Chapter Text
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Wonderlands x Showtime
KUSANAGI NENE: An introverted yet determined songstress dreaming of becoming a musical star who is starting to grow doubtful.
KAMISHIRO RUI: WxS’s eccentric and clever director, afraid of losing his newfound relationships. Nene’s neighbor and childhood friend.
TENMA TSUKASA: A loud and dramatic leader and actor aspiring for stardom.
OOTORI EMU: An energetic, cheerful girl set on saving her grandfather’s stage and theme park.
Hoshida Theatre
HOSHIDA SHUUTO: Hoshida Theatre’s exhausted owner, director, and stage manager.
MURANO KIRARI: A bubbly, extroverted person who recently developed a love for acting. Shuuto’s younger cousin.
JITSUTOSHI MIEKO: The oldest and longest staying member of Hoshida Theatre. Wise beyond her years, but easily gets sleepy.
EDEL CORTEZ: A closed-off Japanese-Filipino college student, visiting Japan to take care of his grandmother.
“You’re a spark in the dark and my clothes all caught aflame
You should feel how I feel when somebody says your name
I’m a car speeding down the boulevard without a brake
And I want you more than any stupid song could ever say.”
— Olivia Rodrigo, stupid song
The members of WxS were gathered around Tsukasa’s bedroom for what was supposed to be a study session that had quickly turned into a “how badly can we mess up Tsukasa’s room” challenge. Emu squealed as she spun around with one of his pillows, aiming for Rui as he tossed anything from pillows to stuffed animals at her. Nene chose to sit this one out and was in the corner playing on her Switch.
It was obvious that this wouldn’t be a study session for Nene, even with Rui involved. By the moment they arrived at Tsukasa’s house, he got a call from Emu’s brothers, and the second he left, Rui and Emu were already starting to devise something, staring at the pile of stuffed animals and plushies in the corner, which Tsukasa explained were Saki’s, which she left in his room while she cleaned hers.
Not like Nene wanted to study anyway, but the thought was still there!
Tsukasa climbed up the stairs, calling out, “So, I just got off the phone with Emu’s brothers, and—WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” His jaw dropped once he reached his room.
“Oh?! What did they say???” Emu dropped the pillow and ran over to Tsukasa, bouncing on her toes.
Tsukasa’s eye twitched before he sucked in a breath and wearily said, “So… Um. We have a new assignment. Besides that, who is going to clean all of this?” He gestured to the mess of scattered pillows and stuffies.
“I had nothing to do with this,” Nene said plainly. Like hell she was gonna take any blame for their mess.
Rui hummed. “It was Emu’s suggestion while we waited.”
“Don’t worry! I’ll fix it!” Emu said as she began to set everything back in place. Tsukasa sighed in relief.
“Back to what I was saying…” Tsukasa crossed his arms. “This assignment is a little different from the others, actually.”
Nene paused her game—a rare sight—and looked at Tsukasa, curious. “What do you mean by different?”
“They came to us for help. Apparently, there’s this small theater halfway between the sticks and the city. Seems they’ve started to struggle as of recently and want us to perform for them.”
Rui helped Emu out, grabbed a few stuffed toys, and put them back in their places, asking, “Hmm? And why would they want us?”
“Keisuke said one of their members came to him on his knees, begging. Probably saw one of our shows and thought we could help sell more tickets.”
“Wow! Look at us, gaining more recognition!” Emu said delightfully, finished cleaning. She sat at the side of Tsukasa’s bed, kicking her feet in the air.
Tsukasa sat beside her. “Keisuke almost denied the request. But he decided to run it by us first, see if we wanted to go through with it. It’s a bit far from Tokyo, but I feel like the trip is worth it!”
“Indeed,” Rui said. “We might learn something valuable from this experience, no?”
“Yeah, I’m also a bit worn-out from all the big-name troupes and those big stages… A change of pace would be nice,” replied Nene as Rui sat beside her on the floor.
“Then, it’s decided!” Tsukasa announced with a bright, wide smile on his face. “Wonderlands x Showtime’s next performance will be at Hoshida Theatre!”
♫彡*:･ﾟ✧
The group watched as the cityscape transitioned to grassy fields where cows walked amok through the van windows. In the front seat, a tired driver—hired last-minute by Shosuke and definitely not happy about it—tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.
Nene felt both chilly and warm as Rui leaned back in his seat, right beside her.
“Do you know anything more about Hoshida Theatre, Tsukasa?” Rui asked, getting the attention of the boy, who’d been looking out the window in thought.
“Why, very little, of course!” he said as if that was something to boast about. “I gleaned a bit of information online, and they have a few older photos.” He showed his phone screen, filled with pictures of the Hoshida Theatre in its prime; lines of people outside a pristine building in front of an endless expanse of grass. An auditorium packed with an awaiting audience. Actors and actresses in a line holding hands as they took their bow.
