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Chapter Text

Airi isn't used to waking up with goosebumps running along her arms, unlike the sweat that would cover her from the heat sometimes rising to meet her as she slept. She opens her eyes dazedly only to shoot up in alarm when she sees smoke, thick and unrelenting. She brings her hands up to rub her eyes and clear her vision, but the sand scratches her as she does so. 

It doesn't work, there's still smoke. Although, with the lack of smell, Airi realizes the environment isn't covered in smoke. A thick fog surrounds her instead, clouding her vision, and nearly making it impossible to see what's in front of her. 

How in the world did she get here? Collapsed outside of all places.

Her face twists when her hand sinks into the mud as she attempts to stand. Airi doesn't usually mind being covered if she has to, but she would prefer it if she weren't. 

Think. What's the best move here? 

The fog is too thick to completely see her surroundings, and if she doesn't want to end up drowning somewhere, she'll have to keep watch on the ground too. Who knows what could be hiding underneath the mud?

Light. Airi needs a light if she wants to have any chance at navigating through the fog. 

A glance upwards tells her nothing. It can't be completely night, she concludes. She can see her hand when she brings it up to her face. The sleeve of her jacket catches her attention as she does so. Was she at school before mysteriously arriving here? The fabric is thick and warm; a winter uniform when she can't remember the season changing.

Seriously, what happened?

The best plan would be to stay still and wait for someone to find her, but there’s no guarantee that the fog would lift long enough for anyone to see her. If anyone is even out here to look. She sighs to herself. It’s that picnic trip with Ena all over again. 

There’s also the minor problem of the gap in her memory. Airi can’t remember what she had been doing last. Certainly not anything dealing with what looks to be a swamp of all places. 

Well, Airi’s good at multitasking. She can think about it while figuring out how to get out of here. 

She lifts her leg and cautiously toes the area in front of her. All she feels is more of the same muddy path with the way her toes sink in. With no water threatening to immediately sink her, Airi commits to her first step. 

Think. What’s something she can do to try and keep track of her way? 

She doesn’t know. Her footsteps? There’s only the overwhelming stillness of what should be one of the most liveliest places in nature. No wind rustling through the loose leaves. No frogs croaking, even though Airi’s heard them screeching outside her window at night. No splashes from some fish or bird near the water. 

Only stillness and silence were her companions. Airi's almost loathe to break it by tramping around. 

Airi can only hope the path she’s on leads somewhere. If it turns, she’ll simply readjust. 

There’s no point in being an idol if she becomes stagnant. 

Airi pauses. Where did that thought come from?

No matter. She shakes her head. Focus on the current situation. How did she get here and how does she get out?

Neither question has an immediate answer.

She commits to another step. And another. And another. Continuously toeing her way forward, ever cautious. Airi has to reach an end sometime right?

It’s when she reaches water that she hears it. A splash. After the silence, her breath hitches when she hears the noise. Drips abandon her shoe to return to where they came from. It’s a fish, she forces herself to relax. Swamps hold life. It’s only a fish. Airi's been hoping for a sign of life this whole time. 

The fish had better stay in the water. 

Keeping an ear on the water, she slowly pivots around, feeling for the next piece of stable ground. She tries to keep to her sides, not wanting to be turned back around. 

Airi sighs when she realizes both sides are open.

With a lack of options and a declining patience, she heads straight. This time, keeping the water on her left.

Toe, step.

Toe, step.

Toe, step.

Toe, step.

Splash. 

Airi freezes again. Useless eyes glance around, not being able to spot a thing. She waits, searching...

There— in the distance. She squints, a light?

With a new guide, Airi continues. 

Toe, step.

Toe, step—

Airi shrieks when something hurdles itself into her side. Her arms wheel around trying to find balance, but nothing stops the force from pushing her into the water. Her lungs immediately start burning after having the air knocked out of her and blocked.

She immediately starts to struggle against the thing holding her. It must’ve not been expecting a fight. It releases her when she kicks her feet out, trying to propel herself against the unnatural strength that held her. 

Airi breaks the surface, desperately filling her lungs when her ankle is grabbed. She’s forced back under the water again. It’s pitch black. 

Airi wants to scream.

Airi can't.

She bends her leg, pulling herself closer to the thing. Prodding with her hand, she follows the slime until her nails jab into something squishy. She's released, and she starts swimming upwards.

An unnatural shriek tears her ears sharply. Clearly. 

Airi breaks the surface again, swimming straight and hoping it's the right way. She brings her arms up, feeling the blades of grass. Coughing, she propels herself onto the ground. Her legs tremble but she immediately kicks off.

Get out of here. 

Airi no longer cares if the land in front of her is stable. She only cares about running away. 

Get out of here.

Her sides cramp, begging for her to slow down. Rest. She can’t. She has to keep going. That thing wasn’t human. 

She is Momoi Airi. Fairy of peaches. 

Entertainer and provider of hope.

Idol of MORE MORE JUMP. 

Some stupid swamp isn't going to get in her way.

She is Momoi Airi of MORE MORE JUMP. Airi propels herself further, ignoring her burning sides. 

When she collapses, she can’t help herself. Gagging, Airi tries to reject the unwelcome water still inside of her while also trying to catch her breath. 

Her whole body is shaking, she realizes. Trembling without a breeze to be felt. 

How could she forget about her friends?

The question of what this place is jumps forward.

Airi isn’t going to find out anything by sitting around though. She has to keep going. The thing that pulled her into the water could still be around. 

Lurking.

Waiting for its moment to strike.

She stumbles as she rights herself, legs almost unable to keep up her weight. Airi has to keep going. Back to her friends. The only footsteps are her own when she feels around. Abandoning her toeing method, Airi continues. Power walking. 

A flicker.

Airi turns to see a floating ball of light, beckoning with whimsical glints. She crouches instead. The same light appeared right before that thing. When nothing happens, she cautiously rises. Can she follow the only light out of here?

She doesn't have very many choices. 

Step. Step. Step. Airi forces her trembling down as best she can as she gets closer. 

She nearly collapses in relief when she stubs her foot against wood, not caring about her suddenly aching toes.

A boathouse... Airi lights up when she spots the little shelter. 

Finally, somewhere to hopefully rest. Maybe it would even contain a map of some sort for her to figure things out. Airi rushes up the stairs and twists the knob, finding the wooden door to be unlocked. She opens the door and freezes once again. She had been expecting a dark room from the boarded-up windows. Maybe a desk to act as a workstation. Maybe a bed to rest on. 

Not the sun of perpetual twilight as the door opens to more outside. Not the lingering dust from a collapsed building and certainly not the wreckage in front of her.

Mafuyu wakes up to fingers against her scalp, and the strands of her thick hair part willingly to the not unwelcome intruders. She’s lying down, she realizes, even though she doesn’t quite remember when she went to bed. Did she go home after school? The pillow she’s lying on is a bit too firm to be the one she uses every night. If anything, her current resting place is uncomfortable. 

Except…

Mafuyu doesn’t want to get up from her mother's lap.

When was the last time she was held like this? Even with the absence of it, Mafuyu could never forget being held by her. 

The way the leg she’s lying on is a bit too bony to be a thigh. Something is stretching along her side— the other leg, perhaps. She’s half-boxed in, thoughts still reeling about how she came to be here in the first place...

In her confusion, she stays still, unwilling to have this moment of peace taken from her. 

“Up already?” Her mother catches her ruse, humming in amusement. 

Mafuyu squeezes her eyes tightly, unwilling to let the well fill up and pour out. Don’t let this dream end, she pleads. She'll continue being a good girl. 

Her mother hums gently, “Why don’t we stay here a little longer?” She laughs, “It’s not like we have anything else to do.”

Mafuyu doesn’t think it is possible to become more statuesque than she already is. Nothing to do?  She can’t be serious right now. There’s always something to do. Homework needs to be done before dinner is ready if she comes straight home. Studying comes afterwards. If Mafuyu is at school, she needs to spread her networking system. Teachers and students both rely on her. 

Mafuyu never has time to sit around.

She does it all with a smile on her face. 

There’s a breeze prodding her up. 

The memories of being outside with her mother are a distant dream.

“Don’t overthink too much,” a finger pokes her nose. 

The touch is what gets Mafuyu to finally move. She opens her eyes to see the smiling face of her mother, eyes sparkling. Looking around, she can see they are in some field. A thin spread of trees surrounds them, leaving a trail open for the torii gates further in. Mafuyu eyes them curiously. Whatever shrine they lead to can't be seen from here.

What was Mafuyu doing before?

“How…” Mafuyu has to clear her throat of the sleepy dryness still lodged within. “How did we get here?”

“You don’t remember?” Eyebrows are drawn together in concern. Her mother sighs, “This must mean you need an even longer break.” She braces her hands against Mafuyu’s back to help her as she sits up. 

Break? Logically, Mafuyu knows the dictionary meaning of the word. She hadn’t realized her mother even knew what a break is. 

The red gates tower in front of them, looming with their watchful presence. Sitting up, Mafuyu realizes there’s no one else around. A shrine with this many gates even though she can't see it? There should always be a crowd, whether it’s locals attempting to pray or tourists with their spotty behavior.  

"Stop all of your thinking," her mother croons as her hands move to Mafuyu’s shoulders. "Come, why don’t we take a walk to clear your thoughts? You’ll feel better now that you’re awake to appreciate the fresh air."

Mafuyu gazes down at the nails digging into her shoulders, “Of course.” Her lips twitch upwards slightly in happy reluctance. A chance to walk with her mother. Mayufu would enjoy the opportunity very much. What benefit would this have for her studies though? Mafuyu is having a hard time trying to come up with a reason for all of this. 

The sun is setting, bathing everything in semidarkness. Did she really sleep the day away? Her mother’s legs must be cramping from being so still. Mafuyu should be heading to bed soon.

What’s she doing in her school uniform?

Mafuyu is led to the red gates, though she makes sure to pause at the temizuya. She reaches out to pick up the ladle with her right hand, slowly pouring the water over her left before switching hands. With the absence of anyone else around, she’s wary of breaking the stillness by being too loud with the falling water. When she switches hands again to bring the water to her mouth, she glances over to her mother.

Her back is to the sun as she waits patiently for Mafuyu to finish up. The shadow in front of her is long. 

“All ready to go?” Her mother smiles when they lock eyes.

Mafuyu nods slowly, “You’re not going to cleanse too?”

“You must still be feeling sleepy if you forgot,” she tuts. “Better get a move on Mafuyu.”

Mafuyu’s shoulders relax. This sounds more like her mother. The chiding rush. The pointing out of Mafuyu might be doing wrong. Mafuyu needs to wake up and remember what her mother is talking about. She can't be a bad girl by forgetting something important.

Mafuyu needs to wake up. 

She eyes the hanging Shinto bells above them. They’re crystalline gray rather than the bronze or gold she’s used to seeing. Isn’t she already awake? 

Mafuyu takes the spot on the side, closer to the posts. Her mother takes the center path. The only things to be heard are the crunch of grass under Mafuyu’s shoes as she purposefully steps on the cracks spreading the gravel, and the slight tap of her heel as it catches on the uneven surface.

“What will we do when we get to the shrine?” Mafuyu asks, observing the space between the posts. They’ve been walking for a while now, but have yet to step any closer to the shrine. How far do these gates go? Even Mafuyu can’t continue walking in a straight path forever.

Actually, she’s reminded of—

Her mother crosses her arms, frowning at her in concern, “We’ll take a look at it of course Mafuyu… goodness you just be more tired than I originally thought. I hope you’re not getting sick. I'll make sure we eat when we get there.” 

“Ah-” Mafuyu bites her tongue to prevent herself from speaking any more. She pauses as she thinks. Is it for some educational purpose that she’d been brought here for? Though, if she’s been learning anything while here, it’s that she can’t trust her memory. It’s the only thing to completely belong to her though, for all that she doesn’t know how to use it. “Maybe, I’m not feeling too well…” she says as though she’s coming to a realization. 

She's not.

“See?” Her mother titters knowingly, “Come, we’re nearly there.” How? Mafuyu thinks. How can they be nearly there when they’ve barely moved at all?

“Where’s father at?”

“Your father?” Her mother laughs. “He's on a work trip, of course, that's why we came here. To spend time together.” Spend time together? Mafuyu questions herself in disbelief. 

“—yu!” Mafuyu looks up. Only the Shinto bells above.

Her mother is still talking, “—and besides.” Mafuyu’s hand is pulled into hers as she speeds up. Her hands are freezing, as though she stuck them in a freezer and forgot to take them out. Kanade’s are on the cooler side too—  “We’ll be there soon, just as I said.” 

Where did Mafuyu leave Kanade?

“—Fuyu!” Mafuyu frowns as she looks around, seeing no one near enough to be heard. No one at all. Maybe her mother can’t hear over the sound of clacking heels?

The gates are curved ahead of them and Mafuyu thinks she’s in a tunnel for a moment with the way the posts pass by. She can imagine herself on a subway, watching as the environment outside blurs because of the speed. Glancing at the open space between the pillars, she can see nothing but trees. 

Trees, trees, and more trees.

She pauses when she notices the girl with black pigtails in the distance. Mafuyu thinks she would look better with gray. Or was it teal? Both? She doesn’t know anymore. Her mother urges her along, quicker now. 

“Mafuyu, run!” Mafuyu frowns. She doesn’t want to leave her mother. Can’t leave her. What was Mizuki saying about her? 

When did she last talk to Mizuki?

A warm hand holds hers. Pulling her away from the rising feeling of drowning. Pulling her to some sort of salvation.

The pigtailed girl is closer now. Inching with each pillar passed. Mafuyu can practically hear the fwoosh when the trains travel between tunnels. 

“Mother—”

“NO!” Mafuyu jerks back at the wail, yanking her hand away, her blood skyrocketing. Her mother realizes her hand is empty and turns around to face her. “Oh my darling, I’m sorry, I never meant to scare you,” she coos. Mafuyu’s never seen her smile so strained before. She holds out her hand once more, “Come, we’re almost there. We need to stay by each other's sides don't we?”

Mafuyu brings her arm up, about to place her hand in hers when Miku shrieks, “Don’t!” Mafuyu recoils, looking around wildly. 

Miku had gotten even closer to the gates, but she wasn’t recognizable with her dark hair. It wasn’t the comforting, cool gray Mafuyu had gotten used to. Her face is blank as she stands there.

This Miku can’t be the one calling out to Mafuyu. Even the Miku she knows looks at her with something.

Her mother’s eyes drift to where Mafuyu is looking, and her face hardens, her mouth twisting into a snarl. “I found her first.” The Miku doesn’t recoil the same way Mafuyu does. 

Mafuyu doesn’t know this person. Yet, it’s upsetting her to watch as the face of her dear mother shifts into something unrecognizable.

“Mafuyu!” Mafuyu glances up to where Miku’s voice is coming from and focuses on the bells she’s been noticing. 

Her heart shudders when she notices her Sekai reflected in the shine, Miku’s heterochromatic eyes pleading with her.

“Run!” Miku chimes through the bells.

Mafuyu takes a step back and the movement is enough to catch her mother’s attention— and she’s not her mother is she? “Mafuyu…” The face contorts, not quite able to lose the snarl to smile. “Come now, you promised to stay by my side didn't you?”

Mafuyu glances between the three figures in front of her, thoughts racing. 

“Please?” Her Miku begs, unnatural with the amount of emotion.

Mafuyu turns around and propels herself forward, listening to her. Trusting her. The exit is right in front of her, as though they had been walking in place the whole time. 

“Mafuyu!” Her mother wails, and Mafuyu stumbles before she quickly regains her footing. “Don’t leave me!”

When she reaches the exit, she has to throw herself back when a wall appears in front of her, hitting the ground hard. The outside is gone when she twists around. Mafuyu doesn’t know what’s going on anymore. 

She did know one thing though. She knew the whole time but didn’t want to acknowledge it. Mother was never here in the first place.

Mother doesn't know the meaning of having a break.

Mafuyu only wanted another chance to be with her. 

Shizuku is alone when she wakes up. Which shouldn’t be unusual considering she’s usually the only one in her room, but this is different. It’s too quiet. No wind brushing the leaves against the side of the house. No tiny thumps from the animals running across the roof. No music from the headphones she would accidentally fall asleep with. 

She blinks her eyes open dazedly, seeing only the leaks from the sun trying to break through the cracks it can find. Did she wake up right as the sun is rising? She readies herself to go back to sleep when she realizes there's no blanket over her. Every time she fell asleep without one, Shiho always made sure to cover her up when checking in on her. 

Shizuku sits up in her confusion, pushing her glasses up from where they are digging into the bridge of her nose. And isn't that another indicator of something? Shizuku doesn’t need her glasses when in the comfort of her room. Her breath hitches when she realizes she isn't in her room. Her gaze drifts along the open doors to outside, her back stiff from lying directly on the tatami flooring. 

Where is she? She turns her head to the doors behind her— and why does it feel too light? A weight is missing and she doesn't know what it can be. 

Does she leave through the open doors leading to the outside or further into the mysterious house she’s found herself in? There's a set of stairs beckoning her outside, but does she have the heart to leave when she doesn't know where she is? Maybe she can find a map first... to give her an idea as to where she could be. It wouldn't do to get lost outside by not knowing where she is. 

Plan established, Shizuku pushes herself up, stretching as she does so. The rice paper door slides open with minimal effort and Shizuku pauses at the long hallway before her. 

Stretching. 

Stretching. 

How far does it go? She can't see the end. To her sides, the hallways continue, ever stretching.

Glancing back worriedly, Shizuku wonders if she can find something to help her out. A hanging charm. Some plants. A vase. Notebooks. She walks over, still searching the ground. And— there. A pen. Walking back over to the sliding door, Shizuku takes the pen and, as light as she can, marks the rice paper. An 'x' to mark her path, she thinks with mild amusement. Didn't Shiho use to play silly pirate games when she and her friends picked stars to follow for treasure? 

Shizuku hopes Shiho is okay. 

She stands in the threshold and can't bring herself to take another step forward. What if there is someone dangerous hiding in the corridor? Debating whether or not she should continue forward or go outside is taking too long. What if Shiho is here too? What if she's in danger? 

And if she isn't here? Shizuku could be placing herself in even more danger. 

Unconsciously, her hand moves to fiddle with her hair, but it doesn't help. She can't twirl the strands around her fingers due to it being so short. 

Outside or in?

The hair along her arms raises when she hears a thud in the distance. She isn't alone? Relief fills her before it is yanked away with wariness. Is this person also lost? Are they the one who brought her here?

If someone's in trouble, wouldn't it be better to help out? 

Shizuku takes her first step, almost anxious for something to happen when her foot reaches the wooden planks. She’s going to have to continue now isn’t she? 

There’s another thud in the distance, as though someone were closing a door. 

Maybe she should stay. Go outside—

A cry calls out to her. A child's. Shizuku takes her next step forward rather than back. 

The child comes first. Shizuku can decide her next step afterward. Luckily, it sounded as though it came from in front of her. 

She rushes across the open space of the sides with the irrational fear of something coming down one of them. Shizuku strains her ears, listening. Passing a few doors, she decides to start opening some. Only for a quick peek. Only to see if the child is okay.

The first door she tries is locked. And the one after. And the one next. Is Shizuku even going to be able to get into the room with the child?

Finally, one opens. Shizuku finds herself standing in front of what looks like a small dining room, a low table and bare walls. No hiding spots. She moves on. 

The neighboring room is for bathing. 

The odd room pairing is confusing, but Shizuku moves onward. Doubt crosses her mind briefly, wondering if this child is worth the potential danger, but she shakes it away.

She's meant to bring hope to them.

Meant to bring hope... the gap in her memory frustrates her. 

When she opens the next door, she finds the child trying to climb into a wardrobe. Unless the little girl had a stool of some sort, she wasn't going to make it. 

Shizuku relaxes when she realizes the scare is a little girl. "Hello, there," she calls out softly. "Are you lost too?" 

Wide eyes turn to look up at her in amazement, "You're lost?" She has bobbed hair and is wearing a cute furisode. 

Shizuku squats, taking care to keep the back of her skirt tucked between her thighs and calves. She holds the front to her knees. "I'm afraid I am," a model's smile is plastered across her face. Inviting. It wouldn't do to worry a child about the situation they both seem to have found themselves in.

"You can't be out here then," the girl tells her frankly. "We have to get inside." Small hands wave towards the wardrobe.

"Inside? What for?"

Those sparkling eyes dim, "They'll get you otherwise." She returns to trying to get into the wardrobe.

A chill runs down Shizuku's spine at the ominous words. Standing, she walks over to pick the girl up and places her inside, "Better?"

"Yeah!" She pats the spot next to her. "You're turn!" The little girl tugs her hand to get her into the closet with her, and it's a tight fit. Shizuku’s too tall for any position to be comfortable, but if it makes the girl happy then Shizuku is alright with being mildly twisted for a few minutes. She pulls the doors shut. 

“You have to be careful,” the girl whispers. “They’ll find you otherwise.”

Find? Is she playing a game of hide-and-seek with her friends? Shizuku amuses herself with the cute idea before her blood runs cold at hearing heavy footsteps.

The slight smile across her face immediately drops. 

Footsteps too heavy to be another child’s. 

Shizuku peeks through the gap between the doors of the closet. The entrance to the room is next to the closet, so she can only gaze upon the bed in front of them. Her socks slip down when the girl knots her fingers in them. 

She nearly jumps out of her skin, when the door bursts open. 

To not bring attention to them, she covers her mouth with her hand, feeling as though her breathing would get them caught. 

The thing is red. Skin boiled red from spending too long in some sort of fire. Armor carved from the night sky and hair threaded from souls long passed. Shizuku freezes at the sight, darting her eyes away. 

Maybe if she doesn’t look, it won't find them. 

It's agonizing. Waiting. Shizuku doesn't think she's ever been more anxious to wait for some sort of movement before. 

The crowds were so mobile. 

It's statuesque as it analyzes the room in front of them. 

Finally. Finally, the thing turns and the door is shut behind it. The two wait for a few more seconds in this cramped wardrobe before the girl bursts out the door. Shizuku wants to pull her back. Scold her. What if that thing returns?

"Thank you, miss!" The girl cheers and Shizuku realizes her ears are pointed. "They're gone for now."

Shizuku's muscles ache from how tightly she's been holding them. She smiles weakly, "You're welcome." She uncurls her legs to place them on the floor, still sitting inside. "What was that thing?"

The girl eyes her curiously, before shrugging. "I don't know, they kind of just showed up one day." She hums as she sways back and forth, "They've never been that quick before though."

