Chapter Text
Eichi gathered up his things as he left his office, shrugging his coat onto his shoulders and packing his documents away. His last filming of the day had been unexpectedly canceled, but he was in no mood to return to work. What a shame that'd be, with his rare free time before Christmas.
The holiday season was a time of rest for everyone else, but for idols, it was one of their busiest seasons. With everyone at home or enjoying their time off, the demand for idols grew all the more. And of course, as proper idols, they must rise to meet that demand.
This excuse hadn't been quite enough to avoid the protests of the lovely Tori, or the gentle and not-so-gentle chiding of Wataru and Yuzuru, when he'd told them he intended to work without even the break of an Eichi day over the winter season. So perhaps this was simply a sign from the heavens that he ought to heed their complaints, and give himself at least the remainder of the evening to relax.
It wasn't quite the right weather to be spending outside, however. Eichi's constitution already left him vulnerable to both the heat and the cold in approximately equal measure, and the way he'd been pushing himself recently only made his health situation more precarious. And with the winter chill seeping into the town, his coat, well-made as it was, wasn't quite sturdy enough to stave off the worst of the weather. So a tea party outside, or a leisurely walk through the surrounding streets, were out of the question.
But it'd be a shame to head back directly to the dorms, too. Especially with how empty they'd be at this time of day - the remainder of fine were off on their own jobs, and quite a few members of StarPro were scheduled for their own work. He wasn't as intimately acquainted with the schedules of other agencies, but the situation was likely similar. It'd be hopelessly boring to while away this rare free time by listlessly laying in his room, but perhaps that'd still be the best course of action...
"Ah-" Eichi let out a slight noise of surprise as he bumped into someone right as he exited the elevator doors. It was partially a result of his own distraction, but wasn't it strange for someone to stand in such an inconvenient place?
It took Eichi a moment to place the identity of the purple-haired person in front of him, what with the rare, troubled expression Otogari wore as he gazed down at his phone. Had something occurred? It was only the action of a caring senior to inquire after him, Eichi justified to himself, fully aware that the primary reason he was considering probing into this matter was to satisfy his own boredom. At the very least, it should kill some time, shouldn't it...♪
"Ah. I'm sorry, Tenshouin-senpai. I blocked your way." There was a slight delay before Otogari looked up towards Eichi, apologizing straightforwardly and moving out of the way. He had clearly expected Eichi to continue on his way, with how quickly his gaze returned to his phone, but Eichi had other plans.
"It's rare of you to not be aware of your surroundings, Otogari-kun," Eichi remarked, smiling pleasantly. It was true - during their Sports Survivors meetings, Otogari would often showcase a remarkable level of acuity, to the point that it filled Eichi with a mixture of both envy and awe. So whatever had thrown him so off balance must be something interesting indeed.
"It was my mistake. I should have been more mindful." Sincere as always, Otogari was, and Eichi noted with a sense of satisfaction that he finally focused his full attention on Eichi.
"What was it that was on your mind, Otogari-kun? You can feel free to confide in me ♪" While the words themselves were reassuring, Eichi's tone and expression carried a purposeful sense of pressure with them. Otogari did generally strive to be polite, so surely he wouldn't turn down such a direct offer, would he?
"It's not much. Only that Narukami invited me to visit a cafe of her friend before it closed. Oogami and I were meant to go together, but Leon is feeling bad, so Oogami had to cancel."
Eichi furrowed his brow. Was that it? It seemed like a remarkably small problem to be concerned over.
"If you wanted to attend anyhow, then I'm certain there'd be no issue if you decided to attend alone," Eichi commented. He doubted any restaurant would turn Otogari away just for coming alone, although he supposed the experience of dining alone could be somewhat awkward. But wouldn't that make it interesting as well? ♪ If Eichi were so set on visiting a restaurant, he'd likely have no qualms about doing so.
"I'm not sure. I don't want to cause discomfort to other customers, since the cafe is different from where I usually go. That's why I invited Oogami along..." Otogari seemed troubled again at the thought, trailing off.
So that was what the problem was, hm? Well, it was true that Adonis' stature and build could occasionally give off the wrong impression, despite his gentle personality. While he doubted that a friend of Narukami would turn Otogari away on such a slight matter, Otogari's own awareness of the potential awkwardness of eating at such a 'pretty' cafe alone, along with his strange sense of caution when it came to cute things in general. Or was that just in regards to living things? Eichi didn't know him well enough to be sure.
But, well, the problem was easily enough solved.
"Fufu. Then shall I be your companion for the night, Otogari-kun? ♪" He'd grown interested in the cafe himself after seeing some of the posts by his fellow idols, particularly the dishes designed by Narukami herself. Why not take this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone? Though perhaps Otogari would prefer a gentler metaphor. ♪
"I wouldn't want to inconvenience you, Tenshouin-senpai. But I would be grateful if you could." Otogari seemed hesitant to accept the offer. Was it simply that they'd spent very little time together in the past?
"There's no need to be so on guard. I happened to find myself with some free time, so this is a perfect way to use it, isn't it?" Eichi smiled slightly again.
It could be said that as the founder of Ensquare it was his responsibility to inform himself of all the most prominent idols of their company, the same excuse he'd used when he'd simply been the student council president of Yumenosaki. Or he could claim that this would be useful research on Undead, likely yielding some helpful strategies to counter some of Rei's irritating moves. Both of those held some element of truth, but his underlying motivations were much simpler: just his interest in idols, including Otogari Adonis, a member of a unit that Eichi had long been a fan of himself. Just because they had also been his rival didn't prevent that, did it?
"Alright then." Otogari tucked his phone into his pocket, and led the way towards the entrance in broad strides. Eichi followed close behind, trying to hide how the quick pace was already winding him.
Well, this would certainly be an interesting dinner, at the very least ♪