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Both Emu and Rui are big sweet tooth’s. 

This is a little fact the other two members of WonderlandsxShowtime needed to accommodate when choosing a place to get lunch. 

They, of course, have different tastes when it comes to sweets. Emu likes pastries, cakes and doughnuts, she orders parfaits almost every day and always has a package of gummy bears on her. You will also never see her saying no to any treat. If it looks good and yummy, why would she turn her nose? There are some things she likes more than others, however. She’d pick a taiyaki with apple pie flavor over a fancy chocolate crêpe with whipped cream, despite them both being equally delicious in her eyes. If you’ll ask her why, she’ll just say “because taiyakis are the best, the most fun sweets ever!” She’s not a picky eater, but she has her favorites. 

Rui, on the other hand, is harder to please. He hates toffees, because they’d stuck in his teeth and have unpleasant rubbery texture. He likes fizzy drinks instead of milkshakes and sour candies instead of white chocolate. Even getting a parfait is a struggle. He’s okay with strawberries and bananas, but god forbid they put honeydew melon or mangoes in it, otherwise poor dairy dessert will have to suffer the fate of slow death by room temperature because “a certain 18-year-old is too stubborn to try it”. 

Naturally, this is a predicament these young actors have found themselves into. 

“Rui, I swear,” Tsukasa had let out his thunderous voice, alarming other customers of the family restaurant (for which he earned a smack to the shoulder from Nene), “they have already brought your order. You can just pick out fruits you don’t like.”

Their brilliant director, the one who they usually turn to for advice or guidance, now looked like a kicked puppy, with miserable tears forming on his lashes. “But Tsukasa-kun,” he weeps, “lady fingers have already absorbed the horrible melon flavor. Oh, what tragedy has befallen me, the one, who always did no wrong. My heart is aching with an open wound, my blood is poisoned with despair. What do I do? What should I do?” Shakespearean monologue was accentuated with a delicate hand brought to a forehead. Truly, the scene oozed the utmost tragedy: a young man became a victim of his own hubris and ordered a parfait without checking its contents. Thus he now has to suffer the consequences (and honeydew flavour). 

Emu covered her mouth with both of her hands, poorly trying to hide her giggles. It wasn't rare for Nene and Tsukasa to scold Rui over his eating habits but it never stops being fun. They both look like a pair of worrywart parents, while Rui acts like an extremely overgrown toddler, who has a difficult time accepting the fact that the world can’t accommodate his dietary preferences. 

«Parfait dates», as Emu decided to call them, became a staple for this colorful pack of theater kids, ever since they’ve left the Wonder Stage and became a freelance troupe. Becoming independent made their schedule less packed, making it much easier to hang out outside of school or performances. They would go watch a movie that Nene has read about on the Internet, or Rui would just randomly buy tickets to a new theater performance and invite everyone, or just crash at Tsukasa’s house, spending their day making pastries and having tea parties with his family. Parfait dates were Emu’s idea – usually they’d go to their favorite family restaurant after a successful show to celebrate and Emu would always order a parfait. Now they don’t perform as often but the habit still remains, and it became a tradition to eat a parfait at least once a week for good luck (Nene suspects that Tsukasa came up with this reasoning so that they wouldn’t tease him for wanting to eat sweets more often). Even though Emu enjoys every show they make, every song they sing and every cheer they get, it’s moments like this remind her how much her troupe means to her. 

At some point, these moments could have ceased to exist. At some point, they could have stopped being together. There would have been no shows and no parfait dates anymore. 

So she treasures every moment she gets to spend with her friends. 

“How about you shut your mouth and eat!?”

Their chairman was flailing his hands, looking like a very displeased mother. Nene as well looked beyond annoyed, shushing at Tsukasa to be more quiet and then switching to Rui and asking him to stop fooling around.  

“This is physically not possible, for me to ingest food I need to keep my mouth open, otherwise I’ll just smear the cream over my lips.”

“Oh my god, eat!! And then shut up!!”

Café guests are glaring daggers at their table, and Nene looks mortified now. There’s a flash of guilt in Rui’s eyes – Emu know’s very well that Rui isn’t being difficult on purpose, he would rather not eat at all than waste food. But the parfait is starting to look very drippy-droopy and Rui hates the texture of wet biscuits. If this goes on, he will not get his well-deserved parfait.

This just won’t do! Private Emu to the rescue!

“Rui-kun, let’s exchange!”

Everyone at the table turned their heads at Emu. She was pointing at her untouched chocolate parfait.

“I’ve got the usual, you like this one too, right? You can have mine and I will eat yours, let’s exchange!” 

Rui blinked at her, as if registering what he was just been told. His hand reached out to rub his neck, a rare gesture, something he usually does when he feels flustered. 

