A/N: tsukasa is the most out of character ever, saki is now sad, ichika and akito (to varying degrees of success) help

TSUKASA IS SO OOC IN THIS BUT I GUESS THATS SORT OF THE POINT?????? ANYWAYS WE R FINALLY GETTING INTO THE LONG AWAITED AKIKASA ^^ GOOD LUCK DEAR TRAVELLER, THIS IS NOT THE END

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"Do you want to run it over again or do we move on to another one?" Ichika asked, gently strumming the guitar chords against her fingers.

Saki had texted her to meet in the SEKAI, so of course Ichika couldn't decline. Playing with Saki was always a breath of fresh air, just her guitar and Saki's piano intertwining together. Of course some adjustments had to be made so that they could play without their bassist and drummer, but it was always fun figuring it out.

They had been practicing what had grown to be one of her favorites- 「1」. Not just because of the song's tune, but also the lyrics. And as the main vocalist, it was also a certified "pretty nice song to sing" in Ichika's books.

"Hm..." Saki said. "Actually, there's something I'd like to try."

Ichika perked up, intrigued. Her girlfriend's ideas were always unique and diverse. When Saki first got back to school, she thought she was talking nonsense- and she would never stop apologizing for that. Getting their group back together had seemed hopeless for her. Now that they all were back where they belonged with each other, she couldn't be more grateful for everything Saki had to say.

"I'm- Can you tell me if I'm playing well?" Saki blurted out after a second or two of struggling. "Like, in an objective way! I feel like something's weird but I don't know what. I was hoping I could play Stella on my own and you could point it out."

Ichika blinked. "Oh, sure? If that's what you want. I'm not a piano expert, though."

"You're a me expert. Whatever you say will probably be true, Icchan." Saki laughed slightly, and Ichika's heart fluttered deep inside her chest. Saki just did something to her...

"Okay, I'm ready whenever you are." She nodded, watching as Saki steadied herself on the keys and took a deep breath.

-

"This is weird. Dragging me into your bedroom out of nowhere, I mean."

Tsukasa didn't answer, only continuing to open the door to his sleeping chambers with a light push, his other hand occupied with holding on to Akito's wrist. The light cascading in from his open windows (god, so blinding, how did he even live like this?) reflected on his mirror and sent rays of sunshine flying across the ceiling and floor, and he heard Akito make a small noise of discomfort at the brightness from behind him.

He led Akito inside and then shut the door behind him. "Welcome. Make yourself at home. If you'd have texted, I would have made cookies."

He didn't really intend on the blunt sarcasm in his tone, but he didn't really care about it, either. Akito already knew, after all. And Tsukasa could deduce why he was here already.

"Okay yep you're definitely far gone..." The ginger murmured, sort of just standing there where Tsukasa left him. Tsukasa frowned.

"Far gone?" He said, offended. "I'm not far gone. I'm the same as always, see? A world future star can never be upset for long!"

He struck one of his many poses as he said it, perfectly. The many times he'd practiced copying other people didn't make him proud of himself in the slightest. And he could tell Akito wasn't impressed, either.

"Cut it out, Senpai. I've already seen you." Akito rolled his eyes, and Tsukasa huffed, eyes going dark again. "I'm not here to sit and listen to you try to lie to me, so quit it. Kamishiro-senpai wants me to tell you something."

"Why didn't he come here himself?"

"I don't know. I'm sure he has something in mind that he needs us to be together for. Schemes behind schemes. It's not my problem."

"It literally is."

"Whatever."

"Well then, what did Rui want you to tell me that was so important you had to guilt my sister into leaving the house?" Tsukasa walked over to the curtains and closed them, as self-promised. He blinked to adjust to the while not complete, still radically changed darkness, and heard Akito let out a little noise of protest at the sudden difference in atmosphere.

"Thank god those windows have curtains. You really have everything on display, huh." Akito invited himself to sit on Tsukasa's bed after a second. He didn't argue with him, or remind him of the question, instead choosing to sit next to him. "I don't know how I'd live with literally no privacy."

"You get used to it. It's not like I need it." Tsukasa shrugged.

"What if you bring someone over, like, I don't know, Rui-senpai, and when you're trying to be all lovey-dovey and intimate with him..."

"Well, that's not going to happen, so I don't have to worry about it. Plus that's what the curtains are for."

"Yeah, like hell it's not gonna happen. He has an obvious crush on you." Tsukasa tilted his head at the tone of jealousy coming from him. He knew Akito and Rui had been getting a lot closer recently, but he didn't think it had happened that fast...

Hm, he'll have to talk to Rui later.

"I know. We've decided not to move into any sort of relationship, for now." Tsukasa shrugged, finding slight amusement in Akito's confused face. "Just backstage kisses and more-than-friends-but-not-dating stuff. It's definitely romantic and not just because of post-show adrenaline, though."

"...huh. So we're in much of the same boat, then." Akito commented, and Tsukasa was genuinely surprised at that. He definitely didn't think it had happened that fast. For some reason, he couldn't feel the same possessiveness as he had when he thought about Rui with Nene and Emu but not him.

Interesting.

"Do you have a crush on Rui, Akito-kun...?" Tsukasa asked.

The boy immediately grew bright red, and tried to deny it. "Ahaha, what would make you think that?"

"You do, don't you? How rebellious. Maybe I should tell Touya about your secret affair."

"It's not secret."

"Oh, so he knows." Tsukasa then smiled in a way that was anything but nice. "I see. He's okay with you being a whore, so that makes you feel proud of it, hm?"

"E-Eh?!! Oi, don't- I mean, it's not-" Akito stammered, definitely not expecting such words from his senpai.

"It's not, and yet you just admitted to having a crush on him?"

"Hey, I didn't admit anyth- are you even listening?!"

Tsukasa laughed then, and Akito pretended to slap him in his "rage", never actually coming in contact with him. He laughed until he got tired of it, and then laughed some more when Akito tried to justify himself again, though it was less of his usual "wahaha" and more of an evil "fufufu" akin to Rui's own.

He can see what Rui sees in Akito now. There's some fun in messing around with him, which was especially important for Rui to choose his subjects...

He noticed Akito staring at him a little weird, and way too fond to be normal.

Oh.

He just made me genuinely laugh and smile, huh.

He hadn't done that since he'd first been admitted into the hospital- not that he remembered much of what happened beforehand. Every little action of happiness had been intentional, mostly towards the nurses or the people who only knew "him".

He silently stored that piece of information for later, and gleefully continued his conversation with his kouhai.

There was some value in listening to him, after all.

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