It's been years since STARISH's last tour ended and everyone went their own way. Natsuki Shinomiya went on to write his own music for another year or so. Syo Kurusu went on to act in action and adventure movies. Otoya Ittoki is now the owner of the orphanage that he grew up in and now lives with his brother Cecil Aijima, who has decided to help Otoya with the orphanage. Masato Hijirikawa decided to keep playing piano, and now plays in international competitions still to this day. Ren Jinguji decided to keep modelling until he got sick of it without a definite time frame in mind. Haruka Nanami still composes music for the new artists that graduate from Shining, refusing to leaving the company that has made her so happy and fulfilled her lifelong dream. As for Quartet Night, they split up and decided to go their own ways as well after their goodbye tour the following year.
As for himself, Tokiya had decided to stay with Shining Agency for one last album and tour before leaving the music industry. In fact, today is his very last day at the agency. His goodbye tour had just ended a month ago, and he just got out of a meeting that finalized his plan to retire. It felt odd to say that he was no longer in the music industry after practically being born into it. He finds it bittersweet as he walks out of the Master Class dorms and stares at the Shining Records sign. There are many memories tied to this one place that makes saying goodbye difficult.
The gates leading up to the building open and the paparazzi come flooding in behind the car meant to pick him up. It doesn't take long before photos are being taken from all directions around him. He smiles as he finds a familiar face in the crowd of cameras and microphones.
"Tokiya! Now that you've decided to officially retire, what do you plan on doing now?" Tomochika Shibuya smiles at him and throws the microphone in his direction.
He had forgotten that Haruka's friend Tomochika went on to be the big name of news on celebrities. She's a full-time reporter that covers everything big in the show business industry. An interview with her always received millions of views as they became known to be very important. There was never a question she missed to ask.
Tokiya walks up to her and leans into the microphone. "I'm happy to say that for once I don't know. When the time comes for me to decide then I will. As for now, I'm going to lay low and enjoy life."
"Thank you, Mr. Ichinose!" She winks as he steps back and get into the car waiting for him.
As soon as the car drives away and silence finally engulfs him, Tokiya releases a breath he had forgotten that he was holding. He hopes that he never forgets what happened in the many years that he was with Shining Agency, and that the others keep remembering just how amazing their lives came to be through music.
You would think that being a part of a group for so long would mean that they would stay close with each other. Unfortunately, it doesn't. Once everyone split their own ways and found new jobs, almost all of them stopped talking with each other. As of right now, the only one who Tokiya actually interacted with was Masato, whom he was to meet in twenty minutes for coffee. The two of them were always close once they discovered they had many similar hobbies. Even when they didn't enjoy something of the other, they learned that differences between them were best. They always had at least one or two projects together a year as well. It helped their friendship grow.
The chime of his ringtone goes off, signalling to him that he's received a text message. Tokiya digs through the pocket of his trench coat and pulls out the device once he's located it.
Are we still meeting up at the designated time? I saw on the news that you were just leaving now.
Tokiya smiles at the message and sends a quick response back to Masato to confirm their meeting. Not too long after does he get a positive reply from Masato, saying that he's just made it to the café and will reserve a table for the two of them. They picked a smaller café on the outskirts of Tokyo that wouldn't gain them too much attention if they walked in.
It only takes another ten minutes or so before Tokiya's driver pulls up around the corner of where the café is and opens the door for him. Tokiya nods in appreciation and steps out of vehicle.
"When should we pick you up?"
"I will call when we are done. Thank you." Tokiya bows his head and takes off down the street.
The bell sitting atop the door rings as Tokiya enters the small coffee shop. Before he even has the chance to look around for his friend, he's called from the back of shop.
"Ichinose." Masato has glanced up from the book he was reading and is now smiling warmly at Tokiya.
Tokiya makes his way over to the table and sits down across from his friend. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Hijirikawa."
Masato shakes his head, the smile still gracing his features. "No need for formalities, Tokiya. The pleasure is all mine. How have you been?"
Tokiya returns the smile in earnest. "It's been hard to tell."
"Hard? How so, if you don't mind me asking." Masato sets aside his book off to the right of himself and folds his hands on the table.
