Work Text:
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
The loud music wakes him up that morning.
“Alexis!” He grumbles in irritation, “turn that fucking thing down now.”
Kaiser snorts when he realises that his roommate hasn't heard him because the damn music is too loud. Seriously, he's going to kill Ness one day…
Reluctantly, he gets out of bed and stumbles.
Damn. He sees the books scattered on the floor now. Yesterday he stayed up late studying for a test and was too tired to organise the books in the corner of the room as he usually does.
He urgently needs to buy a desk.
This mess can't go on like this.
“Turn off that shit!” He shouts as soon as he opens the bedroom door.
“Good morning! About time you got up.” Ness seems amused by his best friend's grimace.
Kaiser ignores the comment and enters the room opposite his. He grabs Ness's mobile phone and finally turns off that annoying, cheesy song that woke him up.
“Next time, use headphones.”
“But don't you wanna know what is love?” The mocking tone makes Kaiser give him the finger, and he hears laughter as he walks away.
Ness is so annoying!
Kaiser wouldn't be surprised if he found out that Ness had put that song on that day just to get on his nerves.
Today is 14 February, Valentine's Day. Literally the most pathetic day of the year, it manages to be worse than Christmas (his birthday).
He picks up his mobile phone and checks the time.
Damn. He'll be late for his first class if he doesn't leave soon.
Kaiser puts on the first clothes he finds in the wardrobe, rushes to brush his teeth and grabs his bag to leave. He waves briefly to Ness before locking the flat door.
As he walks to university, Kaiser regrets not having a cup of coffee before leaving.
It's going to be a long day and he's still tired...
Hmm, maybe he should stop by the coffee shop before going to class. After all, between being a few minutes late or spending an hour and forty-five minutes sleeping... the first option is probably the best.
Kaiser frowns when he sees the long queue.
8:22
“You're surprised to see so many people here at this time, right?!”
He looks up from his mobile phone to the figure in front of him. Yukimiya Kenyu. Kaiser isn't friends with him, but they're on the same university football team and Kaiser doesn't totally despise him, so he just nods in confusion.
“Valentine's Day special,” he smiles. “If you kiss your partner in front of the barista, you get a free piece of cake.”
What a performative day... Kaiser completely despises all this theatrics.
Yukimiya must find his grimace of disgust must be obvious, because he smiles at it.
Kaiser remains in the queue. Without a coffee, he won't survive until the end of the day.
After fifteen long minutes, he finally gets his drink.
He hurries to his first class of the day. Ethics. One of the most tedious subjects in his exchange programme, not because the subject is boring, but because the teacher is terrible at explaining it.
Kaiser could give a better lecture than that guy!
As he enters the building, someone bumps into him and hot coffee splashes onto his hand.
“Shit! Watch where the hell you’re going!”
If he weren’t late, he would definitely start a fight. Lucky for that person!
Kaiser enters the classroom quietly and sits alone at the back, as usual.
He takes a sip of his coffee, watching his classmates. Not that he's looking for anyone, he definitely isn't, but he's just looking... He sees Yoichi sitting, as usual, in one of the front seats. The boy obsessively writes down every word the teacher says, and Kaiser rolls his eyes. Pathetic nerd.
With a sixth sense, Isagi looks in his direction as if he knows Kaiser is staring at him. He makes a disgusted face before turning his attention back to the teacher.
This irritates Kaiser.
He hates it when Isagi Yoichi has the last word. Technically, in this case, it was the last hostile gesture between them, but still... Annoying.
Later, during football practice, Kaiser will make a point of making his life miserable, but for now, he's going to review his notes for the test he'll have next class.
Kaiser isn't confident that he understands all the material yet. And since he didn't do as well as he would’ve liked on the first test, he really needs to do well now…
He studies.
When class ends, some girls he doesn't know approach him and give him chocolate. Once again, he remembers that it's Valentine's Day. What a fucking performative day...
Kaiser doesn't even bother to smile. He knows it's customary to give chocolate on Valentine's Day, but... they don't even know him! He tries to refuse politely, but perhaps he sounded rude because one girl tears up a letter and walks away crying.
It takes longer than he would like to get rid of them, and now he's late again. Oh, great! Kaiser really wanted to be late for the test... in a building on the other side of campus.
“Weren't you a bit rude back there?”
“You think so?” He asks, hurrying down the stairs, “why don't you go and comfort the girls then, Yoichi?”
Isagi mocks, walking side by side with him. Coincidentally, they take most of the same classes. Kaiser is tortured every day, forced to endure Yoichi's unbearable face during various subjects and football practice.
“You could've just accepted the chocolates and avoided all that drama, but you like attention, don't you?”
Kaiser rolls his eyes. What does Isagi Yoichi think he knows? Ugh... he knows nothing!
“You focused on the drama because you wanted to, Yoichi. Maybe try not being so obsessed with me.”
“What?! As if I'd be obsessed with you! Go to hell, Kaiser.”
He laughs mockingly. “So obsessed... You're literally following me around right now.”
“Don't play dumb, you know we have the same class.”
“Yeah, but like... if you had just ignored me, you'd be in class right now, wouldn't you?”
Kaiser smiles, looking satisfied to see the grimace form on Isagi's face.
They both know that Kaiser has made a very good point.
“I hate you,” he mutters before taking longer strides to walk away.
Usually Kaiser wouldn't let him get away so easily, but he doesn't want to stress himself out minutes before a test.
Kaiser hands in that test with the terrible certainty that he didn't even get average marks. The teacher's stern gaze as he leaves the classroom irritates him greatly. He could kill anyone who dares to talk to him now.
“Hey, dude, can you take a pic of me and my girlfriend?”
He grimaces. Kaiser can tell from the couple's posture that they've probably just gotten together and it must be a special moment for them.
“Fuck no,” he mutters before walking away.
Kaiser is exhausted, angry and frustrated.
He walks back home mocking the pathetic day he's having.
Everything is going wrong today!
Kaiser blames Valentine's Day. It's always the fault of holidays!
The bad test score? Yeah, totally his fault, but... everything else that's gone wrong today? Valentine's Day's fucking fault!!!
He can't wait for this shitty day to end…
“Oh, great! Just what I needed…” Kaiser mutters to himself, rummaging through his pocket for his key, but he can't find it.
No. This shit can't be happening...
He lost the key.
Kaiser frowns, trying to remember when during the day this could’ve happened, but he has no idea...
Shit. What should he do?!
He knocks on the door a few times but stops when he realises Ness isn't home. Kaiser grimaces. It's lunchtime, his roommate should be home by now.
“Where are you?” is the first thing Kaiser asks as soon as Ness answers his call.
“Hm? Kaiser, I'm busy right now, can we talk later?”
“No. I need you to come home, I lost my key.”
He hears a sigh on the other end of the line and some muffled voices before Ness replies, “Can't you stay somewhere else until...”
“No. I can't. Where the hell are you?”
“I'm...” He hesitates, “on my way... I should be there in about thirty minutes, is that okay?”
“Ok.” Kaiser hangs up and sighs.
What an exhausting day...
He sits on the floor, not caring about getting his clothes dirty, and closes his eyes while waiting for his roommate to come home. Kaiser also makes a mental note to ask Ness where he was.
A while later, he wakes up to someone shaking his shoulders. “Hey, let's go.”
Kaiser yawns and walks straight to his room. He doesn't thank his friend or even look in his direction; he didn't even pick up his bag when he got up. The only thing Kaiser cares about right now is finally getting some rest.
Everything gets better after a nap.
Ness shows up a few hours later in his room to tell him it's time for them to go to football practice, but Kaiser is still too sleepy to care.
“I'm not going today,” he mumbles.
He can always humiliate Yoichi tomorrow.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
That annoying song wakes him up again.
Kaiser grimaces in disgust. That romantic melody is just unbearable! If Ness is obsessed with that song, they're gonna have a serious conversation about headphones… He refuses to spend the next two weeks listening to that!
Knowing that his roommate won't hear his complaints over the volume of the music, Kaiser gets out of bed to turn it off himself.
Ugh. He trips over some books and almost falls to the floor.
He frowns at the déjà vu. This happened yesterday too...
Ignoring the feeling, he opens the bedroom door and comes face to face with Ness.
“Good morning! I was about to wake you up.”
Kaiser dodges his friend and goes to his room to finally turn off that annoying music. “Stop listening to that crap.”
“Hey, don't say that! Don't you wanna know what is love?”
“You literally said that yesterday,” he rolls his eyes.
Ness frowns in confusion. “Hmm, okay...? I'll make you some coffee while you get ready for uni.”
“I don't have class on Thursday mornings,” he mumbles, yawning lazily.
“You're still sleepy, aren't you? Today is Wednesday, Michael.”
Kaiser tilts his head in confusion.
“No?”
“Yeah, and not just any Wednesday, you know? It's Valentine's Day!” Ness smiles, as if telling him something wonderful.
Kaiser grimaces.
“No…? Valentine's Day was yesterday, Alexis.”
His friend laughs. “Right... I'll make you some coffee to wake you up properly.”
He yawns again, returning to his own room. Ness is crazy. Kaiser had a terrible day yesterday, there's no way he—
8:22, 14 February
What...
Kaiser wakes up instantly when he checks the day on his mobile phone.
Damn! He grabs the first clothes he finds in the wardrobe before going to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get changed. Kaiser can't believe he had a nightmare about living through this day...
“Your coffee!” Ness hands him the cup as he crosses the living room.
Kaiser thanks him and leaves the flat as quickly as he can. He's already late for class, so he hurries.
As he enters the philosophy building, someone bumps into him and again the coffee splashes on his hand. That hurts. Again he has déjà vu.
“Watch where the hell you're going, damn it!” Kaiser curses and looks back to see who bumped into him.
He sees a familiar figure. Bachira Meguru. He looks a little embarrassed. “Sorry, Kaiser! I'm late!”
He sighs. Of course it would be one of Yoichi's friends...
Kaiser bites his tongue to hold back another curse and walks away. He can take out his frustration in training later, now he needs to go to class before he's even later.
He sits at the back of the classroom, as usual.
After his quick walk from his flat to the classroom, he already feels awake.
Kaiser drinks his coffee, observing his classmates without paying much attention to anyone in particular, but then... his eyes fall on Yoichi and he frowns.
Isagi doesn't seem very attentive to the explanation. Instead of taking notes as he usually does, today he is bothering the classmate next to him. It is at this moment that Kaiser discovers that Itoshi Rin is also taking that class with them.
He scoffs. Why are they sitting at the front?!
Yoichi looks back and their eyes meet. Déjà vu again. Was his nightmare that accurate? How many déjà vu moments has he had today? Ugh... Kaiser grimaces in contempt and looks away.
He won the game I made the last hostile gesture!
Ha! Take that, Isagi Yoichi!
Kaiser spends the next hour reviewing for the test.
He really needs a good grade.
At the end of class, he is cornered by some girls who give him chocolates. Oh, of course... Valentine's Day. Kaiser tries to stifle a weary sigh at this thought.
How can someone give a gift to a person they don't even know? How should he react to this? Why do people care so much about Valentine's Day? Kaiser gives a forced smile as he takes the chocolates. In his nightmare, he had refused and caused an annoying drama.
Kaiser notices Isagi leaving the classroom and frowns. Perhaps things are not as similar to his nightmare as he thought. Hmm... But that's a good thing, isn't it? It would be strange if he had such a realistic nightmare.
Accepting the chocolates is a quicker solution, really. He waves goodbye and that’s great! Now he won't be late for the test. In his nightmare, he and Yoichi were late and got scolded by the teacher for being irresponsible.
Kaiser finishes the test in shock.
The questions were identical to those he had to answer in his nightmare, but that should be impossible… What are the odds of that happening???
As strange as the situation may be, Kaiser decides to accept it as a blessing from above.
He really needs the grade and is confident this time. Kaiser knew how to formulate coherent answers because he had already thought about it a lot in his nightmare.
“Hey, dude, can you take a pic of me and my girlfriend?”
“Like that’s gonna happen,” he mocks, walking away still incredulous about his day.
Wait… does that mean...
Kaiser puts his hand in his pocket, looking for his key. Oh, he really lost it… He quickly searches his bag too but can't find it.
Just like in his nightmare, he calls Ness.
“I lost my flat key,” is the first thing he says.
He hears a sigh. “Do you need to go home now? I'm kinda...”
“Yes.” Kaiser interrupts, “I wanna sleep before training.”
Kaiser doesn't even feel that tired, but taking a nap will make Valentine's Day go away quickly. He'll throw up if he sees another happy couple on the street.
What a superficial, ridiculous day...
“Okay... I'll be home in half an hour.”
“Good.” Kaiser hangs up the phone.
To kill time, he ends up stopping by the coffee shop he usually goes to and buys something to eat. The place is packed because of a ridiculous Valentine's Day promotion. Ugh, he hates it...
When he gets home, Ness is already there.
Kaiser thinks about asking where his friend was, but he's too lazy, maybe he'll do it later.
He ends up taking a nap.
At some point, Ness comes into his room to tell him about football practice, but Kaiser says he doesn't feel like going today. There are days when his tiredness gets the better of him and it's simply better not to go...
Tomorrow he'll want to play football and humiliate Yoichi for sure.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser sits up in bed the moment that cheesy song wakes him up.
Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place... or even three times! He instantly knows something is wrong and grabs his mobile phone.
8:07, 14 February
No, no, no, no... This can't be happening.
He rubs his eyes, but the day is still the same.
“No fucking way.”
What should he do in a situation like this?
Is it possible to have a nightmare within a nightmare? According to the internet, it is possible and perfectly normal to have a false awakening. The mind can simulate waking up and recreate all the experiences and emotions you would have in real life.
But... It would be impossible for the brain to create all situations perfectly synchronised with what actually happens...
