Archive of Our Own

Today had a cooling breeze and the sun was shining down nicely on the school. The moment class had ended, signifying their lunch break, Tsukasa had come over and announced that instead of the roof they’d be eating on the grass under the trees around the back.

Rui had no reason to decline and that’s how they ended up where they are now.

Their previous class had been about university applications, setting up for the future , and he had heard Tsukasa groaning when they mentioned personal statements. Rui knows that Tsukasa was always concerned about going, leaving his family behind, but rarely continuing after that.

He remembered when they talked about studying abroad. Fleeting ideas of going to the United States or Germany and trying out their theatre programs.

Future plans were always mentioned but rarely fully discussed. Everyone in their troupe had aspirations for the future but none of them have fully thought out how to get there. Tsukasa’s confusion regarding where he should go to university. Rui was the same except he did have something he could do alongside university…

He shoves the thought out of his mind as he grimaces at the sight of his vegetable sandwich, nearly gagging at the sight of the juices sinking into the bread. Just his luck. Tsukasa is sitting next to him with a perfectly good meal.

He pops his luncheon’s lid open and pushes Rui’s face away despite his whines of “Tsukasa-kun~ shiku shiku”.

Rui is ready to give up, to start picking at his own sandwich when he hears an exasperated “You’re already giving up before looking at my entire meal?!”.

“I expected this,” Tsukasa picks up a piece of his fried pork with his chopsticks, its skin is crispy the way he likes it, “Here you go!”.

Rui tilts his head due to how unexpected it was for Tsukasa to give up his food he usually fights to keep “Eh? Tsukasa-kun is giving me his food so willingly?”.

Tsukasa lowers the food for a moment before asking “You promise not to let it get to your head?”. Rui gestures for him to continue as he admits “I’ve decided to start bringing a little extra… to share with you”.

Rui smiles widely at this chance for food he doesn’t have to sneak from Tsukasa. In one big bite he takes it and starts enjoying the flavours that aren’t tainted by vile vegetables.

Tsukasa gives him an unamused expression “Get that look off your face otherwise today will be a one time thing. You should be grateful I am even letting you do this after the stunt you pulled in the restaurant with your omurice!”. Rui quickly finishes chewing “Ya Tsukasa-kun, I was only thinking about how delicious the pork was, just as usually your cooking skills are extraordinary! Your cooking is blessed by the heavens!”.

Rui lays it on thick because a Tsukasa brimming with pride is more likely to give him more food, food he enjoys “I am happy you were so considerate”.

Tsukasa laughs wholeheartedly at that, it nearly makes Rui blush.

So Rui opens his mouth expectantly which causes Tsukasa to reprimand him for being spoiled, taking out his extra spoon and handing it to him “And there is omelette and rice for you too! To keep getting on my good graces, eat any of the vegetables!”.

Rui promptly ignores the last thing and takes a bite of the omelette. The blonde retaliates by shoving a green bean into his mouth, causing his face to scrunch up and reluctantly swallow, visibly letting out a “Bleh…”.

Before Tsukasa can reprimand him a shadow is cast over them in the form of Nene. Rui had quickly sent her a text saying he and Tsukasa were eating on the grass and that she was welcome to join. She took up on that offer, console in hand with faint music playing. Emu couldn’t make it because she had a test after the break and couldn’t risk it.

She stands above them, clearly having witnessed Tsukasa shove his chopsticks into his mouth “It’s surprising to see you two not on the rooftop, the safe haven for weirdos”.

“Nene is still so brash” Rui laughs as she sits next to them, placing the food she bought from the canteen on her lap “‘Nene’ wants to continue playing her game”.

Rui hums “What are you doing now? An RPG? A shooter? Are you looking at blood and gore causally during lunch?”.

“Don’t make it seem like I have a hidden sadistic side like you do in my videogames” she huffs “I am using a typewriter gun called a stenographer against the puppets, I still need to get to the roof to repair the TV station, but I am stuck on a puzzle”.

“Maybe if you eat something and come back to it later you’ll see it in a new light” Tsukasa suggests and Nene actually takes that suggestion, putting down her console.

Now that Nene was here, Tsukasa moves on from universities and asks the two if they have any plans for the weekend while trying to fight off Rui from eating his portion all in one go.

“I plan to go to this new arcade with Emu, Aoyagi-kun, and Shinonome-kun that’s outside Shibuya” Nene replies, taking her onigiri out of it’s packaging “Aoyagi-kun specifically wants to go because of a claw machine that has Pochacco plushies with different outfits”.

Surprisingly, Rui actually had plans that didn’t consist of him being holed up in his garage.

”Asahi-kun told me about their upcoming show this weekend and he was kind enough to invite me” he says, munching on the pork he was given “I still paid for the ticket since the proceeds will go to charity but I didn’t know about the event until nearly all the tickets were gone”.

“Oh! A personal invitation from Genbu Asahi! As expected of our director, he still remembers your work“ Tsukasa naturally praises him at the end.

Nene nods in agreement “Mhm, he did say he followed our activities as WonderlandxShowtime but also spoke fondly of your work, Rui”.

Rui tries not to get flustered about how easily they can speak about his work in a good light, despite never denying it “I highly doubt I was the only person who was invited, there are many people out there that he likely wants to see his hard work”.

“He probably won’t be able to meet with me afterward but just being able to attend is enough. Although I didn’t cross my mind to ask him to invite you all too, forgive me” he continues, finally starting to pick at his own sandwich too.

“It’s no problem Rui” Tsukasa beams “This way, when you tell your ideas, they’ll be fresh for us”.

“Yeah, sometimes it’s nice to see a show and not have someone yelling your name because he recognized you when you’re just trying to get into the venue” Nene says, taking another bite of her onigiri.

“That’s not what—“ Tsukasa starts but by then Rui was getting lost in his thoughts.

“Have you reached a decision? ” Asahi’s voice resounds in his head and suddenly he is talking to him after their successful performance, after realizing how much he loved seeing that his direction is helping everyone with their dreams and smiles.

That was the last time he and Asahi properly talked in person about his deal.

“I never did tell them he wanted to recruit me as Arcland’s director, even though Tsukasa-kun and I were just talking about what we might do after school ” he thinks as he watches Nene and Tsukasa banter with each other “But I am not graduating yet so I still have a bit of time to think about the offer now that I have more experience under my belt”.

Surely he still has time, right? Or was he deluding himself again?

“Are you listening Rui?! We need your input to settle this dispute!” Tsukasa draws his attention back to the two of them with his loud voice.

“You weren’t listening, were you?” Nene is frowning but then she lets out a small smirk “Hey Rui, if you agree with me I’ll help you restrain Tsukasa and you can finally act on your cannon idea”.

“Betrayed by the shy and strong-willed songstress, helping the greedy alchemist of all people” Tsukasa proclaims before draping himself on Nene’s shoulder. She immediately pushes against him “H-hey! People will stare you know”.

Rui smiles “I am a greedy alchemist because I can’t help but want these moments to last longer”.

Tsukasa, still leaning against a struggling Nene, asks “Hey Rui, when is the show?”.