"Oh really?" Shizuku responds faintly. 

"Hehe, it's time to go back to exploring with them gone." She opens the door before her and the smile drops, "Oh... you left the doors open."

"Huh?"

"And here I was hoping you were good." The girl takes a step forward and Shizuku rushes to stand. 

“Wait-” Shizuku reaches out to grab onto the girl before she leaves, but as she rounds the frame. Nothing. No open doors and no little girl. 

Shizuku is all alone again, with no idea as to where she is. The hallway has changed.

Her only clue just left her. 

Rui knows something is wrong due to the lack of humming machines, where he is fairly sure he fell asleep. He snaps his eyes open as he sits up, unnerved at the prospect of having a gap in his memory. With the sudden beam of light in his eyes, he has to blink away the dark spots. 

He's on the ground in a town. While, admittedly, this isn’t the weirdest sleeping position he’s found himself in, Rui knows he only falls asleep in places he knows. This area is too traditional to be familiar with.  

A narrow street surrounded by slatted, wooden fences. Maybe Rui can make his way to the swaying bridges above. Gain a vantage point and send a drone to investigate from the pagoda further beyond. Was this place getting ready for some sort of festival? There are plenty of lanterns hanging from the slanted roofs. 

He ignores the part telling himself it would be easier to find a shop on the ground and see if they have a map available. He convinces himself it’s because there’s no one around. 

Rui can only hear the slight ringing in his ears. 

First step. What does he have on him?

As he searches through his pockets, he can only find his phone. He frowns at the cracked screen, but it turns on perfectly fine when he presses the home button. The app is stuck open on the music player with Untitled playing…

Where’s The World Hasn’t Even Started Yet?

The gap in his memory is partially filled with aquamarine hair and balloon-covered skies.

A bemused smile spreads across his face at the realization. How could he forget the Sekai of his beloved star? If Rui hadn’t looked at his phone, how long would he have gone without realizing he was in some sort of Sekai? 

He still doesn’t know how he got here; can’t remember what he was doing last.

A quick tap on the pause button reveals nothing. Rui’s still sitting where he originally woke and it doesn't look like he will be leaving this place anytime soon. The battery’s green and it has the little wire symbol indicating it’s currently being charged.

Kaito told him the Sekai would kick him out if the battery ran out once. It had been one of few times where the man had actually been upfront about something other than shows. 

Rui’s already long assumed Tsukasa can’t be the only one with a Sekai. Virtual Singers as a whole were too prevalent, even worldwide. And for all of Kaito seemingly being the one in charge, there were times when Miku was a bit too knowing. She never watched over them quite the same way she did with Tsukasa.  

He should’ve followed Kaito’s advice sooner in asking Tsukasa more questions. He had gotten too used to Len being only somewhat honest with him. Rui resolves to change that after solving this mess. 

Well, next step. Where is he and how does he get out?

Assuming he’s in a Sekai, his best bet is to find any of the Virtual Singers available. With Miku being the ‘main face’, the probability of finding her is higher than the others.  

Rui gets the bonus of being able to explore this Sekai without any outside intervention until he finds her too. 

At least, he hopes there aren’t going to be any interventions.

Research time. 

Rui stands from where he’d been sitting, deciding to make his way to the pagoda first. It was the only piece of scenery that stood out from the rest, towering high. He often thought of the stage as being the main heart of the Wonderland Sekai, so maybe this Sekai works similarly. 

There are too many assumptions for Rui’s liking. Too much is being left up to the probability of what he doesn’t know. 

A rumbling starts in the distance, as though someone were trying to unsuccessfully start up a car. The engine would sputter before giving out. Maybe someone else is here? Rui looks at his phone again, but only the zeros of midnight return his stare. 

How odd, twilight suggests an earlier time. 

He finds his hair is shorter when he doesn’t see the longer side piece flopping over into his vision. He runs a hand through the shorter strands, remembering when he last cut his hair.

The scenery doesn’t change as he makes his way to the pagoda. Rui purposefully turns down a road away from the pagoda, but the fencing is too tall and smooth to grasp onto, preventing him from hopping over to the inside of any of the homes. 

What nonexistent wind is making the lanterns sway?

The pagoda is in front of him.

Rui blinks. He knows he made the turn…

Walking forward, Rui finds another alley to turn down. 

The pagoda is in front of him and the lanterns sway.

The sputtering engine has turned into a steady grinding of gears. 

Rui turns another corner. And another. And another. 

The pagoda is in front of him.

He sighs. How long has he been walking now? Turning around in circles is getting him nowhere. The definition of insanity still holds even in a virtual world created from the thoughts of others.

People are so boring sometimes. 

Rui wonders how he would be able to incorporate a rotating stage for a never-ending loop. 

He gets concerned when the ground starts vibrating. An earthquake? Do Sekai even get earthquakes or is it affected by the people in control? Rui’s only ever seen the sky change depending on the time of day.  There aren’t really any decent places for cover around here if he can’t get into any of the buildings— 

GAAAAaaaaaaachiiiiii….

The thud against a building near him is reminiscent of one of his explosions. A shower of dust rolls down a roof. 

That isn't an earthquake, Rui realizes. Something’s here. The dust obscurs whatever it is, and Rui stands, frozen as he listens to the strange grinding crawl its way closer. 

There's a creeping alarm in the back of his head, warning him away. He has to get out of here. 

A hint of white. 

A hint of red. 

Rui takes off, sprinting. Where does he go? Not inside as the thing is roughly the height of a home and there’s no telling if it would be able to find him. Does he forget about the turns and continue on his way to his original destination? 

Rui's never been caught before and isn't planning on breaking his streak anytime soon. It's only Phenny security, he tries to convince himself. They're slow. They'll never catch up. Is that thing getting faster? 

Rui stumbles as the ground becomes unstable. Straight is faster for both of them. 

Don't falter, he scolds himself, keep going. Rui wants to turn his head at the sudden galloping noise on the rooftops above but doesn't want to risk the distraction slowing him down. 

Then, there's a white blur in front of him. 

A kitsune stands proudly in front of him, tails spread wide. Blocking his way. 

Rui has to halt in front of the creature. He wants to take it apart. Wants to figure out what makes it tick. 

It yips at him, and Rui is reminded of the current danger he's in. The fox yips again as he nears, forcing his legs to move once more, and starts running in front of him. 

With the kitsune being faster than him, it reaches its destination first. Another alley. The creature points its nose in the direction and Rui decides to take his chances. 

He turns—

And immediately trips over a school chair.

Everything is perfectly normal when Tsukasa wakes up. Complete silence. Just as it should be while the other inhabitants get their sleep. Or they're gone again. Either option is possible in the Tenma house, whether it's his parents on a business trip or Saki spending the night with her friends. 

“Who are you?” Makes him spring up quickly. His vision blurs with the sudden shift in gravity as he sits. 

He comes face to face with… Miku?

“You shouldn't be here,” It’s not any Miku he knows. Not the bright aquamarine of his wacky friend or the teal of her original design. Tsukasa doesn't think he’s ever seen Miku with black hair before. Her eyes are red too. Eerily so. 

Tsukasa doesn't know her.

He registers her words. “Here?” He looks around to see he isn’t in his bed. He's lying at the top of some stairs, in front of a shrine. It's completely boarded up though, so he can't get a decent look at it.

Miku's crouching on the side opposite the stairs. “Here,” She confirms, and he thought he had gotten used to her voice. The sound of her speaking always had a touch of static, as though she were speaking through a radio, making it obvious there was something inhuman about her. All the Virtual Singers did. This Miku sounds like she swallowed a bit too much helium and locked it inside with the high pitch. He winces when she cocks her head, the jut of her neck sticking out as though she were merely a doll. “I only asked for the others.” 

“Others?” Immediately, Rui prances his way through Tsukasa’s thoughts, considering he had been the last one around to know about the Sekai. Tsukasa wishes he isn’t here in that case. He wishes even more that no one else is here. Wherever here is. 

He doesn't like it here.

This Miku... she doesn't feel like his Miku. Tsukasa doesn't like this either. 

Red eyes narrow, “You brought someone with you. Someone else did too. Why are you here?” 

"What?" Tsukasa narrows his own eyes in confusion. "What are you talking about? I woke up here." He gazes around him one more time, "Where is here anyway?" 

Miku ignores him as she stands, twisting to face the shrine— and he hurriedly follows suit. Her head is tilted down, and Tsukasa isn't one to leave one troubled if he can help it, even if this version of Miku isn't the one he knows. 

Miku is Miku and Tsukasa has come to care about her. 

Think like Miles. Miles brought smiles to people no matter the situation. 

He reaches up to place a hand on her shoulder before freezing. The smile that had been growing on his face slips. While her back is towards him, the palms of her hands are facing him. There are eyes watching his movements. Though the eyes looked to be inked with the stark black and white colors, they followed his movements. As he pulled his hand away, they focused on his face.

A chill runs down his spine. 

Tsukasa's never been truly afraid of Miku before. Sure, he's worried about her antics when around Kaito. There were plenty of times when he grew concerned about her going overboard with something. Thoughts of being genuinely afraid of Miku potentially doing something had never crossed his mind.

Pigtails. Saki. His Miku is easily cheered whenever he performs for her. She had a special smile when it was the two of them. She would lower her eyes and gain a nostalgic look on her face. Miles can continue from here. 

“Is something wrong?” he asks. “Maybe we can come up with an idea to fix it together.”

“Together?”

“That’s right!” He finishes brightly.  

"I have an idea." Miku abruptly turns and pushes her arms forward. "I didn't ask for you."

Tsukasa, not expecting the movement, stumbles backward from her shove. 

Then slips. 

Tsukasa's an actor. He's learned how to fall, how to protect himself from being too hurt. Rui told him to spread himself wide for maximum impact. It decreases the amount of damage if the impact is spread across, he said. Keep his head tucked in and pay attention to the mat placement.

Tsukasa wasn't ready. 

Back first down concrete stairs are not ideal falling conditions. 

What's going to happen when he reaches the ground? 

Tsukasa can only hope no one he cares for finds him.

Chapter Text

Her leg is covered in purple bruises. The kind that immediately appears with their soft shade to taunt you about the oncoming deeper color. Airi's collided with enough solid objects to be familiar with how bruises form on her with the way she sometimes concentrates a little too hard on her dancing to pay attention to her surroundings. Needing to learn how to dance around props had certainly been a learning experience.

It’s the shape of them that gets Airi’s attention though. A misshapen circle is placed right above her malleolus and from there burst tapered lines. 

One. Two. Three. Four.

Unless the thing that had grabbed her was missing a finger, it’s further confirmation that the thing had not been human. Three of them wrap around the front of her leg while one reaches behind, still attempting to trap her in their ghostly embrace. She glances at the thick mucus stuck under her nails, disgusted. Airi wants more than anything right now to wipe it away but doesn’t want it anywhere on her currently dripping clothes, so the ground it is. 

She nearly gags at the feeling of her thumb slipping into it to drag it out from under her nails, the crescent of her nail fitting into the groove connecting her nail and bed. 

A cough burst through her throat from the dust still floating in the air, irritating the pipe further. 

There’s no one here. What could’ve caused the building to collapse? The dust suggests it’s a recent fall too.

Airi wants more than anything to leave, but without knowing where she is, she can’t. She sits on a step, thankful for the time to take a quick break to think.

What does she do now?

Behind her, the swamp beckons her back. Sitting in front of the magical door probably isn’t the best idea on her part, but her exhaustion isn’t about to let her do anything else anytime soon. Off to the side and behind where the door swings open is the best she can think to do right now as she regains her wits. 

As she re-adjusts her wet socks, her arm brushes against something hard in her pocket, and she nearly facepalms when she realizes it's her phone. Airi scrambles to pull it out of her pocket, the pieces of the damp skirt sticking together. Hopefully, the water didn’t ruin it—

Airi’s shoulders slump at the Untitled song playing. Did something happen to their Stage? Nothing happens when she hits the back button and the app won’t close when she attempts the home button. Does this mean she's in another Sekai? Is something like that even possible? Without the Virtual Singers around to let her know more about the magical phone-accessible world, she's left clueless.

Well, there goes the idea of using her phone.

Maybe she’s in another Fragment? If it has anything to do with Minori, Airi might need to have a serious talk with her if she feels like she’s lost or something after changing her schedule. None of the others have mentioned a Fragment, not that Airi has mentioned hers either, so there’s no way for her to know if they’ve encountered one. She curses herself for not figuring out how she left hers; a bright flash and she was suddenly back on the Stage. It had all felt like a dream... so why is it so vivid now?

Would the Virtual Singers be able to find her here? Rin had been waiting when she exited, but she didn't say how long she had been waiting for. 

"Miku-chan told me about them!" Would the others even know if Miku doesn't?

As much as they like to help, Airi doesn’t know if she would be willing to wait until then. Everyone is going to be waiting for her if she takes too long. 

Untitled…

She didn’t lose her feelings to the Stage, did she? A hint of doubt starts to creep into her. Fingers clutch the phone in her hand tightly, not wanting to believe she’s lost her hard work again. She's been playing her part to the best of her ability. It can't be completely true, can it? Did she accidentally push Minori somewhere? Maybe Haruka isn't as confident as she seems. Maybe Shizuku doesn't fully agree with her. She's somewhere inside of a Sekai if Untitled is on her phone.

It's not where she belongs. 

And even better, where in the world did her memories go before she started to think about the Sekai? 

Would she have a better idea of what was happening if she had thought to look before trying to blindly find her way? Did the water from her sudden encounter damage the phone somehow? Would an outside force even be able to affect the way she accesses the Stage? Airi has too many questions piling up with no way to currently answer them. She only gains more of them as she sits here. 

Minori and Haruka are making the move to the credited class, and Airi can’t let them down now. 

A shriek in the distance snaps her out of her trance, the tips of her ears burning in fear at the spectral voice. Is someone else here? Airi hopes the person isn’t in any immediate trouble. There’s no way she’s going to be able to find them in time. She would’ve written it off as something not worth her concern if it didn’t sound so familiar to her. 

Where has she heard that voice before?

It’s so quiet now. Not even a lingering echo to prove she wasn’t alone. 

Airi almost wishes the familiar person would scream again so she could find them. 

Standing, Airi forces herself to ignore the ache in her leg. If there’s another person here, then it might mean there are others. Whether or not Airi would be able to help is debatable, but if she is in a Sekai then one of the Virtual Singers might be able to help her out. If she can find one. 

Then she can return to the others. 

Minori. Haruka. Shizuku. 

Airi needs to find her way back to them. Sekai be damned. She huffs a watery laugh at the thought. Ena’s been hanging around too much again.

Might as well start with her current area. She makes a mental note not to open any more doors. Airi had willingly walked through the one from the boat cabin— anything to get away from the swamp, but she shouldn't make a habit of it. 

The Stage is so different from here. Airi’s never needed to know what might be beyond the countless stages, content to perform on the ones most familiar. Jogging around led to nothing but more stages when she went with Haruka and Shizuku. Nothing but Shizuku wandering off again. It’s almost claustrophobic being here after becoming used to the open spaces.

"They really do go on forever don't they...?"

"Maybe we should head back to the others, wouldn't want to get lost."

Airi wants the little fans back as a sign of life.

She would almost find the traditional town she's found herself in cute if it weren't for the crunching underneath her shoes from the rocks grinding into each other. The socks on her feet are clammy with the way the fabric is attempting to fuse with her skin. Her fingers itch to dig themselves into the divets of the homes, wanting to know if running across the bridges would make her feel like she was running across treehouses. She wants to find the highest stage she can in this place.

“...”

Airi pauses at the sound of what seems to be a whisper, glancing around. She hadn’t heard any footsteps. 

“...ri?”

Her brows furrow. The whispery voice sounded familiar… the person standing right out of reach in her head. Does she get any closer? But what if it’s actually someone?

"Airiii?"

Airi decides to keep walking, not wanting to take any risks at the moment, thoughts racing as to how her name could be known here. Didn't Miku already know her name before Airi even knew she could exist? She doesn't know how any of this works. 

She turns down an alleyway, hoping she won’t be found, the shadows longer than ever as they trail behind her. Absent-mindedly, Airi wonders how big this place actually is. 

"Let's go a little further."

"Do the stages seem older to you now?"

When she makes it out, she does a double take. Turning to the side, she glances between the street she’s on and the street she came from. Air is certain the alleyway entrance in front of her is the one she had just entered.

Maybe she was imagining things…

No, she’s not. After walking straight across, making a left, and turning into another alleyway, she ends up back on the same street. 

Irritation starts to bubble in her. Here she is lost in the same spot, not being able to make any progress in this stupid place. It didn’t matter how long she’d been here, Airi’s been nothing but lost and hasn’t made a single dent into any sort of progress. 

One more alley, and then she’ll try something else— 

A door slams open in front of her and out runs a little fan. The ones Airi had been thinking about. She stumbles back and watches as it runs across the road and into another door. Airi lightly slaps her cheeks to shock herself out of her bemusement and rushes to the now-open entryway, "Hey— wait!"

As a precaution she settles herself against the wall first, peeking her head out to see where the little fan went. 

Airi wasn’t ready for something to appear behind her and push her forward. The mud softens her impact and she can hear as the door clatters shut behind her.

And lock.

Scrambling, she tries to jiggle the door knob to double-check, only to collide with it when it doesn’t budge. She kicks the door in frustration after a few attempts, angry despite herself.  

Airi turns around and nearly screams in irritation herself when she notices the fog back around her.

"I guess we can head back now," Shizuku laughs sheepishly after Airi drags her back to them for the fourth time.

Haruka laughs lightly, "It doesn't appear we've made much progress in the first place." She glances around them, "You would think something might've changed after being this far out."

Airi sighs, more tired than she should be right now, "Any ideas as to the quickest way back?"

"Maybe we can find something on the way back," Shizuku smiles as she pats her hand, "if not, then we can ask Miku-chan or someone if they know."

Her phone lands on the ground with a pathetic clatter, the screen still lit from the Untitled song playing. Composing the Future is nowhere to be found on the unmoving screen.

When Mafuyu landed on her back, she didn’t bother getting up. Dazed. Confused. Upset. Trying to identify what she’s currently feeling isn’t doing her any good. Twirling, the emotions she keeps trying to identify evades her grasp, offering no further idea as to what could be happening. She glanced around, looking for Miku, but when she didn’t appear, Mafuyu stopped trying to look.

What is she going to do?

A stab of guilt pierces through her. She shouldn’t have run away from her mother. If Mafuyu had stayed, she would’ve had a better chance of figuring things out. But she isn’t here now is she? Mafuyu’s mother is back wherever she left her. 

She shouldn’t have left.

Mizuki would be so proud of her right now, yet Mafuyu only feels the growing sin of her choice. They said something recently, didn’t they?

She doesn’t care much for her current location, still doesn’t know where she is, and starts wondering where Miku could be. If she had told her to run back there, why didn’t she appear afterward? As much as she wanted to stay with her mother, she wonders if it would have been allowed by the other Miku who showed up. 

"I found her first." 

Were they somehow both looking for her? When Mafuyu was in the Fragment, Miku followed, but her appearance didn’t change. They were still in her Sekai even if the surroundings had changed slightly. It’s almost too bad she didn’t care enough to learn more about how it worked. Almost. Mafuyu hadn’t felt like learning anything new that day. 

She glances up at the classroom windows above her crumpled position, seeing nothing but the reflection of each other. 

Mafuyu sits up, carefully observing her surroundings. Looks like she’s in some kind of school with long halls in front of her, cracked windows rising high above her from her seated position. Desks are lying out in the hallway, metal legs twisted from the unknown force that had thrown them out of the room. Mafuyu narrows her eyes when she notices the cracks in the glass and the slight sparkles trailing on the ground. She’s lucky she didn’t cut herself when she fell; her tights are thin.

Her breath hitches in surprise at the muffled crash further in somewhere. The noise of it resounded back at her. Mafuyu sits there, debating on whether or not she should check it out. Without knowing any details, she decides it would be best to stay put. She was outside and suddenly thrown inside, so who knows how this Sekai might work? 

It has to be a Sekai. Mafuyu can’t think of any other explanation as to what could be going on.

She slowly, and carefully crawls over to hide herself in the classroom closest to her, making sure she stays tucked underneath the windows. The room isn’t much better than the hallway with the way the wires are escaping from the ceiling, ever so slowly moving with the breeze from the open windows. There are gouges taken out of the floor and Mafuyu wonders if she would be able to fit into one— and where she would land if she fell. 

Where did Miku go?

Mafuyu waits there, straining her ears to catch every single sound near her. 

The giggling makes her pause her thinking, the cheerfulness out of place in this decrepit building. It sounds familiar to Mafuyu because it’s what she hears every day from the girls around her. They can’t be here. Though, it’s not like she’s ever made any moves to figure out if anybody else had a Sekai. Never cared enough to and she still doesn’t. 

There are footsteps as something makes its way into her hallway. She glances around in confusion when they suddenly pick up and curses herself when she realizes she left her phone out in the open. She can see the dim light of it still illuminating the small space when she peeks her head around, making sure not to pass the threshold. Mafuyu curls herself tighter behind the wall, hoping the thing won’t think to check inside any of the rooms. This empty, empty room devoid of any life.

A squishy thud. And then the wooden creaking of the thing falling. A grunt, and, “Seriously…?”

Mafuyu blinks. Another person? She peaks around the threshold and sees Kamishiro Rui glaring at the space in front of him, hand rubbing his forehead. 

The shorter, fluffier strands are new. She could’ve sworn his hair was longer during the festival. Mafuyu elects to stay hidden for now. Her mother had been a complete replica so who knows how this one might work? Maybe the things she started to encounter don’t know what the people she knows fully look like? 

Her mother looked the same. 

She watches as he gets back up and kicks the air in front of him, only, his foot stops abruptly in front of him. Either he’s a very good mime, or there’s something in front of him. Kamishiro stands there, mouth twisted in thought as he glances around him, foot absently rocking back and forth, stopping mid-air in the same spot with each forward kick. 

Classrooms have two entrances. Would she be quick and quiet enough to shift around the threshold if he decides to enter the one she’s currently in? With the slack of any closeted spaces, her best chance is against the wall. 

“Asahina-san?” His eyes widen in astonishment when she’s too slow to move out of eyesight. 

“You’re here too?” Mafuyu grips the wood in front of her, feeling the splinters threatening to break her skin and keeping her face bowed, the very picture of scared. It doesn’t matter if he knows about her faking it. Both he and Ootori had noticed something about her that day.

