Chapter Text
The music is thumping through her body. Every inch of her skin is on fire. It’s like her blood has been replaced by the thumping of the speakers.
And her hand is clutched tightly in Haruka’s.
“This is the greatest day ever!” An yells.
“You’re right about that, An-chan!” Souma adds.
Arata and Haruka are dead silent while everyone is cheering, but they’re so… focused.
“This is amazing…” Haruka finally whispers, and An laughs.
“Yeah!”
But Haruka turns to her, and those blue eyes suddenly stare into An’s soul.
And in that moment, she knows what she has to do.
She knows what she’s meant to do.
“Haruka. Be my partner forever.” She whispers. “You and I… we’re gonna surpass this event.”
And Haruka’s eyes widen.
But then…
Then she looks at An with a fiery resolve.
“Yeah. Let’s do it.”
~
Haruka’s singing her heart out on the corner of the street when she’s suddenly approached by a familiar purple head of hair.
“Kiritani.” Aoyagi-kun starts, and Haruka nods at him.
“Aoyagi-kun.”
“Where’s Shiraishi?”
“Doing her shift at the café. Shinonome-kun?”
“At work.”
They fall into a comfortable silence, and Haruka hands him a microphone.
He takes it immediately and begins to sing, and Haruka starts to oppose him.
It’s quiet, but they soon gather a crowd and they start pushing their voices to the limit.
“Aoyagi’s such a good singer.” One of the audience members whispers.
“Kiritani’s no slouch either. She’s got a ton of stage presence.” Her friend responds.
It’s… strange.
There’s no fiery presence by her side. Just matching ice.
It’s off. Both she and Aoyagi-kun can sense that.
But the cheers creep into Haruka’s skin, and she’s… happy.
She made these people cheer. She gave them happiness.
But she can hear the whispers.
“Neither of them express themselves. They scare me.”
“Have you ever seen either of them smile?”
“I’ve seen Kiritani smile, but only when she’s in a battle. She’s like a hunter…”
Haruka’s grip on her microphone gets tighter, and she feels some hot rage flash in her chest.
She needs to push it down. She needs to keep it under control.
The battle is decided in Aoyagi-kun’s favor, and Haruka needs to bow, but the anger is eating her alive.
But then her savior arrives.
“Hey!” An’s voice rings out, and Haruka looks up.
The anger bleeds away as An’s fingers thread with hers, and Haruka feels right again.
It’s so funny how everything in the world can go wrong, but when she’s got her partner, it’s all right.
She can barely remember her life before she met An, but she remembers it was… quiet. Sad.
And ever since they met, it’s been loud and exciting.
“Come on, partner. Chin up. You’ll get him next time.” An purrs. “And next time is right now! Because we can’t lose if we’re together!”
“Oh, don’t be so sure about that!” Shinonome-kun’s voice rings out, and he appears next to Aoyagi-kun.
“Hah! Nice try! Let’s go! All in, Vivids vs. BAD DOGS!” An responds, and Haruka feels that familiar competitive fire rise in her chest.
She’s gonna win. She wants to win. Desperately.
She loves the thrill of a fight. A real challenge.
And the BAD DOGS always deliver with that.
And she’s smiling. Hard. The harder everyone cheers, the bigger her smile gets, and she ignores all the comments about everything.
Right now, all that matters is that she’s with An. Doing what she loves.
Once it’s over and the BAD DOGS just barely manage to squeak away with a victory, Haruka and An start walking back toward WEEKEND GARAGE.
“Ugh! I can’t believe this!” An groans. “We lost to them again? Come on, we’ve gotta be the ones to surpass RAD WEEKEND first.”
And then An’s phone lights up. What?
She pulls it out, and…
“Huh? What’s that?” An asks, and Haruka looks over her shoulder.
“Untitled?” She responds. “Play it, maybe the song didn’t finish downloading.”
An pulls out her earbuds, and she gives one to Haruka and puts one in her own ear.
An clicks the song, and suddenly there’s a… vibrant flash of color.
Turquoise and purple, and sparkles all around them.
And suddenly they’re not on Vivid Street anymore.
“Welcome.” A turquoise-haired girl says, and Haruka and An share a glance.
“Where are we?” Haruka responds, and the girl laughs.
“You’re in SEKAI.”
“Wait a second… are you Miku?!” An gasps, and Haruka suddenly realizes it too.
“Wait, we must be dreaming. I’m in a food coma.” Haruka adds.
Miku laughs again, and then MEIKO and Len appear out of nowhere.
They keep talking about SEKAI, and this stuff makes no sense, but they say they’ll understand eventually.
“If you share the same feelings, I’m sure we’ll meet again here.” Miku says, and suddenly An’s phone flashes again.
“Goddamn it, not again!” An snaps, and Haruka shuts her eyes to prepare for the flash.
And then they both wake up in WEEKEND GARAGE, with Ken shaking them awake.
“Morning, girls. Long day?” He asks.
An groans, and she picks up her phone.
“…Wait, it’s almost bar hours?! Sorry, Dad!”
“Don’t worry about it.” Ken responds, and Haruka runs over to flip the sign to open.
“Sorry, I can’t believe we both slept that long. I was having a wild dream. I can’t remember much, but I think An was there…”
“Wait, huh? So was I! And you were there too!” An responds.
Haruka and An lock eyes, and they both burst out laughing.
“You two are two peas in a pod.” Ken adds. “Now, go on, both of you get out of here. It’s bar hours, you two can’t be in here.”
An laughs and tosses a little salute to her dad before running out the door, pulling Haruka alongside her.
~
Haruka’s breath catches in her throat when she crashes back into An’s couch.
And… An runs her fingers through her hair gently.
It’s so nice.
After a couple of minutes, An’s hands leave her hair and she starts to tie her own hair back as she walks off.
“I’ll make us something to eat.” She starts, and Haruka can feel her eyes start to light up.
“Oh? What’s for dinner?”
“How about some wings? And then ice cream for dessert?” An responds, and Haruka laughs.
“A woman after my own heart.”
An laughs as she walks into the kitchen, and Haruka starts fiddling with her bottle on the table.
She’s already bored.
