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Checkered Reverse⁕O blade of light, slice through the Dark Ages

Summary:

However, while it may be correct to assume in most students the bitterness had washed away, one might fail to remember that there were others for whom the situation was not simple: due to scars, ulterior motivations, or an inability to move on as quickly, someone's anguish could fester within themselves, turning little by little into a large and vengeful beast. Sometimes, it is not easy to notice this process from the outside until it is too late and nothing can be done about it.

It's been a few months since Trickstar broke up. And though Anzu wants to say she's moved on, the desire for revenge is still present in her heart. Luckily for her, she's not the only one with such a spirit.
Luckily for her and others, a plan is being formed in the shadows.

Notes:

...so this took me a year, and theoretically speaking I'm not even done lmao-
Hello everyone! Smol's back with her very long canon divergence AU! This is where things really start going, so I hope you enjoy!!
I will be updating the story mostly everyday as I finish correcting it/actually finish writing it, so look forward to it :D

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter Text

The story of Yumenosaki's failed rebellion.

By autumn, it had become a tale that even the quietest first year had heard at least twice. Although the tone it was told in made it sound like it had happened years and years ago instead of the beginning of the first term.

The bitterness from those who had participated in it or believed in it had long washed away, replaced with the hurry and frenzy of fighting their way through school and idol life: in a world where being at the top was vital for your career's survival, if one rested or contemplated anything else it would only serve as a death sentence. It was clearly intentional, and to some a little ironic, if you considered what the President of the Student Council had achieved to implement such an influence on the school; not to mention, the uncaring environment that had allowed his rise to power.

However, while it may be correct to assume in most students the bitterness had washed away, one might fail to remember that there were others for whom the situation was not simple: due to scars, ulterior motivations, or an inability to move on as quickly, someone's anguish could fester within themselves, turning little by little into a large and vengeful beast. Sometimes, it is not easy to notice this process from the outside until it is too late and nothing can be done about it.

This is how, feeding from the ashes of the failed rebellion, a new revolutionary movement began to grow in the shadows.

Chapter 2: Prologue

Summary:

Tell me, o owner of this sandcastle, how will you beat the wave closing in on you?

Chapter Text

Darkness surrounded him.

It’s the first thing he became aware of when his eyes snapped open, and his consciousness kicked him back to the waking world. Or at least, he assumed that’s what the abyss in in front of him was; it was hard to tell, when even in sleep he had no light to guide him.

Darkness, he found. Darkness and overwhelming silence.

He shivered, as his eyes lingered at the ceiling; his pupils darted in all four cardinal directions, trying to distinguish any familiar shadows. But despite his many gifts, seeing in the dark was still the one skill he lacked.

Silence.

There was a sudden prick on his palm: his nails were digging into his hand. The boy shifted his position, lying an open fist to his chest, trying to distinguish the sound of his heartbeat. He had to wait for a few seconds too long, and press it really harshly, but finally, at last, he heard it. A sound.

Finally.

He squinted his eyes shut, and clenched his shirt tightly. Focusing, he began to sing to himself in his head; the words rang hollow, echoing, distorted from how he knew his voice sounded. A chorus of three, repeating the same verses, one trailing behind, one keeping up, one shaking, shaking.

It wasn’t his voice. None of them were. And the echo was a memory. The very memory that had shaken him awake.

 

Time that froze over crumbles and shatters, made of grains of sand its fate has been sealed

And the memories preserved in pellets, sheer truths that within are concealed

As the day ends, they’re no longer real

 

Netherless, he continued replaying it. He let it continue, up until the end, as he slowly wriggled his fingers, and stood up from his bed. The phone, charging on his desk, said it was past four. School was at eight thirty. The place he was supposed to be at after that ended at nine in the evening.

He entered the bathroom, walking quietly as to not disturb the figures in the bedroom next door. With a flick of the switch, the darkness briefly ended, and he squinted against the bright yellow lights.

The boy began to wash his face, with slow and steady movements. The water was freezing, and it knocked out the little crumbs of sleepiness he still held. As he was drying it off, his eyes landed on the pill box on the counter, where he had left it last night.

Shit.

He picked it up, but hesitated for a split second, examining it. The logo brand he was so used to seeing, along with the subtitle he had read over and over, seemed to stare at him accusingly with their bright red colour. It was the first time he had looked at them this way, since he had been given the first box. An unsettling feeling pooled in his stomach as he wondered how many pills he had consumed so far with little success.

He glanced at the mirror in front of him, then turned to look at himself fully; he stared at that image for a long time, as with a finger he pulled at the skin beneath his eyes, the area where it changed colour. The puffy reddened colour of the whites, and the unsettling wideness of his iris; his pupils darting at every detail, as if they were looking at that picture for the first time. The red and white hair, messy and untidy, obviously from the bed, but he couldn’t help but wonder if it reflected something else.

It was…familiar, somewhat. Except the eyes were different, the hair was different, even the body build varied. Purple, red, violet, blue. Pink, black, silver, ocean.

 

Aah, although, everything has broken crumbled so,

Engravings we bear are not injuries

But those feelings that we hold into our hearts

 

The boy’s gaze hardened, and he shoved the medicine back into the cabinet.

 

---

 

Time that froze over crumbles and shatters, made of grains of sand its fate has been sealed

And the memories preserved in pellets, I’ll conceal them in every faint beat

 

From the outside, it wasn't that great of a building.

Sure, it stood up without a fight, and even the back door had been repainted, while the front bore a brand-new LED sign that could be seen for miles; but if you were told an idol group performed here, a respectable legend at that, you'd say it was a terrible joke. The boy had believed it too for a while, despite having seen said group enter and exit the premise a thousand times; but then, he had decided it was not worth it.

It was futile to chase after useless denial.

“You're still here?”

The boy's gaze sharply turned to look at the figure that had just come out of the bar, staring like he had been caught doing something he shouldn't. The person before him sighed and stood out fully out into the back alley. He was followed by a shorter boy, about the other's age, who timidly said something before he was briskly interrupted by his companion and given a few muttered instructions. He nodded and left them, hands full with bags and cloth, and the older of the three closed the door behind him.

“Aren't your parents worried?”

“I'm fine”

The other dug his hands further into his pockets, pouting. The older’s mouth twitched, one of its corners lifting, before he regained his composure and walked towards him.

“If you wanted to come in, you could have said so; it is not a state I would feel fit to show anyone, but since it’s you...”

He trailed off, as if lost in thought. Then he clicked his tongue.

“Though, since you’re here, mind telling me why you needed the items specifically from me? You could have asked that other guy. Are you not in the same unit?”

There was no answer, as the boy merely turned his head with a sour expression to look at an unspecified point in the horizon. The other crossed his arms and frowned.

“I know that look” he said. “You have something on your mind. Something unsettling. Just like that...that dreadful person…”

He shivered at his words, gripping his light coat tightly. That was when the boy turned back to look at him, at his gestures, the same expression not leaving his face. He held on for a few seconds and then immediately bowed his head, biting his thumb. The other stood still, surprised at his movement. Then, very slowly, he reached out to the boy's head and brushed his hair aside, examining what little of his face he could see.

“...You're still having them” He frowned. “I thought you said they were gone”

The younger jerked away suddenly like he had been stung, almost falling backwards on the road. He looked at the senior before him, fire in his eyes, wrapping the cloak closer around his body.

“I'm here to tell you it's time; it's going to end” he said, in a tone that almost sounded unnatural. “Even if the whole world plots against me, even if they come barring their swords and their knives at me; even if they were to scratch and mutilate me until I could barely be recognised by my own parents, by my own reflection; even if I have to fight with only my bare hands among thousands and thousands...I will finish what they started”

Heavy words. They echoed in the air, in the street, like a promise. Silence followed soon after, as the senior stared at the boy with an unreadable expression. The other did not expect him to answer; he pulled up the hood of his cloak and made one last motion to wrap the fabric around his frame. The wind current he created moved the tiny leaves that had been brought there by the autumn breeze, making the next words he uttered as they lingered in the air sound like a powerful curse.

 

Built upon an illusion of pale sand, in a beautiful museum lives

That lonely doll who now bears no strings, in the silence its voice loudly rings

And it echoes and vibrates now free.

 

That tyrant will be sent to the guillotine even if I have to drag him to the stocks with my own hands”

Chapter 3: Setting the green board 1

Summary:

A day in the life of a frustrated producer and her witch friend

Chapter Text

I took a deep breath, inhaling the September air.

It had been almost four months since the failed rebellion, a week or so since Subaru's official debut as a Ryuseitai member. And slowly, life at Yumenosaki Academy was resuming as normal after the summer holidays.

Everywhere you looked you could spot crowds of students, or units, talking to each other and making plans, comparing dates and schedules, taking mental notes. Everyone had only one goal in mind, the only one that had been planted into each student's head since the beginning of the year: avoid as much as possible to fall behind.

It was like an invisible threat that lingered in the atmosphere, in every pamphlet and job proposal, in every list, in every blog post on the school site: a single misstep or a moment of hesitation could be a death sentence, and it was every unit member's duty to prevent that from happening. But of course, keeping in mind everything that there was to do was no easy task and obviously, some people could risk falling behind. Or maybe, being new to this all, they were uncertain on where to begin, or what was the best option.

And when teachers could not, that was when I came to the rescue. I, Anzu, the sole producer-in-training the school had to offer, had the self-imposed duty to make sure every unit in school had a chance to shine, even if I had to pry at that opportunity from the Student Council's cold, ruthless hands. On certain days, while attending school and occasional supplementary lessons, along with spending time with my new friends, I would also speed past every room the school had to offer with piles and piles of paper, and pass around jobs like a waiter giving out plates at a restaurant. It was not easy, as many units felt themselves too inexperienced to accept what I had assigned them, but eventually, after some begging and convincing, they would accept what they had received and thank me for my kindness.

It's nothing, I would usually say.

If this cursed school was not so against blooming new idols, I would give you so much more, I never added.

This specific day was a more peaceful day: I had offered every unit in the school a job the day before, and as I preferred to not overwork them or constantly spoon-feed them (they had to learn these types of affairs as well, after all), this was one of my rare free afternoons. However, this meant I had nowhere else to be: Subaru, my closest friend, had a part time job, and all other acquaintances were busy as well. Even Suzu, my best friend from my previous school Kimisaki Academy, had homework to do (or rather, I had insisted she focused on it). So for once, one could say I was free to go home.

It is a strange sensation, to have nothing to do after working for so many days after school. Like a sense of odd relief, that does not belong to your body, and of something missing. It is unbearable, and could be considered almost scary to some: imagine feeling freedom like it were a foreign presence on your body!

However, the strange sensation did not bother me much at the time. Or rather, the one thing that annoyed me more was the fact that I had nothing to fill the void with.

Unless...

I had seen a certain job offer on the board just a few days ago, that I thought could be perfect for the Aoi twins' unit. Koga had let it slip at some point that they were having a hard time with agreeing on their marketing, and I thought this was something they could easily do without fussing too much.

“They're busy with something else” I thought out loud. “But they’re almost done with that, so it doesn't hurt to reserve the job”

“What are you mutterING about?”

I jumped, but the tension in my muscles faded when I recognised Natsume at my side, grinning in his usual unsettling way.

“Natsume-kun!” I said, holding a hand over my chest. “I didn't see you there!”

“It seems to be a patterN with us” the boy grinned. “Everytime we meeT, I always have to announCE my presence”

“I'm sorry” I mumbled. “I…you keep sneaking up on me when I'm thinking, so…”

“ThinkING, hm?” His grin grew thinner. “Ah, producinG work? You're quite the busy bEE, producer; you might want to think about takING more breaks”

“I…need something to kill time” I joined my hands behind my back, innocently staring at the floor. “Subaru and everyone else has work this afternoon; it can't hurt to hunt for more jobs in my spare time, especially considering how the Student Council is”

“Ah, yes, it's true they are snaKES” he said, his voice lowering ever so slightly at the last words. Before I could notice it more however, he raised his head as if nothing had happened. “But if you are headING there, may I join yoU? I need to settle some matters about my uniT”

“Of course” I smiled. “The more the merrier, right? Is it about your debut?”

“SomewhaT; but I'm still waitING” he gazed at me with an enigmatic expression. “When Switch hitS the stage, you'll be the first to knOW”

“I'd be honoured”

We began to make our way towards the student council, our steps echoing within the empty corridors. I was used to the silence, having spent many days in the school during these hours of suspended life, but for some reasons I could not shake the feeling that something was different. Like I was clouded by a strange presence that seemed to make the walk more and more unsettling.

“I see you've started carryING the tourmaline outside your shirt”. Natsume interrupted the silence, bringing me back to reality.

“Hm? Oh...yeah” I reached out to stroke the black heart pendant, cold to the touch as always. “I figured, if I kept it hidden I might weaken its power; besides, who is going to talk? It's not like girls aren't allowed to wear necklaces”

“Well, a heart shape certainly is unusual” Natsume admitted. “But then agaIN, it could also be from anyone and no onE. And I doubt students would risk bad blood with the only produCER in the school; especially...” Here he grinned even more, nearing towards me and his last words came out in a whisper as if he were trading a special secret with me.

“Especially considering the many units on your side”

I felt my cheeks heat up, to which he chuckled and retracted himself a little.

“But that's what's good about being such an altruistic person, is it nOT?” he said. “Through your will to make amends for such a terrible trageDY, you have gained love and support; you should be proud of yourself and of what you have accomplished”

I thought about them: those small units, struggling and yet managing in the end to pick themselves up every time and battle against the school's giants for the right to be recognised in the streets. I thought about every word of gratitude and every smile that I had received, whenever they managed to gain enough confidence to live another day; and how their reputation benefited from their own endeavours once they were given the right push. But while those were wonderful memories, what made me smile was the thought of Subaru, how my efforts to give him a new home were successful; and more importantly, it was the thought of Rebirth Live: that smile on his face as he danced and sang with enough energy to power up the entire live on his own, and yet managing to balance his performance beside his new unit.

“I am, Natsume-kun; more than you could ever imagine”

We arrived at the Student Council shortly after, putting an end to our conversation. Luckily for me, due to practice schedules, a quick look around told me that I would not have to deal with Keito or Mao, people that despite being reasonable I still struggled in mentally preparing myself to talk to. And I knew it was unlikely I would get to meet Eichi or Tori due to SS preparations. However, on the other hand, it meant that bargaining might take a while, depending on the person.

“E...excuse me” I called out to the boy seated at the desk closest to me, and he looked back at me with tired eyes.

Oh no. Not the exhausted one...

“Make it quick, Producer” he said, ruffling some paper in his hand. “We have a tight schedule here”

I didn't hesitate, and explained my proposal. Without even waiting for me to be done, he looked at me with a serious expression, and I immediately knew that this was going to be a tough battle.

“2wink, really?” He said. “Again? We've given all the best jobs to these guys and they're still not gaining anymore traction than most minor units”

“They’re still moving forward” I insisted. “They’re having some setbacks lately, but I think they’ve been doing great despite it; and this job would prove their worth even more. It fits their skills”

“That's what you always say” he muttered, looking through a pile of paper. “Ideal, perfect, appropriate, fitting...you have all those weird projects in your head and very big ambitions for someone who's new to producing”

“Well, that's...that's the point, isn't it?” I placed my hand on the pile, my palm pressed firmly on it to prevent him from sliding something out. “Practice makes perfect; and so far, I have yet to get complaints from those units. So maybe you should try following my advice and hand me the job”

The boy seemed speechless for a few moments, looking at the barrier I had created like I had murdered his family. Then, pressing his lips together, he turned to focus on other stray papers around his desk

“And how are you so sure that they will want it?” He asked. “Your instinct might say what it wants, but what do they say? Do they even know you're here?”

“Well, I...”

“I'll take that as a ‘no’” he cut me off. “We've told you before, we need their permission; producer feeling or not, we can't let you make decisions on their behalf regarding outside work while you're still training to be a producer. You can call them to come collect the permit or I can save it for someone else. There's other units in this place, you know”

Of course I know, I almost retorted. I come in with assignment suggestions for about half of the jobs available and you're all always on my case about it. Second guessing every decision I make like I was running around blind...why do you think I'm the one who’s always here? Why do you think I'm coming in person to ask you to reserve a job? What, you think I like visiting you?

I took a deep breath, to partially settle my nerves, pressing down harder on the paper. No matter how much I wanted to, arguing with the Student Council would have only made things worse. My only option was to debate with them until they got tired and caved in, or as a last resort, complain to a teacher (a terrible move I preferred to save for last; how embarrassing to have someone demand something on your behalf!). But I was not scared: I had done this song and dance before many times, maybe with this same student. And there was yet to be someone who could pushed me away with such a pathetic excuse as an idol's permission.

“Do you know how many units aRE in Yumenosaki?”

I paused, looking at Natsume: while I was calming down, he had gone to the front of the desk, that usual grin on his face seeming a lot more unsettling paired with the soft tone with which he had spoken. The boy must have also caught wind of something being off, because he had stiffened up all of a sudden, like a man in front of a poisonous snake.

“I…I beg your pardon?” He asked, trying his best to frown.

Natsume's smile grew thinner. “Do you know how many units aRE in Yumenosaki?”

The boy glanced at me, puzzled, then back at my classmate. His eyes trailed off in the distance for a split second, before once again focusong on the other.

“I…maybe twenty-five?”

“Thirty-fouR” Natsume corrected. “Minus your Student Council scapegoaTS and the two giants, that makes thirty”

The boy nodded. “A-and so?”

“A strong percentage of these units” my classmate continued, brushing the desk with one hand. “Has little to no recognitiON among the school; even less outside of the gaTE. The fact that job offers are available to everyone regardless of status should be considered merCY. How elSE would you people be able to let those idols flourish and bloom, when you sabotage your lives so cruelLY? It is good practicE for them, but when does it become less of that and more of a quiet massaCRE?”

He paused, and if possible, his smiled thinned even more.

“Hell, you have provEN here and now that you lot hardly know how many players are engaged in your own sick systEM; you brag about needing permission from those people whose names you barely knoW, and yet you and your people do nothing but push them in the shaDOWS. You threatEN them with death and dust, while playING with the four or five units who bring a good reputation to your school. And then you demand for those boys you so cruelly ignore to shoW their faces”

He then put both of his hands on the desk and leaned over, close to the boy whose eyes were now wide, and preventing him from avoiding his gaze. The other by now was shaking, and Natsume's voice was reduced to a whisper as he continued.

“I'm guessing you'RE part of your own unit; what a grand one it must be, to toleraTE your annoying ass. Since I have never seen you befoRE, I'll give the benefit of the doubt and say, maybe you haven't debuted yeT. Or maybe you're one of those minor unitS you so gracefully mentioned in your twenty-five. Whatever might be the caSE, I'm certain, considering your low empathy levels, that you work overtime to try and snitch a few job offers or two, so that your friends might breaTHE a little easier. Well, sad to say, not everyone can or wants to enter the student counCIL. Some people prefer to learn without piggybacking the wolf that bites them back for speaking uP. Because of your bosses, some of those units can bareLY raise their voices. Some of them are newbies with no experience, or have to rebuILD themselves from worn ashes. And until they learn, they need a model to lean oN just a little, someone to give them hope. That is what the Producer is offering to do, that is what she has been offerING to do for the past four months. Four months you have all complained and whined like baBIES. All of us are having a hard time trying to get jobs, you're not privileged to act like a child because you own keys stainED in blood”

He hesitated for a second, leaning back to give breathing room to the boy. The latter seemed to be hyperventilating, as if he had forgotten to breathe throughout his sentence. But he had barely opened his mouth to retort, when Natsume's eyes darkened, and he tucked his arms behind his back innocently.

“So how about you shut up and let my dear friend here do the duty you incompetent lot can't let others do?”

That tone...

A shiver ran down my spine, and a heavy atmosphere settled in the room. The boy grasped at the desk, shaking so hard that his teeth rattled and he looked like he was about to fall off his seat. He barely mustered the strength to nod, first to him then to me, before he scrambled for the topmost paper in the offer pile beside him and tossed it at me.

“I see we have reached a mutual understandING” Natsume smiled, in a more neutral, dare I say normal, tone. “A pleasure doing business with yOU; oh, speaking of, may I…well, not now, as you obviously look like you're about to have a nasty stroKE, but tomorrow can I come over to ask about that unit regulation fiLE? It appears I have misplaced some information...”

He nodded so quickly his head blurred, mumbling something about contacting the person on duty then. Natsume thanked him, the smile still not wavering on his face, and then we headed outside, leaving the Student Council under that unsettling spell.

We walked a few steps in silence, as I held the paper close to my chest and kept my eyes glued to the hallway. Then, when we were at its end, I turned towards Natsume.

“What was that?” I said, a little louder than intended. “I could have handled it by myself, you know”

“I never doubted iT” he said. “The success of units such as Ra*bits aRE proof of such; however, the situation was gettING ridiculous. I couldn't believe my ears when he said those things to yOU”

“You really shouldn't-”

“Everyone in this school is already trying their besT without the system messing it up” he interrupted me. “If others just stand by and watch, we will never move over from the mentaliTY that has kept us stuck in time for centuries”

A solemn silence followed his words, and I looked at the paper in my hands. He was right: while I could have spent the entire year arguing with Student Council members, I didn’t need to be that mentally and physically drained every time I tried to do things as basic as keeping units alive. I doubted Natsume could have eliminated the problem, but the fact that at least one more person was willing to listen to me rather than the rules drilled in their head by a tyrant reassured me a little.

“...thank you” I said, smiling at him. “It means a lot, that you want to help me”

He simply returned my smile, though this time it was slightly softer than before.

“Don't mention iT. It should be law to aid the future of us Yumenosaki idolS in her gallant quest. I only hope that you will support my unit when the time comES”

“Of course! Don't even mention it; I'll do my best to help you!”

He seemed to turn his head away for a second to clear his throat, but his hypnotising eyes continued to look at me.

“Then we'll do our best to be worthy of your suppoRT”

Chapter 4: Setting the green board 2

Summary:

The little knight has a little hope in his heart

Notes:

Let the record show I can't write Koga well. Apologies.

Chapter Text

Tsukasa Suou was starting to feel tired.

It was strange. He was used to long days and monotone lessons, what with the private schools he had attended, or the lectures his parents gave him to get him used to his family’s duties. Besides, when he had first joined Yumenosaki, the knowledge of his afternoon activities made the wait and potential boredom worth it, and granted him enough motivation to keep moving forward.

However, ever since he had been back to school, an odd sense of fatigue had begun to permeate with every step he took.

To be fair, it wasn’t too new to him: he had noticed, around June to July, that there was something wrong with him. Even his parents and his classmates pointed it out, though he had just brushed it away with the excuse of feeling sore from working hard. But now, with the issue still not gone even after the summer break, it had become something he couldn’t ignore; something that had an obvious cause, no matter how much he tried to deny it.

Practice. It all came back to practice.

Practice, the thing he had been so eager to attend when he first stepped foot in the school, his main motivation to tolerate boring days, had now become the one thing he most despised. He did not mean to, but by now it was undeniable; with everything that had happened, the way everyone in his team had changed, and every scolding after scolding he would receive…it was all getting so terribly, horribly annoying.

“Hellooo, anyone home? Tsukasa-chan?”

Tsukasa jumped, earning a soft chuckle from the person behind him. He turned around to see his senior and unit mate, Arashi Narukami, laughing.

“S-Senpai!” he said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there”.

“That was clear; but don’t worry about a thing, Tsukasa-chan” she smiled. “We’re all a bit tired these days, aren’t we? It’s hard to get used to the new routine again after all”.

That was true. Their temporary leader had been away for the holidays, so despite being recommended to practice and train everyday, Tsukasa had allowed himself to slack off a little. A terrible idea, considering the moment he had returned all of Knights had been forced back to the painful routine they had maintained since their hiatus had ended.

“Are the others inside already?” he asked, looking at the door.

“Well, Izumi-chan hasn’t angrily texted us, so I suppose you’ve got your answer” the older student laughed. “But it’s best we step in while we still can, right? At least we might not get told on for loitering around…”

The boy was sure their unit member would find another reason to be mad at them even if they came inside and started practicing on the spot, but he decided not to voice such harsh opinions out loud. Instead, he fished for the copy of the key he had been assigned and placed it in the lock.

“Huh? The door’s already open?”

“Ritsu-chan must have had the same idea” Narukami mused, stretching out an arm and pushing the handle. “We should wake him up before Izumi-chan arrives”.

They peaked at the inside, noses greeted by the familiar smell of wood and rubber. Noticing no sign of their unit mate, they rushed in and began to look around.

“Oh, Ritsu-chan” Narukami called, her voice slightly less playful than intended. “Ritsu-chan, where are youuu; Izumi-chan will be here at any minute”

There was no use calling for a heavy sleeper such as Ritsu, but Tsukasa appreciated her efforts anyway. There was no time to lose after all: their temporary leader was really strict on time and presentation, and while they wouldn’t get scolded too hard, he doubted his other senior would appreciate being told off; and a Ritsu Sakuma in a bad mood did no favours to anyone.

He brushed his hands against a rack of clothes; the material, albeit thick, seemed to be cheap and made in a rush. They had belonged to previous Yumenosaki students, and since no one used them anymore, had been stashed in the practice room. It was not like Tsukasa minded; sure, it was a bit of a nuisance to move them all, but it was an interesting sight to see, at least to him: having no prior knowledge on the school, and certainly no one to tell him about it, that little speck of history was one of the only pieces of information he had. Although it was not saying a lot, if for the fact that the school used to have a habit of making cheap costumes of terrible quality with dreadful fabric.

Fabric…

“It’s still warm outside” he said aloud. “And the AC isn’t on in here, which means Ritsu-senpai couldn’t find the remote; unless something fell on him, he’s probably sleeping in plain view…”

He moved some outfits aside, and gave a triumphant exclamation: there, surrounded by clothing racks, was his sleeping unit mate.

“Senpai!” he called. “I found him! Help me wake him up!”

Narukami immediately rushed towards him and approached the sleeping body, smiling.

“He looks so peaceful” she said. “It’d be a shame to disturb him…”

“He won’t be as peaceful if he’s found out though” Tsukasa pointed out, glancing at the ajar training room door. “Shake him awake or something”

“Why don’t you try?”

The boy felt the colour drain from his face, and he wrapped his arms around him.

“Last time I did, he…he used me as his personal cuddle pillow and sucked my finger!” he sputtered. “I would rather not repeat that procedure, [thank you very much!]”

“Ah, he didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable; sometimes he can act weird, but he’s only joking” she turned to look at him and tapped his arm. “Ritsu-chaaan, wake up; Izumi-chan’s almost here”

When her fingers didn’t work, she began to shake the limb, still calling out to him. Tsukasa stood watch in a corner, praying silently that it would not be necessary, his feet tapping nervously on the ground.

“Are we sure he is still alive? Do we have to call someone?” he asked after what felt like hours.

“No, no, don’t worry; he must be very tired today, that’s all” Narukami shook her head. “But, oh dear…he’s really starting to worry me right now; I wouldn’t want Izumi-chan to be mad at us…come on, dear, wake up, wake up!”

Finally, there was a groan, and a longer stir; the body shifted, as the older boy’s eyes fluttered open, revealing his blood red irises.

“What’s all this fuss” he muttered. “You’d think Yumenosaki was hit by an earthquake…”

“Well, we avoided that at least” Narukami said, standing up and offering her hand. “Come on, get up…dear dear, it’s all a mess; hopefully Izumi-chan won’t find out you were sleeping…”

“He won’t even look at me anyway, relax” Ritsu shrugged, and then began to stretch. “Speaking of puppeteer and puppet, where are they? Have you seriously woken me up before they arrived?”

“It is good we did!” Tsukasa said angrily. “Would you rather have him wake you up? Because last I recalled, you hated that kind of option”

“Baaah, there’s no winning in this case, is there? What a cursed timeline is this one…even Maakun wouldn’t talk to me anymore…”

“So whose idea was it to leave this door open, hm?”

Tsukasa went rigid, and the two seniors in front of him also stood still. The sound of steps on the wooden floor echoed within the silent room, followed by the door clicking closed behind them.

“You know you could have just told me if you were already in” that voice continued. “No need to leave the door ajar; geez, have you learned nothing? What if someone came in and took compromising pictures? What if someone stole something, or locked the door behind you? I was expecting you to grow some common sense during the holidays…”

“Come on, Secchan, don’t be so dramatic” Ritsu mumbled, scratching his head. “What could they steal in here, that old stereo? No one would want that cheap thing in their room; the colours are so dull as well”

“I’m sure the School Council will appreciate your claims when we’ll have to pay for it due to your carelessness”

“How about we start, instead of thinking of hypotheticals?” offered Narukami, walking towards the mentioned item. “We have a long day ahead of us”

“You don’t say; and Kasa-kun, slop slouching”

Tsukasa straightened up and turned around, running around the room to clear a space big enough for them to practice in. He kept his eye as he did on his senior and temporary leader, Izumi Sena, in case he accidentally started a fight with anyone else. But as he seemed to be busy with…well, what Ritsu had called the “puppet” moments prior (and truly, as much as he deemed it improper, there was no other way to define it), he figured he could focus more on cleaning the space up quickly.

Practicing in Knights (for now, at least) was like being in a room made of matches with a bomb: you had to monitor the place around you carefully, in case something accidentally prompted an explosion. And when you’re one of the most popular units in Yumenosaki, that is one scenario you would rather avoid.

 

---

 

Tsukasa Suou was tired.

It was ridiculous, really, for an idol-in-training to be exhausted after barely an hour. If you would have told him that, or even, if you would had told anyone, they would have laughed. An idol, someone who was trained to dance and sing complicated choreographies for hours without taking a break, was supposed to have a great deal of stamina after all. (That is something his mother had repeated to him over and over again when he told her he wanted to attend Yumenosaki)

In certain cases, one could be moved to pity him: idol or not, an hour of practice straight was tiring. But that day, not for the first time, the boy couldn't help but feel more drained than usual: the moment he finished drinking from his bottle of water, he wanted to curl up on the wooden practice floor and never move again. However, he knew that even if he tried to do that, he would definitely have his wish granted in the worst way.

“Hey! Break time's over, everyone back to your positions! You're still sloppy, and our live is only two days away!”

Izumi Sena. If you mentioned his name in public spaces around the area, chances were many people would immediately recognise him; and if not by that, then by face: a popular model, known for his stellar performances in both industries he was involved in, brilliant expert in idol fanservice and with a bright future ahead of him. However, within the confinement of the school, Tsukasa had come to learn that this highly-praised icon was also an enormous pain in the...an annoyance. Annoying. Like his catchphrase, which he would constantly swat in the boy’s face whenever he just as much breathed incorrectly.

“My my, Izumi-chan is quite irritated today” Narukami stretched her neck. “Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed again?”

“I'm not irritated” the other frowned, slapping the towel on the chair in front of him. “You're all just laying around during nothing while we only have a few hours to practice! Don't you understand that we need to make up for our stupid hiatus while we still can? Soo annooying!”

“You're the one who came up with the hiatus idea, not us” Ritsu yawned from the chair where he had almost passed out at least five times since practice had begun, before leaning his head against the back. “It's not our fault you needed the extra time”

Sena slapped his chair, jolting him awake.

“You know perfectly well why I decided that!” he snapped. “Now get up! You're not going to get better by sleeping around! You two as well, get a move on!”

[Jesus Christ]…

Tsukasa laid down his bottle and swiped the rest of the sweat off before joining the others in formation. The substitute leader walked over to the fifth person in the room and whispered something in his ear, before patting his back and making his way to the stereo.

“Ok, from the top!”

“From the top?” Narukami echoed, her eyes widening. “You're joking! You said we had done it well!”

“Well, yes; not perfect” was the reply. “Besides, it's good practice for you; now less complaining, more singing; so annoying...”

And so they started from the beginning once again. Not like Tsukasa minded too much, usually: if he stopped thinking, and only focused on the music beats, he could easily slip into the choreography and not feel a thing as he danced and sang, not even the sweat rolling down his head or the ache in his muscles. However, this time, he found it hard to respect that usual mechanic.

This is going to take forever at this rate. I guess I won't be able to see her today as well…

It had been weeks since he had last seen the Producer. Two months, if he remembered correctly (time was starting to become a blur to him); ever since Knights had come back from their hiatus, Sena had insisted that they practice all day to make up for lost time, and so that no one in their next ten or so lives would be disappointed. It was justifiable - they had been a tad lazy in preparing for their first show since the hiatus - but in his defence, Sena had always been absent, and none of the others were very keen on leading practice. He had tried to incite work, but his efforts bore no fruit: he was the youngest member, with not a shred of authority on him save for his family name (not like anyone cared).

So, up to a certain point, he could understand the sudden demand to practice everything to perfection; he could tolerate the excessive and long training hours where he worked and worked until his bones and muscles and tendons were all sore and worn. But despite everything, his heart still could not get rid of that ache. That desire.

He had not seen the Producer in months, and he suffered from it.

The Producer was one of the most charming, hard working, beautiful people he had ever met. The way her smile could light even the darkest of rooms, the way her voice sounded like a melody if you focused hard enough, the way her laugh vibrated in the air giving life to everything around her...truly, humanity itself had never been graced as greatly as when that girl had been born. And he had not known truer happiness than when he met her and had the privilege to be her friend - no, even better, something closer. It was why it hurt so much to hide from her that dreadful secret, shared among Knights one afternoon. And why he felt too ashamed, on top of stressed and tired, to see her after the show.

But now that he wanted to see her again after so long, Sena had decided to foil his plans. What a cruel senior. Though he knew he didn’t mean it, as no one in Knights knew of his close relationship with the Producer, it still frustrated him how many things his temporary leader wanted to ruin for him.

And yet, despite the harshness of his senior, despite the heavy training, despite the fact everything kept him again and again away from her...Tsukasa did not falter. He complained under his breath, he was sore every day and the day after, he nodded along with his other unit mates when they also voiced their annoyance. But he took it all. Because he knew, it would all be temporary.

He knew…

“Stop! Stop stop stop!”

Tsukasa let his arms drop, sighing. That wasn't a good sign; and he could tell by the way Ritsu huffed that everyone had guessed so as well.

“What's wrong, Secchan?” He asked, stretching as the music stopped. “I thought we were doing pretty good”

A shiver ran down Tsukasa's spine: maybe it was his fault. He had diverted slightly from his thoughts when he remembered the Producer, so he hadn't been paying attention on where and when he moved. His hoarse throat told him he sang recently; maybe he had hit a wrong note.

Being distracted by a girl…how embarrassing! Tsukasa, you're better than this!

He waited for the scolding patiently, too sore to resist anyway. And yet, Sena said nothing in his direction; in fact, he didn't even answer Ritsu. Rather, he headed in one specific direction, his steps quick and his face, now that the boy looked closely, laced with worry. He frowned.

I see. I have nothing to fear then.

In his first weeks as part of Knights, Tsukasa had soon learned a few things. Such as: never mention the previous leader or the previous year within the other unit mates' earshot; never be late for practice; never slack off; always follow your seniors' orders; Sena is the temporary leader until further notice; be proper and polite, but don't expect to receive the same respect immediately. And then, sometime later in June, he had learned another thing, the most important of all.

Sena never cared about anyone as much as he cared for Makoto Yuuki, the sixth member of Knights.

“Yuukun” the senior knelt down, feeling the boy's face. “Are you alright? You look a lot paler than usual…”

Makoto Yuuki didn't answer. He never spoke, even less showed signs of hearing what was being said to him. And yet, strange as he might be, that boy could sing. And what a powerful, majestic voice it was! Not the most beautiful one (no one could compare to Anzu, not even the best idol in the world) but it certainly turned heads and caught attention. It was one of the reasons no one batted an eye when he debuted as part of Knights, and for that Tsukasa was thankful. Partly. Because then the temporality of the situation would…

“Can't you all see!” Sena snapped, looking at them. “Yuukun forgot to drink again; if you all stopped chattering so noisily with each other, maybe we could have stopped it from happening in the first place and he wouldn't be like this! Look at him, he's almost passed out!”

“Oh, oh dear, he does look pale” Narukami nodded, looking at Makoto Yuuki. “Sorry Izumi-chan; but in our defence, as his self-proclaimed caretaker, I would have expected you to notice beforehand”

“Well, I can't look at our choreography and at Yuukun at the same time! Trust me, I've tried. All it does is give me a terrible headache, so annoying!”

“Our apologies” Tsukasa bowed his head. “Maybe we should fix this issue for now, and then we'll be scolded later; we have [lessons] after all, don't we?”

Izumi stared at him like he had insulted him. Then he huffed and grabbed a water bottle nearby before gently offering it to Makoto Yuuki.

“Here Yuukun, have some water~ you must be so thirsty poor thing, after everything you've done~”

Very little people outside the school knew what kind of person Izumi Sena could be. Fewer in Yumenosaki knew that he could become an entirely new person if he wished so. Tsukasa could hardly call the fact he was one of those a “privilege”, but he knew it would not be wise to say such things, even amongst his other more knowledgeable seniors.

But back to the matter at hand; the fact was, Sena had another side. A very, very unusual side where he was...disturbingly sweet. A doting, far too doting and caring older brother, who pampered and spoiled his underclassmen, who at the same time seemed ready to kill whoever laid a finger on them. But while there were a few who knew about this side, only one person was its recipient.

That person being, Makoto Yuuki.

“There, there Yuukun~” Sena smiled. “You must be too tired to drink then; don't worry, Onii-chan will help you~ here, I'll open the bottle and feed you. Isn't that sweet? Don't you like it when I do it to you?”

It was not just the mannerism, or the words used. There were changes in tone, in movements, in expression; Sena was completely transformed, and if anyone would have seen him, they would have hardly believed it was the same person roaming Yumenosaki's hallways.

The three remaining members of Knights didn't use the five minutes to relax: they had learned previously that it was a terrible move with no benefit. So they stood there as their temporary leader gently helped Makoto Yuuki drink the water, tilting his head and nearing the edge of the bottle to his lips to kickstart some secret function in his body that remembered how to do such a simple process. It was quite a sight, only made more surreal by the sweet words of encouragement Sena would sometimes say as he patted his head with his free hand.

Sweet. Endearing. And yet so, so, so...disturbing somehow.

Ritsu had called them “puppet and puppeteer”, and for a valid reason: whatever remained of Makoto Yuuki’s humanity had been stripped away, and in Sena’s hands he was nothing but a mere doll that came back to life when certain strings allowed it. He danced and sang as ordered, putting all his tiny fragile body in it, and always delivering flawless performances; but that was all he could do on his own: he never spoke outside of singing, so you could not have a conversation with him; you could not know if he was hungry or thirsty or happy or sick; he never cried out in pain, so you could never tell if he was injured; and his eyes were dulled over, so you could never even tell if he had any emotions.

Sena was the person moving the strings, granting him little sparks of life; he reminded everyone that the puppet ate and drank and slept, that the puppet was, just a little bit, still human. But the only way to know so was through the senior; and said senior barely acted like he was holding a human person.

The way Sena talked and fussed over Makoto Yuuki hardly resembled human interaction to Tsukasa; he had been to many parties, had met various eccentric adults, and even they spoke less oddly. Sena was just…one of a kind with his affections, really. Which is also why it was all poured into that one puppet, with none left for human beings.

Only for that puppet…that thing…

“There, there, here you go” he spoke, softly and gently. “That’s it, that’s it; what a good boy you are, drinking it all; have you had enough? Well, half should be enough anyway; now rest for a second, it’s not good to drink and then immediately go back to practicing”

“Really? Right now?” Ritsu massaged his head. “What a waste of time; you should’ve checked up on him before, geez”

“Well, that was my mistake” Sena said, his voice slightly firmer. “But it won’t happen again; and who says you weren’t allowed to practice? Revise some moves for a few minutes”

“Can we turn on the music?”

“And disturb Yuukun while he’s resting?”

“Forget I asked”

Ritsu crossed his arms, but before he could sit down somewhere Tsukasa tapped him on the back.

“Senpai” he whispered. “Excuse me, but…I’m having trouble with this move; can you show me how you do it?”

Ritsu raised an eyebrow.

“Huh? It's a really slow song compared to our usual, Suuchan; where’s all the trouble from?”

“Well, there's always...the chance to improve!” The boy answered. “Besides, it's because the song is slow that I want to be able to do it with no mistakes. It doesn't hurt to have a second opinion, does it?”

Before the senior could retort, Tsukasa quickly called out to Narukami, requesting her assistance as well. He knew that, contrary to Ritsu, she would be more willing to help, and in turn the latter would have no choice but to join them to please his friend. Sure enough, the older boy sighed in defeat as she approached, and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Fiiine, what's the problem?”

“Uhm, the one where it goes like this...”

Because the song was slow, a ballet style had been implemented in the choreograph, including a lot of spins and graceful movements that Sena was very prepared in correcting to the nearest detail every time. They seemed easy at a first glance, but the more Tsukasa did them, the more he felt more pressured in trying not to look too stiff or too robotic, or any other critique Sena would direct at them. While this request was mostly an excuse, it was true that he was struggling a little.

He finished, looking back at his seniors. They both looked at each other, communicating through expressions, before Narukami walked over towards him and started moving his body like a doll.

“Loosen up the tension here at this part, alright?” She said, spreading his arms wide and holding his hands. “Ok, place your feet in line...no, not like that, gracefully...”

“Hold on, let me show him” Ritsu stepped forward, assuming the designated position. His shift was sudden, and yet the pose was soft and delicate, like he had flipped a switch somewhere in his body.

“Ok, now from here, as you can see, you have to go completely limp; like you're sleepwalking. Try and picture that. You have to move reaaaally slowly as well, look here:

Creaking out from war and use, clock hands begin to move

And so it goes, guiding us, to the game that we chose to play

Upon the stage, sliding up, we will move as if in dance,

The curtains raise on this play now begun

Got it?”

Tsukasa watched as Ritsu performed the first part of the choreography, every movement perfectly executed. It really did look like a beautiful ballet performance, the kind he had heard one of his relatives describe once. The amazement must have shown in his face, because Ritsu's serious expression twitched ever so slightly in a smile when he looked back at him, before it was quickly wiped away by a yawn.

“Ok, now you” Narukami tilted her head to meet his gaze. “And remember, chin up as you sing with all your might; you want the Princesses all the way in the back to hear you”

“Chin up...pfft, you sound like Secchan”

“Well, that guy does have good advice sometimes, you can't deny that...”

She parted from the boy, joining the other senior's side. From there, she gave him the nod to continue, but he didn't move.

“Uhm...what about the next part?”

“Hm?”

“The part after that; how do I switch quickly?”

The two looked at each other again, a little puzzled. So Tsukasa sighed and did a messy attempt of the steps he was referring to, which immediately caught their attention.

“Ah, Tsukasa-chan, not the flat note again...” Narukami rushed towards him, touching and pressing on his body. "Don’t slouch now, you’re dancing, you need to stand prouder; and those feet, my my, that won't do...look here, you have to balance yourself on your right foot or else you'll never be able to do that turn. Hmm, and your arm is too stiff again, hold on..."

She repositioned his body again, and this time kept a firm grasp on his wrists as she went behind him. Ritsu snickered as Tsukasa felt his face heat up, but he ignored the former, and focused on Narukami's muttering.

“Senpai?”

“Ok, follow me. From where Ritsu left off, alright?

There was a king and queen, a chase turned into sprint

Drew a world, built their own shimmering fantasy

There’s scattered sparks that mark a decisive silent fight

But there’s only one winning strategy, prevailing over all”

Guiding him like a marionette, Narukami forced Tsukasa to adapt to rigid positions, and yet every once in a while through a shake of his arms reminded him to maintain himself as relaxed as possible. It was a bit like – Sena forgive him for his careless calling - a pas des deux; if the pas des deux was a watered down version of how his senior and his doll danced on stage.

Right as the chorus started up, Ritsu also joined them, placing himself in the correct position and dancing alongside them. His voice rivalled Narukami, passionate, strong, loud; and prompted by their enthusiasm, Tsukasa also joined them.

Sheathing out this greater sword, we will place on it a vow,

Swearing that we will be strong, we will be there when you call,

In this chessboard we call world, as the boundaries fade and burn we’ll do it,

As we vowed we will fight on”

“Bravoooo” Ritsu cheered. “See, Suuchan's a newbie, but he's already improved so much so far~”

“Hmm, and he'll only get better as he gets going” Narukami added, petting his head. “Good boy, good boy; make sure to grow into a sparkling knight~”

Though the excessive skin ship bothered him, Tsukasa mustered a smile, as he was freed from his senior's grasp and allowed to practice the steps over and over in front of the other two. By then he had learned them by heart, but he didn't mind. It was all part of his master plan after all.

This was his strategy, his little advantage as the youngest member: the power to keep his two companions busy enough to forget their unspoken annoyance with their temporary leader.

Ever since Sena had walked in with Makoto Yuuki, things had taken an odd turn in this unit; well, he had nothing to compare it to, being a first year with no prior knowledge to their routine, but from the few days he had spent practicing with them before his senior had stopped attending lessons, he could tell that this was anything but the norm. And it was not just their senior’s behaviour, nor Makoto Yuuki’s unsettling aura, that set a threatening tone; but overall, the dynamic between the five was barely hanging by a thread: the puppet and puppeteer were always in their own little world, even when the five were all standing on the same stage, and if they did interact with the others it was hardly anything positive; Narukami was always on edge, or looked lost, choosing the safest paths with little thoughts on others’ feelings; and Ritsu never seemed to agree with whatever Sena said.

Tsukasa feared that Knights was going to break up; in fact, with the way things were going, it was a miracle the unit hadn’t split in half. Though he knew that part of that was because of him: despite his lack of authority, his thin connections with his members made him a neutral party, and his status as inexperienced junior meant they all had responsibility over him. Which is why, when things seemed to get heated, he always tried to calm down Ritsu and Narukami, suggest ways to distract them. As long as they cleared their heads, they could hold on a little longer.

But he knew that, despite his efforts, he was not equipped to help restore peace. He was still a first year, after all, and hardly anyone took him seriously. Narukami teased him, Ritsu would not listen to him, Sena berated him. Not to mention how his poor knowledge meant he had a lot to catch up on regarding idol culture and way of life. And his family duties…

No, he was simply unequipped to lead them. But he held onto another hope. The hope that he had been leaning onto all this time, that had convinced him to try and ease some strains, to have them stay together. His duty as a knight, held onto by a single ray of hope.

Some time ago, in the archery club he attended, Tsukasa had found a book; it was a journal, scribbled in different pens and pencils, and every page contained variations of songs and choreography sketches. Some were unreadable, scribbled beyond repair, but there were also many segments that had been written down clearly, and he had used those as practice for his vocals and his dancing. It was like a sort of Bible, or a Basic Training book left by a long-lost senior, and he held onto it dearly.

Some days later, while he was practicing, he found a note glued on the back. It was in much tidier handwriting that the rest of the notes, though the reason it stood out to him most was that it was a little familiar.

“To whom it may concern, this book belongs to Tsukinaga Leo of class 2B from Yumenosaki Academy. Please return it to its rightful owner unharmed, or we will file a complaint.”

Tsukinaga Leo…Tsukasa had heard that name before, whispered in the darkest corners where rumours of the years past were gathered and spread: a famous young genius, who could compose masterpieces at the drop of a hat. But not wanting to rely on mindless school gossip, he had asked his senior Keito Hasumi about the boy, and if he still attended Yumenosaki, or was at least in the immediate vicinity.

“Tsukinaga…” Hasumi’s eyes visibly dulled at the name, before he pushed back his glasses. “He’s still officially enrolled, but he has not attended school for some time; we’ve received news from his parents he might return to finish his third year, but no one has heard from him directly”

Tsukasa’s eyes sparkled in wonder. “Can I contact him?”

“You could try his parents, but last I heard they mentioned Leo had left on a trip” the senior answered. “They don’t know where he is, and yet trust him completely…weird folk”

The boy frowned, and looked back at the notebook in his hands. He carefully traced the paper of a page, brushing past the name that was scribbled in a corner. “Silent Oath”, it said, in English.

In an eternal purity resides a silent oath

Never to be said aloud…

“Did he write a lot of Knights’ songs?” he asked absent-mindedly.

“He wrote them all”

“All?”

“Well, yes” Hasumi shrugged. “On paper, he is officially the leader”

Those words opened a world to Tsukasa. The image of a genius composer, leaving his unit for a long trip to find the greatest inspiration of all…it all seemed like a beautiful novel, the type he used to read in his family’s library out of boredom. And better yet, that person, of whose masterpieces he was holding in his hands, was his leader.

And no one ever told him that before.

Hasumi, noticing his surprise, must have figured that out.

“Oh well, I suppose it makes sense” he added. “It’s not…a happy memory for many of them”

The castles in the air crumbled down with that sentence.

“Not…a happy memory?” he echoed. “Why? What happened?”

The other opened his mouth, but then quickly closed it, looking away.

“I…I admit, I’m not the best person to answer that question” he confessed. “And Sena and the others have all the right to keep the past locked away; but let’s just say, Tsukinaga fell. And the myth you heard about that popular saying, it has some truth to it”

“Don’t mind it.” Tsukasa had heard it before, but he had never associated it with Tsukinaga. Albeit, from what little he had heard, it did fit his description. But the rest of that image, of the King covered in blood…he shivered, holding the book close to him.

“But he’ll come back” he told himself. “He…he has to; if he’s still on paper the leader…”

Hasumi didn’t say anything. And if he wanted to, no one ever knew.

And thus, Tsukasa began to hold onto that hope: that Tsukinaga Leo, the fabled genius, would come back from his mythical trip of self-discovery and everything would be alright. He would return on his rightful place as a leader and dispel all discord; he would restore peace among them, hug Ritsu, comfort Narukami, and convince Sena to act proper. He would lead them all to victory with his new song and charm the masses, and through his power remind his unit members what it meant to be on stage, to be idols, to be companions and friends. And then, only then, could Knights truly be restored to its full glory.

And Tsukasa held onto that hope for many and many weeks, and he would keep it for more if he had to, storing it tightly in his chest so that the shine would not be seen entirely: for he knew that his unit mates would laugh at him for having childish hopes. Even if this time, it was true.

 

---

 

I didn’t show it much back then, but I was getting more and more concerned for Tsukasa.

It was not the fact that we hardly saw each other back then. I knew that, as a member of Knights, he probably had a lot on his plate. Rather, what caused me to worry were the rumours I heard about him in the hallways.

I knew that, as a revolutionary veteran who chose to step forward rather than fall back into past dreams, trusting mindless gossip was the last thing I should be doing. But the voices about Knights were hard to skip through, not to mention they were one of the big reasons why fights kept breaking out between students.

You could not blame people for trusting blindly into what they heard; had they not been like that, the previous war would have never happened. But there was also an important factor at play: Knights as a unit always acted in secrecy. No one knew what they did during practice, if the members even knew each other outside of it, or what kind of jobs they were offered until that one popular pick was suddenly off the bulletin board. The only thing that was certain was the fact the Student Council seemed to favour them, and make sure that, after fine and Akatsuki, they were next in line to be treated like Yumenosaki royals to the public eye.

From a strategic point of view, it made sense: they were popular before their hiatus, and Tenshouin had an image to maintain while he and his unit worked for the SS promotions out of the school grounds. From another, much more bitter strategic viewpoint, however, the thought made my stomach churn.