"I feel lighter with the new change, yet it is also bittersweet." He decides that telling Masato would be the best idea. "Leaving after so long... it doesn't sit easy with me."
Masato nods his head in understanding. "I felt the same way when I left. I was surprised when you said that you were staying on for the next few years after almost all of us had decided otherwise. Is Shinomiya still there?"
"I believe so. I haven't seen him in a while, but the last time we talked, he kept mentioning how much he enjoyed performing still. He seems happy where he is still." Tokiya shrugs out of his jacket, and lets it hang from the back of his seat.
"I would believe it if Shining managed to rope him for many more albums to come. After the success of your last album, I was sure that he was going to do the same for you."
Tokiya laughs lightheartedly. "He did spend more time in the meeting trying to convince me to stay than actually negotiating terms with me. I knew that it was time to leave, though. It's been far too long since I last lived a normal life. I think that being at the age that I am at, I don't need the chaos of trying to leave my house quietly for a project anymore."
Masato shares in his laughter. "I will warn you that it doesn't go away easily. It still occurs every now and then. You may have to deal with it far longer than I had to. I didn't just sell out ten stadiums and release a three time platinum album less than a year ago."
A waitress comes over to their table and takes a quick drink order from them before their start up their conversation again.
"How old is Mai now? The last time I saw her was when she was barely turning ten."
Masato looks at him incredulously. "Was that the last time you visited? She's a teenager now, and she's already looking at universities to apply to. She mentioned Saotome Academy once to look into maybe being a composer. Our father shot her down quickly, but I told her to do what she wants. She keeps asking for hints on the entrance exam."
Tokiya grins at him. "Did you tell her anything about the exam?"
"What is there to tell? Not everyone passes the exam because they did well on it. It's about talent and if Shining sees anything in you to say the least. Besides telling her to study theory and do what she loves, there is no other advice I can give her." Masato pauses briefly before suddenly remembering something. "Although, you never had to take the exam did you?"
Tokiya sighs. The first year at the academy was the toughest time he ever had to endure. There was too much uncertainty within him, and his time was always split between hundreds of things. Thinking straight wasn't possible. "You are correct. I didn't have to take it. The most I had to do was sing for Shining, and he gave me an offer that I felt I needed to accept at the time. I was always thinking too hard back then and felt that everything I did needed to be perfect." Tokiya shakes his head at his past self. So much has changed within him this past decade.
"The year or two after STARISH joined the Master Class was when you seemed to be more at ease, even when you were facing difficulty. You always handled stress better than us after we all graduated from Shining Academy."
Tokiya wants to laugh at that thought. Masato seems confused by the mirth settling into his features. "I always took on too much without telling anyone. I'd say that after graduating is when I became even more stressed. I got sick very easily because of staying up so late worrying that feeling ill became normal."
Masato seems shocked at the news. "How interesting. Was that why we always found you walking around the gardens? I thought it was because you didn't like sitting still. I never associated you with that kind of stress all the time."
"I was always walking around for a few reasons. I would either be visiting the infirmary, Shining's office to discuss matters, or simply walking to clear my head. The one time I told any of you anything was when I claimed to be leaving Shining if no one adjusted their ways. That's the only real memory I have of lashing out at anyone."
"That's the only time I can remember as well." Masato frowns. "You should've mentioned it to any of us if you were going through that."
Tokiya waves his hand to dismiss the statement. "No need to dwell in the past. It's trivial to worry over now after so many years have already past. Do not worry. I quickly learned that everything was alright when all of us banded together. It took time to realize I wasn't alone, but it did happen eventually."
Masato relaxes into his chair. "That's good to hear at the very least."
The waitress then arrives with their coffee orders and sets the cups in front of them before leaving.
"That reminds me. How have you been fairing? I've heard a lot of news centered around your upcoming recital. When is it?"
Masato lifts his mug up to his lips and takes a sip before placing the cup down and answering him. "Life has been a lot calmer and at my own pace. The recital is scheduled for three days after Jinguji's wedding, and I do plan on going. I am hoping that it doesn't get pushed back a day or so."