For the sake of Kaiser's mental health, he chooses to ignore the impossible part. Maybe he's a clairvoyant whose talent has just awakened...
Yeah! He always knew he was special... that must be it! It has to be!
“Good morning!” Ness opens his bedroom door, “you'd better get up or you'll be late.”
“I know.” Kaiser grimaces. “By the way, turn off that bloody music!”
“Why? I wanna know, know, know, know what is love?!” He happily sings the chorus when it starts playing again.
Kaiser gets out of bed carefully so as not to bump into the pile of books and goes to his friend's room to turn off that disgusting melody. The silence calms him for a moment and everything seems fine.
“You're so annoying, don't you wanna know what is love?”
Ness's question makes Kaiser anxious. Not because he cares about love or any of that nonsense, but... because it's the third time he's said that.
Clairvoyant.
He's just a clairvoyant!
Everything's fine!!!
Everything is wrong…
His day unfolds in the same way as the previous two days. The only things that change are small replies or actions when Kaiser changes his attitude, but overall... It's all the same.
This is terrible... He hopes that tomorrow everything will return to normal and that he is just ill or delirious.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser sighs as he wakes up to that song again.
No, he doesn't want to do this again...
8:07, 14 February
He throws his mobile phone on the floor without caring if it breaks and shouts angrily.
Almost instantly, his bedroom door opens and he sees Ness with a worried expression. Kaiser hates that expression, it reminds him of a time he doesn't like.
“Got a problem?” His voice is a little hostile, he knows that.
“Are you... okay?”
No. He's not okay…
Kaiser hates not understanding things, it really puts him in a bad mood.
He's also out of patience because that awful song is still playing. Stressed, he gets up and trips over the books. Ugh, how did he forget about this crap?
Kaiser turns off the music and hands the mobile phone to Ness.
“If I hear that song again, I'll throw your phone out the window,” he warns.
Ness says nothing. He knows from experience that it's better to just listen when his best friend explodes, even if he has no idea why.
Kaiser needs to get some air and think for a bit, otherwise he'll go completely mad... The roof terrace is a perfect place to do that.
Four months ago, when he and Ness were looking for a flat to live during their exchange year, it was the roof terrace that made Kaiser decide he wanted to live there.
Some residents of the building grow flowers and vegetables up there, so there is always a fresh, natural scent in the air.
Kaiser leans on the railing, observing the landscape, finding it fascinating. He likes to look at the buildings and think of all the other people out there, living lives he can't even imagine...
Does anyone imagine that he is possibly living in a time loop? No. He doesn't think so... or maybe yes? There are always physicists who will believe such a story...
He sighs, trying to get it off his chest, but failing.
Kaiser is in a difficult situation.
He hates being in situations where he can't see an easy or logical way out.
What is the point of the day repeating itself over and over again...?
He's not sure about that, and he's not sure how long he spends watching the horizon, but when he eventually gets tired, he decides to go back to the flat.
Fortunately, Ness seemed to know he didn't have a key and left the door unlocked. That's good, because in Kaiser's state of mind, he would’ve just kicked the door until the handle gave way.
He lies down to sleep and hopes that tomorrow will be 15 February.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser lets out a slightly maniacal laugh when he hears that damn song again.
Shit... He's fucked.
The day keeps repeating.
It's a fucking time loop!!!
What should he do...?
Okay, first of all…
He deliberately kicks the pile of books when he gets up. His foot hurts a little, but the pain also brings some relief.
Kaiser opens the door and walks to Ness's room.
“Good morning! I was...” Ness stops talking when he sees his friend pick up his mobile phone. Kaiser approaches the window. “Hey, what are you doing?”
“You don't remember this but I always keep my promises,” he smiles with sadistic amusement.
“Kaiser...?! Wait! No—“
Ness finally realises what his friend is planning. By the time he reacts, his mobile phone is already plummeting six floors.
“Why did you do that? Are you crazy?!” Ness says incredulously, his eyes wide.
Kaiser couldn't care less.
“I hate that song.”
“You could’ve just turned it off like everyone else!” His tone is starting to get angry.
Kaiser laughs.
If the day is going to keep repeating... screw the bloody phone!
“That’s not funny, Michael.”
“I think it is,” he shrugs.
“Think about how you'd feel if someone did that to your things. That's not nice, Michael.”
Ness and his positive parenting... As if that shit works.
“You know what?! You're right! Let's throw my phone out the window too!”
He rushes back to his own room and grabs his phone. Kaiser smiles at his friend and holds the device out to him. “Go on, destroy it! Get your revenge on me!”
Ness looks at him as if he's completely lost his mind.
And maybe he has.
Waking up five times on the same day?!
Yeah. He's fucking crazy right now.
“I'm not gonna do it!”
“Then let me do it.” Kaiser throws his phone, eager to see the look on his best friend's face.
Then Kaiser laughs. He laughs a lot at the shocked expression.
“Come on, Alexis, isn't this hilarious?”
“Kaiser... you...” He can't even form a sentence. His mind is blank, trying to understand what got into Kaiser and why he seems so... insane.
The laughter stops the moment Kaiser notices the expression on Ness's face changes from horror to concern. He hates that specific look. It definitely ruins his mood and may even bring a little lucidity.
For him, it may just be a day that keeps repeating, but for Ness… that was sudden.
He sighs guiltily. “Buy a new phone for yourself with my card. You can choose the most expensive one, seriously.”
“You...”
“You sure? Yeah, do it!”
“I was about to ask if you’re okay... You seem strange.”
Kaiser sighs. He could be the biggest jerk in the world and Ness would still find a way to be a good friend and care about him.
Something about that makes him feel like shit... He’s a horrible person. He’s always known it, but this is a reminder.
“Yeah, I'm fine... I'll wake up better tomorrow.”
Tomorrow I won't worry you. That's what he'd like to say.
Ness doesn't leave the flat that day, probably worried about leaving Kaiser alone.
Pathetic.
He's twenty-two years old and still needs a babysitter like he's a child...
“You didn't have to stay home because of me,” he mutters.
“I don't mind.” Ness smiles. “I'll make us something to eat, how about that?”
Kaiser shrugs.
He feels bad... Alexis had something to do at lunchtime, didn't he? Kaiser tries to remember what it was, but he's not even sure if he asked.
Kaiser lies down on the sofa in the living room, waiting for Ness to finish cooking.
What do people do when they're in a time loop?
He doesn't know exactly.
This is a very unique situation...
Who should he turn to?
Would anyone believe him?
No... Definitely not.
Kaiser is on his own here, but that shouldn't be surprising...
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser wakes up and accepts his fate of being stuck in a time loop that begins with that annoying song wondering what love is.
There's not much he can do about it, is there?
He doesn't even bother to get out of bed, spending a few minutes staring at the white ceiling.
His mind is blank, he just listens to the whole song.
It's curious, isn't it? This is the sixth time he's woken up to the song and Kaiser had never listened to it all the way through until now.
“Good morning! It's time to...”
“I'm awake,” Kaiser mumbles without even moving.
His friend frowns. “Hey, what's wrong?”
“It's nothing... I woke up feeling a bit introspective.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah... do you mind leaving me alone today?”
“Are you feeling ill?”
“No, I just wanna think for a bit.”
“All right,” Ness easily agrees without asking any more questions.
Kaiser is starting to think he's lucky to have someone so obedient and helpful around.
If he were stuck in a time loop back when he lived with his father, he would probably prefer to kill himself. He frowns. If he kills himself, will the loop restart, or will he really die? Michael grimaces at the thought. He doesn't want to find out, and he's not going to try.
He sighs, still staring at the white ceiling.
But he needs to find an answer to how to get out of this time loop...
Finding an answer to this is difficult…
Where should he start and what should he try? Is it really that bad to live the same day over and over again? Would he age as the days go by, or would he remain young and beautiful forever?
Kaiser has many questions and no answers...
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser wakes up determined to live that day right.
Maybe if he does everything correctly today, the universe will finally have empathy for him and tomorrow will be 15 February!
He stretches after spending so many hours lying down.
Kaiser doesn't stumble when he gets up. He picks up the six books from the floor and puts them on the bed.
Maybe he should buy a desk and chair…
Maybe he should start decorating the bedroom too...
Four months living there and no sign that it was his place.
The door opens and before Ness can say anything, Kaiser begins, “You thought I was still sleeping, didn't you?”
He leaves home late but still stops at the coffee shop to buy a drink. Yukimiya Kenyu speaks to him again and tells him about the Valentine's Day special. Kaiser pretends to think it's nice.
Kaiser doesn't bump into Bachira Meguru when he enters the philosophy building because he waits for the boy to leave. It's 8:41. He makes a mental note in case this information is needed in the future (he hopes it won't be).
He sits in his usual spot and drinks his coffee while watching people. Isagi Yoichi isn't there. Kaiser frowns, that's... strange.
Actually, now that Kaiser thinks about it...
Yoichi is the only person who always did different things even if he didn't intervene to change a situation.
On the first day of the loop, he remembers seeing Yoichi copying all the notes and waiting for those girls to leave, but the next day he was completely different, and the day after that too...
Oh.
How did he not notice this before?!
Kaiser is an idiot.
This situation is probably not just happening to him!
He needs to find Isagi right now to talk, but where could he be…?
Kaiser can't imagine where to look for him, but luckily he doesn't have to, since one of Isagi's friends is in the classroom, right? He looks at Itoshi Rin sitting at one of the front desks and walks over to him.
“Where's Yoichi?” Kaiser asks as soon as he sits down at the desk where Isagi usually sits.
Itoshi Rin grimaces, clearly finding the interaction weird. Kaiser can't remember if he's ever spoken to him before, probably not.
“Like I'd know.”
“Then give me his number.”
“No, tsk.”
“What?! Why not?”
“Why should I...?”
He sighs. Kaiser wishes he'd known earlier that Isagi was also in the time loop, so he could've asked Bachira Meguru. It would've been easier to deal with him...
“Because if you don't give me his number right now, I'm gonna scream.”
The boy looks at him in confusion. “What?! You're crazy.”
“You have no idea.” Kaiser smiles devilishly, before getting up from the desk and actually starting to scream.
Everyone is now looking at him, and the teacher is angry for being interrupted. He is really putting on a show. Yoichi would say Kaiser likes to draw attention to himself.
“Mr. Kaiser, you're disrupting the class, could you please leave?”
“Come on, professor, you didn't even want to be teaching this class, I'm doing you a favour!” Kaiser is honest. He had been keeping this to himself since the semester began.
“Do you think it's ethical to say that?!” He's red with anger.
“I don't give a shit about ethics!”
“That's disrespectful. I'm going to talk to the department and you'll be expelled from the exchange programme, Mr. Kaiser.”
Kaiser ignores the comment and stares at Itoshi Rin.
“You gonna give me Yoichi's number, or should I cause more trouble and pull you in?”
He sees the fury in Rin's eyes.
Kaiser understands, he also hates it when people boss him around.
“Yeah... whatever.” Rin, still looking disgusted, picks up his phone and searches for what Kaiser demanded.
“Good boy.”
“Fuck you! You and Isagi are two crazy psychopaths.” He wonders if Rin said that as a general comment or if he saw Isagi today and he was also acting like he didn't care about anything.
Itoshi Rin shows his phone, and Kaiser quickly jots down the numbers.
“Mr. Kaiser, you...”
“I'm already leaving, professor.” Kaiser waves, laughing to himself.
His classmates watch intently as he leaves the classroom.
It's a shame Yoichi missed this show!
The number you have dialled is not in service.
He hates Itoshi Rin. What a bastard!
Kaiser kicks the bin angrily, while thinking about what to do.
Maybe he'll have to wait for football training...
Actually, that idea stresses Kaiser out.
He's not sure if Yoichi is going to practice, because he himself hasn't played football since this damn time loop started.
But... He should try to go, right?! Even if Isagi doesn't show up, it'll be easier for him to get his number with someone from the team.
“Michael Kaiser?”
“Yes?”
He sees a campus security guard approaching him with a forced smile.
“Could you come with me?”
“Why?”
“Some witnesses claim that you verbally abuse a professor and caused emotional harm.”
Kaiser scoffs. He didn't even say anything too harsh! That teacher is a piece of shit and his colleagues are all bastards.
Reluctantly, Kaiser follows the security guard.
At least something will distract him until football practice...
Mmm, that's what Kaiser thinks at first, but as the day goes by and he's still there in the dean's office, unable to leave... he wonders if it was a good idea.
Apparently, there is a strict protocol for exchange students, and no one will let him leave until they resolve the issue. Kaiser tells them not to worry, because tomorrow it won't even have happened. They call the campus psychologist to talk to him after that.
“You're not alone, Kaiser!” The woman smiles warmly. “Remember, you can always seek help if you're feeling confused or unwell.”
Through the window, he can see that it's already night. Kaiser sighs, closing his eyes.
What a waste of time...
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
This morning, the music seems to be eating away at his brain.
Kaiser wakes up with an unbearable headache. He also feels nauseous and a little confused... he didn't come home last night. He was listening to that annoying psychologist talk then... the next minute that annoying music started again.
8:07, 14 February
His day always starts at this time.
Mmm... does the time loop restart at some point before the day ends too?
Kaiser thought that— Never mind, he hadn't even thought about it yet.
But that means it would be pointless for him to wait until midnight to see 15 February arrive, right? Hmm, he feels stupid for not trying that before...
Well... It doesn't matter, he already knows it won't work anyway.
But this is progress, now he knows he needs to stay awake and see exactly when the time loop restarts.
He also needs to find Yoichi.
Those are his two plans for the day.
“Good morning!” Ness opens the door, smiling as always.
“Get me some headache medicine and turn off that shitty music,” Kaiser orders, getting out of bed carefully.
