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In an ordinary train station like any other, on a morning like any other, a 17-year-old Rinne Amagi is standing on the platform with his younger brother, Hiiro (16). Rinne’s gaze is distant, as if something were weighing on his mind.
“Nii-san, are you distracted because you’re worried you won’t see that boy with the ponytail again?”
Rinne jolts. In an instant, his face is bright red like a tomato. To hide his embarrassment, he flicks his brother in the forehead for his insolence. Hiiro is unfazed.
“Obviously not!” Rinne spits, obviously lying. “I don’t even know about that guy. Why would I care about him?”
Hiiro tilts his head in confusion. “You clearly love him, though?”
Again, Rinne jumps like a surprised cat. You can practically see the steam emanating from his head.
“ L-Love?! Listen here, Hiiro. That’s not a word you can just throw around willy-nilly. It’s like kissing someone before marriage. You have to be careful.” Rinne chides in classic deflecting big brother fashion.
“I see.” Hiiro nods intently, absorbing the wise words of his older brother. “So you just like him, then? Even so, I think you should tell him how you feel, Nii-san!”
Before Rinne can spiral into another frenzy of flustered denial, the two brothers are distracted by three figures walking past them. What catches their attention is not the fact that the three of them have the features of a honey bee, fox, and white tiger, respectively, nor the fact that all of them have the exact same face as Rinne (if not a little older-looking). What grips them is the conversation that can be overheard.
“Niki, Niki, Niki, yay~! ♡” Sing-songs the Rinne with fox ears, skipping along with the lyrics of his tune. “I can’t wait to see him again today. And his cute ponytail. ♡”
Seventeen’s heart drops.
The Bee-Rinne’s wings flutter, and he takes a lollipop out of his mouth before taunting: “Glad you know all you’re gonna do is see him today, ‘cause I’m gonna sit next to him!”
“The hell, you’re not!” Fox-Rinne barks back. “That seat next to Nikikyun is all mine~ ♡”
The tiger, who had been just listening up until now, rolls his eyes and chimes in.
“You guys are morons. Chances are, he sits somewhere in the middle, where there are two open seats on either side of him. Even so, it’s idiotic to fight over who gets to sit next to some guy you both barely know.”
Fox-Rinne hums. “You say that, Stripes, but I see you brought your sword with you today~ Could it be you’re planning to use it to fight off anyone who takes that precious seat away from you?”
Tiger-Rinne quickly grips the hilt of his sword, offended. “I would never use my sword for such a trivial matter.” His face flushes, and his voice trails off. “No matter how cute his ponytail may be..”
“ So you do like him!”
“..Looks like you have some competition, Nii-san.” Hiiro whispers to his older brother.
Seventeen grits his teeth and clenches his fist.
“Don’t worry Nii-san!’ Hiiro comforts. “I’m sure you can still seduce this Niki-san!”
“ SEDUCE?! ”
As the minutes pass, more Rinnes step onto the station platform: a Rinne in an oversized jacket with devil horns and a tail; a Rinne clad in Chinese-inspired clothing, with messy hair and eyebags that make it obvious he spent all night at the club; a royal-looking Rinne in purple robes, being carried in a palanquin by two boys with pink and blue hair, respectively. The air becomes heavy with tension as all these Rinnes are made aware of a universal truth that comes with being Rinne Amagi: They all love Niki.
Finally, the train pulls into the station. In what seems like slow motion, the doors open. Tentatively, all the Rinnes (minus one, plus one Hiiro, HiMERU, and Kohaku) step onto the train car.
At the very end of the car sits the man of the hour, Niki, complete with his signature gray ponytail. There’s a cream cheese and bacon bagel (toasted) in his left hand and a smartphone in his right, as well as a thermos of hot coffee in between his legs (dangerous??). Niki wipes his cheek to get some cream cheese that got stuck there and completely misses. In unison, the Rinnes let out a dreamy sigh.