Tokiya had lifted his cup up to his lips but pauses when he hears Ren's name being mentioned in association with a wedding. He hadn't heard of such a thing. "Wedding?" The words come out angrier than he meant them to. He's not angry, but he hadn't expected such news. Sure, they were older now and news of one of them getting married shouldn't be as surprising to him as it is. As much as he knows, no one even had anyone around recently. There hasn't been any news on anything of them even being engaged. To suddenly hear that the playboy of them all is getting married is just... well, it's strange. He feels very conflicted.
"You haven't heard already? Did you receive an invitation to it in the mail? I can't imagine that Ren would leave you out over the rest of us. He did invite me after all. When I got the invitation, I sent him a message to ask if he was threatened to send it." Masato grins at the memory.
Ren always teased Tokiya. Tokiya was almost positive that it was his favorite pasttime. Whenever he left his room for the morning, Ren was always in the common lounge ready to quick comment at him already that day. Maybe it was because Tokiya hadn't endured it for as long as Masato, so Ren knew that he was a newer target. Perhaps it was also because he didn't respond to it with an argumentative comment that Ren continued to pick on him with over the top and flirtatious comments and pickup lines. Tokiya blushed too easily as well. It was his other downfall and made him more interesting to Ren.
"I haven't been home in over a month. I've been staying at the Master Course dorms since I returned from the tour, so I could decide in peace what I wanted rather than being bombarded in my home by paparazzi." Good thing he planned on going home right after catching up with Masato.
"Ah, that would be why then. From what I'm guessing, he's sent one out to everyone from Shining Agency. A lot of big name companies are going to be representated as well. It feels more like a business trip than a celebration already. I wonder how he feels about the guest list."
"I didn't know he was with anyone." Tokiya's throat feels dry all of a sudden.
"Mm. Do you remember the actress he dated once a long time ago? It was before Aijima came around and joined us. About the time before we starting getting bigger projects to work on? It was quite a while ago, so I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't remember."
Of course Tokiya remembers. He also remembers when they held small meetings for the group without him to discuss just how horrible she was and how to get rid of her. She imposed on STARISH's work, tried to steal Haruka's compositions, and tried to steal Ren away from the group as a whole. She was horrible to every one of them whenever she saw them individually. They knew she was going to try and create a scandal that would tarnish STARISH's reputation before they even had a chance to make a name for themselves. It was why they then cornered Ren and talked the matter out with him. It took more than their words to make him realize. She was caught redhanded by him when she paused to say a few terrible words to Haruka about how she was the reason Ren wasn't giving his work one hundred percent of his attention. That was an eyeopener for Ren and made him change his mind about her quickly.
And now Seira Hoshikage was back and they were going to get married. How could that have possibly come about?
"I remember her well." His tone turns icy as he talks about the one person he's ever truly hated.
Masato even flinches a bit at his words. "I shouldn't have doubted otherwise. I think we all remember well. I didn't know that they had gotten together either. The invitation came as a surprise to me as well."
Tokiya sets down his cup before he ends up accidentally shattering it. "Do you think he's happy?"
Masato looks as though he wants to answer his question but is holding back his words. "I cannot say for sure, but marriage is a commitment. If he didn't like her then why would he choose to marry her? That wouldn't be like him at all if he went through with it and held hatred in his heart. He's become a lot truer to himself over the years."
Tokiya nods, unsure of what to really say anymore. It's frustrating to know that he's probably going to be stuck with this new information in his mind for a while. "When is the date?"
"He wanted to host a bachelor party with us next week. The wedding is to be in a month."
"All of us?" Tokiya quirks a brow. They haven't all been in the same room together in who knows how many years. Why all of a sudden does he want all of them in the same room again? "How odd."
"I agree. I couldn't find reason for it either. I didn't dare ask why, although now I feel like I should've. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who finds it interesting."
"There's no point in asking at such a time. We'll just have to find out when it gets closer." Although he's not exactly sure if he wants to go to begin with now that he knows who the bride is. Would he have gone if it was anyone else?
"You are right. Let's not dwell on it."