“This Saturday” he replies before picking up another piece of Tsukasa’s lunch “I am looking forward to it”.

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“I knew my training was paying off!” Tsukasa loudly boasts as their troupe walks out of the warehouse. Nene grumbles “You nearly dropped the box at the end, Rui had to run to support the weight at the last second..”.

“Exactly!” Tsukasa says, missing her jab, “At the last second!”.

The reason they were in the warehouse was because Emu had asked for help regarding their previous shows' props and costumes stored there. Since it had been last minute, she had begged them to help, even though simply asking would have been enough.

“Tsukasa-kun is getting those biggg muscles~” she giggles as Rui stays silent “If he had injured his toes he would have been complaining for weeks, fufu, but he is considerably stronger than before”.

“What was in that box anyway?” Tsukasa questions and Rui does say something this time “All my little zombie chickens robots of course! They will be revamped and run rampage across Phoenix Wonderland, fufu, for Halloween”.

Emu joins in “And then we can have Tsukasa-kun in a Phenni costume to fight against them in a big battle! With thousands of KAPLOW and BOOM BOOM!”.

Nene and Rui laugh when Tsukasa objects, saying he’ll die of overheating, as they walk out the amusement park. The sun isn’t setting yet even though it was slowly turning late afternoon so the group starts talking about where to go next.

“There is this yummy cafe near the station that opened up recently, they’re said to have really unique ice cream treats!” Emu exclaims happily, showing Nene the cafe on her phone. She looks impressed “They even have a ramune flavour… but there is a ton of mint options too”.

“We’ll just avoid the mint then!” Tsukasa says “Now is it decided that we’ll–”.

“Rui-kun!” a familiar voice rings out as a figure makes his way over to them “Asahi-kun?”.

He looks the same as ever, well-kept brown hair, kind smile, strong presence as he waves to everyone.

“Asahi-san!” Tsukasa greets him “To what do we owe the pleasure?”.

“Good afternoon Miles, Emu-chan, Nene-chan” he greets back “I am doing great, although I need to steal Rui-kun from you”.

“Please take him, free of charge” Nene deadpans.

Asahi sends him a look.

“Everyone, feel free to go on without me. You all said you wanted to go to a cafe afterward, right? Just text me the details” Rui says, noticing an urgency in Asahi’s body language that no one had picked up.

There is a hesitant look before they all bid him farewell.

The two start with small talk, asking how they’ve been, any show preparations or about the final showing happening today, which Asahi should be at the stage for.

Asahi waits before he starts talking to Rui about why he came “I got the messages you sent about the show, it was wonderful to read about all you were thinking about while watching the show. You notice little details that the audience doesn’t pick up on, rather they feel it. You do both and that’s a strength”.

“Those messages aren’t the same as you being behind the scenes, directing the stage I stand on. Do you remember what happened after the show we collaborated on, what I offered?” he asks.

“You're still in high school, so you'd probably be hired as a part-timer... But I have a feeling that they'd make you a full employee in no time” Rui remembers so he nods.

“You’re doing freelance work right now, but you’re still doing shows with WonderlandxShowtime. You’ve done a lot of shows since we’ve talked. Each time I see you on stage…” Asahi pauses momentarily then changes his words “I was looking at you while I was on stage, trying to see what expression was on your face. I wanted to see if that fond expression when you looked at them, I needed to see if it was directed at my acting. Did I make you do a double-take when I was center stage?”.

“Did I do it, did I make you think "I want to direct for this guy!". It’s okay if I failed again but I want you to see my resolve!” he plants a fist on his chest “I invited you because I wanted you to see my improvement, to see my cast’s improvement”.

“I still think we can grow even further with you on our team” Asahi proclaims.

“To make people smile, for all the people who are surviving and are unable to smile, for all those in the world we can touch with our shows,” he’s getting lost in his words as Rui’s eyes still remain wide.

“Rui-kun, I know you haven't graduated yet but frankly I am tired of waiting. It’s your third year and I know for a fact you’re starting to apply for universities and such” Asahi smiles at him, seemingly warm and bright, “So I am asking again; how does working at Arcland sound now? Won’t you direct me?”.

He puts his hand out to him “I still want to work alongside you…”.

Rui stares at his outstretched hand, his chance to advance his dream even further.

“Asahi-kun, I’ve been thinking about it recently and I–” Rui starts but a call of his name interrupts whatever he was planning to say next.

“Rui…?”.

It’s Nene’s voice, full of surprise. It’s so quiet that he assumes she wasn’t meant to be heard.

“...!”.

When Rui turns, he is met with the faces of his dearest friends, slowly getting more grave. Emu and Nene look equally shocked while Tsukasa can’t even look him in the eyes. The blonde looks incredibly troubled.

“How much did they hear? ” he wonders helplessly, looking back and forth between them and Asahi whose outstretched hand hangs limply.

Rui doesn’t want them to look like that, he wants them to be at ease, he wants to tell them on his own terms. He can only shudder at the misunderstanding, appearing as if he had gone behind their backs.

Tsukasa looks the worst now, his hands gripping his blazer’s sleeves.

“Asahi-kun, we’ll be in touch” Rui says hastily before he walks away, a bit faster than usual.

He doesn’t stick around so he doesn’t know what happened after, he doesn’t want to hear their disappointment. Even if he shouted it out, it won’t just disappear.

“Asahi-san?” Tsukasa questions when he gets closer, still trying to comprehend what was happening “You were serious about getting Rui to be your director?”. He’s referencing that small moment they had at the restaurant, not the real deal Rui had been offered, that Rui had initially accepted despite his heart still being with his friends.

Asahi pauses, realizing he had informed them all of something even Rui hadn’t talked to them about. By looking at their faces, he worries about what he just did, even though it wasn’t wrong and Rui had now shown proper interest in joining.

“Forgive me, Rui-kun” he thinks before saying “I am”.

“You all know how wonderful Rui-kun’s directing is. He’s bold and not afraid to ask anyone who's willing to try out his wild ideas, all for the sake of the show, I want him to help me put on shows that bring everyone together, just like Tom did when I thought everything wasn’t ever going to get better” he smiles happily despite the growing, troubling look on Tsukasa’s face, despite Emu’s evident confusion.

“The rest is not for me to tell” he figures he shouldn’t linger any longer.

“Although I’ve said it before and all say it again for you all” Asahi says as he makes his way to leave “Rui-kun shows a great amount of trust in you all, trust that isn’t so easily broken”.

Asahi can’t do anything for them right now, all he can do is wait for Rui’s answer “Rui-kun, I wish you the best”.

Emu worriedly looks over to Nene and Tsukasa but it turns out Nene is already looking at him as well.

“Tsukasa-kun?” the pink-haired girl calls out when she hears a shaky “…why?” get spoken.

She can’t even get him to say anything now because suddenly he was smiling a smile that didn’t reach his eyes “Forgive me it’s sudden but this is wonderful for Rui!”.

Nene instantly feels like something is happening that maybe none of them were prepared for yet.