“Emu-kun, there’s no need. You wanted chocolate parfait today, right? Please don’t worry yourself, I should have looked through the menu more thoroughly,” but Emu has already grabbed his glass and pushed her chocolate parfait towards their precious alchemist. Before Rui could do anything about it, she took a spoonful of ice cream and showed it in her mouth, savoring the rich flavor of honeydew. The biscuit, as she expected, became a little soggy, but it was still delicious. 

“It’s okay Rui-kun,” she said with her mouth still full of cream and biscuit, “we wanted to spend time together and enjoy parfaits, so everyone should eat what they want. Let’s dig in, guys, I am starving!”

“Yeah, yeah” Nene was reaching out to Emu with a napkin, cleaning off bits of cream from her face, “But don’t talk with your mouth full.” Finally, everyone settled down and started eating, simultaneously listening to yet another lecture from Tsukasa about the importance of having a well-balanced diet (apparently, honeydew melon is rich with vitamin C!) 

Rui was picking his newly gained chocolate parfait, looking uncharacteristically shy. Tsukasa was taking his ear off about some new grand idea but this time Rui didn’t listen all that attentively. a strange feeling was brewing in his chest, the one he couldn’t quite name. He then shifted his gaze at Emu, who was chatting with Nene about that movie she made with her class for Kamikou’s cultural festival. Their eyes met, and Emu flashed her dazzling wonderhoy smile, trying to reassure her friend that no harm was done. To make her point even clearer, a spoonful of parfait entered her mouth. Rui couldn’t help but chuckle and repeat her motion, savoring a sweet and creamy flavour of his shared dessert. 

It’s a shame Rui-kun doesn't like honeydew, Emu thought to herself. The honeydew parfait looks a bit silly, with chunks of melon sticking here and there but the flavor itself was well-balanced, with vanilla ice cream and fruit jelly adding a gentle taste. There was more than meets the eye with this parfait. How poetic!

Kinda like Rui-kun.

“Oya, you two aren’t coming with us?”

Rui noticed that both Nene and Tsukasa were stalling behind. They’ve already finished eating and all four of them were on their way home.

“Uh, actually… We need to…Uh…” Nene stammered, fiddling with her hands a bit. Emu looked at her curiously.

“We need to go and pick things for our school project!” a panicked yet determined shout cut through the air. Tsukasa was standing with arms sticking to his sides, striking a heroic pose but his smile looked crooked and nervous. “Isn’t that right, Nene!?” 

Nene’s look wasn’t cooperative at all. In fact, she looked like she’s going to punch Tsukasa for saying something extremely outlandish. Which made the blonde look even more panicked. He mouthed a feeble “just play along!” trying to not act conspicuously. Which he wasn’t achieving at all, since he was trying to have a secret conversation with Nene right in front of their other two friends.

“Tsukasa-kun,” Rui nervously interjected, “Nene is a second-year. As far as I know, she can’t possibly have any projects with you…”

“He meant the cinema club.” Nene rushed to speak “We are having a movie marathon this week. I asked him to go and help me pick up some movies.”

“Ehh!? But Nene-chan, why you didn’t say sooner, we could have picked it up together” Emu looked a bit dejected which clearly upset Nene. She sighed, gathering his thoughts a bit, “We agreed around a week ago and didn’t want to bother you two with it. I’m sorry Emu, we will go next time.” Sage-haired diva was patting Emu’s head, trying to console her poor friend while also looking at Rui with pleading eyes. Please get a hint, it said. I beg you, Rui. 

Good thing Rui understood his actors so well. 

“Well if that’s the case, then we won’t be taking much of your time. Emu-kun and I will go ahead. Just show us the movies you’ll pick up” he flashed his knowing smile, gently pulling Emu away from Nene. These two clearly wanted to share some time alone so it’ll be cruel to not let them have this moment. They just need to be ready for some new stunts Rui has been dying to try out in a show. 

“Rui!!!” Tsukasa was overflowing with gratitude, “Of course!!! As a future star I promise you to give a detailed review of every movie we will choose! And we will be choosing…at least…ten!!! So, prepare yourself!!!” On his last promise, he pointed his finger at their benevolent director, making his promise really «pop». At his side, Nene has slapped her forehead. 

“Then bye-bye guys! See you tomorrow!” Rui and Emu waited a bit to see the other two scurrying off. Emu stopped waving and pouted. “They are so silly. If they wanted to go on a date together, they could have just said so!”

“Quite right. But it was an entertaining improv from them, wouldn’t you agree?”

They made their way towards scramble crossing and usually it was a place where they had to separate, much to Emu’s fleeting sadness. She was prepared to give Rui her goodbye hug when suddenly her companion started speaking:

“Emu-kun, what is your favourite drink?”

There’s a dull pain behind his left cheek. 

It's uncomfortable and distracting but they are having their workout with Kijima-san right now. The source of pain comes from his lower dental row. It’s too intense to properly locate by himself, but Rui suspects that his second premolar might be a culprit behind his exhilirating torture. He lacks deeper knowledge in this department, but he does know that premolars main function is to chew and grind food and that there’s a teeny tiny gap between them in which food can get stuck. This leads to it rotting and attracting bacteria, which in the end leads to…

“Rui.”