Of course they would favour the one unit that took away-

“Anzu? All alright over there?”

I jumped, letting go of my skirt as I did so (since when had I been clutching it?). Beside me stood Koga, a puzzled look on his face.

“Oh, sorry” I said. “Just...thinking to myself, that’s all; I've had a lot on my mind lately”

“True; should try to relax y’know, all this thinking could kill the strongest of men if yer not careful” he said. “Anyway, Akehoshi’s almost done tidyin’ up; thought you should know”

"Great; thank you so much again!"

“Pfft, ya should be thankin’ him; bastard comes in when I least expect ‘im to”

We laughed, slightly, before I leaned against the wall with a sigh.

Subaru hadn't stopped taking guitar lessons, although they became rarer due to his duties with Ryuseitai; between those meetings, some stray hallway greetings and the times I spent running around trying to find the Aoi twins, me and Koga had grown closer. It was strange to think about, how the person who stepped on me on our first meeting was now one of my closest friends; even today, when I tell that story, I still find it amusing to look at people’s shocked faces. But then again, stranger things had happened in Yumenosaki.

We stood in silence, as faintly you could hear Subaru and the twins chattering in the Light Music Club next to us. The quiet began to bother me after a while, so hiding my hands behind my back, I decided to strike up conversation.

“How's UNDEAD going?” I asked. “Do they need any help with jobs, or…”

“Don't worry ‘bout us” Koga shook his head. “We might not be as big as those council shitheads, but that vampire bastard’s connections are far an’ plenty; it's almost scary how many people he knows”

“Ah, he’s your main job provider?” I raised an eyebrow, smirking. “I thought you wanted to be more independent”

“Well, obviously!” He retorted. “But like...me an’ Adonis are still learnin’ about the business stuff; we still need to consult with the other two just in case ya know. There’s a lot of shit to be careful of”

“Yeah, it’s so complex, isn’t it?” I sighed. “Imagine trying to do all that for three quarters of the school, without your name being Sakuma Rei; a nightmare, I tell you”

“I heard that redhead friend of yours scared the shit of one of those Student Council lackeys” he chuckled. “’S a shame you still have to resort to that bullshit all day long”

“Well, with luck, you can avoid all that in the future” I swung one of my feet. “In fact, maybe I can teach you some tricks; although, I'm a bit self-taught, so…”

“Now don't go underestimating yourself!” He suddenly stood up straighter. “Aren’t ya the girl who always wants to be seen for her strengths? You’ve done in a few months what most pipsqueaks barely learn in a year! Without ya half of Yumenosaki'd be calling it quits! Not to mention all ya did for Akehoshi! Anzu, ya might’ve not finished a revolution, but ya did ten times more than that: ya survived, and yer sharing that gift with everyone. Ah, shit...maybe I shouldn't mention that”

“It's September, Koga” I smiled at him. “It’s all water under the bridge; but also...thank you. Sometimes, I really need to hear those words…”

He seemed unsure, by the way he continued to rub his neck. However, he managed to grin at me, and held out his hand.

“Ya doin’ great, Anzu! Keep goin’, until you can of course!”

I high-fived him, and laughed. The extra tension inside of me that had existed for barely a second disappeared like it was never there on contact, leaving me as light as a feather.

I was expecting him to go back and lean against the wall like the cool lone wolf he aspired to be, but instead he remained there, looking at a random spot on the wall. I tilted my head, and he quickly avoided my gaze.

“Koga?” I asked. “Is something wrong? You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

He sighed and dug his hands in his trousers pockets, looking around as if to make sure no one was listening.

“’S just...I don’t mean to be dramatic, but ‘s a fucking nightmare out there” he muttered. “The vampire bastard has it all taken care of I guess, but that’s because we don’t really have a choice; those Knights guys are stealing tons of thunder since they got back and fine got busy. We all thought that it might be easy with them out of the picture but ‘s like we entered hard mode or somethin’”

“That's...true…” I nodded, looking down. “I know what it’s like; it’s been...really tough these past few days”

Koga grabbed my shoulder, shaking it gently.

“I told ya, Anzu” he said, his voice softer than usual. “When it’s enough for ya, it’s enough; you might be a producer, but yer still human. If yer stuck, take it easy, ‘k? Betcha a lot of people can stand up with ya”

I looked at him, feeling tears brim my eyes; he was right. Unlike before, I had made many allies, and there were a lot of units who had begun to take in my role in order to let me breathe a little easily. I had a small suspicion Subaru was behind it - he was friends with most of them, after all - but even so, after all that had happened in Kimisaki, I would have never thought to have so many people joining forces to help me, even if in simple ways.

I quickly rubbed my eyes, to stop myself from crying. Koga patted me on the shoulder.

“There, there, yer gonna be alright” he reassured me. “And in any case, count on me and everyone else, k? Yer not alone”

His tone was comforting. I found myself nodding, and partly, I did believe him: Koga might have his own issues, his own inner demons and affairs to settle, and he was a little bit rough on the edges, but I could tell he meant what he said. And I wasn’t anyone to deny the help that was offered so kindly to me. It was all I could do, in this tough dog-eat-dog world.

“Gami-san, Anzu! Am I interrupting something?”

“Shut up, you! It’s about time you finished!”

Before my head had even moved an inch, a sudden force fell upon my body and held me tight, almost squeezing the life out of me.

“S-Subaru!” I chocked. “You’re done!”

“Of course I am! Me and the twins were just discussing a little project we had!” he said loudly in my ear, swinging me around. “I’m sorry to have made you wait! Won’t happen again, I promise!”

“It’s fine, really; I’m happy you’re having fun”

“True, that’s what you always say; but honestly Anzu, I think the best moments of life can be spent by your side~”

I could feel my face heat up at his words, and behind me Koga snickered. I stuck out my tongue at him, and returned as best as I could Subaru’s hug, maintaining eye contact.

You have no right to laugh like that. Not after the shoujo thing you just did!

 

---

 

It took some time to remind Subaru that we had places to be, but eventually he unglued himself from me; and after waving goodbye to the rest of the Light Music Club, we began to make our way towards the school gates. Subaru was talking about his lessons, waving his arms around as he mimicked a few chords he had been playing.

“And it makes a sort of pwang sound, right? And Hippii tells me that it’s not supposed to be like that, so I try again, but it comes out the same; pwang, pwang! It was really weird!”

“The guitar string was off-key?” I said.

He shrugged. “Not really. Hippii checked it and found out someone placed the wrong type of string; he was really mad at that, but me and the others couldn’t figure out how it could have happened. Although I could see Gami-san go all red in the face!”

“Hm, I doubt Koga could do something like that” I shook my head. “He’s been busy, but with people like him who know guitars inside and out, I feel like it would be hard to make such mistakes; maybe someone else in the club was really distracted”

Subaru tilted his head in thought. “It’s true Gami-san mentioned something about his senior being really sleep-deprived; he didn’t even attend club meeting today” he mumbled. “But it’s hard to tell. The Aois could’ve done it and just forgot; they’re in the same situation after all”

“That’s true, that’s true…”

“By the way” he placed his arms behind his head with a smirk. “Since when do you and Gami-san go by first name basis? IS there something you’re not telling me?”

“Uh? Ah!” I turned beet red and shook my head vigorously. “N-no! You got it all wrong! We both agreed on it; I figured, since we’re friends, we could...well, if he was alright with it of course, but he was ok with it, so…”

“Relaaax, Anzu!” Subaru gave me a pat on the shoulder, winking. “I’m proud of you! You’re becoming closer and closer to so many people! I’m almost scared, what if you really replace me?”

“Don’t be silly, Subaru; I might have a lot of friends, but you’re still the best in Yumenosaki!”

It sounded really exaggerated, and some might claim I only said it to reassure him, but I meant it with all my heart: this boy had given me a place to stand in and some confidence to rely on, when I was still new. Without him, I would have probably taken ages to regain a sliver of my voice, or even get to the point I was now. He helped me rebuild myself and, while he would claim that I had done more than repay him for the favour when I gave him a new home and helped him survive...I couldn’t agree with him. Our unjust fall, his unjust fate, all of that still remained unavenged. And despite my common sense telling me I should let it rest, the necklace around my neck reminded me that I was still not done.

If only, if only I had someway to let it all out. To become once again the fearful Anzu, head of Kimisaki’s Rebellion…

“Coming through!”

“Ah!”

“AH!”

Suddenly, I felt a huge weight slam against me, and I stumbled backwards, narrowly avoiding a fall thanks to Subaru who had grabbed my hand.

“Anzu!” He helped me steady myself. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, thanks” I nodded. “But...who did- ah!”

While I had managed to break my fall thank to my friend, the person who had crashed against me, Sora, hadn’t been as lucky: he was on his knees massaging his head, while layers and layers of paper fluttered around him. I shrieked out his name and quickly dived to the floor.

“Are you ok? Did you land on your head?” I inspected him hastily. “Do you want us to take you to the infirmary? Do you need anything? An icepack or something?”

“Haaa…” Sora let out a sound, like a long sigh. My body stiffened.

“Oh no…oh, this is bad, we might have to take him to a hospital! Oh no oh no oh no!”

“Ah? Hospital?” The boy blinked, looking at me uncertainly. “Producer, do you feel unwell?"

“Sora! You’re conscious!”

“Sora is, yes; at least, unless of course this is all secretly a dream and you’re trying to fool Sora!”

I patted his head and helped him stand up, before remembering Subaru was still there with us and introducing them.

“Ah, Akehoshi-senpai!” Sora nodded. “Sora has heard a lot about you! Sora couldn’t see the show because there were too many people, but Shishou let us see it through the tv!”

“Shishou?”

“Natsume-kun” I explained. “They're from the same unit”

Subaru’s face darkened slightly at my comment. But before I could ask him about it, he was back to normal, bright and cheerful as always, and thanking them for their support. It was a habit he had never abandoned, and it frustrated me more than I’d like to admit.

Sora suddenly jumped, and he dropped back to the floor.

“Sora just remembered! He’s in a hurry!” He said. “Sora had to bring all these documents so long ago! And now it’s a lot more late!”

“Ah, you were running pretty fast” I observed, also kneeling down. “Here, let me help”

“The Producer is really nice, HiHo~”

Subaru also offered to help, and with the work of three of us combined, we were able to reorganise Sora’s pile in no time. That was when I noticed that he was carrying a lot of papers, and while for the sake of privacy I tried to avoid reading anything, it seemed too much for an essay or overdue homework.

Maybe it’s for Switch? Job offers and costume suggestions? But even if it’s so much work to look at, is it really that many papers long?

“Are you sure you can carry all of this?” I asked.

“I was wondering that as well” Subaru looked through the pile in his hands. “It’s a lot for such a little guy like you; do you want us to help?”

“No no, don’t worry about Sora!” The boy snatched the papers from my friend's hands. “Sora can do it on his own! He has made it all the way here so that is good enough to prove it!”

I hesitated, but seeing his determined face made me eventually give him my own pile.

“Just...make sure to be careful, alright?” I said. “You wouldn’t want to bump into everything else”

“Sora promises he’ll be careful! Losing papers wastes a lot of time after all~ now, Sora out! HeHo HaHu~”

And he ran off without another word, disappearing into the empty Yumenosaki corridors rendered golden by the fading sunset. We watched him go, and even when he was long gone, we stood still, as if to make sure that his trip wouldn’t endure any other setbacks. But we heard no tell-tale signs of that happening, if not for a door opening and closing quickly.

“I like his energy” Subaru grinned. “He'll be a great idol, I just know it!”

I smiled and nodded, then turned towards him.

“I didn't miss that look you had when I mentioned Natsume-kun, by the way” I said, and the smile from his face died down.

“There's nothing to worry about, Anzu” he mumbled. “We just crossed paths during our first year and then grew apart; our situations were very different after all”

He was being honest, I could tell, and yet I couldn't help but wonder if there was something more to his words. But while I promised to myself to try and not let him indulge in his own terrible thoughts anymore, I knew that sometimes I had to give him space.

“Well, nevermind that” I said. “Let’s go home now, before our parents get worried”

And so we did, as the sun finally disappeared from the sky, leaving its place for the growing darkness of the night.

Chapter 5: Setting the green board 3

Summary:

What would you do, if the chance of a lifetime was right in front of you?

Chapter Text

There were missing still.

A few instruction books about dancing and singing techniques, magazines about the latest shows, even a couple of old live show DVDs that the school was kind enough to supply…nothing was left in those empty shelves, with books falling on top of each other due to the missing gaps in the rows.

I didn’t expect anything less, from an idol school’s private library. If anything, it would have been out of place for no books to be missing, especially regarding topics that for most could mean building up their career. I should have been happy about how much effort everyone was putting in their lessons. But my feelings were far from that, as I brushed my fingers through the tilted binders: the lack was only a grim reminder of the dominant issue in Yumenosaki, how the weak had to learn to protect themselves against the strong, how they had to find a way to keep their heads afloat without having to kill their own themes and ideals for the sake of climbing the scales.

How long would they be able to go on before eventually caving in? How long until the books they read and the lives they watch forced them to enter the pattern of their main adversaries, of the people that so cruelly forced them into this corner? How long until that person would encourage such behaviour, just for the sake of showing off more power?

I retracted my hand with a jolt, and felt the necklace under my shirt. It was probably not as big of a deal as I made it seem to be; and yet, as a veteran, even the wildest fantasy could become reality to my eyes.

The fear crept into my mind, poisoning it, choking every spark of hope I tried to come up with. It whispered cruelly, look at the world around you, the world you failed to protect; see what happened, see what is happening, see what will certainly occur at this rate. You have to stop it, Anzu. You have to stop it, or else, you and everyone else will suffer a fate worse than the previous two combined, and it will all be your fault.

I have to stop it...but how?

The most important question continued to serve as an obstacle. How can a person fight God after being shunned once? Do they forge a powerful weapon? Do they gather a team with the same motive? Do they start from the littlest detail or straight to the point? I was a veteran, but from a losing side. And while one might assume that I could learn from my mistakes and create the grandest revolution plot of all, it was not as easy as that.

It was a hopeless situation. And as the days went by, my secret desire seemed to look more and more like a useless fantasy.

“Ugh, what do you mean we have practice tomorrow as well? I thought Sena-senpai said he had plans!”

I paused, my finger lifting from the tourmaline. My head darted around, trying to locate the source of the voice, before I heard it again, a little quieter than before.

“Well, I think I can make it then, I guess; I just need to tell my parents, but I’m sure they’ll let me go”

The library wasn’t that big, and finding students would be easier than looking for books. Quietly, I made my way past the shelf I was in, looking around until I was able to see the boy, standing in front of a table. He was staring at his phone with a frown, and didn’t seem to notice me even when I walked closer towards him.

“Tsukasa-kun?”

“Ah!”

He jumped suddenly, and upon meeting my gaze, flushed bright red.

“Onee-sam!” He squealed. “Ah, sorry, I didn’t see you there; I was...thinking”

“Don't worry about it” I said, eyeing his phone. “I heard your call; everything alright?”

“Oh, you heard...you heard it?”

“Only some parts” I reassured him. “About your practice, or something along those lines?”

The boy sighed, rubbing his head.

“It’s nothing to worry about” he mumbled. “Just...our [schedule] is kind of all over the place sometimes; nothing too bad…”

His tone and his annoyed expression seemed to suggest otherwise, which only made me more worried: if there was something I learned in Yumenosaki, it was that being an idol must never be considered stressful or a chore, if one wanted to continue working in the industry for many years. Not only could it be harmful for the person's mental health, but the slightest drop in morale hardly went unnoticed to fans or business managers, and as such could mean more work issues down the road.

Despite the culture surrounding and idol’s life, they were still human. And they still had their limits.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked, mustering a small smile. “If it makes you feel better, of course; I promise I won’t judge you”

He looked at me. “I…I don’t know if I should bother you with my problems, Onee-sama. It’s all just…really complex. Such a kind soul like you might not like what I say, and I myself don’t like my own thoughts…”

“I insist” I shook my head decisively. “I won’t let you leave the room until you tell me what’s going on; I swear on my role as producer I won’t tell a soul”

It was probably selfish and stupid of me, all this insisting. Normal people would have just accepted that he didn’t want to talk about it and move on with their lives. But I couldn’t risk that same Accident repeating while I had the chance to stop it. I was going to get the truth out of him, even if I had to rip it out with my own hands.

Tsukasa looked around quickly, as if ascertaining that there was no one there; he had nothing to fear - the only other person in the library other than me was Aoba, who last I had seen was looking through the shelves on the other side of the room - but it was that simple gesture that made me realise how terrible this information might be. He signed for me to get closer and then, tidying his grip on the book he was holding against his chest, very quietly, began to speak.

“I just feel like...[Knights] is going through a really hard moment” he said. “And I mean, obviously [units] will have their ups and downs in the course of their careers, but there’s something about this particular moment that doesn’t sit right with me…we’re all disconnected mentally and emotionally, and the only thing keeping us together is our choreography and our singing. Once the door of the practice room closes behind us, once we abandon the stage, we become complete strangers. I can recognise their faces and know their names, but apart from that there’s nothing else I can say about them”

He quickly sat down, or rather, collapsed in the chair behind him.

“I know it might not sound like a big problem, Onee-sama” he continued. “We’re colleagues, and realistically speaking, we can’t all have friendly dynamics in workplaces; but this is my first experience as an [idol], and I’m surrounded by brilliant and talented people who don’t mind having a newbie among them. It’s an opportunity that happens once in a lifetime, and with everything that’s going on, it feels like...like I’m wasting my time. Like there’s no point in sticking around and waiting for things to get better. It all got so bad after Sena-senpai got that boy in the [unit], and there’s no way he’s getting rid of him any time soon"

I shuddered at the mention of that doll, the one who I had once danced alongside with so many months ago. My own reaction surprised me; I was certain that those memories and mentions should have no effect on me, or at least, not as big. Yet I could feel my stomach churn just slightly, and a strange sense of melancholy overcame me.

I must have done something to betray my surprise at the grief I still withheld, because when I focused back on Tsukasa his eyes had widened in horror, as if he had just spoke out a forbidden taboo.

“Oh, I’m so sorry Onee-sama” he bowed his head. “I heard you two were close...my tongue got the better of me and started spewing dreadful words of hatred. I'm truly sorry”

“It’s ok” I smiled at him, and patted his head. “You’re upset, and sometimes people say things like that when they are; though to be fair, they weren’t as bad as you might think”

He raised his head ever so slightly, and it was then that I noticed how dim the light in them was. The boy I had played cards with all those weeks ago seemed like a totally different person from the one in front of me.

“Are...are you sure?” He asked, timidly.

“Yes, yes, it’s ok; please, if you have anything else to say, carry on”

I fought back my uneasiness, in case he chose to continue talking about my old friend. But whether he knew I was (partly) lying or not, Tsukasa dropped the topic, and turned to look at the book he was holding.

“Onee-sama, those conversations aren’t meant to be discussed that openly” he said. “They’re negative and cruel, and imply terrible things will continue to happen; it might paint me as a person who is wallowing away in a [unit] they don't like, for the sake of fame or easy grades. But I actually have a secret motivation, you see. A secret I haven’t told anyone, until now. Please look at this with me”

He pulled out the thin notebook and opened it, flipping through the worn and stained pages. I went behind him to have a better look, as he angled the book so I could see it.

“These are all [Knights] songs and choreographies” he said. “Our legacy, for years to come; they make us what we are, down to the last note and the last [step]. It’s the only way that [Knights] can be [Knights]”

I looked at the pages he showed me, amazed; I had not attended many of their lives, and I was terrible at sight reading, but Tsukasa helped me by singing me some motifs and dragging his finger along, while describing certain steps.

“See Onee-sama, this is when the front person kicks the air in front of him, kickstarting the next verse; this one goes more or less like this, la la la lalalala...the fifth person here. See how they have to follow the first…And then they all [switch] like it’s nothing, but it’s actually meant to be as such to make sure that the singing voice reaches the audience better...see, it’s all really badly [sketched] out, but if you think about it, these are all steps we do! You haven’t seen us a lot, have you, Onee-sama...that’s ok, I know you’re really busy, don’t worry...but see, this [step] over here, you can’t see what it is, we move our arms in a really complicated motion, but it’s pretty much...here let me show it to you, please hold this for me…”

His poses were fluid, and while his voice was quiet to avoid disturbing the library, I could tell that he was hitting all the right notes. It almost surprised me how good he was for a first year, and I made sure to tell him when he was done.

“Thank you, Onee-sama!” He said, his eyes sparkling. “But really, it’s mostly all thanks to this book; I practice a lot at home with this, despite sometimes it’s full out unreadable. I was hoping someone had left other copies in the library’s lost and found, but it seems like this was just a lucky find”

I nodded, gently turning the pages. Despite the untidiness of the item, it was still a priceless treasure of information and contents, and I could tell why Tsukasa valued it so highly. Any producer would froth at the mouth at the prospect of owning something like this.

“Do you know who wrote it? Maybe you can contact the owner and ask”

If it was possible, Tsukasa's eyes only shone brighter, and he quickly jumped to my sides to furiously flip through the notebook until he came upon the first page.

“I asked some of my seniors” he said. “It belongs to a Leo Tsukinaga from 3B; he’s still enrolled but has been on leave for a long time. They told me he was a genius composer and made most, if not all of [Knights’] songs!”

“All of them?”

“All of them! And here’s the best part, Onee-sama!” He tapped the post-it note glued on the first page with urgency as if I could accidentally miss it. “He's [Knights’] current [leader]!”

“It’s him?” My eyes widened. “So he really is as remarkable as they say…”

“He is! And right now, I am certain he is travelling around the world to search for more inspiration for our songs and our dances, so he can improve more and more. And one day he’ll come back and revive [Knights], bringing peace with him”

“How do you know?”

“It's obvious, Onee-sama” he said. His body seemed to be vibrating as he spoke. “I know from experience; without a [leader], a group is chaos, and there is no appeasing it. But if Tsukinaga-senpai, our [King], comes back, we will be reminded of what [Knights] is, and who we really are, and we will finally be able to see past our differences and work together as one, not only through our job but through our hearts. And Sena-senpai can finally have more time for himself instead of stressing over the leading role, so Yuuki-senpai can leave and do his own thing, and Ritsu-senpai and Narukami-senpai will be more at ease! We will be [Knights], the most powerful unit of Yumenosaki, and nothing would be able to break us apart!”

His excitement was so contagious I couldn’t help but believe him, though through countless wars I had learned to be less willing to trust in miracles. The return of this mysterious Tsukinaga, the king of his Knights, the greatest composer in the school...it felt like a beautiful fairy tale, and I wanted to see it happen.

Who knows, maybe his return could be the start of the new era that Yumenosaki desperately needed.

“Uhm, excuse me you two?”

I quickly snapped the notebook shut and hid it behind my back, as we both turned to look at Aoba, standing at the beginning of the shelf.

“Ah, Aoba-senpai!” Tsukasa bowed his head. “I'm sorry, were we too loud?”

“Oh not at all” he said, smiling. “If anything, I’m glad you were having fun, without damaging school property at that! Usually they all take their books immediately and leave just like that”

“You speak like you’re an old curator” I commented. “How many years have you been here?”

“Ah, I do get told by my classmates I speak of this place like that…" he brushed his hand against a nearby shelf. “I guess...the library has always been so important to me; I spent so much time in here it feels like a second home now”

“I can respect that” Tsukasa nodded. “I too preferred my parents’ private collection over talking to party [guests] when I was younger. Sadly, they started limiting the access during important [events], as I got older”

“Knowing your heritage, your parents must have a lot of good literature, Suou-kun” Aoba smiled, his words seemingly focusing on the boy’s surname. “But anyway, back to the matter at hand; I came to tell you I’m closing down the library for the night”

“Oh, it’s that late already?” Tsukasa looked at his phone, and his eyes widened. “Ah, my [driver] will be here at any moment-!”

“It’s a bit early though, isn't it?” I also dug out my phone. “Is there some pest control measure going on or something?”

“Uh, yes, you could say that” Aoba didn’t stop smiling, but I could see his hands twitch ever so slightly. “So please leave; you wouldn’t want your parents and Akehoshi-kun to worry, no?”

“Subaru had to help his mum with some work, so he went home early”

“I see; well, even so, you must go and have dinner with your family, right? I need to head home to mother as well”

“True, true…”

“My [driver] texted me” Tsukasa interrupted us, grabbing his bag. “I should be going now; Onee-sama, my notebo-”

He paused, just inches away from taking his precious item from my hands. Slowly he turned towards Aoba, who seemed to be observing us with interest, like a child might with insects. It lasted for a brief moment, before my friend turned red and he quickly grabbed the notebook and ran off, yelling out a hasty “goodbye!” just before he was out the door.

A moment of silence followed, as I stared at the door perplexed at what had just happened. It took me longer than I thought it would to realise he had called me “Onee-sama” right in front of Aoba, and I could feel my face flush at the thought.

“I didn’t know you had such ways to be called, Producer” Aoba commented at some point, breaking the silence and making me only go redder. “Is that a thing girls do?”

“Ah? Ah, no no, not that I know of” I jumped, waving my hands around. “It’s, uh, something we both agreed on, yes; totally mutual thing, I’m serious. And it stuck, but it’s not like any of us mind though, totally consensual. You’re just the first person to know so we never thought of what to do then-”

“Ah, relax relax, I’m not going to arrest you or anything; in fact, I think it’s really sweet of him to give you a pet name. It shows you’ve grown close enough to be called certain ways, right?”

I paused, tilting my head. “I…I suppose so”

“Yes, exactly” he smiled, then it quickly disappeared as he looked away. “Although, I could have sworn that Suou-kun…”

“Hm?”

“...Ah, it’s nothing” he shook his head. “But, since we’re on the topic, I had no idea you and Akehoshi were on first name basis”

“Well, that’s not new” I said. “We sort of started just before break”

“Ah, so the rumours are true; you’ve grown that close”

“Of course!” I nodded. “Subaru’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had!”

“Fufu, I’m sure we can all tell; and also, I forgot to say, but congratulations for his debut”

“Thank you”

He looked at the watch on his wrist, focusing on the digits with a little too much concentration, before looking back at me with a smile.

“Anyway, it’s getting late" he said, softly. “You should go, so I can close; is there anything you need?”

“No, but…” I looked around. “Is there anything I can do to help? Maybe tidy up, or…”

“I'll be fine” he insisted, the smile not leaving his face. “Now please; you wouldn't want your family to worry, would you?”

Despite his soft tone, it was clear he didn’t admit rebuttals. So after bidding him goodnight, I opened LINE and left the library.

Fate sometimes chooses odd paths for men to take. I knew that from experience, what with all that had happened to me. But I had hardly ever experienced those acts in the form of goodwill, and in fact, doubted I could ever get something of the sort at this point. But apparently, all I had to do to finally get a good stroke of luck was lower my expectations, and forget past wishes and desires that I might have begged in moments when I felt most alone.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, fate had decided to be kind to me that day, after all the ruckus and fits I had thrown in my despair. The way it did so was by something so simple that it’s almost impressing how big of an impact it had.

Namely, that upon texting my brother that I would be arriving soon, I noticed my fingers were full of pen markings.

I wrote a lot, but I also tended to twirl and play with my pen just as much. It was a habit I couldn’t separate myself from, and it had begun to bother me lately. I knew I could have washed them at home, but the sight annoyed me so much that barely a few steps away from the end of the hallway I dived into the nearest bathroom and scrubbed them clean. The process seemed to take an eternity, considering I had no soap to work with, but eventually I was successful. Then, while drying my hands, my phone vibrated, and just as I was about to look at the text I received I noticed the time.

Yes, I had spent roughly five minutes washing pen marks out of my hands, and that would be something that my brother would tease me forever for. But more importantly, strangely enough, in those five minutes I hadn’t heard Aoba closing the library.

The room was close by, so I should have at least heard the door closing, or footsteps in the hallway. Hell, maybe if he was paying attention to his surroundings, he would have noticed me and asked me what was wrong.

At first, I told myself that it was not as big of a deal as I made it out to be: maybe the rushing water distracted me from those sounds. And yet, I couldn’t help but wonder; couldn’t help but peek out of the bathroom door, look at the closed library doors. And couldn’t help but notice the fact that one of the sliding doors was barely open on the side.

Only a fool would leave one of the rooms in Yumenosaki half-opened.

Normally anyone would think that Aoba just got distracted and forgot to close anything; he was that kind of guy, after all. And yet, maybe because I was too curious, maybe because I needed an excuse to justify why I was wasting my time, I couldn’t let that kind of explanation stand. Not to mention, it just sounded odd to me for him not to close it all the way, nor to lock it. Which could only mean one thing: he hadn’t left the library yet.

It’s alright to be curious, was the mantra I kept repeating to myself as I opened the door. After all, worse comes the worst, he could just explain the situation, apologise for worrying me and send me back on my way. It’s probably nothing anyway, but a little look never hurt anyone, so…

There was no one in the library. No one I could see or hear at least; even when I called out, I received no answer. Not like there was a chance I could receive any: all the lights were off, and as I looked around, I became more and more suspicious of the silence surrounding me. Then I reached a certain shelf and paused.

A desk light was switched on. More specifically, in an area that had been closed off by Aoba some days ago due to some books that needed restoration and replacement. It almost looked like he had stayed over to tidy up that area, except, as said before, it seemed like I was the only person in the library. I inched closer, and stepped inside the restricted space, looking around the dusty bookshelves for an answer I wasn’t sure if I could find.

In movies, this was usually the part where people would be screaming at the TV begging for the main lead to leave and never think about this matter again. Yet, for the first time, I finally understood what kind of thoughts those characters might be having when presented with such a scenario; that is, if they had the ability to think about it and were not just mindless puppets in the script writer’s head. And the more I thought about it, the more I continued to spin around and around, pondering the circumstances. Everything felt off about the current situation, though I couldn’t picture any malicious intent. And as I tried to understand what was going on, I found myself focusing on the shelves again.

The books looked quite old, there was no denying that. If I brushed against one, I was scared I might accidentally turn it to dust. But strangely enough, the lamp was pointed towards a group of them; and I doubted such a careless mistake could go unnoticed by someone like Aoba.

I walked towards the illuminated section and looked through the spines. Then, right in the middle of the lamp light, I noticed something weird: a book that stuck out, not only physically from the rest of the shelf, but also aesthetically: unlike the other ones surrounding it, it looked newer, and when I dragged my finger on the wood, I noticed there was no dust around it compared to others near it.

I paused, meditating on the unusual discovery. Whatever it meant, it had to be important if Aoba hadn’t said anything; and there was a chance that, if I continued indulging in my curiosity, I could never turn back from it. Common sense would dictate that I leave the room close the door behind me, and go back home, pretending I saw nothing, acting like the library was just a normal building that its curator forgot to close properly that one time. But something else was telling me that, whatever was going on, there must have been a reason for me to find the means to discover it; after everything that I had seen and been through, and knowing Yumenosaki’s rumours, I couldn’t accept that what I was I was going to find wouldn’t be part of the answer I had been looking for all this time. A motive, an opportunity, an invitation, a means. Whatever I was going to discover, I couldn’t risk remaining in the dark, not when I was so close.

So, holding my necklace with one hand, so tight I was worried I would break it, I reached out and decisively pushed the new book’s spine.

Chapter 6: Setting the green board 4

Summary:

Back in the game of war.

Chapter Text

Rumours and legends thrived in Yumenosaki. Whether through a classmate or just by existing in a room, someone would eventually bring up certain mysteries that had been a part of the school's culture for what seemed like years now, sometimes adding their own theories. Out of all of them, there was one that stood out more than the rest. Mostly because it was the most recent, the most realistic and, to a certain extent, the most probable.

The rumour about the secret passages.

According to this hearsay, Yumenosaki’s original plant had more rooms, but due to budget cuts they had to lock most of them, reformatting the plans until the school looked like a new building. The rumour had some founding to it: it wasn’t a secret that restoration had been done to the school; but there was no proof if that had included secret rooms, or how many. Not like anyone could know that, without the plans or the means to access them. Then, around last year, people started claiming that someone had started implementing secret passages around the school, permitting access to those locked out areas. They were all supposedly marked with a pentagram, which added more mystique to the whole thing; however, despite the clear sign, only a handful of people had managed to go into the passages: even if you did find a pentagram (and supposing it wasn’t a fake) there were no helpful instructions, not even riddles, to indicate how to enter the secret rooms. And considering the Yumenosaki population was mostly made up of stressed and overworked high schoolers, there was little hope of them spending more than a few minutes trying to figure out the secret, before giving up and moving onto more urgent matters.

It was an accepted truth that, despite the popularity of the rumour and the proof, you were very unlikely to stumble upon a secret passage in your time at Yumenosaki; whether it was because of duds, or the pentagram being well-hidden, or even the inability to trick the mechanism, students liked to ominously repeat that you were more likely to surpass fine than you were to finding one (this was also meant as a call to be productive). So you could imagine my surprise when I realised that I had in face stumbled upon one of these secret passages and, what’s more, I was in the room it led to.

Judging by the multitude of bookshelves that surrounded me, I deduced I was in a sort of archive. Most of the books also looked very old, and I could almost smell the bath of dust they were coated in; through this I was reminded that I shouldn’t be there, and I didn’t know who I was going to meet besides Aoba. So I started breathing quietly and with half of my mouth covered, in a slim attempt at shielding myself from the dust.

The archive seemed really big for a secret passage. Maybe it was the ceiling, or the multitude of shelves that bent and twisted in each other likes snakes, forming a sort of labyrinth, but the space around me felt like it never ended, and could have as well covered the whole floor plan of the school. Despite that, I didn’t let myself be intimidated by the size: Aoba knew about this place and lied about it. And I intended to find out what he was hiding.

As I was making my way through the labyrinth, I started hearing a voice. Quickly I ducked behind a shelf, but as I listened closely I realised that there was nothing I had to fear: it was from far away, and somehow, familiar. I crept out and started edging closer towards the source, trying not to bump into anything. At first, as I was making little progress, I was worried I might get lost in that space, doomed to wander through eternity in the room and become a part of one of the many Yumenosaki mysteries, but eventually, the sound got louder and louder, and I started seeing traces of an open space. I was almost at the end when, suddenly, I was hit by a strong whiff of a familiar perfume, and the pieces fell into place.

The voice was Natsume Sakasaki's.

He still spoke in his usual odd way, but something about the tone was different: it sounded more solemn, like a politician giving a speech. And though I did not focus immediately on the words, I still felt myself being drawn to them. It was amazing, how this boy could level his voice in order to emphasise certain sentences more than others. I half-wished I knew this before, so I could ask him for tips.

I continued to walk, even slower this time. Then, I found a table to crawl under, and hoped the shadows and the distance worked in my favour. It was from this position that I finally was able to catch a glimpse of the members of this private little circle: there, gathered around a table, one of them seated on a box and the other two standing up, were the three members of Switch.

“Natsume-kun, I know you mean well” Aoba spoke up. “But…this is our fourth meeting, and we haven’t come up with anything yet. The school board is going to get suspicious if I keep closing the library a little earlier than usual”

“The school board has better things to worrY about” Natsume said, his tone admitting no rebuttals. “You should know more than anyone that they don’t double checK these things”

“Can we not bring that up? I said I was sorry”

“Sorry doesn’t make things bettER”

"Shishou, if Sora can ask” Sora raised his hand. “Sora got a little bit distracted just now; what’s our plan so far?”

“Oh, is it because of your homework? Natsume-kun-”

“Oh, right right, how could I bE so careless” the boy nodded. “The basic is, unfortunately we don’t havE a lot; we merely covered what we discussED yesterday. I’ll let you know when therE are updates, but please make sure to keep uP with your studies like a good boy”

“Of course, of course! Sora came prepared just like you said, Shishou!” The first year smiled, and picking up the backpack lying to his side, he ran to a separate corner, where he dumped the contents and began to work.

“I don’t mean to be rude, and please don’t take it the wrong way” Aoba said, in a slightly lower voice. “But Natsume-kun, this isn’t helping us at all; I mean, we haven’t even debuted, and it’s September. Don’t you think Sora-kun deserves to see the stage at least once?”

“It’s because I want him to see it that we’re doING this” Natsume hissed. “Haven’t you realised that your dear emperor changED the game? If Switch debuTS now, we will end up like the rest of those minor unitS: chasing around for scraps of food without ever beING full”

“We might be lucky though; with me and you-”

“Ah, yes, the member of a past legend that mysteriously disbandED in the night without a trace and the last survivor of a scorned speciES” the boy cut him off. “I’m sure people will coME with great eagerness”

“Natsume-kun, I’m being serious; you might find it hard to believe, but it is possible for us to have a chance. Maybe I could ask Tenshouin to give us a spot somewhere, or you could ask the other Oddballs. It would probably go better than…well, this…"

Natsume went quiet, his face darkening. The atmosphere around the room suddenly got tense, although his senior hardly seemed to notice. I was worried, for a split second, that my classmate might break down and explode right then and there, although in the time I had known him I could not picture that scenario occurring. However, despite everything, he merely looked up at his unit mate and smiled, really softly, almost like he had done that day in the Student Council.

“Why are you so insistent on hiding yourself and bending to the wills of the enemy, SenpaI?" He asked, calmly. “You speak like you’re scared of what your reputation might becoME; like, if you mingle with the wrong crowd, society will come at you with spears and scorn and slice you until theRE is nothing left but a blood-stained husk. Why the hurry? I was hidden from my probable execution twice now, and I turned out just fine, didn’T I?”

Aoba stood rigid, but Natsume didn’t stop there. His smile dwindled, as his hands tightened into fists.

“I am done bending to this sick system’s rulES; I am done pretending that the situatioN is easy and happy. I am done pretending that living was a privilegE, becauSE it isn’t. Life is nothing but a cursE, where you have to live with the knowleDGE others have fallen, and that no matter what they will keep going oN and on, respecting and repeating the history they were fed in deaTH. The industry is competitiVE, yes, but teaching us how to survive is better than condemning us to total apathY and crushing dreams into dust. We are going to kickstart this revolutioN, whether you like iT or not. Even if it takES me the whole year, I will take the Emperor to the stanD, and behead hiM in front of the roaring crowd. And from his blooD, a new, better era will begin”

My heart leaped in my throat, but for the first time in a while, it was due to a sense of excitement. It was like the gods themselves, after scorning me for so long, had finally decided to grant my wish, and given me the perfect chance to avenge the fallen and my friends. I couldn't have been happier, and had I not been hidden, I would have screamed.

My hand clutched the tourmaline around my neck. The giver, one of the people who had helped me, was none other than the person who had sworn to lead us to victory. To think that it had all been foretold!

“Well, we’re not going to murder him of course!” Aoba smiled nervously. “I mean, that could go on our permanent records and everything. You should be careful about your language, Natsume-kun, before someone misunderstands...”

“Oh, I meanT every word” the other said, his body instantly relaxing. “If he truly is an angel, then he’ll just resurrect”

Then he lowered his gaze, and placed a hand on the table.

“But even so, our plans aren't really set in stoNE. We don’t know who to strike first yet, and hoW. We know our main enemiES are Akatsuki and fine, but with our resources there’s not much we can do against theM. I do havE some ideas, buT I’m still not sure yet. We might need to aiM at something a little lower, just out of our reacH…"

He picked up a paper, examining it.

“So, what do you think then, KitteN?”

I froze, clutching my necklace.

Maybe I heard wrong. His speech pattern confused me, and-

“I know you’re theRE, KitteN” he looked towards me, I could have sworn our eyes met. “You can coME out now; we’re not going to hurt yoU”

There was no denying it now. So, with a sigh, I emerged from under the table; Aoba let out a gasp.

“Producer!” Sora waved at me energetically with one hand. “Sora did sense another colour in the area, but Sora didn’t want to bother Shishou and Senpai about it in case you got scared. Sorry!”

“It’s fine, don’t worry” the older of the two smiled at him. “But, Miss Producer, I…how did you find this place?”

I looked away, embarrassed. “Uhm, you left the library door ajar, Aoba-senpai; I was worried, so I went in to look, and a lamp was turned on…”

“Typical useless SenpaI” Natsume sighed, rolling the sheets of paper he was holding and whacking him. “How many times have I told you to be more carefuL!”

“Ow! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I was so tired Natsume-kun; I thought Miss Producer had left by then…”

“You’re really despicable sometimES”

He sighed and unravelled the papers on the table.

“You should know how easily little mice can slip into crackS; or in this case, the dear KitteN” he smiled at me. “Curiosity killed the cat, you knOW; you must be very carefuL from now on in following strangers”

“We're not-”

“SilencE, Senpai, you’ve doNE enough!”

I nodded, straightening my skirt. “But...how did you know I was here?”

“Oh, well, anyonE could have if they paid attention to where you were hiddEN, to be honest” he shrugged. “But in all honesty, I picked up a very strong sens of excitement a couple of minutes agO; like a bright firE had suddenly being lit up in the room, so bright it burnED all the shelves around it to smithereens”

“Sora sensed it too!” The other boy piped up. “Sora thought it was Shishou though. But thinking about it, the colour was different from Shishou’s usual ones”

A fire…

The hand still pressed around my necklace tightened. How interesting: despite my silence, my true emotions managed to reach my friends. And even though it was bold of me to call them “true”, considering the description, there was no denying that that was what they were. And those feelings, I still meant them even now, with every fibre of my being. Even if I would have to shed the image everyone had of me, even if I disappointed others doing so, then so be it. I had stored those emotions for weeks, and I knew from Natsume’s words that it was alright to let them out.

I was a fire. A fire that needed its wood. A fire that had at last found its home.

“What you felt, what you saw…whatever it was, it was not for show” I said. “And, if what I heard was true, and you really are planning a revolution…please let me be a part of it! Let me be a member of your team of rebels! I too want to see the sun shine on a new era of Yumenosaki, a new age where no one has to cry anymore, where all those who have been wronged have been rightfully avenged! I want that…that person, I want him to pay. I want to see that grin wiped off his face, and I want him to finally see what he really has done to everyone. So please, I beg of you…let me be there with you when you defeat that menace and free them all!”

My yells rang out in the room, echoing like a last desperate cry. The other three did not say anything, but merely stared at me with something akin to shock, surprise, or pure terror. All except Natsume, who despite having widened his eyes had soon returned to his classic enigmatic smile.

“It’s nO easy task for hearts such as yours, KittEN” he said. “Your passion is greaT, and so is your knowledge; but if we were to fail, I doubt you would ever recovER. And if you were hurt, not only your dearest friend, but half of the school would havE my head on a platter”

“We won’t fail!” I said, slamming my hand on the table. “You won’t, if you have me on your side; I’ve been through this song and dance before, I’ve seen things that are much more different from your experiences and yet not less meaningful. Though I have failed before, I am still able to fight, and I will never, ever forgive myself if I stood by the side-lines. I promised…” I clenched my fist, scraping the wood. “I promised I would never do that again. Swore on it. And if I were to break my word, I would fall even sicker than if I tried and failed”

The others looked at each other, passing secret messages through their expressions. I spread my other arm.

“I mean, I have an advantage! The school could never expel me even if they wanted to! There is no way Tenshouin can risk failing the only Producer on purpose, especially when I have so many people by my side; besides, if you don’t want to endanger me, I can easily work in secret: no one hides their thoughts in front of a defeated veteran, and I always have to walk into the Student Council anyway!”

They continued to look at each other. Then, finally, Natsume sighed.

“You’re persistENT; but I supposE, that’s an important qualiTY for a Producer. But if you accepT, then you must swear to keEP it secret”

“Of course; I told you, it’s not my first revolution”

He traced a symbol in mid-air with his finger, and for a split second, I swore I could see a strange image before my eyes, irradiating a pale green glow. He took both of my hands and squeezed them.

“It has been decided” he said, his tone shifted. “Yumenosaki’s only Producer is now part of Switch's revolution”.

 

---

 

My admittance was followed immediately by a briefing on what they had so far.

Like I had overheard, while they were gathering information on the school regulations and trying to piece it together, they had no concrete plan. There were some things that were set in stone, such as the main targets: defeating fine would have guaranteed the revolution’s success; but Natsume wasn’t sure if he should use Switch to go against the unit. He was also thinking about using propaganda to his advantage, but was still looking into how to gather any.

“Traces of the past war have been deletED, no thanks to a certain idioT here”

There were also some plan suggestions the three were considering, such as: gaining fine’s trust; gaining Akatsuki’s trust; taking out Akatsuki; beat all the other units into submission, or alternatively, convince them to rebel. As one might guess, they were all really flimsy, and even Natsume, who out of the three seemed to be the most dedicated, was hesitant on several. He knew that to reach fine the smartest move would be the first proposal; but suddenly latching onto the enemy, especially considering his Oddball status, would seem too suspicious. He needed something else, something that could definitely change the game for good.

A small consolation was that at least, also thanks to my admittance, they had a timeframe to execute the revolution; they settled it was going to take place within the current school year, due to two important advantages: for starters, fine was occupied with the SS, limiting their intervention within school affairs; and also, in case my immunity would come in handy.

Another last note was the meeting schedule: we could use the secret passage any day, as Natsume and Sora were going to spend most of their afternoons there, brainstorming and doing homework. For official meetings, we exchanged numbers to chat privately. Finally, Natsume reminded us that, despite the importance of this mission, we also had to take care of ourselves and focus on our studies. (“I’m not only referring to Sora and KitteN, but also you, SenpAI; you’d be more useless if you overworK yourself”)

My body was jittering with excitement by the time I was heading home. I looked like a bomb about to explode, and even my brother, upon greeting me at the door, asked me if I was feeling well. Even when I was bed, I couldn’t sleep.

Being part of a revolution, it was not an outlandish thing to me. But I could feel it this time, the difference: I knew I would not fail. We would not fail. We would win this war, and crush the one who had hurt us.

My eyes fell on the tourmaline rock on my desk, and I smiled. And then, trailing down, I spotted my phone, left there to charge. Before I could think about it, I had taken it in my shaking hands, examining the turned off display. I never would have betrayed their trust, but I felt like if I told no one I might explode. So many thoughts swirled in my mind, and out of them, a person emerged through it all.

“You cannot tell anyone, KitteN, remembER; at least, refrain from telling anyonE from this school, or that you suspect might know TenshouiN"

Surely Natsume had added that last part because he was thinking my same thought. He knew her, after all, and was aware of how close we were; she, out of all people, deserved to know about this.

I dialled the number before I could stop myself, assuring myself that if she didn’t pick up I would put the phone away and forget about it. But within a few seconds, I heard the tell-tale sound of the call being accepted.

“Angie?”

“Suzu!” I almost jumped on the bed. “I’m so sorry I called you at this hour, but I really needed to talk to someone!”

“No worries, I was jus' jotting down some notes” she mumbled, yawning. “What happened? Do I need to kill a bastard for ya? You know I would do it…”

“Yes, but...this is different!” I excitedly tapped the mattress. “You won’t believe it”

“Try me”

Trying hard not to squeal, I excitedly told her of my encounter, and the new revolution I was planning with Switch. Somehow, I managed to squeeze in the whole thing in one breath, and by the time I had uttered the last words, I felt like I had ran a mile.

“That’s fantastic girl!” Suzu exclaimed. “Oh my god, so you’re going all ‘fuck the tyranny’ again?”

“I know you’re going to think I’m mad, but-”

“Mad? Sure, but in a positive way, you mad girl!” She laughed. “You were always like this honestly; couldn’t stand still without overthrowing some rule or somethin'; I trust ya Angie, and I can tell that you’re sure about this. And if you’re sure, hell, I believe ya. Fuck the patriarchy!”

“Suzu, please…”

“'s fine, I soundproofed the walls”

I chuckled, trying hard to keep my voice down. “Then, if you want, I can keep you updated? But please don’t tell anyone”

“Wouldn’t dream it; not like I have the time for gossip anyway” I could sense her smile from the phone. “Any plans so far?”

“Sort of, but nothing set in stone” I frowned. “Do you have any suggestions?”

“Na, you know how crap I was at that stuff; if you want I could ring our other partner in crime? But she's so fucking changed, yanno. Betcha if I told her what you did she’d have a heart attack”

The though of my friend brought back a few unpleasant memories, but I shook them away.

“No need; I wouldn’t want to spread this too far unless necessary. We’ll think about something together”

“Fuck yeah! You can do it Angie!”

We both laughed, even if there was no need. It brought back more memories, of a time that seemed like years ago, where I was exposing my plans to my friends over a sleepover like an orator. A time of innocence, where I still foolishly believed that a revolution was as simple as taking a walk, or telling a joke.

Konan, Suzu...I won't let you down. Not this time.

“You should rest now Angie” Suzun interrupted my train of thought. “You need energy to think of plans after all”

“Ah! True, you’re right. And I’d hate to keep you up” I nodded. “So…I guess this is goodnight?”

“You’re saying it like I’m not gonna call you everyday to get updates”

“Also true”

“Ah, and Angie?”

“Yes?”

There was a moment of silence on the other line, and for a split second I wondered if her phone had died of battery. But then I could hear her voice again.

“Please promise me you will be careful; I wouldn’t want ya to get hurt”

I smiled, tilting my head against the phone, as if just by doing that I could lean against her face like we used to do all those months ago.

“I promise; don’t worry, Suzu”

Chapter 7: Setting the green board 5

Summary:

A crisis spawns a master plan.

Notes:

Tsukasa with all due respect, what the heck is up with you being the next feature scout????

Chapter Text

Things were looking better.

Tsukasa could not help but smile to himself, as he took another gulp of water. He had been subjected to a lot of hard training, an overwhelming sense of worthlessness and hopelessness, sometimes even lacked of will to go to school...but at last, his prayers had been finally answered. Finally he had found a reason to keep moving on with his school life.

And that reason was none other than his beloved Producer.

Since they had met in the library that day, Tsukasa and her had begun to make plans to meet up again, and they had managed to schedule two meetings so far. The only problem was trying to figure out how to fill time, but Tsukasa did not worry too much over it: the most important part was that he was alone with Onee-sama, and that both of them were happy. Everything else came second.

[Producer]...Onee-sama...is it even possible for someone like you to exist? How could I have been so lucky to know you in my lifetime, and to have you be willing to spend time with me?

And yet I feel like, lately, despite everything, you're always so secretive...what troubles you so? Tell me, please. Tell me, and I will make sure that they will never bother you again. I will raise my sword high and crush anyone you desire, with the rights given to me as a member of the Suou family and of one of Yumenosaki's most prestigious [units]. For the greatest honour of a knight is to serve their princess…

“Hey, if you want to stare into space for the whole afternoon you know you’re welcome to leave, right? At least let those who want to work do our job! So annoooying…”

Tsukasa chocked on his water, and started coughing violently to let it out. Beside him, Narukami patted him on the back to help, muttering words of encouragement. But those were lost on his ears: all he could sense at that moment was that icy stare in his direction.

“You could at least show some curtesy! We’re all wasting our time here waiting for you” Sena frowned. “We haven’t gotten all day; Yuu-kun has a curfew, you know”

“Relaax, Secchan, no need to kick the horse when it’s down” Ritsu rolled his eyes, leaning against his chair. “It would be worse if Suuchan died on us; we could be sued for accidental manslaughter or something. Give him a couple of seconds to get it out and we can go back to practising”

“This wouldn't have happened if he had paid attention” the other scoffed. “But go ahead; and make it quick!”