“Our dreams make it a reality but can we face that yet? ” Nene bitterly wonders as she hears Tsukasa and Emu starting talking about what they overheard.

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Rui is walking through town, having taken the long way home so he could have time to clear his thoughts.

It doesn’t work and now he is questioning what he was going to say to Asahi in the first place. It hurt but he was going to give a firmer answer than last time, leaning more into accepting the offer.

Not because of Asahi himself, as much as he knew it would disappoint him, but rather because he had been thinking about the offer more in relation to his dream.

To spread smiles, to spread laughter.

Rui hated to admit it but sometimes he had no idea what he was doing. That was a face no established director should show anyone.

He didn’t even know what to tell his troupe, he hadn’t done anything wrong but it certainly felt like he did.

“Everyone seems especially sensitive to how much time we have together recently, even though I still have a chunk of my third year left” he thinks of his classes and thinks of Tsukasa.

Somewhere he feels like not working with Tsukasa, not directing him, not seeing him everyday may hurt the most. The same would apply to Emu and Nene too.

“Rui!” a tired voice yells behind him. He stops and turns around as Nene’s run turns into a jog before she stops next to him. She’s clutching the edges of her skirt right above her knees. She glares at him as she catches her breath.

“When the hell do you get so fast? You're the worst, you know that right?” she huffs, hands now on her knees. Her stamina in exercise may have improved, her core strength especially, but she still needed to train more often. Rui was considerably worse though just because he was lazy while dancing.

“Nene, you didn’t have to come after me” he says and she just shakes her head “We walk the same way home so we would have met up anyway”.

Rui doesn’t mention the obvious point of Nene having to run after him, until she was out of breath. She clutches her bag strap to secure it on her shoulder and starts to walk back to their houses. Rui stays silent as he follows her.

She doesn’t press him but he knows she is curious; Emu and Tsukasa likely are too. Other than that, he has no idea of any other emotions they could be feeling.

“I accepted the deal the first time, after the Two Androids performance,” Rui finally says. To Nene’s credit, she doesn’t flinch but she does look over “He told me that my heart wasn’t fully in it, that I still wanted to stay with the rest of WxS”.

“It was true at the time but now I wonder if now might be a better time to accept it” he continues speaking “But you guys interrupted us before I could tell my answer, so now I am back to square one”.

“We started walking but didn’t make it far before Tsukasa suggested we wait for you,” Nene says quietly “Then Tsukasa heard you discussing the show and Emu had the ‘bright’ idea to listen in so we could surprise you with knowledge about the show”.

“Ah,” Rui thinks “So it was by pure accident, it seems that Asahi-kun’s acting can hide his intentions even from those three”.

She stays silent after that and Rui can only try to break the ice “You can laugh at me, Nene, I understand I am in the wrong here”.

Nene doesn’t pay attention to that last sentence “Do you remember our ambassador shows together? Do you remember when we were on the beach after doing The Little Mermaid? Tsukasa was running around like an idiot and Emu was chasing him, while you were trying to turn Nene-robo into a firework machine and I was playing with a sparkler".

She stops walking, they weren’t in town, now they were in their neighborhood.

“Do you remember what I said, Rui?” she asks him, forcing him to make eye contact with her fierce purple eyes.

“And until that time comes, I want to cherish the shows that we're able to do together...!”.

“What I said is still true in my heart” Nene confirms, clutching the front of her sweater “If things look unsteady, lean on us or if it's easier just lean on me. Because just like how no matter what you’ll keep directing, I’ll keep on singing my song”.

He can stare at her, eyes widening not in disbelief but uncertainty, where this confidence concerning the future suddenly came from. Nene remains unfazed and Rui knows he has to speak.

“I know that if I want to make my dream come true, I’ll have to leave. We can’t stay together forever, even if we aren’t staying at the Wonderstage. I thought about this the first time he asked me” Rui bitterly admits, “Nene, I don’t want that time when we have to part ways to come, I am scared to graduate, to move on”.

Nene’s dream is Broadway, Rui has known this since he was young, so there was no way she was going to get what she wanted by staying in one place.

She thinks for a moment before saying “The Arcland cast and audience are the scary parts for you, but they go along with your ideas after agreeing to give it a chance, they incorporate it with smiles on their faces, and you return this smile tenfold to anyone who watches your work”.

That’s probably why even if it hurts them all, Nene will have an easier time accepting reality. She cares for all of them. Rui knows that for a fact, he just chose not to believe it before. If he had believed it, then the inevitable would come quicker.

“You’re all amazing, with all of you guys supporting me, I have the chance to make the best choices for my dream, for our combined dream. Of course I am going to be sad but I’ve accepted it already, you’re all going to continue to do amazing and reckless things in the future” Nene affirms and Rui suddenly feels like his chest got a whole lighter, even if he doesn’t know what Emu and Tsukasa currently think of anything.

“You’ve changed for the better, Nene. I wonder if one day I can do the same” he thinks to himself.

Things are awkward on Nene’s part before she shoots him a question “I don’t need to say anything more, do I? I am still not good at this stuff but you do know you can talk to me when you want”.

“Nene,” Rui says sincerely, “You have my full support for your dream too”.

“Support doesn’t have to be spoken out loud” she bluntly replies but understands what he means regardless.

His thank you is met with silence for a few moments before she leans over and hugs him. It initially shocks Rui before realizing Emu’s tendency for showing affection through physical touch must have been rubbing off on all of them.

“Shut up, we have to get home before the sun starts setting” she says even though Rui hadn’t said anything. They still like that for a moment longer before she pulls away and urges them to continue walking.

For now Rui thinks he is fine.

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It had only been a few hours after his conversation with Nene when he decides to go visit the sekai. He should be doing something productive like trying to use some of the knowledge from their freelance work into a new project but he can’t focus. He holds a screwdriver in his hand and Robo-Nene shines a light to help him see the work in front of him.

He knows it must be from what transpired in the afternoon so he forgoes taking any medication to focus himself. 

He also forgoes clicking on the message Asahi had sent him, choosing to ignore it for now.

He eventually gives up on trying to work on anything and almost by instinct he clicks on The World Hasn’t Started Yet. It would be pointless to work when he doesn’t have any patience at the moment.

Once the blinding light stops encasing him, he is greeted by a world of wonders. The flying train is making its rounds in the clear night sky full of sparkling stars. In the distance, he hears the sound of fireworks booming. The Ferris wheel is still but shines bright with a multitude of colors, the carousel is the same with a flurry of different animals to ride on.

He fondly recalls Emu saying she’d try all of them one day.

Rui had spawned in front of a familiar fountain and when he looked into his reflection, he saw a face devoid of any positive emotion, instead it was replaced with exhaustion. He shakes his head and looks away. It should feel void and empty since all the plushies had likely slipped away into their dreams, likely lying next to Luka who had been dozing peacefully first.

Yet ‘empty’ doesn’t come up at any point.

The scenery of the sekai never ceases to amaze him, especially at night. It is an amusement park but it seemed more special, all these fantastical rides came from a young Tsukasa who held such a strong desire to make his little sister smile.