The wings will probably take a while to be fried, so what can she do to pass the time?
Hmm…
Oh, she knows.
She pulls her phone out of her pocket and boots up Twitter.
A new post from Arata appears on her dash, and she smirks.
@TonoArataOfficial: Hey, everyone! I’m glad you all enjoyed my last show so much! See you all next time!
Ah, it’s time for Haruka’s favorite pastime.
@ViviHaru: @TonoArataOfficial YOU’RE A LOSER GET YOUR ASS BACK HOME
@ViviHaru: @TonoArataOfficial YOU’RE PATHETIC STOP BEING FAKE
@ViviHaru: @TonoArataOfficial YOUR PARTNER MISSES YOU ASSHOLE
And just as she predicted, all of Arata’s fans come rushing in to protect him.
But Haruka will not be deterred.
And of course, she has a little bit of backup.
@MS_Gurneyflap: guys we gotta admit he’s a little bit of a pathetic loser. that’s what makes him so great.
@ViviHaru: I disagree with the great part but YEAH he is a pathetic loser
And she only stops arguing when An drops a plate of hot wings in front of her.
“Dinner is served!” She laughs, and Haruka puts her phone down to focus on An.
And on the massive plate of hot wings in front of her.
She immediately scoops one up and starts in on it, and An laughs.
“You never change.”
“Neither do you.” Haruka responds.
“Guess that’s why we’ve always been such great friends, huh?”
Something about that sentence causes an ache in Haruka’s heart.
But she shrugs it off. Being with An makes her happy.
“Yeah. Guess so, partner.” She responds simply, throwing the bone aside as she takes another wing.
An picks up a wing and shoves it into her mouth, and they just dig in together.
Until An comes up with a stupid idea.
“Wanna see who can eat more of these?” She asks, and suddenly Haruka can feel that competitive smirk appearing on her face again.
“Don’t try me, An.” She purrs.
“I think I will.” An responds.
And they both start eating as fast as they can, and…
And Haruka knows that there’s no place she’d rather be.
~
An’s hanging out with Haruka and getting ready for practice when she’s scrolling through her phone to pick a song when…
When she notices an Untitled song.
“What the…?” She asks. “What’s this?”
“Huh? Untitled? What’s that?” Haruka responds.
“I'm not sure.” An says. “Let’s listen. Probably didn’t download all the way or something.”
An taps on the song, and suddenly there’s a flash of turquoise and purple.
And they’re on a street?
“Where are we?” Haruka asks, and An shrugs.
“I’m not actually sure. I've never seen this street before. Let’s keep walking, we’re bound to—”
“Why don’t we just use the GPS?” Haruka cuts her off.
“And this is why you’re my partner. Good idea, let’s try that first.”
Haruka clicks into the map app, and her brows furrow.
“Huh? It’s not working… what’s wrong with this stupid thing?”
“Oh, so I win~” An teases. “Let’s keep—”
“Oh, there you are.” Hatsune Miku says, and Haruka freaks out and roundhouse kicks Miku in the face.
But… it goes right through her?
She falls back into a fighting stance, and An sighs.
“Sorry about her, she’s jumpy when she’s nervous. Could you tell us where we are?” An responds. “Also, uh, nice Miku cosplay?”
“Not a cosplay. I’m just Miku.”
“Haha, very funny. An, let’s get out of here.” Haruka responds.
“Would your kick have gone straight through me if I was human?”
Haruka freezes, and she’s…
“That logic actually makes sense. But if you’re Miku, then where are we?”
“You’re in SEKAI.” She responds. “This is a place made of both of your true feelings.”
“True feelings?” Haruka asks, and then she starts looking around. “Huh… I can kinda see it, I guess? But this is weird. How…”
“You don’t have to get it now. But you can feel it, can’t you?” She asks.
“Yeah, I guess… I do feel like I’ve been here before…” Haruka whispers.
“And so that Untitled song brought us here?” An adds.
“Yeah. It’ll become a song when you all discover and accept your true feelings. Until then, you can click on untitled to come here and go back.”
“Discover and accept?” An asks, and Haruka… bristles.
“Oh.” She whispers. “I see.”
“Come on, we can talk more at the café. And maybe we can discover the identity of the other two people.”
“Other two people?” Haruka starts, but An freezes.
“Shit.”
“What?”
“We left the café open and no one’s there to watch it.”
Haruka’s eyes widen, and she grabs her phone.
“Is it on mine too?” She asks.
“Yep.” Miku says.
“Okay, see you guys later.”
And Haruka clicks stop, and they appear back in the café and look around.
“Thank god, no one came in.” An sighs, and at that moment…
“Hey!” Tatsuya says, and Haruka grabs the order pad and her apron.
“Hey, what can we get for you guys?”
~
Another day, another performance. And another BAD DOGS victory.
An went off to get them some drinks, but Haruka can’t stop thinking about it.
The BAD DOGS have only been singing on the street for two years, An and Haruka have been singing here for… for as long as Haruka can remember.
How… how are they so good? How do they win so often?
And that SEKAI place… they have to discover and accept their true feelings? But…
But that’s…
Her mind doesn’t stop spinning until one of the older singers walks up to her while An’s away.
“Kiritani! Hey, nice showing out there!” She says.
“Thanks.” Haruka responds. “I thought we did so well… I don’t know how the BAD DOGS keep winning.”
The older singer tilts her head, and then she starts saying something.
“Well… how do I say this… I don’t think it’s your singing that’s the problem.”
“What?” Haruka asks.
“You’re an amazing singer, and you have intense stage presence, but you…”
“I what?” Haruka says, and she flinches back a little.
“You… that. You scare people with your expressions. You’re intimidating.”
Haruka’s eyes widen.
No…
No!
It can’t be that!
Her breath catches in her throat.
She… can’t breathe.
She can’t breathe at all.
She needs to get out of here.
Next thing she knows, she’s taking off running, and she can hear An yelping and giving chase.
~
School feels even worse than normal.
She can’t shake off the whispers and girls avoiding her like she normally can.
How is she supposed to…?
An’s the only one that ever accepted her. Understood her.
But now… now her face is hurting her too. Dragging her down.
She’s… beautiful. Perfect. Everything Haruka’s not.