Her mother, she could understand. She always wants to know about Mafuyu's safety wherever she goes, but him? Mafuyu would sooner have nightmares about the rest Nightcord than some guy she met twice.

Twice?

She met him once, she corrects herself, not entirely confident in her answer. At the festival where she helped him out after he sprained his ankle is when their meeting occurred. Mafuyu wonders if he has anything to do with them being here if she can’t remember meeting him again. 

He kicks against the air between them again, harder this time, to make sure the tip of his shoe can be heard as it squelches into something. 

Mafuyu gets up, only marginally feeling assured he won't immediately do anything, and makes her way over, reaching her hand up to feel the area between them. She feels a wall, lumpy to touch, but there’s nothing to be seen. Her hand is brushing against skin, she realizes with faint curiosity. 

She won’t trust him for now, she decides, but she does need to find answers. 

A manic smile spreads across Kamishiro’s face, “How fascinating.”

Mafuyu returns the smile with more confusion, “Fascinating? I don’t know if that’s what I would call this.” She keeps her tone pleasant even though her thoughts are racing. They could be in danger and he’s here having fun. Is that him enjoying this or the showman in him?

Is it really him? Mafuyu doubts it.

Maybe they're the same person, she thinks. The demon he had played wasn't entirely different from what she’d seen of him. 

“You wouldn’t happen to have a Sekai would you?” He asks out of the blue.

Mafuyu glances at him wearily, “Why?” She can’t help feeling slightly protective over her Sekai when speaking with someone who hasn’t been inside of it. It had felt intrusive enough when she met Kanade and the others in person for the first time. What sort of doppelganger is he going to act like? 

Kamishiro reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone and turn the screen toward her. Mafuyu can see the same Untitled song playing. “I’m going to assume that you woke up somewhere here. You don't seem surprised at the thought of one. To meet someone else with a Sekai… ” he sighs dreamily. “I wonder how different they are from each other.”

“Does this mean you have one too?” Mafuyu asks before he can get too distracted, trying to get answers out of him. Her mother hadn’t asked about the Sekai, and Mafuyu couldn’t be sure if it was because she knew about it in the real world or not.   

She desperately hopes not. Mafuyu tries not to think about how she would be willing to show her mother the one place that's truly her. 

“Oh not me, you remember Tsukasa-kun? The Sekai I have access to belongs to him.” The one who could fly through the sky? Yes, Mafuyu remembers him with the way he played his role so easily. So, this person was like the rest of her music group. The existence of other Sekai is an easy concept for Mafuyu to grasp, but how much does he actually understand then?

If what Kamishiro says is true, does this Tsukasa have the same feelings as her?

“To answer your questions,” Mafuyu says, “Yes.” She says no more on the matter.

“You wouldn’t happen to remember what you were doing beforehand, would you? I’m afraid I don’t.”

Mafuyu shakes her head negatively, knowing the gap he’s referencing. She was at school, something happened, and then she was here. Mafuyu kneels slightly to pick her phone up off the ground, still in pristine condition after everything. Looking at her phone again, she tries to figure out what the date can be, but only Untitled appears as if she never turned her phone off in the first place. “A few days are missing,” she murmurs in answer. 

“Yes,” Kamishiro curls a hand around his chin in thought. “I noticed that too. My first idea was to see if I could find any of the Virtual Singers but I haven’t gotten very far in my quest yet.”

At the mention of the Singers, Mafuyu thinks about the Miku who had appeared before her and her mother. She had been so caught up in her mother and her Miku that she had neglected to think further about the Miku currently dwelling here. 

“Miku…” She trails off. “She was there earlier, and didn't look like the one I know.” Mafuyu adds because neither of the Mikus she's seen had the bright teal of the Miku she sees on building ads.

“Miku-kun? So I was correct in that at least… what happened if you don't mind me asking?”

Mafuyu frowns, “She didn’t actually do anything, just, got closer?” She didn’t see Miku move her feet. She was far away and then right next to the openings between the pillars. “But, she was the second one, the Miku from my Sekai appeared first.” Was it not only possible to travel to a Fragment, but to travel into a whole new Sekai altogether? Mafuyu didn’t know if it was possible, but here she is. She had already learned enough about  Composing the Future; what more does she need to know? 

Carefully, she ignores Kaito’s voice in her head telling her to figure things out already. She doesn’t want to deal with him at the moment. 

“And the plot thickens,” Kamishiro chuckles. “First things first, now, we should probably find a way around this barrier.”

“And then?”

He shrugs, “Who knows?” Gold eyes glance mischievously at the classrooms, before he starts making his way over. The door slides open to the room she had been in with a groan and Kamishiro starts making his way to the other door, keeping his hand out in front of him. 

It hits the wall. Mafuyu hadn’t gone far enough in the room to encounter it. 

Kamishiro folds his arms in thought before calling out to her, “Asahina-san? Mind looking for some sort of stick?” 

“Stick?” Genuine confusion leaks through. 

“Just an experiment,” he smiles calmly through the window. “Your side seems to have taken a lot of the desks.”

Mafuyu glances at the mess behind her, easily picking up pieces that could possibly work for whatever he wants it for. She simply turns, picks up what could possibly be a leg, and holds it up for him. 

“Good,” he snaps back to attention and leaves the classroom to be in front of her again. “Tap it along your bottom left.”

Mafuyu stares at him, “The wall?”

“Yes.”

Skeptically, she follows his order. She keeps the stick in her right hand as she shuffles to her left, tapping the lower wall. 

Mafuyu has to take a step back when the wall shifts, eyes other than Kamishiro’s looking back at her. The now visible wall appears to be yellow, sickly mounds of rolling flesh as its eyes blink slowly. As if it were waking up. It pays her no mind though as it glides through the walls on large paws, meandering to the side and disappearing deeper into the classrooms. 

Mafuyu is left blinking in confusion as golden eyes meet hers once more, “Did you know that would happen?” 

“Nope!” 

“But you somehow knew enough to try?”

“I once read a story about a spirit who tried to bridge the gap between the human and spirit worlds. The kid encountered many yōkai in his journey and needed to find ways to deal with them.” Kamishiro explains gleefully, "One of them happened to be a nurikabe, though from what I know they tend to be found most often outside. I'm not entirely sure as to what one was doing inside."

“So… yōkai are a thing?” It would explain the doppelganger of her mother, at least. Mafuyu’s never read anything about doppelgangers trying to lure people, but that might be because she’s stopped reading anything for fun. 

Doppelgangers don’t exactly show up in doctor studies often unless a twin is mentioned. It's often said they have a special connection between them, even though Mafuyu hasn't found anything scientific to back this up for herself. 

“It would explain that..”

“That?”

“Just a fox I met,” Kamishiro vaguely answers. “If a Sekai could have a theme, would it be places or the things inside them?” Kamishiro murmurs to himself, eyes already glazing over in thought. “A magical location transferring world filled with yōkai isn't entirely out of the question.”

“But who does this Sekai belong to then?”

“Well,” he smiles ruefully, “that’s one of the biggest questions isn’t it? And I don’t think we’re going to be getting answers here by standing around.”

Does she go with him?

Could he be attempting to gain her trust?

What choices does she have, other than get lost? “Which way?”

“I would say back the way I came,” she follows his gaze down to the blown-out desks, “but I wasn’t finding much interest that way.”

“Towards the danger then?”

“We can only hope it’s no longer in this direction.”

“You’re limping, are you sure you should be walking around?” She observes with a worried tone, watching the barely noticeable flinch every time he places his foot on the ground as he strides forward. 

“Seems to be becoming an occurrence around you,” he smiles darkly when he turns to face where she’s still standing. “No need to worry though, just a bruise.”

They pause when the entire building seems to groan around them.

“You don’t think we’ll get lucky and it could be someone else?” Kamishiro asks.

“Do people often impact an entire building?” She asks in return.

Kamishiro takes a moment to think, “Well, I know one who would certainly try…”

Mafuyu makes sure to keep him in front of her as she tunes out the rest of his rambling. 

Shizuku walks in an alert daze.

The moment she had crossed the threshold fully, the door had closed right behind her, jolting her forward from the force of it. 

She hasn’t been able to get a hold of herself ever since she saw that…thing. Even thinking back to the burnt flesh caused goosebumps to break out along her arms. 

Every step she takes causes the floor to squeak— and there is no avoiding it either, with the planks purposefully made to make noise. They would move forward and backward, following the shifts in her movements. It isn’t possible for even a shade to move along silently on these floors.

Squuuuueeek…..

The noise has implanted itself in her head, overriding the songs she would very much rather right now. 

She had tried putting her notebook to use in an attempt to keep her way but promptly abandoned it when the first few turns she made didn’t match the squiggly lines she had drawn. Pencils had never bothered her before and even the slight scratch against the paper had started to aggravate her. 

The only good thing about the floors was that the thing walked too. If it could hear her, she took comfort in her hearing its approach. 

This maze of doors was never-ending, each copy leading to somewhere completely new. 

She blinked when a breeze brushed across her face from when she had been opening doors up at random- not all of them were unlocked. The stairs in front of her had been tall and she didn’t feel any more confident in going up a straight line than the already maze-like home she was in. Shizuku had closed the door and moved on to the next one. 

The next time she opened a door, she had to quickly close it when something blue jumped out at her. A small shriek leaves her mouth as she struggles to reclose the door against the thing. Planting her foot against the wall next to her, Shizuku pulls as hard as she can against the door knob. 

The door slammed into place, and Shizuku was thrown backward when she lost her balance against the force of it.  

Shizuku hurriedly got up, floors squeaking loudly, and rushed to find another door. 

So, here she is. Still walking. Still opening doors to the unknown.

Another three doors, and she manages to find a kitchen area with large enough cupboards to hide her. And the best part about it? A stool where she can finally rest her feet. 

Please don’t let that thing find me, she pleads. Shizuku made too much noise for the thing to not be aware of her. 

Minutes pass as she slowly relaxes. Is it possible to know what infinity is? Shizuku feels like she might be a little closer to understanding than most right now. 

Something brushes against her feet. 

Shizuku loses her voice as she throws herself off the stool. When she glances down, a long hair-covered figure disappears in a cupboard as it scurries away from the light. Round orbs for eyes glare at her, and Shizuku rushes to exit the kitchen. 

She breathes out deeply, hands cemented against the door knobs. 

What is she going to do? She’s encountered nothing but odd creatures in her attempts to get out of here. 

The floor squeaks with her every movement as she continues on.

Shizuku walks.

Tsukasa lands in a blanket of soft fur; his lungs shocked from suddenly losing air. He hurriedly chokes in a gasp, desperate to refill his lungs, his eyes squeezed shut in concentration. 

“Annnnd that is a basket!” He hears before he’s dropped fully onto the ground with a grass-muted thud. Tsukasa’s grateful, but he can share his gratitude when he doesn’t feel like he’s immediately going to drop dead in a moment. 

Suddenly, he’s very thankful for Rui’s cautiousness. He'll have to make a note of it when he gets back to his journal.

“Really?” Tsukasa hears behind him, this time from the same voice. The dizzying sensation of having the person potentially walking around him isn’t helping him get his bearings. 

He blinks open his eyes and immediately lets out a shriek when he sees himself kneeling. Tsukasa goes to scramble backward but bumps into something sturdy, preventing him from moving any further. 

His doppelganger winces at the noise. Is that genuine irritation on his face? Tsukasa isn’t having an out-of-body experience, is he? What would he even do about that? “Is this what you have to deal with all the time?” Exasperated, amber eyes glance behind him.

Tsukasa glances behind him to see who he’s talking to and sees a tattered wagasa, the splintered wood not looking nearly strong enough to block him, and prim sneakers from the person sitting in a seiza. He shakes his head vigorously, “WHO ARE YOU!?”

“If you could listen,” his doppelganger smiles darkly, “I might be able to answer. A star always helps out those in need after all, it's what wishes are for.”

Tsukasa scrambles to the side instead as his doppelganger leans in close, hurrying to stand. His own words being thrown at him cause nothing but confusion to be dragged in. On his feet, he takes a moment to observe the two in front of him. The third figure stands, his movements unnaturally smooth, and Tsukasa comes face-to-face with himself once more when the wagasa is moved out of the way. They’re both holding onto a wagasa he realizes. Though, one is significantly more see-through than the other with the amount of holes in it. 

“You should probably listen for a moment before making any rash decisions,” the one in the prim uniform smiles comfortingly, and Tsukasa is vividly reminded of Kaito. “You wouldn’t want to get hurt after all.” If Kaito were also vaguely threatening with his words. 

Tsukasa frantically pears around, wondering where he ended up. He is at the bottom of the stairs, and even if he had the potential to land safely, there was no way he would’ve made it down here without any sort of rolling. 

He gulps nervously when he realizes he can’t see the shrine from down here. 

Tsukasa should not be here right now. What did he land on?

The messy doppelganger whistles lowly when he follows Tsukasa’s eyesight. “Would’ve been quite the fall, if we hadn’t made it in time.”

“I think you mean me, considering I was busy.”

“And who brought your attention to both cases?”

“I don’t know how anyone could miss the giant skeleton. You could’ve handled this one on your own.”

“It’s just my other self, who cares? Now if it were anyone else on the other hand…”

“Don’t be so rude.”

“Me? Being rude? A star is always honest.”

Tsukasa’s eyes are starting to feel the strain of bouncing back and forth between the two, their arguing yielding no answers to any of his current questions. He clenches a fist. Why would Miku push him?  She’s only ever been kind to him.

But this isn’t the Miku you know, now is it? Red to stars. Black to aquamarine. Disconnecting the two in his head doesn’t feel right at all. It was her.

"We'll always be together Tsukasa-kun! Is that super duper exciting?"

“-Should take care of your own problems.”

“I’ve been doing that this whole time, it’s not my fault you don’t like the methods.”

“Enough!” Tsukasa raises his voice to be heard over them and flings a hand towards the stairs. “Who are you, and how did I survive that?” The two stare at him skeptically as if he were the odd one out here and not them. “What?”

“Aren’t you the one who’s supposed to be telling us why we’re here?” The messy one muses, wagasa on the right, and it’s taking everything in Tsukasa not to be distracted by the open jacket. If he's going to say he's a star then he should present himself properly as one. 

“Unless he also doesn’t know too,” the clean one slides the wagasa to his left. 

“Know what?” Tsukasa cries. “How I got here? Because I woke up here.”

The messy one sighs, “So it was the same.”

"You woke up here to?" Tsukasa settles at finally having a single answer to something. 

"So it would seem," the left wagasa twirls.

"And who are you?" Tsukasa repeats himself.

“Tsukasa,” they answered simultaneously. 

Tsukasa blinks at them, “No…? I am!”

“Isn’t it the same thing?” The messy one shrugs.

“No,” Tsukasa grounds out. “I’m the only Tsukasa out of the three of us.”

“There’s only one of us though,” the clean one smiles in concern.

“You mean one of me,” Tsukasa stresses in his confusion.

“Exactly?” The messy one raises a brow, which causes Tsukasa to throw his hands up in the air.

“You’re not me!”

“Oh that can’t be good,” the clean one muses. “Are you supposed to be denying a part of yourself?”

“She’ll definitely be unhappy about that one,” the messy one responds. "Didn't she mention something about being one?”

Tsukasa froze, “Wait, back up, who are you talking about?”

“The Lady.”

“Lady?” he repeats. “Are you talking about Miku?”

“Is that her name?”

“Everyone has one don’t they?”

“We don’t.”

“Of course we do, it’s Tsukasa.”

Tsukasa’s brow twitches at that one, still not understanding the connection. He forces himself to relax. They were going to get nowhere with this back-and-forth, so he needs to think of the next move. Bartlett knew how to listen, and he’d learned enough about Alfred to know how to think of a next step. 

Listen. Plan.

Tsukasa smiles calmly, “Can you tell me what you know or how you know about her? She seemed upset about something.” 

“Absolutely nothing,” the clean one answers. 

The messy one shrugs, “She never came to us.”

"We went to her to ask—"

"—And didn't get much in return."

Tsukasa glances back up at the top of the stairs. Was he in the air for that long? It had taken a split second for him to land on the fluffy ground— though now that he thinks about it, there isn’t anything fluffy along the ground. 

Listen. Plan.

Tsukasa doesn't know who or what they are, but they know of Miku. Miku had said he and someone else brought something here, which means at least one other person is here. It would be easier to focus on Miku then, right? Then he could help the other person.

"It'll always be you and me, just like the good ol' times."

"Would Miku be able to help us in return?" Tsukasa asks. "From what you know of her."

A bright smile, "Why don't you go and ask?"

Tsukasa doesn't like the smile, "Maybe I will."

"Didn't you already ask?" The clean one asks in concern. "Wouldn't it be better to wait?"

Tsukasa shakes his head, Miles aching at the thought of leaving someone without a smile on their face. 

"Onward then!" Without waiting for them, the messy one starts heading back up the stairs. "Can't leave a soul in pain!"

"Wait a moment!" Tsukasa startled at being left behind already, still feeling as though he hadn't learned anything. 

A light chuckle from the one still beside him, "After you then?"

Tsukasa glances at him, or himself? He needs names for them to keep them separated, "Sure.." Rattled can't even begin to describe how he's feeling. Any thoughts of trying to figure things out had been thrown completely off-kilter with these two. He can't help it though. There's only ever been one of him.

And was he really going to climb all these to get back to her? Yes, yes, he is. She's his best chance at finding out anything about this place. Bowed heads don't always have positive meanings, as he's come to learn through his writings.

He can't see the shrine at the top, but Tsukasa is certain he's going to get there. 

Chapter Text

What does beautiful mean to me? 

Shizuku repeats the question in her head, trying to make sense of the words and her situation.

What does beautiful mean to her? Or to the woman in front of her? The bizarreness is almost enough to calm her down after being such a confused mess. She can only answer a question if she knows the full story behind it. Can't answer if she doesn't know what's going on.

Shizuku won’t be able to give people hope if she continues down this path. 

“Well?” The woman, and the girl referred to her as Shita-san, insists. “Am I beautiful?”

Shizuku can’t tell as she hides her face behind an elaborately decorated fan. Why ask such a question in the first place? Is this meant to be a trick question where the beauty is behind the mask or something? Shizuku has never been really good at coming up with on-the-spot answers, well familiar with the trouble that brings.

“I don’t know? It’s hard to tell with the mask…” Even without the mask, Shizuku didn’t think she would be able to give the best answer. She’s always been told she’s beautiful. 

What does beautiful mean to me? 

The woman's head tilts unnaturally far in curiosity as the girl hums, “I think Shita-san is pretty.”

Shizuku had heard voices as she tried to make her way through the dizzying halls. All these doors look the same, and it wasn’t something she was attempting to comfort herself with either. The doors literally looked as though they were copied and pasted multiple times to make the hallway longer than it should be. With the same chip next to the knob from being closed forcefully to the delicate lines decorating the middle where a wreath would typically go. 

She glances back to the hallway she came from, only to the same door once again. 

With a lack of very many options, she had followed the voices to find the girl with the cute furisode she had encountered before, the relief short-lived after seeing her with someone. This woman had a presence to her. A heavy one at odds with the delicacy of her kimono and the dark hair piled atop her head. 

Airi sometimes complains about having her hair up that high, always at risk of getting a headache from the weight of her hair after a while. 

“That wasn’t what I asked.” Her pretty, ice-blue eyes harden.

Shizuku frowns, “But are you asking about the top half above your fan? Of your face? Beautiful is a pretty general term.” She doesn’t even know if she would classify herself as beautiful if it wasn’t for the instance of others. 

Perfect, gorgeous Shizuku. What a joke.

“Beautiful…” the woman repeats, sounding as though even she were beginning to think twice about the word. The fan is still held perfectly in place despite her weakening posture as she slumps more each time the question is asked. “Am I beautiful?”

Shizuku sighs, still not understanding what she could be asking about, but the girl pouts beside her, “I already said Shita-san is pretty.”

“That wasn’t what I asked,” Shizuku blinks as the conversation turns in a circle in front of her. 

“From what I can see of you,” Shizuku folds her arms in thought. Long (because it has to be to climb so high), black hair, shiny in the light with the way the top of her head is highlighted. Blue eyes, made even bluer from the shade of her hair, stand out even against pale skin. Shizuku can see how she could be considered beautiful when comparing her to the other models and idols she knows. “Y-”

"Shita-san is pretty."  The girl interrupts her.

"That wasn't what I asked."

"But it's the only response."

Shita ignores the girl as she faces Shizuku directly. Is the only way out of this going to be Shizuku's response now? It would've been nearly impossible to hide from both of them in the first place with this house made to make all intruders known. 

Shizuku considers Airi beautiful. From her thick hair to her mischievous eyes. Not the usual qualities to be thinking about, but if beautiful’s dictionary definition meant pleasing to the eye, then Shizuku thinks they should count. Thick hair meant more knots which meant more opportunities to help with brushing her hair. Mischievous meant Airi was in control and Shizuku didn’t need to worry. 

She wonders how Airi is doing now. 

(“Honestly,” Airi grumbles to herself, “they could’ve at least left a map.” With a locked door behind her and everything else in front of her, she didn’t have very many options as to where to go.)

There are plenty of people with Shita's color scheme who have gotten far in their careers. It wouldn't be unusual if people were to see Shita standing amongst models and others in the fashion or idol industries. 

"Yes," Shizuku says firmly, and it makes the girl sigh. 

What qualities do people look for exactly when they call her perfect?  Shizuku never found out an answer.

Shita’s, and Shizuku should really learn the little girl's name, eyes widen before they crinkle in what Shizuku could only assume is a smile. She lowers the fan in front of her face.

Shizuku freezing in shock might have been the only thing that saved her. 

“So,” scars stretching from ear to ear crinkle and crack, thin drops of blood starting to fall, as Shita’s mouth grins at her, “am I beautiful?” The rivers upon her cheeks curve up and down in a gruesomely confused half smile.  

Her cheeks don't close all the way, Shizuku realizes with distant terror. The pearly whites of her teeth glint through the pink tissue for all to see. 

The girl’s frown is even longer when Shizuku swipes her eyes over to her, “Do you listen, Shita-san? We both answered your question.” She’s entirely too calm for what’s currently happening, but Shizuku flexes her fingers in face of her calmness, drawing any strength she can from it. 

It should be Shizuku being strong for her, not the other way around. 

She can be strong. 

Shizuku takes a deep breath. 

“I think you are.”

“That wasn’t the question,” the trickles of red grow as Shita moves her cheeks, “no, ‘I thinks.’”