Tsukasa, who was so bright that he could eliminate any darkness around him, even with the unspoken weight on his shoulders: for his sister, for Touya, for his parents. He strived to be a star so much that it even led to the creation of their troupe and came back even stronger when they all reconciled.

And now Rui, along with the rest of WxS, has the opportunity to achieve their dreams to make the world smile.

His heart aches, three smiles flash through his mind, he needs to distract himself. A shaky laugh interrupts the silence, although it is not fully slightly thanks to the calm background music.

“What am I doing?” Rui wonders out loud. He thinks back to what Nene said but suddenly he second guesses himself, it's unfair to her words and Rui feels guilty.

His feet carry him on no path, at least he assumes so, until he stops in front of the stage. He hadn’t even noticed entering the tent.

Staying with WxS was enough for him; it always was, even standing here where the three of them staged an ambush to allow Tsukasa to invite him back was just proving his point. But he also knew that was enough for him then, enough for him when he sat with his sleeping troupe on the train, but deep down he knows Arcland is his best chance.

“I want to continue spending every second left with them while pursuing our dreams, but how little time is left?” he says out loud, presumably to no one else again.

Is he sulking about the future that he can’t even focus on the present?

“Rui-kun, inside voices ☆”. Rui quickly turns around to be greeted by Miku sitting in the front row, a sleepy smile adorned on her face. In her lap is a familiar white cat plush with brown spots, effectively dozing off for the time being. Her movements almost seem slow as she beckons Rui to join them.

He takes a seat next to Miku, watching her hug the cat close to her chest, mindful of the bow and its jingle. Rui greets her softly and he watches curiously at a Miku who wasn’t bouncing off the walls, not throwing around erratic hand gestures because she wants to let the plush sleep, but she still looks so happy.

They talk for a little bit about nothing too major, Rui doesn’t even mention any of his worries, any of what had transpired earlier today… well until he accidentally lets it slip.

“That offer,” she lets out a hum before asking him “Rui-kun, are you happy?”.

He pauses before questioning her “Am I happy? That's sudden, Miku-kun”.

Miku lets out a giggle “It’s difficult to answer, right? Kaito says so”. Rui responds the same “Fufu, do you think so? I think being happy is different for each person, for each of us”.

“But I didn’t ask for anyone but Rui-kun” she simply says.

Her words ring in his ears as he speaks “About me and my happiness… my desires as a person, my desire to understand my emotions… I feel as if I crossed a line. I’ve found the best of friends with Tsukasa-kun, Nene, and Emu-kun. I don’t have any desire to let go of them”.

“The Arcland members are capable of miraculous things, the show I saw recently proves to me that this still holds true. Even if others are unsure, the stunts I suggest will lead them to discuss its potential rather than immediately discouraging it. They can improve it as well” he looks away, recalling how Miku had been the one he originally confided in when the offer was first made.

“It feels wrong, Miku-kun. I should be glad that more people are willing to perform my ideas. I know from the wedding, the night shows, and other moments in time that not everyone will be as receptive to my ideas, but that problem is that they are, especially Asahi-kun” his voice is getting shaky as he speaks “But I can never forget who was there first. “

He thinks of Nene when they were younger even if the stunts weren’t as big and dangerous. He thinks about how Emu is always supplying him with thousands of ideas, like the stage full of flowers, and is always actively ready to perform despite the risks.

He thinks a little more about the first Halloween show, when he shut himself off after Tsukasa hurt himself from a stunt he had suggested, fully convinced that Tsukasa wouldn’t trust him, but he had proved Rui wrong.

“…No one ever compromises to create the best show,” he laughs to himself “I am the happiest when I am with them, so if I leave, would that make me unhappy?”.

Miku pets the snoozing cat plush before saying “I think Rui-kun is looking at this wrong”.

This startles Rui “Care to explain?”.

“Nope! ☆” she smiles at him “It’s just a gut feeling”.

She continues speaking “The travelling troupe’s ending was changed, right? But it’s still a happy ending, a promise for something more. Rui-kun just needs to explore his own ending to this chapter before he can live happily ever after with the rest of his troupe”.

“Miku-kun…” he smiles sadly to himself “I think I know what I need to think about”. 

It’s going to take him at least a day but he swears he’ll talk to Emu and Tsukasa, he needs to clear the air.

And think about what to reply to Asahi with.

Rui stands up, dusting off his pants, before pulling his phone out of his pocket. He silently asks if he can leave to spend time alone and she grants it “Sweet dreams Rui-kun ☆”.

“Sweet dreams to you too” he replies.

When Rui stops the song with a more relieved look on his face, he fails to notice the pair of eyes, round and marigold, that had been watching him since Miku had come to talk to him.

Miku, however, knew the whole time. She lays the sleeping plush on her seat as she stands up and turns around expectantly “Good evening Tsukasa-kun!”. She walks closer to where he stands, facing toward the stage.

“Miku,” he replies somberly as he comes out from the shadow he was hiding in “Has our time always been running out so quickly?”.

Tsukasa looks noticeably tired, as if he had been thinking way too hard and got stressed because of it.

“Rui-kun is like an hourglass; he tries to stop the sand but he can’t. Rui-kun is changing and he can’t stop how fast he goes” Miku says “The sand continues going down so he can’t help but want to make the best of his life now before it runs out”.

“But that would mean he can never return, right? Even though he’s told me I am one of the reasons he was able to change?” he questions and she can only sadly nod.

Tsukasa looks at the stage, the stage where he finally gained the courage to assemble his troupe back into one piece, to right his wrongs, to start his new journey alongside his friends.

“Miku, I am angry too” he states, causing Miku’s ears to twitch in interest “At Rui-kun?”.

“Partially at him and Asahi-san,” Tsukasa replies, albeit a bit strained “But mostly at myself because I always knew our dreams would make it so we couldn’t stay together forever. I just never expected Rui to be leaving first”.

She doesn’t feel the need to comfort him since she knows that Tsukasa himself needs to figure out what to do, what to say with his own words. But the catgirl still spreads her arms wide and accepts the hug Tsukasa gives her by crashing into her arms.

“I want to do more shows with him, I don’t want it to be over” Tsukasa’s arms tremble as he clutches at her back but no tears escape his eyes. Miku’s heart aches with Tsukasa’s, a silent show of support.

-----------------------------------------

It had been a bit of an awkward week, to say the least, since there was no practice or freelance work and they didn’t have much of a reason to meet outside of school. What happened on Monday still stuck with him now on Friday.

He knew Nene’s stance on the offer, her words of encouragement, Emu and Tsukasa were a different way. With Emu, she had gotten busy with a family matter but Tsukasa seemed to be avoiding him.

He can’t remember any time other than the beginning of the school week when they ate together. Tsukasa wasn’t acting differently to him, but the sudden decrease in time made it difficult to assess, “Am I imagining things? Is he angry at me?”.

“This influx of committee duties has got me stumped!” he had told Rui and he feels guilty for doubting Tsukasa. But he also knows that his decision, whichever one he makes, might impact his star actor the most.