He's determined today. He's definitely going to find Isagi Yoichi!
8:41. Bachira Meguru leaves the philosophy building.
“You!” Kaiser calls out to the boy, “Where's Yoichi?”
“Hm?! You're talking to me?” Bachira stops walking, looking confused.
“Who else would it be?” Kaiser scoffs.
There's absolutely no one else there but them.
He shrugs “Just checking… we've never spoken before, you know? So, I thought it was kinda weird that—”
Kaiser sighs. This boy talks too much.
“Do you know where Yoichi is or not?”
Bachira smiles amusedly. “Why do you wanna know, Kaiser?”
“Just answer me, do you know or not?”
“Maybe... but why should I tell you?”
“Because I'm ordering you to.”
“No... asking, you're asking.”
All of Yoichi's friends are a pain in the ass. Damn, Itoshi Rin was a little shit yesterday and now Bachira Meguru was being a smartass. Of course someone so annoying would have friends who are also annoying to put up with.
He thinks his headache might be coming back.
“Yeah, yeah... whatever, ordering or asking, same thing.” Kaiser agrees to hurry up the situation.
Bachira laughs cheerfully. “You're planning to confess your love for him today since it's Valentine's Day?”
He grimaces in disgust, having no idea which part of Bachira Meguru said made him sick. Confess his love??? How ridiculous, he'd never do something like that. To Isagi Yoichi? Ew... On Valentine's Day? Over his dead body!!!
“How disgusting.”
Bachira sighs and shrugs. “Then I've got no reason to tell you where he is.”
Kaiser regrets thinking it would be easier to talk to Bachira Meguru. If he thinks about it, Itoshi Rin wasn't so bad after all... If he'd talked to him outside the classroom, maybe Kaiser might've gotten Yoichi's phone number.
Yeah... Maybe he should try that.
Tsk. He walks away from the boy and enters the philosophy building, even from a distance he can hear Bachira Meguru laughing.
As he turns the corner, Kaiser sees him.
Isagi Yoichi.
He's standing outside the classroom with his arms crossed, a serious expression on his face. Then their eyes meet and Kaiser sees the boy relax a little.
Oh... Okay, Yoichi was waiting for him... That means he also knows they're stuck in a time loop together.
“Are you always this late? That's kinda irresponsible, isn't it?” Isagi asks provocatively.
Of course, even in this unique situation they find themselves in, provoking him would be the first thing he'd do...
“How sweet of you to care about me, Yoichi.” Kaiser smiles mockingly.
“I don't. For all I care, you could disappear.”
“Is that so?”
“Uh-huh, so I'd never have to look at you again.”
“Funny. You say that, but you were here waiting for me.”
Isagi smiles slowly. “Yeah, I’m here because I heard that a certain someone came looking for me yesterday.”
Hm... So that’s how Yoichi found out he wasn’t alone in the time loop.
“Itoshi Rin told you.”
“Yes, he told me about your little show too.”
Kaiser grimaces. He doesn't want to remember that, it was torture dealing with the consequences afterwards.
“It doesn't matter, right? The day was gonna reset anyway...”
A brief silence ensues. Kaiser was the first to say those words out loud. Reset. This is happening because they are in a time loop...
Together.
Kaiser feels like it must be some kind of joke from the universe. He's stuck in a time loop with Isagi Yoichi, a person he despises...
“What if yesterday had been the final day?”
It's a good question. Kaiser would've been expelled from university, he would've gone back to Germany, he would've had to deal with his father and several other consequences, but... at least he wouldn't have to wake up every day listening to that annoying song and reliving the same day.
“Then... it would’ve been.” Kaiser shrugs.
Isagi laughs.
The laughter wasn't new to him. Kaiser heard Yoichi having fun all the time with his friends at football practice, but this was the first time Isagi laughed at something he said.
“You're tired of the time loop too, aren't you?” Isagi asks genuinely.
“Yeah,” he sighs.
“Why don't we go somewhere else so we can talk better?”
They are at the coffee shop Kaiser usually goes to most mornings.
They sit at the most isolated empty table they can find.
Raichi Jingo frowns in confusion as he places their orders on the table. “You two... um... are you on a date?”
“No fucking way.”
“Ew!”
They reply at the same time and stare at each other's reaction. The atmosphere seems awkward, so Raichi hurries to leave them alone and get back to work.
Kaiser takes a sip of his coffee, watching the boy in front of him savour a piece of cake. Isagi seems really happy to be eating the sweet treat. Kaiser mocks the scene, and the boy grimaces.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Then stop looking at me like that, Sir. Just a black coffee without sugar.”
Tsk. Kaiser continues to stare at Isagi, but his thoughts are elsewhere this time...
He feels a little relieved at the idea of not being alone in this hellish time loop. Even if it is with Isagi Yoichi. He despises the boy? Yeah, but at least he has someone to talk to about this crazy situation.
Kaiser isn't alone...
Isagi looks at him, trying to read what Kaiser is thinking, but he doesn't know. He'll never know. Michael will never say it out loud.
“So... what’ve you tried to do so far to get out of the time loop?” Isagi starts the conversation after a while.
Honestly? Nothing. Kaiser spent most of his days lying around having pathetic thoughts. It was only yesterday that he tried to do something real, but his plans went wrong.
“Nothing for now,” he shrugs.
The boy sitting across from him grimaces. “What?”
“I didn't do anything.”
“You... did nothing?”
“Yeah, nothing. What don't you understand, Yoichi?”
Isagi lets out a dry laugh. “Kaiser, you need to work with me and tell me everything so we can come up with a plan.”
Kaiser shakes his head. “This time I'm not being difficult on purpose, Yoichi. I really haven't done anything in the last few days...”
“You can't be serious,” he still seems incredulous.
“I lay around most days just thinking,” he shrugs. He honestly sabotaged himself more than he thought of anything productive.
Isagi analyses him for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. “Okay...”
“And what’ve you done so far?”
“I tried to make a perfect day, staying awake until midnight, visiting my parents for advice, talking to a quantum physics professor, reading a book he recommended, helping the people around me… I tried many things.”
Isagi sighs, tired of talking.
“Wow...” He's really surprised.
Kaiser wants to get out of the time loop, but he hasn't put in any effort yet. Meanwhile, Isagi's been working hard all this time to get out of this hell.
How annoying. Why does Yoichi always have to be so dedicated? Everything in his life has this high intensity? Kaiser feels like shit. He hates seeing Isagi being better than him.
“What a waste of effort.”
“At least I'm trying to do something, right?”
If Isagi was in a good mood until now, he definitely isn't anymore.
“And it didn't do a damn thing.”
“I know, Kaiser, but at least I did something. And what did you do?! Nothing. You said you did nothing and that’s pathetic.”
Michael hates the word pathetic.
He hates it when people call him that, especially when it's Isagi saying it... and he hates knowing the boy is right.
What has Kaiser really been trying to do these past few days?
The first time the day repeated itself, he thought it was just déjà vu. On the second day, he pretended he was just a clairvoyant, and then... on the following days, he just felt anger and sadness. It was only yesterday that he calmed down and tried to do the day correctly to see if it would work, but along the way he realised that Yoichi wasn't in the classroom and...
Yeah, he's pathetic. If he'd tried to do this before, maybe he would've realised sooner that they were both stuck in a time loop.
Isagi sighs after a while.
“Look... let's end this conversation for today, fighting isn't going to get us anywhere.” He hesitates before continuing, “and... if we're stuck in a time loop together, we probably need to solve this together.”
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser wakes up that morning with a headache and feeling nauseous again. He suspects that these symptoms are probably side effects of the time loop restarting when he is not asleep.
It's a theory he came up with after staying awake yesterday, staring at the clock in the living room. 7:18. He closed his eyes, yawning, and then... the next moment, he started hearing that annoying verse asking what is love.
He's going to sleep early today to test his theory.
In fact, he should probably sleep all day today... Kaiser feels tired.
Now that he knows what time the time loop restarts, he can mentally calculate that his day lasts approximately 11 hours and a few minutes. If he didn't sleep the day before yesterday because he was in the rector's office, and yesterday he blinked and it was today... That means Kaiser has been awake for about 22 hours, right?
Does that make sense...? Given how tired he is, he thinks so.
“Good morning!” Ness opens the bedroom door, cheerful as ever.
“Alexis, get me some headache medicine and turn off that music,” Kaiser orders, and his friend is truly a kind soul, rushes to do exactly as requested.
He holds a glass of water with the medicine.
“Here. Need anything else?”
“Actually, yes… go to the philosophy building and tell Yoichi that I'm too tired to put up with him today.”
“Hm?”
“Tell him I'll meet him there tomorrow.”
“I really have to do that?”
“I wasn't clear enough?”
“No, no... I understand, but...” Ness tilts his head in confusion, “why are you meeting him?”
“We have something to sort out, stop asking questions and just do it for me.”
“Oh, okay...”
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser wakes up feeling fine and his theory is proven. Great, now he knows he needs to fall asleep before the time loop resets if he doesn't want a headache. He will make sure that this always happens.
He gets out of bed carefully and starts getting ready.
Today, he and Yoichi will come up with a plan to escape this time loop!
Or not...
They won't come up with a plan because Isagi Yoichi is a piece of shit!
Isagi didn't show up today at the agreed place...
Kaiser was pissed off as hell after waiting over an hour outside the classroom for him.
Ugh. He knows Yoichi did it just on a whim, as revenge for yesterday. He knows Isagi well enough...
Kaiser is annoyed at wasting time, especially since he was nice enough to let Isagi know he wouldn't show up, but Yoichi...? He's just an idiot!
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser wakes up again to that annoying melody.
Today he will meet Isagi Yoichi. Today they will finally come up with a plan to escape the time loop.
“You're a piece of shit, you know that?!” It's the first thing Kaiser says when he sees the boy leaning against the wall.
Isagi gives an innocent smile, “I don't know what you mean.”
“Of course not...” He runs his hand through his hair.
Sometimes Kaiser gets the impression that Isagi Yoichi was born just to annoy him, because it's unbelievable how easily he manages to do so… That nice guy act doesn't fool him.
He knows very well how cunning Isagi can be.
He may seem cute and innocent, but at the first opportunity he would stab Kaiser in the back. He knows this, which is why he finds it strange when Isagi reaches out to him.
“Now that we're even, why don't we put this rivalry aside until we get out of this time loop?”
Kaiser stares at the hand before asking. “What's the catch?”
“There isn't any. It's only logical that we ignore our differences for now until we resolve this situation...” He sighs when he doesn't hear a response. “Or would you rather spend eternity reliving this day alone? I intend to find a way out of here.”
It's a promise that makes Kaiser's fingertips tremble with anticipation. He knows Isagi is serious, he's really determined, and honestly... what other choice does Kaiser have?
He can't wait to get out of this shitty day either. He despises waking up to that annoying song, hates the fact that today is Valentine's Day, and is sick of wasting his time.
“All right, Yoichi,” Kaiser shakes his hand, agreeing to peace for now, until they leave the time loop.
They head to the campus library. According to Isagi, it's probably better than meeting at the coffee shop and Kaiser agrees. It's less noisy, and he won't have to see disgusting couples celebrating such a performative day.
The two sit at the most isolated table at the back of the library, far from anyone else.
“We can meet here every morning, what do you think?” Isagi suggests.
Kaiser hums, sitting down next to him.
“And today we could make a list of possible reasons why we're stuck in a time loop.”
“I thought we were interested in getting out of here, Yoichi.”
“Yeah, but I think figuring out the reason would be a good place to start.”
He gets what Isagi means, but it's still hard to respond casually. Agreeing with him... that's new.
“Mmm, you have a reason in mind?” he asks after a while.
“Just... the classic movie reasons.” Isagi bites his lip, embarrassed.
“You wanna use sci-fi here?” Kaiser raises his eyebrow, slightly mocking the idea.
Isagi leans on the table, staring at Kaiser with slight anger.
Kaiser can tell that Isagi is holding back, chosing to say something a little kinder instead. “Got another idea?”
“No.” He shrugs, “What are the reasons in movies?”
“Hmm... helping someone in danger, avoiding death, personal development, accepting something and enjoying life are the ones I can remember right now.”
“That's a lot of options. Are there really that many?”
Isagi looks at him funny. “Never seen a time loop movie before?”
“Nah, I don't watch movies in general.”
“Serious?!” Isagi looks surprised, “What do you do in your free time?”
Honestly? Nothing, he likes to lie around and thinking, but if he had to choose something more acceptable to say... “Reading, I guess.”
“That makes sense,” he nods thoughtfully. “Mmm... in that case, how about we watch some time loop movies?”
“I just told you I don't watch movies and you're asking me to do exactly that?” Kaiser raises an eyebrow. “You're making it hard not to tease you, Yoichi.”
He snorts. “You wanna get out of this time loop or not?”
Kaiser wants it... He really wants it, so he agrees.
Maybe watching movies will shed some light, even if it's all science fiction.
“I'll search for some movies today and we'll watch them tomorrow, okay?”
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser wakes up with a single thought: once he gets out of the time loop, he will make sure Alexis never plays music without headphones again!
Now that being late means absolutely nothing, Kaiser has time to choose a pair of trousers that aren't creased and to fix his hair.
He leaves the flat with a cup of coffee made by Ness, with a sense of calm that he didn't have in previous loops.
Isagi is already waiting for him in the library.
“Ready to watch some movies?”
Kaiser sits down next to the boy and sees that Yoichi has already left his laptop on and his earphones connected.
“And I have a choice?”
Yoichi smiles slightly, “No.”
They watch the first of the three movies that Isagi has picked out.