Shizuku focuses on the blue eyes in front of her, the most human part of something meant to be human.  “Yes,” she answers firmly. It isn’t a lie either if she focuses on Shita’s eyes. 

Would someone else find the scars upon her face beautiful? Shizuku would never blame someone for having scars upon them but in a setting like this? Nothing, but unsettling. Maybe, if they were somewhere else, Shizuku would have the time to appreciate them. 

If she can survive, then Shizuku can too.

“Was that so bad?” Shita murmurs as she covers her face back with her fan. “Thank you for the compliment,” the smile in her eyes is so warm now. Shizuku feels as though her limbs are unfreezing after being in the cold. Without another word, she leaves with only the little girl's tongue sticking out at her in a mocking goodbye. 

Shizuku blinks rapidly as she tries to gain her bearings. 

“You again,” the girl pouts at her, crossing her arms in a show of maturity.

“Yes,” Shizuku sighs in relief when she doesn’t run away from her. “Although I think I should apologize for… what did you say I did? I left some of the doors open?” She doesn’t think this is the case, but if it kept the girl near her and somewhat safe, Shizuku doesn’t mind the little lie. "I’m sorry, I thought I had closed them.”

The girl relaxes as she uncrosses her hands to place them on her hips, “Well, I guess I can accept your apology.”

“Thank you very much,” Shizuku smiles in amusement even as her eyes glance around wearily. 

She glances up at her consideringly, thinking before speaking, “Is it true?”

Shizuku frowns, “Is what true?”

“That you’re from the outside!” The girl beams happily, “It’s not often we get visitors, what’s it like out there? I heard things tend to stay in one place which is almost weird, because wouldn’t it be boring then?”

“Outside?” Shizuku kneels, thinking it might bring her to her thought process, “I’m not sure I understand.”

“Outside the Sekai of course!”

Shizuku nearly facepalms herself the moment 'Sekai' leaves the girl's mouth. Even though she didn’t think her memory was that bad, her head was suddenly filled with the stages of her heart. 

Suddenly everything and nothing made sense as she scrambles through the pockets she never checked. 

Airi’s going to kill me, she thinks. 

And. 

This explains the missing weight on her head even if she doesn't quite know what happened to her hair. She really wants her length back.

“Have we been here before?” Asahina asks suddenly.

Rui glances around him curiously— he hadn't been paying complete attention in his attempts to puzzle out what he already knows. It would be a larger help if Asahina were more forthcoming with her information, but alas, nothing but emptiness upon emptiness from her. 

Quite literally from the way little she's said to describe her Sekai. So different from the one he’s come to know. 

He knows she’s keeping more things from him but it’s mildly okay only because he’s keeping things from her in return. Tsukasa’s mind is a precious place Rui’s come to be protective of and he'll always be grateful for the opportunity to experience it. It wouldn’t be fair of him to share it with a stranger, no matter how reckless Tsukasa may be with himself. 

(Distantly. Would he have still been allowed in after their first show? He would never know.)

“I wonder what’s changing…”

“Changing?”

“There are few options that immediately come to mind,” Of course, the options relied on knowledge he didn’t fully know. How sentient could a Sekai be? Did Tsukasa unconsciously know what he wanted and the Sekai added it for him or did the Sekai itself reach deep inside him to drag out his wants? When worded like that… Rui is sure he liked the implications. It could be the Sekai, Miku, or even themselves that are changing the locations. “You said you were somewhere else before coming here? I was in what looked to be an old town.” 

He's going to have to double down on his experiments when he finds a way back to the Wonderland, regardless of what Tsukasa says. Or any of the others. From Kaito's crypticness about the whole situation whenever asked, Tsukasa is going to have to be involved anyway. 

“What are you still doing here? Tsukasa-kun said you should always get plenty of rest!”

“Fufu, did he? But I’m not building anything right now, so it should be fine right? I was wondering how far I would be willing to walk right now…”

“Is that a good idea? We wouldn’t want you to get lost somewhere…”

“I walked along some gates, only, they kept going and didn’t seem to have an end.” Her voice gentles as she tries to explain her situation as straightforward as she can. 

“And here we are now, in a school…” He glances at the rooms around them. If they had been in a normal school, he would’ve been expecting to see stairs or some sort of exit by now. But, they’re not in a normal school. So far, they’ve found nothing but the classrooms of their days and the deeper gouges of the unknown.

He wants to pause and rub at the small ache running through his shin. The sudden transition from outside to in hadn't prepared him to run straight into a desk, and while the injury was small, it was just annoying enough to be distracting. 

“What were the options you mentioned?” Asahina asks him from behind him, and he faces forward to hide the slight grimace on his face. She didn’t trust him. Fair. Rui can admit to being unsure about trusting her in return. He can do without her assessing glances though, as if he were the one placed under her microscope. She can also save him the trouble of turning around in concern to make sure she is still there.

Because, Rui will be concerned about her anyway, never wishing for harm to fall upon anyone. 

When they met at the festival, Rui had wanted to help her due to Emu. He wasn’t going to get too involved though. Outside of being Mizuki’s friend, Rui had nothing to do with her. Asahina is so… normal. Abnormally normal. According to her, she didn’t have any sort of goal in life. Rui wouldn’t consider that normal when even the smallest of goals can count.

There are yōkai who can change their appearance. Rui doesn't think he's met any to know if one had written a character out of his memories or if she is the real Asahina. 

There’s something right out of his grasp that she’s reminding him of.

“One,” he holds up a single finger over his shoulder and he smiles slyly to shake his thoughts. Because no matter what, getting a chance to learn more about the Sekai is always going to be interesting. “There are portals connecting the different locations, so there’s the chance we could always end up together if they lead to the same spot. Two.” He raises his middle finger, “the Sekai is actively switching the locations behind the doors. I could go through one and we wouldn’t have any guarantee that you would end up in the same spot as me.” He raises his ring finger, “And three, we could be the ones affecting the locations as we don’t know who the owner of this place is.”

She blinks at him, and it’s probably the most honest expression he’s seen from her, “You just thought of that?”

“It’s been brewing,” he shrugs. There are plenty of other options as to how the locations could be influenced here. What about the Singers? Is there more than one person involved? Or do all Sekai only have one creator? What are the Feelings being involved here? How active are the residents here when comparing them to the plushies and singing flowers?

Those three seem like simple enough options for now. 

He could form a hypothesis for each one and still end up nowhere. 

“Doesn’t exactly explain how we ended up here though,” she points out. 

“Another thing to add to the list of what we don’t know,” Rui sighs, only marginally being able to contain his excitement. New experiences. How fascinating. “It’s one thing for multiple Sekai to exist, but to be able to communicate through them? I wonder if it’s a Singer thing.”

“We can use our phones in the Sekai,” Asahina comments. “I wonder if anyone has called someone while they were both in one.”

“Now there’s an idea,” thinking over the words, Rui asks, “Want to try it out when we get out?”

“Assuming we’ll get out of here?”

“We will.” He assures her because he has to believe it can happen. “Too bad, they don’t seem to be working right now," Rui glances mournfully at his pocket. It would certainly be easier to track down whoever might be here with them. 

In fact, he should ask Tsukasa how his first encounter with his Sekai went. From the way he was acting, it was clear he had been there at least once before Rui made his debut appearance there.

"Not lost, exactly..." 

"But?"

"Well, we don't know completely what could be beyond the main area."

"What could happen? Be attacked by stuffed animals of all things?"

"Miku always says they know more than you think."

"But," he blinks in sheepish realization at ignoring her initial question, "Have we been here... I don't think so." He points at a set of scratches as they continue to wander, "These are deeper than the ones we passed earlier."

Asahina glances between them and him, before ultimately deciding her initial thoughts are not worth sharing.

Instead, abruptly.

"Is this what Mizuki means when they mention you?"

Rui adopts a wounded look on his face, "Whatever they said to you were lies, I didn't do anything."

Asahina's silence is too judgmental, which causes him to wonder just what Mizuki has said about him. 

"Recently," he amends to satiate her. He hadn't gotten the chance to do anything too big recently—

And why not?

Rui's starting to get more annoyed about the gap in his memory. It's not a problem he's ever had to deal with before. Is this what it's like to be considered normal? How boring, to not be able to remember things. 

“A yōkai themed Sekai,” Asahina muses. “That’s a new one.”

“We don’t know if it’s exactly yōkai themed just yet,” Rui corrects. “It makes sense based on what’s been encountered so far, but the theme seems to be more about the location itself than what might be contained in the Sekai.” It's like those horror games Nene used to show him. Well, show. As much as she enjoys them, they gave her quite a fright when they were younger. 

“True,” she agrees, “I’ve never spoken to anyone but Miku and the others before.”

“Really? The Wonderland is filled with anything possible that can make noise.”

She has a slight grimace on her face when he glances at her, slightly weirded out at being able to see her so clearly with his shorter hair. His hair hasn’t been this short since he was a kid. Could his sudden change in appearance be related to what makes Tsukasa's Miku different from the normal Miku?

Rui jumps when he suddenly feels something brushing against the back of his legs. Asahina is already looking down by the time he turns and then they're both face to face with the kitsune who had saved Rui earlier. 

"A fox?" She asks, "Or a kitsune?"

Kitsune are shapeshifters, he realizes without the adrenaline running through him. So, has this supposed kitsune been a kitsune the entire time, or had it transformed at some point?

"This one has my thanks," Rui says softly as he beds down to place a hand on the head reaching for him. "Maybe they can help out again."

Maybe he should get a pet if this is what it’s like all the time.

"More than you think?" Rui repeats after Len. "Is it because of Tsukasa-kun?"

Len smiles brightly at him as he spins around with his arms up wide, "Isn't everything here because of Tsukasa-kun?"

He does enjoy the feeling of Tsukasa’s hand in his.

“—Or maybe Sirius? Rayet? Astra? Scuti?”

“You’re naming stars,” the one on his right points out, “though I guess it’s only natural to be associated with something so known.”

“I guess we have to differentiate ourselves somehow,” the one on his left muses, “it would be confusing otherwise.”

“Maybe we should stick with something simpler?” The one on his right asks with a snicker.

“Does it matter at this point?”

“Aren’t you the one who’s supposed to agree?”

“I do, but it would also be quicker at this point.”

Tsukasa sighs as the back and forth starts up again. Is this what Nene has to deal with when he and Rui are writing their scripts? He guesses he can sympathize with her a little more now, but it certainly isn't going to stop him from talking so much to create their scripts. Having someone to bounce ideas around with is the best part. At least he and Rui can somewhat stay on track. If Emu gets involved then he has to navigate through her cloudy landscape to get the ideas she wants to implement. 

He glances behind them, seeing the little progress they’ve made after walking enough for his legs to start feeling the strain. It’s one thing to run for miles along a straight path, it’s another to fight against gravity. It doesn’t look like any progress is going to be made this way, but how else is he supposed to find Miku?

“Ready or not! Here comes Miku!” 

“Hold on!” He shrieks out. “You didn’t count.”

“Miku counted really really fast!”

"Don't lie!"

He wonders if a twist to the tale of Sisyphus would be entertaining. Tsukasa came across the tale during one of his research binges for ideas and listed it in the interesting enough group. Interesting enough to catch his eye, but not enough to list it as a focus. It wouldn’t exactly be very kid-friendly to repeatedly stab someone in an attempt to kill them just to find out the person couldn’t die because Death had been kidnapped. 

Maybe the boulder could talk. Maybe they wouldn’t even need to focus on Sisyphus. 

Either way, this would be the perfect backdrop. Maybe Rui could make some sort of rotating hill or staircase for them. Emu would certainly find it thrilling.

He frowns at the thought of Rui, still unsure if he’s even here. 

Maybe he should start looking for the other person Miku mentioned for some sort of clue. 

Think. Who would know what to do during a situation like this? Other than Rui, no one comes to mind. 

Actually, Tsukasa brightens, maybe Rui would be the best person for this situation. One of the first things he would do would be to dissect the situation. Literally and metaphorically, he thinks dryly. 

“—About Circinus?”

“Moving onto galaxies now are we?”

“I thought about it and a star seemed much too small, why not go bigger?”

“Sombrero might be a good name then.”

“Don’t be so insulting!”

Tsukasa pushes his glasses up from where they are sliding down the bridge of his nose, irritated at having them on in the first place. He would have preferred it if the Sekai had trapped him with his contacts. The frames always got in the way when he wanted to practice his stunts.

“What did you catch me with anyway?” Tsukasa glances between them, nothing but their red wagasa held in their opposite hands. He had landed in something soft but hadn’t had the chance to get anything else as he tried to recover.

Anything to interrupt their back and forth too. Tsukasa had only been throwing names out to them in an attempt to figure out what they would want to be called anyway. A simple Right and Left were looking like higher contenders right now. 

"That was me," Left answers, and already Tsukasa feels slightly bad for only thinking of them as directions. Only slightly, when no other words follow the answer.

It's like pulling teeth out of Miku.

"What he did wasn't important anyway," Right waves him off.

"Right," Left replies pleasantly, "because if it wasn't for you-"

"Then you wouldn't have been saved!" Tsukasa has to duck the wagasa when it's raised in his right direction. The motion is almost instinctive from the amounts of times Emu does the same thing. "You can thank me whenever!"

"...So about the names—" Tsukasa cuts himself off when the wagasa whacks him on the shoulder, keeping his head facing Right. 

Right smiles brightly in front of him, "You were saying?"

"That you now have my full attention!" Tsukasa switches tracks when his shoulder starts feeling more pressure than it should from a wooden stick.

"Really?" Right beams brighter.

"Of course," Tsukasa brings a hand to his chest, "it's only natural for a star to direct his attention to all of his loyal followers!"

"And seeing as that star is me," Right begins as he shifts the wagasa into its proper place on his shoulder, "I say we spread the word!" 

“But what about figuring out how we got here?” Tsukasa is all for spreading his name to a larger audience. The biggest one he can find really. But, is now really the time to do so? He thinks of how the Virtual Singers are always popping out of his phone to see the world outside the one they live in. Now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t remember seeing any of the other residents joining them when they did so. 

“No idea,” Right runs up a few of the stairs to be ahead of them so he can spread his arms wide, pointing his umbrella to the stuck sun, "but is that really important right now?"

Tsukasa lifts his feet to follow—

He pauses, terrified.

Empty red stares down at him, almost too tall to comprehend.

“Ehhh?” A hand is waved in front of his face, trying to get a reaction Tsukasa can’t currently give. “What’s up with you now?” 

Tsukasa didn’t know what he had just seen, but the overwhelming feeling of absolute hatred leaves him frozen for quite a few minutes.

"N-nobody was around." 

"It's alright Tsukasa-kun," Miku croons in his ear as she wraps her arms around his shaking body. "You don't need to be afraid when Miku is around."

The sun is still in the same position when he moves again.

Honestly, Airi complains to herself, would it be too much to ask for the Singers to be on some sort of speed dial? It's not fair that they get to pop in and out of her phone to talk whenever, but the moment Airi wants to seek them out, she has to physically go to the place they were living in. She doesn't think Meiko ever mentioned the exact place where they held their training camp.

The speed dial goes doubly so for the Singers of this place. 

She's placing her bets on them being able to help in some way, trying not to think of a possibility where she might be stuck in a Fragment instead. None, save for herself, had been found in the Fragment while she had been in it. 

At least she had herself there. There's nothing but monsters out here. She's on dry land for now, but how long is that going to last?

Who knew Sekai could change locations?

Meiko had attempted to draw a map out for them once. She didn’t get very far, but Shizuku could at least navigate her way around the stages they considered their ‘center.’ When she figured out how to read the map of course. 

Also, not that they let Shizuku go very far in the first place.

Is the fog lighter here? Airi can’t tell. 

A familiar yelp sounds in the distance, heard so often from Minori’s clumsiness getting the best of her.

A little ball of light. She blinks as it starts to move farther away from her. 

She takes a step forward to follow before she starts scolding herself. You need to be more careful. That’s twice now that she let her curiosity get the better of her. 

Airi turns around to walk in the opposite direction before she blinks in surprise.

"Haruka?"

Chapter Text

“Ta-da!” Right presents the scenery behind him, wagasa held above him as if he were Mary Poppins landing from one of her flights. “What do you think?” He lowers his arm to rest the shaft against his shoulder properly.

Tsukasa can only stare in disbelief. “We’re back at the bottom!” He brings his hands up to grip his hair— because it’s the only way he can think to ground himself. All that progress… completely lost! “How did we ever get back down here!?” He bemoans. “And I’ve told you to stop doing that! Do you know how much time is being wasted by you turning us around in a circle!?” Forget about feeling guilty over not having a name. His other self deserves much worse.

Not really. But it’ll make him feel better right now. Right can be the third in line of whatever name scheme Tsukasa will eventually come up with. Because names are important no matter what. These things take time and proper consideration.

Of which, Tsukasa would be able to multitask if looking after San wasn’t turning into a full-time job. San— because Tsukasa isn’t feeling generous enough to give him Ni. San can earn a better name when he starts behaving and lets Tsukasa think.

“Do you ever get lonely here?”

“Of course not! Besiiides, look at how much fun we’ve been having. Together!”

“Ah— don’t squeeze that hard!”

“Never fear!” San declares. “For this shall be the most spectacular part of our new stage! I’ve started thinking about it a bit more and decided that it would be splendid to hold a show here. Who needs to find that strange lady when we can be sharing our greatness instead?”

“Huh?” Tsukasa blinks at him, lowering his arms. “But we need to find Miku first if any of that is going to be shared. There’s no one here anyway.” He turns around in a quick circle, one foot placed behind him each time; heel to heel to make the movement smooth. “Where did our second self end up?” 

…It might have taken him a while to notice Ni missing, but San refuses to give any concrete answers on his current whereabouts. 

San gains a look of offense before it quickly clears. Tsukasa has spent enough hours in front of his mirror to know his facial expressions. “I’m going to assume that I’m the first then. Our compatriot is off gathering the supplies for our most wonderful show! With my brilliance, I’ll be able to attract everything towards me.” He snickers. 

“That’s not actually a bad idea…” But didn’t this happen before? Curse his blasted memory. It’s been a while since he’s needed to remember something important. “But how would we even know Miku's interests?” He muses as he scans the area. There's not much that could be used with how open the stairs are behind San. "We should probably think about that a little more before we decide on a performance." 

Rui would be able to think of something, the thought nags at him as he retakes his place to go up the stairs once more. And if Rui can think of something, then that means Tsukasa can think of something. 

Right?

He simply needs time to think about everything. Eventually, he's going to see Miku again— whether it will be through a show or after he conquers these stairs will be up to how quickly he would be able to think of a show to perform. This is nothing his legs can’t handle. Nothing he couldn’t force them to handle anyway. It will be for her in the end— with the bonus of finding a way out of here if he can. Rio did it once and he’ll do it again. 

“How boring,” San groans as he falls into step with Tsukasa who starts making his way back up. He sighs to himself, because where in the world did Ni go? "Wouldn't it be better to just perform? I would be able to capture the essence of any character as the star after all." When Tsukasa glances over at him, there's a large grin on his face. 

“Because—” he pauses. Because he wouldn’t know what could make her happy. How does one go about making someone happy when they have already made it evidently clear that they wanted nothing to do with him?

Attempting to reach out to Rui had been one thing. Tsukasa only needed to be his most authentic and hope his feelings reached him. But to make Miku happy because he wanted her to be doesn’t make him feel very nice. He would want her to smile as happily as Rui did when he joined officially. He might have been a bit selfish in reaching out to Rui—there’s no doubt in him as a director—as he didn’t want Rui to leave, still feeling so unsatisfied with how they ended. 

And even if Rui had denied him, Tsukasa thinks he would’ve been alright with the smile Rui had after he realized who the show was about. He thinks. That event happened and he grew from it; no need to dwell on it. 

Huh, he doesn’t think he’s ever encountered someone who simply wasn’t interested at all. Though, who's to say she even knew about shows in the first place? A small grin forms on his face at the thought of being the one to introduce her to them in the first place. 

His interest in the challenge only grows, and so Tsukasa pushes forward. One more time. He has to get an idea of where Miku might be first if he wants her to see him at the best opportunity. Tsukasa has no doubt about her being amazed at everything about him, but specific scenes are always important.

“Maybe we could find some friends for you? We could go on a grand adventure!”

“That sounds like a lot of fun! We can find you some friends too!”

“Me?”

“Oh hey,” Tsukasa pauses when San leans forward to peek around him. “What’s over there?”

“Huh?” Tsukasa turns to look when San suddenly sprints forward— taking him along with him. “Wait! Not this way!”

“Ha! Ha! Ha!” San halts, and in a mimicry of not too long ago, raises his wagasa once more. “We have returned!”

Tsukasa growls lowly in his throat. “We were not supposed to! Up and up!” He points fervently. “Up!” 

“Useless,” San—who should really be named trouble at this point—casually waves at him. “Look, we were getting nowhere that way. Why don’t we try it my way and see what happens.”

"But you're not thinking!" Tsukasa stamps his foot. "The show would have to be absolutely perfect for her!" Tsukasa can do it. He knows he can. He can put on the most magnificent show—on his own if need be—this Sekai will ever see. With Rui, he had context— with all of his most important shows, he had context. 

Maybe he's complicating things, however. He breathes in deep to calm himself down, thinking. Making people happy and smiling. Perhaps he should stick with what he knows best. 

“We can do a double adventure! Some friends for the two of us!”

“Friends for the two of us…”

He lets out a huff before turning back to the stairs, contemplating. A show to make Miku happy. Except, there’s something new at the bottom, something that he doesn’t think was there before. Taking a step forward, he leans over to get a closer look at the object.

Tsukasa blinks when he gets a good look at the sitting doll. “Oh!” He lifts it up giddily. “Len!” Twisting his fingers around, he observes the doll made in Len’s likeness. Layered shirts barely hanging on, overalls falling off, and what appears to be literal staples holding him together in some places. 

The bell attached around his neck rings dully, the inside coated with enough dirt to muffle the sound. 

He frowns as he pats his pockets. Nothing inside. “Sorry, Len. It appears as though I do not have my sewing kit on me.” Raising his arms, he eyes the black buttons acting as Len’s eyes.. “Know that I would fix you up if I could.”

It doesn’t appear as though this doll is alive as the dolls in their Sekai, which is a shame as the plushies can be quite open about their problems. Any clues could be useful to him. Gently running his finger along the smooth metal holding Len’s mouth together, he wonders if someone has been here to take care of the doll. Either way, this is proof of the Singers being here in some capacity. 