How could they be struggling when everything looked to be almost perfect?
The van hit a small bump on the road, making Nene jump in her seat and edge closer to Rui, their thighs pressed together. It was so. Damn. Hot.
Nene quickly scooted away and opened the window, taking in the cool, fresh air.
“Are you alright?” Rui asked.
Nene wanted to jump out. “Fine, just… Carsick.”
Rui pulled out a paper bag for her from a bulging bag full of God knows what, but she shook her head, cursing herself for his decency.
When she looked at him, all she could see was a person so close (quite literally) yet so far out of reach. She didn’t know if closing the distance would ruin everything they sacrificed to rebuild for so long. Maybe it was better if she kept her distance, her heart locked. These emotions were better off buried—lest she break the heart of the one person she couldn’t afford to lose.
♫彡*:･ﾟ✧
The Hoshida Theatre, without the sign, looked like any derelict, unassuming office building. It was wedged between two residential buildings, and across the narrow street was a long-abandoned candy store.
As WxS hopped out of the van, Nene opened her mouth to ask if they arrived at the wrong area, but noticed a foldable stand in the front with the theater’s name—red letters which turned pink over time over a yellowish off-white background. Far off in the distance, the asphalt road turned into a dirt path running through farmlands and traditional houses.
Emu looked from her phone to the building, eyes flicking between the two. Nene peered over her shoulder and saw an infinitely cleaner and sparkling building. There were no apartments on its sides, and an expanse of bright green grass filled the back. The front even had carved pillars and more intricate detailing, but when Nene looked at the building in front of her, she only saw a grey shoebox.
“The door and general shape appear similar,” Rui said from behind them, pointing to the picture and jolting Nene.
And of course, his observation was right as always. They kept the ornate wooden door with two dragons shooting flames, surrounded by stars on both sides. But the polished wood on the image had lost its shine and dulled over time.
Beside the door was a large, rectangular window that reached from top to bottom. The lights were off, but she could make out enough to notice a figure approaching the door.
A loud clack, followed by an eerie, drawn-out creak, came from the opening doors. Out stepped a weary man—deep eye bags and pale, thin skin. His hair was combed neatly, and he held himself with what little confidence he had like an old figurine. “Ah, you four must be Wonderlands x Showtime, right?” He stared at both Nene and Rui for a brief moment before returning to looking at the group as a whole. Nene thought of it as weird, but boiled it down to awkwardness.
“Yes, we are!” Tsukasa said. “You must be Mr. Hoshida, right?”
He laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck, then putting his hands back in his stuffy black hoodie. “A-hah… No, no, my father was Mr. Hoshida. You can just call me Shuuto. It’s nice to meet you four.”
“Likewise, Shuuto-san.” Rui nodded. “Shall we head in?”
As the rest of WxS piled inside, Nene paused to take one final glance at the exterior. She could hardly believe the place was still operating after all this time, seemingly slapped in the middle of nowhere, with closing businesses surrounding it. It was only a matter of time before the place gave in, too. Her stomach sank for some reason. Maybe it was just how everything appeared?
The van driver gave a honk. Nene looked back and gave him a thumbs up, so off he went, cementing the fact that they were stuck here for the next month.
“Nene?” Rui asked, stopping by the doorway. “Anything wrong?”
She shook her head. “Nothing… It’s probably nerves.” Joining the rest inside, they passed a dusty wooden desk and into the adjoining hallway, Shuuto leading the way.
Faded photos lined the halls—past performances with full casts, dozens of smiling faces, and a younger, more sprightly version of Shuuto in them.
“I had to let go of a lot of our cast and crew over the months, even some of our long-term members,” Shuuto explained as he stopped by one of the pictures to adjust it. “We’re pretty much left with a skeleton crew wearing too many hats than we can handle. I’m the stage manager, director, and owner. I’m also the entire sound and lighting crew. I’m probably on my fifth coffee? Eighth?”
What was the point in all of this, anyway? Maybe Nene didn’t fully understand, but if it was causing this much stress, and they were hanging by a thread, why keep the lights on, especially when a lot of the other businesses had already closed up? Wouldn’t it be better to cut your losses and move on to bigger projects elsewhere?
Emu pointed at an older man and woman who stood behind Shuuto. He shared a smile with the older man while he shared the eyes of the woman. “Are these your parents?” Emu asked, sparkles in her eyes, even in the dim light.
Shuuto’s eyes, in contrast with Emu’s, faintly lost their light. “Mhm. Um, I guess you should meet the rest of the cast now.”
Without another word, an awkward energy in the air, he led the group into the auditorium.
It was a modest space, in all fairness. Sizeable with rows of red-cushioned seats, and a polished stage with traditional-looking wood panelling. Compared to the rest of the building, it seemed as if they entered through a portal to a wholly different theater.
