section… they’re greeted by Saga’s own Black Wagyu Beef. The texture and marbling makes Ai’s mouth water just by looking at it as she places it into the shopping basket. An amused Ren watches her enthusiasm, making her blush and immediately return to her senses.

(Enjoy Franchouchou cow outfits, obviously Ai's the most excited about this collab lol)

“Ahem, thank you for bringing me here. Y’know this beef is usually used for yakiniku or BBQ dishes, so I’m curious to see how you’ll turn it into bulgogi. That’s a Korean BBQ dish, right?”

Ren gives her a thumbs up for a correct answer, “Ding ding! That’s right. It’ll take a while to prepare, but it cooks pretty quickly so you don’t have to wait too long. Now let’s round up some other ingredients I need: brown sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil!”

The pair salute each other in a dorky fashion before exploring the market in earnest. Collecting everything they needed for their dinner before lining up at the register. However, the pair found one customer conversing with the cashier on a peculiar topic.

“Franchouchou’s great and all, but I still love them Iron Frill girls more, y’know?”

“Eh, I stopped paying attention to them after what happened to Ai Mizuno.”

“Oh right, her… Who cares? It’s tragic, but stop livin’ in the past, man! Right now we have Shiori Baba and she’s rockin’ it!”

“Who cares?”

“…”

Immediately noticing her trembling with rage, Ren takes her arm. “Let’s go to a different line, alright?”

Ai once again returns to being quiet, not willing to express her own frustration with how much she had been keeping inside all night.

After yet another excursion ended poorly, they head back to Ren’s apartment to cook the beef. The whole time, Ai’s scowl never went away even when eating delicious meat. After cleaning everything up Ren taps her on the shoulder.

“Hey, Ai… can we head to my room for a bit? I want to show you something.”

She scoffs, still annoyed and not willing to answer him verbally but she reluctantly follows Ren into his room. He turns the light on near the Ai shrine and lets out a sigh.

“It’s not really something you notice upon first glance, but… look at the way I arranged these posters. In particular the ones I don’t display fully.”

Ai’s eyebrows lowered as she takes a look at the ones that are partly covered by other ones. That’s when she noticed a pattern, they were mostly ones with her and Junko being close. Clutching hands, one hand on a shoulder, sitting close, or even walking side by side with each other… All of them looking like they could be taken a certain way.

“And that’s not the only thing…”

Ren turns on his computer and shows off all the different social media posts from fellow fans.

“Franchouchou Numbers 3 and 4 look so cute together!”

“3-4 duo is the best!”

“There’s no heterosexual explanation for this.”

“Kyahhh, they’re holding hands!”

“They’re so in love, look at them!”

“Best couple in the world!”

Once she sees all of this, Ai sits down on the bed before speaking up, “Ren, I…”

“It’s not your fault, much less Junko’s. I just… it does hurt whenever I see these kinds of things, so I understand why you were so upset. There’s always that lingering fear that someone else might be better for the one you care about, and that others may agree with that viewpoint. The jealousy, the insecurity… it’s awful. People are free to say what they want, and you have the right to take these merchandise photos for work… yet that ache never truly goes away. And I end up feeling like you can do much better than me.”

He flops back onto the bed next to her and she takes him into her arms. The Heisei Idol processes what he told her before finally deciding to let out what was on her own mind.

“… For me, seeing all those girls you were talking to earlier… it made me feel insecure about myself. Of course I’m happy that you’re much more socially active than you were back then, but I don’t like being ignored. And then that guy at the market as well… he was being so insensitive! Yes he couldn’t have possibly known that I was standing right behind him, but what happened to not speaking ill of the dead?”

His face becomes wracked with guilt and understanding as he listens.

“It almost felt like I’m being left behind again by the fans, just that tragic idol who was struck by lightning as they moved on… I hate feeling so insignificant. The fact that those girls are also more alive compared to me doesn’t help either, like I’m just a rotting corpse only pretending to be—”

“THAT’S NOT TRUE!”

Ren immediately covers his mouth after that outburst, Ai’s eyes going wide.

“Sorry… I… You’re much more alive than you say you are, Ai. And the proof is right here.”

He slowly leaned his head against her chest, and as awkward a position as it was…

*BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP!*

“... Do you feel that?”

“Ren… ha ha… I do. And it’s racing because of you, you know that? I never thought it’d be possible for my heart to beat this much when I’m not even alive, but… you proved me wrong. Thank you, for this…”

Her head then lifted up and she looked straight into his eyes. 

“You know… all that stuff with Junko and I may be popular with other fans, but what do they know? We’re close friends, and that’s all. They’ve only ever seen the two of us as idols, not as ourselves. Even if they did, they shouldn’t try to take their own fantasies and apply it to us like it’s the truth. Us girls may get close sometimes, but know that it’s never going to go any farther than it already has. Platonic love is a thing, remember?”

Ren softly smiled and nodded in understanding, but then Ai cupped his cheeks and held him close to her face.

“And for your information, I don’t want anyone ‘better’ than you. I chose to be with you, no matter who those shipper fans think I should be with instead. You’re the one I love, Ren, and not a single thing can change that. Even if the universe itself tells us no, I refuse to let go of you… my darling.”

A warmth fills his cheeks as his eyes start to shine with unshed tears.

“And I’ll keep reminding you of that every single day if I have to, okay?”

Once she concludes that speech of hers, the emotions hit him like a truck (sorry Sakura!). Tears flowing out of his eyes like a river as he fell into her arms sobbing.

“… You didn’t have to say all that… The waterworks are flowing now, ha… they’re not stopping…”

“I didn’t have to… but I wanted to.”

She wipes away his tears as he laughs. “I was waiting to hear you say that… ha ha…”

The two of them embrace for a few minutes before it turned into an impromptu cuddling session. Ai held her boyfriend like she was his shield, defending him from the self doubt that plagued him. Ren snuggled close to her chest, feeling her heartbeat and helping her remind herself that she was just as alive as ever, even more so when around him.

After a few minutes of silence, Ren broke it with a quick question. “By the way, I forgot to ask… How did you like the movie?”

“Ah, it was great, I really enjoyed the familial bond between the heroes. The mother in particular was my personal favorite! Hm… y’know, I think you’ve successfully managed to get me into superhero movies. That really was fantas—”

Ai stopped herself once she realized what she was about to say, Ren slowly turning his head towards her with a smirk.

“Say that again?”

“Nope, not gonna even entertain the thought.”

“Ha, I guess I also managed to get you into bad puns, and soon…”

He pushes up his glasses and tries to look intimidating.

“You’ll be more than a mere zombie idol, you’ll be Ren-fected by my essence and become a perfect union between us. The most ideal life form on the planet, fuhahahahaha…”

Ai snorts at his act before holding her arm above her forehead dramatically.

“Oh no, what shall I do? Am I fated to sound like a complete dork for the rest of my life the longer I stay with you? What a tragedy!”

“Ha! Milady, you say that like it’s a bad thing…” He laughs smugly as she scoffs.

“It’s horrible, really. But… I will conquer this alteration so that you shall be the only dork within our union, for that is what makes you so unique, my dear sir.”