He felt someone poking his left side. 

Nene, very flushed and out of breath, was the source of poking, making sure she has his full attention now. Her little hands tremble a bit, undoubtedly the result of five (in Nene’s case it was one and a half) minutes planking. Taking a big deep breath, she started talking again:

“Is something wrong? You’ve been muttering to himself for some time while having this pensive look of yours. It’s creepy.”

He never realised that he spaced out a bit because of his inner (and outward) turmoil. This tooth situation is getting more and more meddlesome. 

“I’m fine, Nene, sorry for making you worried.” he reassures, trying to ignore the constant zinging pain inside his mouth. If his smile looks a bit strained, which it wasn’t, then it’s nothing for Nene to even worry about. He’s also exhausted (and in pain).

Little diva gave him an odd, appraising look. When growing up with closed-off Kusanagis, one has no choice but to learn how to read their eyes, this was especially true with Nene. So far, Rui has managed to record around 13 different looks Nene can give him, but the most common ones are the next:

1. Gentle look of endearment, which she shows when Rui starts ranting about things he's passionate about 

2. Tired and exasperated eyes, which usually come together with a heavy sigh – a common indication of Nene being done with alchemist’s antics 

3. The one she's giving him now. Rui’s least favourite. 

He's been doing a bad job at hiding his discomfort. 

“If you say so,” Nene fixed her loose ponytail, sparing a glance towards Emu, who was now doing headstand push-ups (and Tsukasa looking at her with horrified amazement) “Emu is also worried. She has been asking me non-stop about you.”

“Is that so? But why won't she ask me herself?”

“I told her the same and instead of answering, she became red and started talking in Emulish. I think she's too flustered.”

Flustered? Why would Emu-kun be flustered?

He spares a quick glance at Emu again. She was proudly boasting her “giganotosaurus muscles”, which look more like small peas in the pod, to pouty Tsukasa, who was trying to flex his noodle arms. Their usual silly shenanigans never failed to bring a smile to his face. 

And he wouldn’t want to leave early because of his dental health inconveniencing them. 

The pain in his mouth started to become louder, more prominent, as if his poor tooth was screaming for help, begging for his owner to pay attention and save it from this unbearable agony. Maybe later, when he will deal with this hassle, he can turn this experience into a fun show for kids to remind them to take care of their teeth. Tsukasa-kun will play the hurting tooth, of course. Rui pondered a bit more. He should make a robot that will work as a nefarious cavity. Maybe he can use some old vacuum cleaner, remodel it into a bipedal drone and attach a bazooka ball launcher, so that it will shoot “cavity shots” at their star troupe leader while he’d be running away from it on stage. The image in his head became clearer and clearer, truly, this is his most brilliant idea yet!

A new wave of pain brought Rui back to reality. He brought his hand to his cheek, in feeble attempts to somehow soothe the pain.

He should book an appointment. He really doesn’t want to. Dentist is an honourable profession and dental hygiene is extremely important but he was avoiding them for all these years and he was dead set on continuing on. Does he even have enough allowance? He was saving up for a new card reader for Nene-Robo…

“Rui-kun, are you okay?”

He was torn away from his thoughts for a second time today. He really should stop spacing out.

“Don’t worry Emu-kun. It’s just that my tooth bothers me a bit.”

Emu’s expression changed from worried to frightful.

“Whaaat!? Rui-kuns tooth is hurting right now?”

“Yes but please don’t worry. It’s nothing serious, I’m sure.”

“No no no we can’t just ignore it! Hold on Rui kun, we will save you and your tooth!”

“What? Emu-kun, it’s fine…!”

However, Rui’s words fell on deaf ears or, perhaps, no ears at all, as Emu already dashed towards their mentor. He listens to how Emu shouted “EMERGENCY!!!” at the top of her lungs and reporting to Kijima-san on Rui’s wellbeing. Tsukasa and Nene look both confused and worried. 

This is the type of attention Rui really doesn’t like. 

He’s not the one for attention really, it was always more of a Tsukasa thing. Rui was always better at operating from shadows, where nobody can see him and he can handle every problem by himself without needing to bother anyone else. Being put in the spotlight, as the one needing help, still feels foreign. 

Even a bit mortifying.

He still wants to brush everything off, to say that his tooth doesn’t bother him that much and they all should continue their training. Honestly, he’s quite old for this as well. There was a time when it was appropriate for others to fuss about his teeth but it has long passed. Emu-kun didn’t really need to bring so much attention to it…

Wait. Where’s Emu-kun?

Something cold touches his face, making Rui flinch a bit. 

“Ah, sorry, I should have warned you. Is this the right cheek?” Tsukasa was holding his bottle of water near Rui’s face, adjusting it a bit as if trying to locate where the hurting tooth was. 