Tsukasa heaved a few more times, just to be sure he wasn’t coughing anymore. Narukamj bent over to look at him concerned, but he nodded and rose up, patting his chest a bit.

“Hm, we’ll have to clean the carpet” she clicked her tongue, looking at the ground. “If someone slipped it would be bad…”

Tsukasa was about to apologise when he caught sight of Sena’s expression, and bit back his tongue. He knew that face well enough to know that a storm was brewing.

“And you’re only now noticing!” His senior yelled. “Haven’t we wasted enough time? Clean it up now! If Yuu-kun trips I’m kicking you all out”

He would never do that, they all were aware of it. But it didn’t stop Tsukasa from flinching. And when he turned to look at Ritsu, noticing he had opened one of his eyes, he shook again. 

“Well, if you knew that, why didn’t you clean it up yourself?” The older boy mumbled. “Your precious Yuu-kun isn’t going to fold like paper if you leave him unattended for three seconds; sure, he acts like it, but there must be something still human in him”

Narukami’s hand on his shoulder had tightened its grip, to the point the boy almost cried out. He inadvertently turned towards their sixth member and noticed how during the entire conversation and break he had remained where he was: seated, staring at nothing in particular, a blank slate.

Sena meanwhile had turned pink.

“I was busy tending to him!” He snapped. “I assumed since you were closer, one of you would deal with it; you can move on your own, you know! So annoying…”

“Yeah, indeed we can move on our own” was the flat reply. “Unlike your little doll there”

“Ritsu-chan, please” Narukami raised her voice in alarm. But the boy only took it as more of a challenge, crossing his arms.

“I’m never against playing house with anyone, but at this point I’m starting to think this game is a bit one-sided. You hardly ask us how we’re doing, if anything, and you spend every joule of your energy doting on your Yuu-kun like your life depends on it. It feels a bit unfair, honestly…”

“Well, you’re here to work, not to be a spoiled child; so stop acting like one!”

“If I can’t be a spoiled child, then why should you have your own doll to play with? And why are you the one throwing fits over everything? Let’s face it Secchan, this isn’t practice anymore. This is just an opportunity to baby some guy because you need a reason to look yourself at the mirror without crying”

“Ritsu-chan!” Narukami squealed, gaze shifting between the two so quickly Tsukasa feared she might snap something.

“Kuma-kun!” Sena was red now. “If you have nothing to offer except spewing insults, then I suggest you leave!”

“He doesn't mean it” Tsukasa tried to say, but his voice was so quiet no one paid attention to him.

“You know, you don’t have to jump through a lot of hoops; if you want to be alone with that guy be my guest, we don’t mind”

“Stop talking nonsense!”

“Nonsense you say?”

His voice suddenly grew a lot softer. Barely a whisper. Dangerous.

Tsukasa's internal alarm bells flared up, but before he could even try to speak up, Narukami placed an arm in front of his chest, almost knocking him over. She shook her head, which only made him more terrified. The fear paralysed him, making him unable to resist against that unfair barrier, and he could only watch, as Ritsu walked towards Sena.

“We’re not blind, Secchan” he hissed, gritting his teeth. “Anyone who knows you can see what the hell is going on; and I tried putting up with your stupid games, I tried tolerating it all, but I’m not going to stand by and watch you damage yourself and others for the sake of your stubbornness; so you’d better kick Yuuki out of the unit and take him back home, or I swear on my head I will forcefully disband Knights"

Despite the tone, his words seemed to ring loud within the practice room. A promise, a threat. And by the look on his face, it was clear he meant every word.

Tsukasa started inadvertently shivering. He tried to grab his arm in a pathetic attempt to stop himself, but it proved to be futile, as he only shook more. His mind begged him to intervene, to restore peace, perhaps distract them somehow by any means necessary; but his body would not move from where it was. He could not give it commands. There was only fog in his head, pure, black fog, clouding his reason.

At some point, after what seemed like hours and hours of silence, his mouth moved on its own before he could stop it, muttering out a phrase so quickly he himself barely understood it.

"I have to go to the bathroom"

Three heads turned towards him, observing him with an odd judgemental look. Then one of the expressions softened ever so slightly, concerned.

“Right now?” Narukami asked. “We were just about to start practicing”

Her last words were spoken slightly louder, as if to impose a command. It should have reassured Tsukasa: at least someone was trying to do something. At least not everyone was threatening to break them all apart.

But instead, his movements only became more jittery, and he took a few shaking steps backwards.

“Y-yes” he said. “Yes, I need to go; urgently. I’m...I’m sorry”

And he ran out of the room, as two panicked voices called out to him.

 

---

 

Subaru had his part time job that day, so in order not to disturb him I had decided to sit in a classroom and gather some notes. However, focusing turned out to be harder than expected: the memory of our revolution would not leave my mind, and my hands couldn’t stop shaking from the excitement.

Focus, Anzu, come on. You don’t have all day…

After some minutes of struggling, I decided I would be approaching my notes as if looking for ways to help with the revolution. After all, since those were all regarding producing, I might be able to find something that could help me and Switch on our mission, even if insignificant.

Having settled on a solution, I began to carefully comb through the papers, separating then based on topic and stopping sometimes to read the shorter ones. Those did not give out a lot of information, but it did not discourage me from trying either way.

I remember at some point I stumbled across a particular piece of paper. It was something I had written down during my producer classes, maybe as a footnote, maybe because I had forgotten my notebook that day, it was hard to tell. It did not say a lot, but what little there was intrigued me enough to stop me in my tracks.

 

Units in Yumenosaki 

Not perm. Usually placeholders.

Some pre-existed before the current year but are more popular than they used to be.

 fine and Akatsuki levels of fame and knowledge.

Very well known, large fanbase mostly attached to the current members than the name.

 

It was no secret that Yumenosaki did have unit names attached to it, although lately a lot of them had tried to distance themselves from the school. It was still up to debate whether that kind of idea would be wise, and it was something a lot of students were torn about.

Ryuuseitai was one of those units. While it did not have the same prestige as fine or Akatsuki, it was older; and over the past few months, it had gone through incredible leaps and changes to wipe away the blemish that had tainted it some years before. However, according to Subaru, Morisawa hadn’t disclosed his plans on the unit’s future.

Their fanbase has increased a lot, I thought to myself. And that’s the only thing that really connects the official Yumenosaki units to the Student Council-led ones. Though different in many ways, they each have their own age demographic, and strong supporters who aren’t easy to dissuade…

“Kitten? At work even after hours, I seE”

The strong smell of perfume had already alerted me of his presence, but even then I couldn' hide my surprise at hearing his voice so suddenly.

“I…I wasn't doing much” I stammered. “Just...reorganising things”

“Hm? Let me see…”

I felt a presence close to my chair, as the perfume got more and more intense, almost making my nose hurt. A pale hand brushed against my arm before it picked up a few stray papers.

“ProducING homework?”

“Uh, well, almost; that one you're holding yes, and those as well...but the rest are mostly my research”

He looked up from the paper, a sly smile forming on his face. “Research, you saY?”

“Yeah, and I was looking through them, for…you know”

I waved my hand around, to which he laughed.

“I can’t say it out loud!” I protested. “What if someone hears us?”

“You’re not wronG, KitteN, but you need to remembER not everyone has that much free time to spare” he said through his laughs. “Though in all seriousness, I appreciaTE your dedication; I expected nothing lesS from a veteran”

I felt my cheeks heat up at his words, and quickly turned away before he could see me. My eyes happened to fall on the paper I was reading before, and an idea immediately popped in my head.

“Natsume-kun!”

“Hm?”

“Look here” I shoved the paper in his face. “This talks about the units which are traditionally linked to Yumenosaki”

He picked it up and I gave him time to read the contents. After a few minutes, he nodded thoughtfully.

“You’re saying we should aim at one of thEM?”

“Maybe; if we beat a unit with that much power, seeing the current situation, it might give us the power needed to win against Akatsuki or fine

“That’s true” he mumbled. “We would need to figure out who to aim for and how; but that seems like a possibility. I’ll keep it in mind”

I couldn't resist a smile at his words, and he hummed softly as he placed the papers back on my desk.

“However, I was also thinking of something else”

His tone was low, like a priest holding a sermon. It sent chills down my spine and I looked up at him, concerned.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Oh, nothing that baD, don’t worry KitteN” he shook his head. “It’s just…the propaganda aspect that is botherinG me; I’m still not surE how to do it, and it’s getting me a little antSY. It sounds like nothing, buT it’s vital to our mission: we need to make sure that our voices are heaRD, and we also need others to understand what we are fightING for. With our history having been deletED, and the ghosts and sinS of the past reduced to half-true rumours, it feels wrong to fight the enemy without it meanING the same thing to our audience.”

I lowered my head, my hands tightening into fists. As shameful as it was to admit it, only now it had occurred to me that, while a lot of people were definitely aware of what he had done, it was not everyone; nor was there any guarantee that those who knew would speak up. There was also a small chance our words could convince others without concrete proof. Yumenosaki might have sheep for students, but age and experience makes them submissive and scared in front of those who hold power over them. If we really wanted to do something, we would have to hit hard.

“Is there any chance that some evidence might have survived, students excluded?” I asked. “They couldn’t have possibly gotten everything…”

“Eyewitnesses aside, you’d be surprisED” he smirked without joy. “Tenshouin’s right hand men are as thorough as hiM, albeit mayBE dumber; although, now that I think about iT…”

He was interrupted by the sound of running footsteps scraping the marble floor, and we both turned towards the entrance. Through the ajar door, a figure flashed before us; and right then, it stopped, panting heavily. I immediately stood up, having recognised the red hair.

“Who do you think it is?” Natsume asked.

I didn’t say anything, but my eyebrows knitted together. If I was not mistaking, Tsukasa should have been practicing at this hour. There was no way he would be on the first floor of Yunenosaki, especially alone. Unless that was not him, and I had imagined seeing him.

But what if it was him?

The thought would not leave my mind, and my chest felt heavier with every pant he let out. At some point, I couldn’t stand it anymore, and I ran towards the door, opening it wide and peeking out.

Even though I had predicted it, I felt my stomach drop when I saw my friend a few metres away, bent on his knees like he had just run a marathon.

“Tsukasa-kun!”

I ran out of the room, and before he could even turn around properly, I was hugging him, holding him tightly like I was worried he might sprint away again.

“Are you alright?” I asked, parting from him to check him out. “Do you feel sick? Did something happen? Should I take you to Sagami-sensei, or…”

“KitteN, please calm down; the boy looks exhaustED, but it’s not like he’s going to diE”

I looked back at Natsume, who had calmly made his way towards us, his hands behind his back.

“So, thiS is Suou Tsukasa” he said. “Newest member of Knights, first yeaR with great potential, best student in his clasS...you look just like the poster picturES”

The boy stared at the other with a confused expression, and I quickly introduced them both.

“It’s...it is a pleasure to meet you” he uttered out, breathless. “And it’s great to see you too, Onee-sama; but really, I’m fine. I just...had a temper tantrum, I suppose”

“A tantrum? At your agE?” Natsume smirked, to which I glared at him.

“You can tell us after you’ve had some rest and something to drink” I said to Tsukasa, taking his hand. “Come on, there’s an open classroom and I have some tissues; Natsume-kun, if you could please get him something from the dispenser machine”

“Of coursE”

Luckily, though tired, he still had enough strength to move a little bit, so despite his protests that he should be going back to practice and not worry us, I managed to drag him to the classroom and have him sit down at the nearest desk, where I proceeded to hand him some tissues. A few minutes later, Natsume came back holding fruit juice, which Tsukasa feverishly drank like a parched animal.

“I thought you would like iT” he smiled. “Sora always mentioned you drank soME when no one was looking”

“Harukawa-san?” The boy's eyes widened. “How...how did he-”

“You’re not as subtlE as you might think; but then agaiN, he claimED the colour of your joy was so bright it would be hard not to notice you”

Tsukasa turned bright pink, and then continued to drink a little more properly, trying to look away as much as possible. After he was done, and having rested for a little bit longer, he was about to stand up; but I blocked him, spreading my arms wide for the full barrier effect.

“No leaving” I said. “First you tell us what happened”

He blinked, confused. “I…Onee-sama, I already told you, it was nothing but a childish fit…”

“What a fit it was indeED” Natsume, who had moved to stand in front of the other side of the chair, tilted his head, his eyes glimmering mischievously. “You raN all the way from Knights’ practice room on the ground floor to the first floor, and only stoppED just a few seconds into the second hallway. You were really in a rush to get away, weren’t yOU?”

“I…I wasn’t…”

“You’re in a practiCE uniform” he interrupted, nodding at his clothes. “And you reeK of sweat. Unless you raN through the whole school twice, I find it hard to belieVE you weren’t with your unit”

The boy pressed his lips into a thin line, his gaze lingering between the two of us. Eventually, he sighed heavily and clutched his trousers, pouting.

“It’s a mess” he mumbled. “Everything is going bad, and I don’t know what to do…”

He told us everything. What had happened at practice, the words his seniors had said, how he had felt so powerless and scared that he had ran off without even thinking about it. And then he didn’t stop there; it was like talking about it had accidentally activated a switch in his brain, because suddenly he had begun pouring out his feelings to the both of us.

“It’s been going for a while now” he said at some point, his voice lowering. “There was always something off about practice, don’t get me wrong, but...but this is different. Ever since Yuuki Ma…Yuuki-senpai became part of [Knights], everything has gone really bad...everyone is always tense and mad at each other; Ritsu-senpai never wants to do anything, and often insults Sena-senpai; Narukami-senpai ignores everyone and yet tries to defuse the situation by insisting on moving past it, and Sena-senpai doesn’t care about anyone else but his…friend. We’re just three people he has to deal with, inconveniences who happen to work with him. And no matter what I do, how I try to help them or to distract them...they all either dismiss me or go back to fighting subtly after a while. It all feels so uncomfortable and like a chore...I hate it. I hate it I hate it I hate it!”

He slammed his fists on the desk, his eyes brimming with tears.

I didn’t know what to say. While I was aware of certain complications, I had no idea they weighed so heavily on him. The force of his emotions was enough to make me kneel down, and though it pained me, I forced myself to look at him, mustering all the courage I had to maintain a straight face. It almost reminded me of back then, in that dark hallway.

“I’m...not the best person to give you advice right now” I said softly. “But if there’s one thing I know, is that your perseverance is your biggest advantage; keep going at it. Fight with all your might, even if you’re going to have to rip and tear into them just to get noticed. You might think you’re useless, Tsukasa-kun, but that couldn’t be more far from the truth. Despite being a first year, you have the one thing they would die to gain: you don’t have their baggage or the story of Knights on your shoulders. You can live the way you want to, and you can force a new era within. All you need to do is keep pushing some buttons, and along the way, figure out the plan you want to go with”

Tsukasa looked at me with wide eyes.

“Such...words…” he said. “I have to be honest, Onee-sama: I never expected someone like you to say them”

“Well, I…” I bit my lip, my hands curling up into fists. “I’ve had...my moments, I suppose”

I looked away, and my gaze happened to fall on Natsume. It was only then that I realised that he was looking at our underclassman in an…unusual way, I would say. Nothing alarming or worrying, but I could not tell exactly what he was thinking, and his gaze was fixed on him, as if hypnotised by something. The closest comparison I could make was a researcher studying a new species.

“But...if Onee-sama said so...then I’ll do my best” the boy said, interrupting my train of thought. “There’s still hope [Leader] will come back after all; I just need to hold on until then! It’s what he would want!”

“Right!” I nodded. “Do it! We’re all with you!”

Natsume snickered a little, but he nodded, though there was still that odd look in his eyes as Tsukasa stood up from the desk.

“I…I think I’m fine now” he said. “I should be going; the others could get worried”

Just then, we heard a voice from outside, calling out Tsukasa’s name. He immediately jumped up, almost knocking against the desk, his head raised high and his body stiffening.

“Is something wrong?” I whispered. He shook his head.

“Senpai...she’s looking for me...”

He had barely finished when, from the half-open doors of the classroom, a figure came into view. A tall person with blonde and brown hair, wearing a practice tracksuit that was zipped all the way up, looking around with tired yet focused eyes. They looked somewhat familiar, and even their voice, now that they were closer, was something I recognised from somewhere.

“Narukami-senpai!”

Tsukasa jumped out of the desk, running towards the person. The other froze, looking through the cracks of the door, and before the boy could reach them she had already burst in and enveloped him in her arms, squeezing him tightly.

“Aaaaaaah, I was so worried! You run off so suddenly, we thought you might have gotten lost!” She exclaimed. “There there, Tsukasa-chan, there there; next time tell us what’s wrong before you do things like this, ok?”

“Narukami-senpai...I can’t breathe…”

“Oh! My my, sorry about that; you’re so sweet and squishy, fufu. Make sure Izumi-chan doesn't find out, alright?”

She turned towards us at that point, scanning us with a doubtful expression before her face lit up.

“Oh! You must be from 2A! Pleased to meet you”

“Indeed we arE” Natsume nodded. "Sakasaki Natsume. NarukaMI from Knights, I presuME? Pleasure to make your acquaintanCE"

“My my, your speech is quite strange. But it’s the pleasant kind of strange, so I don't mind~ oh, and what do we have here?”

She walked towards me, her eyes sparkling. Before I could let out a word, she had taken my cheeks and squashed them gently between her manicured hands.

“Ohhh, a girl? You do look a bit like a girl; sorry if that’s a mistake…oh, it’s not? So that means...”

“She’s the [Producer]” Tsukasa tugged at her sleeves, forcing her to let me go. “I would appreciate if you treated her with respect, Senpai; she might be in your year, but we still have to be professional”

“Ah, of course, of course” she smiled at me, and bowed. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Producer-chan; I hope we will get to see each other more in the future, whether during the work or outside of it. Please refer to me as your big sister~”

My face went red, and I quickly nodded as she rose up in an effort to shield it. I even coughed in my hand, my eyes trailing away.

“It…it’s nice to meet you as well, Narukami...san?”

“Ohhh, please call me Arashi-chan; it would make me really happy if you do~”

She chuckled as my face turned even redder, and then turned to look at Natsume.

“Anyway, thank you for keeping Tsukasa-chan company; he’s our precious junior, we wouldn’t know what to do if we lost him”

“Hmmm, indeed when it’s about those innocent first yearS, it’s important to keEP an eye in them” Natsume nodded with a smile. “I have one under my caRE; quite the active type as well. I’m not sure if you know him, Narukami-saN: Harukawa Sora?”

Tsukasa visibly stood up straight at the mention of the name, but Arashi shook her head.

“I’ve heard of him, from one of my teammates in the track field club, but I’ve never met him. I’m sure he’s a sweetheart”

“Indeed he iS; though that’s just me talking as someone who is takING care of him more than I do the useless senpaI” Natsume’s smile grew wider. “I’m sure the members of Knights can understAND that, right? You all seem to have a knack for taking care of your juniors and leaving your seniors to roT, don’t you?”

I stiffened at his words, glancing at him ever so slightly with a neutral look (or at least, as neutral as I could). But Narukami, if she caught the provocation, didn’t comment on it. She simply cleared her throat, and tilted her head.

“My my, we should be going back; Izumi-chan is going to get mad at us if we stall practice for too long, and we wouldn’t want him and Ritsu-chan to have another fight. That would be such a pain...well, Tsukasa-chan? Shall we head back?”

The boy nodded, and then followed his senior out of the door, where they both waved at us before disappearing out of our sights. We waited, as their steps gradually got fainter and fainter, and in the meantime, my eyes landed back on my friend.

Natsume’s face still had a smile plastered on it, but there was something different about it now. His eyes, brimming with mischief moments prior, had settled on a calm and cool pensive air, and they gazed at the door without seemingly focusing on it. It made me shiver somehow, and I headed back towards my desk. The smell of his perfume persisted in the air as I worked, the only sign of his presence in the room. And then, after a few minutes, he stepped outside without another word, taking the source of the scent with him. Faint traces lingered for a few minutes, and then vanished completely.

 

---

 

Tsumugi wasn’t someone who liked to pry. When he had been part of the Student Council, and involved in the war from the previous year, he had only asked invasive questions if they led to an important objective. Even then, he didn’t like doing it: he had seen how scary it could be to ask too much, and had even made some people upset through his prying. He had told Eichi time and time again he didn’t want to keep going, but the other wouldn’t hear it; they had a goal with a deadline, and if they didn’t respect it, it could bring up complications they couldn’t afford to deal with. All of this is to say that, when Tsumugi talked to Sora that day, it was out of genuine care for his junior.

It was their third meeting that week since the Producer had joined their little revolution. Due to personal reasons, the girl in question wasn’t there; and the remaining three were split throughout the room, with Natsume focusing on a corkboard pinned to the wall, Sora and Tsumugi in a corner doing their homework. Except the latter wasn’t focusing on what he had to do: he had tried to talk to Natsume beforehand about the future of the unit, but his leader had pushed him aside, saying he was too busy. The older boy wasn’t phased anymore by his treatment; though he had to admit, he was getting slightly annoyed at the other’s constant insistence of needing space to meditate on a plan, especially when said meditation had gone on for weeks now. He would have liked if they focused on something more concrete; such as the state of their unit. Their futures. Sora…

Contrary to the other two, Sora was a first year. He had a bright future ahead of him, at least, one untainted by Yumenosaki’s past. Tsumugi had been against his inclusion in the revolution when it was first proposed and, looking at him now, those old sentiments came back to haunt him. He knew Natsume had told him he should leave it be, but…

“Sora-kun”

“Hm?”

“Can I…talk to you about something?” He pushed his notebook and pencils aside. “If you’re not too busy”

Sora looked at his exercise book for a few seconds, still. Then, he closed it on his pencil and sat up cross-legged.

“Sora has done most of the work” he said. “So Sora has time; but Senpai…your colour looks dull. Is something the matter?”

Ah, so the synaesthesia had betrayed him. Tsumugi smiled softly, unsure if it was going to be a curse or a blessing. He wondered if a calm composure was enough to switch to a better colour. Maybe his mother knew of a way to achieve that process, but he didn’t think calling her now was a good idea. Besides, his phone could hardly pick up a signal in the hideout.

“So…I just wanted to know” he clasped his hands together. “How…do you feel about all this?”

Sora tilted his head, confused.

“I mean, are you sure you’re ok with…pardon my words, but…sitting around and doing nothing? I know that you’re taking it really well, but…you’re a first year. Shouldn’t you be looking forward to the prospect of being on stage, singing and dancing the day away? Isn’t that the whole point of joining Yumenosaki? Many students in your place would be aching to show off their skills and their hard work…”

The boy’s expression didn’t change for a while, though his eyes wondered to the walls and the floor. Then, before Tsumugi could think of apologising for whatever he said that had been wrong, his head straightened up again.

"Well, Sora wouldn’t want Senpai to worry…”

“No, no, I’m asking because I want to make sure you’re comfortable with our current predicament; as your older senior, you're both under my responsibility. So it's my duty to make sure you're alright”

Sora smiled, though it was less happier than his usual. He then lowered his head, picking at the cuff his uniform trousers.

“Well, if Sora had to be honest, it’s hard to pretend that this is normal” he said. “At school, Sora can always hear everyone talking about practice and their next live shows, or how they’ve been working hard and managed to do certain abilities and moves…Sora has been trying to make friends, now that he is in a new enviroment, but he can’t speak about what his unit does just as easily. And also, Sora would hate to lie, in case everyone gets mad at him in the future.

“But…but Sora doesn’t mind too much. One day, Sora realised there was another classmate who never spoke about what his unit did; and in fact, he always changed the subject when someone asked, just like Sora does. He thought, that maybe he could talk to this person about other things, though Sora wasn’t sure what yet.

“So, Sora he approached the boy and asked him if he wanted to talk – oh, his colour was a bit gloomy, that’s also why Sora asked – and he was a bit defensive at first, unkind, but not rude; just scared. Sora understood, he used to be scared as well. So he continued to talk to his classmate, about little things, and eventually, they started eating together, and chat more. He even invited Sora to play cards! Making friends is hard, but the payoff is really worth it!”

Tsumugi’s eyes widened. “Ah, Sora-kun made a friend?”

“Sora made a friend! And see, that’s why, even if he wants to be able to tell his stories about practice, Sora doesn’t mind much!”

The older boy nodded pensively. He was happy to hear that things were going well for his junior, despite his situation; and yet, he was not entirely convinced Sora was as alright as he claimed to be. That boy had a kind heart, sometimes too generous for such a school, and it was hard to tell if he was speaking for the sake of others or stating his true feelings.

Tsumugi excused himself and walked away, meditating on whether he could ask Natsume about letting Sora practice. Preferably without being hit by a book in the process.

“I got it!”

The older boy jumped, instinctively covering his head. But the blow never came, replaced by a scurrying of feet on wooden floor.

“Shishou, what’s wrong?”

“I’ve done iT!” Natsume answered. “I have a plan! We just need to cash in some favours and prod around a little biT, but it shouldn’t be thAT hard”

He paused for a few seconds. Tsumugi only curled up on himself more.

“Senpai, why are you all wrapped up and tense like a stiff cocoON? If you wanTED me to punch you so badly, you could’ve askED- Wait, on second thought, don't bothER. If you’re that much of a masochIST, it would only make things worse for the both of uS”

Cheeks heating up in embarrassment, Tsumugi quickly assumed a neutral position, mumbling something to discredit the dreadful title Natsume had called him by.

“I don't have the for your little mumbleS” The other cut him off. “I need you to get out and maKE a few calls; I assume someone as queasy and old-fashioned as you doesn’t delete their contactS”

“Na- Natsume-kun, there are better ways to address your elders”

“So you dO; ok, call up one of theSE, I don’t how whose number you haVE, and asK about this guy” he passed him two folded pieces of paper as he spoke. “Tell him Sakasaki Natsume wants a deal with hiM”

“A -a deal? Natsume-kun, are you going to contact the yakuza?”

“Where do you think you arE, in an action movie? I don’t understAND why you're so worried. Weren’t you the one complainING about not doing enough?”

Tsumugi took the pieces of paper, opening them up. The names made him shiver, unwanted memories flooding back in his head. But he quickly dug out his phone and began to make his way out of the secret passage, while Natsume talked to a very excited Sora.

The name – the only person of the two who he knew would answer the phone - was less tough to find and press than he expected. Though considered, well…everything that had happened, it didn’t surprise him too much. He could only hope that Natsume really had something up his sleeve as he claimed, and that all this effort wouldn’t be wasted.

He dialled the number and waited with bated breath.

Chapter 8: Setting the green board 6

Summary:

As Anzu struggles with the reminder of her loss, an important conversation occurs between Natsume and an unfortunate boy.

Notes:

Thank you all so much for your patience and support! I had to do some packing, so I couldn't update soon, not to mention these chapters are getting longer and longer...but without further ado, here it is! I hope you enjoy!!

Chapter Text

“I’m serious, you were great yesterday! You deserved every single applause you got!”

“It...it wasn’t...”

“No need to be humble about it Hajime-chin; it was a full house, and everyone loved it. Producer, we couldn't thank you enough for this chance. Please keep supporting us!”

“Three cheers for Onee-san! Hip hip Hurray! Hip hip Hurray!”

“Quiet down Mitsuru! It might be noisy today but it doesn’t mean you need to make it worse. People are going to kick us out!”

“I don’t think they can do that. But even so, it’s true we shouldn't make a ruckus”

“Nonsense! There’s never a bad day to celebrate Anzu’s existence! Everyone stand up, the more the merrier! Come on now!”

“Subaru-chin!”

Nito sighed, rubbing his head. He turned towards me apologetically, but I shook my head with a smile.

“It’s alright, Nito-senpai” I said. “I’m…flattered you guys think that I’ve done a great job; with all of the begging and running around and skimming that I’ve been doing these past few days, it’s a miracle I was able to find anything at all. So really, thank you for being so happy about it”

My senior smiled sympathetically. “Well, if you say so…then, thank you, Producer; we know you’ve been doing your best, and we really appreciate all the help we can get”

“You more than appreciate it, in fact! You’d better at least!”

Subaru, from the chair he had been standing on, suddenly jumped back to the ground and hugged me, ignoring the clatter of his spoon falling off the table as well as the noise our chairs made as his movements shifted them. Both Hajime and Tomoya were quick enough to lift their plates, while Mitsuru had to scramble to reach his chopsticks as they fell. I could feel the entire Garden Terrace staring at us. Nito tried to say something about privacy and the dangers of being so close to producers but they fell on deaf ears, for my friend did not let me go.

“Anzu has done nothing but work, work, work since she got back, to the point we hardly see each other! It’s absolutely unforgivable that after everything we’ve been through Yumenosaki is still trying to keep us apart! What am I supposed to do without my best friend? Sure she can fend for herself, but moral support and great hugs don’t just come from nowhere! Awwww, we need to hang out more, it’s not fair!”

I laughed, patting his back with my free hand.

“There there Subaru, I miss you too; you’re right, it’s a bummer that we haven’t spent that much together these days, huh? But don’t worry, I’ll try to clear my schedule and we’ll find a day where we can go out together, ok?”

“Yes! Of course! Let me know anytime you’re free and I will bend the laws of time and space to make sure we meet!”

“Subaru please, you still have practice…”

“Just kidding, just kidding!” He parted from me with a wide smile. “Ryuseitai have been really busy these days, but Gami-san said he might have the whole of next week occupied to practice for some upcoming lives; I’ll consult with everyone and let you know when I’m good to go!”

I moved my newly freed arm and nodded, which if possible only made him beam more. He then dived down to retrieve his spoon, causing another clutter of utensils and chairs that made Nito sigh and mutter something under his breath.

“By the way, Anzu” Subaru re-emerged with a jolt, somehow missing the table. “I’ve been meaning to ask this for a while, but I wasn’t so sure if it was my impression”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Well, it’s just…” he tilted his head with a smile. “You seem really happy lately; I’ve noticed you tend to be less bitter about finding jobs, and when we walk home together you look much more eager to use up the extra energy. It might be because we don’t see each other as often, but I don’t know, I feel like you’re a lot less stressed than before. And I couldn’t be happier for you, whatever it is! Maybe a bit jealous though…”

“Is that so…” I looked at my bowl, my reflection in the miso soup stared back at me. “I haven’t noticed; although I suppose…”

“I’ve noticed it too” Hajime nodded. “Onee-sama seemed very happy when she came to fix our costumes backstage the other day; I remember that time she managed to give us fine’s place in the summer show, she was really drained and tired…”

“Oh, that’s true” Tomoya said. “I thought there was something different from usual; it must’ve been that, thank goodness”

“It is true that you have a bit more colour on your face, Producer” Nito added. “You really do look like a totally different person from when we first knew you; did something good happen?”

His words were what made me understand everyone’s comments: it was true that, ever since Natsume had invited me to participate in their revolution, I felt a lot more energetic and willing to tolerate the most difficult of challenges in the school; this was solely because I placed all my hope in the fact that, as long as we keep moving forward, we might be able to finally have our revenge on the system that wronged us. I didn’t notice the change, and neither did my companion in arms; or if he did, he never mentioned it. But I supposed that, from an outsider’s perspective, I must have looked different.

The revolution…even thinking about it made my heart soar. It was only a concept on paper – a completed one, according to what Natsume had told me the day before – but what mattered was that the possibility was there, and now that we had a plan, the chances of seeing my dream come true were growing more and more. I would have given anything to share this joy with my friends, especially Subaru. But as a veteran, I knew the importance of keeping war secrets, even if it was from those who I could consider my closest allies.

“Well, you could say that” I said, the joy in my chest manifesting itself into giggles. “It’s a little project I have”

“Oh, you’re working on a project?” Mitsuru said. “That sounds great, yanno!”

“It’s awesome, Anzu!” Subaru took my hand. “What is it about?”

I laughed again, holding an index finger to my mouth.

“Sorry; it’s a little secret for now. Organisation rules”

“Awwww, no fair! I want to support Anzu through every means possible!”

“You can do that in silence” Nito said in a stern voice. “Now finish your meal before we get kicked out for disturbance of peace; the lunch break’s almost over”

We all obeyed, focusing on our food and every once in a while exchanging small talk with each other, quiet enough to be barely audible in the chaos of the refectory; however, through our talking, I found myself glancing in Nito’s direction in some occasions, feeling a strange emotion stirring inside my body. The more I focused on some details – his hands shaking, his eyes half-closed, the shine in them dulled out – the more I got concerned. But even then, I wasn’t sure how to express it, or how to approach him.

“Ah, don’t worry Producer” Tomoya said to me during one of my furtive glances, causing me to freeze up as if I was a thief caught in the act. “Uh, sorry, didn’t mean to scare you; but Niisan is doing alright, more or less. He’s just…well, busy”

“Hm? Were you worried about me?” Nito turned towards me. “Sorry about that, I didn’t notice”

“No, no it’s fine” I shook my head. “I just…I wanted to know if you’re alright; you look a bit, well...tired, to put it nicely…”

“Tired…” Nito took another mouthful of food, chewing slowly. His expression had dulled even more, and I felt compelled to apologise, which he dismissed.

“No need, Producer; you’re not the first to worry about me. Even the rest of Ra*bits was concerned. But seriously, I’m fine. My body is adjusting to the change, so…”

“But still, you can’t put too much strain on your body!” I insisted. “What happens if you collapse?”

Hajime squealed, as the senior shook his head.

“I’m fine, it’s just a temporary thing” he said, but I could tell from his sunken expression that he wasn’t sure on what he was saying. I looked at the other Ra*bits members for help, and Tomoya sighed, patting Hajime on the back.

“If I may speak for Niisan…” he hesitated, but meeting no objections, continued. “Well, it’s his broadcasting committee job; they’re a bit understaffed, though it’s one of the busiest periods of the year, what with the SS preparations and all of those lives opportunities popping up left and right; not to mention the Halloween live being a month or so away”

“I’m the oldest” Nito added. “And I don’t think putting a strain on the younger members of the committee is a good idea; especially considering some of them, like Shinobu-chin, are first years. So I...may have been shouldering in a lot of the extra work. But this is just until the SS blows over; eventually things are going to calm down a bit, and we can all relax and split the work evenly again”

“Ah…” I frowned. “Nito-senpai, if there’s anything I can do-”

“Please, Producer, there’s no need” he smiled at me. “Thank you for the offer, but please focus on what you’re already doing. Those young buds are counting on you. I’d hate to pressure you with another duty”

I wanted to tell him that I was not as frail as he claimed, as everyone in this damned school seemed to think, and I could try to squeeze in some time to help him. It could have even been something minor, like tending to the room while they were gone, or tidying up their cassettes and broadcasts archives, or even fix the office and locate their papers. Everything, anything, and I would have done it no questions asked. Especially considering how these kinds of mundane problems were not something our revolution could have fixed.

But I knew that, even if I had prostrated myself, he would have still refused my help. And he had every right to do so as my senior.

“Alright…” I said, twirling the spoon in my hand. “But please don’t load yourself too much, Nito-senpai; though you might be a big brother figure, at the end of the day the most important person you need to take care of is yourself”

The other nodded, promising that he would try his best. His expression then shifted, as he noticed my friend beside me.

“Something wrong, Akehoshi-chin? You have an odd air…”

I turned to look at my friend, and sure enough, he was frowning, his eyes focusing on Nito as if he were examining him under a microscope. I patted his arm, trying to get his attention, but he ignored me, leaning back on his chair to sigh.

“Ah, I just had a weird thought” he confessed. “I mean…Shinobun mentioned it as well, how tough things were at the broadcasting committee; and it’s not like I’m doubting him, far from it. I’ve seen him so dazed and confused at practice. But…There was something I wanted to ask; I didn’t mean to upset him, so I kept it to myself, but…”

“You’re welcome to tell me, Subaru-chin” Nito said. “If it’s about the committee; I’m the head after all, I should know more than anyone”

Subaru’s mouth twisted to a side, and he bit his cheek. He stood like that for a while, to the point the other was about to speak again, maybe reassuring him he didn’t have to say anything if he didn’t want to. But he was interrupted by my friend, as he straightened himself up and took his bowl in his hands.

“Yuuki-san hasn’t come since he joined Knights, right?” he asked, staring directly into his soup. “I overheard Shinobun mentioning the understaffed thing; he blocked himself just before he could say more, and I could tell it was because I was in the area” he looked at our senior with a serious expression. “Is it true then? Is Yuuki-san’s absence taking a toll on you all?”

Nito clenched his teeth, one of his hands closing into a fist. He stood like that for a long time before answering, and his whole body seemed to deflate as he did, like he was taking notice of how tired he really was.

“Yeah…Makoto-chin hasn’t turned up at all” he muttered. “In fact, I hadn’t seemed him since the DDD announcement; I didn’t think much of it at first, but when that live in July happened…argh, I should have known something was off!”

“Off?” Mitsuru echoed. “I thought Yuuki-senpai joined of his own volition, yanno”

“Ah, I don’t know” his leader said bitterly. “I want to believe it, because otherwise it would only raise horrible questions with even more awful answers, but…no matter what I think, I can’t seem to wrap my head around it. Makoto-chin loved Trickstar, and he loved his clubs and his committee work. He’s never missed a day since I knew him, and he was always eager to help, even if he was shy and scared he might mess something up. If he really joined of his own volition…how did we get here? How did he quit all of his clubs and become a lifeless doll that only follows Izumi-chin’s every call? Why, I tried to talk to him a few days ago, when the two bothered to show up at tennis, and he wouldn’t even look at me! Hell, he stood on the bleachers to rest the entire time! It was like we were complete strangers! How can that kind of effect happen to someone who joined a unit of their own volition? Especially when he was so scared of Izumi-chin before…”

My body grew rigid at his words, and I felt a chill run down my spine. I had already accepted it, I had told myself that much many times before. I had said, if the universe had wanted to delete Trickstar’s existence, along with Yuuki’s identity, then so be it; I would obey that treacherous law, and then quietly meditate my revenge in a corner. And I was alright with all of that. I was at peace. It had happened.

It had happened.

It had happened.

It had happened.

And yet…

Yet…

“Anzu? Are you alright?”

A gentle stir caused me to shift back to reality, and I quickly recollected myself. I smiled at Subaru, though the words and doubts plaguing my mind probably made it seem more forced than I intended.

“S-sorry, I was…thinking about work and all”

I could tell by his face that Subaru didn’t believe me.

“Ah, don’t worry Subaru-chin, it was my fault” Nazuna bowed his head a little. “I said all of those hateful words, not to mention tied to unpleasant memories; someone like the Producer doesn’t need to think of those matters, especially not while she’s eating…”

I shook my head, trying to tell him that it was fine and he wasn’t to blame. But by then my focus on the present was gone, and I could feel the shape of my chopsticks digging into my hands.

 

---

 

There was no denying that a school like Yumenosaki was unusual. Sure, there were many idol schools in Japan, and some of them were structured in a similar way - favouring only a certain type of idol, having scandals every once in a while, being a component of a bigger building - but there was something that made it stand out. Perhaps it was the way that its "scandals" had been reduced to whispers no one wanted to confirm, or how if you paid attention to known facts from the past two years, you would notice there were things that did not add up; and how any attempt at a research would lead to a dead end if you didn't have the right contacts. Or perhaps it was simply the fact that all of its idols had the tendency to monologue for minutes on end on stage, to the point everyone in the audience had started assuming it was a bonus performance that came with the ticket.

Nether less, in an environment with such a mysterious and terrifying history, rumours were bound to be made and spread. They would follow precise trails, starting from the quietest corners of the school, moving from person to person until they reached the hallways and then the classroom, in an endless game of telephone that, while coming with its misunderstandings and interpretation, still retained the central factor that had caused traction in the first place. But if you wanted to know more about Yumenosaki's darkest secrets, you didn't have to wait until someone passed them onto you. You could go to the sources, those very corners, and listen in to what they had to say. They did not mind the attention, and might actually be thankful that some preferred to listen to their original version than a washed-up and censored one.

I knew I should stop listening to them. The tales they told at the time were hopeless, dark, nothing that I should have cared for as the school's new wind. But I still came over when I was free, while looking through the job list, and I would stay for a while until I had to leave to meet Subaru.

For, as awful as they were, that was the only place I could get information from. Information about him.

The doll.

The hidden member of Knights.

"Has anyone ever seen where he goes?"

Despite the various unusual things that had happened in this school, the story of the doll that had disappeared and reappeared in the hands of new owners was one of the most discussed topics at the time. Maybe it was because of how, within the past few years, there had never been a case like it. Or because of how its unit was shrouded in mystery. Regardless of the reason, I could always count on someone steering the conversation in that direction, and everyone following.

"Who?" Someone else asked, though it was a useless question.

"You know" the first speaker mumbled, lowering his voice. "That guy, Yuuki or whatever; the dead fish. Always wandering around, glued to that weird senior, doesn't answer to anyone..."

"Oh yeah, that guy; I think my friend's in his class. Weird person, he told me. He doesn't talk at all, and he always sits in his desk staring into the void, not even taking notes or anything. He only stands up when that other guy, I think from 3A, that guy comes in and calls him like a dog"

"Terrifying..."

I focused on the papers in my hand, allowing the words to phase through me. The characters looked confusing, but I attributed it to my handwriting; I hadn't slept well in days, and my movements had shown it more than once.

"Apparently the teachers don't even pay attention to it; he's like a ghost or something. He doesn't even answer role call. Homeroom teacher just checks his place and then moves along"

"My God! So everyone is onto it?"

"Did Knights blackmail the staff?"

"With their influence, I wouldn't be surprised; though in all honesty they haven't been doing as well with their leader being absent and all"

"I heard he dropped out"

"I heard he died"

"Do Knights even remember their leader? With this guy, that makes six members; one too many"

Words started muddling up, I had to re-read sentences twice, then three times just to make sure. I forgot how to read certain names at some point, but I did not get too concerned, simply recognising my mistake and moving on. Though it was a setback, it was nothing compared to the amount of work I still had to do.

So I went on, on, on, on, on...

"Alright, but is no one going to point out how weird this situation all is? I mean, how did that guy suddenly switch units and become like that? And why does he look like a different person on stage?"

On and on, on and on and on...

"I heard that he was absent for days before he turned out to have joined Knights; his friends were looking for him everywhere..."

"And his parents? What about them?"

"Never heard of them; for all we know he might not have them..."

"Is he doing this voluntarily though? Like, did he consent to be admitted to Knights? With how lifeless he is..."

On and on and on and on and on and on...

"There's a lot of speculation about it, at least between people I know; but they all say horrid things..."

"Horrid things? Like what?"

"To be fair, I can't think of a positive reason to this situation"

"I mean, if you think about it..."

"Could it be..."

"Was he...you know..."

"Did that guy..."

"What about his unit?"

"Accomplices..."

"Victims?"

"His unit was decaying..."

"Without a leader..."

"They would just defend him if we asked..."

"It's that bad..."

"A unit of puppets..."

"Suspicious..."

On and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on...

"Anzu! Yo, Anzu!"

I jumped, the papers scattering at my feet like leaves. The students nearby must have also been startled by the sudden yell, because I could hear the sound of frantic voices and running soon after, faint and far.

Faint? Since when has reality appeared to be so distant?

"Anzu, hey! Wake up!"

A hand shook me, almost causing my head to move with it. I quickly blinked, feeling my eyes oddly damp, before they focused on the figures in front of me. Two distinct hair colours, same blue-coloured ties. Brown eyes, gold eyes.

I could recognise them anywhere.

"Sorry" Koga let me go, placing his hands in his pockets. "I got scared; ya looked really weird. What were ya doing?"

Adonis glanced at the corner behind me, frowning.

"Isn't this a bad place? Kanzaki-kun told me this is where…"

"I'm fine"

I blurted it out instinctively. And as their gazes focused on me, puzzled and almost suspicious, I shook my head and knelt down to gather what I had dropped.

"I...I'm just tired, that's all" I said. "I have been working a lot, and there's a lot to think about, so…"

"I don't believe ya"

I paused, feeling my heart quickening its pace. I could hear Adonis attempting to stop Koga, but he shrugged him off, and knelt down to my eye level as he began picking up papers.

"'m not stupid Anzu" he said, his voice softening. "Ya don't think I know where sleazy whisperers lurk to talk about their dumbass theories and their stupid thoughts? Why, had Adonis here not stopped me before, I would be listening in alongside ya these days"

Adonis drew closer, swiftly taking some paper and tidying it up. He had a sunken look on his face, the glow of his eyes dull.

"They were here before the war" he said. "But they grew as it continued; Oogami used to...well, when we didn't know what to do, as the world was falling apart all around us, Oogami used to listen in. Sometimes he would even try to start fights, and I had to follow him to make sure it didn't happen. It's truly an...awful thing to put yourself through"

I tried to stand up, with the materials I had gathered in my hands, but I found myself lacking in strength. My eyes were burning, though I blinked several times, and I bit on my lip to avoid letting out a sigh that was threatening to make my lungs implode. Koga passed me the papers he had gathered, and patted my head as he stood up.

"Look Anzu, I understand that ya want to find a reason for what happened to...him, but yer not gonna find anything in those dirty corners. Not anythin' that you can say is 100% correct anyway. In your shoes, I would wanna do the same time, but this isn't the place to get that information. Yer only gonna get hurt here, and that's somethin' that ya can't allow to ever happen, no matter what. Yer life matters more than anyone else's, yer health matters. Just because yer the Producer at everyone's service doesn't meant that ya have to forget being human"

I didn't say anything. Even though I desperately wanted to come up with an excuse, dispel all the accusations against me, I couldn't find the courage to speak. Holding the papers close to my chest, I clenched them tightly, and stared at the floor as if I was trying to burn holes into it. My eyes stung, but I refused to blink for fear it might give it away.

I'm not weak, I'm not weak, I'm not weak. It was the only thought I could muster, the only thing in my head at that moment. It was nonsensical: Koga would never call me that, let alone Adonis, and none of them had meant to say that when they spoke to me. But the more it repeated, the more I realise that it was something I was trying to force upon myself; the concept of the strong producer that everyone seemed to underestimate. The girl that had overcome all the loss and heartbreak she had been subjected within her first few months of school.

...a strong producer...

The more I thought about it, the more that concept seemed foreign to me. How could anyone recover from that in such little time? How could I recover from that?

How did I recover, when that revolution from so long ago happened in Kimisaki?

I couldn't remember when, but at some point I stood up, my body shaking. The others wordlessly passed me the rest of the papers they had gathered and I accepted them, scrunching them up like I had done the others. I bit my lip, before thanking them and walking away.

At least, maybe the rumours could prove to be useful for our revolution.

 

---

 

We didn’t have a meeting that day. In fact, Natsume insisted me and Sora returned home to do some work, while he and Aoba stayed behind to work on his “plan”.

We assumed that this had something to do with the mysterious strategy he had come up with the other day, when I was absent. None of us knew anything about it at the time, but he spoke with such conviction that even Aoba supported him of his own volition. So we agreed to be patient with him, and wait for when he would tell us more.

 

---

 

The appointment was at 5pm, in the handicrafts club. Natsume knew that the other would have arrived on time, so he took extra care to have a table and some tea ready. His dad had taught him that, regardless of motives, it was crucial to make your guests comfortable before you discussed matters, as keeping the mood peaceful would grant better chances of success. And while he wasn't one to follow everything that man said, as he hadn’t been fired yet, there must have been truth in his words.

The boy yawned, leaning against one of the chairs. Hopefully they would be able to finish this soon: while matters as important as this revolution couldn't afford side tracks, his mother was starting to worry about his late hours and his lack of sleep. He wanted to avoid her being too concerned, in case it came to bite him back in the future; so he had decided to alternate the days he would stay in after closing hours, just in case.

A bit of an issue, but I’ll use every chance I got to move forward. You’ll see. I'll make sure that that scum pays for what he did to them. To everyone.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Precise, certain, and maybe a little too hard. Natsume glanced at the clock on the wall, and smiled, before heading towards the entrance and pressing the handle.

"Right on timE" he said, as he came face to face with his guest. "Come in; thank you for comING"

The other nodded, bowing before he entered. His hands were clasped in front of his waist, his expression firm and serious and his body  like that of a tin soldier. It made Natsume smile a little, though he hid it behind a hand.

"Would you like some tEA?" He asked, gesturing towards the table in front of them. "The only one available is peppermINT, I'm afraid; pleasE sit down"

"Some tea would...would be nice" the boy nodded, obeying the latter's command. "With two spoons of sugar...please"

He's so polite! Natsume walked over to the tea set and poured two cups. It's almost comical. But this might make the conversation easier.

He poured the sugar in one of the cups and passed it to Suou, who thanked him and began to sip it carefully. The other's smile threatened to widen, and he quickly looked away before sitting at the other end of the table with his own.

"I'm...surprised you could rent out the crafting room" Suou said after a few moments of silence. "Are you a [member]?"

"Ah, afraid not; my senpaIS are, and I asked to borrow the keyS"

"Hm? Anyone I know?"

"I doubT it" Natsume's smile twitched. "You weren't that interested in idols before coming to YumenosaKI, right?"

Suou's face turned bright red to the ears, perfectly matching his hair. Natsume covered his mouth to suppress a laugh.

"No worries, it's nothing to be ashamed abouT" he said. "Why, Kitten didn't knoW anything about producing, and look where she iS now"

That seemed to relax the boy, and he sipped on his tea again. Once he was done, he carefully laid the cup on its tiny plate, before putting his arms on the table, standing up straight, and facing the other with a serious expression.

"Anyway...Harukawa-san said you wanted to talk to me about something?"

His shyness was too endearing, but Natsume knew he had to take him seriously if he wanted this conversation to work as he had planned. Besides, he knew from experiences that one shouldn't undervalue their underclassmen when talking to them, whether they were discussing important matters or not. Not to mention, an educated and well-behaved person was much more preferable to an annoying brat.

He placed the cup back on its saucer, and planted his elbows on the table. His hands barely covered a warm and wide smile, the kind that suggested deeper intentions.

"How is unit practice being goinG?" He asked. "Last I heard, you were planning on participatiNG in the Hallowen live next monTH"

Suou nodded. "We've been...working really hard for it; things are going well"

"Are they?"

"Hm hm"

Natsume reached out for a spoon and stirred his tea thoughtfully. The liquid swirled around and around like a dark vortex, distorting his reflection.

"Even despite the presence of that makeshiFT doll?"

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Suou had stiffened. He calmly placed the spoon down and sipped on his tea again. He should have put sugar.

"...It's true that...Yuuki-senpai's presence was a surprise" the boy said after a while, his voice quiet. "And it certainly threw a wrench in our plans; the [DDD] for example was quite mediocre...but, but things are getting better. Even our [fans] don't, well, talk about him too much"

"They don't talk about hiM" Natsume echoed. "Or maybe they're just too scared to questiON it further?"

Suou hesitated, then shook his head. Natsume leaned against his hands.

"You seem to think positively of your uniT" he observed. "And believe me, there's nothiNG wrong about that; better a unit that gets alonG than one in pieces. But still, I faintly remembER you being mad last time I saw you, when you lamentED over the lack of coordination in Knights…"

Suou's eyes widened.  Natsume's smile increased.

"You don't have to liE, Suou-kun" he said. "If something is wrong, you're free to say sO; you already did so befoRE, and none of us judgED you for it"

The boy's eyes narrowed, as he placed the cup of tea back on its saucer. He played with the handle for a while, before returning his hands in front of him and sitting up straight.

"Natsume-senpai, pardon my manners, but I too have seen how businesspeople talk;  if you have something to say, please speak out. Clean communication is key, is it not?"