Unprompted, Tsukasa brings Len’s doll closer, holding him close to his chest. “Well, this feels familiar doesn’t it?” He means the feeling of holding a toy to him. Though it must be because he had so many of them as a kid if the ones in the Sekai were any indication.

“How did you end up here though?”

“I think I would put that down if I were you.” San interrupts him. “Who knows where that doll has been?”

“Well who knows where you’ve been!” Tsukasa retorts, holding Len to the side as if San were going to take him. “Besides,” he adds, thinking of all the plushies still, “he might need our help!”

“Toys are for children.” Sans waves him off. “They’ll be nothing but a distraction. We’ll be needing a professional mindset if we want this show to work.”

“That is not true at all!”  If it wasn’t for the plushies and Emu’s childish thinking, Tsukasa wouldn’t have gotten the chance to get this far and grow at all. "Sometimes, you simply need to think outside the box!" He'll leave that to Rui and Emu. 

San looks at him doubtfully, "If you say so, but we should get to working on this script soon if we want to show off my brilliance soon."

Tsukasa clicks his tongue. “Then I’ll prove it to you!” Tsukasa points—this pose of his is for declaring challenges—with his free hand tucked firmly against Len’s doll. “I’ll put on a show just for you to make you happy! My only other cast member will be this doll!”

He’s worried. Very, very worried. No closer to figuring a way out of here, and with the implications of there being other people here he isn’t sure he would want to leave without giving them a chance to leave too. No longer shall he allow this simple quest to throw him off his game. A renewed burst of confidence surges through and he doesn't even attempt to still the grin forming on his face.

“Friends would be a lovely addition! We could have double-double adventures! Wouldn’t it be fun?”

“...Yes, I think it could be.” 

San grins, only the lower half of his face being shown from under the wagasa. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Haruka.” Airi breathes, relieved and horrified in equal measure. “What are you doing here?”

“Here?” Haruka's back is facing her, and she watches as she turns her head Airi’s way. It’s her left side that’s turned to Airi, so she can’t make out Haruka’s face from behind the short curtain of hair she keeps down. “I was looking for you. You said we were going to meet up so that we could map out our next performance.” She brings a hand up to her cheek, facing forward again. “Maybe we should wait on that though. Are you alright, Airi?”

“Huh?” Airi flounders. “Performance— but we’re in the middle of nowhere!” 

She’s wearing a kimono rather than any of her workout clothes, something Airi definitely can’t imagine her doing in this muddy place. Haruka also refuses to look at her, and for a brief moment, she wonders if she did something wrong. After all, Haruka rarely runs away from her problems. 

“Yes? We wanted to show our fans a bit of nature.” Haruka gestures in front of her. “We all thought it would be fun to find someplace absolutely no one has been to.”

“And a swamp in a Sekai was the place we agreed upon?” Airi retorts in disbelief, eyebrows nearly flying off her face. She’s fairly certain she would remember a conversation like that. She needs to be firm; can’t allow this place to make her doubt herself more than it already has. “I can't imagine any of us suggesting that.”

Well, maybe Shizuku would have as a joke. But, if there’s anything Shizuku knows how to do unfairly well, it's hiding something important. Knowing her, she would think it fun to try mud masks or something.

“A Sekai?” Haruka asks, unconcerned. 

“Yes?” Airi shoves her hand in her pocket to drag out her phone. She waves the stuck Untitled screen at her as if she were looking at the screen… and not the fog whose density only grows. It frightens her a little to not know what might be lurking out there; preferably Airi would like to face her problems head-on. “Do you have your phone on you? It should be simple enough to check.”

“I don’t have anything on me,” Haruka says, matter-of-factly. “Although, I must ask, who was the person who came up with such a bland name? Who calls a world, a world? Shouldn’t a name be, I don’t know, more exciting?” 

Airi grips her phone in irritation. “That’s your problem with this?” She’s trying really hard not to get angry right now, but the fuse for her temper is growing shorter by the minute. 

“But didn’t anyone question it?” Haruka’s head tilts. “I thought the people who created this place would be more interesting. Instead, they call a world, a world and you went along with it.”

“It doesn’t matter what this damned place is called,” Airi tells her. “I’m going to leave this place, and so are you.” She takes a step forward, and then another when the ground doesn’t give out below her. “I don’t know if this has gotten to you or what, but Minori and Shizuku would never forgive me if I left you here on your own. Besides, you’re my friend, so I can let the comments slide.”

She reaches forward, hand ready to grab Haruka’s wrist. And just as she closes her fingers around her wrist, Haruka jerks her hand to grab Airi’s. It’s slimy. So, very slimy. Did Haruka cover her hand in mud? Even with the slipperiness, Airi can’t get her hand to budge. 

“Do you remember the friend you told us about?” Haruka asks; Airi jolts to attention. “The one that grew apart from you. I wonder, do you think she might’ve been relieved at some point? It must’ve been difficult to constantly need to be thinking of you when she could’ve been having fun. Well, more fun anyway. I don’t think she let your work stop her too much.”

Airi reels back before she’s yanked forward, equally confused and hurt. So unbelievably hurt. She had included Haruka when telling that story knowing she would be one of the few who could understand. Truly understand. The idol industry isn’t for the faint of heart. 

Sometimes…

Sometimes, there were things that needed to be brushed aside for a dream. It didn’t make those things—or people—any less important. Airi still very much cares about the friend she’s started to reconnect with. 

She’s explained all of this, so why would Haruka throw that back in her face like this? Honesty, she can take it. Mostly— if her fights with Ena were anything to go on. But the complete and utter disrespect Haruka is displaying right now is making her question the necessity of keeping her composer together for the younger girl. 

“Haruka—” she starts, a warning in her tone. 

“I’m hungry.” Haruka states the non sequitur with her oddly blank tone. “But I think I would be relieved to know that I didn’t have to take care of someone else. It adds to the growing list of people who become more likely to not be missed.”

“And what about Minori?” Sweet, precious Minori who thought of Haruka as her whole world. “She loves it when we all help each other.”

“Alas,” Haruka sighs, “she simply has too many people who care about her.”

“Haruka— ” Airi hisses with a sudden rage, not entirely sure why Haruka is acting like this. Minori isn’t the only one who thinks the world of someone; Airi’s seen the way Haruka looks at her when Minori isn’t paying attention.

“I’m hungry.” Haruka repeats as she squeezes Airi’s hand in warning. “I’m hungry and hurt. You understand, right?” 

Airi attempts to break the hold on her wrist again with no luck. “What are you talking about?”

“If you are hungry, then you need to survive. And if you survive, then you need to know how to fight.” Haruka finally, finally, turns to face Airi head-on. “And if you fight, then that means you are hungry right? Tell me you understand.”

Airi can only stare in horror at the missing eye; torn to shreds from what looks to be a claw. Or, she realizes with a distant terror at what she might have done to one of her dearest friends, nails. But the slime hadn’t been red. But the slime under them hadn’t been red. That injury couldn’t have been from her. 

“I’m so very hungry,” Haruka says around the blood oozing into her mouth. She lets it drip from her eye, not once wiping it away. “You need to return the payment. Won’t you return the payment? Won’t you, Airi?”

Her skin is green. Airi isn’t quite sure why that is her current focus, but it’s all she can think of. It helps. In its own way. This—creature?—sounds like Haruka and her skin is green. These curious thoughts might be the only ones keeping her sane at the moment.

“I need to get out of here.” Airi says firmly, not caring if it’s straight to her face. “I need to get out of here,” she reaffirms breathily. 

Not-Haruka simply narrows the single eye she has remaining.

“Na na na nanana na na na nanana…” 

They both pause when they hear the haunting singing. The noise surrounds them; an anechoic chamber created from fog, mud, and a single voice. Airi turns around slowly, trying to make out where the voice might be coming from. 

It’s familiar. The person it belongs to is right on the tip of her tongue. 

The voice doesn’t change in cadence at all, keeping its same haunting lullaby. It reminds Airi of one of those older music boxes; gears creaking with every movement as they attempt to play their song. 

One moment the space is empty— and then it’s filled with a person breaking through. Straight, they head, as if it is the only purpose they have.

“Oh,” Meiko eyes them blankly as she fills their little area with her fever-red coloring. “You are not the ones following me.” She glances behind her, “Come, we must continue on our way then.” She lifts the area where her leg meets her torso unnaturally high with her step; leg swinging at the knee like a loose hinge. “I will not wait,” she calls back with her stilted steps, “which means you must follow now.”

Airi’s hand is freed with a loud splash— the not-Haruka jumping away unnaturally fast before Airi can turn back to her. She frowns, the anger still simmering beneath her skin. Meiko continues forward, unheeding her still form. 

Well, she thinks ruefully, I don't exactly have much of a choice now do I? She straightens out the anger with a twist of her skirt and a wave of her hand before hurrying up to catch the retreating Singer. 

Momo is a sweet, if a bit rambunctious, girl. She’s kind of like Ichika in that regard; when she was younger. Shizuku isn’t sure if Ichika still likes to climb trees when she sees something stuck up in them. She should if she isn’t, Shiho was always secretly impressed at her ability to do so. It had been adorable to watch the three of them form a little pile under Ichika, moving with her every move as she climbed up higher, higher, and higher still, ready to catch her at any moment.

Ichika had been rambunctious when Shiho had not, which is exactly why Shizuku isn't used to being on the lookout so much; Shiho always knew how to take care of herself, carrying that piece of her even now. And the few other times Shizuku had been around children, there were others to help her out. 

"They are soo cute! It will certainly be a shame if they ever leave, don't you think?"

"I don't know about that... have you ever seen how much they stare?"

So far Shizuku has had to yank Momo back from falling into some sort of void (Shizuku swears she heard breathing following them past the closed door afterward), prevent her from knocking a plant over (Shizuku refused to look at what crawled away from it; she didn't need to know), and then carry her over some squishy part of the floor because she doesn’t have shoes (Shizuku nearly gagged at this one, not liking the way the heels of her shoes would sink ever so slightly; threatening to leave her only with her socks). She even had her ear inspection when Momo realized her ears were not pointy like hers (Shizuku thinks she looks like an adorable, baby elf).

Outside of the thoughts of cute dresses, Shizuku has also completely given up on trying to find her way around. The only one with any sort of sense of direction around here seems to be Momo, who only kept leading them back to the more homely rooms— not that Shizuku could blame her with how creepy this place is. However, how she manages to do so without knowing the way either leaves Shizuku with only more confusion.  

Would all of this make Momo a more sentient version of the fans at the bottom of the stages? If she didn’t look so much like an adorable baby elf, Shizuku would think her to be a regular child. But, she’s much too knowledgeable about this place for her to be a simple child. Could a Sekai create a life like this?

“Really?” Momo’s eyes gleam as Shizuku finishes her latest story to her; the one about their very first performance after their beach training trip. “And people go to watch you sing? Can you sing me a song?”

Shizuku hums as she thinks, “I can sing a whole bunch of songs. Is there one in particular you want?”

“Any!” Momo’s hands feel so very small when she places them on Shizuku’s knee in excitement. 

“Ahh, okay!” She laughs at her excitement. “Let me think of one…”

"Do they really? I don't think I have."

"I guess you could be used to being stared at all the time."

"Really? Do they stare that much? There's so many of them and stages, it's hard to tell if they are looking at one in particular sometimes."

Which song? Which song? There are simply too many to choose from. How does a music lover go about choosing a favorite song when there are so many? It would have to be one she knows very well…

Like More! Jump! More!

Placing her hand over Momo’s, Shizuku considers singing the Untitled song that appeared on her phone that day. It’s one not even she would be able to forget. Could something happen in a Sekai if she sang the song of another Sekai? But if the lyrics can reach Momo in their own way too, then there should be no harm in doing so. Maybe, just maybe, the song would bring her back to her own Sekai; Miku would be able to explain everything, and then Shizuku would detail her experience while curled up to rest against precious Airi. 

Shizuku never once claimed to be knowledgeable about how a Sekai might work. She didn’t even think there could be others. 

Don’t get distracted now, she scolds herself, you have a fan waiting for you.

"It's always at us. We had Minori hop down to join them one day and they acted right along with her. It's useful to know how well she can get a crowd excited— not very useful when the crowd is made to go along with the excitement."

"Hehe, that's our Minori-chan."

“Don’t focus on the part we already kind of knew…”

She opens her mouth and sings about being heard in all the best ways possible. She sings about no longer being alone, and keeping true to the feelings that won’t leave. She sings about overcoming the most impossible challenges with raising determination. She sings about love; giving and receiving in equal measures. 

Shizuku sings with all her heart— not heading what may be lurking beyond the doors of their little room. 

“Pretttttyyyy.” Momo braces herself against Shizuku’s lap, leaning on her knees with her elbows. 

“Thank you!” Shizuku smiles down at her, before noticing the odd bulb on the top of her head. Is it not a headband? She doesn’t see any sort of clip to keep it attached to the strands. “Any other requests?” 

Momo goes to shake her head before pausing, lips pursed in deep thought. “Can you sing for my friends?”

“Friends?” Shizuku gazes down at her in thought. Does this mean there are people other than them here? Or residents? She isn’t familiar with how the fans work over in the Stages; only knowing they exist. 

“Yes!” Momo bounces up to her feet, reaching down to pull Shizuku up. “Then they can listen to the pretty songs!” 

“O-okay!” She quickly gets up to follow Momo as she hurries out of their safe room. Safe— because Shizuku immediately goes back to feeling uneasy when they step outside. Were those branches always hanging at the edges where the wall meets the ceiling? She doesn’t exactly look up all the time. 

“So, who are your friends Momo?” Shizuku asks as she keeps pace with the girl’s shorter legs. Not that she needed to, the halls seem to shrink in on themselves when she's with Momo; being able to see both ends now as she can. She tries to keep away from the doors as best as possible. 

Momo rounds a corner and does exactly what Shizuku had been attempting to avoid— open a door. She hurries to keep her from going too far before pausing at the breeze on her face. 

Outside…

They’re outside.

There’s a connecting bridge in front of them, sunlight pouring through the bars keeping them inside. Momo pulls her forward, so Shizuku takes the time to glance around. She glimpses an impressive red gate not too far away, beckoning visitors. More of the home continues at the other end, and Shizuku can only imagine what could be inside the second half. 

And then— “STOP DOING THAT!”

“Tsukasa-kun?” Shizuku murmurs before the realization clicks, “Tsukasa-kun!” She hurries over to the bars when she spots him. He’s a bright star even in a place like this, she thinks absently, even though his clothes are trying to drown him out with their inky black color. 

He doesn’t hear her, which is odd as he’s never one to ignore his own name; loving the sound whenever someone calls out to him. 

“Tsukasa-kun!” She calls out one more time. 

Her first, real, glimpse outside and she can’t even leave. The bars are so close together, that Shizuku doesn’t have hope in attempting to squeeze through them. There’s no time to regret not leaving when she could've—she wouldn’t have met Momo otherwise—but she might’ve had a higher chance of simply being trapped elsewhere. Shaking the pillars in the hands doesn’t work, the sturdiness of them not letting them budge even a smidge. 

“Hmmm,” Momo hums next to her, “Getting anyone’s attention never worked for me.”

“It hasn’t?” Shizuku looks down at her before flickering her eyes back up. When she does, her breath hitches in surprise. 

Two of them? She guesses he was speaking to someone, but she would not have guessed his conversation partner to be quite literally himself. Maybe all of his talking to himself manifested a carbon copy? Oh, how like him; Shizuku is mildly impressed, wondering if she would be able to get multiple Airis this way.

It’s hard to tell which one is the real one with flailing around they’re both doing. And then a third one appears. Are any of them even the real Tsukasa? Let’s see… one is angry, one is goading him on, and the other is as cool as can be. If only they were not all wearing the same thing; a middle school uniform and straightened hair as if he hadn't already outgrown the style. 

Shizuku prefers his more ruffled hair anyway— less perfect even if he complains about it.

“No,” Momo’s hair whips around her head as she shakes it, “Not everyone notices.” She pouts. “You can go on and on and on, but no one ever listens. But you seem to listen.” She eyes Tsukasa consideringly. “He seems very loud.”

"Yes, but she said that their eyes always followed the one on stage. 'That's just how amazing you are!' she said."

“Maybe we need to be extra loud then?” Shizuku muses with faint humor. “Extra extra to beat even him?” She doesn’t actually think there’s anyone who can beat Tsukasa in terms of sheer volume.

“And how loud is that supposed to be?” Momo looks up giddily. 

Shizuku shrugs her shoulders, making sure to flick her arms out too. “I guess we’ll find out if we are that loud? Oh but,” she hesitates. Because the last time she did something that could be considered rude, Momo had run off. “Is it okay to be loud somewhere like here?” An image of that red demon appears in her head and she shudders. 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Momo stands on her tiptoes to grasp the railing, “We are outside.”

“Do you want to be loud with me then?” With Tsukasa angry, there’s no getting him to move unless needed, so she isn’t worried about him leaving too soon. “See him?” She points. “His name is Tsukasa, so we have to say his name really really loud okay? He’s a star, so you have to be able to catch a star’s attention.”

Momo blinks up at her, before nodding in determination. She’s so adorable that Shizuku nearly starts to gush about her puffed-up cheeks. “Right! Louder than a star!”

“Ready?” Shizuku breathes deeply. “Go!”

“TSUKASAAAA!”

…Absolutely nothing from him. He still argues with his copies as if he hadn’t heard a thing. Too bad, they are not in a proper crowd right now. If they were, Tsukasa would’ve perked up like a puppy hearing its name. …Which is how he typically acts anyway, but Shizuku should stop getting so distracted right now. 

“It didn’t work.” Momo speaks matter-of-factly, and it sends an arrow through Shizuku’s heart.

“I see this,” she sighs. “Maybe there’s some other way to him?”

“Maybe,” Momo shrugs her shoulders, before turning to continue on her way. “But can you sing for my friends first?”

Shizuku glances one more time at Tsukasa mournfully, with these bars in the way, she can’t get outside them. She makes sure she has control over the muscles in her face before following Momo with a smile, “Yes. I can sing for your friends first.”

"Well, if it's Airi-chan then I don't see why anyone should look away."

"Huhh? I think you need to keep your eyes to yourself too sometimes..."

Just wait for me, Tsukasa-kun. I’ll catch up in no time. He is here. And while she may not know if that means he has a Sekai—or if these versions of him are part of this Sekai—it does mean that she has someone to reunite within this place.

With her hand tucked into soft fur, she thinks of dragons, dogs, snakes, and lions. Because Kamishiro’s dog is very weird.  Oh, she’s well aware of the creature most likely being a kitsune— his theory of the Sekai being one of yōkai still appears to hold true. She couldn’t argue with him about it even if she wanted to, having been told to leave these types of stories behind with her childhood. 

“There’s no need to fear, Mafuyu.” Her mother would whisper to her. “Things that are not true can not hurt you.”

But what if they are true Mother? What then? Mafuyu hadn’t been warned about the digital singers who can barely hold her together as she falls apart at the seams.

She remembers a show full of what she thinks was happiness(there were certainly enough people smiling around them), and a beautiful piano. A shy smile was aimed her way after Kanade rejoined the group. The image has stayed with her, because it’s one of the few times where Kanade had been pleased with herself, flexing her fingers as if she were ready to play again; whether or not Kanade realized it hadn’t been something Mafuyu thought to ask at the time. The scene had struck doubly so, as Kanade isn’t one to throw herself in the public eye. 

Is there a kitsune here because Kamishiro had played one in that second show? When she took a moment to eye the fox, she remembered being in a mall. One bustling with the amount of people hoping to take advantage of the New Year’s sales.

Especially Mizuki. They had enjoyed dragging Ena around quite literally if she recalled properly. And that's one question solved with another to take its place. She has met Kamishiro before, but she doesn't think she's recalling the right time. Two out of three…

What makes the third meeting so special?

Mafuyu may be knowledgeable about many subjects, but her areas of expertise are typically based on reality. Something of which, Sekai is not. She thinks it might irk her; needing to rely on someone else to get out of here. But, that’s only because her mother might be upset with her if she’s late. 

Her stomach growls with a hunger she doesn’t quite feel, and she wonders how long it’s been. Has barely any time passed at all? Sometimes, she would enter her Sekai and not realize just how much time had passed her by as she lay on the ground. Has enough time passed for her mother to become worried yet? What does worry look like on her? Or has she even noticed Mafuyu missing in the first place?

Which is a scarier thought?

Who would be noticed first of the two of them?

A wet nose brushes against her hand which causes her to look down. Kamishiro’s dog is very weird, the thought returns because it always seemed to know when to distract her. It butts its head insistently against her fingers, so she gives into its inquiry to sink her finger into the fur. Kamishiro isn't paying attention to her, so she doesn't put too much effort into dragging her lips up into a strained smile; enough to satisfy the creature.

It’s soft. Suspiciously soft. 

So very very soft. 

Kamishiro hums as he eyes the fox critically, and her insides crawl when she can practically see the calculations running through his head. He’s smart, that much is obvious even in the short time they’ve been together. Between his analytical thinking and Ootori’s sheer empathy, it’s no wonder they were both onto something that day. 

They are resting in one of the many destroyed classrooms. Because, isn’t a concerned individual supposed to show care? She had suggested he take a break when his limp became more pronounced as they continued through these endless halls. He wasn’t going to do anything about it, so as a kind individual, she had stepped up. 

“She’s going to break you,” Kaito tells her.

Then Mafuyu simply must not be good enough. 

She is tired. Physically at least. Mentally, she’s still attempting to figure things out. Which isn't anything new. She's survived this long and she'll survive longer if she has to. Crack, crack, and crack; she’s lost her pieces long ago. 

The kitsune nudges her again, and Mafuyu resumes the petting she had stopped. 

“Do you know where we might be able to find someone else?” Kamishiro asks the fox, leaning forward with his arms resting on the back of his chair. 

She wonders why she expects more professionalism from him. Shouldn’t he act more along the lines of how he thinks? Isn’t that how these things work? Mizuki thinks with fashion. Ena thinks with art. And Kanade thinks with music. He could be applying his thinking to so much more than simple theater plays. 

The fox simply looks at him with a curious—intelligent—gaze.

Understanding a Sekai. It almost sounds like a joke when she doesn’t particularly care enough to figure out her own. That’s what everyone else is for.  

Kamishiro’s eyes light up, leaning forward, he follows up his question with, “Do you know where we can find Shinto bells?”

“Shinto bells?” Mafuyu blinks. They should be looking for a way out, not some decorations.

The fox simply tilts their head consideringly before standing— leaving her lap suddenly cold. It begins walking further down the hall—towards where they would’ve been going anyway—looking back to make sure they follow. 