“I’m surprised that this place could fit in between all those buildings outside!” Tsukasa said.
“Well, the theater was here first, so everything else had to be built around it.” Shuuto laughed—a pleasant, soothing sound. “It may not look like it on the outside, but, as you can see, we have quite a lot of space.”
“Wow! Everything looks so sparkly and shiny inside!” Emu exclaimed.
That made Shuuto smile the most genuine he has since they met him. “Yes, we take great care of the stage and auditorium. It’s the very least we could do.”
“Yoohoo! Shuuto-san!” A girl with light brown wavy hair that stopped short of her chin, waved from the stage. Even from where Nene was standing, she could see the sparkle in her eyes, almost akin to Emu’s.
“Oh, Kirari-chan.” He waved back, smiling softly. Turning back to WxS, he said, “She’s our youngest member. My cousin, actually.”
“Hey! Are you gossiping about me?!” Kirari hopped off from the stage and shot straight at the group, cutting through the rows of seats in a matter of seconds.
“Haha, no, I’m just introducing you to them. They’re—”
“Wonderlands x Showtime!” She beamed. “I’m so so so honored to meet you all!”
Tsukasa guffawed, the sound bouncing off the walls. “A fan, I see!”
“Yeah! I started binge-watching all of your plays, though some possibly illegal recordings, like, last night! I can definitely see why Shuuto hypes you all so much!”
The group turned to look at Shuuto, making him flush and shift in place. “Uh, yeah. I was… I actually saw you guys perform with Shunmeiza when I was visiting Tokyo. I heard from someone in the audience that you guys came from Phoenix Wonderland, so I went there and—”
“He begged,” Kirari finished.
“Yes, you can say that.” He looked around the area, arms slack at his sides. “Where are the others?”
“Mieko-senpai got sleepy, so she went home to take a nap. Uhhhh… I don’t know with Edel. Probably had to take care of his grandmother.” She gestured to the stage. “Come, come! I’ll show you around the backstage!”
Kirari ran off, and of course, Emu was able to catch up with her, giggling as the two raced across the carpet. Tsukasa chased after her, making sure neither of the two tripped, leaving Nene, Rui, and Shuuto behind.
“I see you have your own ball of energy in the group,” Rui mused, a thoughtful fist on his chin.
“She’s… a lot,” Shuuto said fondly. “But she’s very eager to learn. She only picked up acting recently, so she might cling to you four for advice.”
“Noted.” Rui nodded, then turned back to Nene. “Should we follow after them?”
“Not like we have much of a choice,” Nene replied.
“I’ll excuse myself to the office, then,” Shuuto said, already turning to leave. “If you need me, it’s just at the end of the hall. I’ll be back soon once I finish some paperwork.”
When Shuuto left, another strange feeling struck Nene again, worming its way into her and making itself known. As the pair walked down the aisle, Nene couldn’t help but glance around from the walls to the floor, before settling her gaze on her feet. There was a history here that was obvious. But it felt like that history was almost… alive.
Haunted, even.
“What are you thinking?” Rui asked, ripping Nene out of her head. Was she that obvious?
She decided to be straightforward with it. “Do you think there’s something… I don’t know? Off?”
“Off in what sense?”
“Not like they’re gonna keep us trapped here forever kind of off,” she clarified. “I mean… Like something is missing. Something present here, with us, that we just can’t see.”
Rui thought about it for a moment, taking her seriously. She loved that about him—any wild claim or doubt in her mind, she could come to him about it, and he would listen thoughtfully. “Not much that I can currently discern, but I do have a small feeling that I can’t exactly pinpoint. Either that, or you’ve grown a third eye?” He pointed to her forehead, smirking.
Nene scoffed, smiling as she playfully punched his shoulder. “Okay, now you’re the one talking nonsense.”
“There you two are! What took you so long?” Emu asked as the pair reached the stage, climbing up the stairs.
“Just discussing something.” Rui shared a knowing smile with Nene.
Kirari piped up. “So, um, you don’t really need a tour. Our backstage is incredibly tiny, so you’ll find your way around in no time! She slapped her palms together. “I actually wanted to talk to you guys in private.”
Tsukasa shook his head. “Sorry, but we don’t accept unsolicited autographs… But if I must—”
“N-No! But, um. Yes. After this!” Kirari cut him off as he dug into his pocket for a pen. “I just wanted to ask… Do you guys really think you can save this place?”
The question stumped all of them. Rui and Nene exchanged a look, neither of them sure of the answer themselves. Were they enough to save a place on the brink of going under?
“We did it before, so surely we can!” Emu said cheerfully.
Nene inched closer to Rui, whispering to him, “But the Wonder Stage is a whole other thing… This feels more, I don’t know, serious? Professional?”
“It wouldn’t hurt to try,” Rui replied, leaning down close to her ear to be heard. Nene felt warm. “I want to try.”
