Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

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“Come on! It’s starting!”

“Here! I got all kinds of snacks!”

“Do we still have leftover chips from fun4re’s interview?”

“I brought us drinks, too!”

“Ahhh, it’s illuvista’s turn!”

“I’m so excited! Their new song is so good!”

“Okay, guys, try to be calm this time around. Let’s not repeat what happened with fun4re.”

The XlamV members were once again assembled in the living room, their attention towards the large television screen. At exactly nine in the evening, the entertainment show began with its familiar jingle and narration.

It was exactly a month after fun4re’s infamous interview.

Yeah, that one was… quite an experience. Who knew one innocent statement could shake up the entire idol community both inside and out. One of the VS Ambivalenz season 2 candidates had even been caught using his personal social media account to interact with fans in a not-good way. Goes to show how brutal it was out there for idols.

Things had settled down a bit. Sort of. Subaru was navigating his new relationship with Taiyo; Issei hadn’t talked to Noa again; Auguri was trying to figure out what Futaba saw in his crush; and Lion was involuntarily receiving updates on his rival’s love life - not that he was invested, not at all.

(Issei and Lion hadn’t addressed their true feelings for each other, but that might be a story for later.)

For now, they focused on tonight’s talk show.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome on stage our fabulous idols from the famed Reisen Production! Give it up for illuvista!”

Claps and chants echoed through the auditorium. From backstage emerged three figures clad in white princely attires, waving slowly and sophisticatedly to the cameras and viewers. Their smiles brightened the stage they walked on, glowing beautifully under the multicoloured lights. Sakuya was rather transfixed on the way Rey’s eyes glimmered, the way his long hair in a ponytail cascaded over his shoulder. A popcorn kernel almost fell off his gaping mouth at the sight.

All was silent when the illuvista idols settled down. The host arranged her script carefully before speaking.

“Thank you so much for coming to our talk show.”

“It is a pleasure to be up this meticulous stage, to greet our wonderful fans here, there, and everywhere,” said Rey on behalf of illuvista. The crowd whistled for him.

“Such an elite group we have here. The people’s princes. Gentlemen, would you like to introduce yourself to all the viewers out there?”

One hand on his chest, the other raised towards the crowd like a royalty addressing his subject, Rey spoke up with a booming voice. “Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. It is my utmost honour to bestow you with the beauty that is me, Kisumi Rey. I shall be in your care.” He winked just as dramatically as his speech, earning excited screams from the audience.

“Whoo! Bocchan!!” Sakuya exclaimed, while the rest of them shot him with strange looks. No one could tell if Sakuya wasn’t aware of his blatant attraction to his rival or if he simply didn’t bother hiding it.

“Good evening, everyone. I’m Cion of illuvista. Thank you so much for continued support since our debut. Illuvia, we will never let you down.” He bowed gracefully, enough to make the ladies swoon.

“MARUMEGANEEEEEEE!!!!” Jintaro screeched, kicking his feet and knocking potato chips on the floor. It was a miracle that no one in the room had gone deaf.

“Illuvia, hello!!! It’s me, Cuc! Nice to meet everyone!!” He waved towards everyone, adorning a bright smile that melted thousands of hearts.

“Ah, Cuc is so adorable! No wonder Kazu likes him.” Nagomu gushed. Next to him, Lion rolled his eyes.

“Such eloquent introductions from our princes. Now, shall we get the event started? There are so many questions I’m sure your fans would love to hear the answers to.”

“A request we shall fulfill with our whole hearts, for our precious fans.”

More screams erupted, even the host had to cover her ears. “Wow, the fanservice level is off the roof.” She chuckled. “Alright, onto the first question. Your newest song, ‘Love Bookmark’, is such a beautiful song, just like yourself. Looking at the lyrics, there seems to be many layers to it. Would you tell us more about it?”

“Ooh. I wanna hear this.” Issei scooted closer to the TV.

Mic to his lips, Cion was the first to speak. “Indeed, there are many layers in what seemed to be a simple love song. When we first looked at the lyrics, we were amazed at how deep it goes. It’s like a walk into the mind of a person in love where you get to see their daydreams, hopes and feelings. There is yearning, there is admiration, there is heartbreak and uncertainty. To me, that is the beauty of the song, and we hoped to deliver all of it in the music video.”

“Is that so?” The host nodded. “I must say I’m a bit curious about the last aspect, the heartbreak. Why do you think it’s included among the happier feelings?”

“Ah! Can Cuc answer?”

“Yes, please.”

“Well, um, Cuc understands the feeling. When you really like someone, you think about them all the time. Sometimes it makes you happy, sometimes it makes you sad. Cuc thinks it’s normal to feel that way when you’re in love.”

“I see. It’s true that love can hurt, especially when you don’t know if the person you love feels the same way.”

“But that does not mean you should give up on love, does it not?” Rey continued. “While we do not have the ability to control who we fall in love with, for it is as natural as it is unpredictable, what we can decide is whether we keep loving them or not. Love is more than just a feeling, you see. It is devotion, it is respect, it is wishing the person you love utmost happiness, even if it is not with you. The strongest of hearts are the ones who are able to continue loving someone despite not having their feelings requited, and to me, that should be celebrated.”

The host leaned back in her seat, looking at the idols with stars in her eyes. She wouldn’t be the only one to do so.

“How brilliant they are, our princely idols! Everyone, please give them the biggest applause!”

Roaring handclaps filled the area, whistles were directed towards the stage. The XlamV members couldn’t help following suit, praising the elegant idols non-stop.

“They did a good job. Very well explained.” Subaru commented.

“They’re amazing, aren’t they? I like the song even more now!” Auguri gushed.

“Huh. I thought it’s about speedrunning a relationship inside your head.”

Everyone stared at Jintaro.

“What???”

“Can you go one day without saying some stupid shit?”

“You’re stupid!”

“You just proved my point.”

“Lion, stop provoking him.”

“Hah! Take that!”

“Shut your damn mouth!”

“No fighting! This isn’t happening again!”

And chaos ensued, to everyone else’s chagrin. Sakuya ignored them like a tired mother and turned the TV volume up, wanting to focus on his rival instead. The ongoing fight was reduced to background noises as the interview continued.

“Love Bookmark is indeed fantastic, but what makes this song become such a hit is your extraordinary vocals. Tell us, how did you convey these raw, complex emotions so beautifully?”

The illuvista members looked between each other, subtly nodding one by one. This time, Rey was the one who answered.

“Obviously, these beautiful vocals are the fruits of our endless labours. I do believe all three of us have a motive behind perfecting this song, as we all had someone in mind when we sang it.”

The auditorium erupted into screams and shouts, in contrast to the silence that befell the living room.

Huh?

“My goodness, what an answer! Did everyone hear it?”

Yup, they did. Loud and clear.

“Bocchan… What do you mean by that?”

“Cuc is in love? With whom? Is it Kazu?”

“Why did you say that, Bocchan? Is there someone…?”

“I hope it’s with Kazu. Ahh, what if it’s not with Kazu?”

“What are you two on about?”

All eyes were on Jintaro, again.

“Are you serious?”

“Hey! I am serious! Seriousness is important!” Jintaro did the pose again, which defeated his point. “I just don’t see what the fuss is about. That was a totally normal answer.”

It was, in fact, not a normal answer.