Rui wanted to confront him first but he knew that Tsukasa would tuck away any worries to not raise any concerns. Sometimes he thought the blonde was too selfless for his own good.

And to add to that he saw Tsukasa staring into nothing during class, sneaking a sad or a frustrated glance in Rui’s direction “It’s a face that doesn’t fit him, yet we aren’t talking about anything that can help me think of the cause”.

He sighs before taking off his gardening gloves, it seemed even such a leisurely after school activity wasn’t enough to take his mind off things. He was grateful to Asahi for giving him time to think again…

“RUUUUIII-KUNNN!”.

Emu had confidently shown up while Rui was packing away the garden committee’s tools. She was bouncing up and down while still being mindful of where her feet were, not destroying any flowers in the process “I have successfully infiltrated the school once again!”.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Emu-kun?” he asks her, wondering when it had become the norm to see her on campus since no one was bothering to report her currently.

She smirks before throwing her arms out “You and I are going on a wwwwooonderrhoy adventure! You’ve been too gloomy recently and Doctor Smiles is here to fix that!”.

Rui has no objection to her invitation and lets her grab his cardigan sleeve to lead the way. “We need to find the treasure that will heal the nation!” Emu proclaims.

Before he knows it, he is sitting in a pod riding the Ferris wheel, Emu sitting across from him. She had told him the treasure was at the top of the ride but Rui could only wonder if it was a physical prize or something figurative.

When she starts speaking, he figures it’s the latter.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about Asahi-kun’s words to you,” Emu smiles at him “I don't know what exactly is bothering you, but remember what we talked about the last time we were here?”.

He does remember when Emu was standing firm and preparing to let them go, firm in her decision to stand by the Wonderstage. She was afraid that if she chose her friends in this situation, if she dared step away from her last connection with her grandpa, she would be letting go of the promise she made.

Tsukasa had looked her dead in the eyes as she sat opposite the three of them in the Ferris wheel pod “In order to make sure that you can make everyone smile, we want to do what we can to make you smile. And it's not just me and you this time. You have Nene, Rui and Robo-Nene on your side”.

He smiled brightly, brimming with hope, “So can you please tell us what took away that smile of yours?”.

He remembers the hitch in Emu’s breath, the small tremble in her gasp when Tsukasa told her “Let's try to figure something out together”. Nene and Rui were on his side, ready to help Emu anyway they could.

The wheel stops, conveniently allowing for the pod to stay near the top of the ride.

“Rui-kun,” she’s frowning “Lay it on me! Fast, right now, no matter how hard it is. We haven’t been able to talk and I want to fix any issues, I want to know what is in your head! Then we can find the treasure!”.

It surprises him that she is grilling him about the offer like Nene had initially done.

“You heard how Asahi-kun was asking me about his offer again even though I failed to inform anyone the first time because I didn’t want to cause any unwarranted stress” Rui emphasizes the word ‘again’ “I know that becoming their director, part-time or full-time, is the best shot I have at getting closer to my dream but you all…”.

Their shocked faces are permanently etched in his mind.

“Nene, Tsukasa-kun, you. I am not enough to make you guys happy anymore. I am sure you understand their feelings and you’re all my precious friends. But those faces make me feel like I did you all a disservice”.

He did say Emu’s at her best when she’s one with her emotions, especially when she showed hints of brilliance when trying to make someone smile.

“So Emu-kun, since you wanted to know how to fix what is bothering me, and I only ask you this because I am heavily considering taking that offer for my dream, is it alright to entrust their smiles to you? And for you to entrust yours to them?” he asks her with the utmost sincerity, refusing to look at her and observing the park outside the glass instead.

It was beautiful, beginning to be dyed in sunset hues. He knows Emu hates sunsets. Rui hates the fact he may never get an offer like this again.

The way Emu sees the world is different compared to Rui’s. She sees happiness and creativity as precious things people can share, memories shared with people that are considered precious. Such pure ideals–

“TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW!”.

Rui flinches at the sudden loud volume and turns back to her “Emu-kun?”.

She’s upset with him, her face full of conflicting emotions.

What had he done wrong? Was this not what she was expecting when she ‘cornered’ him?

“You can’t run from us or yourself!” Emu says, tears welling in the corner of her eyes “You are asking me to do something impossible because in the end I AM GOING TO BE THE ONLY ONE LEFT AT THE WONDERSTAGE! AND THAT’S OKAY!”.

Rui feels lost; his face surely doesn’t hide his surprise, but Emu is quickly trying to compose herself.

“Their smiles, their dreams… they are going to go way beyond the Wonderstage. You all will have to leave Phoenix Wonderland to pursue them and even if I want you all to stay with me here, I don’t want to restrict you from flying away. So I am the wrong person to entrust that promise to” she isn’t shouting anymore, calming herself so tears don’t spill from where they are being held “My dream… grandpa’s dream…”.

She stops sniffling “He understood my heart and when he passed away I was afraid that no one would ever again… but you guys encourage me. I wasn’t grieving when I met all of you, I was just unsure of how I wanted to continue building my life”. Emu then lets out a more heartfelt smile “But you specifically Rui-kun, you’ve made me feel like my dreams matter”.

“You told Shosuke-nii that he could never hope to compare to someone like me, with my dreams. You demanded they stop tearing into me, despite saying that believing in a dream could be ‘a rather perilous endeavour’. Now we are working together, even if my brothers don’t always see my way, they communicate with me. You didn’t tell me I was wrong for being ambitious, for wanting to save the park” she stops, waiting for him to say something, anything.

Rui can only wonder why she remembers those words from over a year ago, not fully realizing how much they weighed on Emu “What is she trying to say…?”.

“Nene-chan and Tsukasa-kun,” she starts again “Do you remember that one show, the one where Seiryuin-chan praised Nene-chan? The whole time I was in awe at how kira kira everything was and I was talking about them with you. Her singing and his acting were both so amazing”.

“I remember after that show when we were all cleaning up, they both sounded so optimistic about the future. I said that, didn't I?” he says as he thinks “Not something I’ve been doing”.

“But I should have also mentioned something about you, Rui-kun,” Emu clutches the front of her uniform’s skirt, eyes trained on the ground. “Nene-chan has grown more confident in herself, her voice and leadership amaze me every day that I can’t help but want to support her with all my heart! She’s wonderful! Tsukasa-kun, after I saw his play in my first year, is the person I feel like I can entrust my grandpa’s dreams to because I hope that he’ll bring smiles to everyone in the world with his performances”.

“You see them both on pedestals like I do, don’t you Rui-kun? Especially Tsukasa-kun. He pulled you from the sea of loneliness, Mr. Alchemist” her eyes hold a fond look “It’s funny because even when we meet again in the future and are not working together, I can still imagine you two side by side working on a movie”.

Rui gets a flashback to what he told Tsukasa at the end of their 2nd-year field trip.

“So, Tsukasa-kun... Thank you for giving me the opportunity to change the way I have”.

“The only response I can give right now is you're welcome! Still... I don't think I deserve all the credit”.