She has to do something. She has to stop this.
Even if she’s alone for the rest of her life, she has to stop this.
And she resolves to do it the next time she sees her.
She does her homework on the rooftop and tries to focus on other things, and she takes her time solving the equations.
It’s already sunset by the time she’s done. She has to get out of here. The sports teams are about to leave.
And An’s waiting outside the gate for her.
“There you are! Don’t scare me like that, damn it! Come on, let’s get you something to eat. That always makes you feel better.”
She grabs Haruka’s arm and tries to pull her towards Vivid Street, but Haruka doesn’t move.
An turns to her with a questioning look, but before she can say anything…
“We can’t be partners anymore.” Haruka whispers, and then she takes off as fast as she can in the other direction.
And An goes after her again, yelling for her to stop. She never knew when to quit, did she? She starts to twist and run through the alleys trying to shake An off.
But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t.
An’s too persistent, and she knows these alleys even better than Haruka does.
Eventually her arm is grabbed, and she’s stopped cold.
“Haruka! Stop! You’ve been acting weird since yesterday, what’s going on?!” An snaps.
Haruka’s breath catches in her throat.
“Nothing. I just realized that I can’t be your partner anymore. You’ll never surpass RAD WEEKEND like that. Those are my true feelings, and that’s what I have to accept.”
“What? What are you talking about?” An says. “I can’t surpass RAD WEEKEND without you.”
Haruka pulls her arm out of An’s grasp, and she wants to run off again, but…
But instead, she just slowly walks out of the alley.
It’s already night. How long has she been running?
But they’re kind of far from Vivid Street. It’s a quiet area.
Soft. Gentle.
The night is like a blanket. During the day, Haruka is just the girl everyone is scared of.
But during the night, she’s Haruka Kiritani of the Vivids. People cheer for her.
But she can’t be that anymore. No matter how much she wants to be.
She can’t change her face. She can’t learn how to smile.
It’s beyond her. She’s tried all her life, and she just can’t figure it out.
And if that’s what it takes to surpass RAD WEEKEND, then…
Then she can’t do it.
An steps in front of her, illuminated by the streetlamps, and…
And it feels like this entire world belongs to her. She’s the princess. Like in those storybooks Haruka used to read. Lighting up the entire kingdom with her smile.
And Haruka’s the servant girl who wants nothing more than to be near that princess.
When they were young, they were free to be who they were. Haruka still remembers the gentle sensation of An’s lips on her face.
And when she asked why An would kiss her, she got a simple answer.
“‘Cause I wanted to.”
Things were so simple back then.
But then they got older. And life gets a lot more complicated.
The other kids would make fun of them constantly. And they sort of… drifted apart.
They were still best friends, but they could never be anything more than that.
Then why…
Why does looking into An’s eyes make her heart race?
And An’s hands are suddenly on her face.
“Haruka…” She whispers. “Talk to me. Please.”
Her hands are so gentle. The way she says her name could get her drunk.
Her heart is going to pound out of her chest.
This is wrong. She has to leave An.
She has to… she has to leave her. She’ll never surpass RAD WEEKEND with someone like Haruka holding her back.
“Don’t.” She whispers. “Don’t do this. Don’t make it harder than it is.”
“What are you talking about? You’re not making any sense.”
Haruka shakes her head.
“I… can’t smile.”
An tilts her head slightly.
“Yeah? I knew that already, partner. I don’t care.”
“Everyone else does. They run away from me in the halls and… and they don’t cheer for us because they don’t like me.”
An shakes her head.
“What are you talking about, Haruka? That’s garbage. Toya doesn’t smile either, but look at how everyone cheers for him. It’s just that we need to—”
“But you’ve seen his face on stage! He looks so natural, you can’t even tell that he has trouble expressing himself! But with me, I… I can’t…”
Her throat is closing up again, and her eyes are burning.
She wants to scream. She wants to cry. She wants to let it all out, but if she does that, then everyone’s going to be even more scared of her.
God, she’s pathetic. She can show that she’s sad or angry, but she can never show when she’s happy.
She can smirk, but she can’t smile.
She’s fucking pathetic.
But An’s arms are around her, and it all feels so warm.
“Let it out.” She whispers.
“No, I…”
“Haruka, it’s just me. I know you better than anyone. Let it out.”
She’s choking. It hurts. She can’t…. She can’t do this anymore…
And she suddenly feels that familiar wetness on her cheeks.
“An…” She gasps. “An… I…”
And An runs her fingers through her hair.
“It’s okay. I know.”
She knows? How could she know?
How could she know the whirlwind of emotions that are trapped inside her? She can’t express them, no matter how hard she tries.
“Haruka. Look at me.”
Haruka looks up from An’s shoulder, and…
And her heart starts to race again.
Even if she could tell An how much she adored her, she would never be able to express it.
The moon catches the stars in her hair, and Haruka’s breath catches in her throat.
“I know how everyone talks about you.” An whispers. “And I know how they talk about me when I’m with you. But I don’t care. I’ve never cared. You don’t have to protect me.”
“You’ll never surpass RAD WEEKEND with someone as pathetic as me by your side.” Haruka gasps.
“No way. I can’t surpass RAD WEEKEND without you, Haruka. I can’t do it alone.”
“You’ll find someone else.” She whispers. “You’ll find someone that balances you out. The Aoyagi-kun to your Shinonome-kun. You’ll find someone better.”
“I don’t want better, Haruka!” An snaps, and that’s when Haruka finally notices the tears welling up in her eyes. “I want you. I’ve always wanted you.”
And then suddenly she’s being pulled closer, and An’s lips are on hers.
Haruka’s heart must be beating out of her chest.
She can’t express her emotions well, but she wraps her arms around An and kisses her back as hard as she can.
She tastes exactly like Haruka remembers.
An is like the North Star. Leading Haruka to where she needs to be.
But…
But this is wrong.
And Haruka pulls away and stands a respectable distance from An.
“An… I…”
She turns away, and An sucks in a breath.
“…I shouldn’t have done that without asking. But I don’t regret kissing you.” She says. “Haruka, what do you want? Forget about everyone else. If you don’t want to be with me, I’ll accept it. But I won’t let you lie to me, partner.”