“Really? Oh, that’s great! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Kirari bowed furiously. “This place means a lot to all of us. Especially Shuuto, and I want the best—OH, SHUUTO, HIIII!!”
Shuuto perked a brow, entering through the right wing. “Uh, what were you guys talking about?”
“N-Nothing! I was just finishing up the tour! Look, I used this new floor wax for the stage, and um. It’s very shiny, yes?”
“Yeah, it is.” Shuuto scratched the back of his neck. “Anyway, I already messaged the others about this… I think we should talk about roles.”
“Roles?” Nene asked.
“So… I haven’t exactly come up with an idea for the play yet. It’s been a while since we had this many actors, but I was hoping two of you could play the lead roles.”
Tsukasa grinned. “Of course! I wouldn’t mind at all—”
“Oh, uh, actually I meant you two.” He pointed to Nene and Rui.
“Ah! Yes, haha! Nene and Rui also did a very good job with Shunmeiza!” Tsukasa laughed, but Nene knew he was dying inside with embarrassment.
Wait, did he just say her and Rui?
Rui gave a conflicted look, crossing his arms. “Shuuto-san, I… I’m honored, but, you see, I don’t typically play lead roles. I’m usually the director.”
“Yes, I’m semi-aware,” Shuuto said. “Me and Kirari watched all your plays just last night. But, it was both of your performances as Yuriko and Shirafuji that caught my attention.”
Nene didn’t even think her performance then was noteworthy. In fact, it was Tsukasa who was trying too hard to play Nakayama as the main character—which would probably make him prime to be the lead.
Of course, she’s played lead countless times back in the Wonder Stage—there’s only so much you can switch around with four actors—so this should be fine, right? But, Rui…
He looked to Tsukasa, a plea in his eyes to help him. Tsukasa shrugged, muttering an apology. Not much he could do. After a heavy breath, he said, “Then, sure. If that’s your wish.”
Nene has never seen the calm and collected boy so nervous before. Was the pressure getting to him, too?
“Great!” Kirari said. “We’ll talk again tomorrow! Be here by eight!”
♫彡*:･ﾟ✧
The two walked down the empty street, Rui humming to himself, while Nene settled to drink in her surroundings. Though the group were supposed to walk to the motel together, Emu had spotted a taiyaki stand in the distance and pulled Tsukasa along with her.
Closed shutters lined every side, a few open businesses scattered across them. It was mostly office buildings and apartments that filled the area. As the sun dipped into a purple afternoon, a few lights began to turn on in the windows.
“I don’t understand why they’d want to keep it open,” Nene spoke suddenly.
“I’m sure they have their reasons,” Rui said. “Besides, isn’t it the same as Emu wanting to save the Wonder Stage?”
Nene stopped to look at Rui, gesturing to the whole area. “This is… different. I mean, just look around, Rui. This isn’t like Phoenix Wonderland, it’s practically a ghost town.”
“I have hope we can turn things around.”
“And if we can’t?”
“It was worth a shot.”
The two reached the motel soon enough—a just alright, dingy building. Nothing five-star, but it was livable enough. Rui sat at one of the benches in front and patted the spot beside him. Nene hesitated but relented, sitting beside him again, but enough to put a little distance between them.
“What do you think of being the lead?” Nene asked out of curiosity.
Rui hummed. “A bit overwhelmed. It’s been a while since the last time I have.” He put on a relaxed smile, but he tapped his foot rather quickly.
“I’m sure you’ll do fine. You always do.”
Rui smiled, a little mischievous. “O-hoh? Is Nene complimenting me? I’m flattered.”
She flushed and rolled her eyes. “And this is why I don’t do it often.”
“I’m just teasing!” Rui protested, then suddenly looked sincere. “And you should know that you’ll do amazing, too. I can feel you buzzing with nerves.”
She looked away, hating the traitor her heart was as it beat faster. “…Thank you.”
Thankfully, Rui saved her from more embarrassment and fell into silence, at least knowing when to stop.
As she thought more about it, she supposed this could serve as another lesson. If her acting could be enough to save an entire theater, then she’d be one more step closer to the stars in the sky. But when she remembered she was doing so alongside Rui, a strange, foreign ache panged in her heart. She wanted to reach out and hold him close and never let go, but she just couldn’t, no matter how badly she wanted to.
It was silly. She shouldn’t be feeling this way, not now of all times. Yet it was almost as if something about that theater was bringing back old, nostalgic feelings she’d buried long before. No more, she chided herself. Get out of your head. You’ve been doing this for so long, why doubt yourself now?
Even if her shoulders felt heavy with fear and pressure, she was determined to see this through, no matter the cost. So the two looked to the darkening afternoon sky as Emu ran down the street, with Tsukasa chasing after her.
Yes, everything would be fine. It had to be.