He caught on. Really smart for someone his age…Then again, I wasn't exactly hiding it.

Natsume stood up, placing his hands behind his back. He swiftly moved around the room, looking around like he were a visitor at an art gallery. At some point he passed by the window, and he paused to look at it. His eyes fell on the silhouettes of students practicing outside; if he focused enough he could hear their muffled yells. One of his seniors hated that the room was near such a noisy place, but by now it was too late to change the club's location.

"Suou-kun, I know you promisED through text, but I'm going to have to ask if you can swear once agaIN that what we're about to discusS will not leave this room" he said. "It's really importanT for me...and Kitten, that once you leaVE, regardlesS of the results of our discussion, you will preteND you were never here. Understood?"

"Of...of course" came the other's voice behind him. "I gave you my word, senpai"

"So you diD…" Natsume squeezed his hands. "You're quite the obedient boY; I'm surprised Knights doesn't liKE you. But regardless…"

He gazed at the window for a few more seconds, before taking a deep breath.

“Do you know about the attemptED revolution from a few months ago, Suou-kun?”

There was a small pause, and the sound of a cup against its saucer.

“It’s...it’s hard not to; its failure was so sudden after all. People still wonder what happened”

Such was the advantage of innocent first years. Natsume almost envied him. Almost.

“Well, I’ll tell you a secreT then” he said. “See, I’m planning a revolution of my owN; though Trickstar was drivEN to the ground only a few months ago, it’s all the more important to act now while everyONE’s guard is down. I understand, as a first year, you wouldn’T understand our motives, and I apologiSE, but the lack of time prevents me to go too deeP; I would love to entertAIN you with stories of war and massacre that occurred before your tiME here, and how the system is so unfaIR to those who try to make a name for themselves, separaTE from the norm. I’m sure you could telL, since you’re smart and KitteN and you are friends, but there’s a lot that you don’T know”

More sounds of a cup being picked up and put down, before Suou spoke again.

“I don’t mean to be ignorant; no one tells me anything”

“Well, there’s reasoN to that; veterans would prefER to keep those horrors to themselves”

“But why? Why are you all so insistent on hiding it? How are we supposed to bring change if we don’t know what we’re fixing? They want us to be untainted, but…we’re not children! We’re only two to one years apart from our seniors!”

Natsume’s smile widened, as he looked up towards the sky. But though his hands tightened slightly, he tried to maintain himself as calm as possible.

“I knew you would thinK as such” he said. “And you’re righT, you shouldn’t be kept in the dark. Though some aspect would giVE you nightmares, history has the tendency to repeaT itself. And if you don’t know our past and leaRN from it, the chances of making the same mistakes groW.

“I would love to tell you all about our systeM, but for now, you have to truST my words. There are problemS still present from the past in Yumenosaki. I want to fighT to give a voice to those who are long gone, and to thoSE who are still here and threatened everyday by a system that punishes innovation. A systEM that keeps a theme through the worst way possible, that takeS lives and crushes all that trY to stand up. KitteN herself, she’s been victimised by this world, and she’s still affecTED by it, as you have seen. When the new class opens up next year, the fate of the new crowd might be just as unfortunATE”

And now came the hard part. Though Natsume had high hopes, this was the most decisive moment of the whole plan, the one that would twist the whole thing in its favour if he succeeded. He hadn’t practice what he would say well, since he had wanted to sound as natural as possible; so he was leaning on the fact that Suou’s reactions would follow the script of responses he had made mental notes of.

“But…why are you telling me this” the younger boy asked.

Natsume took a deep breath and turned around, his arms spreading wide like wings of a bird; the sun casted the shadow of his figure on the table, looming close to Suou.

“I want you to joiN me” he said. “To join uS; you, with the fiery spirit and perseveranCE; you, who has insistED on moving forward despite your lack of knowledge and skills; you, who has strived to keep the true spirit of Knights when no one else woulD. You have potential for greater thingS, and you’re exactly what we’re looking for. JoiN the revolution, joiN our fight for freedom. For Knights, for your peers…for your beloved Onee-sama”

At first, there was no reaction from the other. Natsume expected as much: no matter the person, those types of words would shock anyone. Why, they didn't even know each other, and the last time they talked was because they happened to be in the same room. A precious coincidence dictated by fate, that Natsume would always be thankful for.

Suou didn't say anything for a while. He only stared at the older boy with wide eyes and the cup still in his hands, and you could practically see the cogs turning in his brain. It almost made Natsume laugh again, but he held still: all movements from that point onwards were crucial, and he wanted to make sure the boy didn't feel degraded.

"...Only me?" Finally, he spoke up, his voice tiny and uncertain. Natsume nodded.

"Only you"

"But then...what about [Knights]?" Suou turned to look at his cup, cradling it in his hands. "If I join a revolution, how will I find time to be there for both [lessons] and your plans, whatever they might be? And Sena-senpai is so tense these days, with the [Halloween live] coming up…if he knew I was skipping or worse-”

"You have to quiT Knights"

The boy stiffened, his eyes widened even more.

"...what?"

"You're right, you can’t be on both sidES at once" Natsume explained, keeping his voice as calm as possible. "Not to mention, it's possiblE Tenshouin is watching over Knights from a distance due to Yuuki-kun's situation. If something was amiss…"

"Because leaving [Knights] without warning would be even less suspicious?" Suou stood up. "Senpai, with all due respect, I find your denounce hard to believe"

"It makES sense" the other tilted his head, tugging his hands behind his back. "Yuuki-kun went missING for months, and then turned up with no warning in your uniT, looking more dead than alive; he hardly attendS classes and, as far as I know, his mother doesn'T bat an eye to the fact her son is stayING somewhere further away from the school"

"Well, she's busy with work and all; it must be hard for her, but she probably thinks it's for the best that she doesn't have to worry about him too much"

"Oh? You thinK so?" Natsume's eyes narrowed. "Or did Sena-san tell you thAT?"

The boy's mouth pressed itself into a thin line.

"Everyone knew Yuuki-kun was missing, and yeT the school diD nothing; even when he was founD in that state, there was no investigatioN. If you knew what I know, you’d see it’s not outlandiSH to believe Tenshouin had to do with it. He might have not approvED of what happened to Yuuki-kun, but he was willING to let him end up like this if it was what it took to disbanD the threat to his rule, and keeP the waters calm all throughout the process. I have no doubts he has granted Knights immuniTY, and what’s more, he keeps looking after theM in the shadows, just in case; because if theRE was one single, little stir, his plan to eliminate Trickstar would be brought to lighT, and I doubt the reactions would bE positive. Foolish of him to excuse the abuSE of my peeR, but who am I to questiON the Emperor?"

Suou’s fists tightened even more, as Natsume walked towards the table to pick up his own cup.

"But...if it's true" he said. "If [Knights] really is watched...then, again, why would me leaving not cause concerns?"

"First, we all knoW, Tenshouin included, that you're a newbIE intruding in the history of a war-torn unit" Natsume said, cradling his cup. "It's really easy to telL that, compared to the others, you're still a young chick learnING to fly; and also, with his eyes and ears, Tenshouin probably knowS the ugly sides of the unit. The poor coordination and communication, the fighting, the arguing, the frustration a boy like you suffers from…"

“He couldn't know that much!”

"Ritsu-kun iS in his tea club" Natsume said. “And from what I gather, he's quite opeN about his visciousness”

Suou bit his lip.

"But anyway; what I'm trying to say iS, if you did leave after say, a big argument, then it would be understandablE. Sure, going in hiding might make it suspicioUS on normal grounds, but Tenshouin and his associates already have their hands fulL with the SS. They would overlook it as you goING to a minor unit"

He sipped his tea quietly, absorbing the flavour. It reminded him of far away days, not unlike this one, where the five of them would gather together to meet up and talk to each other about little things and big things, all matters no common human could understand.

"But...but Onee-sama said…" Suou spoke up after a moment of silence. "But Onee-sama and you, you said that I could reform it from the inside; that I could be the change…"

"That may bE true, but you need to be realistic, Suou-kun; your only hope right now iS, from what I know, a long-lost leader that has not been seen or heard of in months. A leader that, as far as we both know, your unit has forgottEN. And if he were to come back, what's not to say there wouldn'T be more chaos? You have a new fifth membeR; Tenshouin might try to figure something out with the rules, but the mattER could go wrong so easily.

“Let's say Tenshouin does agreE to give you six members; that would puT his plan and rule in jeopardy, buT let's say he does. And let's saY the King, the great Tsukinaga Leo, decides it's fine to haVE his replacement, this deadbeat doll, this terrible menace that paints his unit in colours so different he barely recogniseS it, included in the unit. What about Ritsu-kuN? He would throW a fit, perhaps much bigger than his previous oneS. And at some point Narukami-san, though she iS always silent, might snaP. She lives for peace, but even she haS her limits. And this could go on and on, and spiral and spiral, and your unit might breaK for good at some point, either by euthanasia or through violent bloodshED. And I admire your spirit, Suou-kuN. That was noT a lie; it's why I want you to joiN me after all. But you have to understaND, the longer you stay rooted in that place, the less and less you will bE able to make a difference. And if there's little you can do from within, isn't it better for you to flourish outsidE?"

Suou sipped from his cup, clearly trying to avoid eye contact.

"And if you don't mind, I would like to ask you, why are you still stayinG with them if the motives to leave are piling up" Natsume took the teapot and poured himself some more tea. "As far as I know, your unit doesn'T seem to treat you right. It stompS on you, assumES you know your place, ignores you, berates you for the simplest things. Sure, a strict upbringing has broughT upon talent and greatness, but what about the persoN whose gifts those belong to? If you groW up within that environment, you will merge with it, and losE what little decency you still proudly defend of yourself. Are you really going to risk that just so you can hope to have enough influence to change things, Suou-kuN? What if you fail to remembER what your goal was when all is said and done? What if you become Sena-saN, desperate to quencH your self-esteem through others? Are you willing to beT on the low chance you'll be able to resist in such a terrible situation?"

There was silence after his words, a silence that lasted for a long, long time. The faint yells of someone outside, the only sound in the room, was the only indicator of how time, despite everything, was still marching on, uncaring of their feelings and the situation. Natsume did not say anything; he had more or less done his part now. All he needed to do was wait for Tsukasa to evaluate his options and come up with a conclusion; anything would be good for him and his plans. He didn’t like the idea of mentally torturing his juniors, even less considering that he used to be in their shoes; and his attitude was no different from the other Oddballs when, how months ago, they had approached him and told him to hide. The only difference was that at least he was giving illusion of choice to the other. A small, cruel act of mercy, replacing the underestimation of his strength.

“I…It’s a lot to take in” Suou held the cup closer to his chest. “The revolution, your plans…I’m sure you understand my position, Sakasaki-Senpai”

“I dO; I don’t blamE you for being silent. If I was in your shoes, I would be the saME”

“Thank you” the boy nodded slowly, pressing his lips together before speaking again.

“Which is why, I hope you can understand that I have to respectfully decline your request”

The other didn’t flinch, as Suou laid down his cup and bowed.

“I…thank you for your offer, I suppose” he said. “I’m honoured you think I could be an asset; but I want to believe that there’s another way to help [Knights], and that I can be strong enough to play a part. I swear on my family name I won’t say a thing though”

“I trust you, Suou-kuN” Natsume smiled. “You’re a very kind and polite boY; I wisH you good luck on your endeavours. Which is why, if you would like to thinK about it more, my offer still stands for the rest of the month. If you changE your mind, go to the dear Producer and asK of me; she will know what to dO”

Suou straightened up so fast he probably almost snapped his spine in half.

“Onee- The [Producer]?” he stuttered out. “You mean…the Transfer Student? That [Producer]?”

“Your dear Onee-sama, yeS”

“She’s…she’s with you?” he gulped. “She’s part of the revolution?”

Natsume’s smile widened, and he stroked the cup in his hands, like one would a cat.

“Of course she’s part of the revolutioN; she iS a veteran, after all. The fire is still alivE within her”

He had barely finished his sentence when Suou’s phone rang. Clumsily apologising, the boy took it out from his pocket and looked at the display.

“It’s your drivER, I assume?” Natsume tilted his head. “With a family like yours, I’m assuminG you only have a selected amount of time away from home…”

“Can I…go then?”

“Why, of coursE; we’ve finishED here. Have a safe trip home, Suou-kuN. RemembER, you can still change your mind”

“Of…of course; thank you, Sakasaki-senpai” he bowed. “And thank you for the tea; it was…very nice”

And he ran out of the room, typing with one hand on his phone.

Natsume finished his tea calmly, swishing it around every once in a while as he stared at the liquid with a pensive expression. Once he was done, he cleaned up with rapid gestures; finally, he placed cups and the teapot in their spot in a cupboard in the back, and double-checked for any stains on the table. Once he was done, he crawled under it towards the middle, from where he removed a small pellet. He then got out, placed the chairs back in their place, and checked the window’s curtains, finding another pellet. He retrieved another from the door, and then from under the chair Tsukasa had been on. Luckily he was not the type to swing his legs.

Once he was done and had pocketed all the bugs, he fished for the keys of the room and exited it, locking the door behind him. He then headed for the nearby classroom and slid the door open, walked towards the wardrobe on the back and opened it. The pentagram carving on the back greeted him, as he pressed it with a smile.

It was a small room, dusty and dark when he had first been there. Though there was a risk of someone discovering it, Hibiki had stolen the keys of the wardrobe and given them to him to keep, so that he could use the secret passage to hide in. As far as he knew no one owned a copy, and whether it was due to carelessness or his Nii-san’s insistence he did not know.

Ever since he had gained sole access to the room, Natsume had begun using it to hole in monitors and speakers burrowed from the old tech club, and in no time at all he had built up a small spying area, where every single screen was connected to secret security cameras all over the school, and all speakers to microphones and bugs planted in those areas. It had been one of his main entertainments, back when he was still in hiding and planning the happy end that never came. He was thankful he hadn’t destroyed anything.

“WelL? Did you hear everything, SenpaI?”

Squeezed inside the small chair in a corner of the room, Aoba whined. Natsume took the bugs from his pockets and placed them inside a nearby container.

“And I hope you didn’t accidentally press ‘delete’ or ‘stop recording’, for your sakE”

“I did nothing of the sort! Seriously, you should trust me a little more, Natsume-kun. I know I’m worthless, but have some faith in me, will you?”

“If I have faith in you too much it would be counter-productiVE” Natsume squeezed in beside him, and began pressing buttons. “But good, you seem to not have touched anything; good boY”

“Wah, I already told you-!”

The boy ignored him, working around the options with expertise. At some point he picked up a pair of headphones from Aoba’s head and placed them on his, hearing the recording playing back at a quality that, all things considered, was not as bad as he thought.

“I don’t understand though” Aoba said.

“You never understand anything, SenpaI; don’t try and use your braincells too hard”

“No I mean, isn’t your plan gone?” Aoba looked at the screens. “Suou-kun didn’t join; I thought you said you need him to be part of this”

“It’s true” Natsume said, nonchalantly. “But I expected he wouldn’T accept immediately; it’s a really big decision, and the answer can’T come over the course of a few minutes”

“Then why-”

“I gaVE him illusion of choice” the boy explained. “That should help him think he’s not being forced into makinG up his mind; then, I sowed in seeds of doubt, or rather, I made him realise that there are sproutS coming out of the dirt. All we have to do is wait. And trust me, Senpai, with the state Knights is currently in, we will soon get what we wanT”

“Hm, and what if Suou-kun still doesn’t accept?” Aoba asked, before quickly adding in, “I trust you, Natsume-kun, don’t think I don’t, I wouldn’t dream of it; but you have to consider there is always the chance of something like that happening. We can’t leave it up to chance if things end up turning the way we want them to be, otherwise we will be unprepared for the future…”

“I take it Tenshouin taught you a thing or two about these things, righT? Or werE you the one who taught him?”

Aoba shivered, looking away. Then, after a few moments of silence, he pushed his glasses up his nose.

“By the way, Natsume-kun?”

“Hm?”

“I…contacted those people you asked about”

The boy stopped, turning to look at him. He then took a book on the space beside him and slapped him with it.

“Well, why didn’t you say so sooner, you useless SenpaI? You talk about unpredictability, don’t make things harder than they already arE!”

“Ow! Ow ow ow, that hurt!”

“Serves you righT! SpeaK, what did they say!”

“Ow, ow, ow, Natsume-kun…”

“Do you want me to slaP you again?”

“No, no, I’ll talk, I’ll talk” he nervously adjusted his glasses. “They…the one I called, he said he’ll think about it; but the one you told me to ask about, I think it was an acquaintance of theirs? But he…he seemed much more interested in what I had to say; he said he’ll let me know, and I gave him your number in case you wanted to talk more about it. I looked him up based on the name and asked around, and he seems to be a really big deal. He has connections high up and everything. How did you even know about him?”

A grin spread on Natsume’s face, as he placed the book back in its spot.

“Clever SenpaI; so you are useful at something that isn’t teachinG Kitten about business and the way of the industry. Good, good, good…”

A notification tab popped up on one of the screens at that moment, a pale blue window with the writing [DOWNLOAD COMPLETE. PREVIEW THE VIDEO?], along with a yes/no option. Natsume’s smile got even wider, and he selected the latter option before looking through the document folder for that one specific file.

“Since you’re so helpful, then I’ll tell you that I do have a plaN in case Suou-kun doesn’t want to join us”

“Oh?”

Finding the file, the boy dragged it onto a separate window, into a USB stick. He then closed the tabs and right-clicked on the icon at the bottom of the screen, before taking it out once he was given permission to. He held it between his index and thumb, a mischievous smile on his face as he looked at its surface shining in the dim lamp light.

“But let’s just say” he said. “I would rather, for his sake and ours, to not have to resort to such drastic measurES"

Chapter 9: Setting the green board 7

Summary:

Enough is enough.

Notes:

...well this was a doozy to edit...

Chapter Text

Maybe because I was not doing much at the time during the early stages of our revolution, maybe because he was the one desperate to act as a responsible senior, but during our meetings Aoba had started giving me business lesson.

It was not like the course I was taking didn't have any classes about that aspect of my job: being a producer, if you didn't know anything about business, your life was bound to get harder. But as the producer course was still in development, the lessons were few and basic; most of my work came from my own research, though I struggled a lot with trying to figure out how to do said searching. Aoba must have figured it out, or again, maybe he wanted to prove he could be a good senior, because one day he approached me and asked me if I wanted extra help.

"You know about these things?" I had asked him.

"Well, I had to: my mother, she’s the one with the contacts, and she's gotten into trouble a couple of times; I thought it would be convenient if we both knew what to do, in case it happened again" He smiled sheepishly. "I was working on a project with Eichi as well last year, though we haven't spoken in a while, so I don't know where that is going...but anyway, would that be alright? You're free to refuse if you don't want to, I perfectly understand…"

"I'd love to!" I had smiled at him, bowing. "Thank you so much, Aoba-senpai, really; it would be a great help!"

We didn't have a specific schedule, due to unpredictable schoolwork and life matters, but we tried to do as much as we could when we met up. Aoba was not the best teacher, I admit, but I did learn quickly to decipher what he meant. Sora also joined in sometimes when he wasn't doing his homework, though often we would jut start chatting about anything but the lesson until Natsume, who was working alone in a corner, reminded us that we had to go back home.

Looking back, I can't say I remember much about those days, though recalling them does make me feel fuzzy and warm inside; I think it's because that period was the slower part of our revolution era, the calm before the storm. I can only recall a precise day from that time. The moment that kickstarted the true Coup D'etat.

 

---

 

It was a week or so after Natsume had his conversation with Tsukasa. Our morning classes were cancelled, so we decided to meet up early to discuss plans; Aoba had also agreed to give me lessons. I must have been really excited that day, because when I entered the secret passage, the only one inside was Natsume; and judging by the blanket folded near the table he was seated at, I could tell he had probably spent the night in there.

“Ah, KitteN, so early?” he looked at his phone. “Senpai and Sora won’t be here for a whilE; Senpai even less so, that lazybones’s sleep schedule is so all over the place I won’t be surprised if he oversleepS”

“Sorry” I skipped towards him placing my bag at my feet. “I didn’t have anything to do, so I just rushed here…there’s no one around, it’s so quiet in Yumenosaki!”

“They’re all practicING” Natsume smiled. “In these times, any free hour you have is extra time you could usE to your advantage; such is the sad reality of this school lifE”

My heart sank at his words, which he noticed immediately.

“Ah, but don’t worry, KitteN; though it’s true that in this world grinding is necessary for survivaL, we will make sure that in this school it is effort that iS well-paid. Such is the goal of our revolution, after alL”

“I know that, Natsume-kun; I’m just upset you would think that free time shouldn’t be used for working”

“Right, a workaholic like you would think that I suppoSE…”

He stood up from his seat, holding some papers which he clipped to the corkboard behind him. I had noticed it many times on my trips here, and even during my business classes my gaze would sometimes linger towards it. Supposedly, it was Natsume’s grand plan for the revolution, but everything he had written was in a language I couldn’t understand, and the colour-coded strings and pins didn’t give any indication of what he was planning either. Considering he always spent hours on the board, and always wrote down and switched the papers around with precise movements, we all assumed that it wasn’t all for show.

“Natsume-kun”

“Hmm?”

“I was wondering” I cleared my throat. “When are you…going to tell us the details of your plan? As your comrades, isn’t it right for us to know?”

He tilted his head, one finger tracing over a post-it note to the side. He then plucked it from its place and moved it in a separate corner.

“You’re not wrong, KitteN” he said, as I stepped closer. “It’s true that I have been hiding everything from you all, and I apologiSE for that; but as this is our big plan, the one that will definitely put a stop to everything before the year is up, I was a little hesitaNT to show the draft in case you placed too much faith on me. I needed to have a clear head to be able to make all the right decisions, so that when I do show you what I plan it’s the definite thing, and we can gO through it all without stalling in case of an inconvenience”

I nodded absent-mindedly, trying and failing to read the note for the millionth time. “You really…put a lot of care on this, huh?”

“NaturallY; if we want to take out someone as powerful as Tenshouin, we need to strike all the right placES”

“Still, it’s so…wonderful”

Quickly I covered my mouth, embarrassed by my morbid admiration. But Natsume chuckled softly, looking at me with an odd expression of admiration.

“I’m glad you think that, KitteN” he said. “Though I admit, my only regret of not having shared these plans, is that I didn’t get an input from the queen of the revolutionarIES”

My face went bright red at his words, to which he chuckled.

“I’m…really not that special though” I mumbled, fiddling with a strand of hair. “All the revolutions I was part of ended in disaster; and the last one…it was partially my fault my friends didn’t make up; I could have done something, anything, and yet I didn’t. And they all drew apart, and Trickstar disbanded…”

“Hey now, don’t put yourself down like thaT!”

Natsume’s smile faded.

“Kitten, your efforts might have failed, but it’s admirablE that you guys got as close as you did” he said. “Not to mention, despite everything, you managed to salvage Baru-kuN; what you did for him makes up for the failure by a lot, believe mE. Though winning a revolution of that scale against someone like Tenshouin is hard, it’s even hardER to boost the morale of your soldiers and companions after a heavy loss”

“Yes, but…”

“What’s done is done, and we can’t turN the clock back” Natsume took my hands, squeezing them tightly, looking at me with a strange fire in his eyes. “Believe me, I know how it feels like to be powerless when everything around you has collapsED; but you did something that I never thoughT could be possible. You revitalised one of your fallen soldiers, gave him love, gaVE him a home. Even when he crashed and burned several times over the course of a few weeks, you picked him up and you were able to kickstart his healING process. Something that I didn’t think was possible, you achieved iT! Kitten, I’ve never admired someone’s efforts as much as I did yourS. And in fact, I…” he looked away, a faint blush spreading on his cheeks. “I…I was motivated…by your resolution, to do all of thiS”

My own face heated up again, and for a moment the room went awfully quiet. But then, as if casting a spell, he let go of my hands and cleared his throat.

"Anyway, I settlED all the pieces; I wanted to talk to you about it todaY"

My eyes widened, as I looked at the corkboard again.

"You mean it?"

"There's some small details I might have to think about, I think, but the overall scheme I'm confidenT about" he smiled, tracing his finger along blue ribbons. "Such as, I know how we can annihilaTE Tenshouin"

I followed his gestures in awe, as he traced his hand across the set path in blue.

"We cannot fight fine and Akatsuki as we arE; even with enough propaganda, it would takE a miracle for them to fall. Tenshouin would not let that happen, not after the previous attempted revolutioN. So I thought that, in order to sediment our name, we need to beaT a slightly smaller but still important unit. We must drive them to the ground at all costs, and I placed some seeds to make sure that happenS. All we need to do is wait for those seeds to bloom into flowers, and use them to guide our enemy with a false sense of security, before snappING the venus trap on their heads"

I nodded. "And when you say 'we'..."

"I admit I'm still thinkING of that" he said. "Don't get me wrong: though I might have given a wrong impression - and if I did, my humble apologies, producer - I want Switch to debuT as much as Senpai. Sora deserves to see the limelight, and he'd make a wonderful idol. But I'm not confident if we might be able to beat our opponentS even with the gained assets. And I have only a handful of days to make my decision, considering the practice we would have to do to succeED...I admit, I'm a little bit impatient on that front, for someone who has just bragged about planning every detaiL. But I'm counting on gettING inspiration from everyone else, as well"

I continued to nod, clapping my hands excitedly. He smiled at my enthusiasm, and removed the hand from the corkboard.

"Free time does wonders to the mind sometimeS" he said. "Though I guess I can see your point about working during it, KitteN"

"Hm? Is it because you spend a lot of time here?"

I eyed the blanket to my side as I spoke. To my surprise, Natsume's expression darkened at my words. He hid arms behind his back, looking away with a frown.

"It is a habit I haVE" he mumbled. "A commodity to avoid worrying my parentS; but I would prefer you tell no oNE"

I noticed only then that his under eyes were framed by pale grey circles, and he was slightly squinting though the light wasn't in front of him. My body stiffened, and I nodded, holding my hands in front of me.

"I'm sorry…"

"It's ok, KitteN; sometimes even geniuses from out of this world have burdens, and others tend to forget thaT. Even" he smiled. "Even remarkable people such as yourselF"

I lowered my gaze, toying with my fingers. Though I was flattered by his words, with the way he presented himself they seemed to carry little to no weight. And as much as I knew it was wishful thinking on my part, I couldn't help but wonder if there was a way I could help him with whatever burden he was carrying. Even if it was just a little bit, I wanted to make sure that everyone I knew was alright.

That day in July, I had promised Subaru he would never cry again, because he was my best friend, and because I wanted to redeem myself. Was it too ambitious to hope for the same thing for every other person I knew?

"Shissho, we're hereee!"

"Ah, careful Sora-kun, don't trip!"

My thoughts were interrupted by two familiar voices, and soon our companions came into view. Sora ran towards the corkboard, already examining it with wide eyes, while Natsume approached Aoba and smacked him with the papers in his hands.

"For shame, making the ProduceR wait" he said. "I thought you said you wantED to be a good senior"

"N-Natsume-kun, please forgive me; I didn't mean to be late" the older boy stuttered out. "It's just...I ran into some issues at home, I told you; my mother...it was bad, I had to step in"

Natsume's features seemed to soften at his words, but before he could day or do any more I stepped in, placing my hand on top of his.

"It's fine" I said. "Aoba-senpai, thank you for coming; I understand we might have little time, but I appreciate all the help I can get"

The boy quickly recovered, and eagerly nodded.

"Yes, yes, of course...I'm really sorry, Producer; if it's alright, tomorrow we can meet up and have a longer session? It seems like Natsume-kun might take a while to...tell us his plans…"

He eyed the corkboard behind us, which Sora was still looking at as he jumped up and down.

"True" I mumbled. "Well, that's fine anyway; thank you for your help"

"Why, of course, Producer; it's the least I can do…"

"Ok, if you're doNE setting up dates" Natsume briskly interrupted us, flicking his wrist to free himself. "Let's get on with iT; Senpai is right, this might take some time, but I'll try to be quick for the sake of everyonE's classes"

"That's very kind of you-"

"And also because if Senpai overworks himself silly over missed classes he'll collapse and die and that would be a waste of tiME"

"Ah, there it is…"

 

---

 

We learned of Natsume's plan that day, or at least, the greater picture. It was quite simple when said out loud, though we all knew that many details had to be studied and perfected in order for him to express such things with clarity. He spoke like he had been practicing for that speech for all his life; his eyes shined, his hands followed paths that only he knew from memory, pressing fingers against bent corners and coloured ribbons.

The first step was to climb the ranks, to gain enough power to be able to go against Akatsuki. Like he had told us before, this year was the perfect opportunity to do that, as the SS made sure that fine would be absent and Akatsuki swamped with the duty to control all that was going on. With my help as well, the Student Council's reputation was souring, and Natsume as well as Sora had been hearing whispers around the hallways of how bitter everyone was about the current state of affairs, with some second years even terrified of the nightmares of the previous conflict repeating despite the rooftop's limited access.

To be able to climb the ranks within a few months however, we needed to take down a powerful enemy. A unit that was of a lesser level to Akatsuki, but whose loss would make the opposing party immediately flourish. After much deliberation, Natsume had declared that his target would be one of the groups properly descendant from one of Yumenosaki's and who had survived the war. A unit who fought and fought, but was still one breath away from shattering to pieces.

The unit called Knights.

I admit back then, I was not as intimidated as Aoba, nor was I surprised or upset like Sora. Despite everything, I had a feeling that they would become our target at some point: a unit with no leader, held together by fragile bounds and a mere contract...there was no better prey in the entirety of Yumenosaki. And though it hurt to have it see be admitted, I didn't blink as much as I had hoped.

The only issue, according to Natsume, was that while he did have a plan, he did not have the actors. He was still on the fence about debuting Switch so suddenly, despite having some tricks up his sleeve; he didn’t want everyone involved in the revolution to be so openly exposed, for if things were to go wrong, it would bite them back really harshly. He was still contemplating how to deal with this issue, though all he had to do was sort through the options he had planned and wait for the perfect opportunity that would make one of his strategies more possible.

Never mind that he himself had sewn the seeds for that opportunity to rise; but then again, like me, he must have grown to be doubtful of the eggs he saw until he watched all chicks hatch.

 

---

 

As much as he hated to admit it, Tsukasa hadn't stopped thinking of Sakasaki's words for one minute.

He couldn't say what was the detail that most caused him unrest: whether it was the fact a revolution existed at all, or even the fact that his precious Producer had joined the fight in secret. Everything about it seemed so surreal, it was difficult to believe that he hadn't dreamed of the encounter.

Especially considering what his senior has said about all the other Knights members.

That harshness terrified the boy; even if he couldn't prove that his words on the control of Tenshouin were true, he said them without hesitation, to the point it was hard to think of them as anything but. And that only made Tsukasa even more scared: what kind of sorcery was that person capable of? How much did his senior’s power extend to?

Was the reason of the boy’s insecurity also fruit of that same magic?

These doubts and many more plagued him for some days, distracting him from his work and even causing some trouble with his teachers and unit mates. It made him feel ashamed, and almost angry; he had done nothing to deserve that kind of curse. He was a nobody, a boy who was trying to grow into a new environment he knew he had no experience on. As much as he hated to admit it, he had no redeeming qualities to speak of, nothing that would make anyone want to curse him so harshly. And he knew that Sakasaki thought the same, otherwise he wouldn't have called his efforts useless.

The Producer works with such a person...could it be…?

He shook his head; no, she couldn't have been bewitched. There was no way someone as lovely and amazing as her could suffer that fate. But it still made no sense that she who had encouraged him would agree with the same ideals as someone who wanted to punish Knights. Sure, she must hold a grudge against his unit, and he couldn't blame her for it, but…

He sighed, and leaned against the doorframe of his class.

The bell had rang long ago, Tsukasa’s afternoon classes had ended. Normally he would have been heading home by now, but the thoughts had made him almost forget to call his driver; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake them away.

" Are you willing to bet on the low chance you'll be able to resist in such a terrible situation?”

It was stupid, really. He had already made his decision, even before he talked to Sakasaki: his name was engraved in the Knights record, and as the title implied, obviously he was going to remain loyal to his unit. That and honesty were some of the characteristics his family praised, and it would be foolish to go against them; he might as well have dug up his ancestors' remains and scattered what was left to the four winds.

But even then...

Even then?

Well, Sakasaki was not wrong to doubt him; despite his best efforts, he knew that he was the only one who deserved the namesake their unit loved to flaunt on their audience. Though Sena was good at saving face, he was still an unkind and unjust brute inprivate; and Narukami and Ritsu seemed to be hanging around as if obligated by some obscure sense of duty that Tsykasa would have called "Friendship", had he seen anything resembling such a thing.

And Yuuki…

"Oi! Kasa-kun!"

That harsh and familiar voice caused the boy to snap back to reality, and he quickly stood up straight as if stung. Before he could understand what was going on, a tall figure was blocking his view, glaring at him.

"Sen- senpai!" He said, trying to hide the shiver that went through his body. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, I'll tell you what’s wrong" the other snarled. "I called you all up for practice today, and no one, and I mean no one, has showed up yet; care to explain yourself, Kasa-kun?"

The boy's eyes went round as plates, and he quickly fumbled in his pockets for his phone.

"I…today?" He unlocked it and scrolled through the calendar app. "But...but you said…"

Sena huffed. "I texted you all this morning; geez, have you guys lost all your reading comprehension along with your braincells? Soooo annoying"

He was not wrong; Tsukasa hadn't been able to check his messages that morning due to Sakasaki's conversation replaying in his head, not to mention all the information that Sora had stuffed in his head during the break. He really cherished his friend, but sometimes he had difficulty following what he was saying.

"I…I was busy…" he stammered, feeling his face turn bright red. He resisted the urge of squinting his eyes shut, feeling Sena's eyes digging holes in his head.

"Ah, you're all so useless sometimes-! If it wasn't for me, this unit would have been in shambles long ago! But nether less, come on"

The boy blinked, looking at his phone, then at his senior. He repeated the process several times, before sensing that if he kept at it, he might risk the integrity of his cheeks.

"I…excuse me?"

"Practice, moron, practice!" Sena grabbed his shoulder, pulling him roughly towards him. "Come on, get a move on; we need to get everyone else as well"

By now a small crowd had gathered around them, which for some reason seemed to not bother the senior. Tsukasa on the other hand, only felt himself shrink more, and he opposed no resistance as he was pulled towards the hallway, almost tripping on his shoes as he tried to keep the pace. It hurt, everything hurt, from yesterday's intense practice session to his ringing ears; he had planned to go home and rest that day, as he knew he should. He was scared he might collapse if he continued moving that much everyday. He had already skipped archery a few times because he could barely stand up. And yet…

"Sure, a strict upbringing has brought upon talent and greatness, but what about the person whose gifts those belong to?"

Inadvertently, his eyes fell on the figure that was walking beside them, calmly and quietly, like an aloof robot. Sparkling blonde hair, cold green eyes, tidy uniform, a gaze that was looking right in front of them and yet not really. A complete, utterly, emotionless doll.

Is he not tired?

The longer Tsukasa looked at him, the more the questions started pooling into his brain. Questions that he had asked himself before, but that now taunted him more and more, as if he had just realised that he did not know how to answer them.

Does he ever get tired?

Does he really need to eat?

Does he need practice?

How does he memorise moves so perfectly?

Does he need to drink?

How can he sing fluidly?

How did he become this way?

What did Sena-senpai do to him?

Why does Sena-senpai like him?

Why does Sena-senpai like him?

Why does Sena-senpai like him?

Why does Sena-senpai like him?

They didn't leave him alone. Spinning and spinning in his head, the words came to him so naturally he almost forgot how unsettling they felt. How unsettling that doll was.

How unsettling it was that Sena had presented him like that in the first place.

"...Yuuki-senpai"

Granted, it had been quiet. Not to mention that, with the whispering in the background, he had probably been drowned out. Probably.

"Yuuki-senpai"

Nothing. It was alright. Again, maybe he had not been heard. Maybe Yuuki was just thinking of something and he was not paying attention to his surroundings. It happened. It had happened to him. He could understand that.

"Yuuki-senpai!"

He was much louder now, he was sure of it. Sena might have not turned around to scold him, but he definitely saw some people's eyes widen, or others grow silent when he had spoken. He could have repeated himself maybe, just a little bit more, but he was scared of what Sena might do if he didn't keep quiet.

Not to mention, with such an outsider reaction, then Yuuki…

Why.

He was shaking now. In fear, terror, anger, he couldn't say. He just knew that, whatever feeling it was, he couldn't stand it. He didn't like it.

Why.

Why why why why why why why why why why why why

He didn't know how he managed to break free. Maybe the shivering was so hard it had prompted Sena to let him go, maybe he had pulled at some point or forced him to stop. Whatever the case, before he could even realise what he was doing, he had unstuck himself and slapped Yuuki on the face with all his strength.

“AT LEAST TALK!” He yelled. “ANSWER ME! What are you doing, living this stupid [charade]! Can’t you act like an actual human being for once! Is that too much to ask for?”

Yuuki didn’t move, which if anything caused his anger to multiply. He grabbed him by the tie, shaking him.

“Hey! Hey did you hear me! I know you did, I can see it!” he glared at him, burning fire in his empty eyes. “Are you serious right now! You call yourself an [idol], and yet you’re nothing more than a pretty [machine] following orders! Is this the person you want to be! Is this the type of [idol] you came here to become! Is this…” he gulped, suddenly out of breath. People were staring now, he could feel them looking at him. But he buried that sensation deep down, focusing on the other boy, who was still refusing to look at him. Still lost.

“Is this the person Onee-sama loved so much!”

“Kasa-kun!”

He was suddenly torn away from the boy, and almost stumbled and crashed against a wall. He managed to gain his footing just in time, but still fell on the floor in front of a small crowd of shocked students. Tsukasa didn’t pay attention to their whispers, or the few who called for him and asked if he was alright. He was too focused on his two seniors, as Sena went over to tend to Yuuki as if he had been a toy carelessly thrown against the wall. He couldn’t hear the words that his senior told the doll, nor was he good enough at lip-reading, but he didn’t need to know to feel anger boiling inside of him: somehow, for the first time in his life, seeing such a display pissed him off. But he didn’t move; he didn’t want to cause anymore trouble.

After some time, when the crowd was starting to disperse, Sena had finally unstuck his eyes from his precious little toy, which he had pampered and tidied like a doll maker. He then straightened himself up and, arms dropping to the side, his face suddenly became serious. Tsukasa knew why, and he was expecting it; the aura emanating from the older boy was a familiar feeling by now, and he could have sensed it even if he had fallen on the other side of the area.

But despite that, for the first time, he did not feel fear as his senior approached him with clenched fists.

 

---

 

Tsukasa couldn't recall what Sena had told him that day. He didn't think he was even listening, boiling a storm under his pout. But he did remember his senior being angrier than he had ever seen or heard him, and how the crowd around them had scattered like frightened rabbits with every word. No one had tried to help, or had stepped in to convince Sena to calm down or let him go. No one, except Narukami and Ritsu.

It was probably they had been called by someone, or maybe being from the same class they were leaving together when they had seen the whole thing; regardless, they had rushed towards them, and managed to finally stop Sena's scolding and convince him to let their junior go, Narukami with a calmer voice, Ritsu with cold monotones. Tsukasa didn't remember what they said either. But at some point, the three had settled strangely peacefully to get Narukami, Tsukasa and Ritsu to the practice room, while Sena "tended" to Yuuki. No one objected to his ridiculous sentence. And perhaps, it was better this way.

The walk to the practice room was long and silent. But it was clear even to outsiders that a storm was brewing, and if they didn't get inside quickly, someone (Ritsu mostly) was going to blow up. At the very least, the walk helped clear Tsukasa's head, as the more he grew further from his senior's voice, the less frustrated and angry he felt. And the more his focus returned to reality, a bleak and worrying reality, but that nonetheless.

Narukami had barely closed the door behind them, when Ritsu held his head in his hands and let out a frustrated cry.

"Argh, he's so...so infuriating!" He yelled, turning towards the other two. "What the hell is his problem, seriously? He wasn't that bad before!"

"Well, it's a bit of a tense moment for all of us" Narukami pointed out. "Izumi-chan has to think about his graduation on top of everything, don't forget; and with all the jobs we have…"

"Ah, to hell with all of that!" The other snapped. "You're acting as if it's all stress; I've seen him when he's like that. It's not pretty, but it's certainly not whatever the hell is going on now! I'm telling you, that stupid doll is the core issue. We need to dispose of it"

"You mean Yuuki-chan?"

"The doll, yes. Secchan hasn't been the same since that thing got into Knights"

Tsukasa looked at his seniors in silence. He held both of his hands, waiting patiently for the moment to blow over. Waiting, as he always did. Waiting, because he had no better ideas at the moment.

"Well, it's...it's not like it stumbled uninvited" Narukami said. "You know that Izumi-chan is the one who recruited him"

"Yeah and it was the worst thing he ever did"

"Ritsu-chan-"

"I'm serious, Nacchan! Name one good thing that has come out of that thing joining! One thing!"

Narukami's eyes lowered, and her mouth twisted itself into a slight frown. For a second, Tsukasa wondered if she was ready to admit defeat for once, a thought that seemed to be shared by Ritsu. But before either of them coild say something, she spoke up in a quieter tone.

"Since he joined, people stopped talking about Ou-sama…"

Tsukasa’s breathing hitched, and he noticed that Ritsu as well had stiffened at her words. If there was thing the three of them knew, it was that no matter what, no one was allowed to speak out his name, or even talk about him. In fact, the boy could swear he had almost forgotten what those syllables sounded like together, and he didn’t think he had ever heard her say them out loud.

It felt so wrong the more he thought about it. This was their Leader, the person who had given them their roles and their names, who had allowed for them to be gathered here in the first place. Who had given them their songs, and their dances. Why, why was someone so important also so blacklisted? What kind of terrible crimes had he committed to deserve this disrespect?

And why was he so compliant about it in the first place? If he was so against their current methods, why wasn't he saying anything? Why wasn't he doing anything?

"To what extent do you think you can change them, Suou-kun?"

Ritsu eventualy recovered, clicking his tongue.

"Because that makes it automatically better? Please" he rolled his eyes. "At least when they talked about an actual human being it could've been incentive for him to act less stupid"

"You know it's our fault as well that...this happened, right?" She crossed her arms. "Weren't you the one who said 'let him be' when he locked the practice room? In a sense, all of us are complicit with what happened. We're reaping what we sowed"

"If I had known things would turn up this way-"

"You still wouldn't act, let's be honest; in fact, none of us would do a thing about it. We're no better than Yuuki-chan; in this life, in this moment we share together, we're all puppets playing the roles he wants us to"

Ritsu bit his lip, but he didn't retort, lowering his gaze with a groan. Narukami sighed and turned away, but there was a mourning expression on her face.

Tsukasa looked at them both, his eyes trailing from one figure to the other. The frail bond tying them together, giving identity to their union as Knights, for the first time he became painfully aware of just how fragile it was. He had been trying all this time to work as a temporary glue for them, to keep them together waiting; waiting for their Leader to show up and fix them all, assign them their place and help them overcome their hardships, bringing them back together stronger, more powerful, better, the perfect Knights...

But how could he, a newbie with no talents or expertise, be the substitute of that glue? How could he have believed that his simple presence could have helped them, when he needed to speak a lot and out loud for them to even acknowledge his presence? How was he supposed to compare to someone who had given them more than anyone else in the unit ever could?

Sakasaki's words returned to him. That voice, slimy and malicious, speaking against his beloved unit with venomous words; he remembered it more than the encouragements, and for a valid reason: he did know that any attempt he had at fixing the situation would more likely fail, and even though he clung upon the image of his saviour as his last hope, it was more because he feared what would happen if he let go.

But maybe...maybe…

"Everyone"

His voice was low, but it rang loud in the silent room. Though the others didn't move, he was sure they had heard him.

“Everyone” he repeated. “I…I know that it’s a hard time right now; and things look bad between us, because of Sena-senpai, because of his…friend. But…but we mustn’t lose hope yet”

Narukami flinched, and turned towards him with a doubtful look on her face. Her expression didn’t help his nerves, but he chose to ignore it and nodded.

“We…we have to stay strong” he said. “[Leader] will be back soon; and then, he will fix everything up, and we will be alright again. We will be happy, and…and everything else. We’ll be [Knights] again”

He was not expecting anything out of his speech. Out of all the possible scenarios he had pictured in his head, breaking the news this way wasn’t in any of them.

He wanted to slam his head on the wall, as soon as the words left his mouth. It was awful. This wasn’t what he had wanted it to be at all. If it was truly hopeless, he should have told them with his head high and a booming voice, the kind his grandfather allegedly had whenever he gave orders. He should be able to infuse the hope that was lost back in their bodies through his words alone, and offer himself through his tone and his gestures as their guide, their new hope, all of the colourful language that the Producer had used on him. Surely, surely, if someone so magnificent had seen those qualities in him, he should be able to let them shine through.

Instead, he had acted terribly. More uncertain than both members combined. And as such, his words were only met with a long, uncomfortable silence.

There was a sound at some point, stirring Tsukasa back to reality. It was Ritsu, who had tch-ed and crossed his arms. The boy looked at Narukami, but her expression had not changed since he last saw it. If anything, her face had distorted more, painting the kind of sour picture you would expect on someone who is trying to pick the right words to say.

Oh.

“No”

Narukami lowered her raised fist, her expression saddening. “Tsukasa-chan…”

“No, I know what you’re going to say, and I won’t believe you” he spoke quickly. “You are…[Leader] will be back; he has to! We need him to function as a [unit]”

“Tsukasa-chan, Ou-sama…”

“I might not know him, but if he’s so important, then he must return!” Tsukasa insisted, placing a hand on his chest. “A King is bestowed with the means and the title to guide his people! If he chose to be called that way, and he is still known as that on paper, then it must mean that he’ll be back! Through seas and territories of all kinds, he will always remember that he is our [Leader], and he will be as such until time permits him! And so, I refuse to believe that you’d dare dishonour him by trying to trample-”

“It’s almost October!”

Tsukasa paused, and even Ritsu turned around. Narukami shook, before gulping and composing herself.

"I...I'm sorry, Tsukasa-chan" she said in a quiet voice. "It's just...it's been a long time now since...since he was here; I think it's been almost a year. And not to mention, with our current status...I'm not sure"

The boy frowned, clenching his fists.

"What...What are you not sure about?"

It didn't sound like a question, more of a demand. He glanced at Ritsu, maybe out of the need for moral support or something of the sorts. But the boy had looked away again, his face hidden from view.

"He's not coming back"

Tsukasa's neck turned so quickly he might have snapped something. Narukami held her gaze low.

"I know you want to believe it, but...I'm sorry, Tsukasa-chan. You have to look at the facts. It's been almost a year since we last heard of him, and Izumi-chan has already made preparations to admit Yuuki-chan as our fifth member. There's nothing against more than five in the rules, but we don't know if we'll be able to handle the costs then. We don't even know if...he still remembers us, or wants to come back. We don't know anything. I'm sorry...I just don't think he'll be back"

There comes a time in our lives when the fragile ideals that we have been so desperately clinging onto shatter before our eyes. And when that happens, we have different ways to react as a result. I had seen something similar happen to me, and then to Subaru, way back when our dreams were shattered over and over, until the shards looked more like dust.

The reactions to such an event vary. They can be from denial to anger to bargaining to depression to acceptance. Sometimes it's all of them in rapid succession, the process called "Five stages of grief". Or sometimes there's more ways to react, though it's usually considered a sub-genre of one of these five. The point is, as there are many humans that exist in this world, there are just as many ways to respond to such heavy news.

But there must be a thin line connecting Yumenosaki students psychologically. For the first movement Tsukasa did after Narukami had swung her hammer, after he had stood there for a few minutes in complete silence, was run.

 

---

 

Tsukasa's mind was rushing, rushing at thousands of miles per hour, head full of different thoughts and bits and pieces of sentences. And as he ran, his heart beating loudly in his chest, his eyes burning, his muscles sore, they all blended together, making it impossible for him to understand where he was heading and why.

It was a gut reaction, but had he had a choice, he desired nothing more than to keep running until he dropped dead; either through an outside source who decided to grant him mercy, or a god annoyed by his antics.

Annoyed, annoyed...how foolish, foolish, foolish...

He stopped suddenly, panting heavily. His lungs hurt, as did his legs. He didn’t know for how long be had been running, but he could only hope he was far away from the practice room, and whoever bothered to try to catch him.

The latter thought felt sour to him. For some reason; though it should have been obvious, the idea that any of his unit mates cared that much felt off.

“I just don’t think he’ll be back”

Narukami’s words hurt. They hurt him more than he could have imagined, more than if he had been the person to state it. And remembering Ritsu’s impassiveness, as she told him, only made it worse; the boy felt his chest burn, though it was probably just him being out of breath.

“Are you serious!”

Tsukasa jumped up, immediately looking around. There was a group of students in front of him, some of them first years judging from the red ties. And they were talking to each other, luckily unaware of his presence.

He inched closer, holding onto the wall for support. His steps were slow, so as not to alert them, and he was even staring at the floor in the most casual way possible...if such a thing was possible, that is.

“It's really that bad, huh?” Another voice mumbled.

“But why! Why!” there was the sound of a foot stomping on the floor. “We practiced so hard! The audience loved us!”

“I…I don't know what to say…there was nothing left when I checked"

"You should check again!"

"I'm telling you, there's nothing we can do! I looked everywhere, there wasn't a single job available! And when I asked the Student Council, they didn't even believe we were registered as a unit!"

Tsukasa paused. His hand grasped at the wall, almost scratching it as he did.

He couldn't lie. He had heard about these problems, long before Sakasaki and him had talked. In his class there were plenty of his peers who had formed units which were new and had to rely on their own strengths to boost their name. He had heard it was hard, but everyone around him tended to avoid the topic, as if they thought he couldn't understand them, as though it would have sounded selfish and whiny. And it was true that, being part of Knights, he wouldn't understand. But it didn't mean that he wasn't willing to listen. If it helped him get closer to his classmates, if it helped them relieve a burden he would have gladly heard them out and maybe even assist them somehow.

Why am I always the one no one talks to about anything? Why won't they let me speak or hear? Is something about my status or heritage so intimidating that everyone forgets I'm a human? Is it because I don't know, what idols are trending, what the vocabulary is? Why won't anyone talk to me? Why does no one see me as more than a useless child?

Suddenly, the door in front of him slammed open, almost causing him to fall down. He stumbled backwards, avoiding the wood just in time, but his worries were quickly forgotten when he recognized the figure storming out. Or rather, he sort of did. Because never in his whole life had he seen the Producer look so angry.

“Hey, watch it!” A voice from inside yelled, which only seemed to make her angrier as she turned around. But she had barely opened her mouth when she stiffened, and closed her eyes to take a deep breath; having seemingly regained her composure, she looked at the previous speaker with a fake, wide smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I offend you?" She asked. "Do you feel hurt by my sudden display of emotions? Do you want me to act prim and proper like a good little girl? Ooh, maybe I could feed you and perform tricks for you?"

She grabbed one of the doors, her knuckles visibly whitening.