“The other one.” The director took the bottle from his friend. “Thanks. I’m sorry for inconveniencing”

Tsukasa frowned at this. “You worry about silly things. When did it start to hurt?”

Rui pondered a bit. He was feeling a bit of discomfort this morning but he paid it no mind. He also took an ibuprofen some hours ago to help with a headache which might have also dulled his toothache. “It became very annoying just now. Where’s Emu-kun?” 

“She said she’s waiting for a car.” Nene appeared from behind, bringing her bag with her. She offered Rui a towel “She’s taking you to the clinic. Do you want a painkiller?”

A car? Did she order a cab? “I wouldn’t say no to a painkiller. Emu-kun decided to escort me?”

“She said she knows a good clinic so she’s taking you there.” Tsukasa shrugged, “I think we are stopping our training for today. Kijima-san told us to go rest.”

“I feel bad,” Rui could help but feel guilty. How silly this is – a training cancelled because his tooth is bothering him so much.

“You should think of your health more often” Nene chided him a bit but it was in good nature, “Who knows what’s wrong with your teeth. What if it’s a wisdom tooth? Then you’ll need to pull it out.”

Rui was ready to start arguing how it’s probably not a wisdom tooth, because the pain he’s feeling does not fit the description at all and his approximate location of pain pangs also rules out the possibility of an extra teeth growing when he heard a very loud «RUIIII-KUUUUNNN» across the park. Turning his head, he saw Emu running at her maximum velocity.

He braced himself for an impact but surprisingly (or rather unsurprisingly) Emu decided to change her vector and crash right into Tsukasa, who was standing nearby. 

“EMU, WHAT THE HELL!?” 

“I’m so sorry, Tsukasa-kun! But I got worried that if I crash into Rui-kun I will make his tooth hurt even more, or, even worse, make his tooth fly out like WHOOSH!!” She was flailing her hands, imitating a baseball bat hitting a home run.

“That doesn’t mean you need to crash into me!!”

“But it felt weird to not crash into you!”

“WEIRD HOW?!”

Emu already got on her legs while Tsukasa was still laying on grass, thrashing like an upset puppy and yelling. She then hopped to Rui, took his hand and tugged him towards the park's entrance. 

“Anyway, let's go Rui-kun! I’m taking you to the clinic!”

Rui knew that Emu had a large allowance so he didn’t doubt that she’d order a cab for them. For her it might be just as cheap as buying taiyaki. 

What he didn’t expect is to see a premium class car looking pulling over, with Mr. Mascot as their driver.

Left alone in the clinic hall, Emu didn't have anything better to do while waiting for Rui. She wrote a quick message to Nene and Tsukasa, asking them to apologise on her behalf to Kijima-san again. She thought about going and investigating the place but she has been here so many times since she was a child, she knows every nook and cranny here. Tsukasa and Nene reached out promptly, asking to keep them informed on Rui’s well-being and for Emu to take it easy as well.

I should get something for Rui-kun, we was so quiet the whole ride here. Maybe something to eat? Oh, but wouldn’t it be bad for his teeth… then, maybe something to drink!

She jumps off her seat and hurries down to the vending machines on the first floor. 

“When was the last time you visited a dentist, young man?”

Well, this conversation had to happen sooner or later.

“Last time I needed professional help was when I was 13, sir. Also cavities.”

Doctor Kobayashi, a sophisticated old man with a mighty moustache and sharp gaze, was cleaning his dental mirror, looking extremely unimpressed with this statement. 

“You seem like an educated boy, Kamishiro-kun,” the doctor huffed, putting his instruments aside. Somehow Rui managed to evade serious complications with his teeth, despite his, apparently, horrendous diet and absolute lack of self-perseverance. “You must know that you need to visit a dentist at least every 6 months. It’s good that you didn’t develop anything serious. Here’s the list of things you should add to your routine,” he absent-mindedly passed a little note. Dental floss, mouthwash, changing a toothbrush every month, Rui knew about these tips, his mother made sure that he remembered them. Whether he actually used these tips is another story altogether but he decided to keep his mouth shut. 

“Uh, Kobayashi-san,” there was a pressing matter though, the one that really bothered him “about the payment…”

“Ah” the doctor waved his hand dismissively “Emu-chan took care of it. So you shouldn’t worry.”

Well, this makes him worry even more.

“Is it possible for us to somehow split a bill? I feel bad…”

Doctor huffed out a laugh. “What, you don’t like when a girl pays for you? I didn’t take you for a prideful fool.”