However, one major issue makes itself glaringly obvious.
Niki’s sitting in a two-seater. Which means there’s only one seat next to him available.
Thus, the Battle for the Seat Next to Niki begins.
Being that these are a bunch of Rinnes (meaning, a bunch of strategic thinkers), nothing happens for a good ten seconds.
That is, until Devil-Rinne shrugs and decides to just make a run for it.
“Oh no, you don’t!” Tiger-Rinne grabs him by the tail, halting and dragging him backwards. Devil-Rinne curses and kicks back. An all-out brawl ensues.
Swords are drawn. Punches are thrown. More tails are pulled. Mahjong tiles are thrown around. Horrified passengers are moved to other cars.
All the while, Niki remains none the wiser. He’s even got a pair of wired headphones in his ears now.
The chaos continues until a voice breaks through the noise.
“Wait! Everyone shut the fuck up for a second!” It’s Nightclub Rinne. He’s sitting on a windowsill instead of the actual seat right in front of it. “There’s no reason for any of us to be actually fighting . Aren’t we all cute, peaceful, wouldn’t-hurt-a-fly-types ~♡?”
Murmurs of “Ehhhh” and “ Sure?” and “ Not really ” ring out amongst the crowd (along with an energetic “ TRUE ♡” from Fox-Rinne, whose claws are still drawn). Nightclub pays them no mind.
“Let’s settle this in a more ‘Rinne Amagi’-like fashion, yeah?” Nightclub digs into the chest window of his top and pulls out a pair of dice. “Let’s gamble. ♡”
Another fact of being Rinne Amagi: They all love a good gamble.
They settle on a dice-rolling tournament. They will face off in pairs. The one who rolls the highest number wins and gets to continue. The loser is disqualified.
ROUND 1: Fox-Rinne Vs. Devil-Rinne! START!!
The Fox and the Devil sit on the floor across from each other, wearing matching grins and making perfect eye contact. Hiiro, who’s been dragged into this mess to serve as referee/facilitator (hard to say no to seven different versions of your older brother), sits in one of the seats above them, along with Seventeen. Tiger and Honeybee watch from over Fox’s shoulder. Nightclub is leaning his entire body weight on Devil’s back, resting his chin on the top of his head. Ojou-Rinne watches boredly from inside his palanquin.
“Alright,” Starts Hiiro. “One.. Two.. Three… Roll!”
Dice are rolled.
“ Fucking two?!” Devil complains at the same time that Fox squeals excitedly.
“Four!♡ Like the ‘Shi’ in ‘Shiina’!♡ My goddess of victory has blessed me yet again~!♡♡♡♡”
Said goddess of victory nearly chokes trying to take a sip of coffee while the train starts back up again.
“Congratulations, Nii-san!” Hiiro says to Fox. He turns to Devil, eyebrows furrowed in sympathy. “Sorry, Nii-san.”
Seventeen sucks his teeth.
ROUND 2: Bee-Rinne Vs. Nightclub-Rinne! START!!
Honeybee sucks on his seemingly never-ending lollipop. Nightclub rolls his neck and stretches his arms over his head, then leans back on his palms. His red jacket falls off his shoulders. Ojou-Rinne is slowly inching his palanquin door closed.
“Roll!”
“Oooh, a six~♡”
Honeybee frowns down at his one, then up at Nightclub. One antenna twitches.
“Are you cheating?”
“Hmm? How would I be cheating?”
“Who fuckin’ knows. These are your dice.”
“Sounds like someone’s mad they lost. I don’t think Nikikyun likes sore losers~”
“Oh, you’re begging to get stung–”
“Nii-sans! Nii-sans!-- ”
ROUND 3: 17-Rinne Vs.Tiger-Rinne! START!!
The two most serious Rinnes sit cross-legged, faces solemn. Honeybee and Nightclub sit on opposite sides of the group from each other, both sporting new bruises and bumps. Ojou-Rinne’s palanquin is completely closed.