Honestly, it's not as bad as Kaiser expected. The plot was interesting and the idea of reliving the same day was hilarious. Well, hilarious to watch... but in his life, it's been terrible. She only gets out of the time loop after doing the things she wanted to do but never had time for before.
“So what did you think of the movie?” Isagi asks.
They are close because of the earphones they share. Isagi sometimes accidentally leans his shoulder against Kaiser but quickly moves away whenever that happens.
“It was... okay.”
Isagi rolls his eyes in amusement. “You can admit you liked it, I saw you smiling for a moment, you know?!”
“Aww, how sweet, you were watching me, Yoichi?”
He feels a light kick on his leg. “Don’t be annoying, Kaiser.”
“Then don’t give me a reason,” he kicks Yoichi back.
They watch the second movie. The character dies every day. Kaiser thinks his life could be a lot worse if he were in a time loop like that…
“Hey, you've never died in a time loop, right?” Kaiser asks at some point in the movie.
“No... You?” Kaiser shakes his head and Isagi continues, “Then we can cross that off our list of reasons why the day restarts.”
In the third movie, the protagonist gets stuck in a time loop because she isn't nice to the people around her and... Oh. Kaiser hates how that reminds him of himself.
He feels like shit again.
Isagi raises an eyebrow at him when the movie ends, “So...?”
“I thought this movie felt so...” Real.
Kaiser doesn't finish the sentence, but Isagi seems to know exactly what he was going to say. He gives a slight smile. There's no mockery, no teasing.
“I get it,” he admits, closing his laptop.
“Really?”
“Uh-huh. My day is pretty annoying, the first time it happened I was kinda a jerk to everyone.” Isagi admits.
Kaiser hums in agreement. “I hate Valentine's Day... I haven't been too nice to people either.”
He can see Yoichi's expression change to something else, finding that information extremely valuable. Kaiser hadn't seen that determination on Yoichi's face in ages… When was the last time? Maybe at football practice before the time loop began.
“Random question, but...” Kaiser begins, “you been going to football practice?”
“Duh.” Isagi replies instantly, “I wouldn't stop my training just because of a time loop.”
Kaiser rolls his eyes. “Of course not...”
That was one thing Kaiser hated about Isagi. He was way too into football. It wasn't even that much fun...
Kaiser only played to get out of the house. When the exchange program started, Ness insisted they should go to at least one practice.
So they did... and that's how Kaiser met Isagi.
He instantly decided he'd keep playing just to wipe that annoying smile off Yoichi's face.
“But now that you mention it...” Isagi looks at him amused, “why don't you ever show up? Did you give up trying to be better than me?”
Kaiser makes a mocking noise but doesn't answer. They have a truce at the moment, and anything he wants to say completely violates it.
“I think you should come to practice.”
“Missing being humiliated, Yoichi?”
He rolls his eyes, “It's not that, it's just that... Shidou and Rin always get into a fight and it's really funny to watch. The others try to break them up but they fail, so Bachira ends up throwing a bucket of water on them.”
“Really?” Kaiser asks, a little amused.
He laughs. “Yes. I got so angry the first time it happened. I live with Rin and Bachira so it messed me up too... So chaotic.”
Kaiser didn't know they lived together. That means Itoshi Rin probably knew where Isagi was and just didn't want to tell him that other day. Annoying.
“Maybe I'm going today.” Kaiser shrugs indifferently.
Kaiser shows up at football practice.
It's the first time in days that he's been to the field.
Isagi is already there. Their eyes met briefly and Kaiser swears he saw a glimpse of a smile, but someone calls Yoichi's name and he turns away.
In training, they split into teams of five and play a few matches that end when one team scores three goals. Kaiser takes the entire first match to get used to football again, and his team loses. In the second match, they win.
Now he is sitting in the stands, watching Yoichi play his first match of the day. Kaiser hates to admit how fascinating it is to watch him play football. He reads the field carefully and makes clean passes. Sure, he must've played this match more than ten times, but still... it's beautiful to watch.
At the end of the match, Yoichi approaches him with a big smile. Kaiser finds it disgusting to see someone so happy playing football.
“Did you like my game?”
“You're a little thief.” Kaiser mocks, “that's the only reason you won.”
Isagi rolls his eyes, leaning on the fence to get a little closer to him.
“No, I'm not! Every day I try different moves, there's a lot of things I can do in the same game, you know?”
“Sure...”
“I'm serious!” He tries to defend himself.
Kaiser is about to argue, but two voices in the middle of the field catch his attention. Itoshi Rin and Shidou Ryuusei. Just as Yoichi had said, they start fighting and the other teammates try to separate them but fail.
This is going to be fun.
He stands up and leans on the fence to get a better view of the fight unfolding.
“Look at Bachira's face.” Isagi murmurs, “you can see the exact moment he gets the idea.”
Yoichi is right, and it's fascinating. Kaiser watches the boy leave the field and return with a huge bucket of water. Bachira doesn't hesitate for a second and throws water at the two boys.
They both freeze instantly and turn to see who did it.
Chaos begins, but Kaiser only pays attention to how Isagi laughs.
He really seems to be enjoying how things are unfolding.
Yoichi looks in his direction and Kaiser tries to hide the slight smile on his own face.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser wakes up to that annoying song again, asking what love is.
He picks up his mobile phone and decides to search for the lyrics, since apart from the English verse, he has no idea what the Korean verses mean.
Yesterday, Kaiser noticed that Isagi is spending these days analysing every detail, and he thinks he should start doing that too. Get the most out of a situation... maybe he'll find some answers.
What does love feels like?
Kaiser sometimes asks himself this question. He is not sure if he will ever find the answer…
If, one day, for real, love does comes to me, I might just cry.
He also thinks he might cry…
Will love come to me someday too?
Oh my god... should he be feeling a bit sad about such a corny, romantic song?!
I wanna know, know, know, know. What is love?
Maybe he wants to know...
“Good morning!” Ness smiles, opening the bedroom door.
“Morning.” Kaiser replies for the first time.
“Get up, you gonna be late! I'll make you some coffee while you get ready.”
“No need,” he waves his hand dismissively. “I'm staying home today. Wake me up for football practice if I'm still sleeping, please.”
Yesterday, he and Isagi decided to skip meeting at the library today so they could rest. Isagi mentioned the same thing Kaiser had noticed a few days ago: they get tired during the time loops and occasionally need to take naps.
Isagi is clearly surprised when he sees Kaiser walk into the field.
“You're gonna come to practice now?” He asks, genuinely curious.
“Yeah, it's about time I got back to crushing you.”
Yoichi sneers, “I'd like to see you try.”
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser starts laughing when he wakes up that morning. That song is driving him crazy... what is love? He has no idea either!
He carefully gets out of bed and starts getting ready to meet Yoichi at the library. The song continues playing, and this time Kaiser sings to himself in his head I wanna know, know, know, know.
Yoichi waves to Kaiser when he sees him.
“Hey, hey, I've got a plan!” He seems in a good mood today.
Kaiser raises an eyebrow. “Hm?!”
“Let's make a list of things we'd like to do and make them happen.”
“Just like in the first movie we watched...”
“Yep! I think that’s a good place to start.”
He nods in agreement and they start making a list.
Things that Kaiser and Yoichi Isagi want to do!
- Walk on the beach
- Visit Yoichi's parents
- Karaoke
- Get Valentine's Day promotion
- Be happy
Obviously, Isagi wrote the first four items on the list, but he insisted that Kaiser had to write at least one wish, otherwise the list wouldn't make sense.
He wrote the first thing that came to mind. Be happy…
To be honest, he would've liked to write be loved, but he knows Yoichi would give him an even more intense look. Even more intense than the one he's giving him now... Michael doesn't like that.
“Mmm...” Isagi begins, “I think we have a plan for the next few days.”
“Yeah.”
Kaiser sighs, reading the list again to not forget the schedule.
“So... let's meet at the subway station tomorrow morning to go to the beach, okay?”
“And when should I get there?”
“What time does your day start? I've been awake since six.”
“What?” Kaiser grimaces, “Why do you wake up so early?!”
“I meditate before class.”
He snorts, somewhat amused by the answer. Of course, Yoichi would do that...
“And you? You always look like a mess in the morning, so I'm guessing you wake up pretty late.”
“My day starts around eight.”
“Not surprising.”
He gives Yoichi a friendly push on the shoulder. “Don't be annoying, Yoichi.”
Isagi looks at his own shoulder for a few seconds before chuckling.
“I'm just stating facts, Kaiser.”
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser wakes up in a good mood that morning.
He has never been to the beach before, so this will be a new experience. It might also be nice to explore new places in the country where he is doing his exchange programme.
In the four months he has been here, Kaiser hasn't left home so much... Ness has invited him many times to see new places, but he has never shown any interest.
“Good morning!”
“Morning. Alexis, what should I wear to the beach?” Kaiser asks, staring at the clothes in his wardrobe.
“Hm?! You’re going to the beach today?” Ness tilts his head, confused.
“Yeah. What should I wear?”
“You decided to go to the beach out of the blue?”
“Yes. You gonna help me or...?”
“Alone?”
“What?!”
“You're going to the beach alone?”
“No, Yoichi's going with me.” Kaiser sighs, “That's not important right now, help me pick out an outfit!”
“Hm?!” Ness looks horrified. “Are you two... going on a date?!”
“That's a disgusting way to put it but... call it whatever you want as long as you help me choose my clothes.”
Kaiser is starting to get impatient. He was trying to be nice to Ness this morning, but he's making it difficult!
“Alexis!”
He's still reeling from what Kaiser said. “Yes? Oh, yeah... hmm... I think that outfit you're holding will work... put on that dark blue sweatshirt too, it's cool. Grab a pair of gloves in case you get cold.”
“Thanks.”
After an hour, Kaiser and Isagi arrive at their destination.
Kaiser has no idea where he is, but Isagi seems to know exactly where to go from the station to the beach.
They walk in silence.
Actually, he and Yoichi haven't talked much today, as they spent the whole ride listening to music. Yoichi gave him one of his earphones, and Kaiser accepted without question.
This time, Isagi didn't pull away when his shoulder touched Kaiser's arm as they shared the earphones.
“The ocean is beautiful, isn't it?” It's the first thing Isagi says when they step onto the sand.
Kaiser takes a deep breath, calmly observing the ocean in front of him.
“Yes.”
“It's been forever since I came to the beach... I missed this view.” Isagi murmurs, taking his phone out of his pocket to take a picture.
“Why're you doing that if tomorrow you won't even have this pic?” Kaiser asks in confusion.
“Because... tomorrow could be the day after the loop, right…?”
There's a certain sadness in Yoichi’s face.
Kaiser used to think that seeing Yoichi’s sadness was funny, but now? He doesn’t... Maybe it’s because Kaiser understands the anguish and fear behind him.
What if they stay in the loop forever?
“Maybe...” Kaiser pulls out his mobile phone and takes a picture.
He’s not sure why he repeated what Yoichi did, but it felt right.
Isagi looks at him for a few seconds but says nothing. He gives a soft, melancholic smile before starting to walk.
They walk silently along the empty beach, and Kaiser feels strangely comfortable... He is in a beautiful place, it is cold, and Yoichi is surprisingly good company.
And perhaps because he feels so at ease, he decides to break the silence at some point. “I've never been to the beach before, you know?”
“Really? Why?” Isagi seems genuinely curious.
“Just...” Kaiser thinks about how to answer that, “never had the opportunity before.”
“I see...”
No. Yoichi didn't see. He really has no idea how many things Michael has been deprived of as a child and now he feels it's just a waste of time...
He really doesn't know... but he is kind and accepts his answer, giving a gentle smile, not asking any more questions.
Kind...
That's a funny word to associate with Isagi Yoichi.
Before the time loop, he was simply treacherous and annoying, but now Yoichi is kind. Ha!
“Come with me.” Isagi pulls his hand, dragging him closer to the ocean. “Let's write our names in the sand and watch the waves wash them away.”
“Huh? Why would we do that?” Kaiser frowns.
“To show we were here,” he smiles, bending down to write his name.
Yoichi.
Kaiser finds himself agreeing to the silly idea, even though he doesn’t fully understand it. He crouches down, slips off one of his gloves, and traces his name in the sand with his index finger.
Michael.
A few seconds later, a wave washes over their names...
“I'm glad you had the opportunity to see the ocean now, Kaiser.”
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser wakes up to that song again, but he's not surprised. He didn't really expect them to be able to break out of the time loop yesterday.
He yawns a little tiredly, but forces himself out of bed, as he has plans today.
Visiting Yoichi's parents.
Kaiser runs his hand through his hair, wondering how he should act today. He's never met anyone's parents before. Alexis wasn't close to his family, and since he's his only friend… Michael has never been in this situation before.
“Good morning!” Ness opens the door with a smile.
“Morning... Hey, you ever met anyone's parents?” Kaiser asks, stretching.
“What?”
“Oh, never mind, bet you haven't been through anything like that.” He waves his hand, signaling Alexis to forget it.
Carefully, he gets out of bed, already having an idea of what to wear today.
“You... are you meeting someone's parents today, Michael?” Ness tilts his head in confusion, “I didn't know you were seeing someone.”
“It's just Yoichi's parents, it's no big deal.” He yawns again.
“Huh?”
Ness looks shocked.
“Alexis, you think I should bring something? It's polite, right? Do cookies work?”
“Are you serious?”
Kaiser frowns.
“Cookies are really that bad? I don't know what else I can get in such a short time.”
“No, no, I'm not talking about that.” Ness snorts, “I'm asking about you meeting Yoichi's parents.”
“So you think cookies will work?”
“Yeah, sure. Now can you answer my question?”
Kaiser sighs. “Why would I lie about that?”
Ness looks at him like he's crazy.
“Yesterday he sent you to hell and you told him to die.”
“Really?!”