Rui flushed a bit: “No sir, it’s not that. I just feel bad for making Emu-kun do all this when it’s my own negligence that led me to this situation.” Kobayashi looked at him, squinting his old eyes a little bit. “Emu-chan asked me to squeeze you in despite the fact that you have to make an appointment for at least a week in advance in this clinic. She really wanted you to get better as soon as possible. Told me that her very important friend is suffering and whatnot.” Rui couldn't help but smile. She really was worried for him. The mortification of being put under a humiliating spotlight slowly washed away by a familiar almost nostalgic warmth. It’s a nice feeling, to know that your friends care about your wellbeing and would go to great lengths to help you. He’s still getting used to it but he hopes someday we will be able to accept help without feeling like a failure. 

He bows to doctor Kobayashi, thanking him for his services and promising to take better care for his teeth. He leaves the medical room and sees Emu sitting on a bench with a plastic bag in her hands. She notices him and immediately springs upright. 

“Rui-kun, how are you feeling! Oji-san told me that you only had cavities, which is good! I mean, it’s not good that you have cavities but it’s good that it’s just cavities! You don’t feel lightheaded? Tired?”

She was fussing over him again almost like a mother hen, which is a rare look for her. For Rui, the role of an anxious mother hen was always reserved for Tsukasa, Nene was a tired older sister and Emu was always the younger sibling. But now – she's trying a new role for herself. Not quite a mother hen but no longer a younger carefree child. At first, Rui thought that Emu might be just an amazing character actress but nothing more. How happy he was to be wrong.

“Oh by the way! I brought you some strawberry milk. Remember how we went for drinks the other day and you treated me with ramune? Now I get to treat you!”

Rui blinked once, twice. Then, a hearty laughter erupted from his chest. He took A strawberry milk from a confused Emu and put it in his bag.

“Thank you, Emu-kun. But I can't drink anything sweet for the next 3 hours.”

Today feels a bit sad.

Emu doesn’t like feeling sad. It's an uncomfortable and suffocating feeling. She can’t make others smile when there's an invisible boulder crushing her ribs and makes it so hard to breathe. Emu thinks every emotion is important, but if there was one she would get rid of, it would be sadness. 

What’s frustrating is that she can’t even explain why she is sad. She and her friends are having so much fun with Mikazuki-gumi, she’s doing so much better as an actress and learning a lot. Every day has been filled with fun and excitement! 

So why does she feel like she wants to cry her heart out?

It makes no sense for her to be this upset. Nothing bad has been happening recently yet still she had a hard time getting out of bed. 

She wishes her grandpa was here. 

The troupe is having a day off, and Emu wanted to spend some time with them. Unfortunately, both Tsukasa and Nene had plans so they couldn’t make it (she must gossip about it with Saki-chan at school) so it’s only her and Rui today. Which is amazing! She loves spending time with Rui, and he makes sure that they have the most wonderhoy time. And yet, she can't help but feel slight anxiety. Their director knows how to read emotions, even those they try to hide. What if Rui will catch on to her sadness? What if she’ll make their date awkward?

Wait, date?

Emu started shaking her head, as if trying to get these thoughts from her head. No, no, no! Why would it be a date anyway? They only have parfait dates with all four!

But wouldn't it be nice to go on a date just the two of them, like Nene-chan and Tsukasa-kun did that day? They could go and get taiyakis from her favorite shop, or order parfait as they usually do! They’d share it too, not exchange.

“Hello, Emu-kun. I’m sorry for being late, did you wait long?”

“UWAAHH!”

A melodic voice spoke somewhere from behind her but Emu was so preoccupied with her daydreams that she completely tuned out the whole world. She calmed her heart a bit (she didn't expect to get started like that) and turned to finally greet her friend.

Rui looked a bit different. 

Instead of his usual oversized sweater, he was dressed in a neat turtleneck with a colorful jacket over it. There was a different earring in his ear, instead of the usual stud he wore a very nice looking dangler earring that looked like a prism. Rui looked fancy, unusually so. 

She suddenly feels a bit lightheaded.

Emu knew very well that Rui was a handsome guy but seeing him being dressed differently, with clearly more effort than he usually puts, reminded her of this fact in a very brutal fashion. She feels her cheeks flaming, almost piping hot, she’s sure Rui can see steam coming out her ears. Emu was turned into a steam engine. Once again, the great alchemist Rui managed to leave her breathless. She’s not sure if she’s happy about it this time.

“Emu-kun?”

“WAH! Rui-kun, hello! I’m so wonderhoyly happy to see you today!”

“Well, I am wonderhoyly happy to see you as well. You looked lost in thought, is everything okay?”

Mayday, mayday! What is she supposed to say! She can’t say that she was so mesmerised by his looks it took her breath away! Well, she can, Rui-kun wouldn’t make fun of her for that but still!...

Emu decided to focus her gaze on something else, to somehow ease the tension in her body. She ended up looking down at her own clothes. It wasn’t anything special, she was in her favorite hoodie with a yellow dinosaur. Nothing fancy. Nothing really new either. An unpleasant realisation has hit her: she looks outlandishly boring near Rui right now. 