“Yes.” He confirms as he stands to follow the fox. “You mentioned them when I asked how Miku-kun spoke to you. Think about it this way— if we can’t find anyone specifically, then we might be able to recreate how the Miku-kun you know spoke to you. Who knows? She might have a better idea as to what’s currently going on.” 

"I see," Mafuyu lets out an impressed noise, not feeling it at all. She follows him, not having many other thoughts on the matter. As they leave the classroom, she glances behind her at the sound of giggling. She eyes the hallway, not spotting where the noise might be coming from. The same as when I first entered here, she narrows her eyes. 

"Is something wrong?" Kamishiro pauses with the kitsune at the end of the hall. 

Mafuyu makes sure to look uneasy when she turns around— and this is an expression she's seen her mother wearing more often lately. "It's odd being here," she says, "I can't help but look around."

He eyes her carefully, his critical gaze glancing behind her to eye the same hallway. Evidently, he doesn't find anything of interest as he turns back to the kitsune. "Do make sure to keep up," he cautions, and Mafuyu thinks she should feel jealous at the obvious worry in his voice. So, even he can’t help but be honest. It didn't matter if the feelings are small, so long as they are true.  "We wouldn't want you to get lost after all."

"I'll keep that in mind," she assures him as she catches up. She glances between him and the fox, "Are we ready?"

Kamishiro grins as he presents his arm before the kitsune with a small bow, "After you, our dear guide."

As the kitsune starts leading the way, Mafuyu tilts her head to keep an ear on the sound the claws make when they tap against the wood. Well, there's one answer to one of the noises she's been hearing. The claws don't sound anything like the steadily growing sound of chain links rattling against each other. 

Chapter Text

Shizuku set some goals for herself. 

1. Watch over Momo
2. Follow Momo to her friends
3. Sing to her friends
4. Find a way out
5. Find Tsukasa

Simple goals. Easy to follow goals; set in the best order of when they could be completed according to her. One through three deal with Momo which makes things even easier as all she has to do is follow her around. Four is where it gets a bit ambiguous but idols are nothing if they can’t do a bit of improv. And, she and Tsukasa have swapped enough stage tricks to make improv easier, so four leading to five makes all the more sense to her. As long as there is no deviation, Shizuku could potentially get a few steps closer to finding her friend. 

So how in the world did she lose the kid?

In a cheap repeat of the first time Momo left her, Shizuku wanders around in this new section of the home; even older than the sections before. Chipped wood, peeling wallpapers, and candle-lit lanterns barely lighting her way. It makes her wonder how the first part had been lit at all, as she can’t recall there being very many windows. Too easy, she thinks, it's too easy to get lost and lose the ones around you here.

A step through a door. Shizuku has gone to follow. A safe and sound Momo makes for a happy Shizuku— as happy as she can get here.

It’s so much darker here; every thought of hers is covered by the blanket it offers. The building creaks with every movement made— some of them definitely not being her own. She would know. Every time she stood still, as still as she could get, the noises continued around her. Shock froze Shizuku for a brief moment when she realized Momo had gone missing again. Paintings of scribbled, black lines returned her staring; seemingly moving every time she so much as blinked. It had taken her a brief second to realize Momo was gone, which might be the most upsetting part of the news to her.

A little girl swallowed by the elegant calligraphy of monsters.

Silence, Shizuku can handle. Silence doesn’t always mean she is alone—she can always count on Shiho—but at least she can pretend to be. Each subtle shift makes her heart pound loud enough to hear the rush in her ears; the tips aflame with her stubborn, ever-present fear. It’s worse because now she doesn’t know which noises are from the building and which are from something alive.

Well, she amends, this whole building can be alive. Some part of this is how Momo went missing. Shizuku must be in the belly of quite the monster if there are so many others inside with her. 

She swallows when she hears distant screaming in the distance, followed by the heavy thuds of running— before nothing. Haunted houses at amusement parks were never this scary. If she concentrates hard enough, is it possible to hear a candle’s flame? She keeps her eyes on the lantern in front of her, a foot still in the air as she has been about to finish her step. When nothing more happens, she continues on her way. There is no other choice in the matter with her being in the home that kept windows far away from her. 

Along with any other potential exits. Maybe she really should have taken the chance to leave when she first woke up. Maybe this also isn’t the time for regret. 

She has a lost child to find—preferably—before Momo finds someone unsavory to be around again. Would Shita be the definition of beautifully tragic? To start beautiful and then have a tragedy occur? Shita didn’t seem like a bad person at first glance, but she isn’t someone Shizuku would want to run into while alone. There would definitely be no head pats from her. 

Shizuku would like for someone to pat her head anyway, so long as they can do it the same way Airi does. 

Dare she open any doors here? She learned quickly not to, the first time around. 

Being here is simply no better with her terrible sense of direction. More halls upon everlasting halls. Does this house even have an end to it? Or did she never find the beginning in the first place? A part of her thinks losing Momo might be her fault again, though she can’t quite figure out what she did.

There’s a glint on the floor with her next intersection of hallways, so Shizuku pauses to look at what it might be. Water? She carefully presses down with her foot— quickly grabbing onto the wall when her foot slips. Frozen water is still water. And she can’t go back because she’s been keeping to right turns this entire time. If she goes back, then she knows it will be worse. Something in her tells her not to turn around too; it doesn't feel as though anything is behind her, but she doesn't want to take the chance. 

Stepping a bit harder on the ice, she waits as it cracks underneath her, finding it to be thin as the tiny shards quickly melt under the heat of her shoe. Placing her other foot on the ice does nothing more, so she begins to walk forward. How odd…

Shizuku doesn’t feel very cold. She shivers anyway; muscles coiled and ready to spring at a moment's notice. She shivers, not because she is cold, but because of how her tense limbs can't curl up any farther. 

And yet, there is something clearly keeping the ground frozen. Frost trickles up alongside the walls. A part of her itches for a needle and thread so she can capture each and every crystalline piece. The pattern would be lovely on a scarf. Or a hat. A dark blue or gray piece with frosted, white edges. She saw something like this recently, didn't she? At seeing something so pretty in this horrid place, Shizuku relaxes marginally— allowing for Shita’s tragically beautiful insistence to invade.

Because what does beautiful mean to her?

Shizuku doesn’t know. The word has lost meaning to her a long time ago. 

There's a door open in front of her— white where the others were mostly brown. Shizuku pauses before the opening, out of sight from anyone inside. Though it doesn’t really matter now does it? Anyone inside would be able to hear the cracking underneath her feet.

Just like greeting a fan, she reminds herself. Smile.

Shizuku rounds the opening— “Kaito-san!” Overjoyed, Shizuku rushes towards him, intending to grasp his hand. Only for her hands to go right through his. “Huh?”

“Do I know you?” For all of his frosty appearance, his voice is as dry as her throat sounds when she overexerts it. 

Shizuku takes a step back to eye him carefully. Was he taking his usual holographic self a bit too literally? She frowns as she takes in the frosty coat and hair. Gasping when she notices his right hand, she attempts to reach out again, pausing just before she can go through him again. His fingers are black, dead cells trailing up and disappearing under the sleeve of his coat. Thin, shiny rivers of crystal glint along his hand and she can only assume it’s where the skin is split open. 

Kaito stands before her, and he doesn’t know who she is. What is she going to do now?

And—

Doesn’t his hand hurt?

“If you are not going to respond,” Kaito turns back to the bed he had been gazing at when she entered the room, “you can go.”

“One moment!” Shizuku smiles pleadingly to his back because she can’t leave yet. ”Just a moment, please. Only one. Do you have any idea as to how I might be able to leave? This Sekai?”

Kaito tilts his head to gaze her way, and she frowns when she realizes how tired he looks. “You should give up.” He tells her. “If you can see and respond to me— that is not as good as you might think.”

“Why?” Baffled, Shizuku follows his movements as he walks deeper into the room. She’s blocking the door, so unless he decides to push her out of the way, he can't leave as far as she is concerned. It’s warm here. Uncomfortably so. 

“Because you are speaking to me.” Kaito reaches down to lay his hand on the pillow on the bed. There’s a blanket tucked on top— one hiding the person underneath it. 

Shizuku swallows nervously when she recognizes the shape. 

“But I would dearly like to know if there’s a way out.” Shizuku implores him. “You don’t have to leave— I can figure things out on my own if I know there is one.” Not likely if it involves directions, she knows, but it would be a clue. 

“You will be nothing more than a voice in the wind. Forever unheard. It won’t matter how many times you cry out. Full of unseen love and no one to share it with. You’ll give up eventually. We always do in the end.”

Shizuku blinks away the faint tears in the corners of her eyes. Well, this is confirmation that this person isn't the Kaito she knows. He could never be so cruel— and it only makes her heart ache at the faint despair she can hear in this Kaito's voice. How long has he been here alone? Was he not allowed to leave this room of his?

“I have a star to reach out to.” She says quietly, swallowing the lump in her throat. And she isn’t about to let anyone stop her from finding her childhood friend, or anyone else who might need help here. Momo might come first for now, but she’s a part of this Sekai as Shizuku has realized. There’s no end to the amount of things that could happen to Momo because of this fact.

“A star.” Kaito snorts. “Those are the ones who will listen anyway but never help. You might be better off trying to get the attention of someone else then.” He waves a hand her way. “Go on then, little wraith. See if the heavens will hear your cries.”

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. 

He remembers a conversation he had with Tsukasa once. It had been raining that day, so rather than head over to Phenny’s as they usually did, they had opted to cancel practice for the day so Nene could enjoy a day of gaming with Emu. Rather than head home by himself, Tsukasa had invited him over. It was for something small, so negligible even Rui can’t remember the real reason why he had accepted the invitation. Or perhaps he had agreed simply because Tsukasa had been the one to ask. 

He tends to do that quite a bit as Nene’s pointed out, and she would know, wouldn’t she?

Some part of him had registered the fact that there hadn’t been anyone else in the house, but Rui never felt alone when with Tsukasa. Never has. And despite the oddly empty room, he hadn’t noticed anything off until Tsukasa had started boasting about Saki and Touya. There were so few pictures of them on the mantle— and they were mostly of when the Tenmas were children. Some were recent. Rui recognized the image for the first show they did that had actually gone well. Nothing in between, however, and that’s what stuck with him the most. 

As he stared at the spotless mantle, the thought of maybe he understands had appeared and never left him.

He remembers standing off to the side, remote in hand, ready to turn the bird-turned-phoenix off at a moment's notice. Again, Tsukasa had said— demanded. Again, again, again. Again and again, Rui had acquiesced; the trust in Tsukasa kept him going despite the concern. The need for perfection kept them both going in the end, no matter the human limits placed on them. Tsukasa had been a sweaty mess; grass stains, ruffled hair, and hoarse breathing. But he had caught that phoenix of his, and his spine had been straight in triumph. 

Again, again, again. 

Rui will return to Tsukasa’s side again and again for as long as he’s able, he decides. And the first step is figuring out how this place works. 

Critically, he eyes their tour guide, because he can't fathom why his mind is being filled with nothing but thoughts of Tsukasa. Well— he can, but he’s usually fairly good at compartmentalizing when it comes to Tsukasa. He needs to be, so he can be the director Tsukasa expects him to be. They have their moments together (so many it makes him breathless), and they have their moments filled with nothing but work. Yes, those moments collided—quite often—but the amount of time he was alone is still longer than the amount he’s known Tsukasa for.

What does a fox with eight tails mean? Is it some indicator of how long this Sekai has been around? Eight centuries and another on the way? If not, what sort of deed needs to be done for a ninth to form? He thinks it amusing to have meanings placed on something as impersonal as a number. Eight for luck and prosperity. Eight for victory and overcoming. 

Rui sighs because these endless halls and fluffy tails are no closer to giving him any real answers. 

“That sounded heavy,” Asahina sympathetically laughs— and the sound almost makes his faint uneasiness worse.

“These are heavy times,” he jokes mildly and a tail brushes against his ankle.  

“I suppose they are,” she agrees.

And then—

A bell. In the distance. The three of them pause at the sound, and in his periphery, Rui notices that the other two don't turn in the direction he does (which is another curiosity because it makes him wonder if they even heard the same sound). A snuffle causes him to look down and he watches as the kitsune starts heading towards the nearest left turn; the ears are pinned back, and the head is lowered to keep a wary eye out on their right.

“Heavy times?” Asahina asks quietly as they begin to follow the animal once more. “That sounded like a school bell.”

“Very.” He hums in response. “I guess the question now is, who is going to be getting out of class?”

Asahina tilts her head in the direction of one of the classrooms; the sky outside is still orange. “It’s too late for regular classes to still be in session. Remedial classes? That’s not a good sign as it’s often the studious out this late.”

“How funny.” Rui can’t help but laugh slightly even if he’s not amused. “Studious monsters. They must be watching us very carefully then.” 

“Was it funny?” She asks. “I was simply stating the truth. Isn’t it common for the scarier things to be out at night?”

Ahead of them, the kitsune picks up its speed, head roving side in an attempt to look for something. Each turn is carefully decided on; bringing them either closer or farther from the bell that sounded. Rui doesn’t know where they are going, and if he’s being honest, he hasn’t known for a while. He’s tried coming up with a plan, but it is difficult to do so when he doesn’t have the necessary pieces.

The Singers. Untitled. The owner. Any one of these would be one step closer to figuring out this place. He can’t forget about figuring out a way to return either. If he were able to explore this place and have a safe escape ready to go, there would be no end to the amount of experiments he could come up with. Rui might figure out a bit more about Tsukasa if he had somewhere he could experiment without the silly burdens of morality. It’s not as if he would go out of his way to hurt anyone or anything, but observation counts as its own sort of experiment with yōkai that can act on their own. 

Obviously, this place is made up of feelings. But which ones exactly? He knew Tsukasa’s Sekai had been created from his wish to be a star. His Fragment was probably from his interest in creativity. So what sort of despair can conjure up a place as desolate as this Sekai?

“Asahina-san—” he begins to ask her when the kitsune lets out a too-human sigh. Rui tilts his head, ear alert for any differences. There’s another ringing of a bell; signifying the beginning of a class possibly. And something else. Dragging. Metallic dragging. “Do you hear something?” He asks Asahina. 

“Is it chains?” She asks him hesitantly. “I’ve been hearing it for a while now.” 

“You know, I think you might be right.” He smiles. For a while, he repeats in his head and he wants to sigh. Doppler’s Effect doesn’t exactly work as well when everyone is standing together. “Though, I’ve only just begun hearing them.”

“Are we going to do anything about it?”

“I guess that’s the question isn’t it?” They round another corner and they both pause in surprise. There’s nothing or no one down the hallway. “...Did we take the right hallway?”

“There’s no other hallway,” Asahina tells him bluntly. 

“And that means our so-called guide has disappeared.”

“Seems so.”

“...Want to head towards the bell then?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to head away from the noise?” She sends him an odd look. 

“You would think…” Rui frowns. “But what if we were being led in the opposite direction on purpose?” He’s being genuine here. The kitsune may appear nice, but they are known as tricksters in the mythology for a reason— and this one has eight tails. 

She lets out a breath. “True… To our death then.” Asahina does’t seem very enthused or dis-enthused either way. 

Her loss, Rui shrugs, if she doesn’t want to have some fun with this. 

“Let’s begin with this then,” he smiles. “What directions were you going to go when you heard the bell and which way are you going to go now? In my humble understanding, I am most inclined to be going in this direction…”

“And with this! I seal the contract!” He points dramatically at the smaller being— and seeing one as small as it is so powerful is funny in a way; funny until he remembers the existence of his pink menace of a friend. “Now you must hand over a portion of your magic for me to save my friend!”

“Hmmm…” He hears behind, which causes the frustration to grow further inside him. Konran—hmm… he’s feeling something that isn’t so reliable on the need to have them all together—hasn’t spoken a single word since he started his improv, but he certainly wasn’t keeping his silence. The least he could do is offer some sort of feedback if he’s going to be like this.

Tsukasa didn’t think it would be so difficult to get a read on himself of all people. With only a single audience member it should not be difficult at all to keep a distant eye on him; and gauge the scenes that work. From there, any characters he comes up with could’ve been naturally fleshed out. Except this isn’t going his way at all! The little Len is sitting on the uppermost step—which only brings him to about knee height—with his hat as straight as Tsukasa could get it, and not feeling alive whatsoever. 

Such a dismal performance for Len to be a part of right now. Tsukasa is going to have to try harder to come up with a story that simply fits. One that can bring Len to life—Tsukasa does not mean this literally, and Len had better not take this thought literally either if he can suddenly read minds—and satisfy Konran all at once. And looking at Len now, he can start making out the muddy picture of why this particular scene isn't working…

“Is that the best you can do?” Konran finally calls out, bored. “This is what you get for challenging me with a doll of all things.” He’s sitting on the ground, legs sprawled out haphazardly in front of himself. Grass stains! Tsukasa wants to holler. “I told you that I didn’t think you were going to get very far while talking to a doll,” Konran deadpans. "You couldn't even be bothered to make yourself the protagonist."

Tsukasa would never be caught in such an undignified position. And all of this would definitely be much easier if all he needed to deal with were more plushies.

Alas, Tsukasa isn’t feeling the name very much, but he’ll continue thinking of one to see if it might stick. Chaos and order seemed good in theory if it made him the balance part. Not that he particularly wants them all together in the first place, but he’ll chalk that up to this Sekai recognizing that his star-ness can’t be contained. How expected for even the magical to realize his growing stardom! He can't wait until he can tell the others about this. 

But first—

"I did so!" Tsukasa turns to him in exasperation, giving up on his impromptu show for now. It wasn’t even a bad one; flesh out the story with some other characters and they could have another award-winning show on their hands if he does say so himself. “It's not like I see you coming up with anything. Shouldn’t you be doing your part if you want to be seen? Shirking your work isn’t going to get you very far either. Shows are not meant to be done alone. But here you are without that partner of yours and complaining about my show!” He huffs, "That is not very star-like behavior!"

Konran snickers. “Eh? But you were the one who said the show would be for me. Why should I demean myself so? To help you?” He looks at Tsukasa's feet, slowly dragging his eyes up his form. A tiny smirk forms on his face as he looks away; Tsukasa is clearly being mocked! "Do you really think you would be performing here of all places if you were a star already? Perhaps you simply need to think better."

“But how are you meant to learn, if not by watching others?” Tsukasa retorts. “Do you just assume that you know everything already? Every protagonist has their own origin story where they start.”

“But I do know everything already.” Konran stands from his seated position. He doesn’t bother to wipe off the dirt that must have accumulated on his clothes, and Tsukasa shudders at how the dirt must stand out on the black cloth. With a mischievous grin on his face, he tells Tsukasa, “Why don’t you watch this?”

He turns in a slow circle, his wagasa held parallel to him to hide his upper body. “How is it that only one returns when two leave?” A manifestation says when he faces Tsukasa once more; muscles lose and eyes drained. It’s as though Tsukasa is watching a movie that has the effects of bringing corpses to life. The spirit’s neck falls to the side, and Tsukasa winces as those empty eyes meet his.  

With his free arm, Konran drags his arm up with the weight of the world attempting to keep him rigidly in place. “He killed me and she followed,” he croaks, voice as dry as the dirt underneath them— and there’s a part of Tsukasa that wants to take notes, because anything that Konran can do, he can do. “They married as the water swallowed me whole.”

Tsukasa can’t look away, locked in the hypnotic, dead stare as he is. “The knife went through her fingers,” Konran tells him and only him; a whispered confession. “But it wasn’t my knife, it was his. And you know how I responded?” He leans forward and Tsukasa is compelled to follow, “I laughed. I laughed and laughed and laughed. The sound of her fingers hitting the floor was so funny to me. Heads go splash when they under. It kind of reminded me of when her fingers hit the floor. The splat as her drops of blood fell from the fresh nubs on her hands.”

Konran makes a quick motion, and in the blink of an eye, he’s holding the wagasa upside down behind him as if it were a lance of some sort. Tsukasa flinches when a sudden gust of air rushes past him. He almost expects there to be something coming at him. But, there’s nothing. Did the air forget about the object? Glancing behind him, he sees Len knocked over onto his back.

“Whoops.” Konran grins. “Did I do that? I guess he just couldn’t help it. My performance was simply amazing!” He leans forward to Tsukasa with a hand to his ear. “Go on,” he goads, “I’m waiting for my applause.”

Baffled, Tsukasa leans back with a hesitant golf clap. “You’re going to end it like that?”

“The appropriate audience has finally arrived.” Konran grins, and Tsukasa watches as he braces his knees. With a quick twirl, he pushes the wagasa back with both hands; the air flickers behind him, briefly blue as the outline of a person is pushed back. Sobbing wet pieces of flesh drop from the bones with the splat he thinks Konran was talking about before they flicker out of sight.

Tsukasa trips over his feet in an attempt to scuttle back; once more, he’s on the ground. The steps behind him halt any more progress he wants to make, though it doesn’t appear as though that thing wants to come any closer to him. His eyes water as the scent of something grotesque floods his nostrils. Coughing, he brings his elbow up to cover his face. 

"He doesn't like it when people attempt to show him up in his parts," Konran tells him, now acting as a proper senpai who's ready to share his knowledge; idly cutting the specter Tsukasa can no longer see. "You see, we simply can't help but hate each other on some level. He won't leave me alone and I can't help being better than him." As he finishes his cut, the apparition disappears.

Konran twirls around giddily, arms spread wide. “What more evidence do you need?” He laughs, “Look at what happens to even the greatest actors! They get replaced!”

Tsukasa clenches his fists into the dirt. “You are one of them too. Don’t forget that.” He picks up Len as he rises before brushing the dirt off him, all while keeping his elbow to his face. 

Genbu Asahi. Seiryuin Sakurako. Amami Seiichi. His troupe members. And anyone else better than him. He’s never let that stop him, and he’s never going to. A millimeter of growth each day is all he needs, even if he has to crawl for it. Tsukasa is going to pass them someday. It’s only a matter of time before his phoenix will one day hatch. 

“You wanted to do a show together,” Tsukasa continues. “Fine. On one condition. A change in plans!” He nods definitively. 

“Really? A sudden change in heart!?” Konran beams. “I humbly decline! It’s not ideal to work with a no-name such as yourself. You couldn’t even manage to impress me with the doll as you said you would.”

Tsukasa’s eye twitches in anger. “Stop being so obtuse! Besides, even with your magnificent performance, only one ghost was summoned here.” He can still smell the rotting flesh in the air as he lowers his elbow to point at him viciously. “I would not exactly call that a very large audience, buuuut imagine what we can do with four!” 