13 February was so long ago... He can't remember such specific details. How many days ago did that happen? He has no idea anymore.
It feels like he's been reliving this day forever…
“You're a bit late.” Isagi greets him as soon as Kaiser gets to the station. He can see Yoichi's frustrated pout and wonders if he thought Kaiser wouldn't show up.
“Sorry.” Kaiser lifts the bag he's holding. “I stopped to get cookies for your parents, but the queue was huge because of Valentine's Day.”
Isagi raises an eyebrow, “Why?”
“It's rude to show up at someone's house without gifts, isn't it?”
They stare at each other for a few seconds.
Kaiser honestly can't read the expression on Isagi's face, and it bothers him. He hates not understanding things.
“I guess... but it's kinda surprising that you care about that,” Yoichi says after a while.
Kaiser knows that's not what Isagi really meant... He can tell because it didn't have the teasing tone Isagi always used when he wanted to annoy him.
“Of course I care, Yoichi.” Kaiser smiles arrogantly, hiding the terrible truth that he has no idea what he's doing, “I’m nice. Parents usually love me.”
Isagi rolls his eyes. “Whatever, let's just go.”
On the way, they share the earphones again. Kaiser likes listening to the songs Yoichi puts on, somehow he feels he can get to know Yoichi a little better.
It takes just over half an hour for them to reach the Isagi family's flat. It's a relatively short distance, but Yoichi said he doesn't visit them very often because he's been busy with studies and football.
“I feel bad for not being around more.” He scratches the back of his neck sheepishly, “I think I'm a bad son sometimes.”
Kaiser disagrees with him when they arrive at the flat and Yoichi's mother gives a big smile, hugging her son.
“Yocchan!”
Yoichi has no idea what it's like to be a bad son. If he were really bad, his mother wouldn't be so kind... She wouldn't be so happy to see him.
“Oh... and you brought someone with you?!” The woman claps her hands excitedly.
“Yes, Mum, this is Michael Kaiser… a friend from the football team.”
Michael and Yoichi's eyes meet briefly, and he can see the honesty... a friend. So now they're friends...
“Nice to meet you, Mrs Isagi.” Kaiser gives a polite bow and hands her the small gift. “I brought you some cookies, I hope you like them.”
He feels a little shy and embarrassed. He has never been in this situation before, but Kaiser believes he is doing well, as the woman smiles happily.
“How sweet of you, dear!” Isagi Iyo carefully holds the gift. “Welcome to our home! Make yourself at home.”
“Where's Dad?” Yoichi asks.
“Kitchen. When you texted saying you were coming today, he decided to help me make lunch so we could've double the love in our meal.” She giggles.
Yoichi snorts. “Only he’d think of something like that.”
Oh... Kaiser feels a little uncomfortable listening to this sweet conversation. Is this what a healthy parent-child relationship should be like?
“By the way, dear, you can call me Iyo.” Kaiser stiffens a little when Iyo puts her hand on his back and gives him a brief, welcoming caress.
The feeling is unfamiliar. He doesn't think any adult has ever been so kind to him...
“Okay.”
Yoichi's mother tells the boys to take off their coats and shoes to make themselves more comfortable. Meanwhile, Yoichi's father also appears, apologising for being late and making some joke about knives threatening him. Kaiser doesn't understand, but Yoichi laughs and says his father is silly.
It's the most surreal scene Michael has ever seen. He can't imagine himself and his father in this situation...
Isagi Issei hugs his son before introducing himself and greeting Kaiser.
“It's always nice to meet Yoichi's friends!”
Kaiser tries to smile back, but it's a little difficult.
He feels really uncomfortable in such a warm and loving environment.
This is the first time in his entire life that he has been so welcomed somewhere. It makes his heart ache... isn't it funny that strangers treat him better than his own family?
If Michael were alone, he thinks he might cry because of that feeling spreading through his heart...
“Kaiser.” He returns to reality when he feels Yoichi take his hand, “let's go to my room.”
Michael blinks, meeting Yoichi's analytical eyes.
He suspects Yoichi has read his emotions from the gentle way he pulls him down the corridor and the kind way he tells Kaiser to rest a little before lunch.
The idea of someone knowing such a personal feeling would normally kill him but... he is too busy savouring the kindness to think about it.
Maybe he is also a little tired... sleeping is actually a good idea.
“Kaiser.” He hears a soft voice calling him.
“Hmm...?” The boy rubs his eyes, adjusting to the light.
Yoichi is sitting on the bed, smiling amusedly. “Morning, Sleeping Beauty!”
Kaiser makes a mocking noise, lightly slapping Yoichi's arm.
“Did I sleep long?” He yawns, feeling satisfied with his nap.
“About four hours. I wanted to wake you up earlier ‘cause I’m hungry, but my parents said to let you rest more before lunch.” He snorts, somewhat dramatically.
“Oh...”
“Come on! It’s almost two and I’m hungry,” he pouts.
Yoichi drags him by the hands into the dining room.
The next moment Kaiser once again finds himself surrounded by kindness. Yoichi's parents continue to treat him well, asking if he rested enough, if he feels better (since he looked a bit pale earlier), if he's been taking good care of himself, and many other questions.
He doesn't think anyone has ever been so interested in his well-being before.
Maybe it's because he's still a little sleepy, but Kaiser easily answers each of their questions.
This is definitely the best family lunch he's ever had.
And it's not even his family...
“You should come by again sometime, Michael!”
“That's right! Yocchan, bring him with you next time!”
Yoichi smiles and promises he will. Michael replies that he will be happy to come back.
The rest of the time loop is melancholic for Kaiser. He is upset because Yoichi's parents won't remember him tomorrow. They'll go back to being strangers, and Kaiser will forever be haunted by the kindness he'll never feel again.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser sighs when he hears that song again.
He wanted yesterday to be the last day...
He really wanted that.
A few lonely tears fall from Michael's face. Pathetic... He's pathetic for crying over something like this! He's been stuck in a time loop for weeks, but this is the first time he wakes up really upset that it's 14 February again.
“Good morning...?” Kaiser doesn't look at Ness when he opens the door, but he can imagine that typical smile he has every morning turning into instant concern. “Michael, what happened? Are you okay?”
Normally he would mind being so fragile in front of someone, but it doesn't matter... Ness won't even remember this tomorrow anyway.
“I just woke up sad...” He mumbles, sitting up in bed.
“And do you wanna talk about it?”
Kaiser hugs his knees thoughtfully, “Why do you care, Alexis?”
“Because I care about you.”
That sounds so wrong. He was a horrible person to Ness most of the time, he shouldn't care about Kaiser... He really shouldn't.
He feels the tears welling up.
“I'm an asshole with you.” Kaiser sniffs, thinking of all the times he forced Ness to do what he wanted and all the times he cursed at him.
“It's alright.” Ness sits down in front of him.
Kaiser looks up. “No, it's not.”
“You're just going through a rough patch.”
An uneasy feeling takes hold of him.
“I'm mean to you all the time, even on good days. Why are you still here?”
“We're friends, Michael.”
He closes his eyes and sighs, a little shakily.
He didn't deserve this friendship. He really didn't deserve it... but Alexis Ness faithfully disagrees with that.
“Let's go to the kitchen, I'll make some coffee and pancakes, how about it?” Ness gives a smile.
Kaiser promises himself that he will start being kinder to Ness too.
A few hours later, Kaiser leaves the flat to go to karaoke.
Kaiser isn't in the mood to go. He'd honestly rather spend the day lying in bed thinking and torturing himself but... It wouldn't be nice to break a plan he and Yoichi had already agreed on the day before.
He doesn't want to be a jerk to Yoichi either.
That's the only reason he forces himself to go to the agreed location.
“Kaiser!” Yoichi waves at him as soon as he sees him, giving him an excited smile.
He waves back but can't muster the same mood. “Yoichi.”
Isagi raises an eyebrow, analysing the expression on his face, but doesn't question it. Maybe he doesn't care, or maybe he knows that Kaiser doesn't want to talk about it, regardless of the reason, Kaiser thanks him.
“Come on, let's rent a room.” Isagi pulls him by the hand into the karaoke.
Once again, Kaiser finds himself being dragged to wherever Yoichi wants to go. This is kind of becoming a regular thing at this point...
He watches Yoichi take care of all the details before they go into the private karaoke room he rented.
“You ever been to karaoke?” Isagi asks, opening the door.
“Nah, this is my first time.” Kaiser replies, observing the new place.
He's been doing a lot of new things lately, isn't he?!
It's a little funny that he's living more inside a time loop than in his entire life.
So many new situations that he's been in with Yoichi...
“You'll like it, it's really fun!”
Kaiser grimaces, sitting down on the sofa. “I doubt that.”
“No, no, seriously!” He says, turning on the television. “It's a good distraction.”
“Really?” Kaiser crosses his arms, watching Isagi adjust some settings he doesn't quite understand.
“Yeah, when my mind is too full, I like to come here.”
He raises an eyebrow at the new information he has about Isagi Yoichi.
“I had no idea you could sing.”
“I can't.” Isagi smiles, picking up a microphone. “But that's the funny thing, no one sings seriously at karaoke!”
Honestly, Kaiser didn't know that…
“The suggested songs are all romantic for Valentine's Day.” Isagi mumbles, scrolling through the tablet screen.
“Ew, disgusting.” Kaiser grimaces.
Isagi looks up, raising an eyebrow. “By the way, you never told me why you hate Valentine's Day.”
He honestly doesn't even know how to answer that.
Why does Kaiser hate Valentine's Day? Maybe he doesn't like exaggerated public displays of affection or the whole commercialism thing...
Or… maybe he's just jealous of seeing so many people being loved and not him.
“I don't know, I just hate it.” He shrugs, “Why do you need a day for couples? When two people are dating, every day should be about them, right?”
Yoichi opens his mouth, slightly shocked. “Wow... that's a really romantic opinion, Kaiser. I didn't know you had it in you.”
“Fuck off, Yoichi.”
“I'm not mocking you, I'm just... surprised.”
“Why? It's so hard to imagine me being anything other than an asshole?”
Isagi snorts.
“Stop putting words in my mouth, I'd never say that! I know you're more than you show, Kaiser.”
From the exchange of glances, Kaiser knows that Isagi is serious and... he doesn't know how to feel about it. What should he think about that comment?
“... I liked getting to know this new detail about you.”
“Whatever.” He scratches the back of his neck, somewhat embarrassed, without understanding exactly why. “You gonna pick some cheesy Valentine's Day song to sing or not?”
Yoichi smiles. “Excited to hear me sing?”
“Yeah, I want to laugh at you.”
“I'll only accept this because that's the point of a karaoke day.” He snorts, looking back at the tablet screen. “Okay, picked one!”
The moment the familiar melody starts, Kaiser grimaces in horror.
Twice! What is love?
“No. You're not going to sing that song, change it now.” Kaiser says, getting up from the sofa.
“What?! Why?” Isagi presses a button and the melody stops instantly. “What's wrong with this song?”
What's wrong with it?! Kaiser wakes up every day to this infernal melody, he doesn't need to hear it twice today, he really doesn't!
“I hate this song.” He grimaces.
Isagi narrows his eyes, as if he knows Kaiser is hiding something. “Is that really it?”
“Yes.”
“You sure? You're acting really weird right now,” Yoichi stares at him. “Are you a secret fan of...”
“I'm not a fan of anything, I hate this song!” Kaiser runs his hand through his hair, sighing.
“Hm... okay? Why?”
Kaiser grimaces, knowing he's stuck in a situation he won't be able to get out of. Isagi will insist on this until he tells him the reason for his weird agitation.
He sighs. “My time loop starts like this.”
“What?”
“Every morning I wake up with this stupid loud music ‘cause Ness doesn't know how to listen like a normal person.” He grimaces in disgust.
Yoichi blinks. His confusion turns to amusement in an instant.
He laughs. He really laughs, and Michael rolls his eyes.
Kaiser should've guessed he'd get a reaction like that...
“That's hilarious!” Isagi says, amazed, as if he's discovered something truly incredible.
“No, it's not!”
“I'm fascinated, Kaiser.”
“Shut up, it's not funny.”
“I think it is.” He smiles humorously. “And now that I know you really like this song, you'll watch my little show and judge it.”
“No! I don't need to hear that song again today, Yoichi.”
“Too bad.” Isagi pushes Kaiser in his chest and he falls onto the sofa. “You're gonna hear it anyway.”
Kaiser is still staring at the spot where Yoichi pushed him. In the past, Kaiser would've gotten up right away and pushed him back, but now...
“I hate you, you know that?!” It's the only thing he says, accepting his unfortunate fate.
Yoichi laughs again and winks in amusement.
“Twice! What is love?”
The melody begins, and this time he doesn't move. He can't believe Yoichi is going to do this to him...
“Every day, in a movie, in a book or in a drama, I feel love / Mm, I learn about love.” Yoichi begins reading the first verses on television but quickly looks away at Kaiser and tries to hold back a laugh. “My heart keeps beating as if it's my own story / It makes my heart pound and swell with hope / Mm, I'm so curious, I feel like I'm gonna go crazy”
Isagi is now swaying to the music and singing more and more dramatically because of the meaning of the lyrics. Kaiser rolls his eyes as he watches the boy mess up his own hair.
“You’d make such an actor, Yoichi,” Kaiser teases.
He doesn’t seem upset by his comment, but pouts before continuing.
“Ooh, maybe someday / Could it happen to me too? Ooh / When will it be? / Who will it be?”
Isagi walks towards him, singing the verses correctly. He points dramatically, and Kaiser has to look up now because of the proximity.
Yoichi has no idea how these verses haunt him...
The chorus is about to begin.
“Sing with me.”
“No.”
Yoichi quickly sticks out his tongue before continuing more cheerfully.