Haruka can’t breathe. She can’t think.
“I can’t forget about everyone else.” She finally responds. “I need you more than I need air. But you’re not mine. You can’t be.”
“Haruka, I know how people can be, but—”
“No, you don’t!” Haruka finally snaps, turning back to An. “When we were kids, everyone would always laugh at us! They’d call us names! I kept it from you because I knew you’d say this. And then when it was finally over, I was grateful. Because they weren’t going after you anymore. And I die a little bit inside every time you say we’re such good friends, but it’s worth it! I can’t let you get made fun of for someone like me! And on Vivid Street, it wouldn’t matter that I was a girl, but it would matter that I was me! I’d be dragging their princess’s reputation through the mud! I’d never be good enough for you in their eyes, because I’m not! All I can do is sing and be angry, I can’t smile! I can’t tell them that the thought of you lights up my entire life! They’ll never understand! And I won’t let your reputation go down the drain for someone like—”
“Did you ever think about letting me decide that?!” An snaps back. “What if I don’t care about the kids calling us names? What if I don’t care about what the other singers say?! What if all my life, all I’ve wanted is you?! Did you ever think about that, Haruka?!”
Haruka stops in her tracks, and An’s actually crying now.
“All I ever wanted was you!” She sobs. “When we drifted apart, I thought it was just because we were stupid kids! That you never really loved me like I loved you! And now I learn that all this time you felt the same way I did?! That we’ve wasted so many years when we could have been loving all this time?! Because you were trying to protect me?! Haruka, I’m not half the person I am without you! You keep me grounded, keep me steady when I’m too impulsive! I don’t need a new partner, because I already have the perfect one! Don’t do this to me! Don’t let the other singers get to you like this! They can say whatever they want, because I know who you really are! So what if the whole world thinks you’re intimidating? That just means we get better until they respect you! Until we beat the BAD DOGS’ asses and surpass RAD WEEKEND before they can even blink!”
And then An reaches out to Haruka.
She doesn’t say a word. It’s all been said.
And…
And Haruka can’t bring herself to leave.
She reaches out, and An pulls her close again.
And this time, Haruka’s never letting go.
Because truly, above all else… she loves An Shiraishi.
~
At the next battle, it’s like a weight is lifted off of Haruka’s chest.
She feels lighter than she has in…
Actually, she’s never felt lighter.
It’s like the wind is at her back.
The thrill of a partnership… now she gets what Arata and Souma meant.
A partner. Blurring the lines between lover and best friend.
And it’s so perfectly addictive.
And that addictive feeling… it’s coursing through her veins.
And she’s not letting it go. Not now and not ever.
She’s singing harder and better than she thinks she ever has, and An’s doing it with her, and…
And it’s so good.
But suddenly, something’s off.
The music gets cut, but Haruka barely registers it. She’s too drunk on the sensation of singing. Nothing can break her stride.
An lets out a soft laugh before her part, and she starts singing even harder too.
Screw the lack of music. They’re fine.
And…
And the crowd goes absolutely wild, and when they walk backstage, Aoyagi-kun is listening intently.
“They beat us.” He mouths to Shinonome-kun, and Shinonome-kun nods.
“Who the hell do you think cut the sound?” An asks, and Haruka shrugs.
“Who knows?”
But Shinonome-kun stalks out the back entrance, and An turns to him.
“Where are they going?” She asks, before she follows him and Aoyagi-kun out, and Haruka follows behind her.
“What the hell did you do?!” Shinonome-kun’s voice rings out.
“What’s the big deal? You guys were no fans of those two either!” Another voice responds.
“Don’t you dare lump us in with your pathetic jealousy! You screwed up the whole event!”
“Calm down!” Aoyagi-kun snaps.
They come into view of An and Haruka, and the other voice belongs to the brown-haired guy in a purple jacket that no one really remembers the name of.
And then he says something damning.
“Akito, you’re the one who said you were going to crush them! The only reason I cut the power was to help you!”
Haruka and An freeze, and An turns to Shinonome-kun.
“You cut the power?” She asks.
Shinonome-kun turns to her with a surprised and angry glare.
“Why’d you two have to turn up now?”
“What do you mean you cut the power?!” An screeches, and Haruka grabs her arm and pulls her back as the musician runs off.
“An, wait.” She starts, and Shinonome-kun just stays silent.
“Akito wouldn’t—” Aoyagi-kun tries, but Shinonome-kun cuts him off.
“That’s right. It was me. I was planning to crush you.”
“Akito?!”
Haruka’s eyes narrow slightly, and An screeches like a banshee.
“What’s your problem?! You were so scared you’d lose that you cut the power?!”
“It was a test.” He responds. “I wanted to see if you and Kiritani really were serious. Turns out you are.”
“A fucking test?! What are you, my teacher?! Akito, I’m gonna kill you!” An starts, and she tries to lunge at him, but Haruka holds her back.
“Aoyagi-kun, did you know anything about this?” She asks, and Aoyagi-kun looks like a deer caught in the headlights.
“Are you kidding?” Shinonome-kun says. “No way. Toya had nothing to do with it. It was all me.”
“That’s all I needed to know. An, come on.”
She drags An away while she continues to scream obscenities at Shinonome-kun, and eventually when they’re far enough away Haruka puts a hand over her mouth.
“An. He’s lying.” She says.
An’s eyes widen, but she points to Haruka’s hand on her mouth and Haruka quickly removes it.
“Fuck you mean he’s lying? Why would he admit to something he didn’t do?”
“You know him, he takes things like this way too seriously. But did you see Aoyagi-kun?”
“What about him? He looked the same as always.”
“No, he didn’t. He was surprised.”
“Well, yeah, duh. Akito did it without telling him. He was surprised his partner did something like that.”
Haruka crosses her arms.
“An, honestly. You think he could have pulled that off without Aoyagi-kun at least knowing? He’s an idiot.”
An’s eyes shut as she realizes.
“…You're right. There’s no way. God, he’s such a jerk. And a moron.”
“We knew that already. Come on, we won anyway, didn’t we? Isn’t that great?”
It’s just then that something clicks in An and Haruka’s heads.