“I just…Just realised that you took so much effort to look pretty. Not that you aren’t usually pretty, you are very pretty Rui-kun! But I’m in my usual clothes and you got dressed and…”

She trails and sadness seeps into her voice. She’s making it worse, now instead of getting rid of awkwardness she just made her recently developed insecurity extremely evident. She’s not like herself at all today. 

A soft chuckle could be heard from where her dear friend was standing.

“How can Emu-kun be usual? Every day Emu-kun is differently bright and shiny, especially when she's wearing her favorite Dino hoodie.” 

He took her hand and gently squeezed it. 

“So don't worry about feeling underdressed or looking good. You're always one in a kind.”

Rui smiled and Emu couldn't help but do the same. She doesn’t know how but Rui’s simple words made this unpleasant feeling go away for a moment. She knows it’s still there, gnawing at her (and she still doesn’t know why she's feeling like that) it his presence made it easier to breathe. Like a true, Rui keeps making wonders. 

“Let’s go to a cafe already!! We’re gonna have the most amazingnest, wondefullnest, most extraordinariest day ever!!”

And maybe this unpleasant and wet feeling in her chest will finally go away.

She's making it worse. 

The day (date?) was going wonderfully. They went for a coffee and then hit the arcade where they tested their might against the nefarious claw machine. Without Nene, they were severely outnumbered but Rui still managed to win a small bear plushie which he then gifted to Emu “to go along with her taiyaki phone case.” 

And yet, she still felt restless. Like the whole day she's been trying to distract herself from something. Rui noticed, of course. He’s been doing these little things to make her smile more: bowing to her when entering a cafe, as he’s a butler, drawing a little cat made of cinnamon on a foam milk of her latte but she still felt absent a bit. Like she wasn’t really him right now.

They were at the park right now and usually Emu wouldn't waste a minute stalling around; she would be trying to climb up the highest tree or play tag with kids visiting the park with their parents. Now, shes unusually calm. Rui shot her a confused look, pursing lips a little bit. 

“Emu-kun, I have one place I want to show you. Would you be so kind as to keep me company?”

He reached his hand, offering to be her guide in this Saturday adventure. Emu beamed at her friend, gladly accepting the invitation. Rui’s hand was way bigger than hers, but it also was warm. Holding Rui’s hand felt like a snuggle.

“Lead the way, Rui-kun!” she squealed with excitement. The young inventor responded with a short nod, turning his gaze towards the road, and Emu could see that the tips of his ears turned a bit red. 

They walked down the Nonogi park, staying on the usual path, when suddenly Rui turned left and dashed towards the waterscape. Running a bit further into a park, they reached a small but beautiful flower glade: it’s hard to see from the upside and many people pass it by. A perfect secret spot.

“I found this place when I was jogging with Tsukasa-kun the other day. It reminded me of when we turned the Wonder Stage into a field of flowers.”

“Oh, I remember this too! Petals were flying around all whoosh-whoosh, it looked as if they were dancing, like magic!”

“Well, this magic couldn’t have been possible without you, Emu-kun.”

Suddenly, sadness that she tried to ignore all this time, finally caught up to her. This horrible boulder, once again, started to press on Emu’s little shoulders, crushing her little by little. She lets herself lean on Rui, hoping that his presence will make her feel lighter. “I miss Wonder Stage a little bit” she said, not even trying to hide a melancholy in her voice. 

Rui hummed in agreement. “Me too. Good thing we can pay it a visit any time. Maybe even perform a show there. What do you think, Emu-kun?”

What does she think? Of course, she’ll be happy to go there. To perform their silly shows together, to see kids and their parents smile. Wouldn’t it be wonderful?

Wouldn't it? 

“Is everything okay, Emu-kun?”

Rui couldn’t hide his worry anymore. He knows Emu’s tendency to hide her emotions and worries because she just doesn’t want to make anyone worry for her. It's something he empathises with but also can’t stand. Because Rui knows what lies behind it all: the feeling that your worries are unimportant. 

But it’s Emu. And everything about Emu is important. 

“Yes! Everything is nico-nico wonderhoy, how can it not be! There’s a beautiful flower glade, and I’m spending time with you and–”

She felt her hand being grabbed once again, but it doesn’t feel timid or shy. Now it feels confident and strong. Rui’s palm envelops Emu’s hand in its warm hug once again, but there's a clear message behind it this time: I’m here, he says with his touch. I will always be by your side, what Emu feels on Rui’s fingertips. She lifted her gaze at her friend and was met with golden eyes staring intensely at her, trying to decipher, to unveil. 

For some time, they just stayed like this, none daring to speak another word. Dandelions and daisies were their audience, waiting for whatever plot twist will come next after this silent scene. Birds were chirping their joyful tune, completely unfitting to the atmosphere. It felt a bit mocking and mean for them to sing so happily, when there’s nothing but confusion in the air.

