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Nene Kusanagi was not the type of person to be ecstatic while walking home from school.
She knew this, and her childhood friend Rui definitely knew this. Which was why, when she ran down the familiar hallway and slid open the door to his room without knocking, he very nearly soldered the wrong wire.
“Nene?” Rui said, lifting his head just in time to see her standing in the doorway, chest rising as if she’d rushed the entire way there. Her uniform was neat as ever, her expression composed—except for the unmistakable smile tugging at her lips.
That smile meant she had something.
He set his tools aside carefully, already smiling himself.
“Rui,” she said, stepping inside and shutting the door behind her. “We need to talk. Now.”
He hummed in amusement, turning his chair toward her. The half-assembled contraption on his desk clicked softly as it settled, wires and metal parts scattered like evidence of a productive half day.
“Good,” he replied easily. “I was wanting to talk to you too.”
She paused. “…You were?”
“Mm. You’re early.” His eyes flicked to the clock, then back to her. “Which usually means school was interesting.”
Nene crossed her arms, trying to regain her usual composure. “Don’t say it like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you’ve been waiting for me to deliver something.”
Rui tilted his head, unbothered. “Am I wrong?”
She clicked her tongue, but the smile widened despite herself. She dropped her bag near the door and approached his desk, glancing at the machine half-built in front of him. “You’re working already?” she asked.
“Half day,” he said simply. “Plenty of time to be productive.” Then, softer, “And plenty of time to listen.”
That did it.
Nene leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice out of pure habit. “Okay. So. You know the second-years in Class A?”
Rui’s eyes lit up immediately. “Oh, this is already promising.”
She shot him a warning look, but continued anyway. “They think no one notices them whispering. Which is ridiculous, because they sit right behind me.”
“Mmhmm.”
“And apparently,” she said, barely containing her excitement now, “two of them confessed to the same person. On the same day.”
Rui clasped his hands together, utterly delighted. “Marvelous.”
“And wait—wait,” she added quickly, “because one of them told their friend, who told another friend, who then started crying in the hallway about it.”
He laughed quietly, pushing his chair back. “I can’t believe they’d reveal something like that in public.”
“I can,” Nene replied dryly. “People forget I’m there.”
Rui smiled at her, fond and knowing. “Their loss.”
She finally sat down across from him, expression settling into something comfortable—this version of herself reserved for him alone. “I have more,” she said.
Rui gestured toward the chair with a flourish. “By all means. Enlighten me.”
“Mizuki’s dating someone.”
Rui froze mid-adjustment, fingers stilling on the small dial he’d been turning. For a rare moment, his expression broke completely—eyes widening, brows lifting in unmistakable surprise. “She is?” he echoed, then smiled slowly, interest sparking. “Tell me more~”
Nene nodded, clearly pleased to have captured his full attention. She leaned against the edge of his desk, careful not to touch any of the scattered parts. “From what I heard—from her, actually—she’s dating someone who goes to Miya Girls. I think it’s the senior Emu worked with during the test of courage event.”
Rui hummed, thoughtful. He set the tool down and rested his chin against his hand. “Asahina, then. I remember her—she came to the school festival. Quite memorable.” He tilted his head. “I didn’t think she’d date Mizuki, though.”
“That’s the thing,” Nene said, lowering her voice slightly, even though there was no one else to overhear. “Part of me thinks it isn’t just her.”
Rui’s eyes flicked back to her. “Really?”
She nodded. “I heard from An that Shinonome-san might be someone she’s dating too. And there’s… someone else. I don’t remember her name, though.”
For a second, Rui just stared at her. Then he laughed softly, genuine delight bubbling up. “Wow,” he said. “If that’s true, I’ll be sure to send her my congratulations.”
Nene blinked. “Rui, it’s not like she married them.”
“True,” he replied easily, picking his project back up and resuming his work. “But we’ve been friends for a long time. Hearing news like this from someone else instead of directly from Mizuki is quite the new experience.”