Four is a very good number in Tsukasa’s mind. It’s the perfect amount of characters. 

“Four?” Konran scoffs. “Did we suddenly forget how to count? Though, I suppose you do have a point. This place is awfully quiet.” He pauses as he crosses his arms in thought. “Alright! I have a condition of my own.”

“Splendid!” Tsukasa holds out Len. “My condition is that Len will be our fourth member.” It would be like performing with Nenerobo. With less talking. And dancing. And lasers. And just about everything else…

Nenerobo has her own spirit though, and Tsukasa is convinced this Len has his own too (which he had better keep to himself at this point).

“Let’s go collect that wayward triplet of ours then.” Konran turns around to start leading Tsukasa down the stairs. “I’m sure this show will go splendidly with me as the protagonist. You are not allowed to have any other.” 

“I’ll start thinking of a show then,” Tsukasa concedes the part to him easily, arms firmly hugging Len to his chest. 

There’s a fire happening in front of his eyes. Cone shaped. There’s something in the middle. A large stick— a log. Chanting around him confuses his ears with words not heard. The crowd parts— Tsukasa blinks the scary image away, fully convinced this place is starting to mess with his writing process. 

A breeze passes by them, and he hears the ringing of bells. 

“Uhhm Meiko?” Airi calls out, rushing to keep up with Meiko’s mannequin-like steps— which is actually quite a surprise to her. The style of walking didn’t exactly scream speed. 

Meiko whirls around; her torso continues past where her hips stop before it slides back into place with a click. Is Meiko even human? Is that really a question she can ask about a musical tool who also happens to be magical? “How do you know my name?” The distortion is heavy in her voice. “Where did you learn it? How long have you been following me?” She jerks her head around, eyes too slow to keep up which leaves them rolling around. “Was I wrong?” She murmurs to herself, wild eyes glaring distrustfully at Airi. 

There’s a dark lace pattern around her left eye that makes both of them seem so very red. 

She holds her hands up peacefully as she takes a step back. Didn’t Meiko just say to follow her—? “I wasn't following you. I’m just trying to find a way out.”

“A way out?” Meiko repeats, as if the thought had never occurred to her before. The tail of her frock coat falls properly behind her as she settles her legs.

Airi frowns to herself. Are the Singers not allowed to leave their respective Sekai? And even if they were allowed, where would they go? Should she have asked where they went when they spoke about that training trip they went on? It had never occurred to Airi to ask where they might’ve gone. She simply assumed they went somewhere deeper into the Sekai. 

“This Sekai? Or this swamp?” She ventures carefully. “I don’t think I’m supposed to be here.” Being surrounded by the comforting stages and magic-like clothing didn’t even begin to compare to the feeling of this place. Hope is supposed to belong everywhere, but where can she find hope here?

In Meiko? Herself? What good is wandering around in the dark going to do for her?

Meiko blinks at her, before dropping her head to the side as if the bars of her neck holding it up had snapped. “Everyone belongs here.” She glances behind Airi before turning back around to continue her mannequin-like walk. “There are shadows here,” she says, “best not get caught by them.”

“Is that supposed to mean something?” Airi coughs nervously, waiting for Meiko to lead the way, but it only causes Meiko to freeze her unnatural walk the second she steps in front of Airi.

“You are following me,” Meiko accuses, voice overlapping with that of another.

“No?” Airi looks at her in confusion before realizing what she might be speaking about. She is behind Meiko. Jogging, she moves to be in front of her. “Is this better?”

“Is it better? Is it better?” Meiko sings; the sound eerie as she’s always had one of the most robotic voices out of the lot. “It clings to my feet.” 

She bites the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from looking down. Instead, she carefully turns around to see what Meiko might be doing. But, she only restarts her walk, so Airi keeps place beside her. Meiko pauses once more when Airi drops behind her, and she’s even better at not dropping even a step behind Meiko. 

“Do you know where you are going?” Airi asks her. “I haven’t been able to find a way out of here.” There are wisps in her periphery again, but whenever she turns to look at them full she has to wonder if she’s losing her mind in the empty space. 

“Away.” Meiko hums. “Away. Away. Away. From the clinging of my feet.”

It’s a bit harder this time to resist the urge not to look down. Why is it so difficult to not do the things you are told not to do? Don’t be an idol they said, and so Airi went and became an idol. 

“Did you see the… other girl with me?” Airi tries instead. She can still feel that slime under her nails— and she’s still attempting to convince herself that she hadn’t been the one to injure someone like that. “Do you know what she is?”

“A child of the swamp.” Meiko answers promptly. “Sometimes, they like to follow me around too. Be on the lookout for the appearance of those you know. They cling and cling.” 

That would’ve been nice to know earlier, Airi let out a harsh breath, resisting the urge to yank at her hair. “Do you know where she might have gone?”

“Between the trees.” Meiko whispers now, voice rough. “They cackle with the newly born.”

Airi purses her lips. Well, that’s definitely not creepy. 

“When can I stop?” Meiko asks her suddenly. 

“Stop? Like take a break?” Airi repeats. “I mean— you can stop now if you want. There’s nothing wrong with taking a break to rest.”

“No, I can't,” Meiko tells her, another odd distortion covering her voice and making it seem as though she were echoing herself. “Not now, but I wait.”

“...If that’s what you want.” Airi thinks for a moment. “Do you at least know how to get out of this swamp?” Airi asks her, and for a brief moment, those wisps seem a bit brighter. “Out of these shadows?”

“They never leave.” Meiko states the obvious. “Where is there a place without one?”

Airi has to give her this one. It would take many many lights in order to completely annihilate one if she's correct in this way of thinking. “What about a palace with fewer of them then? There’s a town somewhere, do you know the way?”

“I’ve never left this place.” Meiko croons. “Never have and never will.” There’s a small smile on her red lips, stark against the paleness of her skin. Meiko’s never seemed so pale before, and she wonders how long she’s been chased by these shadows if she never gets to see any sun.

“I see…” Airi keeps pace with Meiko. Now what is she supposed to do? Hope that she’ll come across another door to lead to her elsewhere? Those wisps on the side beckon her towards them, and with Meiko’s warning about not trusting the ones she knows, Airi isn’t sure she’s even able to trust her.

Chapter Text

"What is wrong, Miku?" 

She hears his voice behind her. She wants to turn around, look at him, and be completely reassured by his ever-reliable self. Kaito is a safe place; he doesn’t always know everything, but he’s always there. She wonders if he’ll give her his coat again. It’s always so warm. A nice blanket to keep her warm and to block her eyes. The image in front of her is strange. She doesn’t like it, and goosebumps make her itchy. The thought was promptly decided the moment she saw it.

Luka is awake.

Luka is awake.

And even worse— she can't see him. 

He's right there. Right at the corner of her eye. Yet whenever she tries to find him, he vanishes. Miku has already tried looking for him— only to have herself thrown back into their wonderland with a ringing headache. It’s like chasing feathers and having them inch away whenever she reaches her hand out, the stage crew members being a little too good at their job. Pesky flies. 

Pesky, pesky, pesky...

Miku blinks, eyes burning from her game of stare.

Luka is awake, and she can't see him. These thoughts stand out most, like a tiny burnt crust when the rest of the bread is fine. Miku knows the bread is fine, but burnt odors have a way of permeating.

"Miku thinks something," her voice is steady. She carefully watches as Luka tends to the singing flowers, unblinking eyes drinking in the sight, thirsty as the flowers quenching their thirst.

Kaito hums next to her, understanding— because he already knows. After watching over Tsukasa long enough, he picked up the habit of visiting every resident; inside and out. Tsukasa checks on Saki. Kaito checks on them. Tsukasa writes his shows. Miku performs her shows.

Tshukasa is a star, and so is Miku.

…Miku isn’t feeling very shiny right now.

Tsukasa and Rui, because she can't forget that there are others now, are not allowed to have understudies. It’s a new rule, she decides, and they are not allowed to break it. Their futons were empty, but the blankets on top were curiously mused. Someone clearly went to bed and the blankets were never fixed when the occupant performed a scene of disappearance.

Miku hums, satisfied when the flowers all become happy under Luka's gentle hands. "Miku wants to see Tsukasa-kun and Rui-kun!" she declares. She had such a nice morning with Emu and Nene. A large breakfast party with an improv scene about two birds! And the scrambled eggs were so tasty! She runs her tongue over her top teeth, remembering the taste stuck in her molars.

“They do seem to have gone missing,” Kaito agrees. Silly Kaito. He doesn’t need to ask her when he already knows. 

A child's toy can be just as selfish as the owner.

Miku should be the only Miku (other than that original Miku) allowed to see her creator.

"Are you leading me in circles again?!"

Tsukasa doesn’t tear his hair out because of his grip on Len. It's because of Len. 

He's been repeating this mantra for a while now. The temperature of his boiling blood must be astronomical at this point.

"Now why would I do that? We agreed that a show must be performed." Haku pokes Tsukasa on the nose. Condescending! "And to do that, we need a stage silly." Now, he pats him on the head, amusement dripping off his fingers with every pat. "It's okay, I know your stages were usually handed to you. There's nothing wrong with a little hard work here and there. I can slowly explain my idea if you need me to."

Do no words reach the consciousness of his copy?

Are his ears working? Tsukasa has worked plenty to get where he is today and he isn't about to let some no-good copy of him tell him otherwise— it hurt to see Rui's confidence shatter. It hurt to see Nene so lost over her singing. It hurt to see Emu be torn apart by her brothers. And when they eventually go their own ways... Tsukasa will assume that will hurt too.

But to say they haven't worked hard? The accomplishments of WonderlandsXShowtime belong to the group as a whole. Belittling him means they are being belittled, and Tsukasa will simply not stand for it, knowing he wouldn’t have made progress without them.

He takes a deep breath, not wanting to lose his temper completely. Slowing his steps, he glares at Haku. “Don’t talk about what you don’t understand,” he orders, a majesty's grace overlaying his remembrance. “Being a star means to be above such brat-like behavior. And if you can’t learn this simple lesson, you will never be one.”

Rui never did apologize for his words.

Tsukasa never expects him to.

They’ve already settled that. 

Haku pauses ahead of him, and Tsukasa nearly walks into his wagasa. Twisting his torso, Tsukasa stares into familiar amber. Those eyelids curve into something unfamiliar to him before Haku starts snickering. Tsukasa is being too generous with the name, ‘wisdon.’ Haku doesn’t know it, but it would make Tsukasa feel better with something else. Tsukasa shouldn't let him take advantage of his generosity so haphazardly.

“So he does have some backbone to him,” Haku’s words come out garishly high-pitched, like a small dog. “But you forget, my duplicated doppelganger, our devilish contract has already been formed. To break such a bond would call you into question, and I can’t imagine that ending well.” He smirks at him, “For you, of course.”

Foiled! 

Tsukasa frowns as he begins walking again— down is less demanding on his legs, and he feels a burst at the energy he gets to save. If he could, he would like to be separated from Haku for a little bit. 

But he’s currently the only one around who might be able to help. 

But he knows his way around better than Tsukasa does. 

But he might be able to tell Tsukasa more about this place. 

…Tsukasa doesn’t like this, exasperation threatening to break his composure. Not one bit.

“I do hope you’ve been thinking of a show,” Haku continues gleefully. Tsukasa knows shows are important, but he doesn’t think he’s ever been this fervent about them. He does have other responsibilities however lesser they might be.“Do you have any ideas? A few stories of stairs should have been enough for some rough drafts, yes? Though, I suppose it does not matter as long as we have a script before we reach the city.”

“Script?” Tsukasa sends him a skeptical glance. “How exactly am I supposed to write with no utensils?”

Haki points at his head, index finger right at his temple. His movements are jerky, joints underused, and never oiled. “You already have the words. Should there be a difference between thought and paper?”

“Absolutely.”

“Why? The paper has as many revisions as thought does.”

Tsukasa opens his mouth… before he slowly closes it. Other than having a physical place to write and remember his ideas, is there a point to using paper? The material is almost negligible with the right electronic device. Though it is nice being able to simply write something down— 

What is he thinking right now?

Back on track!

“In fact,” Tsukasa declares, outstretching a hand to frame the pagoda in the distance. “I do have an idea forming.”

The idea has been stuck in his head for a while now, and it’s enough to make him wonder if he fell asleep while researching. He can see a procession and a thick crowd whenever he blinks. If he closes his eyes and focuses, he swears he can see snow. A flame from the heat of the crowd warms him as he watches the ashes drift across his vision.

Something to cause a ruckus. Tsukasa can apologize to Miku after he catches her attention and brings her down.

He’s never used a city as a stage before. What would make it so different from a regular theater stage? What sort of obstacles would he need to be on the lookout for? How are the size limitations going to affect everything? How does he best use the sharp corners of buildings and hidden alley-ways?

They need to find Kazuo immediately. 

Tsukasa can’t wait to perform.

“How do you feel about a parade?”

Airi is lucky. She's used to working with a group, so keeping in line with Meiko's awkwardly jointed march is almost pathetically easy. 

Keeping pace with her is an uninteresting challenge. Despite her comments about being followed by something, she's surprisingly unhurried, her pace being that of a light jog. The hardest part is the thick mud. It sticks to the bottom of her shoes and she wonders if she’ll still have her shoes by the time she finds a way out of this place. 

(Which can mean so many things Airi doesn't want to think about. This supposed thing could be slow which would make things better for her if Meiko wasn't on the run. Or, ugh, the thing could appear in an instant as she's coming to learn about this weird place.

She should stop thinking about it. Really.

If she continues to think about it, then she might realize there is no way out of this place.)

In order to keep Meiko moving, Airi has to be right beside her.

Easy.

"There you are!" 

Any thoughts of keeping calm go out with a flicker in the distance. Airi shrieks when arms are wrapped around her waist. Thin and wiry. 

"I've been looking everywhere for you! You ran off you silly boy— hair? Pink hair? Since when do you have pink, long hair?"

Airi doesn't know if her heart is going to be able to handle being here for much longer.

She blinks at the person wrapped around her waist, and teal eyes blink back at her.

"...Rin?"

"Wah!" Rin reels back, and a cloud of dust from the sheer amount of dirt follows her. "The curse knows me!"

"Curse!?" 

Meiko’s staticky humming stops. 

"What did you do with Len?" Rin demands as she catches her feet. Everything about her looks torn. Chunks are missing from her hair, as if bites had been taken out of it, and her dress is more patches than original fabric. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out something white.

Airi tenses when she notices the wicked point. Is that a bone? Where in the world did Rin find such a large thing?!

"This way," Meiko whispers. “This way, this way…” She keeps her back towards them, the frills of her frock coat limp. 

Rin rolls her eyes, her head following the movement. She kicks a foot out at her before refocusing on Airi. She sniffs deeply, face curled into skepticism. "I suppose it wasn't you," she squints her eyes, "but that means he's with another curse. I demand you bring me to him!" She holds her bone knife above her head.

"I can't bring you to him if I don't know where he is!" Airi rushes out as Rin angles that point. "And I don't know how to find him!"

"Why not?"

Airi gestures around her incomprehensively. What does Rin want her to say? She thinks, irritated and scared. Meiko isn’t talking and Rin doesn’t seem like she’s going to give her anything useful soon. The one time she might have found something led to her digging into the eyes of a copy of one of her friends. Something she does not want to repeat anytime soon. 

"Ugh," Rin pushes her away. She's so light, Airi doesn't move an inch. Now that she thinks about it, Airi was more startled at something touching her than being moved. "You're not the one I'm looking for. How come you feel like him anyway?"

"Feel like him?" Airi glances between Rin and Meiko. Maybe, just maybe, one of them might give her a clue to something.

“Lenny.”

“Something.”

"Lenny found a friend." Rin pouts as she glances at Meiko. "And he hasn't been back yet!"

Friends... someone like her? Reluctantly, she offers, "Do you need help?" She wants to curl up in her bed. How long has it been? Too long in her opinion. If Shizuku were here, would she be able to find a way out through her ability to become hopelessly lost?

“I suppose,” Rin bends forward as she inhales. “I guess he found someone who smells like you. And he didn’t tell me he was going to go on an adventure. Hmph!”

Airi cautiously leans away because Rin still has that wicked bone clutched in her hand. It gleams in the fog, a dim lighting emanating from somewhere inside. “Smell?"

"Damp," she supplies unhelpfully. She tilts her hand. "And rotten."

At this point, Airi refuses to raise her arms to validate Rin's words.

"Buuuuut, you found the wandering lady," Rin says with a gesture at Meiko... who is currently walking away from them! "So go find Lenny!"

"Meiko found me!" Airi retorts as she rushes to catch up.

"The something..." Meiko says with a sluggish lilt. Her movements are listless as if the mud had gotten into her joints. "Something is here.” She looks at her, focusing on Airi for the first time, ruby eyes intense. "They're meant to stay in the forest. Do be sure to return them after they've reunited."

“Oh don’t be like that,” Rin skips as she joins them, feet dancing on the mud. “A new friend and we get to look for Lenny? Best day ever!” She clasps her hands over her heart, skirt swishing as she twists her hips gleefully. 

“Is…” Airi frowns, “Is Len meant to be here?” 

“Return them,” Meiko says serenely. She turns, hands at her sides. She blinks— slow. Blinks again. 

She doesn’t reopen her eyes. 

Airi takes a startled step forward and grasps Meiko’s arm. “Meiko?” Unwittingly, a small whimper escapes her throat. 

It’s frustrating. 

She doesn’t know what’s happening, and now something is happening with Meiko. 

Airi doesn’t know what to do.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” Rin cheers. She jogs behind Airi and begins to push her side, but she never gets Airi to budge. “Here we come, Lenny. Ready or not, wherever you are!”

Doors are not meant to be funny. 

They can spin. 

They can slide. 

They can swing. 

Funny is not something a door should ever be when on its own. 

Shizuku focuses on the wall before her, knowing an entrance had once been here. Eyes following the swirls of wood, she looks and looks, only to find more wood. Placing a hand against the wall, she rubs her fingers against the grains, not knowing why she expects something to be different.

It feels cold. 

It makes her want to laugh. 

“Do you think they’re alive?”

“Well, they have to be, right? They jump and wave and everything…”

“But do they eat?”

Exits don't simply disappear, and Shizuku is fairly certain there is supposed to be a door. She remembers walking through the aperture— she had to to be in this room. 

It's one of many things she's been counting on even in a place like this. She is inside a building and buildings are supposed to have windows and doors. Rooms are optional, but she is clearly in one. There are four walls around her, pieces of furniture, and another person.

But—

Spinning on her feet, she relaxes when she spots Kaito's icy figure. At least he didn’t disappear with the door.

"Kaito-san," she begins consideringly. What does she ask him, when he also has his back turned?

"Don't bother," he hums distractedly, back still to her, "because I already warned you."

“Um,” she smiles sheepishly, “well you warned me about not being heard… but I don’t think you ever said anything about disappearing doors?” If this were the manager, she would be able to ask him all sorts of questions. But this is not the manager she knows, and this one leaves her so very confused. 

The question is enough to get him to turn around. (She tries not to be offended when his eyes come down from their rolling.) He looks at her and then the wall behind her.

“What are you talking about?”

“Huh?” Shizuku looks back. Nope. Still no door. How is she supposed to return to looking for Momo and her friends? “How do I leave?” she murmurs worriedly. 

Kaito sighs, eyes like stone, “You can go wherever you want. Follow my words.”

“It doesn’t look like I can—” she frowns. 

Did the person on the bed move? The blanket looks like it’s still in place… She is certain the door is missing, but she can’t allow that to mess her perception too much. 

“I can’t,” Kaito rolls his shoulders back. “I can’t help you. Artificial, remember? But you can leave. Know that you can always leave.”

Shizuku looks around the room helplessly. “But how?” No doors. No windows. His words are comforting, but they make no sense.

He says follow, but he stands still! What is Shizuku supposed to do about that?

(She hopes Shiho isn’t trapped in one of these doorless rooms. It would make things more difficult if she has to look through walls. 

Shizuku is very willing to look through walls, but she wouldn’t know which walls would work and how she would look through them.)

“Just leave,” Kaito looks at her, mournful and distant. She can see his breath whenever he exhales. “Little wraith, it is already too late. You can go wherever.”

“Does something only need food to live?”

“I mean, I guess not, but it would be weird otherwise, wouldn’t it? Miku and the others eat.”

“...But do they need the food?”

“Ha, well I guess we can always ask them. They enjoyed the watermelon we brought in not too long ago.”

“Ahhh, okay then, let’s go ask! Goodbye, little fans! We’ll see you around next time!”

Shizuku shrieks as the cloth rises. She takes a few steps back—

And completely falls through the wall. Kaito and the room disappear between one blink and the next.

There's a dull thud, and the wall behind her vibrates as she falls. Bringing her arms up, she looks at her hands, wondering when the door opened.

She—

Shizuku can still see the wall...

"Ohhh, Onee-san, there you are." Momo blinks up at her when Shizuku turns her head. Beside her is a little boy in a kabuki mask. "We were looking for you!"

"Everyone is going to a gathering, so I thought we could go too! All my friends will be there, so I thought that would be the best place for you to sing!"

Mafuyu wonders if it is better or worse to have a guide. The outcome appears to be the same to her. They have no set destination, and the labyrinthian hallways still confuse them. If it were not for Kamishiro's observation about the deepening claws, Mafuyu would think they are going in circles.

They could still be going in circles anyway. Who's to say that the claws are not deepening every time they pass by?

Mafuyu raises a hand to her ear to tuck back a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail.

How long does it take before prey realizes they have walked into a trap? The claw marks remind her of spider webs. Round and round the claws go, deeper with every step.

"Too bad we're not on a lower floor," Kamishiro murmurs. "I'm almost wondering if we would be allowed to go outside through a window or something."

"You don't want to hurt yourself," Mafuyu cautions with a weary smile. Perhaps the glass might be able to cut through this Sekai. "There's glass almost everywhere."

"All in the name of science," he shrugs before falling silent.

She thinks she still prefers her own Sekai, but the quietness that has fallen over this school is almost peaceful. She wouldn't mind it if they could find a room for her to curl up in. Kamishiro seems to be one who speaks in bursts, but he's only done so after she prompted him. She'll simply not prompt him.

Kamishiro faces her, "Are those chains any louder? I'm afraid I can't hear much at the moment."

Or he can prompt her first.