“Roll!--”
Tiger’s tail suddenly perks up. “Wait.”
Seventeen’s hand stops mid-shake. “What?”
“Wasn’t there an odd number of us?”
Nightclub gasps. “Holy shit, you’re right. Now that I think about it, where’s his majesty–”
Every Rinne’s face goes dark once they realize. In perfect unison, they all slowly turn around.
Just in time to see Ojou-Rinne saunter his way into the seat next to Niki. Niki looks up and politely nods at him. His majesty elegantly nods back, a light blush dusting his cheeks. He crosses his legs and seemingly pulls a sake cup out of nowhere, swirling it around and taking a sip. Ojou glances over at his doppelgangers and flashes an evil, triumphant smirk, then looks away as if it were nothing.
The rest of the Rinnes simultaneously bristle. They look like a giant red bush blowing in the wind.
“That. Bitch .”
“Who the hell does he think he is?”
“ZERO respect for the art of the gamble.”
Among the clamors of indignation, it’s Seventeen’s that stands out: “We gotta kill him.”
“Whoa,” Honeybee whistles. “Someone’s quick to violence.”
The rapidly blackening bruise on Nightclub’s shoulder throbs.
“No, I’m serious. Think about it,” Seventeen implores. “If it were you in that seat, next to Niki, would you let anyone take it?”
“They would have to kill me,” Tiger confirms solemnly, already unsheathing his sword.
Before anything of the murder variety can occur, however, the train screeches to a halt. The sudden stop launches Niki sideways–
–Face-first into Ojou’s chest.
Ojou-Rinne’s soul visibly leaves his body. His face goes slack and bright red.
Niki peels himself off of Ojou’s chest. His eyebrows are lowered apologetically.
“Oh my god, I am so sorry!!! Are you okay?”
Ojou-Rinne, incapable of forming words at the moment, simply nods.
“Thank God~ Again, I’m really sorry!” Niki chuckles nervously, scooching a bit closer to the wall and turning his attention back to his phone.
Ojou just sits there, processing. And promptly passes out.
Silently, Kohaku and HiMERU pick him up, gently place him inside the palanquin, and carry him out at the next stop.
The Rinnes watch on in horror.
“Well,” says Nightclub, “Guess that takes care of tha-”
He’s interrupted by a swift kick in the ass from Devil. A second brawl breaks out. This time, no one pulls their punches. Seventeen yanks Honeybees antennae. Nightclub pelts Devil with pachinko balls. Tiger accidentally cuts a very erotic slit in Fox’s shirt.
It seems as if the violence will never end. That is, until Hiiro throws himself into the mix.
“Hiiro!” gasps Seventeen, blocking an oncoming punch from a vengeful Honeybee.. “What the hell are you doing?!”
“Nii-san, go!! I’ll hold the rest of the Nii-sans off!”
Touched, tears prick the sides of Seventeen’s eyes. “Thank you, Hiiro!!”
He wastes no time weaving past the other Rinnes and booking it towards Niki. In a last-ditch effort, Fox reaches out to grab the back of Seventeen’s collar, but Hiiro swoops in and tackles him to the ground.
Seventeen nearly throws himself into the Seat. Niki looks up, slightly alarmed, but still flashes a friendly smile. Seventeen’s heart skips a beat. Dammit, Niki. This is why so many people fall in love with you.
He takes a second to gather his bearings, pointedly ignoring the death glares from the other Rinnes. He clears his throat.
“Uh, I–”
“Hmm?” Niki tilts his head, taking one of his earbuds out. “Are you talking to me?”
Seventeen’s face flushes, and suddenly there’s a giant lump in his throat.
“Well, the truth is– I.. I!!”
Before Seventeen can get anything resembling a confession out, the train slows to a stop, and Niki stands up.
“This is my stop, so I have to go.. But maybe we’ll see each other again and you can finish telling me what you wanted to say, yeah?”