“I wanna know! They say it's as sweet as candy / I wanna know! They say it's like flying in the sky / I wanna know, know, know, know, what is love? / What does love feel like?”
He bends down a little to meet Kaiser's eyes during that part and sings directly to him. Isagi is obviously just being silly and funny, but the scene is so sweet and unbelievable that it makes Kaiser's heart race and...
Oh. He thinks he's starting to get what love is.
Is Yoichi really doing this to him?!
Completely oblivious to Kaiser's possible discovery, Yoichi steps back and continues singing excitedly.
“I wanna know! They say you smile all day long / II wanna know! They say the whole world looks beautiful / I wanna know, know, know, know, what is love? / Will love come to me someday too?”
Isagi dances and laughs to himself. His eyes are closed, just enjoying the beat of the music. He's really just having fun and...
What is love? Maybe it's Isagi Yoichi.
Kaiser feels his breathing become a little heavy. He doesn't move, he just can't... too absorbed in the scene in front of his eyes and in his own realisation.
When the song ends, Kaiser is still staring at him in silence. His expression must show some reaction, because Isagi raises an eyebrow.
“What you doing?”
“I'm just... remembering this.”
His answer seems to please Yoichi, who smiles even more.
“Now let's choose a duet, we need to sing together!”
Kaiser can't disagree with Isagi, he's still too fascinated by his own discovery.
They spend the rest of the afternoon singing and laughing together.
If Kaiser was upset when he woke up, he isn't anymore. Isagi made sure to distract him today and make this one of the most special days of Kaiser's life.
He will never forget it and... he is happy to know that Yoichi won't either, after all, they are in the time loop together.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser wakes up that morning and the first thing he thinks about is Isagi Yoichi.
He can still picture the boy singing that song in the silliest, most adorable way possible. It makes him smile softly... He still can't believe the day he had yesterday.
It was really good.
And today will probably be too, after all, every day with Yoichi is good.
“Good morning!” Ness opens the door with a smile.
“Morning! Sleep well?”
“Huh?” His friend tilts his head, “Yeah...? And you?”
“Yep.”
He stretches, carefully getting out of bed and grabbing a pair of clothes.
Today they're going to tick off another item on their wish list... Get the Valentine's Day special cake.
Kaiser remembers mocking Isagi when he put that item on the list, after all... what kind of wish is that?! Isagi defended himself by saying that it looked delicious and he liked sweet things, so he really wanted to try the most popular cake of the day (pathetic!).
“You’re in a good mood today.”
“You think so?”
“Yes, any special plans for today?!”
Kaiser turns to his friend and smiles softly, “I guess you could say that.”
8:22. Kaiser arrives at the coffee shop.
“Why do you look like you just woke up and rushed out?” That's the first thing Isagi says.
“Because that's exactly what I did. Good morning, Yoichi!”
Isagi snorts and rolls his eyes. “When I asked you yesterday what time we could meet in front of the coffee shop, I thought you’d choose a time that at least let you wash your face.”
“I was just too excited to see you again.”
Isagi pushes his shoulder.
“Stop it!”
Kaiser smiles, seeing the confused expression on Isagi’s face. He is kind of cute when he's not expecting something.
“Let's go!” He demands, walking towards the coffee shop.
As expected, the queue is huge. Stupid Valentine's Day!
“Oh, good morning, Yoichi!” A voice catches their attention. Yukimiya Kenyu. “And... Kaiser?!”
He nods in response. That's right! Kaiser remembers seeing Yukimiya in this same queue on the first 14th of February he ever lived. Wow... that was so long ago…
“Yukimiya!” Isagi greets him cheerfully as he always does with all his friends. “You going to training today?”
Kaiser snorts at the small talk. Isagi already knows the answer anyway...
He feels a nudge in his side and glares at Isagi, but the boy still looks kindly at Yukimiya, ignoring him.
“Yes...” He alternates his gaze between the two boys before continuing, “Did you... come together?”
“For the cake.” Isagi smiles. “They look delicious!”
Yukimiya raises an eyebrow.
“The Valentine's Day special?”
Isagi nods excitedly. “I can't wait to try a piece!”
“You know the promotion is only for couples, right?” He asks, adjusting his glasses on his face.
“Kaiser and I are dating, didn't you know?”
“What?!” Yukimiya and Kaiser say at the same time, looking at Isagi Yoichi as if he's lost his mind.
Yoichi glares at Kaiser for his reaction. “You can't look surprised when I tell people this, Michael!”
He's speechless.
Was Isagi acting or what? They didn't plan anything beforehand, but... you know what?! He'll just go with the flow and then he'll find out.
“Sorry, sorry!” Kaiser scratches the back of his neck, pretending to be embarrassed. “I didn't think you'd casually tell people.”
Isagi snorts. “You never think about anything!”
“I already said sorry!”
“No, I don't forgive you.” He crosses his arms and turns his face away.
“Don't be upset with me, Yocchan.” Kaiser uses the nickname he heard the other day and found completely adorable. “I'll buy you a drink.”
“Really?!” Isagi looks back at him, smiling hopefully.
“Yeah.”
“Aww, you're the best!” Isagi grabs his arm and Kaiser's skin tingles.
This boy is definitely not good for his mental health...
“Next!”
“Hm...” Yukimiya is shocked by the scene he just witnessed. “You two can go ahead of me. I wanna see it with my own eyes.”
“You're so kind, thank you!” Isagi smiles, pulling Kaiser with him.
Raichi Jingo makes a confused face when he sees Isagi Yoichi holding onto Michael Kaiser's arms.
“Huh? What the fuck is this?!”
“Good morning!” Isagi smiles. “We'll have the Valentine's Day cake, please.”
“What?!” Raichi looks indignant. “What the hell are you talking about, Isagi?! This special offer is for couples.”
“I have a boyfriend.” He points to Kaiser, completely serious. “Can't you see Michael here?”
“Michael?! Go to hell! You're making fun of me?!”
The boy yells, attracting some stares.
“I don't get it. Is the special a lie?” Isagi tilts his head.
“No! The special isn't a lie, but this bullshit here is.” He points to the two boys. “You think I'm gonna fall for this fucking shit when yesterday you almost killed each other in front of me?!”
Yoichi frowns. “Irrelevant details.”
“No! This promotion is for couples, so either order something else or get out of the fucking queue.”
Kaiser sighs and speaks for the first time, “We'll have a cappuccino and a black coffee to go.
Five minutes later, they leave the coffee shop.
“I can't believe he didn't fall for it!” Isagi pouts.
“You could've told me your plan beforehand.”
“I kinda wanted to see how you'd react, actually.” He mutters, before taking a sip of the cappuccino Kaiser bought for him.
“I played along with your idea, but it didn't work…”
“I figured that would happen,” he laments. “I tried so many times to get that cake, you know?!”
Kaiser frowns. “Really?”
“Yeah... I tried to convince Raichi in so many ways, but he's too strait-laced and said something like just come back when you're in a fucking relationship, you shit loser.”
Oh, Kaiser sees now...
“Let's try again tomorrow.” Kaiser takes a sip of his own drink before continuing, “Now that I know I gotta play the boyfriend role, I'll do it right and he'll believe it.”
“Really?!”
“Yeah, we promised to do everything on the list, remember? We'll get that piece of cake for you, Yoichi.”
“Okay!” Isagi smiles happily, and Kaiser really likes to see that expression on him.
Usually, after making plans for the next day or finishing what they had to do, they went their separate ways, but... Kaiser doesn't want to say goodbye to Yoichi yet.
“Hey, wanna do something?” Kaiser asks.
“Huh?! Like now?”
“Yeah.”
“Want to spend some more time with me, Kaiser?!” Yoichi teases, moving closer and playing with a strand of Michael's hair.
The gesture is honestly disconcerting, but he ignores his racing heart. Yoichi is just trying to be a brat.
“I'm just bored.” He shrugs, trying to appear indifferent.
Yoichi narrows his eyes, reading his expression, and after a few seconds smiles.
“Sure! What do you have in mind?”
Kaiser hadn't planned on ice skating.
He really hadn't planned on it... mainly because he doesn't even know how to do it, but... yeah, he had to come up with something to do with Yoichi and that was the first thing that came to mind.
In mid-December, Ness invited him to go skating and he said he'd never waste his time doing that, but here he is now...
Yoichi's laughter catches his attention. He glides freely across the ice, as if he does this all the time. In the past, Kaiser would've found the idea of Yoichi being so good at something so annoying, but now? He is enchanted.
“This is so much fun! I hadn't been ice skating in years!” Isagi approaches Kaiser, who is still struggling to keep his balance.
“Really?”
“Yep. I took a few lessons as a kid, but I got into football and spent all my time on it.” He explains, shrugging.
“I've never skated before.”
Isagi looks him up and down before laughing.
“I can tell.”
“Very funny.”
“Come with me, I'll help you get the hang of it.” Isagi takes his hands.
Yoichi spends the next hour giving advice, tips and fixing Kaiser's posture.
They really spend time together and it's a lot of fun.
After a few attempts, Kaiser finally manages to skate around the rink on his own and flashes a smile at Isagi.
“I knew you'd learn quickly, you're really good at everything, Kaiser!” He claps his hands in admiration.
Kaiser is really happy about the compliment, he likes it when Yoichi says things like that...
They skate around the rink a few more times.
Yoichi holds his hand the whole time, even though Michael now knows how to balance on his own... Neither of them comments on it.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser wakes up that morning with a plan in mind.
Yoichi is going to get that piece of cake!
They meet at nine o'clock in front of the coffee shop.
“You washed your face today.” Isagi claps his hands, saying, “I'm so proud of you!”
“Don't be mean to your fake boyfriend, Yocchan.” Kaiser pouts, handing the boy a sweatshirt.
“What's this for?”
“Your disguise.”
Yoichi raises his eyebrow, not quite understanding the plan, but still obeys without question. It's Kaiser's favourite sweatshirt. Isagi knows this because most days he sees the boy wearing it after showering in the locker room.
“Now put this on.” He hands Yoichi a pair of glasses.
“You wear glasses?!”
“They're reading glasses, but I took out the lenses so you can wear them today.”
“Awww! You're so kind, you're the best fake boyfriend I've ever had!”
Kaiser smiles, squeezing Yoichi's cheeks. “I'm glad to hear that, Yocchan! Now put up the hood of the sweatshirt and let's go! Don't say anything.”
They enter the coffee shop together. Kaiser puts his arm around Yoichi's neck. The boy looks down, hiding his face, as if he were really shy.
“Next!”
“Hey.” Kaiser greets Raichi, “I'll have a cappuccino, a black coffee and the Valentine's Day cake.”
The barista raises an eyebrow, looking at Michael Kaiser and the unknown person he is hugging.
“What the hell?! You’re dating?”
“Does that surprise you?”
“Actually, yeah.” Raichi snorts, “you're a piece of shit.”
“Hey! Don't call him that!” Isagi breaks the disguise the moment he decides to defend Kaiser. Part of him thinks it was a cute gesture, but... stupid.
Too stupid! He was really going to get the piece of cake!
They leave the coffee shop with their drinks to go.
“Tomorrow, you're gonna keep quiet no matter what he says, okay?” Kaiser says, looking at Isagi.
“I'm sorry,” he mumbles. “I just... got mad when he called you that.”
Kaiser laughs and shakes his head. “You've called me that many times before, though.”
“It's different!”
“Is it?” Kaiser raises his eyebrow in question.
“You've changed.”
They stand facing each other. Kaiser sees a glint in Isagi's eyes and knows he's telling the truth.
“And you've changed too...”
Isagi smiles shyly at him. He takes a sip of his cappuccino before saying, “I've been thinking... now that we're getting along, how about we play football together?”
Kaiser squints, thinking about the suggestion.
They continue training every day. Well... Isagi continues to go every day and Kaiser goes most days (he's really a big fan of naps).
On the days that they're both at training, they tend to exchange glances and tease each other all the time, but overall, their game has never changed on the field… They always choose rival teams and fight seriously for victory.
“Tired of losing to me and now you wanna join me?”
“They say it’s important to keep your enemies as close as possible.”
Kaiser hummed in agreement. “Mmm... then we should play on the same team today.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
“Right. I'm gonna head home for a nap, kinda tired and… I wanna get ready for Raichi's scandal later.” He snorts, remembering how yesterday's practice was completely chaotic because Raichi and Yukimiya told everyone about the scene they made in the coffee shop.
“See you later, then.” Isagi says goodbye before starting to walk away.
Kaiser then notices... “Wait! You're wearing my sweatshirt, Yoichi!”
“Today it's mine!”
When Kaiser arrives at practice that afternoon, most of his teammates stare at him. He ends up having to deal with a lot of nosy and confused comments, especially when he and Yoichi choose to play on the same team.
They win every match that day, and Kaiser discovers another thing about himself... he really enjoys playing football with Yoichi and wonders why they have never done it before.
He also thinks Yoichi feels the same way, judging by the way he looks at him with admiration. Maybe they should start playing together forever...
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser wakes up determined. Okay. Today he's going to get that Valentine's Day cake!
At nine o'clock, he meets Yoichi in front of the coffee shop and, just like the day before, he dresses the boy in a disguise before they get in queue.
“Next!”
“A black coffee, a cappuccino and the Valentine's Day cake.”
Raichi grimaces at Kaiser's rudeness, but he's not surprised by that. The surprising part is that piece of shit dating. “What the hell?! How does someone like you even date?”
“I'm handsome and charismatic.” Kaiser smiles.
“You're arrogant, you piece of shit!” He snorts as he writes down the order. “But alright, alright! Kiss for your cake!”
“Huh? What?”
“That's the Valentine's Day special.” Raichi makes a disgusted face. “A kiss from the couple for a free piece of cake. Believe me, I hate this shit!”