His smile entranced him, acting humble as if he literally didn’t change Rui’s life.

“And that has nothing to do with me... You're here today because that's what you chose”.

He recalls how content he felt when they watched the sunset the next day, watching Tsukasa enthusiastically skip stones on the river.

“You’re always helping us. I want to be able to solve problems with you all but I also want to be the one to solve them, so let me help you!” Emu says with a super motivated face.

“My wish is to make everyone in our troupe happy. So Rui-kun, please don’t hesitate when chasing your dream…! When smiling elsewhere! I am no longer chaining myself and you guys to only this wonderful amusement park, we have been moving forward. I said I don’t want those smiles of yours to fade away, and if you didn’t know, that means you included Rui-kun! Everyone else's too!” Rui can only let out a small whisper of her name as she spoke “I want you to stop holding back even if you think it’s going to hurt us! I want you all to be happy about setting out into the world, you just happen to be the first to take that step”.

There is a pause in the last sentence that makes Rui reach out to grab her hands, clasping his together with hers as they lay on her skirt. It grounds Emu and she returns the clasp strongly. Naturally his hands are bigger, but her hands provide more warmth.

“I want you to value what makes you guys happy. I like talking to you all about shows or wacky ideas that never come into fruition, as well as things that bring my inner conflict” he smiles self-deprecatingly “Am I selfish for wanting that to continue no matter where we all end up in life? Selfish for wanting to still be entrusted with your smiles?”.

“Don’t run away Rui-kun,” Emu answers him “Then it’s guaranteed we will keep smiling by your side!”.

“Emu-kun, don’t lose that brilliance of yours. I am sure you’ll grow into an even more wonderful person than you are now” he thinks as he thanks her sincerely “That got emotional fast fufu”.

“While I needed to knock some sense into you according to Nene-chan!” she’s laughing as the pod touches the ground again and Rui thinks this look fits her face better than before. However, he can then only think of the last person who currently has an expression that doesn’t fit him.

“Tsukasa-kun, what should I do about you? ”.

When he follows Emu out of the pod, Nene and Miku are waiting for them. Her phone is pretty high up and Miku jumps for their attention “Rui-kun! Emu-chan!”.

He had the feeling that both of them knew Emu was going to talk to him and he smiled at how Nene was being more vocal about everyone’s well-being with her solid diligent heart.

Nene quickly thinks that Emu is achieving her wish to be there more for their entire troupe, something she had confided in her only with.

“Now that we’ve got idiot number 2 to talk about his feelings, we need to get idiot number 1 back here too” Nene states as a matter of factly and Miku jumps and shakes her hands “Yes! We do!”.

“Rui-kun, Tsukasa-kun’s smile wasn’t reaching his eyes when he told us he was happy that you were offered to direct for such a prestigious troupe” Emu smiles somberly “There was no sparkly sparkly feeling that I get from him normally”.

“Tsukasa is a big idiot and probably thinks he is going to lose you, so you better get it through his thick skull that he is wrong!” Nene says before grabbing Rui’s left arm with her free hand, Miku’s holographic one joining hers.

Emu takes his right arm “Yep! So we’ll take you to talk to him right now!”

“Eh? Emu-kun wait– Nene?! Miku-kun?” it’s futile because none of the girls listen to him. Somehow, they all were throwing him into what he needed to do next without him fully realizing how to reach where he needed to be.

“Let’s a go! ☆~ To Tsukasa-kun!” Miku cheers.

-----------------------------------------

Miku was able to track Tsukasa down with his phone. She had shown up back on Nene’s phone before they came to take Rui “I found where he is, but he doesn’t look so good…”.

Rui learns on the way that Nene was the one who encouraged Emu and Tsukasa to talk to him, to think about their own futures alongside Rui’s own. It had worked on the former but not the latter.

He had thanked her “It’s a kind act to do for me, Nene”.

“It’s really nothing…” Nene mumbles, clearly flustered about it for some reason.

When they reach the park where Miku instructed them to go, they didn’t immediately rush up to the bench Tsukasa resides on.

Tsukasa is sitting on the bench by himself, shoulders slumped, hair seemingly dimmed down. It shocks Rui because Tsukasa barely acted any different during the week but “He seems to be holding something back again, did the offer really scare him? Or is it something else?”.

Rui was still in this future star’s care, so perhaps he needed to let Tsukasa know–

Emu is uncharacteristically quiet before pushing him forward, as if telling him that thinking about what he wanted to say wasn’t the same as saying it.

“Rui-kun, his heart has this yucky feeling trapped inside it,” Miku says, stopping him from moving forward “You’re still in his care, so let him be in yours”. 

Rui understands “Let me handle it, Miku-kun”.

He hears their footsteps walk away as he walks toward the bench. Tsukasa doesn’t notice until he sits next to him. Rui notices the curled fists on his lap, the stare that has almost turned blank.

Tsukasa’s eyes widened as Rui looked at him, a worried gaze cast on him “I wonder what our leader is doing out so close to nighttime, hm?”.

He’s still a bit startled “Ah Rui! I thought you would have gone home after your committee duties”. Rui hums “Trying to dodge the question? I asked about you and you usually go straight home on days like these. Is something wrong?”.

“Nothing's wrong!” Tsukasa answers too quickly “But you reminded me of the time, I must get going! Lest I worry Saki–”. He starts standing up but Rui pushes him back down, not roughly but enough for Tsukasa to realize he isn’t getting out of this.

Rui doesn’t like the look on Tsukasa's face, it’s scrunched in a way that’s trying to hide something and Rui thinks about what Miku asked him a few nights ago “Are you happy, Tsukasa-kun?”.

No response, only confusion.

“Happiness depends on each person, don’t you agree?” he continues speaking, urging Tsukasa to answer him.

Tsukasa can’t run away forever.

“That question is certainly out of the blue. A person’s happiness is too complicated for me to understand, I just want others to naturally have it” Tsukasa answers “But I am happy! It’s in my blood since I aim to make the world smile with our brilliant performances”.

“I have pleasant experiences and painful experiences so I am happy overall thanks to what I am able to gain from them. Ha ha, if you are happy then I am happy too!” his smile falters when he says that, almost as if he was unsure or didn’t believe it.

He looks expectantly at Rui.

“Are you happy, Rui? Will you be happy by going off with Arcland?” Tsukasa asks and he notices the barely concealed desperation seeping into his voice.

“I wonder if you are happy right now or if your heart is as heavy as mine is” Rui thinks, watching Tsukasa’s carefully created facade slowly chipping away the more they talk.

“You get mad when I hold back so, Tsukasa-kun, won’t you tell me what’s bothering you?” he gets to the point  “Tsukasa-kun is always thinking of me, placing me before his own needs, that I think this time it should be me giving some reassurance”.

He looks around, almost nervously, before finally deciding to let his walls down, clutching the front of his uniform sweater “I am sorry, Rui”.

“I am sorry,” he repeats, staring at Rui dead in the eyes, shame filling them, “Why does my heart ache at the thought of you leaving us so soon… leaving me so soon”.