“We did it!” An yells. “We beat those stupid BAD DOGS! Even though we got screwed over!”
“God, it feels so good.” Haruka responds, and she can feel that smirk appear on her face again. “Let’s celebrate.”
And An laughs and extends her arm to Haruka.
“You must have read my mind. How about some of my famous ice cream? With mint on top.”
“God, I love you.” Haruka responds, linking her arm with An’s.
~
Akito groans as he punches the wall, and Toya quickly returns with two drinks.
“Akito, it’s alright. We can’t win every event.” He tries, but Akito just keeps slamming his fists against the wall.
“We can’t win every event? We had a massive advantage this time! And we somehow still couldn’t win! When the hell did the Vivids get so good?!”
Toya puts the drinks down and grabs Akito’s arms.
“Akito. Please. You’re hurting yourself.” He whispers.
It seems like Akito’s finally processed that his knuckles are bleeding, and he slinks down on the wall.
“I’ll be right back. Just wait here, I’m going to get some bandages to wrap your hands.”
“I’ve had worse.”
“Akito, please. Look at all the dirt in those cuts. That’s going to get infected.”
Akito’s clearly biting his lip, but he knows that Toya’s right and he lets out a defeated sigh.
Toya walks to the nearby convenience store, and he starts looking for the medicine aisle.
But as he’s looking through the bandages, he…
He starts thinking again.
Kiritani today… she had a fire in her eyes.
A kind of fire Toya's never seen from her.
She’s always been driven, but today she’s hit a new level.
He’s always envied that drive.
And now it’s staring him in the face. He can’t keep his head in the sand any longer.
He’s not like her.
He’s not driven. This isn’t his dream, that he made with Akito the day of RAD WEEKEND. He wasn’t even there.
He’s just foolishly in love with his partner.
Akito takes things so seriously. Sometimes too seriously, like just now, but…
But that fire, that drive… Toya loves being near it.
He just can’t match it. He’ll never be able to.
He finally finds the medicine aisle and picks up everything he needs, and he throws them on the counter before reaching for his wallet.
He knows what he has to do.
He just…
He can’t stand the idea of living a life without Akito again.
A cold existence, with the only light in his life being the possibility of seeing Tsukasa-senpai or Saki.
And he knows that he’ll need to try and find something else. He can’t return to classical music, but he can’t stay here either.
But his plans for the future can wait.
He hands the money over and shoves the items into his pocket before walking over to Akito, and Akito smiles and raises his drink above his head.
“My savior has arrived.”
Toya just sits down next to him and motions for Akito to give him his hands.
Akito puts the drink down and gives his hands to Toya, and Toya starts to work on the cuts and scrapes.
He easily wraps the bandages around Akito’s cuts after treating them, and Akito practically purrs.
“Partner, what would I do without you?” He asks, and Toya’s resolve almost shatters right there.
But he can’t let that happen.
“Akito, I…” Toya starts, but Akito cuts him off.
“Wait, you didn’t let me finish.” He says. “You know, the day I met you, my life changed. I… adore you so much. I don’t know what I’d have done if you didn’t show up that day. I think… god, I’m pathetic. It’s so hard for me to say this, but I can’t keep it inside any longer. Toya, I’m in lo—”
“Akito, stop!” Toya snaps, and Akito freezes. “I… I can’t perform with you anymore.”
Akito just… sits there. Like he doesn’t know what to say.
“Toya, what the hell are you talking about?” He asks. “You know you’re no good at jokes, don’t mess around like that. Come on, I’m trying to tell you how I feel here.”
“Would I joke during such an important conversation?” Toya breathes, trying to not let his real feelings show.
“What the…? Shit, Toya, I’m sorry. Forget I said anything, just… don’t go.”
“This isn’t about that. Our kind of music just doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a bunch of kids making noise.”
“Are you being serious right now?”
“You’re the one who said I wasn’t any good at making jokes.”
“That’s going too far. Our music has no meaning? Try saying that again! I won’t take this, not even from you, Toya!” Akito snaps, pulling his hands back. “What are you gonna do if you quit, anyway?! Go crawling back to your dad and let him control you again after saying how much you hated things?! How is that any more meaningful?!”
Toya doesn’t respond, so Akito tries to reach out, and Toya smacks his hand away.
“Don’t touch me.” Toya snaps, almost on instinct, and Akito looks like he’s been stabbed. “Isn’t it time you stopped chasing after an event that no one’s heard of outside of this tiny little town?”
Next thing Toya knows, there’s a hard impact on his chin. Ah… that’s it.
Akito hisses in pain, and Toya groans.
And then Akito pulls out his wallet and pulls out some money, throwing it in front of Toya.
“What?” Toya asks, and Akito bares his teeth.
“Well, we’re not partners anymore, right? So you don’t owe me anything.”
“Akito, no. I can’t accept this.” Toya tries.
“What?! It was all fake, right?! You never cared about me! So why do I need your money or your stupid—” Akito rips the bandages off his hands. “—first-aid training?! I don’t need anything from you! So that’s it! We’re square! And now, do me a favor, Aoyagi. Never show your face around here again!”
Akito storms off, and the ache in Toya’s heart grows.
Oh, god. Akito…
Akito loves him.
Well, loved. After what he did, Akito’s probably heartbroken.
But he’ll get over it eventually. And he’ll find someone else. Someone better than Toya.
So… that’s enough. That’s it.
And he’s pathetic. He’s tearing up.
He picks up the coins and bills that Akito threw down in front of him and caresses them gently.
It’s not much, but…
But it reminds him of Akito.
~
It’s been a week since Haruka and An thrashed the BAD DOGS, and Haruka’s still riding that high.
She’s ready to trade some barbs with the BAD DOGS, but…
But all she sees is Shinonome-kun. And things are off.
“Where the hell’s Toya?” An asks. “Chilling backstage or something?”
“He’s not here.” Shinonome-kun adds.
“Huh? What happened?”
Shinonome-kun tenses up slightly.
Something’s wrong. He looks like his life has turned upside down.
His knuckles are swollen and red, and his eyes look dead.
“Turns out we never really did understand each other…” He starts, before slinking off backstage.