"I'm sorry to have betrayed your expectations then”

She slammed it so hard that the floor shook, and even the students gathered in a corner raised their heads with wide eyes. The Producer ignored them. merely staring at the door with an expression that made Tsukasa shiver.

"Filthy liars” he heard her mutter. “Even despite being cut from the same cloth, they still refuse to help their peers..."

His eyes inadvertently darted towards the door that had been shut, which incidentally had been the one on his side. there was a plaque stuck at the center, only half of the whole thing, but the characters on it were enough to send his head spinning.

Tsukasa was not stupid, despite what some might think. He knew that the Producer was having a hard time; heck, she would mention it to him herself, though while being evasive about it and never delving into the concept too much. And maybe it was his fault for never asking for details. Maybe he should have been more understanding especially considering how much he cared for her. Maybe, if he had known...

Sakasaki's words haunted his mind, as did those moments where his beloved Producer looked a little more tired than usual. Images that were incompatible to his eyes, that didn't make at all sense. And then he saw the real Producer, the one standing in front of him. The person who was the living embodiment of rage and frustration and stress, emotions he knew and that yet were now foreign to him.

The curtain had fallen, the illusion was shattered. And even she, when she finally noticed his presence, didn’t try to piece it back together.

“Tsu... Tsukasa-Kun?”

 It was a sight he couldn't bear anymore; and not because of her, far from it. He could never blame her for anything. No, the fault was on him. The fault was on him for building up this faux image of her, of the school, of believing that just like in fairytales, if he prayed and worked hard enough, he would be able to win against the forces of evil and restore peace all around. How pathetic. No wonder everyone treated him like a child.

"I'm sorry"

It was the only thing he could say. Not enough, not even half of what the Producer deserved to hear, if anything. But he couldn't say anything more. He, a powerless fool who built identies out of fickle evidence and childish dreams, what power did he have?

He lowered his head, feeling hot. And then he ran, ignore the call of her voice and the whispers that followed him.

Out. He wanted out, out, out. Away from it all, from that cruel world, from the harsh' reality surrounding him. If it made him lesser than a knight, then so be it; he didn't deserve the title anyway, no one in that unit did. They were all fakes, stand-ins that feigned with gestures and kind voices their real state. They had taken the name that had been generously given to them and soiled it, until it was unrecognisable; because of pride, selfishness, lost in their own little fantasies…

Why.

His legs hurt again, and he stopped again, panting heavily to the point he was coughing and wheezing.

Why, he couldn't help but wonder. Why had the unit of his dreams turned out to be so awful. And why had he failed to keep it whole despite his efforts.

If Saksaki-senpai is right, if Knights was tainted by the school... then I was fighting the wrong enemy all along. But if the system is poisoning Knights, then it's true that I, a newbie with no influence, can't do anything, isn't it? My role is that of an intruder, someone who bluntly interrupted the peaceful world my seniors were in, foolishly trying to put it back in place...

But do I even know what the right place is? I... how could I know? And how could I hope to solve the problem with my lack of knowledge?

He felt something slide down his cheek, into the other. But when he looked up in surprise, it was not raining. Clouds were starting to cover the sky, but there were still patches of bright blue above him; and a ray of sun shining bright, granting him warmth. However, most of the view was covered by a multi-coloured mass of leaves.

Tsukasa straightened himself up and sniffed, trying to rub the tears out of his eyes. As he was testing his vision, blinking rapidly, he noticed only then that in his frenzy he had ended up in the school courtyard. Or at least, he assumed it was so. It looked familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

The trees were large, bigger than the ones at the entrance. They extenedd far above, so high' that had it not been for the sun, he wouldn't have been able to see through; though they were close, there was a void in-between, forming a brown path.

Tsukasa looked at the trees, eyes widening. It resembled an enchanted forest, the kind he would read about in western fairytales; the only difference was that there was nothing around him, no animals, and very little mystical flowers and plants. In fact, the only sound that was audible came from outside, the faint cheers of a group of students at the nearby track field. He looked around again, keeping his ears open in case of upcoming footsteps.

And then, hearing nothing, he focused back on the path, took a deep breath, and stepped on it.

The trees grew denser and denser as Tsukasa walked, the many branches reaching out for each other in the distance like yearning lovers. Some had lost their leaves, forming an unsettling bare barrier where green should have been. It didn't cast a strong shadow, as the sun was starting to fade; but Tsukasa still couldn't bring himself to look at the ground, not when his feet met with what he hoped were twigs and leaves.

He was remembering now. Faintly, but it was there: he had seen that place a long time ago.

One time, alongside Tori, he had sneaked into Yumenosaki during an open day; but while Tori had chosen to test fate and melded with the common crowd, the other had gotten overwhelmed by his evil deed, choosing to hide in a lone place in the courtyard. It was while running that he had found a secluded area, shielded by bare tall trees, along a muddy and naked path. And at the end of it, in a clearing surrounded by melting snow and wet patches, near a large stone, were…

Tsukasa paused. He realised his heart was beating fast as he edged closer. The area was close by, he could tell by the way the trees were expanding. Part of him wanted to stop there. It was no use, subjecting himself to this kind of torment. He should go back, to his unit, to Narukami, to Ritsu, to Sena. He should go back and apologise, apologise for being such a rude and despicable boy, for being immature, for tossing away the honour of being accepted into...

It was quiet.

He realised it a while ago, but now, he couldn't shrug off how eerily quiet the area was. Maybe he was too used to his memory of it, the melodic song, the explosive and nonsensical quarrels he couldn't understand. Or maybe it was because back then he was unaware of the true nature of the place. He had believed it to be a secret magical refuge, where figures of mystery and grace practiced their singing. But he wasn't a student yet back then. He was just a naive kid who easily deluded himself into what was "himself" and what was "others". And the stone...

He could see it now.

It was larger than he remembered it being. About his height, maybe bigger, and twice as long. It was surrounded by dead leaves, and they kept falling all around it, fluttering around as if trying to avoid it.

It should have convinced him to leave; instead, he went forward. The road separating him from it felt long, but he confidently marched on, his heart beating faster and faster.

He remembered more: he had not recognised the area because he had followed a different path, and had stayed hidden as the three had sung. Close, so close he was, he had been able to hear all they were saying, though their quarrels did not make much sense then. He had heard their name pop up, and he had even looked it up on posters when he had enrolled. Knights. Three members. Opening auditions for more.

He had been the only accepted person. He had been the only candidate they had chosen out of ten or fifteen, even if his skills were lacking, even if his abilities were non-existent, and they had gazed at him silently and with unreadable expression, they had selected him. He was a member. He was their unit mate.

Knights. He, was a member of knights. He was...

When Tsukasa reached the cenotaph, he felt his stomach drop. He had expected to find names, to find all the people that had lost their lives someway on the other in that school. It was a cenotaph after all. It was there for reason.

But there were so many. So many kanji, and hiragana. Just looking at them gave him a headache.

Osana, Tachibana, Yano, Shigeru, Taro, Tashimen, Natsuki, Haruka, Sakura, Hitsugi, Makoto, Tanaka…

He reached out his hands, and with hesitant gestures begun wiping off the leaves from the cenotaph. They were wet and slimy, and they stuck to his fingers; the stone was cold, making him shiver. But he continued his movements, even as he felt the sun disappear and drops falling on his head.

Steven, Hiro, Daisuke, Saito, Wataru, Misaki, Eiji, Nakamura, Nakashima…

The leaves where stuck in some places, and when he tried to scratch them off he ended up shivering too much. The drops falling on him, little by little growing in quantity, were not helping and he eventually moved on to other spaces.

Hajime, Yuu, Misaki, Murakami, Kanagawa, Osamu...

He tried the edge of the cenotaph, attempting to dust it from earth that the wind blew on it. A last attempt at trying to avoid the rows and rows of names engraved on it. But he couldn’t. It was impossible to disconnect his mind off of that reality, away from what he knew to be there. His eyes fell, and he read more.

Saro, Seiji, Jun, Riku, Mitsuki, Dorian, Nayuta, Nozomi…

Would he be able to remember them? Was it even possible to remember them all?

He shivered, the rain suddenly having grown stronger. He should probably leave, before he caught a cold. Idols couldn’t work if they were sick after all. He was already a hindrance, the least he could do for them was avoid being more of a nuisance.

For them. For knights. The bare minimum.

He should go. He should go.

Creaking out from war and use, clock hands begin to move

And so it goes, guiding us, to the game that we chose to play”

He didn't recognise the song. Or at east, not as it is sung. A lonely, chocked voice, strained, with notes that are either too quiet or too loud. There was no quarrel, no second voice to accompany him, no third one to jokingly (or on purpose?) hum the notes of the instrumental. And his voice was not gentle or melodic, not kind, not soft.

“Upon the stage, sliding up, we will move as if in dance,

The curtains raise on this play now begun”

Tsukasa's hands struggled, trying to match his voice with the movements he had memorised for so long. But his limbs were stiff, mind stung by the names in front of him, and large piercing raindrops filling his mouth. But he closed his eyes and attempted anyway.

“There was a king and queen, a chase turned into sprint

Drew a world, built their own shimmering fantasy”

He paused again. There had been a snicker there, back then. A stern voice. Banter, words exchanged harshly, sentences that now had been erased from his ming

Tsukasa gulped, shaking his head in an effort to dispel those thoughts. He shuddered, as he opened his mouth again, his fingers blindly facing over the worn rock.

“There’s scattered sparks that mark a decisive silent fight

But there’s only one winning strategy, prevailing over all”

Gracefully.

Tsukasa suddenly stood up. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, which did nothing as they were also damp and soaked. His body shuddered from the cold, but he quickly forced it to stop, placing his feet in a position he had by now engraved in his head. His arms spread wide, voice still broken and quiet, he began to move, guided by soft invisible strings, by the imagery of a dark-haired fairy dancing in front of him.

The ground was unsteady at his feet, getting muddier and muddier. And yet, Tsukasa danced. He danced just like he was taught. Just like how he had asked to be taught.

Sheathing out this greater sword, we will place on it a vow,

Swearing that we will be strong, we will be there when you call

In this chessboard we call world, as the boundaries fade and burn we’ll do it,

As we vowed we will fight on”

Suddenly he lost his balance, the strings disappeared in a flash. And he found himself falling, falling down, right on the dirt and the mud, landing on his knees. Such a pathetic misstep, something he had by now learned to avoid...the fact that he had managed to return to that time, when it was so common for him to end in that position, made his inside flare up in frustration.

However, he did not cry out. He did not scream, or throw a fit. He couldn't even muster the strength to berate himself for being so careless, so inferior, so young and unexperienced. And he knew he should be insulted and insulted, for his pathetic behaviour, for daring to believe that he was at their level, that someone like him who knew nothing could be just like them, that he could step up and match their steps, go past them, and guide them, guide them to their own survival...

Guide...

“Raising our heads in pride

On the stage of our dangerous fight”

His voice, broken, lonely, rang in the quiet rain like a cry from a tired child. It felt hollow, it sounded awful. But he couldn't stop, once again. He pushed forward.

He always pushed forward.

He was stubborn. Foolish. But he had a good spirit.

...

...

Or at least, that was what he had told him.

“Kasa-kun! Try to keep your chin up here”

“Kasa-kun! You’re a little flat here”

“Ok, good, but it could be better; keep going!”

He. There was little left of him in his memory. A broken image from long long ago, back when he was still too new, back when he still stumbled and fell. Back when someone older, experienced, sighed and held out his hand.

"Come on, it's basic! Look here, you shift your balance from this foot to the other, just like this. This way you'll be able to move from one position to the other and you won't fall. The axis might be a bit blurry at first, and of course we need to work on that upper body of yours, it's a total mess- ok let's just focus on your toes for now. Look at me, can you imitate that-?...That's ok. Try harder though, come on. Quicker"

He was harsh. He couldn't deny it. And sometimes he hated him as well, as a kid would a stern teacher. But at the very least he could tell that, deep down, Sena meant his words. That he actually looked at him and had analysed what he had done wrong.

When was the last time Sena had even looked at him?

Why didn't he look at them anymore?

Why was that...that doll in the way?

“Advancing brave duellists

Bearing their lives on their sleeves

Will fight to gain the role of the king through the method of Checkmate”

 

---

 

I remember still to this day how I had found him. Sitting in the rain, mud reaching his knees and even the sleeves of his uniform, crying and singing softly in front of the cenotaph. It was a haunting image, and anyone who would have seen it would have been put off by it. I too hesitated, even as I slowly made my way towards him, clutching my umbrella tightly.

"...Tsukasa-kun?"

I didn't know how he heard me in the rain. I didn't know if he did even, or if his flinch was just a reaction to the cold. But I still walked over to him, and covered him with my umbrella as best as I could. It was useless at that point, but better late than never.

I looked in front of me, facing the cenotaph. Though I had heard about its existence, I had never seen it, let alone this close. The number of names sent shivers down my spine, and I instinctively reached for my necklace.

"It…it's awful, isn't it?" I said, quietly. "All those souls, all those dreams...all washed away, with only a name on a stone to remember them by...a stone that some students don't even know the existence of..."

My words sounded harsher than I intended, but I couldn't find the strength or the will to apologise for it.

Tsukasa was silent, staring at the cenotaph with an unreadable expression. I decided not to say anything else, fearing that my words would have brought nothing but harm.

At some point, I heard a sniff, and it was only then that I realised he was still crying. Uneasiness crept inside my stomach, clawing at my insides.

It felt like that day; I couldn't stop thinking about how similar it was to back then. Even though I tried to brush it off, even as the rain fell on my clothes and through my hair, it still felt like being stuck in that stuffy dark hallway, with my friend lost in the fragments of our shattered ideals. And just like back then, there was nothing I could do. Nothing except being there.

I crouched down next to Tsukasa, until I was at his eye level. I took out my handkerchief from my pocket and began to wipe his eyes. It was futile, considering for every tear I wiped more would follow, but I was still trying. At least, I believed I was.

"We should go back inside" I said at some point. "You're going to get sick"

He didn't say anything. I bit my lip.

“Tsukasa-Kun, if you want to talk about it…”

“I want to join your revolution”

I stiffened. The boy's eyes had narrowed, though there were too swollen to properly communicate his expression. Even so, I could feel that fire in his stare, the flame I had seen in Natsume's many days before.

“Huh?”

"You're participating in a revolution, right? Onee-sama and Sakasaki-senpai" he kneeled on the ground, prostrating himself. "Please, let me join your cause. I have made up my mind, I will be part of it"

"Tsukasa-Kun..."

My umbrella almost fell from my hands. Over and over again the memory of the tearful determined boy returned to me, an image that while I could still see in front of me was also very different.

"You... want to join us?"

"Please" he said again, muffled by the dirt. "My unit... [Knights]... [Knights] is on the brink of ruin; they have lost their way, and if things keep going this way, I'm scared... I'm scared of what could occur. And I've tried to be brave and take responsibility, but I'm not strong enough; I'm just a baby chick in a room of fully grown roosters. And with every word I cry out, theirs are always more powerful and influential. My efforts are useless if they're drowned out”

“Tsukasa-Kun..."

"Onee-sama..."

He raised his body, looking at me. His expression was much somber now, an air of melacholy clouding his eyes.

"Onee-sama... despite what you might think, I still believe in [Knights]. They're awful, annoying, and they have burdens and issues I have no business knowing…but, for some reason, in the brief time I have known them, I also saw people I could trust. Seniors who were a little broken, a little loud, but worked beautifully together regardless. Even when faced with loss and death, they sound wonderful as one. And I know you wouldn't believe me, but I know that there’s more of them than what we both know. They have a special bond, that has helped them get to where they currently are. And I... I want to save that bond. Sakasaki-senpai’s right, I can’t 't do it from inside the tainted system, least I get stained as well"

He straightened himself up, and placed a hand on his chest. His body was still shaking from the rain, but his expression was honest, firm.

"Please... allow me to rid them of their impurities. Let me join your cause. Let me become part of the Yumenosaki revolution”

Chapter 10: Gathering the disks 1

Summary:

With the introduction of a new member, there is no time to waste

Chapter Text

In hindsight, I probably should have called them before I brought Tsukasa to the meeting we had that afternoon. Though I would be lying if I said that I had considered it.

His conviction had left me stunned for a few seconds, and I had barely been able to process the true weight of it all. We didn’t say anything for a moment, before he stood up and pleaded once again, almost desperately. Twice you could think it was a hallucination, or you had misheard, but after three times there was little doubt; I took his hand, nodding firmly, and told him to follow me.

Throughout the trip to the underground archive, he didn’t say a word; even as we discarded our wet uniform jackets in a chair away from the books, he didn’t ask any questions, just stared at nothing with a determined expression in his face. He didn’t audibly react to the secret passage either, though I did notice his eyes widening at some point. And when we were finally in, the first thing he did was walk around the archive with very careful manoeuvres to keep his damp body away from the books, as he looked around with the silence and focus of an intellectual examining an art gallery. He had only stopped once, and that was to admire the board at the centre of the room, the one Natsume used to build up his enigmatic plans. He was still looking at it when Natsume, Sora and Aoba came in, the conversation they were having seemingly stopping when they caught sight of the two of us.

And only then, did I realise, that maybe I should have warned them about Tsukasa.

Sora was the first to speak. He quickly ran towards the younger boy, who hearing the newcomers had turned around, and tilted his head as he examined his face.

"Eh? Tsuka-chan?" He said after a while. "Is that really you? What are you doing here?"

"I…I should be asking the same" Aoba blurted out, holding his hands together. "I mean, haha, I'm not one to restrict archive access to students; anyone is welcome here as long as they don't damage the property. But it's still the most spacious place we can discuss our...plans in, Miss Producer. I would appreciate you'd be more careful. Now now, Natsume-kun, don't get mad..."

But Natsume wasn't mad, though it was hard to tell by looking at him: his body was gradually relaxing, but his expression was still enigmatic, like he had placed a mask over his face. Ignoring Aoba, after a moment of silence he walked towards the two younger ones, and as Sora stepped aside, he focused his gaze on Tsukasa. The small smile that had been on the boy's face at the sight of his companion hardened when his senior came into view, and he glared at him almost just as intensely, as if trying to win a staring contest.

Natsume hummed, nodding slowly.

"So…you've madE up your mind; you sure took your tiME...nether less, better late than neveR"

Tsukasa's lips pressed in a thin line.

"I'm...with all due respect, I'm not doing it for you" he said. "I'm doing this to help my seniors; if this can help them come to their senses…maybe they can admit their wrongs and return to what they used to be"

A joyless smile spread on Natsume's face.

"What they used to be, hM?" He repeated. "Why, I hope for their sake that doesn't happeN; you don't want to know how awful they used to bE back in the day"

"You...you know what I mean! Stop teasing me!"

"I'm noT; I sincerely hope that, should a change happen, it'S not the one you just mistakenly claimed. But regardless of your true intentions" he placed a hand on his head, stroking his hair. "Welcome to the revolution, Suou-kuN"

The boy winced at the contact, but remained still. Sora held his hand.

"Sora is glad you joined us! Shishou doesn't show it much, but he's happy as well"

Well, that was obvious, I wanted to say. There was so much we could do in a group of four; we couldn't afford to admit too many, but numbers were still important for our mission.

"So…what exactly do we do now, Natsume-kun?" Aoba said. "And another kid...wouldn't it be dangerous?"

"He willingly signed up for a war, I'm sure he knowS how dangerous it will get"

For someone who bragged about knowing all the lessons, his history knowledge was quite poor. But Tsukasa nodded along, clenching his fists.

"I'm going to fight...for you all..."

He looked at me as he spoke, eyes fuelled in a familiar fire. I couldn’t help but smile at him, and he immediately ducked his head away, turning red.

"That still doesn't answer my question" Aoba said. "What do we do with him?"

"Oh, he'S our starting pawn" Natsume smiled. He headed towards the billboard and placed a finger in the middle of a blue post-it note. "The piece we're going to turn in our Queen; the Reversi ProjecT"

Sora's eyes widened, and he looked at his friend.

"That sounds like an important job...congratulations, Tsuka-chan!"

"Ah? I…I know nothing about it!"

"I’m not surpriseD, this is the first time I've talkED about it to anyone" the other boy smiled. "But since time is running out, and it seems we’ve been giveN the means to a certain path, I think it's time I tell you what our revolution will look like"

We all gathered around him, Sora energetically swinging Tsukasa's hand. The boy in question looked at me with a mix of confusion and concern, but I only shook my head.

"I won't go into too many details" Natsume said. "Because I need you to offer your advicE on some certain aspects; the basic is, we send another unit on the field to fighT our first battle. This will shield Switch and Kitten from potential backlash or failure, and giveS us an opportunity to build our cause while we study our enemy’s reactions. Like a test triaL, almost"

Aoba's face visibly twisted. Natsume ignored him.

"For our revolution to succeed, we need to beaT our main two enemies: Akatsuki and fine; annihilating the first will gaiN us access to the second. However, despite SS preparations, we haVE no chance of reaching either of them at our current state. We need to build our pawns' reputation first, spread our word, until we can be vieweD as a menace by the Student Council and be able to survive their hits. AccordinG to my predictions, in order for us to have enough time to strike the Student Council and win, everyone needs to be talking about our cause by the end of the seasoN. To do that, we will proceed as I have mentioned this morninG, by knocking down a popular unit. More specifically, one of Yumenosaki's trademarKS"

He smiled as he trailed his finger over to a specific piece of paper, which I realised was a poster. He grabbed one of the torn edges and tugged, freeing it from the mess of post-it note and pins above it. The moment it came into view, my eyes widened and I looked at Tsukasa.

I think at the time, I had become aware of Natsume's plan then. But for some reason I didn't have the courage to say it out loud, or let it fester in my mind for too long. The others didn't seem to have known, and I doubt they could have imagined something as cruel as I did. Even Tsukasa, though he shook, kept his body still, and nodded decisively.

"If it's to help them" he said, placing a hand on his chest. "I will fight against them, Natsume-senpai"

The other's smile widened, and he tucked Knights's poster back in place.

"Yes..." He mumbled. "This is all to help theM...how honourable of you, Suou-kuN..."

A small pause followed his sentence. Then, he continued.

"But see, despite all the focus I have placed in this plaN, unfortunately there's a gap. I've already planned the venue, that waS arguably the easiest thing to do. But I spent so long on building Reversi as a presence, I never stoppED to wonder the most important factor; that is, who is Reversi composeD of"

"What? But that's...that's at the basis of every unit! It wouldn't be as such if it didn't have members!"

"I know that SenpaI, I didn't do it on purpose" Natsume glared at him. "This is…embarrassing to admit, but at first I thought it wouldn'T matter who Reversi was made of; however, the more I think about it, the more I realise I've driven myself in a corneR"

"How so?" I asked.

"Well, Reversi is meant as revolution propagandA; it'S less about the members and more about their role in the game. Their aim is to spreaD our word and turn as many people on our side as possible, or the worst case scenario, act as damage control if something goes wrong; this way, when the time comeS to face our enemy, even as Switch, we will be able to win. But, and I admit, this was an error on my part, the venue I planned for their debut makes it impossibLE for me to pick up random nobodies to be part of our team"

"In general, I don't think having strangers in our revolution team could be a good idea...no offence, Natsume-kun"

"Ah, you're not wrong, KitteN; I also thoughT of that later. But see...the thing is" he looked at Tsukasa. "Well, it depended on Suou-kun's arrival; but according to this plan, Reversi will have to defeaT Knights during the special Halloween Live"

Tsukasa stiffened.

"The...the [Halloween live]?" He echoed. "But that's...that's about a month away!"

"Natsume-kun, you can't possibly-"

"It's the only large event we knoW for sure Knights will participate in" Natsume shook his head. "I maDE my preparations either for that, or for a surprise Duel event; but the latter is riskier, might take more time, and there's littlE chance we'll convince them to participate"

"But...but why the Halloween Live?" Sora asked.

Tsukasa became pale, and lowered his head. I looked at him, my stomach twisting itself into a knot, and stroked his hair.

"Knights signed up to be the only participant for their turn" I explained to the other boy. "I saw it in one of the posters; usually smaller units group together for the event and share the stage when it’s their turn, but since it's Knights...”

"...Sena-senpai only had to ask, and he got it" Tsukasa finished. "Also, if a [unit] offered to join, even at the last minute, it wouldn't be against the rules. And with a crowd as big as the [Halloween Live], as big as [Knights]’s audience…everyone is going to see [Reversi]"

He shivered, though I couldn't tell if it was the thought of the thousands before him, or the fear of having to participate it with new steps and songs to learn.

"Well, our main goal is to crasH the party" Natsume said. "So Reversi can practiCE about three songs; I've seen Suou-kun at work, and I have reasons to believe he'S a fast learner"

"I..."

"Don't discredit yourself" I smiled, stroking his hair. "I've seen you as well; you're great on stage, it's hard to believe you're a newbie sometimes"

The boy smiled sheepishly, his cheeks tinted red. He cleared his throat, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"But, uhm...what about the other members, Shishou?" Sora piped up. "Where can we find people as skilled as Tsuka-chan?"

"And that's our probleM" Natsume sighed, crossing his arms. "Few are the first years who can learn that fast, and the rest arE all in units of their own; though Tsukasa is also in Knights, I'd prefER not to have all of Reversi in that situation. Speaking of, almost forgot" he snapped his fingers. "Tell your unit you can’t participaTE at practice sessions and for the live show"

"What?"

"If you practice for two units at the same time, you'll kilL yourself" Natsume said. "The element of shock would be priceless, sure, but you'rE still a first year. Focus on one unit for now. Tell them you're sick"

"But, my classes..."

"Sora will pass you notes, Tsuka-chan"

"And you can watch the lesson through cameras"

"Ca…cameras?"

"I'll show you after the meeting is done" Natsume rubber his chin thoughtfully. "Huhh, maybe I can see if I can convinCE the teachers you're doing an internship...text Knights, then I'll let you know. Back on track, so the resT of our members. I feel like two or one more should be enougH.  Numbers are important, but we can’T be too ambitious about this. However, I'm afraid I haven't been abLE to locate anyone that fits the criteria we need. My ideals seeM to clash with the lemons life is offering me"

His tone lowered as he spoke out his last sentences, and I could even see the light dwindle from his eyes. I felt a strange tug at my chest at the sight; I had never seen him look so...dejected, to put it in better terms. In fact, it was the first time I had seen him look hopeless in front of the plan he had dedicated so many hours to.

Still, it seemed odd to me that in the whole school there wasn't a single third or second year that could have the skills he required.  Or even someone who had left Yumenosaki the previous year, yet still was willing to come back for a few shows. I knew that they had to have the prestige as well, probably, if we wanted to attract as much attention as possible, but surely there had to be a person matching what Natsume needed.

He looked at us, as if waiting for the solution to his problem to pop up all of a sudden from our mouths. But even most of us looked helpless, and Aoba even bowed his head in shame, squinting his eyes shut. To think that our fiery hope for revolution could be so easily disturbed...the thought brought back painful memories I hesitantly shook away.

"Uhm...I might have an idea?"

Sora's head turned faster than it was humanly possible, and even Natsume straightened up, eyes barely widening.

I looked at Tsukasa, and for a second, our eyes met as he cleared his throat, his face turning red.

"Uhm...so, just so we're clear, you're looking for one or two people who are preferably not associated to any [unit], not entirely at least, who are skilled enough to be able to learn a few choreographies in a few weeks, and who have enough of a presence to be able to attract attention to us?"

Natsume's features relaxed, and as he nodded the familiar wide smile spread on his face.

"Spot on, Suou-kuN" he said. "And you have someone in mind, I gather?"

The boy grinned in turn, joining his hands in front of his chest.

"It might be a bit of a stretch but...if we find him, we can try"

Chapter 11: Gathering the disks 2

Summary:

"Don't mind it"
"I mind it"
"Please mind it"

Notes:

I spent all morning yesterday fooling around with engstars, so I forgot to update. Terribly sorry!!

Chapter Text

There was a larger crowd that day. It was to be expected, and yet he still couldn’t help but look at it incredulous. He remembered seeing the ticket sales the night before, but in his sleep deprivation it hadn’t fully sunk in how many people that meant. It was incredible: with how ambitious of a goal his had been, he had been worried over whether a little over half of the seats could be filled.

His goal, right.

He hadn't told the other, partly because he hadn't asked, partly because he wanted it to be a surprise. Besides, he already knew what he would have been told.

"Oi oi, don't say anymore, I don't caaaaare!!! There's people in the seats, right? There's no one? It doesn't matter! I will still perform all the songs I have worked for, whether you like it or not, and I won't get off the stage until the last note has been played!"

Typical of him. Such a rowdy cat.

Part of the boy was, admittedly, a little worried when they first stepped on the stage, taking their respective positions; despite the other's boasts, this was still a demon he was fighting. It had taken a long time to convince him to perform for ten or twenty people, and when the number reached a hundred his body had shaken during the first performance of the week. He had gotten better, but the boy didn't want to force him and cause him to break down. They had come so far after all.

A really, really quick forced recovery, something that the other didn't deserve; considering all that had happened, what he needed was time. Time to relax, to rest, to rediscover his passion and love for music and the stage, to remember who he was doing everything for, and how in the end, what had happened was not his fault. He had just been a victim of circumstances, a puppet in someone else’s plans and hooked on desperation and failing sanity. It had been a bloody conflict, and he was just unlucky enough to catch a tyrant’s eye.

But that all would require time. Time they didn't have. So the boy hoped that this version of his friend was strong enough to go against the world.

A sudden cluster of piano notes brought him back to the real world, and he shook, almost dropping the cello in his hands. The audience laughed, a sound of genuine hilarity, much different from the noise from back then.

"Mamaaaaa, wake up!" The pianist in front of him whined. "You brought in thousands of people and you're not even going to bother introducing us? Rude!"

More laughter, and though he saw him stiffen barely, the other couldn't help the smile spreading on his face as his body relaxed; he chuckled a little, holding a hand over his mouth. Then, he cleared his throat and fixed his bow, tightening it and testing it on the strings.

"Sorry, sorry; you're right, my friend. I was simply making sense of the piece you wrote for us. Such a mind like yours produces pieces with such deep and profound motives, sometimes I need to think it over for a long time before I can confirm that I have understood everything"

"Motives? Mama, you know I wrote this on our plane to Japan!"

As the audience burst out laughing once more, the hand still fixed on the piano placed itself gently on the keys. The other finished tuning his strings, before straightening himself up.

"Well, you might say so, but even in jet-lagged dazes or hangover states expert composers create the grandest masterpieces; aren’t you the one who taught me about all those wonderful musicians’ lives? Ah, anyway, we have kept our guests waiting for too long. Introductions are in order. Shall I?"

Not awaiting an answer, he turned towards the crowd, a bright smile on his face.

“Welcome to all, to the Starlight Concert! As you might have guessed, this is our first concert since we got back from a trip, so if any of us ends up falling asleep, you have our deepest apologies.

“But regardless, thank you for coming to see us, it means a lot; for both newcomers and old fans, we will make sure to give you a show you won’t ever forget!”

The crowd cheered, and the other boy waved at them with so much enthusiasm he almost fell from his piano seat. The boy chuckled, before turning back to the audience.

“But regardless, I’ve spoken too much already. If you wanted to pay for a public speaking, you wouldn’t be here. So without further ado…I’m Madara Mikejima, and this is my partner for the afternoon, Leo Tsukinaga. We’ll be in your care!”

 

---

 

Madara had never worked as hard as he did when it came to the past few months. Even when he had been busy helping out Kanata, he hadn’t put as much effort in his actions as now.

But that was understandable. Leo was a complex case, not to mention the other had been the sole person responsible for his recovery. And though he liked to pride himself for being a mother to all, Madara wasn't a therapist. A licensed criminal, maybe, but not someone you would want to handle your mental health.

And truth be told, this hadn't been his plan. Even when he had received news of Leo's breakdown, he had resisted the temptation of returning to Japan.

(Maybe his was cowardice, more than acknowledging his lack of skill; not even the strongest bonds could tolerate seeing the chewed-up half without breaking down for all the wrong reasons.)

He couldn't even remember what had tipped him to the edge, how he had managed to book two tickets and travelled to that house without thinking about it too much. There was no guarantee Leo had recovered enough to leave his room; there were even less chances of him agreeing to follow the other. But fate had been kind to Madara for once, and allowed him to stretch out an accepted hand; even strangely more indulgent, his barebones attempts had worked somewhat, coating Leo in a protective shield within which the boy had managed to let the wounds scar and his body recover from the strain. Again, it was not the best thing Madara could offer. What his really really needed was something beyond the other’s capabilities. The coating, though powerful, was still fragile, and could shatter under certain triggers and pressure.

Maybe, once Leo was able to return to a state resembling his old self, he could find professional help that could stabilise him and heal the scars to perfection. For now, he would have to settle for the cheap helper.

"Wahaha, that was so fun! Did you see how many people clapped? And how many asked for an encore? Mama, Mama, when's the next show!"

They were outside now, at the edge of the alleyway from where they had exited the auditorium. Madara had paused to stretch a little, and the other had soon joined him, his joints stiff from having to maintain a straight position. His back seemed to be slouching less lately, much to the other boy's relief.

"Patience, Leo" he said, smiling. "First we rest and you visit your family, then we can go back on the stage. It'd be bad if you burned yourself out immediately"

"Waaa, but I want to keep performing! I'm so full of energy!" The boy whined. "What if we held an impromptu bonus concert right now? That's fine, right? Right?"

"And to whom? Everyone trying to get to their jobs on time? We don't even have a permit to do such things on the street"

"Aaaah, details details! If you're creative enough we can avoid complications like that, you know! Don't you do stuff like that all the time?"

It was different, Madara wanted to tell him. But when he was trying to figure out motivations, he found himself unable to come up with any.

“But aaaaah, thinking about it, I haven’t seen Mum and Dad in so long…and Ruka-tan…aaaaaaah, Ruka-tan! Rukaaaa-taaaaaan! How could Onii-chan leave you all alone so easilyyyyy! Ruka-tan Ruka-tan! I’m sorryyyyy, I’ve been a bad older brother! Ruka-taaaaan!

Madara patted his head, ruffling his hair. “There, there, no need to wake up the whole street; we’ll see Ruka-tan soon. In fact, the quicker we move, the better. Let’s go, shall we?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, as he picked up their equipment in both hands and headed out of the alleyway; his friend’s complaints and laments fell on deaf ears, and soon, they gradually turned into him muttering the tune of a new song. He didn’t mind; if anything, he was overjoyed Leo didn’t have to be forced to act this way.

Resurrection is never easy, no matter if you're a trained wizard or a novice. And though Madara liked to pride his skills as a fast learner and a jack-of-all trades, he often found himself wondering if this attempt was going to last long. They were both still kids after all, and he hadn’t been ready to take on a hard task as this one.

He still remembered the day Leo told him he had composed a song; it was a day he will never forget, for as long as he lived. He recalled he almost cried, and though he had disguised it as tears of gratitude, it was clear he hadn't been believed. But the other had also shed tears, tears of happiness, the kind he hadn't let out since his eighteenth birthday a few months ago, when Madara had bought him a UFO plushie. They had sat there, sobbing all morning, until the clock outside signaled midday, and their stomachs growled. Looking outside, it felt like the world had been born anew.

It took some convincing to get Leo to participate in a show. Madara had the assets and the contacts, and though he didn’t want to pressure his friend, he also knew that he needed him to start somewhere if his “healing” process was to be completed. They had talked about it for some time, almost a day in fact. And finally, the other had consented, but only if the place was small and he wasn’t the only main attraction. Also, Madara had to come with him.

Their first venue was a small café, which sometimes held performance nights for the patrons. That day had happened to be less busy, so there were maybe twelve people in total, enough that Madara could remember their faces. Despite the small feeling of doubt residing in his chest, they managed to perform without incidents, and the patrons adored it, some even asking for an encore. He remembered going backstage, pride swelling inside of him, before it was slightly deflated when he met up with Leo: he was sobbing, sobbing silently like a child, and pinching himself with trembling fingers; he loved it, loved everything, so much that he had composed about three songs in the time it took Madara to talk to the owners and some people and change. But he also wanted to be let out of this dream as soon as possible before he became to absorbed in it, too attached.

Madara was paralysed by an unknown feeling, not quite fear, not quite surprised. But it lasted barely a few seconds, before he ran towards him and pried his hands away.

“It’s real, Leo-san” Madara he hugged him tightly. “It’s real; you’re really here, I am really here, everyone is. They want to listen to you; they love you. They want to hear you again and again and again”

Leo had sobbed all evening still, though it out of happiness or fear or despair, the other wasn’t sure. Yet he stayed by his side, comforted him, passed him tissues and water and pens and paper. None of them slept that night. But luckily, it was the last time a reaction of that magnitude happened.

It had been a long and terrifying process; it wasn’t perfect by any means, and though it helped stabilize Leo, it didn’t cure him. But for Madara, the fact his friend could smile and compose and laugh and think of his friends and family and audience without negative connotations was enough for. And he swore every day, that he would make sure none of that work could be taken away, even at the cost of his own life.

Madara’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by what he could only describe as a mental tug; like his focus was being pulled by an invisible string, forbidding him from moving or turning elsewhere. An unusual occurrence, which sent shivers down his spine, but he still stayed calm; the kind of calm a prey would be when sensing danger. He carefully shifted his gaze, trying to locate the source of such an action. It didn’t take him long to find it: in the dissipating morning crowd of the street, a group stood out; more importantly, their bright blue school uniform blazers.

There were five people: a third year, two second years, and two first years, only one of whom was vaguely familiar. They were all walking almost in sync, breaking apart the larger crowd in front of them without realising it. The third year was talking in a low voice, gesticulating his hands half nervously and half as if to explain something, and two of his juniors from separate years were listening to him attentively, especially the youngest. The other two were talking, the first year laughing oddly and swinging his body, while the second year stood straight and proud, hands tucked behind his back, though his soft features betrayed a sense of fondness as he looked at his junior.

Madara's gaze lingered especially on this latter person; he recognised him, though not as much as his senior (which he politely was looking away from). To be fair, it would have been hard not to: that kind of mismatched white and red hair was hardly common even in Yumenosaki, along with the pentagram hanging on his chest; but even if he had changed his style, the older boy didn't think he could forget that odd presence. An unsettling aura, the kind that wasn't supposed to be seen by the mortal eye, and yet, for reasons that were beyond human understanding, he felt it stick to his body, like an unpleasant vapour.

He tried to turn away his head, urge Leo to go back and choose another route, maybe convince him to stop somewhere for lunch. But he had barely flinched when he realised that that boy was staring at him. Digging through his gaze, his skull, right in his brain. Paralyzing him on the spot, like a scorpion's victim. He knew how it felt, though he hadn't experienced it for himself in a long time. And the more it sank in, the more the memories flashed in his mind: the grin on top of the stage, a figure clothed in blue and white collapsing, powerless and bloodied and alone, as awful cheers erupted all around him...

"Mikejima-senpaI; fancy seeing you heRE"

He blinked, and the flashes were suddenly gone, replaced by a slightly different version of the present: the Yumenosaki students had gotten closer, now standing in front of the two. Natsume still started at him with that same expression, his senior seemed to be cowering, and the rest of the group looked at Madara and Leo in awe and wonder, like kids would a monkey in a cage.

…He had almost forgotten about Leo.

"Hm? Are these friends of yours, Mama? Didn't know you hang out with the Yumenosaki crowd!"

Madara flinched again, but upon seeing Leo looking more like a nosy child than...whatever worst case scenario he had pictured, he immediately relaxed. Natsume nodded at the other respectfully.

"Aaaah, you must be Tsukinaga, righT?" He said. "We contactED you yesterday; or rather, KitteN here did"

"'Kitten'? Quite the name for a girl!" Leo bounced right in front of the second year, examining her face up close. His eyes visibly widened as he examined her more.

"Wa-! But that uniform-! Since when have they started introducing girls in the idol production course?"

"Why, since the Producer Course startED its construction" The other said. "Please treat her well; she's still learnING"

"It doesn't mean I need to be treated like a delicate flower" the girl huffed, before turning towards Leo and sticking out her hand. "Anzu. Please to meet you, Leo-senpai. We talked on the phone-"

Leo-senpai?

"Ah! Wahaha, of course, of course, I remember now!" He took her hand and gave it a firm shake, which judging by her reaction almost ripped her arm off. "I was a little worried to be honest, I tend to forget a lot of things...but your voice was soooo soothing and assertive, I couldn't help but make a mental note of it in the back of my mind! Please to meet you, Miss Producer. Ucchuu~!"

There was a small shift next to Madara, as he noticed one of the first years move closer to his peer. Noticing it was the one he recognised, he stiffened, and instinctively a hand moved to push Leo aside before he could see him, or worse, recognise him from stray posters. But Natsume met his gaze again, paralysing him once more.

"Hmmm...what do we have here then? All friends of the Producer?" Leo looked around. His eyes briefly met those of Tsumugi, who gave him an awkward bad wave, before they quickly focused on the two first years. His face lit up.

"Ooooh, they're so cute! Mama, Mama, were we this small as well when we first started? Aaaaaah, time sure flies! Look at this one, look at this one!"

He grabbed the wrong, dangerous one, squashing him against his shoulder. The young boy squealed, but if Leo heard him, he didn't pay much attention to him.

"Hey, measure our heights, quick quick; I want to see how tall I was in my first year. Aaaaah, Mamaaaa, will you look at meee...ugh, fine. Hey, Producer, you seem to have good eyes. How short is he?"

The first year grew bright red as the girl looked at them, taking the job far too seriously than she should have. Just how long had the two spoken on the phone? And when had it happened? Madara was sure Leo had fallen asleep before him...

"O- Onee-sama, you really don't have to..."

"Oh? You're related? You don't look like that at all-"

"No! No, awful, how could you say such a thing? As a matter of fact, how are you so rude and inconsiderate of others!"

The boy pulled away from Leo's grasp, his face even redder, as he dusted off his uniform from imaginary Tsukinaga Germs.

"Listen, I might be younger than you, but I've had it with people bossing me around because of a one- or two-year difference! I might be a chick, but I'm still Tsukasa Suou! Show some respect, will you?"

Leo tilted his head, before poking his cheek curiously. This earned a squeal of protest from the younger boy, and he quickly jumped away as if stung.

"A chick hm? A curious choice of words, especially for someone who looks so prideful. Your words don't match your action, chick"

"Why you-!"

"Come on now, Leo-san" Madara nudged him gently, laughing. "You're scaring the boy; your junior's first impression of you should be a good one, not one that keeps him awake at night don't you think?"

"Leo-san..." The other first year’s eyes widened, and he turned towards Tsukasa as his body vibrated. "Tsuka-chan, isn't he the same person who wrote in your notebook? Sora thought he recognised the name, but it didn't click until now-"

"Your notebook?"

"My notebook?"

"Yeah you know" the boy gesticulated. "The one with the pretty notes and colours and pictures, that you always carry around with you..."

Tsukasa blushed, but it quickly faded to pink as he pouted, crossing his arms and averting his gaze.

"It's certainly not him" he muttered. "Anyone but that guy..."

"You have one of my notebooks?” Leo’s eyes widened, before he jumped three feet in the air and started shrieking. “Thief! How did you get it? I don't even know you! Or maybe I have...have you come to take revenge for something I did in my past? Are you a brother, or a sibling, or a cousin-"

"I- I didn't steal it, how could you assume such a thing! It was in one of the closets in the archery club; who even leaves information like that in public places? Don't you know the risks of having such private things out in the open? What if someone used it for their own mischievous benefits, hm?"

"I'd hate to interrupt our conversation" Natsume quickly jumped in, placing himself as a barrier between the two. "But maybe we should head somewhere else? Sora can't stand too long in crowds, and I don't want his condition to get worse; besides" his eyes narrowed. "We need a quieter place to talk, at this time of the day; and I'm sure someone like Mikejima-senpai might know...more about that"

Madara wasn't sure if the jab was intentional; but regardless, he had a point: the blonde boy beside Tsukasa was shaking like a leaf, and the more minutes passed the more he had seemed to cling to the other like a drowning sailor. Besides, with this curious party before them, he had to admit he was slightly curious about their demands.

 

---

 

Natsume hadn't been wrong. Within seconds, Mikejima had taken us to a family diner close by; a place where, judging by the way the waiters looked at us and especially him, he might have been more than a regular. They gave us as per his request a spot at the far back, one shielded away from prying eyes and ears, and they even offered Sora some water the moment he sat down, along with a multitude of paper napkins for Leo to write on.

At this table, guarded by Mikejima’s watchful eye and shielded by the voices of the few customers, as the food got delivered, I told them everything. Trickstar, the split up, its fate, Natsume's revolution, our plans...I made sure to keep my eye on the boy in question, in case he didn't approve of what I was saying; but all the time his face was neutral, and when his portion arrived, he ate it without blinking, as if he were a complete stranger to our conversation.

They were all listening to me, I could tell. Even Leo, who had been scribbling notes on the napkins the whole time, seemed to be focusing more on my words than his songs; and though, as per Tsukasa's request, Aoba was trying to distract him and Sora by talking about business theory, the three's voices had also gone gradually quieter and quieter. A strange feeling overcame me the moment I realised it all; something that only made my body straighten up more and more as I continued, until I may have looked like a messenger announcing the end of the world. Even when I had to talk about Knights, I only stood taller, my voice thinly coated in a slight yet evident taste of bitterness.

My food had gone cold by the time I was done; but I ate it anyway, allowing my throat some rest while the two boys in front of me also finished their meals in silence. My hand slid under the table and, without thinking too much of it, I grabbed Natsume's, giving it a tight squeeze; I knew this was the hardest part, and despite his leader position, he might have been just as nervous as me about it, if not more.

We had to be ready for everything.

"It's...an ambitious project" Mikejima spoke up after a while, wiping his mouth. "Almost as much as it is grand; and honestly, I would pay to see Tenshouin's grin being wiped off his face for once. You have my full support over this, and if you succeed, I hope to be there to see it. It's nice to see that despite everything some youngsters are still trying to overthrow the Emperor after everything, with such care in their planning as well"

Pride washed over me, and I was unable to stop the grin blooming on my face. However Natsume didn't change, as he quietly and carefully laid his cutlery on the empty plate. And I could see why; even despite my initial joy, the intonation in Mikejima's voice was clear.

"However...we'll take a pass on being part of the main show"

Though I had expected it, my head still rose up, a protest barely hanging at the edge of my mouth. However, the other didn't have to be prompted, and he continued to talk.

"Believe me when I say that I want to be in the team that wipes the floor with Tenshouin's corpse of a body. I was there to see what he did to people, and I live with the weight of my role as a spectator everyday. Which is why my refusal doesn't come out of personal interest, but for the sake of my friend"

He turned to look at Leo, his eyes barely clouding over. I noticed Tsukasa was also looking now, his eyes wide.

"I'm not sure how much you know, Producer; I'm not sure how much the younger idols in training have been taught. But Leo-san was one, if not the first, of Tenshouin's victims; he was picked apart by the world around him, and then dealt the final blow. His death was so brutal, it became a Yumenosaki legend, whispered in hallways as if it had happened years ago. The blow was heavy, and his mind broke as a result.

"The person you see right now is an attempt to restore him in a handful of months; it took countless hours and work for me to get him where he is now, and though I've tried my best, he's still too fragile to fight such a large battle. If he were to go against his unit again, treating them as enemies...it would just undo all that we have been through so far. And I promised that I would never allow that to happen ever again. I'm sorry"

He didn't need to apologise. His actions were noble and sincere, and I could tell he meant every word. My eyes trailed to the figure by his side, who had gone back to writing on napkins by then. A carefree boy one year my senior, with a talent for composing masterpieces on the spot...it was hard to see in that person before me the King from that old saying, and the image of blood and despair seemed all the more out of place.

"Don't mind it"

Tsukasa's gaze had lowered, and he looked away, almost as if ashamed. I wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to feel that way. He didn't know about Leo's story, only the tales he had been told by seniors who wished to shield him from the truth. And his proposal was a good one despite everything: one senior and veteran, who had become famous outside of idol activities, who could very easily study a choreography and a song in a week or so. And the fact this senior also had a friend with similar qualities, whom he had given me permission to try to recruit…it had almost been too good to be true.

"Mama"

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted, as Leo raised his head and began gathering the stray napkins in one pile. His face had become serious, almost a blank slate. Even Mikejima looked surprised by the sudden shift.

"Yes?"

"Stop fighting my wars for me"

The boy moved the plate in front of the other, dumping it on his own empty one. It made a noisy clatter, but no one turned around to see us.

"Don't get me wrong; everything you've done for me, all your hard work and dedication, I will forever be grateful for it as long as I live. I'll never forget it, even if someone were to lobotomise me or steal my memory.

“But even so, in-between your kindness, I feel like you keep forgetting that I'm my own person; I might be no good, broken, a wasted product of a King, but I'm still human. I still have a human heart, and a body. When I need food I eat; when I'm tired I need to rest. I may have wasted away, but I still know that.

"And just like I have my own heart, I also have agency. I can receive help, but I need to stand on my own two feet if I want to make it through this world. I'm still a King, after all, I'm still an idol. I need to prove my worth to keep my role when parasites have invaded my kingdom in my absence"

His eyes scanned us all, with a serious expression that seemed to slice through us with the force of a sword. Then he pointed at Tsukasa.

"You, newbie; you're from Knights, correct?" He said. "Come closer"

The carefree composer I had seen up until that point had disappeared; suddenly, in that spot before me, he had transformed into a ruthless ruler, the kind that they would write epics about centuries later. Tsukasa must have also sensed the change: his body had tensed up, and with a similar serious expression he had scooted over to his senior, lips pressed in a thin line.

"Newbie" Leo said. "Tell me about my unit; my Knights. I want to know everything about them, spare no detail, don't be indulgent. Give it to me as it is, the good, the bad, the ugly, the awful"

Tsukasa obeyed, curtly nodding, and immediately started talking. He spoke for many minutes, details that I had no way of knowing, taking out every member of his unit and ripping them apart at the seams until only their skeletons were left. He talked about Narukami, her inability and unwillingness to stand up for the injustices in her unit, still serviceable and kind, but weak, weak compared to the chaos going on. He talked about Ritsu, his ruthlessness, laziness, his need to start fights even at the worst of moments, how he was always on the brink of leaving and yet his threats never seemed as severe as his actions. And Sena...

His voice broke when he talked about Sena. It was light, barely noticeable, but Leo stiffened visibly at the sound. Regardless, Tsukasa continued, talking about his senior; how he had changed, how he had taken in Yuuki, how he paid more care and attention to him than everyone else, how unsettling that care was. And more and more the silence spread across the table, even Aoba and Sora had quietened down.

By the time Tsukasa was done, everyone’s plates and glasses were empty, the lunch rush was kicking in, and a few waiters were glancing at us worryingly. After he had finished, Leo stood silent for another few seconds, his eyes closed, frowning. And then, he stood up, slamming his hands on the table.

"That's all I needed to know" he said. "Mama, we should go; we'll pay for everyone"

Natsume quickly stood up as well. "Wait, you haven't-"

"I need time to think about it" Leo interrupted him, gathering the napkins and stuffing them in his bag. "I'll let you know within the day, but not right now; I promise"

My eyes widened, and even Natsume was taken aback by his comment. Tsukasa stared as he watched him storm past him, moving out of the way so Mikejima could also leave. They were barely out when he suddenly yelled.

"[Leader]!"