“You have more people around you that support you. Nene, Emu but also Akiyama, Touya, Shirashi, Akito, Taniyama, Miyake, Hayashi, and so many more. What right do I have to feel like this when all you’re doing is the inevitable? Asahi-san has a good eye, it’s no wonder he’s asked you…” he admits sourly “I–”.

“I want to say I am better but I take too much time thinking about my own roles. Arcland’s cast is faster and seem to study their members' roles so they can create an even better performance” Tsukasa can’t stop speaking his mind, it seems he was bottling up more than Rui thought “If it were just Asahi-san then maybe it wouldn’t be so drastic. I am a star. I shouldn't be feeling so defeated, I should use any opportunity to find a way to get better. I learned from their cast, I’ve learned from the workshops that were so graciously provided to us but I can’t imagine anything past that. I want to be a star, but how do I get there?”.

“Don’t look at me like this” his voice went from a whisper to something slightly louder.

“I don’t care about how unreasonable I am being” Tsukasa's breath hitches “I wonder if you understand that?!”.

“...”.

“The dazzling light you emit targets my heart, so how can you downplay how much you’ve granted me the chance to change for the better? To allow me to view this offer in a positive light?” Rui thinks as he wraps an arm around Tsukasa’s waist and pulls him forward "You won't lose me".

Tsukasa’s arms clutch his back like a lifeline and he hears a sob against his shoulder. Tsukasa is also considerably warmer than Rui and he doubts that this is just from the sun reflecting on the blonde.

He did this as a way to comfort Tsukasa, hugs make people like him feel secure, but ashamedly Rui’s heart skips a beat “It seems my love is a selfish one after all, forgive me, Tsukasa-kun”.

“I connect with Emu and Nene but with you, it’s somehow even more and it’s scarier. Is it selfish for me to want you by my side even when the day comes where we have to part?” Rui questions, not particularly aimed at Tsukasa to answer, “I can’t feel fear anymore, I don’t want to”.

“Why is shutting up the clamor inside my heart so hard? ”.

“I am not against changing,” Rui declares “Tsukasa-kun, you said if I wasn’t willing to change, then things would have remained the same”.

“So I want to approach this olive branch I have been given with stride. I want to be able to say I am here today because that’s what I chose but also because of the help of my dear friends. It isn’t going to risk my continuity with you guys your trust won’t be ripped away from my hold so easily. It makes my heart heavy too, Tsukasa-kun,” he continues speaking, the words coming easily to him the more he speaks “With you I feel invincible, you created a wonderful environment with our troupe where we could express ourselves in ways that may be deemed unacceptable by society”.

“I look at you knowing that I can be myself without any restraints and it won’t drive you away,” he chuckles to himself “I could never drive you away just like how you, Nene, and Emu-kun will never get rid of me”.

Tsukasa remains quiet before moving back. Rui finally gets to see his face devoid of any troubles, his brows aren’t furrowed anymore, and his lips aren’t etched in a sad smile or frown.

“Rui…”.

Tsukasa stares and moves one hand to grab the collar of Rui’s shirt, thankfully not his casual shirt with all its mismatched lines that he says shouldn’t look flattering on him, and leans in.

There is a pressure on his cheek but it's so brief Rui concludes it must be his imagination. An emotion is still on his face but to Tsukasa it resembles an intrigued cat. But Tsukasa can’t forget the smile that was directed at him throughout the conversation.

It makes Tsukasa feel light, it makes him feel like he is a star already.

“There’s my– OUR director! You look much better without that sad expression,” Tsukasa beams, finally moving away from Rui’s arms.

Rui smiles “Tsukasa-kun…”.

He poses in response “Rui! Our school lives and troupe lives are not over yet so let’s not discuss them like it's in the past already! Living in the moment isn’t a sin!”. He then lowers his voice a bit “You once said that no one has the right to step on your true feelings. So I can’t do that to you”.

Although the thank you isn’t said out loud it’s acknowledged by both of them.

-----------------------------------------

Rui was going away for a month. He had agreed to a ‘trial run’ which was only granted because Rui had basically secured himself a spot already. He knows this wasn’t what a lot of people expected but Rui decided to remain adamant that he finishes school and the workshops from Emu’s brothers before commiting to something this big.

Asahi was ecstatic about being able to work together and he didn’t hide this fact as the two followed all the procedures to get their tickets.

“So, in order to produce shows that transcend borders, we need to start by putting on shows in as many places as we can!”.

He is glad he can help with this charity show but it’s such a sudden shift he wonders if he is mentally prepared for it. Before he can ask if this is normal though his new co-worker speaks.

“It seems that your troupe mates aren’t letting you go that easily, I’ll meet you on the train” Asahi smiles and waves as he walks off. Rui turns around and is met with the smiling faces of his friends 

“RUIIIIIII!!”.

“RUI-KUN!”.

“Guys…! Slow down”.

Emu bounces toward him, Tsukasa and Nene close behind, “What a surprise~”.

“As if we would let our director depart without a proper farewell!” Tsukasa declares. Nene nods “It won’t be the same, even if it’s not for a long time. Yet we still ended up cutting it too close”.

“It’s not like I am disappearing off the face of the earth, you guys can still contact me over the phone if you have questions about anything related to the show” Rui replies.

Tsukasa laughs “As if that’s enough?! I might as well give you some reminders right here and right now!”.

“Remember to put on sunscreen and sleep properly! Don’t let your cast members witness you when you aren't at your best! Don’t look too far away from your original troupe! Also Arcland’s cast will respond to your ideas so don’t hold back, even if it's not 12000% like me!” he lists off.

Rui nearly smiles out how Tsukasa doesn’t tell him to eat his vegetables while he’s gone, too concerned about other details.

“Rui doesn’t tan easily, he’s too pale” Nene snickers.

As the three of them were talking, Emu was unnaturally quiet. Rui grabs her attention, reaching out to gently squeeze her hand “Emu-kun?”. The call of her name causes Tsukasa and Nene to quit their banter.

It seems that the reality that Rui wasn’t going to be doing freelance work with them for a month, not being in the same town even, has properly hit Emu “Rui-kun you have to promise you won’t stay in their travelling troupe forever! You have to come back to finish school! And see your parents! And see us! And go to that new taiyaki place they are opening near my house with me! And and—“.

Nene places a hand on her shoulder to calm her down “Emu it’s only for a month and Asahi-san’s troupe isn’t a travelling one forever. Rui will come back”.

“You even got permission to do the work online, school will now be peaceful” Tsukasa smirks “And I can stop chasing you around! You’ll be someone else’s responsibility!”.

“But you took that role without anyone saying anything the first day we shared class” Rui thinks.

“That’s probably why it got approved so fast, no explosions for a month sounds like a dream for Shiraishi and the rest of the student committee” Nene adds “And from what I hear you rarely do your work in class”.

A call for the train interrupts them from any further banter. Emu opens her mouth to say something but it seems the words escape her mind before she can say them.

“This is no good” Rui thinks before letting his bags drop to the floor “Everyone”.