“Guh.”
Accepting that very intelligent statement as an adequate response, Niki flashes one last disarming smile and steps off the train.
The Rinnes watch in silence as Niki looks around the platform and–
"Rinne-kun!!”
Jogs to meet up with another Rinne. This one’s dressed in casual clothes, with a headband holding his bangs up.
“Did you wait a long time? There were some train delays.”
“Nah, I just got here,” says Headband-Rinne. Every other Rinne can tell it’s a lie.
Headband-Rinne frowns and brings up a thumb to swipe at Niki’s face, removing the cream cheese that had been stuck there. “Niki, did you have this stuff on your face the whole ride here?”
Niki gasps. “No way! Man, I thought I got it already..”
Headband-Rinne snorts. “I bet everyone on the train was looking at you funny.” He brings his thumb to his mouth to lick the cream cheese. More bristling occurs in the train.
Niki gasps even louder. “Holy shit, what if that was what that kid was trying to tell me?!”
“Hm?” Headband-Rinne glances over at the subway train. “What ki-”
He does a double-take. His expression twists into one of horror and disbelief.
“..O-Oi, Niki, did you happen to notice the–”
Before Headband-Rinne can finish his sentence, Niki grabs the side of his face and kisses him. Passionately. There’s tongue involved and everything.
There’s so much bristling that the train car genuinely shakes.
Niki smiles at Headband-Rinne like he’s the most precious thing in the world.
“ I missed you. ”
Seventeen faints.
—-
Rinne jerks awake with a gasp. He looks around to take in his surroundings.
He’s in Niki’s bed. The balcony door is open, spilling sunlight into the room. Next to him, Niki is already awake, scrolling on his phone. Rinne grips his chest. Yeah, definitely 22.
“Rise and shine, sleepyhead~” Niki teases. His voice is a little raspy in the way it always is in the first 30 minutes of Niki being awake. Rinne feels a tingle at the idea that he’s the only person who gets to hear Niki’s voice like that every morning.
“Mornin’,” greets Rinne, rubbing the sleepy out of his eye.
“Rinne-kun was tossing and turning a lot in his sleep.. You must’ve been having a crazy dream, huh?”
Rinne snorts. “You could say that.”
“I thought so!” Niki nods towards the bedside table. “I got you a glass of water for when you woke up.”
An angel. Rinne grabs the glass and downs a third of it. The water runs down his throat, and his entire body feels refreshed.
The two of them sit in silence for a bit. Rinne nurses his glass of water. It always takes him a few minutes to fully wake up in the morning.
“Hey, Niki.” Rinne breaks the silence.
“Yes?”
“You’ll always pick me, right?”
“Hmm?” Niki wraps an arm around Rinne’s shoulders and starts rubbing his side. It feels nice. “What do you mean?”
“Say you were in a room full of guys who looked exactly like me and acted exactly like me, except they had cute animal ears or were younger or whatever, you would still pick me, right?”
Niki sighs. “Always with the hypotheticals.. Does this have anything to do with the dream you had?”
“ Answer the question. ”
“!! Alright, jeez!” Niki brings his free hand to his chin to think. “I mean, I would definitely be tempted, but I'm sure in the end I would make my way back to y– Owww?!?!”
Rinne maneuvers around to get out of Niki’s hold and puts him in a headlock.
“What?! What was that for??!!!”
“That’s the wrong answer, dumbass! Are you really that insensitive?” Rinne sucks his teeth. “Seriously, you have no idea how a girl’s heart works.. ♡”
“But you’re not even a gir– Hrk?! Okay, Rinne-kun I’m sorry!! I don’t know what I said, but I’m sorry!!! I was waiting for you to wake up so I could make breakfast, and I’m getting really hungry now, so please let me go???!!”
As Rinne performs various wrestling moves on Niki and listens to him scream, Rinne thinks one thing and one thing only:
I love Niki ♡