Leo stopped, turning around. His expression had morphed into one of shock, and he stood still, waiting for Tsukasa to continue. The young boy clenched his fists.

"[Leader], I know...I know the picture I've given you about your [Knights]...my [Knights]...it's one that no one would wish on anyone; but you need to understand that it doesn't mean it has to be this way forever" he placed a hand on his chest. "I chose [Knights] because they were the unit that moved me the most when I was in the loneliest periods of my life, when I was still looking for a sign on what I was supposed to do with the rest if my life. I saw them at their worst, but I've seen their true noble spirit emerge in the cracks. The true [Knights], buried deep in layers of dirt and crust. This is why…”

He slammed his free hand on the table. A waitress nearby jolted at his sudden movement.

"You mustn't lose hope on them, [Leader]! There's still a chance they can see the light one day! And I know...I know it might be tough to believe, considering what I told you. Thinking about my words, they sound anything but promising. But! But it's going to be alright! This is my chance to do something, to save them! As their junior, there's not much I can do, so...this is my only chance to prove my worth to them! And [Leader], I understand if you would rather sit it out. I don't understand the whole story in its entirety, but fighting them is hard for me as well. But no matter your position, I will keep fighting on. I will fight for our honour, our [unit], your name! I will save [Knights] even if I will have to do it with my own hands! Even if my name, Suou Tsukasa, has to be soiled in the course of my actions, I want to believe - no, my sacrifice will bring about a new wind! And I swear on this table, I will rid [Knights] of its impurities!"

It was there, like it had been just the other day. The fire in his eyes, similar to Natsume's, similar to mine. Leo's eyes widened, spotting it as well; and he grinned, his sharp canines in view.

"So, is that why Sena chose a rich boy to be their fourth member? Life really is full of surprises" he said, before turning around. "I'll let you know within twenty-four hours, Natsu-kun! And that's a King of Knights's promise!"

 

---

 

We weren't expecting much, I could tell by the atmosphere of our party as we walked back home. Tsukasa's energy was completely drained, to the point he almost collapsed in his car when his driver came to pick him up. And Sora's exhaustion convinced Natsume that they should spend the night in Yumenosaki, despite Aoba's protests that someone was going to find out if they broke into school that many times.

"KitteN, are you coming?" The boy ignored his words, tapping on a metal door on the back of the school. It looked rusted and old, like it hadn't been touched once since its creation.

I looked at the calendar on my phone; my brother was having an after-test party at our house, while our parents were gone for the evening. Though I felt compelled to spend time with him and celebrate, I knew he would be a little upset if I showed up unannounced.

"If it's not too much trouble..."

"Of course; Natsume-kun packed a lot of futons in the archive"

Despite his initial objections, Aoba also tagged along; probably he wanted to make sure that if something happened, he would shoulder the burden. Natsume had glared at him for his sudden change of heart, but he didn’t push him away.

The door opened, unravelling from the bottom to coil up at the top of the entrance; a secret dark passage was opened before us, and Natsume and Sora stepped in caring little for our atmosphere, the older of the two shouting at us to hurry down. And so the four of us made our way towards our secret base, through a series of dark tunnels that all looked the same, with barely any light source to guide us once the door shut behind us.

The futons were far from the most comfortable place I had slept on, but they were a lot more tolerable than the hard wooden floor. And when I laid my head on the pillow, I found myself immediately overcome by tiredness, as the weight of the day fully sank in.

Despite my drowsiness, when I woke up I noticed the room was still dark, save for a tiny light next to me. I turned around to look at my watch, trying to see the digits in the darkness.

"It's 5 AM; you should be asleep, KitteN"

I quickly turned my head, noticing Natsume staring at me with a soft smile. In the pale glow of the phone in his hands, he looked more tired than I had ever seen him.

"I should say the same about you" I said. "How long have you been awake?"

"It's ok, I'm used to iT" he whispered. "My dreams aren't...pleasant places to return tO; if I don't have medication to knock me out, I much prefER to be productive during the night"

I tried to protest, but he continued quickly before I could open my mouth.

"I've been thinking about a second plan, for Reversi; I admit I haven't thought about alternatives despite making it seem so flimsy, so I figurED I should do something before it comes back to haunt us. However...unfortunately, I don’t haVE high hopes for the backup"

He sighed, the smile disappearing from his face.

"There's a lot of factors at play in this game, and I can't predict Tenshouin as well as I woulD like. We need to prove that we can be different, and that despite what he says there'S still hope for the hidden minority. It would be wrong to manipulaTE the world behind the scenes too much, and could discredit us as revolutionaries..."

"Manipulating?" I echoed. "Natsume-kun...what are you planning to do?"

He shut off his phone, as if worried I would try to read it. In the darkness I could see the smile on his face returning.

"Times are hard, KitteN; every revolution had to have its dark sides to succeED. Tenshouin did it himself after all, didn'T he? He cut corners to have his plan executed within the year, even if it meant that so many people haD to die. We're no better: if it's autumn, and we're planning to stage it before the year is over, of course we’re goinG to have to act unethically. In fact, I'd say we're worse, because we wastED our time while the previous revolution rotted and died. Didn't you also have to crunch for your revolution, KitteN? Though from what I heard, it endED sour"

I shook my head. "I…I can't remember much" I confessed. "Though I know what happened and that it...failed, I couldn't tell you the exact details; I'm sorry"

"Don't bE. I would rather not force the memories out if you if your own brain rejected thEM. My Senpais  have taught me that it's the worst thing you could do to a human if you'rE not an expert. It's like trying to remoVE a bullet with no medical expertise..."

The phone in his hands suddenly vibrated, and he immediately switched it on. I rolled off the futon to scoot towards him, covering my body with the blanket.

"Is it..."

"Natsume-saN..." He read, his voice slightly louder. "We thought about it and…"

My eyes widened, and in the dim light, I could see his shocked expression. We stared at each other without saying a word for a few seconds, processing the words we had just read. And then, suddenly, he sprang up like a spring, and snapped his fingers.

"Sora! Senpai!"

"I need to call Tsukasa-kun…"

"Careful Kitten, don't trIP on the blanket"

"I'm fine, I'm fine; ahhh, where's my phone-"

"Sora! Useless Senpai, wake up, wake uP! We need to get to work!"

One of my hands hit the lights on the wall, while the other fumbled with the touch screen of my phone. Meanwhile Sora and Aoba were slowly stirring awake, adjusting to the sudden tonal shift of the world in front of them.

The chaos of that day is still something I fondly remember; from me leaving ten voicemails, to Natsume and Aoba arguing over sleep hours and disturbing the school, to Sora wandering around, trying to compute and process what he had been told. We were all running around like chickens with our heads cut off; and to top it all off, just as we were getting ready in a similar fashion for the day, Tsukasa finally called me back, almost yelling in my ear.

What a way to begin our revolution.

Natsume-san, we thought about it, and we decided we're going to do it. We'll be part of Reversi alongside Tsukasa-san. Please have your base ready, we're moving in as soon as possible to get started. -MaMa.

Ps: Please let Leo-san recover. He hasn't slept at all tonight.

Chapter 12: Gathering the disks 3

Summary:

Training Montage.

Notes:

Double update today, so keep an eye out!

Chapter Text

"Have you heard the rumours?"

"My friend's brother's classmate told me..."

"But could it really be possible?"

"I thought the guy was dead..."

"Do you think he'll go back in..."

"I haven't seen him there at all..."

"No one sees them anyway..."

"Have you noticed their youngest member isn't with them..."

"Trip...for school..."

"Peculiar timing..."

Word spreads fast when you see strange things. It was how Yumenosaki's mysteries became well-known even to first-year students, or how news about leaks and unusual behaviours were always the first to be heard about by the whole school. And there was nothing wrong with it, most of the time. Teenagers like to gossip, and in the world these particular students live in, some petty rumours can sometimes be the only distractions they could get. In fact, in the position I was in, I would argue that rumours were the best part of the school experience.

For instance, if you were part of a school revolution, rumours helped you understand how far the word had spread out, and even collect information that could be useful to the cause. It was of course hard to say what was reliable and what not, but it was still something; and with the assets at our disposal, we could still disprove any uncertainties anyway.

One day, I barged into the archive with such force I almost knocked into one of the bookshelves. When I had managed to find my way through the labyrinth, six heads were turned towards my direction, looking at me with various degrees of confusion and curiosity in their faces.

"They know" I said, standing up straight. "The news is spreading; they know they're here"

From one corner, two figures in particular stood out, looking at each other. Natsume, gathered in his usual spot, clapped his hands together.

"Perfect; now all that's left is to manipulaTE the rumours to our advantage"

"So soon?" Aoba asked.

"And when? The day of the live is approachING, we need to spread the news while we still can; and then, when all is ready, we'll announCE Reversi's unit participation"

"Speaking of, we might need to use this room for a while, so if it disturbs you..."

"Be my guest; it'd be bad if your first performance is disastrous, righT?"

Tsukasa went rigid at his words, but he curtly nodded and turned back towards Leo. Their discussion seemed to be animated, though painfully one-sided, as the younger of the two's loud voice contrasted with Leo's laughter. I was about to move towards them, asking what the trouble was, when Mikejima called out to me and separated himself from the group.

"Hey, can we talk?"

I glanced at him judgingly.

"Hm? Are you afraid? I'm not going to hurt you if that's what you think! I'm Mama! It's against my nature to hurt people"

I tilted my head, unimpressed. "We recruited you for a revolution in Yumenosaki; and you seemed really eager to crush Tenshouin"

"Ah, you got me" the boy smirked, placing a hand on his hip. "But I promise, we'll be in full view of everyone; it's just a little invitation...well, that makes it sound worse, huh?"

"Let's just get on with it..."

We went to a separate corner of the room, feeling Natsume watching our steps. When we stopped, his gaze went elsewhere, and it was only then that Mikejima spoke up.

"Producer, pardon me for looking where I shouldn't be in those past few days, but I've noticed that despite your skills and the help you've given everyone, a lot of students undervalue you just because you're a girl"

I gritted my teeth, crossing my arms.

"So? I just need to keep working; then one day they'll stop. If people like Koga and Subaru have noticed already-"

"Maybe I can help"

"Hm?"

"See, some of us guys with that mindset don't really get it unless you prove you have physical strength" Mikejima grinned. "It's how it is sometimes, nothing that's your fault of course; haven't you seen how many first years practice sports? Despite our image of idols, we still want to be strong and fit"

"You also need the strength to dance, and sing while dancing, among other things..."

"Yeah yeah, but sometimes the reason is simpler" he insisted. "Regardless, this is where my proposal comes in: do you want me to give you self-defence classes?"

My eyes narrowed, and the grip on my arms got tighter.

"I already go to the gym"

"Yes, but this would just add to your arsenal of skills, right? A producer like you can't always rely on everyone; like there will come a time when you'll have to make hard decisions, there will also be moments where you can only count on your strength, either mental or physical. Not to mention, judging by my opinion of you right now, I have no doubt that one day you'll be one of the entertainment industry's most valuable assets; therefore, you should learn to protect yourself when the time comes"

I looked away; he had a point, but it didn't felt right to admit it.

"It's ok, I'm not calling you weak or anything" Mikejima said. "In fact, it's because I recognise your strength that I want to help you; we can fix up a schedule later if you want, I'm free anytime. And I promise that's all I'll do, we can even ask someone to chaperone us if you feel uncomfortable. So, what do you say Producer?"

It was an inviting proposal, I couldn't deny it. In fact, when I nodded, I found myself being a lot more eager than I expected.

 

---

 

"What is this?"

Tsukasa clutched the notebook in his hands with so much force he could have accidentally ripped it, had he been stronger. His senior shrugged, placing the pen behind his ear.

"It's not my strong suit, but it matches the beat of the song at least; we'll have to make do until we can get someone to write better words-"

"'Better words'! We need to rewrite the whole thing, you...you menace!" The boy went bright red. "How can you be the best composer in this era and be terrible at such a basic skill!"

"Awww, I'm flattered you think of me that way-"

"Don't change the subject, that's what everyone calls you!"

Leo stiffened, although the grin still permeated on his face. That seemed to make Tsukasa only madder, as he frantically started pointing at the paper.

“Point is, you call this a song?”

"Well, it does have the notes, doesn't it?"

"I... You know I don't mean that! The notes are fine, probably…But that’s beside the point! What the heck, [Leader]!”

"Like I said, we need someone else to work that part out; we’ll make do for now”

"Are you serious?!”

“I can’t write lyrics, Newbie; everyone knows it”

“No? Not everyone? Stop assuming!”

“My bad”

“Also, couldn’t you have just, I don’t know, remind us? Before we have less than a month until the [live], preferably?”

Arguments were hardly welcome in our little shelter. Being this short on time, there was a silent rule to ignore disagreements, or at least find a compromise as soon as possible and move onto the next step. Unfortunately, there was an exclusion to that decree; or at least, there had been one for the past couple of days: for one reason or the other, Tsukasa always ended up getting angry at Leo; and his senior, opposing no resistance, reacted indifferently to his complaints. It had ended up slowing down Reversi's practice, though at that point they had been only working on training Tsukasa’s stamina.

After some discussion, Reversi decided they would be performing three songs; the genre and style were decided by Mikejima, Natsume and Leo, and the latter had started working almost immediately so he could finish them as quickly as possible; in the meantime, Tsukasa had suggested that Reversi practiced some choreography options, with the help of his senior’s notebook and Mikejima and Aoba’s experience. They couldn’t do a lot, considering they had to have the song first (even though Leo kept claiming he could compose something based on their choreography), but they still worked hard to improve the group’s chemistry and train the youngest member.

On that day, Leo promised he had finished writing the songs, and had even recorded some demo trials for all to hear. He said he would be making them that afternoon at home, but he had dropped by to make sure that there were no problems with what he had composed. I had expected Tsukasa would have something to say, but not to be as angry as he seemed.

Uncertain on where the argument was going to go, for the first few minutes of it, everyone else listened.

“Well, we have the melody! That’s fine! You can choreograph that much, right?”

"That's not the problem; there's no correlation between that and the important part!"

"Soo? I might be a genius, but I'm a composer genius! Since you're such a big fan of me, shouldn't you know that?"

“Couldn’t you have at least tried?”

I looked at the people spread around the room, before eyeing the clock hung up above Natsume's billboard. Then, with a sigh, I stood up from where me and Mikejima had been taking a break, and walked towards the quarrelling pair.

"Something wrong?"

"Everything!” Tsukasa turned towards me, furious. "[Leader] can't write at all! It's a disaster!"

"It's not that big of a deal, no need to cry to your crush about it"

"My-!" The boy went even redder if it was possible, perfectly matching his hair. "Why, you-!"

"Tsukasa-kun!"

"Tsuka-chan!"

Suddenly, Aoba and Sora stood up in perfect sync, and quickly rushed to the younger boy's side.

"Hey, hey, Tsuka-chan, can you help Sora with the homework?" his classmate asked, locking their arms together. "There's a part in the essay Sora doesn't understand, but Tsuka-chan is so smart he must know what to do!"

The confusion caused Tsukasa's previous rage to fade slightly." It- huh?"

"Yes, yes, and I have a couple more things to tell you about our talk yesterday" Aoba quickly nodded. "Also, I would like to discuss the choreography, if the new songs are finished!"

“The composing is all done!” Leo grinned, waving his phone. “The demo’s still in the group chat and everything; give it a listen!”

"Perfect!” Mikejima also stood up. "Let's work on it now then; time is ticking and talent doesn't spawn in Tsukasa-kun’s body overnight"

He joined Aoba, Sora and Tsukasa as they headed to a separate corner, with the latter too stunned to protest. Meanwhile, Natsume had approached me and Leo, an amused grin on his face.

"What happened SenpaI? A creative differencE of some sorts?"

"Ah, hm, I guess?" Leo shrugged, passing him the notebook that his junior had dropped. “The instrumental should be ready by tomorrow, and unless any of you have anything else to add, I can go work on it now. However, we’re missing an important part for our music, and I can see where Newbie’s frustration lies: while I am the best composer of our lifetime, my lyrics skills are…you could say, hit and miss. And that’s the main obstacle we have right now”

I peeked over my friend's shoulder. Sure enough, when looking at the texts below the music staff, a lot of the characters seemed to spell out words for the sake of rhythm: most sentences were nonsensical, and when they were comprehensible, their contents could be considered…unusual for an idol song, to put it lightly. It would certainly make Reversi stand out, but…

"We could make it work if you were an alternative idol group" I pointed out, trying to be supportive

Natsume chuckled. "Indeed, with some polishing, we could, but I don't think this is the direction we should leaD Reversi"

"Well! it's a bit my fault" Leo shrugged. "I was never a good lyricist, nor did I care to learn. Certain sentences stuck in my mind, sure, but that’s about how far I’ve gotten; it didn’t matter to me, the notes were enough to communicate what I wanted them to.

“When I was in Knights, I almost always gave the lyricist job to someone else; and he did well, though he had no talent to speak of. For when me and Mama performed overseas, it was all Mama. For Reversi’s songs, I wanted to offer him and Newbie to work together, but they already have to work on the choreography. I wouldn't want to give them too much to do on such short notice”

 

My eyes trailed towards the figures on' the other side of the archive. Mikejima was guiding Tsukasa on a particular hard pose, with Sora trying to imitate them in the background. At some point Aoba approached the other senior and talked to him while pointing at the phone in his hand. While they were discussing, Tsukasa continued to practice, a determined expression printed on his face. He was repeating a previous section, trying to maintain his structure and form as he moved around; just as he bit his lip to make the final movement, Mikejima rushed towards him and caught him as he stumbled, before mumbling something about what he was doing wrong.

Instinctively, I reached out for my necklace.

"Well, I can take care of it"

It slipped out of my mouth without much thought. When I turned around, both boys were staring at me confused.

"Are you sure?” Leo raised an eyebrow. "Sena might have had no idea what he was writing doing most of the time, but he succeeded because he tried hard"

"Are you implying that I can’t do that?" I snatched the notebook from Natsume's hands. "I'll work all day if I have to; but by tomorrow, I will have everything written down!"

Leo opened his mouth, but Natsume stopped him. He smiled at me.

"No one is calling you anything, kitteN; we're just surprised you would want to trY such a task. It’s no walk in a park to write lyricS"

"I'll manage" I held my head high. “I have ways to do it; if I can leave now, I’ll make sure to finish it all by morning”

I didn't wait for their answer. I marched out of the archive, notebook in one hand, my phone in the other, scrolling through my contacts.

"Hey, Suzu, are you free? Can I come over in a bit? It's important"

 

---

 

Two days later, the songs and their performance had been fully completed on all sides, and all that was left to do was to practice them until they were engraved in the three members' brains. Despite we were all worried about how that aspect would go, especially considering the expertise disparity between members, aside from initial stumbles our concern was unfounded: the choreography had been designed specifically to make sure it fit Tsukasa's level, while also using the most out of his seniors’ strengths and abilities.

The one who came up with the lyric division was Suzu: while we were writing it all down, she suggested making it so that the voices of the three members were meant to blend together throughout the verses, as if they were passing the song to each other. For example, if the first part of the verse was sung by Leo, a small portion would have him sing with Mikejima, before the next verse would be sung by the later; then he will duet for a few seconds with Tsukasa before the junior’s part started, and so on.

“It’s your revolution unit, right? Then what better way to express your difference from the fucking mess that is Knights than by proving that the members of Reversi are in sync and coordinated? It gives a good look, doesn’t it? Not to mention, you know how the game of Reversi worked, the rules we looked up earlier? Exactly, Angie! Parallelisms!”

 

---

 

"You're doing great!"

The last song reached a crescendo, before stopping abruptly. The moment it did, Leo slapped Tsukasa's back and put his arm around his neck.

"You might be new to this, but you're nailing everything, Newbie! You sure you're not a secret idol in incognito?"

"Wah! Get off, you're too sweaty! And please remember my name, we're in the same unit!"

"Good job everyone” Mikejima clapped his hands. "We'll take a break and then do it again: make sure to nest and replenish"

While Tsukasa was trying to desperately  unstick himself from his senior, the other bounced towards us, rubbing his hands together. I offered him a water bottle, and he thanked me with a smile. before taking large gulps from it.

"You're all improving fast" Natsume observed. "CongratulationS"

"It’s looking good, isn’t it?" Our senior wiped his mouth. "That boy, Tsukasa-san; his improvement skills are amazing! He’s working so hard, we have to stop him from going too far more than anything. I reckon he’s going to be the main attraction at the live”

I looked at his two unit members: Leo was dragging the captured junior to a nearby chair, much to the latter's protests. However, not too subtly, his legs seemed to oppose less and less resistance, and when he rolled his eyes I would see a corner of his mouth lift for a split second.

"I'm glad he's fine" I said. "Tsukasa-kun almost looks... lighter, compared to when we first met"

"That's also impressive; considering everything he has on his plate, I’d expect him to be a lot more agitated” Mikejima nodded. Then he leaned against me, and whispered in my ear.

“Though, between you and me; in my opinion, he looks like that to you because that's how he always looks when you're around"

"Did you want to talk about somethING?" Natsume interrupted, his voice firm. Mikejima parted quickly, but before he could reply, Leo approached us, flapping his arms.

"Costumes! We need costumes!"

He had left Tsukasa leaning against a chair, water bottle in hand, talking animatedly to Sora. When I looked over at him to make sure he was alright, I noticed he tried to stand up, only to be knocked back to the chair despite his protests. Beside the two first years, Aoba was chuckling at the scene.

"Costumes!" Leo repeated, dragging my attention. "We thought about it, and realised we can't make a scene in the school’s outfits; we need to be flashy and in theme, or the audience will kill us all!"

"At most you'd be booeD off the stage"

"That's what I said!"

"Leo-san’s right" Mikejima quickly interrupted. "While, arguably, Yumenosaki’s idol outfits at a Halloween Live would be an eye-catcher, we need something else. We also might need official performance ones, if we have to continue in the future”

Natsume hummed, nodding. "Copyright infringement would sloW us down; and worst case scenario, the Student Council will try to usE it to oppose us. There’s no trouble for the official ones, buT cost and time for the themed live might be out of our budget…” He sighed. "That useless senpai hasn’T been sleeping at all lately; It'd be bad if he died of overwork"

"Well, then what? I doubt anyone in the handicrafts club would want to do paid labour for free”

"I'll do it"

I raised my hand as I spoke. They all looked at me, Natsume's eyes widening.

"KitteN, I don't mean to disrespect you, buT... Three's a lot. Especially three of different sizes"

"I'll do it" I insisted. "I have some free time during the week, I should be able to make it if I crunch; Aoba can help with the finishing touches"

He tried to protest again, but Mikejima placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“Sounds good to me; just make sure not to run yourself dry, alright?”

“I’ll put my whole soul into it”

“I appreciate the fire, but I’m being serious”

I nodded a little distractedly, as I looked at Natsume. He seemed to hesitate, but eventually he nodded, almost resigned. The only one who hadn’t spoken so far about it was Leo, so I turned towards him, waiting for his approval.

"Hm? You?"

The senior reached over and grabbed my hands, feeling them with his own and examining them with a thoughtful hum. As he worked, I couldn't help but notice the scars littering his hands, and the ones barely covered by his sleeves. I politely looked away and didn’t comment on them, trying to reassure myself by the fact they didn’t seem new.

I was distracted from my thoughts by a sudden pinch; I squealed in surprise, staring at Leo as if I expected anything less from him.

"Hey! That's no way to treat a girl! Stop it this instant!"

The yell had come from Tsukasa, I realised as I met his glare on the other side of the room. He must have seen the whole thing. Leo clicked his tongue.

"My my, so overprotective...then again, you're a rich boy, right? Though, while you’ve been raised in Knights, it doesn’t mean have to stand up for her all the time, you know; you're not her boyfriend or anything. Unless..."

"I…that's not important! It's not nice to touch people’s hands without permission!"

Leo looked at Mikejima as if in protest. The latter shrugged, and he sighed, turning back towards me and releasing me

"…Maybe I was a little too overbearing; sorry, Anzu. As an idol I should know better..."

"Ah, it's ok, it's ok...I understand what you were doing...I think" I looked at my hands. "It's true that I haven't been sewing much lately; my teacher has been busy"

"If Kitten insists on the task, I can offER someone"

We all turned to look at Natsume, and he shrugged.

"One of my SenpaiS is very good at sewing; one might even argue that he's a geniuS at what he does. I might have to bargain a little, but I'm sure I can convinCE him"

An expert’s help would definitely be useful; I was playing tough, but even I could recognize how hard the task in front of me was going to be. I nodded at him.

"That would be great help, Natsume-kun"

He smiled.

"Well, then I guess I'll have to be very demandING"

Chapter 13: Intermission: Shu Itsuki

Summary:

Second.

Notes:

[Edit] I FORGOT TO ADD;;;
Special thanks to my friends for looking over the Madonee interactions!!

Chapter Text

My first impression of the Itsuki mansion was that it looked like it had come out of a horror RPG: large, menacing, made out of dark bricks, and probably hosting a few vengeful spirits that were waiting for the usual unfortunate victims to wander in. The area was old, but even this house seemed out of place within it; and it stood out so prideful of its aura, you couldn’t have missed it even if you tried.

Thinking about it, that explained the slight hint of teasing in Natsume’s voice, when I asked him if I would be able to recognise it. He also told me something along the lines of “You’ll know it when you’ll see it” as a reply. In hindsight, those should have been my first hints: you could count the people he knew who didn’t match his vibe on one hand.

When I was greeted at the entrance by a young boy of about my age, with mismatched eyes and a stone face, my hypothesis that I was going to not leave the place alive came to me again. Something about that person looked...off-putting. I couldn’t tell whether it was the posture, the tone, the way he spoke precisely like a mechanical doll. Even the unusual accent didn’t make me any more reassured.

I had heard the tales about Valkyrie. A puppeteer with two marionettes, who had raised them to imitate his concept of "perfection", to the point of controlling every aspect of their lives. A boy who had been broken by his hubris, a suspicious accident, and the mysterious involvement of the person who, later on, would swing that same blade against my friends. I had seen some of their most recent shows, the ones they had put up on small stages in front of a scattered audience. It made me wonder how grand they might look, if the assets that had made them rulers in Yumenosaki were to be returned to them.

"Hello" I said, bowing. "Natsume-kun sent me; I'm supposed to meet with Itsuki-senpai?"

The boy in front of me stiffened, his eyes glazing over.

"'Course" he said, in a low monotone voice. "Come in"

I looked around as I slipped my shoes off, admiring the intricate patterns of the ceiling and the walls as well as the architecture. It looked much bigger on the inside, almost as if I had stepped into an alternate dimension. My doubts about leaving the place alive briefly returned, before the boy – Kagehira - invited me towards the stairs.

We walked along a precise path, the floorboards creaking at our every step. Kagehira moved in a certain direction, as if he had been programmed to take that route, face expressionless, tongue still. Eventually we stopped in front if a large black door, and he knocked on it three times.

"Oshi-saaan, the girl's here" he called out, placing his ear on the surface.

A few seconds passed, I didn't say anything. Then, there was a click, and the door opened a sliver. The boy moved away, and I was met with the thin, beautiful face of Natsume's senior, the fourth of the Five Oddballs and young master of the house: Shu Itsuki.

"You" he said, eyes narrowed. "You're Anzu, correct?"

I nodded, and the door opened wider.

"We have six hours today, six tomorrow, four to six the next day, depending on how fast you move"

Another nod.

"That's it; come in now, we're burning daylight"

I quickly rushed inside, and Itsuki said a few brief words to Kagehira before he shut the door behind us. The room I saw in front of my eyes was unlike any I had ever seen.

The walls were covered in shelves, full to the brim with dolls and tins and jars and fabric. In a small corner, pressed between two old wooden chest of drawers, was a pile of books, though a quick glance revealed hardly any were school-related. The bed in the centre of the wall to my right was barely visible, surrounded by dolls, its surface covered in folded clothes, and cloth, and small bags, and pieces of paper with details and colourful sketches. And then, in the middle of the room, a large table stood, the only fairly empty surface: two sewing machines, a large open notebook with some pencils; a pile of fabric, a biscuit tin supporting the back of a pretty blonde doll, a pin cushion. Four chairs were pulled next to it, though only two were free.

"Did you bring anything?"

I lowered my bag next to one of the chairs, and took out a notebook; he snatched it out of my hands and flipped through the pages, his face seemingly contorting itself more and more before he stopped, showing me the sketches.

"Is this it?"

"Those are the official ones; the Halloween Live costumes are on the back"

He flipped another page. Nodding thoughtfully, he placed his free hand over his mouth, closing his eyes. He stood like that for a few minutes, until he straightened up and walked towards the table.

"Doable for someone like you; very mundane and typical, but it has charm to it. Considering the time frame as well, the most one can do with your skillset without spitting too much blood”

I rushed next to him, sliding my bag under my table. He tossed the notebook near one of the sewing machines and began carefully digging through the fabric.

"So those measurements...a first year, Mikejima and Tsukinaga?"

"Wha- how did you know?"

"I had to make outfits for them once" Itsuki's face twisted itself again. "That Tsukinaga was hell to work on; I'm surprised you managed to get his measurements correctly"

"I struck a deal with him"

"Ah, typical! That bastard" he fished a few dark-coloured and orange rolls from the pile, put them aside, and placed the others on the bed. "It better not have been anything odd or scandalous; for the sake of art one should always go for great lengths, sure, but with someone as young as you in your position, that kind of burden would be unacceptable!"

"Eh?" I blinked. "I…I only agreed to take care of his cats..."

"He has cats? Mercy on those animals! Even someone like me can barely look over my own dolls and my assistant!"

Itsuki fished for a pencil in the biscuit tin, reaching for my notebook with the other.

"Ok, girl, how much do you know about dressmaking?"

I gulped, twirling my hands. Natsume had warned me against listing everything I had made, only naming the precise things Itsuki requested. But even though I had prepared myself for that, the taste of the truth was still sour in my mouth.

"I...to be honest, I have only made one outfit set; four pieces, each composed two top layers and one bottom layer"

"Do you have any pictures?"

A few. I hadn't deleted them for the sake of future reference, even if it hurt to look at them. But I had something better. Something that stung to think about; but I pushed the pain aside as I pulled out an object rolled in plastic from my bag.

"Uhm, actually...if I can use this table...?"

He tilted his head, and I reached inside. Out of the plastic, like a magician, I pulled out my first outfit set, the magnum opus I had worked on for days and nights: four, two blue and two red, patterned, with various associated accessories. I laid them all calmly on the table’s free space, keeping my posture stiff, not even blinking once. Once they were all out, I turned towards Itsuki, awaiting his reply; looked at the outfits with a thoughtful hum, before reaching out a hand to take one of the sweatshirts and examining it closely.

"Cheap quality, pretty synthetic, the sutures are kind of done in a hurry here, and here, and here...but for someone of your caliber, still impressive work on the sewing. I'm surprised"

I nodded, a little aloof, keeping my eyes away from the outfits as much as possible. Itsuki examined them for a few minutes more, muttering to himself; then he took them, folded each piece quickly, and dumped them on the bed in a section separate from the rest of the mess.

"Anyway, shall we start working?"

 

---

 

Itsuki was an interesting person to work with. Very eccentric, perfectionist, and didn’t tolerate any delays or protest in his work; everything had to go at his quick pace, and he didn’t plan to help unless it would inconvenience him as well. (though at some point while working with him during the week, I would start to wonder what he meant by “inconveniencing him”) He was also harsh when he taught, admitting no mistakes or mishearing, and would stare at me critically if he thought I was doing something incorrectly. About three or so hours in, his alter Mademoiselle, whose vessel was the blonde doll next to the biscuit tin had to step in and apologise for his cold behaviour; but though I appreciated her concern, I reassured her I didn’t mind it: though it made me a little more tense than I would have been working alone, it was a relief to being able to focus on anything but the fear of my hands’ curse.

"So... how is Natsume doing?"

Though he had stated we weren’t going to have private chats or gossip “like old ladies at a quilt club”, surprisingly he was the one to start an unrelated conversation. I tilted my head, startled by this development. He huffed.

"I unfortunately know, about his little antics" he muttered. "His ambitious coup d’état and all...Bah, he hasn't changed a bit since last year! That boy likes to build castles out of sand without bothering to check if it will be able to withstand the upcoming waves. I appreciate his enthusiasm and his motivations, but at the same time... there has to be a better way to deal with his demons"

He inadvertently shuddered as he uttered those last

 words. I couldn't help but feel like he wanted to say more, or that there was something he was omitting; but wanting to respect his privacy, I didn’t ask for that information.

"Uhm...coup...d’état?" I said instead, puzzled by the sound of his words.

"Yes, coup d’état" he nodded. “That is what you're all doing, correct?”

"…Uhm, I think so?"

"Girl, there is no way you don't know why you're sewing outfits right now, not when Natsume was the one to beg me to send you here. Unless..."

His eyes widened and he paused his work for a split second. In the few hours I had known him, I could tell how unusual that step was.

" ... Do you know what ‘coup d’état’ means?" He asked, his voice quiet. I gulped.

"Uhm…no. Should I?”

"Mon Dieu, what do they teach in school these days!"

The man threw his hands in the air, looking more distraught than I had ever seen a human being be. I looked over at Mademoiselle concerned, as if just by using my mind I could invoke her to emergency switch with him. My prayers must have been answered, because he suddenly picked her up and began moving her, his face stiff and expressionless.

“Maemoiselle?” I asked the doll.

“That’s me, Anzu-chan” her soft high voice said, as she tilted her body to look at me. “So sorry for that; Shu-kun has always been a little sensitive, but ever since the disaster from a year ago…everything can get to his skin”

“It’s ok, I understand” I glanced at him. “Is he going to be alright? I didn’t know he cared so much about the education system…”

“He’s just a little exhausted, poor thing; anything else would have caused him to break, it’s not your fault” her head moved to the other side. “I’ve told him to rest for now. In the meanwhile, you can talk to me”

“I’d be glad”

Itsuki had prepared some tea a few minutes ago, so I poured us two cups out of courtesy: while Mademoiselle didn’t like to interact with the world through the host’s body, it felt wrong to leave her out of the option to drink.

“Thank you dear” She looked over at our work. “Wow, it seems like you’ve been doing a lot! I’m so glad”

“I’m happy as well” I smiled. “With how high the stakes are for us, it’s good that everything is going as planned”

“Indeed, indeed; I heard about it from Shu-kun. You all have a very ambitious goal to reach for”

“Yes, a…” I bit my lip. “A…coup d’état?”

“Why, yes, you could call it that” she tapped the cup lightly with a delicate hand. “It’s a French word, which of course Shu-kun adores; it means, the act of violently overthrowing a government or otherwise political power, done by a small group of rebels”

“Ooooh, I see” I nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose…that is what we’re doing; I’m not sure with what degree of violence though…”

“At the very least, make sure that it doesn’t end in a bloodbath like other historical coups d’état”

Mademoiselle looked upwards, towards the host body. She stayed like that for many minutes, enough for me to finish my tea and wondering if they were switching. However, just as I was about to pick up the jacket I was working on, she called me, almost making me drop the cloth.

“Oh, I’m sorry”

“Not at all Mademoiselle” I bowed my head rapidly. “Anything wrong? You sound concerned”

She hesitated for a few seconds longer. Then, she turned towards me fully.

“Anzu-chan, you’re a good girl, right?”

I tilted my head, unsure of how to answer. She laughed.

“I’m sure you are, don’t worry your pretty little head over it too much; there’s something I want to ask you”

I nodded, and she signaled me to get closer.

“I speak for both myself and Shu-kun here, although he would never admit it; though his amnesia isn’t strong, I would appreciate you don’t bring this up to him”

“Of course; what’s wrong?”

She brought her hands together as much as she could, lying them on top of her blue dress.

“Well…regardless of what happens in this conflict, it’s plain to see that there will be negative effects” she explained. “Even though you can try to reduce damages as much as possible, it’s still a war; people will be hurt, blood will be shed, and losses are bound to occur. Me and Shu-kun both know this, and yet I can tell he’s worried. So…Anzu-chan, if it’s not much to ask, please try to take care of Natsume-chan. He can be a rash and impulsive child, and a soul as tainted by grief as his is bound to lose its way at some point”

I could see where she was coming from. Throughout the days we had worked together, it wasn’t hard to see that something was off with Natsume. The words he spoke, the acts he did, he seemed to always be calm, the only motives to his burst of anger being something Aoba did wrong in his eyes. The fact he planned a whole revolution at all was even more worrying. I couldn’t imagine how his seniors must feel, if they knew.

“You have my word” I nodded. “Natsume-kun is my friend, not only my comrade; I'll do my best”

“Ah, so honest; thank you, Anzu-chan” she bowed in turn, but quickly rose up. “Oh, another thing! This one must be super secret though, because Shu-kun won’t let me hear the end of it if he knew it got out”

“What is it?”

She lowered her voice, stepping a little away from the host.

“Make sure that Ra*bits stay safe”

 

---

 

Soon, Itsuki went back to fronting, and we immediately continued where we left off. The rest of our time was spent in silence, as we worked and finished half of two costumes. We spent a few final minutes discussing what could be added or changed, and how the third outfit could be done, until the old clock in a corner of the room chimed, signifying the end of our lesson. Itsuki at first felt bothered at having been interrupted mid-sentence; but he resigned himself to following his schedule, and opened the door to call out for the boy with mismatched eyes.

“Tomorrow, same time, same hours" he reminded me, curtly and quickly. “You can take the outfit and work on it, if you want; just don’t forget it tomorrow.

“By the end of the next session, the two we’re working on will have to be done, the third one must be almost completed, and all the necessary accessories should be ready to sew on. Our third session will have to be prolonged, unfortunately; I’ll fix any mistakes you made, and you figure out how you want to use the additional items. You’re free to use the mannequins if you like. Unfortunately the measurements won’t fit anyone I know, so we can’t have a live model”

I nodded and bowed, thanking him for his assistance.

"No need to be so formal; I'm doing this as a favour, not because you're my servant. Stand up, and straighten your back, scoliosis isn't fashionable in the industry these days. Kagehira!”

Chapter 14: The game is set 1

Summary:

The Christening.

Notes:

I'm a little uncertain rn, but I think after chapter 15 the updates are going to slow down because I have to...write...the chapters...from zero...but we'll see how things turn out.

Chapter Text

Things seemed to be going well in our little revolution. Reversi was basically ready to perform, all three members having memorised their lines and their dances to perfection; and the costumes were ready to be worn. Itsuki had suggested that I didn’t show them just yet, for fear that they might be tempted to try them on: there was nothing worse than a broken seam or a costume to clean a few days before the live.

“If your measurements are correct, then they should trust you in whether it will fit them or not” he had said sternly, predicting my protests. And though Tsukasa and Leo seemed disappointed, they respected my (his) decision anyway.

But while the revolution seemed to be ready, with only a few days left before the Halloween Live, there were still dark corners lingering in our little group. Two, I would learn some time later, that threatened our unity.

 

---

 

It was a quiet day in the archive. Sora and Tsukasa were doing their homework, Leo was composing with the Producer watching him nearby, and Natsume was staring at his corkboard as always, seemingly indifferent to what was going on around him. Maybe it was this false sense of security that lead Madara towards Tsumugi, and after asking for a talk, dragged him towards a separate area in the large room, not far enough to sound suspicious, but not close either.

“Is…something the matter?” Tsumugi asked, noticing the way the other’s expression had become serious. “What happened?”

The boy looked around them one last time, checking to see if no one (Natsume) was watching them. Then he spoke, his voice a whisper.

“Tsumugi-san” he said. “I need to make sure you know that, what I’m about to ask of you stays between us, ok?”

Tsumugi tilted his head, a little confused, a little scared. But he nodded regardless, probably due to a mixture of these feelings.

“Well then” Madara took a deep breath, as if implementing suspense on purpose. “Tell me, what is Natsume-san really planning?”

Tsumugi blinked.

“I…I don’t understand; you know what he’s doing, we’re all part of the same revolution…”

“There’s something else” Madara shook his head. “There’s something he’s not telling us; I don’t know the reason of that decision, nor do I know if it’s relevant to our cause. But whatever is the case, he’s not being honest with us”

He looked at the figure far away, seemingly not having moved from his spot for minutes now. Tsumugi shook his head.

“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about; sure, Natsume-kun is a little strange, but…”

“You don’t think he’d hide something for his cause?” Madara chuckled. “Tsumugi-san, I thought you were part of Tenshouin’s allies during the war; you should know more than anything that leaders aren’t as pure of heart and mind as they would make you believe”

The other was silent, though his gaze lowered as if he were thinking. Madara patted his back.

“Now, now, it’s ok, don’t worry your little head over it; I heard what became of you, so I wouldn’t want you to overthink too much about your situation. Who knows, maybe it’s my fault, and Natsume-san really isn’t hiding anything. You know how worried a Mama like me can get over the safety of kids, right?”

He laughed at that, but it was strained, twisted. Then he patted his shoulder.

“But anyway, keep your eyes peeled a little, Tsumugi-san; after all, we all know who’s really going to take the blame for all of this if we’re caught in the act”

And he walked away without saying anything more, leaving behind a really stunned and preoccupied Tsumugi.

 

---

 

I didn’t learn about the conversation that had happened until many years later, when our adventures were over and I was documenting every part of our revolution. While I do faintly remember them discussing something, I was too far away and too focused on Leo talking about his cats to hear what they were saying. It wasn’t an important conversation, looking back on it, but when seeing the bigger picture, it almost sounded like a dangerous premonition of what was to come. A warning that we should have considered, but still ended up missing when it was most accessible to us.

You would think that, two failed revolutions later, I would be more considerate of any suspicious movement in my group…

 

---

 

"Kitten"

I turned around to face Natsume, tilting my head. He beckoned me to come closer.

"Sorry to steaL you from your break" he said, smiling. "But this is important; I think we're ready to start spreading the largER rumours"

I nodded. "The ones confirming a revolution?"

"You could call them that, yeS" his hands emerged from behind his back, revealing a notebook. "But this is the exciting part now, seE; we need to giVE ourselves a name"

"Don't we have Reversi?"

"No, no, not in that sense" he made a wider gesture, his voice changing intonation, tone raising. "We need to give all of us a name"

At his words, the rest of our group tensed up for a brief instant, before they began flocking around us, each one with a more questioning look than the other.

"A name?" Tsukasa asked. "I thought [Reversi] was fine"

"Reversi is you and your SenpaiS" Natsume explained. "We need to name our whole group, Switch and KitteN included"

"An important job!" Sora observed.

"We could use a code word?" Aoba offered.

"Your wording is so vague, SenpaI; of course our name will be, in a sense, a code. A coDE to whisper in the hallways when the Student Council isn't looking"

Madara rubbed his chin, and even Leo seemed to be focusing on the task.

"Hmmm, shouldn't the Producer give it a name?" He said at some point.

"Oh? What prompted that thoughT?" Natsume grinned, as if he had been expecting that suggestion.

"Well, she's the non-idol, for once; the Producer at that as well" he explained. "She's already done a lot of the manual work, like song-writing and costume-making and business-doing, whatever that is; she's also the one who spreads our word, like a messenger or something. And if what I heard is true, isn't she also the one who saved the remnants of her old revolution? She's like a guardian angel of some sorts. She will bring the revolution good luck"

I wanted to protest the latter claims. Though flattered, I knew his words were far from true. If I really was an angel of good luck, after all, wouldn't have my previous revolutions succeeded?

"Onee-sama really is our protector" Tsukasa agreed before I could open my mouth. "She brought you back, and guided me here when I was lost; it's like she's building this group"

"You guys-"

Sora nodded vigorously, and even Aoba smiled at me warmly. Natsume took my hand, and placed the notebook and a pen on it.

"You have brought us more than we could ask foR; you made clothes, you wrote songs, you help out with homework and planning, you guided a fallen king. And despite worlds crumbled around you and higher powers threatening to destroy you, you still survived and helpED those who had no way to shield themselves from the destruction; your hands, which you deem cursed, have saved countless peers from fading into obscurity, and restorED the heart of a boy who had long given up on ever seeing the sun again. Without your power, none of this would have happened; not even the revolutions who failed would have had the chance to bloom, to show them all that there was and is still hope out there for a better way, a better lifE. We've made our choice together, may it bE the first of many others following it; we have decided, you, our Producer, our veteran, you get to decidE what to call us"

I looked at them all, tears blurring my vision. My juniors, my peer, my seniors. People that had been gathered for a reason, that never had looked more united than they were in that moment.

I still think about that instant sometimes, like an old woman reminiscing on the past; the emotions from that day still whirl inside me, a tornado of different feelings that I both recognised and didn't: fear, sadness, terror, determination, joy, courage...

There was so much we had been through on our own, secrets I didn't know much about at the time. And it reminded me of back then, being in that hallway with Subaru. I found myself realising, maybe by association, that no matter what, I wouldn't allow any of them to cry. That I would hold them together and keep them marching on, even if I had to dirty my name for it.

I squeezed the pendant with my free hand, before bringing the notebook before me. A name. The concept of such an important choice was more terrifying than it had any right to be. But I had an idea, words that stood out to me the moment I came across the open page. I thought about the people who couldn't fight alongside us, but who we were moving for. I thought about Subaru, Adonis, Koga, the twins, Ra*bits, Nito, and...

My hand moved on its own, tracing each character with decisive gestures. And then, when I was done, I showed the page to them, lips pressed together.

"Ko-u-ppu? De-ta-tsu? What is that, an alien language?" Leo was the first to speak up, tilting his head.

"Idiot! You're an idiot!" Tsukasa gasped, glaring at him. "How could you possibly not know 'Coup D’état'? I thought you travelled the world!"

"He's just messing with you, Suou-kuN"

"Really? Aaaaarrgh, stop it! One day you're going to be stupid for real, and then I won't believe you, and I will have to leave you alone to die!"

"Waaaa, Newbie, you could never! You still owe me my notebook after all!"

"And what would you say to your girlfriend if she found out?"

"Mi- Mikejima-senpai!"

As Aoba and Sora tried to calm them down, Natsume took the notebook from my hands, stroking the page with his thumb. A soft, kind smile spread on his face, something very unusual from his typical enigmatic gazes. But it quickly faded out, as he turned towards the others.

"I like iT" he said. "I think it's perfect; do we all agreE?"

The crowd quietened down, and looked at each other for a moment, before nodding slowly. Natsume turned back towards me, ripping the page out.

"Our Producer has spoken" he said, with a wide, almost joyful smile and eyes of burning fire. "Our name will be Coup D'etat!"

Chapter 15: The game is set 2

Summary:

And I hope he hears these words, maybe next time he will learn.

Chapter Text

And so the seeds that Natsume had planted continued to grow and grow, as the fated day of our live drew closer. Everything was proceeding as planned, with no setbacks, no problems; even Tsukasa and Leo, though having the occasional dispute, made it up with the effort and care they put in their training. The younger of the two most of all: he was proving just how equally skillful to his unit mates he was, day after day.

"There, there, good job!"

"Wahahaha, so there are more reasons you were recruited! Good, good to know, I'm almost sad we had to steal you away from Knights!"

“You’re really shining, Tsukasa-san; I thought we would have had to help you more, but it seems you’re doing really well without us”

“Maybe we should have him participate solo, Mama! At this point, he’s going to attract the crowd more than the two of us combined.

Tsukasa basked in that praise, shyly. But it was clear to everyone in the room how much he was enjoying it.

So things were going well. Even the rumours I had spread were gaining traction, to the point you could hear the whispers of a budding revolution even openly, in classrooms and the courtyard. I had my doubts on how much that would help, or if no one was going to want to dig deeper, but Natsume insisted it was going to be alright.

"The student Council is too busy with the lives for this season" he reassured me. "They won't bother for now investigating petty rumours brought by hopeless students."

And so the whispers thrived, and even people closest to me, such as Ra*bits and Subaru, talked about them. The latter in particular was very curious about the origin of the gossip, unable to understand why it sounded familiar and yet new at the same time.

“Anzu, what do you think?” he had asked me once, as we made our way to Garden terrace. “What's going on?”

My first thought was, that he deserved to know. Even Natsume had told me that once, as we discussed the pattern of rumors: as the only surviving veteran, it seemed only right for us to be the first to know of the plan to avenge our loss, to pick up the sword we were forced to abandon and march forward with our head high. But at the same time, we had both agreed that the moment couldn't be now. Not when I had worked so hard to make sure Subaru could be reborn and live a normal life. Not when the wound was still healing.

I fiddled with my necklace, a playful smile on my lips.

“Well, they might be just rumours; but Yumenosaki's so unpredictable. who knows”

Though the seeds were sprouting, Natsume needed more incentive. He needed to make sure that for his plan, no one would have been able to defend Knights. He had a precise strategy, something he was slowly building up towards, but he knew that it came with risks, the type which could compromise it all and leave us unable to keep moving forward. Therefore, it was necessary to reduce the chance of them happening by any means possible.

And the opportunity came one morning.

The entirety of Coup D’état was walking towards our respective classrooms, when we noticed a commotion had gathered not far away from our position. Normally in a place like Yumenosaki, where students declared war and threatened each other with murder, after a few weeks such things wouldn’t catch your attention. And yet, despite the upbringing, we all felt like there was something different about this disturbance. Call it a war instinct, or plain curiosity; we eventually rushed towards the scene, eager to find out more.

While Natsume stopped at the edge to ask questions, I forced my way forward, almost falling and bruising as I pushed

through the crowd. I was able to reach the end, and there…

I stopped. My body froze, the various whispers and complaints drowned out in an instant.

Staring at the sky, splayed on the ground like a starfish, was the doll.

His eyes were empty, as if made of glass, his hair dirtied by the earth looked fake and plastic. His expression was stiff, bearing no semblance of anything human. Yet he stared at the sky and beyond, body unmoving. Not even when a student almost stepped on his hand did he flinch.

I could hear it, faintly. The sound of cameras being clicked, of people gasping and shifting like waves, even Natsume arriving at my side. Surrounded by fading noises, my head felt like it had been stuffed in cotton.

But I couldn't move. Even though I desperately wanted it, my body wouldn't obey. I could only stand paralyzed, staring at that in human figure, wondering, wondering how could someone look so lifeless and so uncanny in the span of a few months.

And then I noticed, when I forced myself to look at his eyes again, that they were lucid. Twinkling in the sunlight, trying to replicate the beautiful scenery in front of him. And then, suddenly, for reasons I wouldn’t be able to explain, I realised that he was looking at me. Staring at me. He gave no reaction, but I was certain our eyes met.

Well, he did react, barely: he blinked, slowly, and something fell from his eye. It rolled off this face and onto the ground, barely missing his ear.

That fact made my eyes widen, and I almost stumbled back; but I remained still, firm in the belief that if I broke the focus we had on each other, we would never be this close again. So I looked at his body instead. Pale limbs. Thin torso. Straight legs. And the more I looked, the more details I spotted.

He was shaking. Shivering, ever so slightly, as if he had been lying on snow instead of earth. I couldn’t hold back a small gasp: such an act should have been noticed, called out. Someone had to get him out of there, someone had to call the emergency room.

But maybe that was why it was such a sight. That was why everyone was crowded around him, filming him, whispering. Maybe it was so unusual to see a doll shiver, they didn't stop to ask if they should be doing something a little more compassionate. Even I, mentally scolding those people, was doing nothing. As always, I was proving myself to be the worst version of my title. And as I continued to look into souless, crying eyes, my own started to burn. And I became painfully aware of the life coursing through my veins.