She considered that, her excitement mellowing into something more thoughtful. “…I guess so.”
Rui glanced at her again, smiling faintly. “Still, I appreciate being informed.”
Nene straightened just a little, clearly satisfied. “I knew you would.”
“Now,” Rui said, turning fully toward her, a familiar glint in his eyes, “for what I have to tell you. I’m pretty sure An is in a love triangle.”
Nene blinked. “…What?? How?”
Rui folded his arms, clearly pleased to have the floor for once. “I’m fairly certain you’re aware that An is dating Kohane. Our number one fan.”
“Yeah,” Nene said slowly, suspicious now. “But how is that related?”
“Their music group also includes Akito and Toya,” Rui continued. “And this morning, I overheard them discussing how they might confess to An.” He tilted his head. “They’re leaving for the US soon, and it seems they want to make a move before they go.”
Nene stared at him, then groaned softly. “No way… I heard bits of that too, but I didn’t realize it was that serious.”
“Oh, it is,” Rui said lightly. “At least from what I heard on Akito’s end."
"I’m sure An likes him in some way, but she deflects whenever it’s brought up in class. Toya, I’m less sure about—but I can see it.” Nene crossed her arms, shaking her head. "I can only imagine how it ends when they come back.”
Rui hummed in thought. “Well, if it ends up anything like ours did, everyone would be dating.”
She glanced at him. “…You have a point.”
They shared a brief look—mutual understanding, mutual amusement—before Nene let out a small laugh. “Wow,” she said. “So we’re both eavesdroppers now.”
Rui smiled. “Naturally. We simply specialize in different fields.”
~
The gossip session carried on far longer than either of them meant it to.
Somewhere along the way, the afternoon light shifted, the sharp brightness of earlier softening into a warmer glow that filtered through Rui’s window. The machine on his desk sat forgotten, half-finished, as their conversation wandered from one overheard secret to another, punctuated by laughter that came easily and often.
By the time Nene finally leaned back in her chair, she had to press a hand to her side, wincing. “…Ow,” she said weakly. “Okay. I think I laughed too much.”
Rui glanced over, clearly amused. “I did warn you that prolonged gossip sessions have side effects.”
She let out a small huff of laughter anyway, then let the room settle into a comfortable quiet. The absence of voices made her suddenly aware of the scattered tools on his desk, wires left untouched, notes half-written.
Her smile softened. “…I kinda feel bad now,” she admitted, quieter than before. “I didn’t really need to infiltrate your room just to fill you in on gossip. You were busy.”
Rui didn’t answer right away. Instead, he carefully placed the piece he’d been holding down on the desk, aligning it neatly with the others. Only then did he turn toward her, resting his elbows on his knees.
“It doesn’t bother me at all,” he said. His voice was calm, sincere. “I spend a lot of time working on things by myself. It’s nice to have someone interrupt that every now and then.”
Nene blinked. “Interrupt?”
“Yes,” he said, smiling faintly. “In a good way.”
She looked down at her hands, fingers fidgeting in her lap. “Sometimes it feels like I’m just… dumping nonsense on you.”
Rui shook his head. “It isn’t nonsense. It’s people. And you’re good at noticing people.” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “Not everyone listens the way you do.”
She swallowed. “…Do you really think so?”
He nodded, easy and certain. “Yeah. I do.”
The room was quiet again, but it wasn’t awkward—just full in a way Nene hadn’t realized she’d needed. The faint hum of the machine on the desk, the distant sound of traffic outside, the steady presence of someone who didn’t mind her taking up space.
Rui leaned back slightly. “The door’s always open,” he said. “If you want me to listen. Even if you don’t have anything particularly interesting to say.”
Nene let out a soft, almost embarrassed laugh. “That’s… a little unfair. You know I always have something to say.”
“I do,” he replied gently.
She stood, slinging her bag over her shoulder, lingering for a moment longer than necessary. “…I’ll probably take you up on that.”
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
She smiled as she headed for the door, warmth lingering in her chest long after she stepped back into the hallway.