“He looks like he’s hurt. Is he okay?” An mumbles aloud, and Haruka shrugs.
“I’m not sure. After the performance, let’s check on him.”
An nods, and they walk backstage together.
Shinonome-kun’s up first, and his performance is… off.
Really off.
He sounds heartbroken.
The crowd cheers for him all the same, but he doesn’t even seem to care.
He just drifts backstage and drinks his water, and An and Haruka are up next so they can’t do anything.
And by the time they leave the stage, he’s vanished.
~
Toya crashes back into his bed.
It’s been over a week since he left Akito, and he feels sick.
He ran into Kiritani at the music shop, and she asked him about what happened between him and Akito, and he couldn’t explain it so he just made a vague excuse and ran off.
And…
And his father has noticed that he’s spending more time at home and less out “messing around,” as the old bastard calls it.
So he’s blocked the door with a chair and is currently arguing with him through the door.
“Just leave me alone, Father.” Toya tries, but of course…
“Toya, we’re talking about this. Have you finally come to your senses? Have you left that… bad influence behind? And where did that bruise on your face come from?”
“No, yes, and I’m not telling you, please leave.”
His father keeps trying, but Toya grabs his noise-cancelling headphones and turns the lights off.
“I’m not talking about this.” He finally finishes, slamming onto his bed and trying to sleep.
But all he dreams about is Akito.
And when he wakes up the next day, he drifts through his classes. He can’t focus.
He catches a glimpse of ginger in the halls, but he runs toward the library as fast as he can.
So handles his duties, tries to ignore the comments the rest of the committee has about Akito not showing up, and then…
“Shiraishi?” He asks, and she puts her hands on her hips.
“Come with me, Toya.”
“What?”
“Just come, okay?”
Suddenly, she’s grabbing his arm and dragging him downstairs, and he’s face to face with Kiritani.
Her eyes are calm and calculating, and she simply looks at him.
“What happened?” She asks simply.
“Kiritani? What are you doing here?” Toya starts, trying to distract from the question.
“I’m here to talk to you. What happened between you and Shinonome-kun?”
Toya simply sighs.
“Why are you so worried? After everything…”
“It wasn’t Shinonome-kun. It was obvious.” Kiritani sighs. “He jumped to your defense instantly, and you were genuinely shocked. He wouldn’t have been able to keep this from you for so long. Now, no more trying to change the subject. What happened?”
Her tone is so sharp that Toya doesn’t know how to respond.
But he sighs.
“It’s nothing. I just told Akito that we couldn’t sing together anymore.”
“And I’m assuming that has something to do with the bruise on your cheek and his swollen knuckles?”
“Swollen?” Toya asks, and Shiraishi shrugs.
“Yeah, his knuckles were pretty bad. They were all messed up. How hard did he hit you?”
“It… must have been pretty hard.”
Toya knows the truth. They’re probably still healing from his fight with the wall.
The sight of Akito in front of him, the second his heart shattered, is still fresh in Toya’s mind.
He never even replaced the bandages… Toya hopes it’s going to be alright.
But what right does he have to worry? He destroyed Akito’s heart himself.
“…You look worried.” Kiritani asks. “Why did you leave him? You always look so free when you’re with him.”
Toya can’t take this. He can’t handle being asked so many questions about Akito.
“…I’m busy. I’m sorry, but I have to—”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Kiritani responds, crossing her arms.
…He and Kiritani always have had a kind of… kinship. They both have so much trouble expressing their true feelings.
So she knows that he’s lying, but he can’t stay here.
“Aoyagi-kun. Stop.” She starts again. “I know how you’re feeling.”
“How could you possibly—” Toya starts, feeling some strange anger rise in his chest, but then Kiritani cuts him off again.
“You don’t think you’re good enough for him. You think he’ll never be able to achieve his dream if you’re dragging him down.”
And Toya turns to her.
“How…?”
“Because just a little while ago, I felt like that too. But An stopped me. And I think… I think Shinonome-kun wants you ba—”
“After what I said to him? There’s no way.” Toya snaps. “I love him. I love him more than anything I’ve ever known. But he deserves much better than someone like me.”
“Then why don’t you go to him?” She responds. “I get it, you’re worried that you’re holding him back because of the way you are. But he doesn’t believe that. And you shouldn’t either.”
Toya almost wants to let out a bitter laugh.
“You don’t get it at all, do you, Kiritani?”
Kiritani’s eyes turn confused, and Toya stalks back inside.
She thinks Akito wants him back? God, she’s crazy.
He set everything up perfectly. Not even he could get Akito back at this point.
Akito… loved him.
Loved him so much.
And in another life, where Toya was the kind of person he deserved, they shared a kiss in that alleyway and they’d be holding each other as tightly as they could.
It’d be warm. So warm.
Oh, how Toya wishes he was more like Kiritani. That he had that same fire in his eyes.
How he could freely hold Akito’s hand like how Kiritani holds Shiraishi’s.
And he tosses a glance back at them.
They’re speaking to each other outside, and Shiraishi gets up on her toes and kisses Kiritani like she’s the most perfect thing in the world.
He’s going to be sick.
He wishes that were Akito standing there, caressing his face and whispering words of love.
He wishes that Akito was giving him the world’s softest kiss.
But that’s… impossible.
So he tries his hardest to push those thoughts out of his mind. The bitter reminder of what he just can’t have.
And Toya finally manages to tear his eyes away from them.
~
“Damn it… he walked off too early.” Haruka mutters, and An turns to her.
“Yeah. How much did you get?”
Haruka pulls her phone out of her pocket and plays something.
And Toya’s voice comes out of the speaker.
“After what I said to him? There’s no way.”
“I was hoping I could get him to talk about how he really feels. Then we could text Shinonome-kun the recording and they could sort everything out. But it didn’t work out that way.”
“That was a really good plan, you know. Too bad it didn’t work out.”
Haruka shrugs.
“It didn’t work out, so we need a new plan.”
“Yeah. Come on, we think better on full stomachs. Let’s go to WEEKEND GARAGE and eat something.”
“What are we eating?”
“Maybe some curry? I think dad’s still got a huge pot on the stove.”