Oh. Kaiser thinks he already knew how the promotion worked. Yukimiya had told him at some point, hadn't he? Kaiser had forgotten about it…
Kaiser thinks of something to try to convince him.
“My boyfriend is pretty shy, do we really gotta do this?”
“House rules.” Raichi snorts and points at the camera. “I swear to you, I hate this fucking job!”
Kaiser licks his lips thoughtfully, trying to analyse his options.
Yeah...
There's not much he can do in this situation.
Raichi is very proper.
Actually, there's only one solution.
“Okay... but I'm not an exhibitionist, so it'll be quick.”
Kaiser pulls his supposed boyfriend by the chin, and suddenly, he can see Yoichi's eyes. There is certainty in his gaze, and Michael knows that the boy is okay with it, but he still whispers, “May I?”
Isagi nods slowly and Kaiser moves even closer, breaking the distance between them. Their lips touch for just a few seconds, but it's enough to make Michael's heart race.
Just a quick, silly little kiss. Nothing serious, just so they could get that damn cake! It shouldn't affect him that much...
He sees Yoichi lick his lips, hiding as he lowers his head again. If it didn't ruin their plan and Isagi's disguise, Kaiser would definitely pull him by the chin again to see the expression he was hiding.
“That's enough.” Raichi snorts, tired. “By the way, your boyfriend looks like Isagi, ha!”
Kaiser looks back at the barista with a grimace. “Ew! That's disgusting.”
He feels a pinch on his waist because Yoichi is still holding onto him, and Michael bites his tongue to keep from smiling.
“Seriously, they look so much alike! Hey, dude, don’t you wanna take that hood off so I can see you better?” Raichi leans down a little, trying to see anything.
He is about to tell Raichi to stop making his boyfriend uncomfortable, but Isagi pushes Kaiser away angrily before leaving the coffee shop.
Smart... he ran away from the situation.
“You upset him!” Kaiser sighs, running his hand through his hair dramatically.
“What?! How the hell was I supposed to know that your shitty boyfriend is jealous of Isagi? Wait... is that why you fight with Isagi all the time?!”
Raichi thinks that... Oh, okay. Kaiser can use this to his advantage, the whole situation was created and now he just needs to act.
“Yeah... Could you make our order to go, please? I'm afraid he'll break up with me if I don't leave soon.” Kaiser takes a few notes out of his pocket and drops them on the counter.
Raichi grimaces. “He looks like a fucking lunatic.”
“Yes, he is.” Kaiser smiles. “It’s charming, isn’t it?”
Five minutes later, Kaiser leaves the coffee shop and sees Isagi across the street.
As soon as Isagi notices him, he pulls down his hood and smiles broadly when sees the bag in Kaiser's hand.
“You did it!” Isagi claps his hands excitedly.
Kaiser hands him the cappuccino. “We did it.”
“Thank you.” He sips the drink before continuing, “Can't wait to try this cake!”
Kaiser snorts, “Yeah, let's go to my flat, I wanna see this.”
The walk is really short, and Isagi is surprised that he lives so close and still manages to be late every day.
“I really like naps.”
“I can tell.”
“Don't tease me! I'm still holding your piece of cake.”
Isagi sticks out his tongue and tries to pull the bag from his hand, but Kaiser quickly dodges.
“That's not gonna work, Yoichi.”
He pouts in annoyance.
Cute.
Kaiser stares at his mouth longer than usual, reminding himself that he knows the pressure of those lips on his and... Isagi tilts his head, realising where Kaiser is looking.
“You—”
A noise catches their attention, and Kaiser will never know what Yoichi was about to say.
The two look away and see Alexis Ness approaching in confusion.
“Huh?! What's going on here?!”
“We're going home.” Kaiser replies casually, pointing to the building at the end of the street.
“What?!” Ness grimaces, as if he has heard something unbelievable. “Why?”
“We need forks to eat the cake.” Kaiser this time shows the bag in his hand.
“Mmm, okay...” He accepts his answer but still looks at them weirdly. “I'll clear up my confusion since you're playing dumb, why is Isagi Yoichi with you, Kaiser?!”
“Because he's gonna eat cake.”
Kaiser laughs when he sees his best friend's expression, and Isagi silently watches the scene unfold in front of him. He has never really seen the friendship between the two boys up close.
“Kaiser...”
“Okay! Okay!” He sighs before continuing, “You don't need to worry, Yoichi and I are fine now! We decided to put our differences aside.”
Ness narrows his eyes, a little incredulous. “Why?”
“We think our fight yesterday went too far and we decided to be better people. Right, Yoichi?”
The boy nods. “He's right.”
“I... I can't believe it.” Ness looks back and forth between the two, “You woke up today suddenly wanting to make up?”
“That's one way of putting it.” Kaiser shrugs.
“I don't really believe that… I'll need to keep an eye on you.”
“You left home because you have plans.” Kaiser waves his hand dismissively. “You can relax, I promise not to kill Yoichi on the living room carpet.”
“You know those words don't comfort me, right?”
Ness has that worried expression that Kaiser doesn't like very much. Whenever he looks like that, Alexis gives up on his plans for the day to take care of Michael and...
“Wait... Were you going? You never told me.”
Now that Kaiser thinks about it, he has no idea what his best friend's plans are. He promised himself he would ask Ness another time, but... he just never got around to it.
“What?” The boy's expression quickly changes to surprise and embarrassment.
Kaiser raises his eyebrow when he notices this.
“Are you hiding something from me?”
“No? What?! What would I hide?”
“I don't know?! You tell me.” Kaiser looks to Isagi for help. “Hey, Yoichi, don't you think he's hiding something?”
“Yes.” He tilts his head, “It seems suspicious to me.”
Ness scratches the back of his neck, shy.
“I’ve only got one place to go, but I can cancel with—”
He stops talking. Oh… Is he going to meet someone?!
“Wait! You have a date on Valentine's Day?!” Kaiser opens his mouth in shock.
“Hmm...”
His reaction gives it away completely and Kaiser can't believe it...
He really was stupid with Alexis in many time loops, forcing him to leave in the middle of his date or not even show up because of Kaiser's selfish.
“You should go to your date, Alexis.” Kaiser is honest, “I'll feel bad if I ruin your day again.”
“No, it's okay... I...”
Isagi interrupts Ness, “Don't worry about us, I promise we'll behave!”
Kaiser locks his flat door.
“I can't believe he has a date...” Kaiser mutters, still surprised.
“You didn't know?!” Isagi asks curiously. “We've been in a time loop for like three weeks and you only found out today?”
He walks to the kitchen, expecting Yoichi to follow him.
“I know... I'm not a good friend.” He scolds himself as he searches for a fork in the drawer.
Isagi grabs his wrist, getting his attention, “Hey, I didn't say that.”
“Some things don't need to be said.” Kaiser shrugs. “But… it's okay to admit it, I'm trying to be a better friend to him anyway.”
They exchange a meaningful look before Yoichi ruffles Michael's hair and smiles.
“Cute.”
Kaiser freezes, not expecting that, and Isagi smiles, pleased with the reaction.
He takes the fork from Kaiser's hand and goes straight for the cake, ignoring how Kaiser is still standing there, incredulous at what just happened.
“Mmm... It's as good as I imagined!” He murmurs, eating another piece and closing his eyes, truly satisfied.
Kaiser crosses his arms, “So was the effort worth it?”
“Yep.” He picks up another piece with his fork and holds it out to Kaiser, “Try it.”
“Nah.”
Isagi doesn't seem satisfied with his answer. “Come on, you have to try a piece. The reward is ours!”
Kaiser grimaces and tries to refuse again, but Isagi keeps his arm outstretched.
“I won't take no for an answer.”
“You're the one who wanted this, Yoichi.”
“And I only got it because of you, so...” He brings the fork to Kaiser's lips.
Reluctantly, Kaiser accepts. He knows Isagi would keep at it until he won...
It's a little funny, isn't it? Kaiser thinks there was a time when he'd never accept anything Isagi Yoichi did or said.
“It's good.” Kaiser licks his lips with satisfaction, “I think I understand that huge queue every morning now.”
Yoichi nods in agreement before eating a few more pieces of cake.
“Okay... what now?”
Kaiser raises his eyebrow in confusion.
“You'll need to be more specific, Yoichi.”
“The next item on the list is something you wrote.” Isagi puts down the fork and crosses his arms, becoming a little more serious than he was before. “Any idea how we can do that?”
Being happy.
Kaiser remembers writing the first thing that came to mind. A childish, silly wish... something he didn't expect could ever actually happen, but... after all these days with Yoichi...
“I think we've already done it.” Kaiser shrugs.
He's happy. He's happier than he's ever been in his whole life.
“Huh?”
“All these days we've spent together have brought me so much happiness, Yoichi.”
You make me happy.
Isagi's mouth hangs open in shock, probably not expecting such honesty, but Kaiser doesn't feel ashamed for feeling this way, not after everything they've been through...
“I'm glad it was with you that I ended up stuck in a time loop…” Kaiser continues, “I don't think I could've stood being alone here.”
A silence stretches between them.
Yoichi seems surprised by that revelation, and various emotions flash across his face in that moment.
“K-Kaiser... I...” He sighs, “I... I need to go.”
Kaiser frowns at the sudden decision before saying indignantly, “What?!”
“I-I have something to do...” Isagi begins to back away hastily.
He watches the boy hurriedly put on his shoes, somewhat shaky and flustered. Kaiser really doesn't understand what this sudden change in personality is...
“Yoichi, wait—"
“No, no.” He waves his hands dismissively, “I have to go.”
Isagi hurriedly opens the door, but before leaving, he turns around and says, “But... I'm happy about this, Kaiser! Maybe tomorrow really will be tomorrow since we've done everything on our wish list.”
He doesn't even have time to respond before Yoichi disappears down the hallway.
Kaiser feels bitter, mixed with a slight anxiety attack. Did he say something he shouldn't have…? Did he go too far…?
Isagi doesn't show up for football practice that afternoon.
It's the first time this has happened and... it's clear to Kaiser that he only did it to avoid him, after all, what other reason could he have?
This really upsets Michael. He can't understand why Yoichi changed so suddenly.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Waking up to that song again is torture for Kaiser because the first thing he remembers is Isagi Yoichi.
Just to be sure, he picks up his mobile phone to check if it's still 14 February and... it really is. He is still in the time loop. They are still in the time loop.
Ticking off every item on their wish list didn't work... but that's not what really upsets Michael that morning. What upsets him is remembering that yesterday Yoichi just left without warning.
He doesn't understand...
Was it because of his honesty?
If so... Why? They've had more honest and intimate moments before... What was different this time? Did Kaiser cross a line that even he didn't know existed? Had Isagi discovered Kaiser's crush on him?
Kaiser is frustrated.
It's so hard for him to feel comfortable enough to say how he really feels, and when he does... something like this happens?!
Fuck it. He should be angry, humiliated, or something else! He shouldn't be sad or heartbroken over something like this…
And as much as Kaiser wants to go after Isagi and ask him what the hell happened yesterday, he's not going to do it...
Yoichi left and skipped football practice because he doesn't want to see Kaiser and if that's what he wants… Kaiser will respect that.
Whatever. He might as well continue living in this fucking time loop without looking Isagi in the face!
He doesn’t mind being alone again…
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser wakes up upset and depressed. He doesn't feel like doing anything today, but... whatever.
He doesn't need to do anything anyway...
Every day is the same...
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
This morning, Kaiser's first thought is once again Isagi Yoichi.
He misses Yoichi and wonders if he is the only one who feels this way.
Kaiser chuckles to himself, sarcastically. What a stupid thought...
Of course he is the only one who feels this way, after all, it's him who is in love here.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser wonders how long this time loop will continue.
He doesn't want to live this day forever...
Maybe he should go back to find a way out of this time loop, even without Yoichi...
Maybe—
The doorbell rings.
At that moment, he jumps out of bed, stumbling over the books. Damn. Kaiser feels his heart race at the possibility of being Yoichi.
Actually... by the certainty of being Yoichi.
There is no one else who could change the events of the day except them.
Kaiser slowly opens the bedroom door and walks to the end of the corridor, seeing his roommate open the front door and crouch down to pick something up from the floor.
“What is that?” Kaiser asks curiously, approaching him.
Ness gets up and closes the front door. “Oh... I think someone left this for you.”
When Ness turns around, Kaiser sees a bouquet of blue roses.
He widens his eyes in surprise and feels his heart race at the gesture.
Kaiser feels like laughing at himself for his pathetic reaction and the irony of the moment. He's never received flowers before... but of course Isagi Yoichi would be the first to change that.
“Look! There's a card!”
Kaiser hurriedly takes it from Ness's hand to read it.
I'm sorry about the other day.
I'd like to talk to you and I'll be in the library.
But I completely understand if you don't want to come.
He rereads it a few times, still absorbing the words.
Kaiser notices that Ness is also approaching to read the card.
“It's not signed.”
“No.”
Ness points out, “but you seem to know exactly who it is.”
He nods, still thinking about what he just read.
Yoichi wants to talk to him. He finally wants to see Kaiser. After three fucking days without any contact...
“And you intend to go?”
Kaiser sighs thoughtfully.
He shouldn't go just out of anger at Yoichi for suddenly disappearing, but... Kaiser wants answers and he really misses the moments when Yoichi was around.
Ness comforts his friend by patting his back as he says, “You seem very lost in thought... is it someone special?”
“I guess so...” Kaiser smiles softly, running his finger over the handwriting on the card.
“Then I think you should go.”
“Really?”
“Yes…” Ness smiles encouragingly before continuing, “I don't know what happened between you two, but this person seems sorry to me.”
He hands the bouquet to Kaiser, who quickly takes it, carefully observing the various roses.