“This isn’t goodbye, it’s see you later. Because even once we all graduate and go our separate ways, I’d like to believe that fate will allow us to keep making memories. Fufu that same fate that brought us together as WonderlandxShowtime” when Rui says this he fully believes it despite his tearful expression.

He is trying not to cry but he supposes the sudden overwhelming feeling of admitting that he needs them to stay together hits him harder than he thought it would.

Surprisingly Tsukasa moves the fastest, wrapping his arms around Rui’s neck to hug him, Emu following immediately after with a wail of his name, nearly knocking Tsukasa out the way by tackling his side in a tight hug, and eventually Nene joins their group hug with a small mutter about how he isn’t going away forever and that they can just organize meetings in the sekai.

The last call for his train forces them to separate, all of them reluctant to do so.

Before Rui steps onto the train he turns to face them one more time “And in case I miss a call… good afternoon, good evening, and good night!”.

It’s a silent way of saying that even when they part for real, they’ll always meet again.

The look on their faces as he makes that reference stays with him the entire ride over, even as Asahi is explaining the program to everyone.

-----------------------------------------

Bonus: Cards!

Event Type: Cute 

(Anything that isn't the clouds is a nearly pitch black sky with small gleaming white stars dotted around).

4☆ Kamishiro Rui - My Wish, Not My Final Act

Untrained: Rui smiles in the group hug with his fellow troupe mates before he boards the train. Everyone else’s faces aren’t visible but Rui’s eyes are closed as he holds a content smile.

Trained: Rui is lying on a ground made up of clouds. His face is resting on his outstretched arm with its dark bell sleeve and white faded constellations at the end, his hair is fully visible. His usual earring is swapped out for a round opal earring instead, round as in the same size as his normal one. White fingerless gloves are on his hands. Most of his outfit is concealed by his cloak, especially since when he stands it reaches nearly to his ankles. The cloak is dark blue with a yellow fade at the end of its fabric. There is a golden clasp. He’s admiring a small stage placed in front of him with an amused expression. A light is shining on it just enough to make it stand out. A wooden stage with red curtains in the back. On the stage are mini dolls looking curiously surrounding a pile of papers: in the papers is a head of blonde and peach hair, surrounding the pile is a doll with pink hair wearing business attire, another is wearing a beautiful dress that has many layers in blacks, whites, greens with green hair in a high ponytail, the final doll is dressed sharply in a coat with purple hair with a teal strand.

Hairstyle: A fluffy ponytail that sits toward the top of his head with thicker swept side bangs. Two hair strands frame his face, one purple, one turquoise, that reach to his jaw. His hair is tied with a blue ribbon and the tips of his hair are a faint white.

- Skill: Recover 500 life; 100% score boost for 5 seconds.

4☆ Tenma Tsukasa - This Heavy Ache In My Chest

Untrained: Tsukasa is in front of Rui, clutching the front of his school sweater where his heart would be, face a frustrated mess as he spills out his feelings with small tears brimming on the edges of his eyes. They are both still on the bench. Rui’s back can be seen. The sky around them reflects the setting sun.

Trained: Tsukasa doesn’t have a cloak; he has a long light blue cape that has shining stars embroidered on its inners. Since he is turned to the side and his cape is thrown over his shoulder, a white lily outline is stitched onto the side (with a few more not shown), and the edges of the cape are white as well. He is wearing white fingerless gloves and his outfit isn’t visible from his side profile but a sapphire earring is. Rui is in his trained form outfit, linking his pinky with Tsukasa’s own. He’s smiling fondly at Tsukasa who smiles wide with his eyes closed, unaware of how Rui is admiring him. It appears they are sitting on the clouds since half the background isn’t covered by it and the characters are only seen from their upper torsos.

Hairstyle: His hair is in a half-ponytail with the wavy loose hair reaching the top of his shoulders. The bangs are curtain bangs with longer strands on each side going from the temple to his jawline. The ribbon that ties his hair is also blue and the white fades on his hair just make his peach fades a lot lighter.

- Skill: 130% score boost for 5 seconds (PERFECTs only).

4☆ WonderlandxShowtime Hatsune Miku - Your Heart Is Still Dyed Blue

Untrained: Miku sitting on one of the many red audience seats in the tent, holding a sleeping white and brown spotted cat plushie on her lap. One hand is resting on his head as she smiles at Rui, a light seemingly shines on her in the dark showroom.

Trained: Miku is wearing an imperial scholar cloak that fades from red to blue, tied together with a button in the middle. A bouffant dress with layered red tinted long sleeves and a dark blue corset to match the clip isn’t fully visible due to the position and the cloak extending past her hips. She is sitting on the clouds with her legs crossed, her feet hidden by the white pink tinted fluffiness. She’s keeping her eyes on the item she is holding. In her lap is a cracked hourglass, trickling with white sand that doesn’t spill out thanks to four bandages covering the broken parts. One pink, one green, one orange, and one purple. She holds it with such caution that even her tail curls up against her own side. A few lotus petals are found on some of the clouds that surround her. The card cuts off from her legs.

Hairstyle: Miku’s hair is let loose aside from the two side braids in her hair. Tying them together is a dark blue claw clip and the tips of her hair are faintly white. Two even strands, curled at the end, frame her face. Her white cat ears are still there and her human ears aren’t visible. Her tail also has a dark blue bow to match with the claw clip.

- Skill: All BADs and higher will become PERFECTs for 7 seconds; 100% score boost for 5 seconds.

3☆ Ootori Emu - Your Feelings Are Your Own (Happy)

Untrained: Almost a mirror of her Smile of a Dreamer card’s expression but more at peace with what comes in the future, her smile isn’t as wide but she holds no remorse. She is sitting on the ferris wheel’s seat while clutching the front of her uniform’s skirt.

Trained: Emu is wearing a pure white cloak that cuts from the side and has no hood. The border is flowy and as she lies down the cloak sprawls out with her. The inner of the cloak is a dark pink but the line present on the edges of the cloak are orange. A dark blue ribbon is tied to the front right side of her hair. A white blouse and a dark pink corset with orange strings is the only other visible clothing in the card. Two round emerald earrings are present. Emu lies on a bed of clouds, tints of pink, white, and red. She’s smiling with her hands clutched against her chest, a few undeveloped polaroid photographs in her hands. She’s smiling a smaller smile but looks at ease as she stares at the ‘camera’. Additionally, peonies flower petals are scattered around her body on the clouds.

- Skill: All GOODs and higher will become PERFECTs for 6.5 seconds; 60% score boost for 5 seconds.

2☆ Kusanagi Nene - Chasing After You Is Tiring (Cute)

Trained: She is wearing a knee-length cloak with a border wrapped around twice but no hood. It is embroidered with golden lines that almost appear to be broken floor petals against the dark green of the cloak. She is wearing round garnet earrings. She is standing with her hands clasped in front of her, laying on the bottom part of her cloak. Nothing on her body aside from the black gloved hands and cloak are visible. Her face shows a tired smile with her eyes narrowed. A light blue ribbon is tied into her hair.

- Skill: Recover 300 life; 30% score boost for 5 seconds