“Sounds great. Let’s head over there.”
Once they’re at the café, they sit together and begin to hatch a plan.
They’re working on it until bar hours are about to start, and An groans and starts stretching.
“I’ve gotta set up. I’ll be back in a bit.” She starts, and Haruka closes her notebook.
“Do you need any help?”
“Nope. Just let your gorgeous partner handle everything.” An says, leaning over to kiss the top of Haruka’s head.
“…Yeah.” Haruka says, leaning her head on her hand. “I couldn’t ask for a more perfect partner.”
An instantly turns bright red, and Haruka’s eyes glimmer with amusement.
“Hey, don’t laugh at me!” She starts, and Haruka shakes her head.
“Now why would I do that, partner?”
An turns even redder and starts sputtering, and Ken starts laughing behind her.
But then the door pops open, and Ken turns to the customer.
“Hey, we’re not quite open ye— Toya?”
An and Haruka share a glance, and Haruka gets to her feet.
“Aoyagi-kun? What are you doing here?”
“I’ll be out of your hair soon. I just came to say goodbye to Ken-san.” He starts, and Haruka fiddles with her phone behind her back and dials Shinonome-kun.
He picks up almost immediately, Haruka puts her phone down on the counter, and An pushes it a little closer to the action to make sure that Aoyagi-kun’s voice is picked up.
Ken gives her an approving nod. Seems like he had the same idea.
If Haruka’s right about Shinonome-kun, then…
He puts a cup of coffee in front of Aoyagi-kun, and he tries to argue, but Ken insists.
Haruka grabs An’s arm, and she nods. They’ve both agreed to step out, but…
“Wait, both of you.” Aoyagi-kun calls out. “I believe… I owe you an apology as well. I shouldn’t have snapped at you this morning. It’s because of you two that I finally came to my decision… and besides, Kiritani, you and I really are alike. You’d never be able to let it go if I didn’t tell you everything.”
Haruka nods.
“You’re right. I wouldn’t be able to let it go.”
“Just promise you won’t tell Akito about this. I don’t want him to be disappointed in me.”
Haruka nods again.
“You have my word.”
Aoyagi-kun says something to Ken about asking him to take care of Akito now that he won’t be around, and Ken promises to do so.
And…
“Kiritani, Shiraishi… Akito always respected you two. I… I know I have no right to ask this, but would you continue to keep an eye on him the way you always have? Akito believes that you’re his best competition on the way to surpass RAD WEEKEND, and going against you two always gets him fired up in a way I’ve never seen against anyone else. Could you please…”
“It’s already done.” Haruka cuts him off. “No worries.”
Aoyagi-kun smiles wryly.
“Perhaps he should team up with you. You’d certainly make better teammates than I would.”
“You keep saying that you’re not a good partner. What are you talking about?” An asks. “And why do you think we’d be better for him?”
“It’s simple… I only came here because I was running away from classical music. I would have been fine with anything as long as my father was against it.
He goes on to explain about his childhood, and how much he hated music because of his lack of choice.
And he talks about how much he loved Akito for his passion and drive, but he couldn’t match it…
Ah. Haruka sees now.
That’s the difference between them.
He believes he has no resolve. His soul has nothing to do with it.
This is a problem of the heart.
“…So, thank you, Kiritani. I needed to see you at your best to see what I could never become. And so I’ve decided to stop being a child and relying on Akito.”
“Toya…” An whispers, and Haruka gently grabs her arm.
“You know, I think you should wait a couple more minutes before you leave.” Haruka starts.
“What? Why?” Aoyagi-kun responds.
A few more seconds pass, and Haruka freezes.
Did she misjudge Shinonome-kun?
But then the door gets thrown open, and a ginger head of hair appears, breathing heavily.
Haruka lets out a relieved sigh. She was right.
Unfortunately the relief lasts about two seconds, because Shinonome-kun immediately collapses to the ground and Aoyagi-kun runs over to him without a second thought.
“Akito!” He gasps, sitting down next to him.
“Toya…” Shinonome-kun responds, though it’s clear he’s out of it. “I… got to you… in time…”
“You… what are you doing here?”
“Kiritani…” Shinonome-kun says. “She called me… and left her phone on. I thought she called me by mistake at first… but then I heard your voice.”
“Kiritani?” Aoyagi-kun asks, and Haruka shrugs.
“I gave my word that I wouldn’t tell Shinonome-kun. And I didn’t. You told him yourself.”
Aoyagi-kun’s eyes flutter shut.
“Then… you heard it all. I bet you’re disappointed that the person with the weakest resolve ended up being the one right next to you this whole time.”
Shinonome-kun reaches up and grabs Aoyagi-kun’s face.
“I… had this whole speech planned out. But I can’t remember a damn word of it now. I’m so dizzy. All I can do is beg you to stay with me. ‘Cause I don’t believe any of that shit you said about not being good enough to stand on stage with me. You’re… so serious it’s stupid… I don’t care about your reasons for starting, just about what you want to do now.”
“You have a fever. You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“No, stop it! I know exactly what I’m saying!” Shinonome-kun says, pushing himself into a sitting position and wincing. “Don’t… try to pin this on the fever! I… Toya, I know you better than anyone! And I know you don’t mean it when you say you’re half-hearted! You can’t tell me there’s no part of you that wants to…”
Shinonome-kun starts breathing heavily, and Aoyagi-kun runs his fingers through his hair.
“Shh, it’s alright. We can talk later.”
“No… we can’t! You’re just… you’re just going to run away again! Toya, I can’t do this without you…! I’ve only gotten this far because of you…! I refuse to team up with anyone but you… so get that through that stubborn head of yours…! What do your feelings say…?! Isn’t there… any part of you that wants to get up on stage with me…? Because if there is… then… then somewhere in there you must share my dream…”
Aoyagi-kun starts to get all choked up, and he shakes his head.
“Of course I do! You have no idea how many times I’ve thought of chasing your dream with you!”
And Shinonome-kun smiles.
“You actually admitted it…. Then let’s do it… Together…”
“But…”
“Come on, he’s dying on the floor and you’re going to argue with him?!” An snaps.
“…Huh…?” Shinonome-kun groans.