Mafuyu frowns, "No." She hears their footsteps, the creaks of the boards beneath them, the giggling that never seemed to stop. "Do you have any other ideas? I don't—? Oh?"

"Something wrong?"

"Footsteps?" Mafuyu wonders aloud, tilting her ear in the direction she thinks they're coming from. They catch her attention because there's enough of them to sound like a stampede, the kind where everyone is rushing to leave at the end of the day.

Because the glass is broken, the wood left behind looks like a small pillar. There are countless windows with these small pillars and countless chains wrapped around them. Loop. Then loop and loop. Then loop and loop and loop. 

Should they have followed the direction that fox was going? Should she have followed Kamishiro when he started to walk the opposite way?

Mafuyu doesn’t like hypothetical questions. She never knows the best way to answer them as they never have a definitive answer. 

“Oh!” Kamishiro pauses when they enter a new hallway. “Is that an auditorium? The doors are bigger.”

“And louder,” Mafuyu murmurs, hearing steps and giggles. 

He hums thoughtfully, “Louder means a crowd, no? Think this crowd might have some sort of clue?”

“But—” Mafuyu doesn’t have any words to taste as she begins her protest. This is the part where she has to stop him from making a mistake, right? He begins walking forward anyway heedless of what she might have said. 

Mafuyu never took him to be rude, but she supposes she doesn't know much about him. He strides through the open doors with impressive familiarity— walks through the crowd, heedless of how these faceless bodies move to accommodate him. They don't say anything, so she cautiously follows, daintily following in his footsteps like a cat.

She’s never seen life other than her friends and the singers. These… shadows that whisper beside her, are they like her mother? Will they need to run again?

"I wonder if this place is ever used," he muses, "because the stage looks like it's in fairly decent condition. A bon fire of some sort? I can not tell if they are meant to be props are not. Forever lying in wait, I suppose.”

"What..." Mafuyu glances between him and the crowd. She can hear him and them, and she doesn’t know who to listen to. "What are you talking about? This crowd is clearly waiting for something to happen."

Kamishiro stops abruptly, "Crowd?" Around him, the faceless shadows shift and shift.

The doors burst open and Mafuyu flinches as the air shifts. Her mother? She’s never been outright angry before, but there’s a tension in her veins and she wants to run away from this anger.

Mafuyu doesn’t think it is very healthy to hold onto such anger, especially the small figure who steps through the doors. 

Chapter Text

Shizuku is certain she is dead.

She gapes at her hands; watches as the grains of wood blend in with the creases of her palms, sees the boards split her feet into more pieces than they should be. Running a hand through her hair, she grabs a lock. Rubs her fingers back and forth to feel the thin straws of texture. She tugs on her shirt to feel the thick fabric; presses against her belly and rubs to feel the soft inside. 

It’s the only thing that makes sense to her in this senseless place.

Because isn’t that what Kaito meant when he called her little wraith? Too polite to tell her she’s dead or cruel to let her think she’s still alive. There’s only ever been one Sekai and she’s never seen anyone other than her idol mates. Broken rules for a broken her. Was that a glimpse of the Tsukasa she knew in her past? Because she knows he used to have neater hair. Neat hair for a neat brother, he would claim.

Is that why she’s only seen him? With MORE MORE JUMP as her present, is it too much of a bright spot? Will she only ever continue to see the spots of her past? Will she ever get to see the future she’s working towards? Will she ever learn how she came to be trapped in such a place?

Silly! She can’t go and get ahead of herself now. The goal to spread as much hope as she can with the other can’t be so forgotten about easily. It’s simply— she can’t help but think. 

And thinking is a bad thing to do here because she only gets stuck on Kaito’s words now. Little wraith. Little wraith. Little wraith. Does he know? He has to know what is going on here. If she’s a bit more confident then she can surely find her way back to him. Shizuku would only need to turn around; stick her head back through the wall and see which room he’s standing in. 

Maybe greet the bed-cloaked person from one dead to another. See if the person remembers dying. 

Little wraith. 

“Hey, hey, Onee-san?” Momo hops in front of her, arm raised high as she waves to get her attention. 

Shizuku squeaks, focus breaking. That’s right. She has children around her again. No distractions, she reminds herself. “Yes?” she smiles, practiced. A part of it is genuine though, as the relief can nearly make her float. And because of how adorable Momo is; she stands on her toes whenever she bounces.

“Do you know what song you’re going to sing?” Momo chirps, her voice carrying in these dark hallways. Beside her, the little boy swings their conjoined hands back and forth. 

The boy in the kabuki mask hasn’t introduced himself. Momo had introduced Shizuku to him, but he hasn’t returned a single word to her. Shizuku thinks he might be shy, as he nods along to Momo’s chattering, seemingly able to keep up. It would be cute , she sighs, if she knew anything outside of his appearance. 

“I haven’t thought about it much,” Shizuku admits. She rubs a finger thoughtfully against her cheek, never more aware of the touch. “Is there something in particular you or your friends would like to hear? It might be more fun to sing together.” 

Momo’s show is easy to think about. She didn't used to be one to think about which songs should be sung during a concert, but it’s been something all four of them contribute to now. Many of them flit through her head now, each one more fun than the last. The traditional aesthetic says Momo might be interested in something at a slower pace. Or she might be interested in something else, which is why Shizuku asks.

“I don’t know many songs,” Momo hums before turning to her friend. “Do you know any songs?” When he shakes his head, Momo continues to speak, “Looks like you have to pick one then! Oh, but, can you sing the one we were singing earlier if you sing many? That one was a lot of fun!” 

Shizuku smiles back easily, “Of course!”

Momo tugs on the boy’s arm, “Really? Really? Yaay! It’s going to be so much fun away from the house today!” She blinks earnestly up at Shizuku, “We never leave the house, but when you sang, I thought that everyone needed to hear you!”

“Oh, really?” Shizuku can’t help the laugh that escapes. Such enthusiasm… It really is cute. 

“And, and,” Momo implores, “and can you tell us stories about the outside? You didn’t get to say much. Does your group of people sing with other groups of people? Did you end up finding that star of yours? He was pretty loud, so you must’ve. What are stars like? We never get to see any of them here.”

At the mention of Tsukasa, Shizuku jolts. Oh right… this place is a Sekai. She thinks. She’s not actually dead. Hopefully. Kaito isn’t actually some mortician-reaper. Though she never saw him as an ice-bitten haunt either. 

But isn’t the sight of something new an indicator that she isn’t actually dead?

“Stars are so very bright,” she says after a moment. “They can help take you to so many different places so that you can learn about yourself. Tell you everything you need to hear and more…” Like saying the sketch of a dress is cute even though Shizuku isn’t one for that specific medium. 

“But the important part is that I’ll get to see the sky again.”

“That sounds like a lot of fun doesn’t it?” Momo giggles to her friend. Still silent and looking forward, he nods. “Maybe he’ll be in the crowd here.”

“Here?” Shizuku blinks. She looks around her; takes in the still worn out walls and scratched floors.

Is—

Is this an entirely different building again? Shizuku despairs. She hadn’t been able to find her way in the first two and now she’s in a third? Entirely certain of it, she spins in a quick circle. Looks at the sudden desks strewn all around her. Was there another bridge she missed? Being outside isn’t something she could have missed, surely. 

These are things she shouldn’t have missed. 

Burns are familiar in a way they shouldn’t be. 

He’s seen his fair share; had his own share of first degrees that left his skin crimson and angry as it pulsed under a stream of water. There were a few close calls with some second degrees. Small bubbles that held white blisters that ached for days after he received them. It always took a second to register them. He would stare and stare until the pain hit him with a roaring shock. 

A momentary blip where he forgot about the solder and placed his hand on the wrong location.

Rui always burnt his hands whenever that happened. Yet, he looks at Luka now, and can’t possibly imagine having a burn anywhere else despite the evidence in front of him.

The only reason he can recognize her now is due to the unique shade of lacy pink that is her hair. 

Even if it is not the length he knows.  

“Is that Luka?” Asahina breathes, a touch of horror in her voice. It makes his stomach curdle at it being the most emotion he thinks he’s heard from her. Pain is not supposed to be the way people open up and it leaves him feeling like he stole something from her.

The person who strides through the entry way is certainly Luka. If Luka had been tossed in a fire and doused half-heartedly afterward. Her steps are heavy, thick chains wrapped around her dainty ankles as her bloodied toes step forward. There isn’t a spot on her that hasn’t been dirtied somehow. From her soot filled dress that is more gray than white and her blackened hair burnt to her neck.  

The chains wrapped around her ankles are linked to her wrists and they chime with every movement. A longer strand drags behind her, one the floor with no one to carry it. 

Rui nods minutely, remembering that Asahina asked a question. 

They watch as Luka walks, her gaze resolute on the stage’s pyre. When he was questioning its existence he didn’t think it would be used. But the evidence of its apparent use stretches those blisters on her skin past what must be the point of pain.

“But what could’ve—” Asahina cut herself off. “Is this what someone thinks of her…?”

Rui risks a glance at her frowning face. Is this Sekai’s owner truly in such a bad place?  He returns his attention back to Luka as she stumbles her way forward. She keeps to the middle of the room, as if she is the star attracting the sides. Her head is tilted, a touch too far away for him to make out where she’s looking. 

“The idea with the lighting actually came from you. That show you performed not too long ago? When I was watching I couldn’t look away from them.”

“I see… a special relationship where we inspire each other then.”

With the distraction in front of him, Rui wasn’t prepared for when someone bumped into him. He’s propelled forward, momentum pushing him forward.

“Sorry—” Asahina rasps. “I didn’t mean to— why would you—?”

Who is she talking to? Rui wonders after he regains his footing. Asahina’s shoulder is to him, face turned away. Her hands are tucked in close, shoulders hunched down and hair rocking back and forth.

Asahina is still. Statuesque almost. 

But there is no one else, other than the three of them, is here. 

Her hair rocks. Back and forth.

“Yes, I suppose you can say that. Tsukasa-kun truly is special to know so much. And it’s thanks to you and the others that we can learn even more.”

“Is something wrong?” he jerks toward her, and out of Luka’s path, but he isn’t quick enough. Didn’t know how she got so close.

Luka interlocks her arm around his, and Rui stills at her unsettling warmth. He doesn't know how her injuries work; doesn't know how she's even moving around in the first place. He could swear she was further away from them. "Are you so sure that she'll stick around?" 

She leans her head against his shoulder as if it’s a casual day and they are out for a walk. He attempts to step away, just to look at her face, but she doesn’t budge. 

Rui follows the turn of her head  to Asahina— who stares back at him. She’s glancing back and forth, between him and whatever she is seeing, mouth twisted into uncertainty. Emu wants to help her, and even if she didn’t, Rui wouldn’t be able to make himself leave her. "I don't think there are many other places to go." A lie. He doesn't know how far Sekai can go, the laws of imagination holding them to no bounds.

Luka quickly catches on, always empathetic to a fault. He doesn’t know how she does it. "There are many places to go around here." She eyes him which leaves him wondering how much she can see through the cloudy haze over her eyes. He’s helpless as she jerks him forward, ensnared in the strength of her wiry arms. "I wonder... where will you end up in all of this?"

He frowns, "What do you mean? I'm not planning on staying here." Asahina stumbles toward him when Luka begins to move, steps tiny and uncertain as she clearly thinks about joining them. There is still no one else there, but she moves as if there is, ducking and twirling in her own choreography.

But she mentioned a crowd.

Rui gets the sense that this is only going to get more dangerous. How to get her to stay back? As he approaches the stage, he can see the remnants of past burnings on the wooden floor.  

“Your words certainly are kind, but just about anything can be learned on the internet these days. Though… knowing the kinds of things Tsukasa-kun knows and the way he knows them… it certainly is interesting to think about.”

Luka hums, the most alive he’s seen her looking here already. “Well, we seem to be missing part of the entertainment…” she murmurs. “Buut, want to find out?”

Yes. No. Not right now. Wait a few minutes? Tell me everything you know.

Rui is always so curious. 

“Would you mind waiting at the bottom?” he asks Asahina. “I admit… I do want to learn more.”

The part of her mouth borders on incredulous before it curves into an uncertain smile. “I guess? I’ll be waiting here until you return.”

“Why does this place have gates?” Tsukasa asks the question as he cautiously taps against said gate with the toe of his shoe. 

“Why do houses have doors?” Kenji shrugs noncommittally, as if the answer should be obvious. “Invaders… outsiders… marauders… invaders…”

“You said invaders twice. And are those not synonyms for the same kinds of people!?”

“Did I?” Kenji tilts his wagasa to the side as he glances up at the gates with an undignified yawn. Pieces of wood stabled together with dutiful hammer work. More of a simple fence than a gate really. And Tsukasa is only critical because he’s watched Rui build machines with less materials. 

“Don’t ignore me!” Tsukasa huffs as he follows him through. He squints through the low sun aimed at the entrance, gaze focusing on the tallest building. “Journey to the center of this illustrious town? I assume a main plaza would be there.”

“You would assume correct.”

Tsukasa grins as he lets out a pleased noise. “Of course I did! It’s only natural to assume that there would be—”

Hold on a millisecond. 

Kenji continues on his merry way, not bothering to turn and see the source of Tsukasa’s new confusion.

Tsukasa jerks his head around; the voice came from behind him. Not from the front. There. Beside him. As if he had never left, stands the missing triplet. …Gen, he decides. And the truest indicator that he is standing too far at the end of a scale is how long it takes to come up with the name. Gen stands there, idly running his fingers across the bamboo shaft he holds. 

“Where do you think you’ve been this whole time?” Tsukasa demands as he impatiently taps his foot against the ground, endlessly annoyed. If this guy thinks he can disappear without an explanation and return without said explanation, then he had had better watch out! Tsukasa has been practicing his poses for disapproval. 

(He’s choosing not to think about the fact that he didn’t really notice his disappearance in the first place. It’s not entirely his fault however! That other triplet of his is infuriating.)  

“I don’t know why there is a gate either,” Gen adds, though Tsukasa doesn’t know why. He moved on from that point of discussion right after he crossed the gate. “Oh?” he leans down to get a look at Len in Tsukasa’s arms. “A new friend?”

Troupe… he bites back a sigh.

Tsukasa would take even Nene’s contrariness right now. 

“That is correct.” Tsukasa sniffs, still seething. “A friend, named Len,  you would have met sooner had you stuck around.” Introductions done, he turns to look at his new location.

The amusement that is the Sekai he knows is large and always mostly empty. There are the Virtual Singers and the plushies who take up such little space. So, he doesn’t immediately see anything different with this place.  This doesn’t mean he has to like it though. The unnatural quietness of a town that should be full of people. 

There should at least be noise. Something to indicate that someone lives here. But there isn’t. So he wonders why Kenji is so insistent on performing somewhere without people. Does he plan on irritating everyone he knows by playing the same tricks as before?

He shudders to think of the amount of people without curtains here. There are already so many homes that he can see into without that barrier of privacy. There are some plushies and other knickknacks to partially block his vision, so he supposes he can’t complain too much. 

They should really put up some sort of sign to warn about the construction areas though. Someone could get hurt in those torn down buildings. But other than that, this place seems to be a perfectly normal town to Tsukasa. 

“—Join us.” Kenji is finishing when Tsukasa refocuses on them. 

Biting back a sigh at the two of them, Tsukasa joins them. Such children… not waiting for the ones left behind with their single-tracked minds.

“Sounds fun!” Gen says brightly. “Though…  you have never performed in a show before. Will you be able to remember all your lines when they are finished?”

Kenji coughs harshly. “Don’t say it like that!”

“All those words against my troupe and you haven’t done a single show already?” Tsukasa demands, focusing on the important part. 

“OOOOIIIII!!!! MMMIIIIIIIIIKKKKKUUUUU! SHOW YOURSELF IF YOU ARE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE!!!”

Silence.

“...Do you think she heard?” Kenji breaks the silence.

“She had to have, right?” Gen returns. “With such impressive lungs, I don’t think she would have missed it.”

“I only want to know what’s going on.” Tsukasa tells them, affronted. He feels a little better though. Even graces them with a smile now that his rage has been released to the heavens. For now. “And to know that, I need answers! Being a brat and hiding away isn’t going to help anyone much less her!”

“I suppose if you think of it that way,” Gen lets out a light laugh. 

“I wouldn’t exactly blame her for hiding…” Kenji mutters.

Tsukasa blinks. “Do you think there could be another reason for her hiding?”

“Tsukasa-kun,” the little rabbit says. “You finally found me!”

Kenji pauses from where he was beginning to continue. “A rabbit?”

“Usa-chan!” the honorifics rolls off his tongue unnaturally. He tends to only use it with her. She’s standing on a fence, and he would have walked right past her if she didn’t say anything. Her torn appearance has never looked more in place. 

“Tsukasa-kun,” she says as he and Gen join Kenji. “Why did it take so long for you to find me? Do you know why Tsukasa-kun and Saki-chan never speak to me anymore? Do you think I did something bad?” 

“No! Not at all!” Tsukasa meets her eyes. “You didn’t do anything wrong at all.”

“Then why won’t Tsukasa-kun and Saki-chan talk to me?” Usa wipes at her eyes with her little paws. “ I want to see Tsukasa-kun and Saki-chan again.”

“Oh no,” Kenji hurriedly crosses his arms. “We have better things to do. Don’t get involved in another person’s business now when you have to uphold your end of the bargain we made.”

Gen sends him a look. “You would put yourself above a need for help?”

“Isn’t that how this is supposed to go? Besides, the goal in the first place was to help out this Mike. We can’t help her if we get sidetracked helping everyone we come across.”

“Don’t be rude. That goes doubly so when the person is right in front of you.”

“If a person can’t handle the truth when it is spoken in front of them, then I think that might be something for them to think about.”

“And how would you feel if someone started talking about you, right in front of you?”

Ah… Tsukasa certainly didn’t miss this. 

“It’s this way!”

With Rin’s back to her, Airi wonders if she was ever going the right way in the first place. She’s used to Rin being bouncy— one too many twirls, one too many steps because she can’t contain her excitement. It’s never been a problem before. A chuckled apology. A gentle reminder. And then Rin is back to her bouncy self with her added moves that makes her choreography so her. 

But this mania—

It’s unfamiliar and makes Airi weary. She doesn’t know this Rin. Doesn’t know what she is going to do. Doesn’t know how she relates to all this and how she and Len could be separated so easily.

She was at the Stage first, but Airi can’t exactly see her going very long without Len. Tso halves who shouldn’t be separated.

“Thank you again for helping me carry all these boxes! I know you said I didn’t need to worry about it, but the help is still appreciated.”

“Again, no problem at all!”

“So…” Airi glances around at the same scenery she’s been stuck in. “Where exactly is this way?” Her voice lilts despite her attempts to keep it steady. Without the immediate threat—outside of Rin—her walking is a bit steadier. One of her many variety show stints coming into play. 

“This way to Lenny!” Rin answers promptly. She continues to skip her way forward. “This way smells like the one with Lenny, so Lenny has to be this way.”

Airi can’t help the confused smile. “Ah.” Yes, that makes total sense, she bites her tongue. Instead, she says, “You’re smelling someone with Len? Is that why you found me? Wouldn’t it be easier to find Len himself? I can’t imagine it being very easy to find the people around him instead.”

Rin sends her a scandalized glance, one combined with her snootiest look. It’s the same look her younger sister gives her when she insists she’s right about something. “He has to be this way because the scent coming from you is also coming from this direction.” she squints at the tree line. “...I think.” She slows down her skipping. “But looking for him is cheating because he’s hiding right now. He’s small now.”

“Hide and seek?” Airi raises a brow. A big range for a simple game, no? She shudders to think about there being even smaller creatures to think. Her feet seem to be clear…

“He’s a cheater,” Rin pouts. “He left the bounds and now I have to leave the bounds to look for him. Who did you bring with you? The one that smells like you.”

“I’m not aware of anyone else,” Airi frowns. Thinks of the screaming she might’ve heard. Of the little fan that led her astray. Was it one of the little fans in the first place? 

“But I do have to ask though… what sort of lung capacity do you have? It’s been on my mind since you brought it up.”

“Hmmm, the normal kind? I guess you do get winded easier than I do, but I assumed that was because of our ages. Larger lungs.”

“I… don’t think it works like that.” 

“But you were obviously close.”

“Maybe… but I never saw anyone else. Sorry.”

Rin kicks her foot and sends a small stream of dirt flying. “We were going to go to the fire dance,” she whines with a heavy exhale. “I’m going to have to throw him the fire at this rate! How dare he make us late?”

“...Maybe don’t do that?” 

Yup. Like a spoiled little sister.

“But we were going to be the announcers this time! We never get to be the announcers! Luka said we could be the announcers as long as we showed up on time, and then Lenny decided to ignore the boundary rules!”

Airi reels back, too much information hitting her at once. “Luka?” she focuses on, hearing her heartbeat in her ears. A steady thump in time with her steps. “You can navigate your way to Luka?”

Rin flaps a hand at her, a piece falling loose from the stitches of her dress. “Lenny knows the way,” she sniffles. “But he had to be the one to start the game, and Luka said we would never be announcers if we were late. I’ve been asking Luka if we can be the announcers for forever now and Lenny is ruining everything!”

“Well—” Airi fumbles. She’s used to being the calm person whenever a temper tantrum happened. Ena rarely kept hers together when they were younger, and her younger sister was never too bad. But Rin isn’t a person known for her anger. 

“Which means,” Rin continues with a wobble, “that he has to be the one to go into the fire. Repenting is the whole point of them, so he should repent for making us late, and upsetting Luka.”

Is it too late to return to Meiko? This is escalating to a point Airi doesn’t want to handle. 

“Really? The others never seemed to have that much of a problem.”

“I’m quite sure.” 

She opens her mouth, not even certain about what to say, when a familiar purple flickers in her periphery. Turning towards it, she catches sight of the flame as it disappears in the fog. 

“Are we almost to Len?” her words are cheerfully weak. A rock and a hard place are in front of her. Answers falling into the wrong places with no clues to fix them. She clears her throat as the little flickers from before appear. 

Rin scoffs, heads turned in the same direction when Airi glances down. “You don’t want to go that way. It’s not where Lenny is.” she grins. “There are things,” she sings, “things, things, and more things. Like the kappapapa.”

Oh, so that is what the Haruka look-alike was. Her and her slimy hands and her shredded eye. What sort of person thinks monsters are helpful? Airi supposes the thought of them can be helpful in moderation. Like a child learning not to touch a hot stove. Or overcoming the stereotypical idea of an idol.

And well, she would be more inclined to believe Rin if she didn’t have the grin on her face.