“I’m sorry, Rui-kun. I think I don’t feel very well. Maybe I should go home.”

Rui doesn’t say anything. He just reaches out to his bag and brings out from it a packet full of fresh taiyakis. They are still hot, clearly Rui tried his best to keep them as fresh as possible.

“I’ve read in a book that ‘One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.’ Of course, it’s not a fancy diner, but I am sure our doughy aquatic friends will suffice. May I ask you to humor me just a little bit more?”

Rui offered her a taiyaki.

She bit into her favorite snack, savoring the taste of red bean paste. Funny how she never got tired of eating it. Eating it always felt like home. With each bite, more tears filled her eyes, dropping on poor fishy cookies and staining its soft and sweet body with her salty tears.

Poor Taiyaki-san. I made him sad too. 

She breaks down, letting herself cry out loud and rubbing her tears with knuckles. Taiyaki is now dropped on the ground, bitten and wet with Emu’s tears while little dreamer wail all her emotions out. She feels so small and alone, flower glade no logger feels whimsical but feels distant and judgmental. Flowers have no sympathy for silly girls that cry over nothing. They only talk when there’s anybody worth talking to.

She feels herself being pulled in a gentle hug. She thinks she can hear soft humming above her, someone's pretty voice is singing her a song to calm her down a bit. She remembers her mother doing the same when little Emu couldn't stop weeping over her grandfather, that left them so suddenly.

“You are not alone, Emu-kun” The pretty voice says to her. “If there’s anything that pains you, don’t hide it. Don’t bear it all alone”.

That’s right. Rui-kun is still here. 

He’s here, hugging her and singing her a song, letting her stain his fancy turtleneck and waiting for her to let it all out. 

Emu clutches to his clothes a bit tighter and cries her heart out.

He overslept.

Rui was supposed to be training with Mikazuki-gumi thirty minutes ago and he just opened his bleary eyes. 

This has never happened before. Sure, Rui would often stay too long at night and go to bed when the sun was already rising but he never had a problem waking up even after an hour of sleep.

And he somehow managed to sleep through his special-ultra loud alarm. What is up with him lately?

He ran as fast as he possibly could, doing his best to avoid other people and to not crash into anyone. Shibuya is an amazing city but at times like this you really become keenly aware of its overpopulation problem.

He finally manages to reach the training venue. Closing the door, he dropped loudly on the floor to catch his breath.

“Rui!!!!” Tsukasa didn't waste any time jumping on and scolding him yet again, “Where have you been!!! I’ve sent you, like, a billion messages!!”

“Actually”, Rui took a long and painful breath, desperately trying to recover from his mad jog, “I’ve got only 456 notifications. 443 were from you, Tsukasa-kun.”

“That doesn’t matter! You need to start sleeping like a normal person!”

“It is rare for you to oversleep, Rui. You don’t feel sick, do you?” Nene was right. Even when he was working until 5 AM, Rui never overslept and did his best to come on time, even if he ended up feeling like he was hit by a truck. “You weren't working on anything, were you?”

“No, I didn't. I'd say I went to sleep much earlier than usual.”

He looks around his surroundings and notices that something is amiss. 

“But I’m not the only one who’s late, am I?”

Tsukasa and Nene looked at each other. “Emu won’t be coming today. She warned me. And she sent a message to group chat too but I guess you didn’t see it.” Tsukasa started scrolling on his phone, looking for a message.

“Oya, is she sick? I saw her just yesterday and she seemed fine.” Well, physically at least.

“No, she’s not sick.” Nene ads. Her face looks troubled, like she’s trying to find proper words. “She’s with her family today. At cemetery.”

“Today is the day when her grandfather passed away”

There are some days when the world feels too loud. 

Usually, loudness is a good thing, at least for Rui Kamishiro. When it’s loud, it means something is happening right now: whether his mechanical darlings are rumbling around or Tsukasa-kun practises his infamous self-introductory speech or Nene is rehearsing a song or Emu just being Emu and brightens everyone's day. Loud means life isn’t stagnant, it isn't boring. 

But there are some days when he wishes everything goes still and silent. 

He doesn’t know what he’s feeling, honestly. It’s somewhere between sadness and melancholy, a kind of longing for something he doesn't even know he longs for. An indescribable feeling. Perhaps the proper word to explain it just doesn’t exist in Japanese. He had a short-lived interest in linguistics and he learned that some languages have words that express certain concepts or emotions but they are impossible to translate. Maybe that's what he’s feeling right now. Something that he can't even put into words.

It has been 3 days since he encountered his younger selves in fragmented Sekai. He had to face the pain and loneliness he had been running away from for so, so long.

Rui never told anyone about what happened in Wonderland Sekai that day. Not that these events bothered or upset him in any way. In fact, he felt relieved. It felt therapeutic in a way, to finally look at yourself. And yet, just the idea of sharing with others about it feels too much. He had spent most of his life building a dam, so that he could keep his feelings at bay. 