“Yuuki…”

There was a sudden yell, as the crowd broke apart. A boy came running in, his gestures frantic, his voice quivering. I felt shoves and pushes that stirred me awake from my daze, and a hand tightening on mine, maintaining me still as the world around us swerved, as if shaken by that very cry.

“Yuukun!”

Sena raised the boy carefully in a seated position, placing his hand on his forehead; then he quickly began to loosen his tie.

"Yuukun, are you alright? What were you doing on the ground? Don't you know how many germs and bacteria are there here? Not to mention the dirt that could enter your lungs... and look, you're all filthy! Aaaah, this won’t do, this won’t do; oh, poor, poor Yuukun, let me help you, hold on..."

He took a handkerchief and began carefully cleaning him up, muttering more and more comforting words. As I managed to tear my eyes away from the sight, the whispers and mutters intensifying, I caught sight of the other members of Coup D’état gathering closer, now that there were more gaps in the shrinking crowd. Both Mikejima and Tsumugi were talking to nearby students, but Tsukasa was still, like a tin soldier, lips pressed in a thin line. And Leo.... Leo was stiff, hands placed on Sora’s shaking shoulders, sustaining him. But there was something unsettling about his unreadable expression, as he burned holes on Sena's head.

"Yuukun, Yuukun this won't do..." Sena was muttering. Having pocketed the handkerchief, he took the boy in his arms and carried him bridal style. "There, there, Onii-chan will help you; he'll protect you for the brutes who did this to you, don't worry…there, there, there, there"

"How are you going to proteCT Yuuki-san from yourself?"

Natsume's voice broke through the white noise, silencing everyone with its power, as if he had cast a spell on the crowd. Sena shook, then turned towards him.

"I…excuse me? Is this how they taught you to treat your seniors?"

"Is this how they told you to treaT your juniors?" the younger boy smiled, tilting his head. "No onE touched him; the kid was lyinG on the dirt like a discarded toy. And pardon my accusation, but since you’re the only one who’s allowed to touch him, it can’t be helpED to pin the blame of his state on you"

"Why you-! How dare you!" Sena clutched the boy's shoulder tightly. "I spend hours making sure that Yuukun’s in perfect shape, that he's able to handle every burden of work and practice, and shine the brightest he’s ever shined; and here you are, claiming that I broke him?"

"Oh, if you’re putting it this way, I did nothing of the sort, senpaI; but if you're so adamant on using such a definition…"

Natsume's smile faded, and his eyes darkened.

"No matter what, you can't help but repeat history, huh?"

Sena stiffened, backing away from him. His eyes displayed a sort of fear one would see in animals being cornered by predators; but if Natsume noticed, he didn't say.

"A senior like yourself should know better, righT? And you, Sena Izumi of Knights, you should know more than anyone, how it feels to strip a person of their humanity, discarding all that they are in favour of using and consuminG their best qualities. Am I wrong, SenpaI? Is that not what you have seen happening over and over, even in your modelling careeR?"

"Shut up!"

"But I guess when raised in these environments, with no one to call out that behaviour, you can't help those habits, can yoU? It’s the same place that has lead you to bully your underclassmen after all, that has convinced you to gO hours without eating. I pity you, even though we’ve never met, nor I predict us getting along in the near futuRE; though you don’t want to hear it, I feel sorrY for you”

“I…”

Sena gritted his teeth. His face had gone red.

"I...I don't even know who you are! Don't say such things! What if people get the wrong idea! You can't be too careful in the world we live in, you know!"

"Well, that’s what I said, righT? We’ve never properly met before now. But I still know some things about you, as do otherS here. I know your name, your age, your unit, your history in Knights, the jobs you do...”

 He paused, his eyes narrowing.

“And I know you abused Yukki until his mind broke”

His words were at a higher volume compared to the rest of his talk. They resonated within the area, and by the way the whispers intensified, it was clear they had been heard. Sena was rigid, his eyes had widened even more, like a deer in headlights. Natsume continued to move forward, until he was close enough to grab Yuuki's hand. Though he addressed Sena, the way he spoke loud seemed to address everyone in the area.

"Look at this boY; many of us remember an older version of him. So bright, so full of life, dancinG and singing on stage with the kind of innocence you’d expect a joyful child to have; a boy with passions, desires, likes and dislikes, one of five hearts of a revolution long goNE.

“I ask you this SenpaI; if you want to plead your cause, defend yourself and your precious toy, then speaK: what happened to him, Sena-senpaI? How did he go from then to now? What occurred behind the scenes that we don't know? What happened during those days when not even his friends could tracK him down?"

Sena clicked his tongue, swinging the boy away from him.

"You're building up fantasies in your head! Yuukun chose to be like this!"

"Oh, did he? Am I? Are you sure you're not the one saying that, Some-senpai? Why don't we ask him?"

There was a second of silence, broken by the growing whispers of the crowd. And Natsume placed his hands behind his back, looking over at the empty doll.

“I’m sure he might remember somethING; why, even the toughest nuts will crack under certain circumstances…though I don’t really have to tell you that, do I?”

He turned to the puppeteer, his smile so thin and yet so wide it looked like a cut on his face.

Say, Sena-senpai…

If I asked, do you think he can still remember when you kidnapped him?”

"That's enough!"

A red blur whizzed past them, cutting the scene in half between prey and predator. And then that same blur, now human, grabbed Natsume’s arm, violet eyes piercing him with his glare.

“What do you think you're doing! Is this the best you can do in the morning! Spewing lies and baseless conspiracy theories!”

“Oh, but I haVE proof of my claims” Natsume grinned. He pointed his finger to the rest of our friends, his smile growing wider and wider. "Why do you think your precious Leader was missinG for so long?"

Several pairs of eyes followed his movement, and Mikejima quickly shielded Leo behind him. Tsukasa was the only one who didn't give in to his jab, clutching his arm even tighter as he began pulling him away.

"We need to talk" he muttered. "With all due respect, senpai"

I took one last look at the world around me. The crowd fading out in a sea of whispers, as the rest of Coup D’état followed Tsukasa; us, as we walked, out of instinct forming a protective shield over Leo and Sora, away from prying eyes and wandering students who tried to take a closer look. The vague voices I heard, bits and pieces of exchanged dialogue that seemed to foretell a new set of rumours to be passed around Yumenosaki. And Sena...

Sena was still, staring at us and beyond with that same terrified expression, sweat covering his forehead. He stood like that for a few seconds, before turning around, straightening himself up and walking away, his pace not too fast nor too slow. The hands that were clutching Yuuki were still shaking.

The image of the two followed me like a ghost as I joined my friends.

 

---

 

"What is your problem!?"

They had stopped near a clearing, hidden by trees, a minute or so away from the main building. Back against a tree, facing the rest of us, Natsume should have probably been scared. But the only person that looked angry at him was Tsukasa, whose slightly shorter height did little to make him intimidating;

"It was necessary" the older boy stated matter-of-factly. "If we put it out there that something is up with knights, less people will supporT them during the Halloween Live"

"But if we spit out baseless theories and lies it would make us no better than them!" Tsukasa yelled. " Are you trying to sabotage us on purpose? Is that your goal? I thought you were the leader of our revolution, not of our undoing!"

"Once again, my words weren'T lies" Natsume continued. "I have evidence to bacK it all up; but obviously, spreading it out all at once will noT help us. The sheep of Yumenosaki have a good memory when it's about controversies, but with all the load they have to deal with, I doubT they would be able to remember every detail. Not to mention, it’s not in my planS to release it so soon and in its entirety"

"Evidence! What are you talking about! All you've done is bad-mouth and shame my seniors in front of everyone! Don't you know how dangerous it is to spread this kind of information! And, and..."

Tsukasa's face had gone bright red at this point, while his knuckles white. I wanted to reach out to him, to try and comfort him. But I felt suddenly unsure of what I could tell him.

"What I claimed about Tsukinaga-senpai is also noT wrong" Natsume smiled. "I mean, there's a reason he didn't step to his knight's defence, righT? Or do you think kings like him are so heartless to feed their paladins to lions?"

He looked at Leo as he spoke, eyes gleaming mischievously. The other hesitated, and he joined his hands together.

" ... I need to be alone" he said, and turned away, disappearing into the foliage. Mikejima called out to him, and when he received no answer, dived after him.

"They'll be back for this afternoon's practiCE" Natsume said, as if reading Aoba's troubled expression. "As will you, Suou-kun, if you want to proVE your senior's innocence; that is all you can do night now, righT?"

His innocence...

Inadvertently, I hugged myself, clutching my arms. I couldn't let go no matter how I tried to unstick myself.

I could still see him. His body. his hair. His face. His eyes.

His words.

"Take me away"

"Producer?"

I raised my head, meeting Sora's gaze.

"Are you ok? Your colour looks dull..."

The image faded slightly, as I was brought back to reality. I quickly shook my head, straightening my skirt.

"Ah, yes, yes, just a bit tired is all; those lessons are so hard to balance with my own research sometimes…”

 

---

 

I'm ok.

It rang in my head over and over and over. My body moved in autopilot, as I scrolled through the latest news on the school site.

I'm ok.

It had been been months now. Of course I was ok. Why would I still be thinking about it. Why would it still bother me.

It's fine.

I'm ok.

The website was full of promotion for the Halloween live. Words in colourful fonts and various sizes jumped at me, trying to attract my attention. I should give in. I had to give in.

I'm ok.

I'm ok.

I'm alright.

It was all alright, the nightmare was no more. The doll was of no importance to me, a pawn on our way to the other side of the chess board. A pawn surrounded by despicable knights, knights who were also preventing us from moving forward.

I'm ok.

I'm ok.

The banner showed him surrounded, but he was still highlighted by the graphics. Even if you tried, you wouldn't be able to avoid him. He would look at you, look at you, so out of place in that show of models, of talents...

My head kept saying the same thing, over and over and over.

I'm ok.

I'm ok.

Why did I have to say it so many times?

There was his face in every promo. It made sense, he was their sixth (fifth? Fourth?) member after all. It made sense. If made sense.

I'm ok.

He's ok.

That expression, tearful, blank…

I'm ok.

That expression, impassive, beautiful…

I'm ok.

That message. the only contact since his disappearance…

I'm ok.

That performance, that performance, their performance, his performance, performance…

"Do you think he can still remember when you kidnapped him?"

Suddenly there was a crash, followed by Sora’s squeal. My face felt hot as I touched it, and when it reached my cold fingers, only then did I remember where I was, what I had done. My empty hand trembled, as my eyes trailed to the ground.

“Kitten?”

"Producer?"

We were the only ones in the room. Reversi had rented a practice room, Aoba had school duties to attend to. In the quiet archive, Sora had been relaxing from the shock of being in such a crowded enviroment, while Natsume had been examining the board and fiddling with his phone.

My phone...

I looked past my hand, focusing on the red spot on the ground; miraculously, though I had thrown it with force, it had handed face-up. The cause of such behaviour stared back at me as if taunting.

"Producer?” Sora entered my field of vision as I raised my held. "Are you…ok?"

My instinctive reaction was to nod, say something about him not needing to worry, and keep denying any help until everyone forgot about it all. But somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

"I don't know..." I said. "I... don't know what's going on...."

Sora picked up the phone, looking at the screen. His eyes widened in understanding, and he smiled sadly.

“Producer, it's still really hard for you, isn’t it? Sora understands; Shishou is the same”

“Natsume-Kun?”

The boy nodded.

“Shishou always got angry whenever he saw his Nii-sans moving on without him" he said in a low voice. "He tried to pretend it didn't bother him, but his colours soured more and more as weeks passed by. To Sora, your revolution was the first time Shishou really looked happy. Like he could fully move on from it all and turn the next page. But..."

His eyes dimmed for a split second, before quickly regaining their usual shine.

“But now it’s alright again! Shishou is in high spirits, Sora made new friends, and everyone is happy and supporting each other! With so many, of us fighting for the same cause, we don't have to hide anymore! We don't have to hide away what we feel because of fearing the worst! So, Producer, if you have anything to say, please don't be afraid to word it out; You’re just as special and important as the rest of us! And not just because you're our producer!"

I wanted to say something. Something about how he was kind, how he should also not be afraid to word out his own thoughts. How he as well was important, so important, and all he said counted for him as well. I knew he wanted to be happy for us, to appear so, but not everyone can be happy all the time, especially when he was so young. It was alright to express your true feelings to those you trust, even if you might think of them as unsightly and awful. Sora, you're valuable as well, I wanted to say. Please talk from the heart and we’ll help you, I wanted to reassure him.

Instead, all I could do was fall to the ground and cry as he patted my back. And my tears stung my cheeks as they fell.

Chapter 16: The game is set 3

Summary:

The plan must go on.
No matter the costs.

Notes:

So...some things have been going on, and I couldn't find the motivation to update. Also I left my pc at home during a holiday.
HOWEVER;;; I managed to finish all my drafts, so updates will be regular now :D Let's finish this, shall we?

Chapter Text

In Tsukasa's opinion, he had been better off staying in Knights.

Sure the unit was corrupted, decaying, and had lost all common sense, not to mention the ambiguity of Yuuki's situation; but at least he had gotten used to the treatment, and he had ways to keep minimal and temporal order. He often thought of that day he ran away, and wondered if he should have gone back, or if the decision to join Coup D’état was some kind of cry for help or selfish fit he threw to have his seniors notice his desperation. Knowing Sena, he would probably call it that.

Working in Reversi was a challenge; his seniors were good teachers and talked to him, but there was always this permeating sense of distance, and the subsequent teasing only frustrated him more. He knew that compared to Mikejima and Leader he was barely competent, even despite their lessons and advice; it didn't mean that he wanted to be constantly reminded of it. But nether less, it was nothing he wasn't used to. He was foolish for thinking that the situation would get better if he changed units.

Still, somehow I feel like it's even worse! Knights might have been awful, but at least three out of four were competent! Now you can't pin-point where that kind of quality begins and ends with both of my unit members! Not to mention, how can someone like Leader be so careless as to always be late for practice and get lost? And why do I have to find him!

He huffed, marching forward and shaking his head. Never mind, it wasn't worth it, getting angry over him. He would scold him later. Now he had to figure out where he was.

The Halloween Live was in a few days, which meant that, whether they liked it or not, Reversi had to spend all of their free time practicing and perfecting their show. And that couldn't be done if one of them was missing, no matter what kind of unprompted activity they were doing at the moment. It was still annoying that Tsukasa had to be the one to look for his missing leader, considering he out of the three of them was the one who needed to work more. But Mikejima had insisted, and they didn't have time to get into a fight.

Although, if I have to be in the same room as Natsume-senpai any longer, I wouldn't have lasted long. That...that brute! What was he thinking this morning! Where has his decency gone! Just because I don't like what's happening in Knights doesn't mean I would accuse them of anything!

The anger stirred in his stomach, making his movements more and more stiff. He almost marched too far away at some point, before he realised that, out of all the numerous places Leader could have been, the dojo was probably the most likely that day: it was closer to classes and the courtyard, and it was going to be empty that day. He stormed off in the direction of the area, his head pulsing from the blood.

Leader, you're so lucky I don't have a speech prepared for you; because I know, I just know, that I would have torn you to pieces! You think I can't, but I'm able to be worse than my parents or seniors when given the chance! I am, I am, I am!

He pulled aside the sliding door, with such force he almost broke it. A gust of wind came blowing in, sending some leaves displayed on the wooden floor.

"[Leader]!" He yelled. "Has music deteriorated your brain, or are you that stupid! We have practice today!"

There was a figure lying down, with his back towards him, legs dangling upwards. By the familiar humming, as well as the speck of orange hair he could see, there was no denying who it was.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Tsukasa closed the door behind him, stomping the floor as he walked towards the other. "We need to go! If we fail the [live], all will be ruined!"

"Baaaaah, so noisy; shut upppppppp, this is a safe haven! Besides, you'll scare the kids"

"The...the what?"

Tsukasa tilted his head, as Leo stood up a little, sitting cross-legged. In front of him, five tiny balls of fur came barrelling towards him, letting out a series of sounds that made the rage in the younger boy's heart melt away. His eyes widened.

"Lea…[Leader]...are those...?"

"My kids! Ah, rather, grandkids, I think? Wahaha, that makes me sound old! That's bad for an idol"

Leader beamed at him, as a larger cat than the others crawled on his lap and started purring. He quickly turned towards it, cooing as stroked its back, and mumbling sweet words that reduced him in an instant into what Tsukasa figured “cat lady” meant.

The boy politely turned his head away, and instead sat down, figuring he should at least indulge the five kittens if they were that desperate for attention. And maybe they were a little soft. And cute. And Tsukasa had never owned pets even though he had always wanted one as a child. And…

“[Leader]!”

Focus Tsukasa! This must be a trick, a ploy to slow you down! You can never be too careful, even with people who you consider your friends! You must always react and be ready for anything! Come on, come on!

Leader didn’t pause his pampering, but if there was one thing Tsukasa had learned from him, is that you shouldn’t underestimate him. So he continued talking.

“[Leader]…”

The words blocked in his throat, as a sudden sense of guilt overcame him. He was meant to tell him to go back to practice. But now that they were alone in this quiet haven, broke only by the sound of cute and tiny meows, many questions burned in his brain. Questions that he had been denied answers for weeks and weeks.

“Something you want to say, Newbie?”

…He was smart. But Tsukasa didn’t know if he was ready. If he broke his leader before the live, Mikejima would have his head, and everyone’s efforts, the Producer’s efforts, would all go to waste. And if the answer was too shocking, he would be put out of commission as well. Maybe he should ask something simpler. Something a unit member like him would ask; if he showed care, and took it well, maybe he would even gain enough respect to demand recognition.

“This morning…what happened with Sena-senpai…” he spoke slowly, trying to examine the situation carefully. From the corner of his eye, he saw no objections, no stirring. He stroked one of the kittens’ belly, as he continued.

“I just want to know if you’re alright, is all…”

Leader didn’t answer for a while, to the point it almost frustrated Tsukasa; but then, finally, he spoke. His tone was grave, and when the boy raised his head to see his expression, he noticed the light of his eyes had died. He looked serious, but…worse, somehow.

“I understood what happened” he said. “It’s worse that I thought it would be; I kept holding onto a stray hope, a chance that it wasn’t my fault it happened, but…I was proven foolish. What happened to Sena and to that boy was because of me. Because I wasn’t there; because I was too weak to keep moving forward. If I never recovered…”

He paused, swallowing his words. Tsukasa’s eyes widened, but his gaze was dragged towards his free hand: one of the kittens had grasped at his sleeve and was trying to climb up. He gently placed it down and began to stroke its ears. Its pink mouth opened in a yawn, before it curled up beside him.

“I’m a failure as a King” Leader continued. “I left when they needed me the most, and as a result, Sena was left with no other choice; and by the time he realised what was going on, it was too late: he was cornered, and he could only move forward with the choices he made weighing on his back. That’s the type of person he is after all. He never looks back, not even for a second. He didn’t wait for me, as he should have. And I slipped behind, because I couldn’t keep up with his pace, and everyone…I disappointed them”

“That’s not true, [Leader]”

Two more kittens crowded next to Tsukasa, and he began to pet them quickly, trying to satisfy each and every one of them.

“I…pardon me if I speak; considering my role, I have no business assuming. But I have been in [Knights], and I know that there is no person anyone is more disappointed in than themselves. We all had a part to play in the way our [unit] is right now, whether we like it or not. And even though we keep moving forward, and we keep our head high, those mistakes still weight heavily upon us”

He gave up on the effort, and instead allowed them to gather around his legs, where they snuggled close. Biting back any improper sounds that didn’t fit his speech, he looked over at Leader with a small smile.

“[Leader], you might have mistaken the story I told you; they didn’t ban your name because they hated you. They banned it because they didn’t feel worthy of pronouncing it. They all are of the belief that they have hurt you, and since they don’t look behind them, too ashamed to do so, they’re afraid to know whether you will be coming back or not. They would much rather move on, or cling onto what is left, or try to keep it together, than hope for something they have no evidence for. It’s a safety precaution for themselves. [Leader], you know them more than I do: do you think they could ever hate you or think less of you, because you had to leave for something you couldn’t control?”

He felt a new pressure near his socks, and noticed how the fifth one was trying to climb his foot. It tumbled into the void between his legs, and he rushed to pick it up, placing it on his leg instead as he scratched behind its years. It purred contently, and even brushed itself against his palm, liking the attention.

“I might not know about what happened to you, but I know that whatever it was, [Knights] doesn’t think any less of you; maybe, they might think that your presence back in our [unit] would be a miracle if anything. They need one, if they are to move forward. And [Knights]…all of us…” he sighed, as the kitten rolled on his leg, almost falling again. “[Leader]…let’s be honest, no matter our role or our titles, we’re all humans; we can’t have a hierarchy among us, it has already torn us apart. What we really need is for all of us to rely on each other. We need to be a team of [Knights]. We don’t need a [king], a strategist, a paladin; we need friends who we can fight with, who we can rely on”

He turned towards Leo again, and noticed how he was looking in the distance, staring off as the large cat beside him was purring near his leg. He stood like that for a while, to the point Tsukasa wondered if he should call out to him and remind him they had practice. And then, finally, he spoke again.

“Sena isn’t stupid” he said, a bit to himself but not really. “Nor is he evil; he’s stubborn, and prideful, and acts out of passion sometimes, but he’s good deep down. What he did was because he was driven into a corner, even I can see that; he acted out because someone gave him no choice. Because someone knew of his true feelings and offered him a way to try to…forgive himself, I guess” he nodded to himself, raising his head and using his hands to support his body. “Well, maybe he is a bit stupid then; maybe we’re both stupid for not talking to each other…”

He nodded again, closing his eyes. He stood like that for an even longer time, but Tsukasa turned his head away politely, waiting for him to finish. Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw him shift, as he stretched out a hand towards him.

“Well, our Knights might be a little sleepy, but that’s all the more reason to make them open their eyes” he grinned. “What do you say, Newbie? Are you still in Operation Sleeping Beauty?”

Tsukasa tilted his head, a little confused by his wording. But then he scoffed, and shook his hand firmly, though in doing so he had to move and stir some of the kittens from their rest, much to their (and his) dismay.

“That’s a terrible name, [Leader]…”

“Buuut…”

Tsukasa sighed, shaking his hand again. “Yeah, yeah, I’m in, I’m in”

 

 

---

 

The pieces were falling in place, the tools gathered to pry and pick at the clock that had for so long stood still. It was going to be a hard challenge, and to the last day we all had our own doubts on whether it was going to succeed. Simple pre-live jitters and anxiety, nothing to do with the structure of our team; in fact, despite the incident with Sena, our little group had no inner conflicts, as Tsukasa preferred to leave his grudges for when it was better to talk about.

But unbeknownst to most of us at the time, there were still some bolts that had to be screwed in, some details that had to be polished. Something most of us didn't expect, and that, for a while, we were blissfully unaware of.

The day before the Halloween live, Natsume had ordered mandatory rest, and cancelled the daily meeting after school. Then, after waving everyone goodbye and good luck, he excused himself and went back indoors, saying something about a forgotten textbook. He planned to go home for once, so he said, and he needed the notes from today’s class to finish homework he had left uncompleted the day before.

But instead of going to the classroom, Natsume headed straight for the library.

At first, his steps were quick, feigning urgency; but they slowed down once he was inside his destinated room, as he examined the shelves and the small hallways carefully in the dark. The room was quite small, so it didn't take long for him to spot what he was looking for: a senior shorter than him, with blonde hair and a scarf tightly wrapped around his neck. The boy smirked, as he silently crept towards him.

"Waiting for someonE?"

Nito squealed, jumping a clear ten centimeters off the floor. Natsume's grin widened, and he slipped to his side, as the other’s face rapidly turned bright red.

“D-don't sneak up on me wike that!” The boy hissed, his lisp slipping through. “Someone wouwd get hurt y’know!"

"Ah, sorry, sorrY" Natsume said. “I underestimated your courage, senpaI; even so, niCE jump reflexes”

Nito puffed his cheeks, before taking a long, deep breath to settle down his temper. The other patiently waited for him to finish, tucking his arms behind his back.

"All has been preparED" he said, handing him a large folder. "The papers have been filed, and we receivED news from the company the other day: the deal’s all set; Kitten will telL you more tomorrow”

Nito hesitated, before he took it and started flipping through the thin pages with hasty movements. He rapidly read through it all, before looking back at Natsume.

"And…that other thing?” he frowned again at his own words. “This is meaningless if you don’t keep your end of the bargain”

“Why, of course, senpaI; who do you take mE for? I promise you, once again, none will be the wiser of your involvement, and none of your juniors will be convictED. I know better than to misuse the tools I’m kindly given, you knoW”

The senior nodded; he looked around, as his free hand reached inside his uniform pocket; he pulled out a keyring, from which a single black key dangled silently. However, just as Natsume reached for it, the older boy pulled away at the last moment.

"Just so we're clear" he said, warningly. "I'm doing this for Makoto-chin and my kids; if word comes out of my involvement, God forbid, I…I won’t hesitate to throw you to the wolves if it means helping them”

Natsume smiled.

“Senpai, do we really have to repeat this again and agaiN? The elderly really aren’T satisfied by words anymore” He sighed. “I will allow that, no questions askeD; not like I plan to betray you: I have a junior of my own, you knoW. What kind of person would I be if I let your younger rabbits taKE the fall for my own projects? Especially considering our... alternativE connections"

Nito's face visibly tensed at his words, but he took a deep breath and at last gave him the key. Natsume carefully took it and gazed at it with sparkling eyes.

"At least... thank you, for what you've done for us" Nito added, as he neared the folder to his chest. “I don’t know who I have to properly thank for this opportunity, but…thank them for me

"A lot of people" Natsume mumbled. "Senpai found the contacts, Mikejima-senpai stuck the deal, for examplE; but it waS all Kitten's idea, as you might have guessed. She has a mind, that girl; we're lucky she's on our side"

Sora had helped as well, though only very marginally, as he was still learning those complicated topics. But he was a fast learner, and Natsume had no doubt that, should there be a next time, he would have to name him as well.

"Thank you" he said, closing the folder. “I'll make sure Yuuki-san's situation improvES”

"Not mentioning the others, huh?"

He grinned, closing his eyes. "You're smart, as appropriate for a SenpaI”

Placing the key in his trousers pocket, he said his goodbyes before turning around, silently sneaking out of the library. But he had barely taken a few steps when he heard his senor calling out to him. He paused, barely turning around to meet his gaze. The room was dark, but Nito's red eyes were visible, bright.

"Is...Is he doing ok?!

Natsume absent-mindedly fiddled with the key in his pocket. His body had grown stiff, and his gaze lowered as he spoke.

"He's recoverinG" he said, softer than he intended. "Both of them; I've made plans to facilitaTE their re-entry into Yumenosaki"

Nito nodded. "Does he…"

“A little, sort of; some general aspects” Natsume turned around again. “Not about this deal, thougH”

A pause. Then, before he could continue walking, Nito spoke again.

“’A little’ because you knew Oshi-san and the others wouldn’t have let you continue, right? Because it would mean running head-first into what they swore to protect you from, in what they gave their life for to make sure not everything they held dear had to suffer"

His fist closed itself around the key, and the metal stung his palm. A feeling he remembered from a year ago, when he was sneaking on school grounds and selfishly gathering any data he could find in his sheltered condition. It was oddly nostalgic, and it almost brought tears to his eyes. Though the two facts were probably not connected.

“Well, you know how kids like me are, right NiichaN?” he said, waving his free hand as he edged closer to the hallway. “We all enter our rebellious phases at some point in our livES”

Chapter 17: The game is done 1

Summary:

When asked, Natsume will tell you that his favourite literary device is "Parallelism".

Notes:

It's...so hot, and when it's hot my brain fries and I can't edit well. But I did it. I think I did it.
If there's more spelling errors than usual...I'm so sorry.

Chapter Text

Halloween was a chaotic day by design. But in Yumenosaki, the world seemed to be even more in disarray during the celebration: everywhere you walked, you risked bumping your head against orange and black decorations, or statues and signs with enough colour and unusual designs to give you the impression of being stuck in a fever dream; the surroundings were so captivating, you could risk running into a ghost, a wolf, a zombie, a mummy, all probably as dazed as you were. If you were unlucky, you might have even almost stepped on a cowering student, or accidentally knocked down a prop the decorators had left there "on purpose".

Regardless of the potential dangers, the school was considered acceptable for the circulation of students and outsiders; all of them flocked the hallways and the courtyard like bees gathering around flower beds, some wearing costumes to match the themes. All, as they examined the world around them, seemed to be excitedly waiting for the live shows to bring to life the spooky atmosphere.

The selection for that year, as per my requests and insisting demands, was quite varied, equally displaying known idols and those who were slightly more obscure. Thus, many of the people I had helped throughout the semester managed to get their time to shine, and my only regret was that I hadn't been able to see most of it due to my plans with Coup D’ètat. I managed to catch Undead, Ryuseitai, 2wink and Ra*bits, per Natsume’s request: he considered it a down payment for all I had done.

As the lives went on, the audience kept growing and growing; for a good reason at that: thanks to some careful planning and pulling of strings, I had managed to fit Knights’s performance right at the end. Speaking as a producer, it was the choice that made the most sense: the unit's popularity would draw in a large crowd, and would make sure that even lesser units got the chance the shine in other’s eyes. Though the S1 level of the Halloween Live meant no one could walk out after a performance, placing Knights at the end ensured no incidents such as Ra*bits’s debut would be repeated. Not to mention, by sprinkling big names such as Undead and Ryuseitai throughout the program, we made sure that more people would want to enter the auditorium as soon as possible. Also, I had collaborated with the minor units to market them on the school’s official site, so that outsiders would be intrigued by them.

In short, we had planned the Live to the nearest detail, while Reversi practiced and tested the costumes. Now, all that was left was for our pieces to finally face against the opposing side.

 

---

 

The account I’m about to give is one I had to piece from outside sources many years after it happened. As such, I don’t claim that the part is an accurate portrayal of what really occurred. With that said, as it is relevant to our story, I have decided to include it.

“Where’s that idiot!”

"What makes you think he'll be here, Secchan?"

“The fact that he returned from his family trip a few days ago and I saw him with my own eyes? Seriously, Kuma-kun, you should stop sleeping that much!”

"In my defence, looking at you, I doubt that's what's rotting my braincells"

"Ah, do we have to fight now as well? We really are hopeless..."

It was an hour or so before Knights’s turn in the Halloween Live. And of course, right as they were trying out their costumes and planning their makeup for the last time, in the secure refuge of their practice room, the already fragile group had broken into the usual argument.

"Shut up!" Sena snapped, his hands hovering over Yuuki as they fixed his grim reaper costume’s veil over and over. “If anything, you have the power to stop this; don't you have his number or something? Hasn't he called you lately?"

"Hm? Tsukasa-chan and I haven’t spoken in weeks…” the girl in question examined her face in her compact mirror, massaging her cheek. “Speaking of, I'm starting to get worried: do you think he’s alright?”

“He definitely won't be when I get my hands on him!” her senior scoffed. “To think he was so obedient when we admitted him…what the hell happened to him?”

"Yeah" Ritsu muttered, staring daggers at the mirror in front of him. "I sure wonder what happened…"

His voice was meant to be heard, as always; Narukami gave him a warning glance, but he met her gaze in the mirror and shrugged. Usually she didn't have to worry: Sena had the decency of avoiding the boy’s provocations, deeming them stupid and childish. But today was different; and the temporary leader was not in the right mood to be reasoned with.

"Excuse me?" Sena glared at Ritsu, stepping towards him. "What was that tone? If you have something to say, just spit it out! Geez, what is it with this unit and keeping secrets to themselves? Soo annoying"

"Well, maybe we'd be more willing to chat if, you know, you actually talked to the rest of us" the other said, his voice suddenly cold. "It's hard already dealing with you and that doll as a pair, but your general attitude…you won't talk to us if it's not to insult us or scold us. Don't you think you're abusing your leadership and leverage a little too much?"

“Leverage?” Narukami tilted her head, confused. She realised her mistake too late.

Ritsu walked over to their fourth or fifth member, who was sitting on a chair with its usual zoned-out expression. He stuck out a finger and poked its cheek, earning a squeal of protest from Sena but no sound from the other boy.

"This thing here" he said as he continued poking. "This doll, no one is shutting up about it; rumors are spreading like wildfire on it, and our involvement in what happened. But I'm sure you know about it by now: they're very hard to avoid in a place like this cursed graveyard"

"Kuma-kun-!"

"And you out of all of us should know how our name is nothing but tarnished by gossip; you know how the system works around here: the more they talk, the more we get hunted down, whether they speak the truth or not. And now that we’re seriously cornered by it all, now that it's been months and we have agreed to become accomplices to what you did, you think you can boss us around as you please"

"That's..."

"True; there's no need to hide it. We both know what you did; we agreed to be quiet about it" he poked the doll with more force. "And you know that we won't speak about it, because it would mean dragging all our names to the ground"

"That's not true!"

His voice had become high pitched, but the power behind the scream was still there. Narukami looked at her senior, her leader, and gasped: his face had turned red, redder than it had ever been in the years they knew each other.

Ritsu turned around and raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. And despite the imagery, even she continued to look at Sena curiously, wondering if anything else was going to come out of him; a justification, a motivation, a protest. Something that could finally peace out this feud in their unit for good. Had this been Ritsu’s goal all this time? Had he been trying to force the answer out of the other? It was an odd way to do it, but then again, none of them were good at communication.

Narukami would be lying if she said she wasn’t thankful for this attempt; despite her seemingly neutral stance, those two were still her friends. People she cared for, and wanted to support as they moved forward in their careers. Something she couldn’t do if they fell apart so easily. And it was not her fault that she couldn't do much without accidentally making the unit implode on itself: last time she had spoken up, Tsukasa had disappeared; she couldn't risk any more losses.

The silence persisted in the room for a while, at the two patiently waited for Sena to speak. However, after some time, he only clicked his tongue and turned away from them, picking up a towel from a nearby chair.

"Are... you serious?"

Ritsu’s face darkened, and one of his fists was trembling.

“Are you…is this a joke?” his tone was rising dangerously. “Are you fucking stupid!”

“Ritsu-chan…”

“Are you ever going to stop beating around the bush? We're all waiting for you to open up, you know! You're always going on and on about us, but you're the worst! You do all of those things, treat us like dirt, and then expect us to take it! Do you know why Tsukasa isn't coming to practice? Because he understood what was going on and left while he still could! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if like Ou-sama, he'll never come back!”

“Ritsu-chan!”

Suddenly, a crash burst through the room, and Narukami screamed as she stood up from her chair. Sena jumped, quickly running towards Yuuki, checking his state with feverish gestures and an aloof gaze. Ritsu frowned at him, but didn't say anything, merely shook his hand and clicked his tongue.

"What... was that?"

The senior turned towards them, his eyes wide. They then lingered through them, towards the window. Narukami moved her shoes, and felt the crunching of glass a few steps behind her, making her shiver.

No one else moved. The girl turned around, her movements uncertain and slow. She bent over, looking through the shards until she spotted a rock with a note attached to it. Taking a handkerchief from her pocket, she picked it up.

"I think.. someone threw this at the window..." She stood up and showed it to the others. Her voice quivered as she realised the weight of the thing in her palm.

Sena scoffed. "Geez, I thought we had gotten rid of brutes at this school; what the hell is wrong with people? They could have killed someone, and we would have had to sue! Soo annoying"

"To be fair Secchan, if they had hit your precious doll, nothing would have changed."

"Why I-! Kuma-kun...!"

"Hold on, no more fighting" Narukami turned the rock in her gloved hands, removing the small shards with shy flicks. "I think... could this perhaps be a message?"

"A message? What happened to old-fashioned texting or calling? Or hell, what about knocking?"

She ignored Sena’s protests, as she removed the band tying the piece of paper to the rock. The note almost fell from her hands, but she quickly grabbed it, and placed the useless stone on the nearby table. The words “To: Knights” written in Roman characters stuck out to her; however, what made her flinch more was the intoxicating perfume coming from it, along with the unusual writing style.

She had seen that calligraphy somewhere before.

"Well, what does it say? Is their insolence stupid or excusable?"

Narukami opened it so fast she almost tore it; she didn't answer for a while, even after she was done reading it the first time. Her vision was starting to blur a little, and her fingers were clasping the paper as tightly as humanly possible. But before anything could fall from her eyes, she blinked quickly and handed over the paper to Ritsu with a hasty gesture, as if it burned her hand.

"It’s…a declaration of war" she said. "The revolutionaries everyone is talking about…they’re coming"

 

---

 

The tickets had been sold out that day. Tsukasa had been told as such by the Producer as he was getting ready. But when he peeked at the curtains, he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the amount of people out there. Anxiety made his fingers trail the edges of his jacket, fiddling with it to make sure it looked good. Was it even possible for it to look good? He wasn’t going to look like a fool, right?

“Hey, Newbie, what are you doing?”

He turned around, and was met by his two seniors and the producer; she had just finished adding the finishing touches of makeup to the two: dark eyeshadow to compliment the dark tones of their outfit. He looked at them again, admiring their appearance; they were dressed more or less like him: the long purple jacket with a furry hoodie, the black and violet-checkered sweatshirt underneath, the black jeans and clawed gloves, the clipped-on cat ears and tail. But if one focused on the outfits carefully, they could notice details that set the three of them apart: Leader’s sweatshirt was shorter, for example, leaving his stomach exposed, and he had a pumpkin pin on his jacket. Mikejima wore an orange sash as a makeshift belt. And only Tsukasa had tiny bat wings at the back of his jacket.

“You like the details, don’t you? Wahaha!” Leader twirled around, almost bumping into the girl as he did. “They really jump out when you notice them, don’t they! Anzu and Shu are the best!”

“Oh, it was nothing” the Producer sighed. “Sorry I couldn’t make anything more complex; I saw Knights’s costumes after I came up with the drafts…”

“It’s fiiine, producer” Mikejima laughed, patting her shoulder. “Think of it this way; we look more approachable with less complex outfits, don’t you think? We give the impression of revolutionaries who sew their own clothes and make do with what little they have. Besides, in our positions, shouldn’t Reversi aspire to look like mortals, rather than unreachable gods going at war?”

Tsukasa nodded: though he shared the same doubts as the Producer, when considered from his senior’s point of view, it made more sense for their costumes to be like that. Not like he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way: as long as the outfit was made by her, and he got to wear it, that was all that mattered to him.

“Even Tsukasa-san agrees; right?”

Tsukasa felt the fabric of his jacket, and then that of his sweatshirt. While Mikejima’s was tucked in, and Leader’s was short, his was just the right size. It was barely visible due to the black chemise he had insisted on wearing, however. A decision he was partly starting to regret from how hot it felt.

“Onee-sama’s handiwork is so soft and pretty…”

For a moment, he didn’t register the words he had just said. But then realisation came crashing down, and his face turned bright pink as Leader laughed and threw his arm over his shoulder, giving him a noogie.

“You cheeky little boy, you! Flirting with the Producer before meeting your future fans! You know, if Sena could hear you, he’d start giving you a loooong speech about idol privacy and duties and dating and all that stuff!”

“That…that was not my intention!”

“You’ve gone as red as your hair! Don’t lie to me now!”

“Shut upppp, you’re so annoying! I hate you!”

“I love you too!”

Tsukasa looked over to the Producer for help, almost desperate. She rolled her eyes, and stomped her foot on the ground.

“Now now, release him; I took so long to fix his hair, Leo-senpai. Show some respect!”

“Oh, she’s right, she’s right!” Leader’s eyes widened, and he immediately released Tsukasa. “Sorryyyyyy, sorryyyy, are you ok?”

“I’m perfectly fine!” The boy snapped, trying to comb his hair. “Seriously, [Leader] why do you have to be so…so…that way, there!”

“Let me help, Tsukasa-kun”

Tsukasa’s frustration melted away, as he felt a pair of soft hands combing through his hair, tidying up the strands and pinning them back with the cat hairclips she had lent him. He was almost ashamed of how easily he recognised the Producer’s touch, and though he tried to ignore Leader’s snicker nearby, the attempts he mustered only resulted in him taking a closer look at her costume; she had modified it herself in her spare time, a tribute to a friend who she had decided to match with. It was very simple, really – a red hooded cloak, a white blouse, a black skirt – and she didn’t seem to have styled her hair for the sake of saving time; but when he met her gaze, as she finished her job to look at him fully, Tsukasa was taken aback by how beautiful she looked. He wished, as selfish as it was, that he could get to see the Producer in other outfits in the future.

“There, looks done” the girl patted his head, restoring him from his daze. “All set!”

The boy smiled sheepishly, nodding. He could feel his face heat up again, and he could only hope the backstage was dim enough to hide it.

“Thank you, [Producer]” he said. “I’m honoured to be helped by someone as lovely as you”

It came out fluidly than he thought, for which he was thankful. And the soft laughter he received in return, as she patted his head once again, only made him feel happier.

“Wait, actually…”

She removed her hands, and went to reach for her own hair. Fiddling with the strands under her hood, finally she took out a small black hairclip. His eyes widened.

So the Producer can put effort with just simple tricks! She really is wonderful…

The girl placed the clip next to the cat one, pinning more of his hair strands in place. She had to get closer to do the job, and Tsukasa was suddenly aware of her breath against his forehead, making his body shiver a little. He held his hands tightly, trying to remember to breathe, and ignored Leader’s teasing giggles.

After what seemed like too little time, the Producer parted from him, stroking his hair as she examined him. Tsukasa stared at her, with the kind of dazed and admired look one would give to a materialised god.

“Just in case” She said with a smile that rivalled the sun itself in power. “You move so fast, it’d be bad if your hair came undone”

He nodded, solemnly. Though he was lost in her beautiful blue eyes, and blinded by her kind expression, he was still sane enough to hear her every melodic word.

“Of course, [Producer]” he bowed his head. “I’ll…cherish this clip for as long as I am allowed to burrow it”

He then quickly turned around, holding a fist to his mouth to stop himself from giggling like a schoolgirl. His stomach bubbled and bubbled, filled with an odd sense of hilarity he had never experienced before. Beside him, Leader suddenly appeared, an even goofier grin plastered on his face.

“You’re so smitten” he snickered. “It’s not even funny”

Tsukasa furrowed his eyebrows, cheeks tinted pink.

“…shut up [Leader]”

 

---

 

There was still a lot of work to do, on many fronts. My costume expertise being subpar, and the time being too little, I was forced to adapt to what I could do. And every time I looked at my creations, though I felt proud, it made me also feel very sour: I couldn’t help but notice the little nit-picks only known to me and Itsuki. The seam that looked off, the slightly crooked trim, the piece of fabric that was a little stained, the one that still had some chalk on it…it haunted me, over and over again. Thank goodness Itsuki had warned me about this effect common to all artists, otherwise I would have insisted on dismantling everything and starting over.

My self-deprecation aside, Reversi’s relationship had to be worked on as well. They were acquaintances, they mostly got along, but there had to be more if the unit was going to last. They had to rely on each other, respect each other, be on equal grounds. This was the unit that was going to bring Knights down, pave the way for the rise of Coup D’état. If they feel apart, what did that say about us? What did that say about me?

“Hey, Producer”

I was brought back to reality by the comforting voice of Mikejima. It made me jump, and he chuckled softly.

“Nervous, huh?”

I bit my lip, hesitating for a second. Then I sighed, waving my hand.

“Can you blame me? This is what we’ve been preparing for all this time!”

He laughed more, but seeing that it had the opposite effect on me, patted my back again.

“There there, Producer, it’s fine” he winked. “You saw us, right? We’re going to leave a really great impression on all those kids out there, whether we win or not. A revolution, a first year with the big leagues, two legends from Yumenosaki…it’s a lot to take in, isn’t it? People wouldn’t be done recovering by the time Knights finishes their song!”

I nodded, a little absent-mindedly; it was true that Reversi as a concept would be astounding to the average student or person, but…something felt off. Even if they were to fight with all their strength, I couldn’t see them winning over a powerhouse like Knights; and for Natsume’s plan, it seemed crucial that we destroyed our opponent. So, unless he was that careless…

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Mikejima’s expression had become serious all of a sudden. Like he knew what I was thinking, and even, had made it so that would be my train of thought. But before I could ask him about it, we heard the speaker announcement signal three minutes before the live start.

“Oh, that’s our queue” Mikejima turned around, his previous expression melting away all of a sudden. “Tsukasa-san, Leo-san, get ready!”

“Wait!”

I grabbed his sleeve, feeling my insides recoil at the fear of ripping apart my work. He turned towards me puzzled, as I stared at him with narrowed eyes.

“Mikejima” I said. “It’s crucial that, whatever happens, you protect and respect Tsukasa-kun at all costs; please think about what he means for the revolution. He’s young, but he deserves to be treated as an equal”

Mikejima looked surprised by my words. And then he smiled and held up his pinkie finger.

“If the Producer orders it, we will do it! That’s the way an idol lives” He said. “I’ll talk to Leo-san, and we’ll see what to do; but if we step out of line, just say so!”

 

---

 

This was it. The moment they had been waiting for all this time.

Tsukasa’s heart was pounding like a drum when he stepped on the stage. It was soon drowned out by an initial roar of the crowd, which made his ears ring with the force. He hadn’t been in front of this many people in ages.

He looked over at Leader in front of him, waving at the crowd and yelling out “ucchuu” in his mic, as he flashed peace signs. He almost envied the ease with which he was dealing with the situation. How did he do it? Where had he practiced that type of skill?

Wait…

He squinted a little, and noticed that it wasn’t quite as he had thought at first: there was an instant when his unit mate was still, as he waved at the audience; that was when the boy noticed he was trembling, ever so slightly, but it was there. But when he moved fast again, jumping and yelling, it wasn’t visible at all.

Leader…are you going to…

He felt a squeeze on his shoulder, and turned to see Mikejima, his head turned towards the crowd as he waved. His posture was straight, towering over everyone, but his smile was kind and his eyes shined, as he didn’t spare a single audience member. He leaned over to Tsukasa.

“Everyone is looking; thank them for coming to see you”

Coming to see me…they’re here to see us…to see me…

The thought made his heart soar. A smile spawned on his face, and he began waving at everyone he saw, almost jumping as he moved from person to person.

“Thank you” he said, though his voice was drowned out by everyone. “Thank you!”

The two then walked off, joining Leader’s side. The latter smiled, almost in relief as he saw them, and then Mikejima held out a hand, demanding silence.

“Thank you for having us” he said. “We are Reversi; we’ve come here to declare war on the Student Council, and fight for the right of all of our friends and peers to perform!”

A few cheers were heard by the crowd, though most of them were drowned out by a spreading murmur. Tsukasa stiffened, a strange feeling crawling in his stomach.

“We understand that you must be confused” Mikejima continued, seemingly unphased. “And that’s reasonable; the history of Yumenosaki has been buried to the newest, hidden from the outside. But I ask you here, now, have you ever wondered why the system is so unfair? Why should larger units perform while others have to constantly beg for jobs? Isn’t it Yumenosaki’s duty to train us all equally as idols? What are we supposed to do if we don’t have a stage to stand on, a song to sing, an outfit to wear. How are we supposed to learn how to live in a harsh industry, if you don’t show us the survival skills? If you don’t let us breathe?”

The murmur grew more intense, though some audience members seemed to be agreeing. Tsukasa bit his lip, as he remembered the Producer discussing her job: those must have all been people she knew. People she had to help and help and help again and again.

“And…Mama, everyone…wouldn’t it be better if they taught us about our past as well? What people sacrificed to make sure Yumenosaki was healed?”

Tsukasa raised his head suddenly, looking at Leader. Though still shaking, the latter had stood up straight, a fist placed on his heart.

“Does anyone here even remember our losses? The deaths, the despair? Have you ever even been taught it apart from baseless rumours?”

“What is going on?”

He jumped, and Tsukasa followed his gaze, trying to peek from his figure. It took a little bit of movement, but he saw them: his four unit members, draped in dark clothing, with veils covering their faces and scythes placed in crook of their arms or hands. Sena, as always, was clinging to the doll, holding it by the waist as if he were protecting it. They almost looked alluring, and definitely more of an eye catcher than their costumes. The crowd went wild at their sight, and he could distinguish several female screams in the midst.

"Oh, our opponents have come!" his senior tilted his head, swinging a little before he jumped and landed with legs bent and spread wide, and hands curled up in front of his face. "Raaaaaaah, we are the evil cats of Reversi, read to claw your eyes out and bite your bony fingers, o Grim Reapers from Hell!"

"What the...Leo-kun?"

"Ou-sama?"

Sena's voice was so comically high, that Tsukasa almost laughed. He disguised it by clearing his throat, but Mikejima smirked at him. A few seconds of silence followed, before his former temporary leader quickly recovered.

"What...are you guys doing here?"

"We signed up to perform together!" Leader said. "There was a free slot, so we asked for permission"

"But...but you didn't sign up"

"We did" the boy took out a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket, smirking. "Looook here, right here"

Narukami stretched out a hand and took it, her face visibly scrunching into a frown as she read it; she asked Ritsu to pass her her phone. A few taps later, she showed the display to Sena.

"But...but this-" He blinked. "You changed this maybe a few minutes ago!"

"Just at the beginning of the Halloween Live" Mikejima corrected. "You have our apologies for the short notice"

"But...you can’t do that! It's against regulations!"

"Actually, not really; you can look it up if you want, it's all allowed. You'd be surprised what kind of things are just paranoia spread by students rather than actual facts"

Mikejima wasn't wrong: looking around, he and Aoba had managed to find the school regulations. They hadn't been changed since the war, a period when how you made and created a unit didn't matter if the eggs in the basket were bad enough for the Student Council to want them removed. And temporary units especially had even flimsier regulations, though that was more to help students in case of sudden lack of members.

Natsume figured that the Student Council would immediately change the rules if they figured Reversi was too much of a risk, but he had already prepared the necessary documents to make the unit official soon after the Live. And for any other issue Aoba tried to dispute, he had an answer. Tsukasa shuddered at the thought of how precise his revolution leader was.

"They're right" Ritsu shrugged. "You saw how easy it was to get that doll admitted”

"Well, that's..."

Sena blocked himself, as he gripped even tightly the doll's waist. The sight made nausea rise in Tsukasa's neck; he took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He had barely released it when he felt the encouraging squeeze of Mikejima's hand on his shoulder again. He looked up, noticed him watching with a smile, as he mouthed the words: "Go"

Tsukasa pressed his lips together, fists clenched tightly. Leader jumping around had made it so he had been invisible to the others. But now, now it was time to reveal himself. To show the true harm of what Knights had done to themselves.

He held a hand over his beating heart, and with another deep breath, stepped forward, past Leader, past Mikejima. He could tell they had seen him, for Narukami let out a gasp.

"Tsukasa-chan?"

The light shone on him, and just like that, he felt a sense of loneliness; even as he was surrounded by people who he had stood close to, who he had tried to help, who he had lied to. Because unlike everyone else, he was not as pure of heart as he believed: he had lied to the people who had accepted him all those months ago. He was a traitorous knight, gazing at those who had raised him. Almost raised him.

But he had to be brave. He needed to be, to save them.

"Sena-senpai" his eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that? Is there something you're not telling us?"

Sena didn't let himself be intimidated.