“Buying this on Valentine's Day must've been expensive.”
Kaiser laughs at the unexpected comment. Money didn't matter much to them since the days reset anyway...
Ness wouldn't understand that, but... at least he was right about one thing.
Kaiser should go.
Upon entering the library, he feels his heart racing with nervousness.
He walks through the silent corridors to the most secluded table in the place where he knows Yoichi will be. The moment the boy sees him, he widens his eyes and smiles shyly.
“I got your flowers and your card,” Kaiser murmurs as soon as he gets close enough. He sits down in the chair next to Isagi, but ignores him, looking at the table. “So... what did you wanna talk about after all these days, Yoichi?”
“I'm so sorry, Kaiser.” He begins, “I was a complete idiot.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes...” He sighs, “I shouldn't have left so abruptly that day and disappeared afterwards.”
Kaiser scoffs, “But you did.”
“I didn't mean to, I just... panicked.”
“What?!” He grimaces, looking at Isagi's face.
With eye contact, he can see how genuinely embarrassed Yoichi looks. He laughs awkwardly before continuing, “I got nervous, so I did the first thing that came to mind.”
They stare at each other silently for a while, before Kaiser looks away at the table again. He's not going to accept this so easily, that's not even a good excuse!
Isagi begins when he realises this, “Look, Kaiser... I wanna tell you something, but can you listen to everything before you say anything?”
He doesn't answer, and Yoichi takes this as a sign that he can continue talking.
“I wanna start by telling you something about myself that you don't know.” He lets out a slightly embarrassed laugh before continuing, “I've always been very fearful when it comes to new situations.”
Kaiser frowns at this nonsense conversation.
“When I was a kid, it was worse... I was afraid of meeting new people, getting hurt, doing badly on tests, never knowing when it was gonna rain, and... all uncontrollable situations in general.”
He looks back at Yoichi this time.
Kaiser really didn't know anything about that and now has a lot of questions, but Isagi told him not to say anything until he finished, so he just raises his eyebrow in doubt.
“I know, it sounds weird, but I promise it will make sense.” Isagi raises his hands in defence before continuing, “as I grew up, the number of new situations reduced and I never had to hide from anything again, but...”
He suddenly stops talking and bites his lip, wondering if he should continue. Kaiser can see his reluctance, so he decides to encourage him.
“But...?”
“But you happened.” Isagi runs his hand through his hair, still thoughtful. “You said you had fun during the days we spent together and that you were happy to be with me in the time loop.”
Yeah... Kaiser remembers very well what he said, but he still doesn't understand what that has to do with anything.
“And the moment you said that... I realised I was in love with you.” He laughs nervously. “Every day we spent together was so special... in many of our conversations I was flirting with you without even noticing and... suddenly I had this realisation and it completely scared me, Kaiser.”
Oh...
Kaiser feels his whole body freeze.
He wasn't expecting that... in fact, he doesn't even know what he was expecting, but for the past three days Michael has spent hours torturing himself thinking he had done something wrong.
He's dreaming, isn't he?!
This can't really be happening...
Is Isagi really standing in front of him confessing his own feelings???
“I'd never liked anyone before and... what was I supposed to do?! We used to hate each other until last month and we just became friends because of a very specific situation...” Isagi sighs, shaking his head indignantly. “I just panicked and did the first thing that seemed right at the time... Run away.”
A silence falls between them. Kaiser carefully analyses the expressions on Isagi's face, but this time the boy looks down at the table, a little embarrassed by everything he has just said.
“And why did you decide to tell me this now, Yoichi?”
“Uncertainty scares me, Kaiser... I don't think I could live without knowing how you feel about this.”
He lifts Yoichi's chin. “Look at me, you know what you should've done when you found out you were in love with me?”
“What?”
Kaiser doesn't answer, he just leans in to kiss Isagi.
It's not the first time their lips have touched, so Kaiser shouldn't feel his heart racing like this, but Isagi has that effect on him. He feels like he's had an epiphany because his feelings are reciprocated.
Yoichi runs his fingers through Michael's hair and it melts him completely. This must be the best feeling he's ever experienced in his entire life.
Kisses shouldn't be a big deal, but everything Yoichi does is too much for him.
“You should've done this,” Kaiser whispers, still close to his lips.
Isagi gives him another passionate kiss before whispering, “I'm sorry.”
Kaiser kisses him again before pulling away. He meets Yoichi's gaze as he says, “I only forgive you because I'm in love with you too.”
He sees Yoichi smile and tries to memorise every detail of that moment.
They spend some time just staring at each other, and the silence is so comfortable... but suddenly Isagi starts laughing.
“Can I tell you something funny?”
“What is it, Yoichi?”
“There's a time loop movie where the characters only break out of it when they fall in love.”
Kaiser raises his eyebrow, “Really?”
“Uh-huh... but I didn't tell you because I thought it would be impossible for that to happen.” He laughs, shaking his head.
“You're stuck in a time loop, and you still thought something would be impossible?”
“What?! You were gonna suggest we should try if you had known?” He scoffs.
“Maybe.” Kaiser shrugs, just to be contrary.
“You would've fought with me and we would've gone days without seeing each other.”
“It's all possibilities, isn't it?”
“I know you.”
Kaiser shakes his head. “Yeah, yeah, maybe you're right... anyway, how the movie ends?”
“Literally, they fall in love and the next day finally is the next day.”
“Hmm, but what if we wake up tomorrow still in the time loop?”
Isagi frowns thoughtfully, “I think we should try to do the day right to end the whole cycle, you know?! Be our best selves for everyone…”
Kaiser hums, “We can try that.”
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser wakes up happy that morning. Maybe it's because he feels like he's going to have a good day, or maybe it's because he's just a man in love.
Regardless of the reason, he knows it's because of Isagi Yoichi.
He gets out of bed, knowing he's late for class. Kaiser looks at the floor and sees the pile of books... one of these days he'll buy a desk and really start tidying up his room.
Humming, he looks for an outfit he'd like to wear today.
“Good morning!” Ness opens the door, smiling.
“Morning!” He returns the smile. “Can you put on the song from the beginning? I wanna listen to it while I get ready for class.”
If today were his last day in the time loop, Kaiser would like to hear that cheesy love song one last time.
His friend opens his mouth in surprise and agrees, running to his own room to do what Kaiser asked. He gets ready as quickly as possible because he knows he'll really be late if he takes too long.
“I'm off to class!” Kaiser says goodbye, “Have fun on your date today.”
He can see the confusion and then shock on Ness's face before closing the door.
Kaiser is late, but at exactly 8:22 he arrives at the coffee shop.
He won't survive the day without coffee (and he thinks Yoichi will like a cappuccino too).
“There're a lot of people here today, don't you think?” Yukimiya strikes up a conversation in the queue.
“It's because of Valentine's Day.” Kaiser mutters, amused as he remembers the days when he and Yoichi tried to get that special cake.
“Mmm, forgive me if I seem nosy, Kaiser.” He adjusts his glasses as he speaks, “but you seem to like Valentine's Day.”
“Yeah... I've learned to enjoy it,” he says honestly.
After fifteen minutes, he finally has the drinks for himself and Yoichi.
He walks quickly to his first class of the day but slows down when he is about to enter the building, knowing that Bachira Meguru will rush out.
“Be careful not to fall or bump into someone.”
Bachira stops walking and looks at him in confusion, before smile. “Don't worry!”
Kaiser nods, before starting to walk away.
“Wait, Kaiser!” He turns around and sees Bachira holding something, “You dropped your key.”
Oh. So that was when he lost his key. That explains why he sometimes lost his key and sometimes didn't...
He thanks Bachira Meguru before entering the building and walking to class in silence.
Kaiser frowns when he enters the room and sees someone sitting next to the desk he usually sits at. Oh. It seems Isagi had the same idea as Kaiser... give up his usual seat just to be close to the other.
He was going to do exactly that, but... good! Now he doesn't have to sit at the front.
“Morning,” he whispers, handing over the cappuccino he bought for Yoichi.
“Thank you.” Isagi smiles at him. “I have something for you too!”
Kaiser takes the notes with an arched eyebrow, quickly realising that it is a review of the test they will take in the next class. He is really grateful, he couldn't remember almost anything.
“So that's the benefit of having a cute nerd in love with you, huh?”
Isagi rolls his eyes and turns his attention back to the teacher.
He studies.
At the end of class, some girls he doesn't know approach him with chocolates for Valentine's Day.
Kaiser smiles and accepts them all.
Isagi is by his side with a pout, and when the girls finally walk away, he says, somewhat jealous, “Oh, so today you decided to accept.”
“Yeah, there's a boy I like and he kinda loves sweets. That's all.”
Perhaps he got the answer right, because Yoichi quickly kisses his cheek before running out of the classroom. Kaiser hurries to catch up with him and, this time, when he reaches Isagi, he's the one who takes the initiative to hold his hand.
Kaiser leaves the test confident that he will get a ten.
“Your notes are very good,” he says to Yoichi as soon as he sees him.
He was waiting for Kaiser outside the classroom.
“Or maybe taking this test again made it easy,” he teases.
“No.” Kaiser shakes his head, “I didn't even remember the questions or the last time I came to this class.”
Isagi smiles and before he can respond, someone approaches them.
“Hey, dudes, can one of you take a pic of me and my girlfriend?”
“Sure, Otoya! New girlfriend, huh?!” Isagi takes the boy's mobile phone.
After taking a few photos of the couple, they finally thank them and leave. To be honest, it's only today that Kaiser realises the guy was Otoya Eita. He must’ve been really annoyed back then to even notice it...
“Hey, wanna go home?” Kaiser asks, “We can sleep until practice time.”
“You really like naps, don't you?”
“Duh. Is there something better to do?”
“Hmm... I was gonna suggest we kiss until practice time.”
In the end, they do both.
Hours later, Ness frowns when he enters Kaiser's room to call him to football training and finds his best friend lying down hugging Isagi Yoichi.
“Huh? What's going on here?!”
“Alexis, I have to tell you something.” Kaiser sits up in bed, “I know you're gonna find this weird because yesterday you saw me and Yoichi fighting, but we're together.”
“What?!”
“There's something going on between us for a while and...” He looks at Yoichi, “we finally decided to date.”
“Wait! So is this how you ask me out officially?!” Isagi asks, sitting up too.
“Yeah?”
“Aww, it's kinda cute that you showed your friend we're together, but I was hoping for something with chocolates, you know?”
Kaiser rolled his eyes. Of course, Yoichi would say something like that...
“I'm gonna buy you all the sweets in the world,” he says before kissing his boyfriend.
They only pull away when they realise that Ness may have fainted.
They arrive at the football training together.
At first, no one thinks anything of it, but when they choose to play on the same team and pass to each other so friendly, their teammates are shocked and suspect that something is happening...
The two don't tell anyone they're together, but eventually they'll find out. Maybe another day...
“Hey, Bachira!” At some point during practice, Isagi calls out to his best friend.
He walks over to him.
“Yes?”
“I'll wash the dishes for a week if you go over to Rin and kiss him on the cheek.”
“Huh? Why?!”
“He's about to fight with Shidou and I don't wanna see that.”
“Oh... but then he'll fight with me.”
“Trust me, he won't.”
“He'll kill me, Isagi.”
“I'll wash dishes and make dinner for a month, but you have to do what I asked right now.”
“You know... sometimes it's worth dying for,” he shrugs, agreeing.
Kaiser raises his eyebrow in curiosity, watching the scene unfold in the middle of the field. With Isagi's ask, the scene that was about to happen changes completely, and now Itoshi Rin quickly walks away from the field. He doesn't fight with Shidou Ryuusei, and Bachira Meguru doesn't throw water at them.
“Well... now that I know my roommates aren't gonna fight today, do you wanna go home with me after practice?” Isagi asks.
“Sure.”
Yoichi's room isn't that different from his childhood bedroom.
Kaiser smiles at the familiarity and feels genuine happiness when he remembers that now that he and Yoichi are together, he will be able to visit his boyfriend's parents again.
“You look happy,” Isagi murmurs because of the closeness.
They are lying on Yoichi's bed, embracing each other.
“You make me happy.”
Yoichi kisses him intensely, filled with love.
He truly feels loved, he finally knows the answer to what love is.
Isagi Yoichi.
They spend some time kissing lazily, and at some point, they fall asleep.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I wanna know, know, know, know
What is love?
Kaiser still has his eyes closed, but he grimaces when he hears that song.
Yeah. Maybe they're stuck in a time loop forever.
He yawns, sitting up in bed, and frowns when he realises he's not in his own room. He wakes up instantly, looking around and seeing that this is Yoichi's room.
But... Wait... How—
He hears laughter and sees the bedroom door open fully. Isagi Yoichi is laughing loudly, pausing the music on the mobile phone he is holding.
“I'm so sorry... I just needed to see your reaction to hearing this song once.” Isagi sits down on the bed. “Hey, welcome to the first day of our future.”
“Wait... We really broke the time loop?!”
Isagi smiles and nods happily, before showing him his phone screen.
10:11, 15 February
Kaiser sighs with relief, not even realising he had been holding his breath at some point. He feels so light. It's finally tomorrow!
He hugs his boyfriend happily before pushing him away and making a face.
“Don't ever wake me up with that annoying song again,” Kaiser warns.
Isagi laughs amusedly, “But this is literally our song, Micha!”
It's the first time Yoichi has called him that... in fact, it's the first time anyone has called him that. He finds it a little too sweet, and perhaps his expression gives away some new reaction, as his boyfriend stops laughing and tilts his head in curiosity.
“What?”
“It's the first time anyone's ever used a nickname for me,” he confesses.
“Huh? I'm the first to call you Micha?”
“Actually, you're my first so many things, Isagi Yoichi.”