“Shiraishi. She and Kiritani are still here.” Aoyagi-kun whispers.
“They are…? God, this is so embarrassing… and I’m not dying, goddamn it… Whatever, Toya, listen to me… You’re overthinking everything again…. I wanna be with you, and you wanna be with me. All that’s left is to realize our dream together. Isn’t that enough?”
“Is it… really that simple?”
“Yeah… it is… so…”
Shinonome-kun raises his hand weakly.
“Be my partner again? Please?”
Aoyagi-kun sighs, but a fond smile appears on his lips.
“…Alright. Under one condition.”
“Anything…”
“You willingly get into the ambulance that Kiritani’s calling.”
Shinonome-kun looks absolutely betrayed, and Haruka turns to him and puts her phone on speaker.
“You heard him. Want your partner back?”
“…Gah. Fine.”
“Wow, you really are dying.” An adds.
“These cuts on your hands, they’re clearly infected.” Aoyagi-kun adds. “How did they get that way? I treated them, didn’t I?”
“May have punched a wall the moment I was out of earshot.” Shinonome-kun confesses.
Aoyagi-kun sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.
“You’re an idiot.”
“Mmhmm…” Shinonome-kun starts, and his eyes start to flutter shut.
“Hey! Moron! Don’t fall asleep!” An snaps.
~
When Shinonome-kun is finally released from the hospital after a few days, he appears in WEEKEND GARAGE. This time, with Aoyagi-kun by his side again.
“Come on, Toya. We need to make up for lost time.” Shinonome-kun groans.
“The doctor said you shouldn’t do anything physically taxing.” Aoyagi-kun responds.
Haruka walks over to them with two cups of coffee in her hands, one for Shinonome-kun and one for Aoyagi-kun.
“Here. Listen to him, Shinonome-kun.” Haruka says. “And don’t burn your hands. You have enough to deal with already.”
“Missed you too, Kiritani.” Shinonome-kun groans, and Aoyagi-kun leans on his shoulder. “Oi, Toya, come on.”
“You’re not getting up from here.” Aoyagi-kun says simply.
They fall into a silence, but it’s not as comfortable as it used to be.
Oh, god. She can’t take these two morons anymore.
“Will you two just kiss already?” She asks.
“Come on, Toya doesn’t like me that way.” Shinonome-kun starts, but Aoyagi-kun turns red as a tomato.
“I mean…” He whispers. “I don’t think I’d mind it all that much, actually…”
Shinonome-kun almost drops his coffee.
“You… left me when I told you that I loved you?”
Aoyagi-kun’s eyes widen, and he pulls himself up.
“That was a coincidence. I had already decided to. Did you think that I left you because you told me that—?!”
“Well, yeah, what was I supposed to—?!”
“Oh my god, shut up and kiss already!” An cuts in, and Aoyagi-kun leans down and locks lips with Shinonome-kun.
And suddenly they’re dragged into SEKAI again.
…Wait. Shinonome-kun and Aoyagi-kun are here too?
“I see you’ve all found your true feelings.” Miku says.
“That wasn’t a fever-induced dream?!” Akito snaps, and Miku shakes her head.
“Nope. But if all of you sing with me right now, your feelings will become a song.”
“Wait, you want us to sing with the BAD DOGS?” An asks.
“Akito can’t sing right now. He just got out of the hospital.” Aoyagi-kun chimes in.
“Come on, Toya. One song can’t hurt. Plus, I’ve been looking forward to a rematch against these two.”
Aoyagi-kun shakes his head, but he can’t keep the smile off his face.
“…One song. And we’d better not lose.”
“Nice try, but you’re not winning against us.” Haruka adds, picking up a microphone.
And it's like the lyrics flow straight out of Haruka’s soul.
It… goes so well. Somehow, she knows just how to sing with the BAD DOGS.
Their voices fit together well. Almost too well.
And suddenly, her phone flashes and it looks like the name of Untitled has changed.
“…Huh. To The Edge, huh?” An says. “That’s what that song is called.”
“That was… electrifying.” Haruka whispers.
“Huh?” An starts, but before Haruka can turn to her, there’s a crash.
“How did I know this was going to happen?” Aoyagi-kun groans, and he reaches down to help Shinonome-kun up. “I think that’s enough for today.”
“Probably a good idea. Come by later, okay? When he’s not on the verge of passing out.” MEIKO adds.
Haruka and An share a glance, and they both press stop on To The Edge and return back to WEEKEND GARAGE.
Aoyagi-kun halfway drags Shinonome-kun outside, and Haruka sits at the bar with An.
“…I think we should team up with them.” She says. “That performance was electrifying. Singing with them… I think we’d be better all together than we were alone.”
An clicks her tongue.
“Yeah. Akito’s a prick and a moron, but… you’re right. We’d be more capable of surpassing RAD WEEKEND all together instead of just competing.”
“Let’s bring it up when Shinonome-kun’s not dying.”
“Good idea. We’d probably need a team name though, right? Like… well, we’re the Vivids, they’re the BAD DOGS, so… Vivid BAD?”
“Good start, but I think it needs something else.”
“Hmm…”
An puts her hand on her chin as she thinks, and something clicks in Haruka’s head.
“We need a word that means team at the end. Like… crew? Vivid BAD CREW?” She asks.
“Nah, doesn’t flow very well.” An responds. “Though Vivid Crew does sound like a fun name for fans of us specifically, we should use that. Maybe… Quad, since there are four of us? Vivid BAD QUAD?”
“I think we’re almost there… oh, wait. Vivid BAD SQUAD.”
An takes a sip of her drink and chuckles.
“Partner, you’re a genius. Let’s bring that up to them too.”
Haruka holds her drink out, and An clinks their cups.
“…You ever think how our lives might have turned out differently?” Haruka asks. “Like… if I had ever learned to smile?”
And An just shrugs.
“Why worry about what might have been? We’re here now, aren’t we? And me and you, partner, we’re gonna go all the way!”
An takes Haruka’s other hand and kisses it.
And the thoughts fall right out of her head.
“Yeah. You’re right. No point in thinking about what might have been. Because our lives right now are too perfect.”
“Damn right about that!”
And they clink their cups again.