"Kasa-kun, what the hell are you doing-"

"Answer my question!" The boy interrupted him. He stomped his foot. "You've never looked at us, never trained with us, never helped us through anything! You're a senior, and yet you failed at your one job, the only one you had to do!  But now...now you can't run away anymore; we're right here, looking at you. So tell me, Sena-senpai; tell me, what happened? Why did you give it all up? Why did you sacrifice everything we gave you for this stranger you've invited in…your [unit]?"

Sena protectively tightened his grip against Yuuki, baring his teeth like a rabid dog. And as Tsukasa’s eyes widened, he came upon a tragic realisation.

He's lost his mind. He's completely lost his mind. There is no saving him anymore. He has played God, and now refuses to return his toys.

"If you won't answer, it makes it even worse!" He said. "The poison has blinded and muted you; but I won't lose hope. Me and [Leader], as...as former members of [Knights], we won't lose hope! We will save you, and we will make sure to restore you to your former glory! So, Sena-senpai, Ritsu-senpai Narukami-senpai...as your untainted junior, I will reach into the darkness and tear to pieces the menace that binds you with my own hands!"

He finished his sentence with a yell, that echoed in the auditorium like a powerful roar. He felt his face heat up as he heard it, and the consequential whispering in the crowd. Turning towards his Knights, he noticed their expressions, intaking every detail: Narukami had a hand on her mouth, looking shocked or close to tears; Ritsu's eyes were more open than usual, and his hand was blocked mid-air, as if while trying to suppress a yawn he had been frozen, and a smirk tugged one of the corners of his mouth; Yuuki looked lifeless as ever, but the boy could have sworn his eyes were lucid, just like that day. And Sena...

Sena looked livid. There was a dangerous blaze in his eyes, burning through his veil; and his body was rigid, expression frozen into disdain. His outfit suddenly seemed appropriate, and Tsukasa shivered, though he kept his expression and stance firm.

"Shut your mouth" the senior spat, spreading his free arm. "Fair enough; if you want to battle, let's battle. Nuisances and mis-behaved children should always be taught a lesson after all. Although, no use kicking them when they're down" he crossed his arms. "Go ahead; show us what you're made of. Bask in the glory while you can"

The three bowed and stepped backwards, shifting into the positions they had practiced for so long. Anxiety bubbled in Tsukasa's stomach as he saw the audience up close, from the edge of the stage. He gulped, feeling his heartbeat.

"Suo"

He turned slightly, spotting Leader close by. Now immobile, the trembling was more visible, but the senior still bore a huge smile on his face as he winked.

"You're going to be ok"

Before Tsukasa could answer, the song started to play. And thus, the first ever performance of Reversi began.

 

---

 

Thinking about that live, it was hard to tell that they only had a month to practice, or that those songs were barely that young. The boys moved so fluidly, they might as well have been practicing for that show their entire lives. And the way they sang so coordinated as well, passing their lyrics around, was also nothing short of astounding. It had taken a while to perfect those passages, and despite Leo's shaking and Tsukasa's slight stiffness, they still managed to be on time.

They danced and sang freely, their tails following their movements, their coats swaying in the breeze created. And soon, the audience began to get used to it; by the end of their second song, they were cheering and clapping their hands every minute or so, and the final applause was like thunder, joined by a chorus of voices that had been successfully entrapped in the spell of the checkered unit. Tsukasa bowed, a large smile on his face. Mikejima also did, several times in many directions, waving as he got up; and Leo was jumping around, yelling out "thank you!" And "ucchuu" over and over again. His own voice could be heard over the noise, a voice full of light and joy. Though I was unaware at the time of his full story, that factor made me feel really happy, somehow.

Eventually the applause died down, and true to their word, the three left the stage to Knights. When they crawled in the safety of the backstage, Switch walked towards them to congratulate them, and offer them towels and water; however, Tsukasa diverted towards me, crouched close to the entrance to see their live better, and hugged me.

"Wha- Newbie, what did we tell you about hogging the producer all to yourself!"

"Leave him be" Mikejima smiled. "She's alright with it, and there's no harm as long as we're here"

He was right. I hugged Tsukasa back just as strongly, not minding the heat or sweat. I even stroked his hair, like I used to do with my brother when we were little.

"You were great" I whispered in his ear. "Good job, Tsukasa-kun"

Are you ok? Is this what you wanted to do? How do you feel now? Tsukasa-kun...have I saved you?

"It was...amazing, Onee-sama" he whispered. "I'm so tired, but...I've never felt this happy over tiredness"

"You were all amazING" Natsume smiled. "And the audience seemed to love you; that's really gooD"

The younger boy parted, still clinging to my arms as he looked at me. His face was red as his hair, his forehead covered in sweat, but there was a sheepish smile on his face, and his eyes sparkled. He looked...somewhat endearing, I had to admit. I resisted the urge to pinch his cheek, and instead, patted his sweaty hair. Then I placed the towel I had with me on his head, where it fell almost like the veils of Knights's costume. He laughed, before rubbing his head with it.

"Still don't see how that can help us gain the favour of the public" Mikejima tilted his head as he dried his neck. "But whatever makes you sleep at night, Natsume-san"

It was a provocation, I realised; or at least, an attempt to find out his leader's true plan. But he didn't have to beg: Natsume grinned at him in his usual, thin, enigmatic way, with the kind of demeanour of who has been waiting for that type of statement.

"Patience, Mikejima-senpaI" he said. "The time has nearly coME~"

Mikejima stiffened, the towel falling on his shoulders. And even Leo, who had been squeezing his ponytail, stopped, his eyes widening like a scared deer. Both Sora and Aoba looked at the trio with concerned expressions, but were offered no explanation to this sudden state.

Natsume's wording, I admit, surprised me; I had somehow expected that he may have had something else he was working on behind the scenes. He had done it before, he might have done it again. But despite that, for the first time, his usual expression unnerved me. And I couldn't bear to look at it for too long, as if I was scared of a curse that could be placed on me.

Suddenly, the stage darkened all of a sudden. My head snapped up, and I peeked through the backstage, Tsukasa squeezing past me and going through. I called and followed after him, as a confused sea of mumbling spread at our feet, and the sound of footsteps behind me alerted me that the rest of Coup D'état had joined. In my search for my friend, I ended up bumping into someone in the darkness.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't see you..."

A screen lit up, pure white light filling the auditorium. And in front of my eyes, light now restored to them, I saw the last person I had wanted to see. His terrified gaze, his stiff position, his empty green eyes. My heart almost gave away.

"...Ukki...?"

He suddenly took my arm, clenching it so tightly it might have bruised. He was shaking, shaking, and his mouth opened, but if he said anything, it was too quiet for me to hear.

"Ukki...Ukki, I'm..."

It was the first thought that came to my mind. The one thing that I should have told him that morning a few days ago. Or hell, I should have said it the moment we knew of his whereabouts. The moment he had been revealed, and he had been displayed to the world as a new person. I should have, he deserved at least that little fragment from me. But for some reason, the words stuck in my throat, and I couldn't do anything but gape like a fish, helplessly trying to communicate to him the words he should have heard.

Yuuki closed his mouth, lips trembling. My chest swelled up from the guilt, and I reached out to grab his arm, desperately trying to give him a signal, something, anything that might transmit my true feelings out to him. He didn't move, staring at me with swollen eyes. Then suddenly, he dived towards me, arms around my waist, forcing me still, in place, unable to move.

He was hugging me. The doll that I had parted from, had come to life.

But before I could make sense of what was going on, the screen before us changed colour, from a white light to a pale brown. As I held Yuuki in my arms, protecting him from the sight, I gazed at the screen, my eyes slowly widening.

It was a recording of a practice room, with mirrors and clothing racks and a table in the middle. The door was closed, a chair placed in front of the handle. But the most shocking aspect of it, the one that caused the audience to erupt in a series of gasps and murmurs, were the two figures. A boy, bound and gagged, with blonde hair and unusually large glasses. Another boy, standing in front of him, silver hair, his voice caught by the camera, subtitled manually.

"There there, Yuukun; it's all going to be alright; it's all going to be ok. Onii-chan is with you now"

The tape rewound slightly, the time frame blinking for a second before it showed the same room, yet empty. Empty, and then the door burst open. The two boys came in, the gagged one pushed by the other, who looked around quickly before he shoved him in and closed the door behind him.

"You're safe now" the boy said, as he picked up the boy. "You're safe, Yuukun; no one is going to hurt you here"

The tape fast-forwarded for a bit, showing how the boy placed the chair, where he took his hostage, and how he pampered him and cooed at him before leaving. It continued to roll for a few minutes, showing the boy wriggling helplessly in the darkness of the room, as the camera timestamp ticked the hours and minutes. Then, just as the boy walked in again, in what was clearly a day later, it went back to regular speed.

And this procedure repeated itself, over and over again. For the many days it all had been recorded, for the many days the video was showing.

"Say 'aaaaah'...come on, Yuukun, this is good for you; you're not going to become strong if you don't eat"

"Hmmm, I'm going to ask your mother for your prescription; we need to get rid of these ugly glasses"

"Yuukun, are you sleeping well? You know you can't work if you can't sleep"

"Now now, don't look so angry at me; it's going to be ok. I'll take care of you. I'm taking care of you"

"Don't be so ungreatful; do you know what I'm sacrificing for you? You're being really irresponsible, Yuukun! I could have left you alone with that failing unit, and yet here I am"

"You used to be so obedient...what happened to you, Yuukun?"

"Join me..."

"Join me..."

"Join me..."

"Come on...you know you want to; I could give you everything. I can protect you"

"I will protect you"

"Yuukun..."

"Yuukun..."

"Yuukun..."

"Yuukun..."

"Yuukun..."

"Yuukun..."

"Yuukun..."

"Yuukun..."

Suddenly the screen went black, shaking me back from the daze I had fallen into. But before I could look elsewhere, on the void before me, red writing appeared.

 

"The Yumenosaki Revolution was sabotaged."

"Beware of what side you're on"

 

---

 

I hardly remembered what happened next. Even today I struggle to look past the chaos that forms in my mind whenever I try to project myself in that moment, see past the darkness and the noise, understand what exactly occurred. Looking now at the consequences that that video would have on us and those involved, I expected myself to still be able to remember, how everything changed so quickly. How a unit that used to be so greatly adored became known as a monstrous group. How an estimated figure in the idol industry came to be that one person in that one video from that one Live.

When I talked to him about it, Tsukasa described me that day as a blur as well. But his was less definite, as while his brain was whirring, trying to piece together the information he had just received, he was also looking around for something, anything that could clear up an answer he didn’t want to accept. He remembered the stares of the audience, how Mikejima pushed Leo behind him, away from their gaze, as the latter shook visibly. And he remembered how lost Knights looked, as they searched like lost children for an unclear solution to a situation that had been forced upon them. Cloaked in their beautiful violet and black outfits, the feared opponents had transformed into helpless ghosts; save for the exception of Sena, whose raging face and swinging scythe, along with the fiery pierce he struck anyone who dared meet his gaze with, all those factors made him look like a murderous Yurei.

Tsukasa remembered also that Sena had looked at him with that rage. Maybe not on purpose, maybe he was too blind and angry to distinguish one person from another; someone like him easily could fall in that kind of trap. But whatever might have been the intention, it stood out to the boy more than everything else. More than the video, or the sirens, or the voices of the people escorting everyone out, or the worried crowd, or even the policemen who tied the Knights members down and dragged them through another exit. And the more it became definite, over the white noise that crowded his brain, the more Tsukasa grew furious.

By the time I regained consciousness, we were outside, gathered in a corner away from prying eyes. Yuuki had disappeared from my arms, and for a second I panicked, trying to locate the loss with more urgency than I intended.

“It’s ok” Mikejima, noticing my shock, placed an arm on my shoulder. “He’s safe; his mother found him, and I recommended a doctor”

I immediately relaxed at the news. But before I could let it sink in, my attention was soon diverted by a squeal, and when I turned around towards the source, I saw Natsume fallen to the ground, Tsukasa shaking one of his hands as he stared at him furiously.

“What the hell did you do!” He yelled. “This wasn’t part of the plan!” 

Mikejima tensed up, as Aoba and Sora both helped Natsume stand up. The latter massaged his cheek, his expression calm.

“It was” he said. “But that’s exactly why I didn’t telL you”

“We’re…we’re a team!” Tsukasa spat. “What’s the point of keeping things hidden from each other! If you have to keep parts of the plan to yourself, you should make up something else!”

Natsume’s hand stopped, a small bitter smile forming on his face. He tucked his arm away, behind his back, and took a step backwards.

“War isn’t fair, Suou-kuN; we need to play dirty to win, or we’ll neveR get anywhere. Sometimes, sacrifices have to be maDE for the greater good. I don’t like it any more that you, but…”

“But not like this!” The younger boy shook his head, stomping his foot. “This isn't playing dirty, this is just ruining someone's life! They were our enemy, but they were still my [unit], Senpai! In another life, I would have been a [Knights] member, I would have been beside them on that same [stage]! Didn't you think of that? Didn't you think you should've consulted us!"

Natsume raised his head to stare at the sky, as if pondering the other’s words. Then he shook his head with a sigh.

"...If you divulge your thoughts on what could have beEN, you will never move on from the rocks that life threW at you"

Tsukasa’s eyes narrowed. “…What”

"My Niisan told me that oncE; I think it can apply to you as well, righT? Sure, you used to be in Knights, and in another universe, you remained there and we had to squasH you as well. Hell, maybe in another life, this mess wouldn't have happenED at all to begin with; maybe Trickstar won, and you and Tsukinaga-senpai stayed in Knights, buildING up a small found family. But in this group we have give up on the idea of what could have been: our mission is to push forward, and avenge with our hands and our voices that possibility against who rippeD it away from us. You denied that what could have been when you joined us, spiteful of your senioR. Did you forget, your words when you came to uS?"

“That’s…I…ARGH!”

Tsukasa stomped his foot again, and suddenly ran off. Sora called out for him, but Mikejima shook his head, before he turned towards Natsume with a warning look.

“Take a walk” he mumbled. “Get out of here and think about what you’ve done”

Natsume turned to look at him, tilting his head with a doubtful look. “What I’ve donE? Why, Mikejima-senpai-”

“He said you need to go!”

Everyone turned towards me, and I almost cowered at the several expressions of surprise angled in my direction. But I held my ground, crossing my arms.

“Tsukasa-kun’s right” I told him sternly. “A revolution needs union to survive; you’re not alone in this, Natsume-kun, and you have to stop pretending you are. So go…go and think about what you’ve done, and come back only when you’re going to apologise to Tsukasa-kun. And you’d better mean it!”

Somehow, I expected Natsume to argue with me. Though it was a foolish idea, knowing our relationship, I couldn’t shake the possibility away. And maybe the others thought so as well, judging by their wondering gazes, and the way Leo stepped ever so slightly towards me. But the boy didn’t say anything. He simply nodded and walked away in another direction, calmly, hands limply tucked behind his back.

I turned towards everyone else, my heart beating fast in my chest. My teammates, the people I now had to trust more than anything else in the world. The people who trusted me back, as revolutionaries should. We had won our battle, there was no doubt about it now; our first goal, our first move towards the seeked victory, completed. And yet, as I looked at them, I felt emptier than from any loss I could have suffered. Emptier than my arms, as I gripped the void where a precious friend had been.

I silently walked away, my head hanging low. All things considered, we all needed a little bit of time alone.

Chapter 18: The game is done 2

Summary:

I hope you're happy in the end, my friend.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Being a revolutionary was no easy task. Everyone knew that, it was one of the first things you learned in history classes. Before you knew of the outcome of an event, they would tell you the circumstances, and the different stages, along with all the faults and flaws that characterised them. You learned of the losses, the wins, the hardships, the dangers. And then, when you were finally told how it all ended, it would always leave you wondering what worth the struggle had in the grand scheme of things: if they won, was it alright to make as many sacrifices as had happened; if they lost, what was the point of doing it all just to fail.

History hardly taught revolutions in great detail, unless they brought change or context to future events. There were probably thousands of movements lost to time, big or small, that had been extinguished even before they made their mark. The ones who tried, who were there to make the first step, were brave, ambitious; they wanted to be remembered, not only for their presence, but for their effort, for the fact that they were willing to fight. How ashamed they must have felt in the earth that they fed, knowing no one would look for them, or search for their names.

Handling a revolution was not easy, I knew it from experience. It costed everything, your time, your funds, your sleep, your skills, your dignity. To go against a system so openly meant you needed to accept that you were different, and that you were willing to make a change even if it would turn the majority against you. You were going to have to bear losses and hardships, wear them on your chest like a badge, and march forward, no matter the limp or the cuts or the missing body parts.

But being part of a revolution isn’t all about withholding battles. The most difficult part is keeping your identity alive. Not as a person, but as a group: you need unity, cohesion, morale. If even one single member falters or hesitates, you might as well have handed them a shovel. You don’t go to a sports game and hope that all your teammates are doing well; you need to make sure of that, talk to them, encourage them, earn their trust, build that trust. Even among idols, everyone knows that’s what you’re supposed to do in units.

It was such a simple concept. And yet, over and over again, it seemed like everyone around me would forget about it.

I realised it now, as I kicked the rocks beneath my feet: Tenshouin might have broken my friends that day, but what really formed the cracks was the lack of morale. We chased our dreams, brandished our weapons with our allies, but we never thought of confronting each other on how harsh the opposing enemy was going to be. We believed that we would be alright, that we were strong enough to resist anything. But we were only human. We were only human when we succeeded, only human when we fell and changed our goals. Kids. Just kids trying to make it better.

…Is this it then?

I stopped, staring at the sky. The sun was starting to set, and the pumpkin lanterns around me were glowing brighter and brighter. A breeze blew, and I wrapped my cloak around my body, shivering for other reasons.

Is this it? Is this how this revolution will end? Will we be crushed by our own thoughts and doubts yet again? Is this how my work is always destined to end? Will I ever be able to avenge them…

I thought about Yuuki. The boy in my arms, trembling. He had been warm beneath the cold cloth, and he had whimpered under that impassive expression. He had been alive, alive, alive. He had broken out of his restraints, just to return home…Just to be torn from it once again.

Where…where did we go wrong?

“Anzu!”

A voice broke me from my thoughts, and I turned around at the sound of footsteps. Koga was rushing towards me, arms flailing, and he stopped metres before he could run me over.

“Twins said they saw you here” he said, panting.  “Ya disappeared, everyone was so worried; Akehoshi sent me runnin’ around the school like a freaking lunatic!”

“Ah!” My gaze lowered. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“Don’t be like that now, ‘s not your fault” he gave me a sympathetic grin. “Good to know that yer alive though; don’t disappear like that again, alright? You’ll cause a riot next time!”

I tried to smile back, but it came out forced, more than I intended. So I gave up trying, and joined my hands together.

“Well…I guess it is appropriate for the Big Bad Wolf to look for Little Red Riding Hood” I shrugged.

“Well, yeah, but Akehoshi couldn’t run in his outfit, so he insisted”

I nodded again, looking away absentmindedly. There was silence for a while, though it didn’t surprise me: Koga came here to find and comfort me, but he must have lacked the knowledge on how to do so, thinking he would have gotten an idea on his way. It was an understandable conclusion to come up with on short notice, and I couldn’t blame his uncertainty. If I was in his shoes, I’d be at a loss as well.

Well, I was in his shoes, but in regard to another group of people…

“Hey, Anzu…” he began, his voice a little shaky. “So like, I know I’m not the most adapt person to tell ya this, especially considerin’…well, this costume really makes this whole thing awkward….”

“Don’t mind it” I shook my head. “If you have something to say, say it”

He took a deep breath.

“Well…Anzu, I’m not familiar with what the fuck’s goin’ on, but I know ya can’t step down and give up when you’ve barely started” he waved his arms around. “I mean, look at this shit; you’ve landed a low blow, sure, but ‘s no need to bring yourself down for it; you weren’t responsible for what happened, and hey, all things considered, people are talkin’. So somethin’ did happen, as fucked up as it might’ve been. There’s no need to step down now that you’ve got it; ya still have the people, right?

“Well…I think so?”

“Make that a certainty!” He clapped his hands together. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from that vampire bastard, is that ya can’t be the boss if you’re missing pieces; so gather them ‘round, punish who needs it, and establish order! Lead those motherfuckers, Anzu, lead them like you always wanted to!”

“Lead…lead them?” I tilted my head. “Koga, the revolution isn’t mine-”

“But yer the Producer, right? Yer their boss, the person who gives them a job” he insisted. “They depend on ya to keep going; even if someone started it before ya, it doesn’t mean you can’t get the starrin’ role. Isn’t that what happened with Trickstar? You were their backbone, the one person they fought for. And you can be that again; nothing’s changed between then and now. You’re still a producer, still the most important person out there to hundreds of people. Who do you think the younger idols bow to? That red-haired shit? Who helped them get jobs, and believed them? You built this empire, Anzu. You are the one who makes the possibility of a revolution even visible. So get back to those bastards and remind them who’s the one fighting with them!”

I clenched my fists and bit my tongue. He made it sound so easy. It always sounded easy, when people heard about the discourse in a revolution’s ranks. You can fix it, they would say, just leave it to me. I would have toppled the government in a second, they would claim. On and on and on, believing that the protagonists didn’t think of the methods those people spend so many hours brainstorming for leisure.

“You think it’s easy?” I spat back at him. “You think I can do as I please with them?”

“Yes” he stated curtly. “Two of them have lost their marbles for ya; the youngest admires ya. And the older ones respect ya. Everyone can see it clear as day. They depend on ya even if they want to say they don’t. If you say ya can’t fucking see it, I won’t believe it for a second, Anzu”

He tossed me my bag, which I immediately caught before it hit my stomach.

“If yer so uncertain, call those runaways; talk to ‘em, convince ‘em to come back. They’ll come dashing at ya like a pack of loyal dogs!”

I looked at the bag, doubts plaguing my mind.

Revolutions aren’t simple. Their costs are high, higher than some think is necessary, and the payoff can be sour no matter if you win or lose. Revolutions aren’t simple, they aren’t.

But then again, if I kept wallowing on those thoughts, I would only make my life and my duty more and more complicated.

It was worth a shot, I reasoned as I fished for my phone. It was worth trying for the sake of it. Maybe it might not work, maybe it might only put a band-aid on a bleeding wound. But as far as I could tell, there was no harm in trying.

I’m their producer. I told myself. I’m the person helping them. I brought them together. I christened them.

Everyone, please, listen to what I have to say!

 

---



It seemed like a habit of his, ending up near the cenotaph whenever he ran off. Tsukasa hoped he would grow out of it soon.

His mind was still a mess, plagued by thoughts and memories of that evening, from the video to his terror and anger to Natsume’s sneers. And the more he recalled, the more it all blended with the names in front of him. All those people they were fighting for. All those people that had motivated that evening's actions.

But was it true? Were Tanaka, Mitsuru, Reiji, Ryuji, Cris and Seiji's losses avenged by battling against Knights? Were the deaths of Tenma, Rintaro, Mamoru, Ayase, Kousuke and Shigeru honoured by slandering his temporary leader?

"Are you alright with this?" He asked the cenotaph, his lips pressed in a thin line. "Is this what you wanted? Is this what you desired, from the bottom of your hearts, when you left this world?"

Maybe they had. Maybe some had cursed idols and their kind as they left the physical plane. But he couldn't be sure, and he deemed it disrespectful to think such awful things of the dead without proof.

He squinted, the names becoming less and less visible as the sky grew dimmed. During the process, he reasoned that he should probably head back to school; his curfew had been moved, sure, but he still had to change and call his parents. However, despite that knowledge, he couldn't bring himself to move from his position; the confusion rooted him on the spot, paralysed him. He didn’t even know how to confront the Producer after what she had said.

Their talk had been short, but as many things about that girl tended to do, her words stuck inside Tsukasa's head. And as he stood facing the now incomprehensible stone, he pondered her words.

"It's a hard decision, Tsukasa-kun, but we can't leave now; we've sacrificed too much already, and the battle has just begun. I know it's hard to accept, and your unit didn't deserve this, but not everything is lost. Think about it, there's still a chance for them to rise from the ashes. This is your chance to favour the grounds from which they will grow"

She was grasping at straws, he could tell. But at the same time, he couldn't blame her: she was perfect, but in some aspects, she was still human. If she was struggling, he wouldn't be able to even make the call or say anything, had their roles been reversed.

What happened was hard for all of them; the other of betrayal from their leader, and the way Natsume still went through with the plan with no hesitation. Having had the time to think about it, Tsukasa sort of understood why the other would resort to such an extreme method; but it didn't mean he was right, or he couldn’t have tried another way.

Those were my Knights. My unit. Why did he think this was a good idea?

He gritted his teeth.

I know what they did, I know more than anyone that something was wrong. I didn’t know the whole background, and I’m not happy they kept it from me, but…but regardless of whether the contents were true or not, it...it doesn't make it right to call them out this way! What will happen to them now? Has he ever thought of that? Has he taken the time to realise that he might have messed them up for good? That he might have...

"There's still a chance"

He blinked, the anger dissipating as he remembered the words of his beloved Producer. They were forced, but thinking about it more, they sort of made sense.

A chance...he was fighting for a chance before this mess began, when he had joined. The decision might have been hasty, risky, clouded by fear and anger and despair. But at the core, his goal was one: he wanted to save Knights.

He stood up straight.

With things as they are now, Knights doesn't stand a chance; we've knocked them down, severed their ties, cast them to the wolves. Even if they worked hard to re-establish their reputation, they will never survive in this era in Yumenosaki. Unless...

His eyes widened. He remembered something now. Something crucial he shouldn’t have forgotten, as a Suou.

War didn’t come without sacrifices. His family history had taught him that long ago, with stories reaching from before his time. He should have known that, prepared better. But better late than never: now, now that he recognised that, he could anticipate the worse of the loss, and work harder to prevent it; become a true revolutionary soldier, a complete part of the team, and avoid any further catastrophes. If he was gone, the Producer and everyone would suffer, for every piece was important. And someone had to stand up to Natsume, for the sake of everyone involved, him included. It would be painful to keep going, with the knowledge that his efforts had caused a powerful loss; but there was still a chance to right those wrongs, and build a path for his seniors to follow.

However, if he really wanted to continue...

"Tsukasa-san!"

Tsukasa turned around, stiffening at the familiarity of the voices. He should have expected they would try to find him, but he wasn't prepared for them to come all the way to the cenotaph.

Aren't you veterans from last year? Can you even stand being here?

"Suo!"

His eyes widened, and he stood up straight.

Suo…?

"Suo!"

It was useless to call him again and again. He had clearly heard them, and it wasn't like he was planning to run away. But he was too tired to protest against them, so he let them yell and yell anyway, until they were finally face to face with him. And after that, he waited for them to catch their breaths.

"Yes?" He asked, calmly, after what felt like a little too long.

"Listen, we…" Mikejima was the first to speak, though he was still out of breath. "We want you to know, whatever you decide doing…we're completely fine with it"

The boy tilted his head.

"Yeah, yeah" Leader added. "I mean, if you decide to leave or to keep going, we'd understand; it's a tough decision, even Mama was having doubts"

"And we know what it's like, to have doubts about sides in war; it’s not easy being part of the conflict in the first place, and having to test your faith and motivation only adds onto the burden. And so…well, Leo-san will tell you what we have in mind”

This caught his attention. He straightened up, awaiting their words with bated breath. Leader imitated his movements, clearing his throat and standing up prouder as he fixed his shirt; the only difference was that, once again, he turned back into the King that Tsukasa had dreamed about in his darkest moments. The saviour he had been waiting for months to arrive.

“I understand why Sena picked you, for real this time” Leader said. “Putting aside your determination and perseverance, as a first year with no knowledge you were supposed to be the new wind, the untainted soul that could have saved Knights; in Coup D’état, you and Sora and Anzu still have a similar function, as you represent the sane innocent parts that we taken away from us seniors. However, what Sena didn't get is that you can't rebuild a unit with ignorance. If one doesn’t know about history, one is doomed to repeat it, I think the saying goes like that. And especially now, context is all the more important."

He came closer, and placed a hand on Tsukasa's head.

"Mama and I talked about it, and we decided that…we will tell you everything we know: Chess, the civil war, Knights...we will give you all the cruel history that you’ve been shielded from; this solely so that you can understand the situation better, and feel less doubtful about the decisions you want to make regarding Reversi and everyone else”

The younger boy's eyes widened, panning to look at both of his seniors. Mikejima nodded.

"We don't know if you'll stay, but we agreed to tell you regardless; you have a lot to think about, and you don’t need ignorance to add onto that burden; I understand why Sena-san did it, but…”

He seemed to look behind Tsukasa as he spoke, eyes dulling. Even Leader's hand shook, as if only now he was realising where he was. The boy frowned at the sudden tense atmosphere, and took the senior’s hand to squeeze it tightly.

“If you're going to tell me, and if…if I decide to stay” he said. "I want you to see me as an equal; I'm not a newbie, or a young child: I'm Tsukasa Suou, and I'm part of this revolution as much as you both are. I’m…I’m the one who convinced Natsume-senpai to recruit you, and who gave a chance for [Reversi] to shine; and I’m sick of pretending that I’m worth nothing despite this”

Leader opened his mouth, but he quickly continued.

“Also! If I do decide to stay, I want you all to remember that, whatever Coup D’état decides to do, our mission remains the same: we’re doing this to save [Knights]; we’re going to pave the way for them to be reborn after their tragedy. Whatever Natsume-senpai will do, I will always put them first, and I hope I can be supported by you both in this”

The two seemed surprised at his words. But he didn’t falter.

“I’m serious here”

They looked at each other, communicating in a secret language the boy was miles away from perfecting. After a moment of silence that seemed to last hours, they turned back to him and nodded, solemnly, like one would to their boss. And finally, Tsukasa allowed himself to smile.

"Wait!" It disappeared as fast as it had come, as he released Leader’s hand. "Hold on, I…need to do something first; something very important"

The two looked at him, once again confused. But before any of them could ask him to elaborate, he rushed past them.

"I'll be right back, I promise! This can't wait is all!"

 

---

 

Tsukasa was running, running like his life depended on it, beating the time and curfews that had been placed upon this torturous and cruel world he belonged to. He ran like he had done that day, the time his resolve had cracked, the day he had made that risky impulsive decision. Tsukasa was bad at lying, so he would have to regrettably tell if asked, that even now he wasn’t sure if he had made a good decision back then. Even as he had practiced with Reversi, had his lunch breaks with them, studied alongside Sore and Aoba, learned about business practices he would then discuss with his family…even as he got to see the Prodcuer’s face everyday, and hear her voice just as much…often, he would wonder if he had been right. If he had chosen the right path, the choice that conformed to his ideals. It was a silly question, but he was scared of even thinking about it. After all, he had been the one to drag the rest of Reversi to the front. It would be foolish to think that someone who had done that was so uncertain about his fate in the revolution. And even now, despite his resolve to stay and fight in the same side, doubts lingered.

But, unfortunately, as much as it pained him to admit, out of all the hateful words, Natsume had been right on one part: he couldn’t keep thinking of the past or what could have been; despite his mission, he had to fully dedicate himself to one side, one choice, Reversi. He couldn’t be indecisive forever, least he caused even more ruin than was necessary. And maybe he was making a mistake to cut off the safe link he still had, maybe he had chosen the bad route all along, but…well, he would deal with the repercussions later.

When he arrived in front of the practice room, the first thing he noticed was that the door was ajar. Knights must have used it recently to get undressed. Better than asking for the keys at least; and he wouldn’t be in for long anyway.

He went in, checking that no one was around. And then, carefully, he walked towards the giant kotatsu in the room, reached out in his bag, and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

A resignation letter.

Tsukasa had wrote it weeks ago, around the time he had joined Coup D’état. It had been an impulsive decision, but one that had carried a hint of knowing truth: he couldn’t work for two units, especially now that the narrative dictated he had trashed the name of one of them. And he couldn’t provide a better future from the remnants of a place that would have hated him anyway.

It hurt, but it was the best thing to do.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Tsukasa paused, the letter fell from his hands and fluttered onto the table surface. A hand went to pull at his collar, and he silently gulped before he turned around; Narukami was standing in front of the door, frowning. He had never seen her frown like this before. But he didn’t let himself be intimidated: he straightened himself and looked at her straight in the eyes.

“I’m resigning” he said firmly. “It’s the best thing for everyone”

“The best thing…are you hearing yourself?” The other sputtered, stepping into the room as she closed the door behind her. “So this is the ‘best outcome’? You tarnish Knights and then escape into the claws of the people who supported that?”

“I had nothing to do with that video!” Tsukasa said.  “I’m as upset as you are, believe me; but what do you want me to do, return to you? Sing and dance alongside you as if nothing happened? As if this was all just a bad dream?”

“Yes!”

He stiffened, as Narukami came closer to him and took his hand.

“The others will understand” she said softly. Traces of her previous anger had all melted away. “They will understand, or at least, I can try to make them understand; it’s normal to have error of judgements, especially when you’re so young and innocent. You don’t have our history, and you don’t have experience in the industry. If we play our cards right, I’m sure Ritsu-chan and Izumi-chan could forgive you as well. And we can all go back to being Knights, no strings attached, no questionable morals, no problems between us; just you, me, and the other two. Doesn’t that sound great, Tsukasa-chan? Didn’t you always want that to happen?”

Narukami Arashi. Tsukasa didn’t know her better than anyone else in his unit. He didn’t know who she was, who her family was, what she liked or disliked. He didn’t even know why she was a girl in a male-focused school, and why she got upset when someone called her a boy. And in turn, she probably knew even less about him. But somehow, somehow he trusted her more. He trusted her kindness, her concern, her helpfulness, and the way she would cheer him on. As childish as it sounded, when she called herself “Big Sister”, Tsukasa could see it a little. He could understand why someone would call her that. So despite all her flaws, he would always trust her more than he had any right doing.

However…

He lowered his head, and his rigid hand left hers, sliding away with ease.

“I’m sorry…” he said, his voice quiet. “I’m sorry…Narukami-senpai. I really appreciate your help and your guidance, and I’m sure there’s a chance we can do as you say, convince them, be happy together; and it will all happen exactly as you envision it. But as much as I want to recognise myself as part of [Knights], I…I can’t stand by the ruins of your world while time marches on. I need to build the road for everyone, so that you may still have a fighting chance in the future. I want to build a stage where we can all sing and dance together, without worrying about our opponents, without having to see people cry because we were better than them. I want to build a stage where [Leader]…where [Leader] can smile and dance without trembling, where he can learn to love the audience and the performance like he used to do a long time ago, when he built up the foundations of who we are. And…I can’t do that staying beside you. I’m sorry, but I can’t”

He sucked in a sigh.

“I’m doing this for you. For every one of you. And it’s because of your sake that I need to leave and go on with this war. I need to fight for the right of you to come back and be able to shine as bright as before, if not more. I’m sorry…”

“Tsukasa-chan…”

Her expression and her voice were melancholic; she wasn’t happy about his decision, clearly, but she didn’t seem sad either. It was almost like she feared his words, the inevitable conflicts and hardships they seemed to guarantee he would have to endure. Maybe as severe as Knights’s condition, if not more.

The boy nodded.

“I understand you’re scared for me” he said. “Don’t think I’m not terrified as well; but it’s because of what happened today that I have to keep going, Narukami-senpai. This war, I need to make sure we fight it correctly, so that no one will have to get hurt, so that [Knights] can still reach their heights. But…you shouldn’t cry for me. I don’t want you to be sad because I’m gone, because I’m moving on. Even though I will sing and dance as usual, I…”

Something clogged his throat, and he found himself unable to finish his sentence. Tsukasa looked away, surprised, but it was when Narukami was out of his field of vision that he understood the nature of that feeling. He hesitated, almost ashamed about that sensation. And then, swallowing the knot (poorly), he turned back towards his senior and took both of her hands.

“Narukami-senpai! Come with me!” He yelled, trying to hide the strain in his words. “You’ll be part of our cause, you can save [Knights] with me and [Leader]! We’ll all be part of [Reversi], and we will fight to grant Ritsu-senpai and Sena-senpai a chance to bloom again! We’ve come this far, and surely we’ll be able to accomplish so much more! Think about it, Narukami-senoai! The things we could do together! Don’t you want to be part of this? Don’t you want to right the wrongs that have been done in this school?”

He stared at her with wide, damp eyes, pending from any word she might utter. His hands were squeezing hers now, maybe with too much force, but she didn’t utter a single cry throughout. However, soon her own eyes filled with tears, and though she stayed silent for a long time, so long Tsukasa felt the sun descend lower and lower with every second that passed, he could tell she was pondering the right words to say. This could only mean one thing. One small, painful thing.

But it was alright. He understood her decision. He respected it.

“Tsukasa-chan…” she raised her head, a small sad smile forming on her face. She gsve his hands a light squeeze.

“Make sure that you’ll be fine, alright?”

He had expected it, and yet he felt the blow to his chest, heavier than anything Sena had ever said to him. It was ironic, how the sweetest person in Knights could bring him such agony. But he didn’t mind at all.

As the wound bled, he grabbed Narukami and hugged her, holding her tightly as if she were his band-aid. And the girl, maybe also trying to cover her own cut, returned the hug, squeezing him so tightly he felt he might burst. The moment lasted for a while, and none said nothing during it, for fear it might ruin the moment. But when they parted to look at each other, as Narukami patted his head, it was clear both had been crying.

“Narukami-senpai…” Tsukasa wiped his tears as he sniffed. “You’ll look for me…right?”

She smiled, nodding.

“We all will, Tsukasa-chan; we’ll follow Reversi in the shadows, every step of the way”

She then gestured towards the door, before picking up the folded resignation letter.

“Go now; accomplish your goals, and climb higher than we did; fulfil your duty, untainted knight”

Tsukasa hesitated, suddenly unsure of the task he had been planning to do all along; but she continued to look at him, even as she gently brushed her tears aside, until eventually his hands finally landed on the door handle.

“…goodbye, Senpai”

And just like that, Tsukasa left the practice room of Knights forever.

 

---

 

There’s a sudden lightness, when a heavy load has been lifted. It’s not evident until you’re left alone, and you’re able to finally understand just how much was taken from you.

Tsukasa felt that way, as he stared at the closed door before him. The entrance to a room that had been his beginning, many of his beginnings. And now, it was never going to see him again, unless unrelated circumstances required it.

He hesitantly took a step backwards. It echoed in the empty hallway, lonely, loud. Another step, no change. Except that now, as he was a little further back, something started to empty out of his chest.

Surprised, he stumbled back again, this time by a larger amount. And though there was still an ache, it had disappeared a little again, dulling into a faint pain. Another step, a little lighter, almost as if he were dancing. The sound hardly bothered him now, as realisation dawned on him.

He had done it. He had given up Knights.

Caught by that horrific truth, Tsukasa ran, past the hallway, down another, and again and again, unsure of where he was going. But his heart didn’t feel heavy anymore, nor did anything hurt. In fact, there was a smile on his face, and his eyes looked at his surroundings in glee, as if he were a joyful child who had just received a new present.

“I’m a revolutionary!” He said, quietly. And then, louder. “I’m a revolutionary! I’m from [Reversi]!”

He continued to run and run, until he finally found his way outside. And only then did he collapse, his lungs gasping for air, his legs begging for a release.

“I’M TSUKASA SUOU!” He screamed to the heavens, in-between breaths. “Repeat after me! I’m Tsukasa Suou of Coup D’état!”

 

---

 

There’s a sudden heaviness, when a weight has been dropped on you with no warning. It’s not evident until you’re left alone, and you’re able to finally understand just how much was added onto you.

The room had returned to silence once Tsukasa was gone. And Arashi had basked in it, reading and reading again and again the resignation letter, until the characters blurred and she forgot their meaning. Part of her wondered if it had been the right choice, to let him go. But she also knew that now it was too late to think of hypotheticals.

It’s like he said…you can’t look back on the past.

She sighed, and folded the resignation letter, placing it on the kotatsu. No use telling them now. They would find the letter the next day anyway, and if they suspected her, she would tell them the truth. No need to make things more complicated than they already were on this dreadful evening.

No use looking back on the past…it sounds like something he would say…

A murmur awoke her from her daze, and she looked at the window. Though it wasn’t a smart move, she had opened it earlier before she had left for the bathroom, for a change of air. She frowned, part of her wondering if she should really take the risk and look: after today, there was only one reason there would be a gathering crowd at this hour. But after a long moment of hesitation, she decided to indulge her morbid curiosity and stepped closer, peeking out.

The window showed one of the school’s back exits, perpendicular to a road. That evening, the lines between outside and inside were blurred by a sea of students, whispering and confiding in each other lies and truths that Arashi couldn’t hear. And they were gathered around three specific figures, the most visible in that convoluted colourful mess of heads and shirts and trousers.

A police car.

Two policemen.

A boy with silver hair and a proud straight posture.

Arashi bit her lip, though she was unable to tear her eyes away from the sight. The motivation of her refusal stared back at her, in such a dreadful way that she almost felt terrified and ashamed at her own decision.

“I hope you’ll be alright, Tsukasa-chan” she found herself whispering. “I hope you and Ou-sama have made the right choice”

The car doors closed, the policemen and the boy disappearing within. There was the sound of a motor revving for a few seconds, and then of a horn that blasted the surrounding whispers away. A path formed as the circle widened; and another moment later, the car went through the blurred border and into the town, gone, leaving behind a faceless colourful monster back to mumbling to itself its usual sentences.

Arashi finally looked away, picking up the phone from her trousers pockets. Maybe she should contact Ritsu, before the police called their parents.

Notes:

No one mourns the wicked.

Chapter 19: Epilogue

Summary:

The you cut out by the finder, so that the moment can be preserved.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

By the time Koga took me back to the others, the sun had long set and the crowd that had gathered as a consequence of that night’s events was starting to dissipate. But for many of us, it wasn’t over; putting aside the talk that Reversi was going to have, the Student Council who would have had to clean up the Halloween decorations, or the idols who needed to change, there were also those who had to be taken in for questioning by the police.

“Natsume-san must have called the station” Mikejima told me, the bitterness evident in his voice. “Tipped them before the video broadcast; they’re not saying anything, but I can tell that’s what happened”

Over the course of a few hours, the Broadcasting Committee, the school staff, and the Student Council had all been interrogated on the circumstances regarding the video source, Yuuki’s disappearance and his current state of mind; then, they had taken in Sena and contacted the rest of Knights’ families to discuss the questioning procedures. They would have probably not gone that far, especially when it was someone as highly regarded as the temporary leader of Knights; but Mrs Yuuki, who had seen the events of that night, had insisted for his detaining.

“She must’ve been really upset…” I said.

“She was furious more than anything” Aoba told me. “She was shaking as she spoke to police, with wide bulging eyes, holding her son like he was the most precious thing in the world; I heard she was talking to the doctor about Sena-kun, and considering pressing charges”

“Pressing…charges…”

The concept shook me, as if only then I had realised the gravity of the situation; I wondered if anyone of us had even thought of the legal troubles that whatever may have happened to Yuuki could have caused, had it come to light.

“Is it…is it going to do something?”

Leo bit his lip. His face was rigid, too rigid for someone like him. His eyes span around, trying to focus on a specific detail of the background, before he sighed and fiddled with his ponytail.

“I…I never thought about it, but…now, well…Kidnapping, potential accidental brainwashing, not to mention all those people who helped him cover it…Mama is trying not to get Suo involved, but as for everyone else…and even if it doesn’t mean they’ll go to prison, the real culprit…”

He glanced away again, before his gaze lowered. The hand in his hair tightened its grip, until his knuckles went white from the strain, and he clenched his teeth.

“Stupid Sena…stupid, stupid Sena…”

 

---

 

Natsume knew that his act had been immoral. He wasn't stupid: Shu had been executed in a similar fashion after all, and he had seen with his own eyes the effect it had on him. He would have done something else, had there been a way, an opportunity, an option; he would have never wished the same thing to happen to anyone else. But in this period of war, where time and precision were of essence, he had no choice: for his plan to succeed, Knights had to fall.

He wasn't foolish: he knew that no matter how long they practiced, Reversi was never going to compare to the popularity of Knights. That kind of unit would beat any new group who tried to challenge them, even if the members were more well-known and talented. To be able to continue their revolution as he planned, Natsume had to get rid of his opponents in a less ethical way, even if it meant defacing them. Again, he wasn't proud of his actions, far from it; but if war was more fair, it wouldn't be as condemned as it was.

On the bright side, the fall of Knights brought up more positive aspects than it did negatives: with their name being blacklisted for a few months, more job opportunities would be open, more chances for Reversi to build up its name before they struck again. He had already worked with Anzu on the type of theme the unit should go for, and prepared the job hunting accordingly; if all went well, they would have a live in a week and a photoshoot some days later. More jobs also meant more chances to build up their reputation, spread their word to the rest of Yumenosaki and beyond, bring up their cause as openly as possible; and the more people knew, the less the Student Council would be able to make them disappear easily. It was still a risky move, as their rise would cause more pressure and attention from the enemy; but it was a hazard Natsume was willing to deal with, and prepared to counter.

As he was remunerating on his plot, the boy’s eyes handed on a nearby poster; it was old, about a week or so judging from the date written in large colourful characters at the bottom, but it still held on. He got closer, inspecting the surface.

It was a poster of fine, advertising a live they had done in preparation for the SS. All four members were present, one of their arms reaching out towards the invisible audience beyond the paper’s confinement; and they were grinning, smiling with eyes and mouths, as if inviting the viewer to come and see them. Not an unusual tactic for a poster, and not useless either: there was a reason, besides the shiny outfits, that he had turned towards the image after all.

Natsume's eyes wavered, scanning each of the faces until he paused at the one in front of him: the leader, piercing his soul with blue eyes that seemed to grow colder and colder as he stared. The boy smiled.

"The cracks are showing, EmperoR" he said to the figure, tilting his head. "In your absence, you've let the poison fester unattended, and let it become a powerful acID pushing through the fissures. The crevices are growing and growing and soon, the whole pathetic statue that you’ve created with the blood of the innocent and the bones of the withered will collapSE right before your eyes; and you will learN, you will learn what it means, to face as much hurt and loss as we have done. You will learN how to hate, how to lie in anguish, how much your throat can become dry and stuck, or your lungs lose any ability to function properly. You will learn how human you really are, and how the monsters you hunt have bled"

He placed a hand over the border of the poster, tracing it as his smile growing more and more bitter. He paused at one of the corners, which bore a small fold from wear.

"I'll bring you to the stock, for all the crimes you did; and pray to God, because I won't do it, that He has mercy on your pathetic soul and your heartless void"

And he pulled on the corner as he finished. The poster ripped, drawing a white fuzzy diagonal that cut through the four idols; it severed Tenshouin’s chin and his abdomen, along with Wataru's face and torso, Yuzuru’s head and limbs, Tori's forehead.

 

---

 

Despite Mikejima’s efforts, the police still came back later in the evening to ask for Tsukasa’s interrogation; it led to an argument, and it could have potentially escalated if the boy didn’t step in at the last minute to say that he was going to contact his parents about the issue and get their opinion. The proposal seemed to please the policemen enough, and after the Suous had responded offering an appointment to discuss the situation better with their son (and probably get him a lawyer just in case), the officers had left, satisfied with the answer.

Having sorted out that matter and a couple of others, our little revolution group was finally granted a bit of time to ourselves. Had this been any other occasion, we would have probably used it to celebrate our victory, the beginning of the new era, our partnership, the revolution in general. But after the exhausting events of that evening, all that we felt was fatigue, and a hidden desire to leave the school premises as quickly as possible.

The silent and tense atmosphere was broken by Sora and Tsukasa, who having curfews needed to be back at specific hours. Aoba offered to wait for their parents with them by the front gate, not so subtly implying that he was going to leave soon afterwards. Natsume hadn’t come back, so Mikejima and Leo also left for their homes, each with their own excuse which I don’t remember anymore, and that no one paid attention to. The only one who didn’t leave immediately was me: as always, I had promised Subaru we would walk together.

Leo and Mikejima were long gone by the time my friend came towards me; he had changed from his Ryuseitai Halloween stage outfit, a Jiangshi, and was now wearing a simple t-shirt and gym trousers.

“Did you like our show? Did you like it?” he asked almost immediately, after we had greeted each other.

"You were incredible" I nodded. I meant it, but my voice sounded off as I said it.

“And Ra*bits were amazing tonight, weren’t they?” Subaru continued. "I admit they looked more cute than scary, but that doesn't mean they didn't do a good job; if anything, the fact they managed to keep their brand on Halloween is really admirable of them! I'm so happy they got such a big standing ovation!" He sighed. "Man, I wish I could've seen them more…they were right after us, and stupid Chiichan wouldn’t stop clinging to us all throughout the Halloween Live after we were done; why did he want to participate so badly if he’s such a scaredy cat…"

I nodded again, but my head was turned towards elsewhere, the dark horizon. For some reason, I couldn’t help but associate it to what had happened, the black screen, the lights off, Yuuki’s warm body in my arms. And subsequently, I ended up thinking about what I had been told: Yuuki’s mother holding her son with fear and rage in her eyes, the impassive figure of Sena being dragged in a police car, Ritsu and Narukami being tracked and taken in classrooms for questioning…

"Anzu? Anzuuuu, can you hear me?"

I jumped, quickly turning around to face him again.

"S-sorry, sorry" I stuttered out "I was just... thinking, is all"

Subaru tilted his head with a frown, humming. Then, suddenly, before I could say anything more, he hugged me.

"You've gotten yourself in a big mess, huh Anu?" he said. "Though to be honest, I didn't expect anything less from someone like you; I was surprised you hadn't gotten into any revenge plots up to this point, in fact. And I suspected a little that something was going on, but I thought to myself that it would have been too good to be true…"

I didn't say anything. I didn't know what would have been appropriate. Subaru had no reason to be mad, and I didn't expect him to be. But part of me couldn't help but wonder if I had gone too far. If my revenge, as justified as it could be, was ultimately senseless; I had moved on after all, at least I was supposed to have done it. Wouldn't it be better if I kept going forward with Subaru? Should I let my grudge wash away and leave all my pent-up anger and frustration behind?

"Anzu, it's ok"

Subaru gently stroked my back.

"You're doing a good thing: it has ugly consequences, but that's ok. That can happen; I know you didn't mean what happened, you didn’t think of that idea at all; I know because I know you: in your plans, bystanders wouldn't get hurt. So I'm not mad, far for it. Don’t ever, ever think I could be angry at you"

My chest felt suddenly heavy, my lungs stopped working for a moment. And then, just as I was gasping for air, I felt his hair tickle my cheek, and his warm breath against my ear.

“And thank you” he whispered in a quiet, timid voice. “For finding him”

Notes:

...So, it's done. Book 1, the true first chapter of Coup D'état. Holy heckety heck.
The thought that I have to do this another two times almost makes me cry, but I won't do it because I have to be strong. And I will start with taking a break and trying to focus on other things before I return to plot the sequel.
Anyway, so...thank you all for checking this out. It means a lot to me that my little canon divergence is so loved, and reading all your comments has brought me so much joy. I really hope to see you again when I get to write the second installment of the series, hopefully within the next year or so, though I'll be in Japan around spring-summer of 2023 (C-word permitting) so we'll see how that goes...
Anyway, thank you all so much once again for making it this far! I hope you enjoyed your stay!!