Rui always ran away from his emotions, run away from pain that they bring. Being a bystander had its perks. You can observe, you can learn from afar, never bothering anyone with your presence. That way, he was sure he’d never bring harm. That way, he knew that his own heart wouldwould be protected. 

But as useful as dams can be, they are also known to bring harm to the ecosystem, making it barren and lifeless. Soon, colors became duller, sounds became muffled and his life passed him by, paying no regard to lonely alchemist who tried to turn his misery into gold.

But then, Wonderlands x Showtime came into his life and he started to feel again.

Excitement and anticipation for a new show. Slight anxiety when offering a new idea. Elation to see this idea being accepted. Happiness over learning, that you are being trusted. 

Rekindling an old friendship and building a new one. Looking forward to a new day. Planning a future with your friends.

Being scared of the future. Feeling regret over decisions. Not knowing what to do. Feeling your heart break into a million pieces after seeing your dear friend cry. 

Rui remembers reading a story about a beautiful but cruel Snow Queen, and how she pierced a young boy’s heart with her icy mirror shard. That shard froze the boy’s heart, making him cruel and unfeeling, willing to leave his dear sister behind and forget her altogether. He cared not for things like bonds or love, they saddled, hindered him. 

Sometimes, in the darkest hours, when Rui’s mind wanders too far, he wishes that the Snow Queen would pierce his heart too. 

Rui was sitting at the pier at the Wonderland Harbour, watching how quiet sea waves were dancing together. The sun had started setting so the sky was dyed in a vibrant pink colour while some stars started peeking a bit. A magical scenery that contrasted so much with what was going on in his restless mind. 

His emotions caught up to him, taking the form of a lonely and angry child, left behind by everyone. They say children feel emotions stronger than adults, but are unable to comprehend it. A child should never feel such overwhelming anger that it’d make them want to break their precious toys. A child should never experience sadness that makes it impossible for their tears to stop.

It’s a bit scary to see yourself like this. 

It’s important to try and find a reason behind everything, solve a riddle that will give you a new outlook on something. Trying to rationalise your pain and find “good damage” – isn’t it nice? Isn’t it wonderful to understand why you had to go through all of that?

He found himself being lost. He can’t find an answer and it’s been torturing him. 

This is why, after their classes at Morinomiya opera house, Rui didn’t go to their «parfait date» together with his troupe. He came up with an excuse, that he “doesn’t feel well” – a flimsy lie he’s sure his friends managed to see through.

I didn’t change at all, did I? He thought with a bitter smile on his face. In the end I’m still running away.

“Rui-kun? Are you here?”

Rui got startled by a sudden call. He turned around and saw Emu slowly approaching him. He wasn’t trying to hide but he was still surprised that she managed to find him. Then again, the harbour is pretty open.

“Good evening, Emu-kun. Fancy to see you on this beautiful evening. Did you need something from me?” He notices a paper bag in her hands, all wrinkly and crumpled, filled to the brim with something he can’t quite figure out.

Emu approached him slowly, sitting near Rui at the pier. She then revealed what she brought in his bag: it was filled with fresh donuts. 

“I brought them for you,” Emu blurted out. 

“Oya, for me?” 

“I felt sad that Rui-kun didn’t join us today. And he was looking so lonely and droopy and I just didn’t want to leave you alone like that.”

Feeling a little brave, Emu scooted a bit closer to Rui. She took one donut from a bag and offered it to him. 

“So I thought… You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. What bothers you, I mean. But I don’t want you to sit here all alone. I want to be near you and I want to support you and I want to be your strength when you feel like your own is not enough.”

Emu was holding out a strawberry donut like it was the most important thing in the whole world. The sun rays reflected on the water surface so it looked like she was surrounded by sparkles. Truly, a scene unfolding before him was worthy of the finest direction. 

Rui let out a gentle laugh and accepted a donut. An idea popped in his head: “Emu-kun, do you want to share?”

She seemed confused a bit. But we are already sharing? He could clearly read this from her face. He broke the donut in his hand in half and then reached the second one. He broke it in half as well.

“See, if I’ll take my donut and a donut Emu-kun was going to eat and just…” he put two pieces together, creating a mismatched, uneven, chocolate-strawberry donut “Then we get to share our donuts together.”

It’s very childish, meaningless and at this point he just plays with food. But the way Emu beams at him and proceeds excitedly to repeat all the steps, creating her own mismatched and ugly donut feels way more important now. 

He was hoping to dig into himself and find some sort of closure. He didn’t come closer to understanding how he feels and how to handle himself. Deep down, he still wishes he could put a lid on his feelings and never let them out. 

But right now he’s sitting with his dear friend, watching Wonderland's sun setting and sharing halfies of donuts. Sometimes plushie turtles pass them by and they politely greet them and offer them their sweets, which toy reptiles gladly accept. 

Right now, he’s not running away