Masato tries his best to keep the rest of the conversation light, but Tokiya's mood has soured greatly. After about another thirty minutes of trying to pretend they never talked about Ren, Tokiya gives up and bids his farewell to Masato. He feels awful for having to depart over such a small thing, but it somehow hurts him to think of Ren marrying someone so horrible. Time can change a person, but not every is quick to change. After he calls his chauffeur to pick him up and steps into the car, he immediately begins looking up news on Seira Hoshikage and Ren to find when exactly they started dating again. He soon finds himself looking for news on any scandals that she's been involved in before she started dating Ren.
He hardly notices that they've made it back to his house. Quickly, he thanks his driver and rushes to get inside his house, visibly worn out from the events of today. Tokiya shrugs his coat off and hangs it on one of the hooks on the wall by the genkan. Slipping his shoes off at the entrance and locking the door behind him, Tokiya wants nothing more than to climb the stairs up to his bedroom and sleep. Knowing all too well that it's too early to nap, he in turn walks up the glass steps and takes a left to enter the living and kitchen space. He's come up with the plan to reheat the food he made last night and make his way upstairs to his favorite of the two office spaces he owns.
He's thrown the food into the microwave and turns around when he notices the stack of mail on his counter. He forgot that he's sent a housekeeper to care for the place while he was gone on tour. His coversation with Masato lingers in his mind as the mail reminds him of the invitation that was probably sent to him. Sure enough, in the pile underneath letters for bills, credit cards, and other documents that need to be prioritized falls the invitation Masato told him about.
Tokiya's name is scrawled in fancy lettering on the front written in someone's penmanship rather than printed. On the outside, the letter is ivory with golden flowers adorning the edges with a gold string wrapped around it. He flips it around to where there's a golden wax seal imprinted on the flap with an R and an S. The anger boils in him already as he tears open the envelope. As he pulls out the card inside, golden glitter falls out as well. Inside of the envelope, it seems that they've stuck glitter into the bottom, so that it would create a mess for whoever opens it. Somehow Tokiya isn't too surprised that there's some kind of joke to the letter.
Shaking his head, he stares at the card in his hand. Matching the envelope it came in, there's an ivory card with golden flowers that adorn the edges and flow into the background of the script on the card. Ren's name is below Seira's in the same font as his name on the front. Did he try to imitate the script to make it seem more formal, or did someone do it for them? It's a useless question that's very irrelevant, but still makes him wonder. The idea of Ren sitting in a chair trying to write this as neat as possible almost brings a smile to his face. Only he can't smile knowing that he's trying so hard for his own wedding invitation.
It's as Masato said earlier, though. The date is in bold rather than the fancy script to highlight its importance next to the place it will be held. Almost a month to the day, Ren will be married off to this woman in the country he's always loved - Italy.
It's quite foolish of him to be thinking so hard about something that shouldn't matter to him. Ren is living his life more than he himself is right now. To judge him for making decisions that most likely make him happy as an adult would be ridiculous. They may have been close before, but they aren't anymore. He needs to remind himself that they live separate lives now.
He's about to toss the card off to the side when he notices a smaller black card still sitting in the envelope. On it is the exact same golden script that's on the wedding invitation. The only difference with this card is that it's not for the wedding, but for Ren's bachelor party. On the bottom of the card, he notices smaller print that seems to be written with a golden gel pen or Sharpie. All the tiny note says is "I hope you can make it". That's it, but it's definitely in Ren's horrible handwriting.
It was the only leverage he held over Ren whenever the other insulted him during their days of rehearsing the music. Whenever they wrote in tiny notes on the scores Haruka gave them, Ren's notes would always be the worst to look at. Even Otoya's "fun" way of writing - that's what he called it - was more legible than Ren's. Tokiya's and Masato's handwriting styles were considered the best out of the group. Tokiya's was much more precise while Masato's were brief but spoke volumes.
To see his handwriting again after so long brings a sadder and more gentle smile to his lips. This is definitely the Ren he knew, yet something in him has also changed for sure. As for what exactly that is, he doesn't know. He's not too sure if he wants to find out either.
The microwave comes to life, reminding Tokiya of the meal he had left in it. Quickly, he opens the microwave and takes the dish out. Grabbing the letters with his other free hand, and a fork, he makes his way up more of the glass stairs to the third floor. Taking a right down the rather narrow hallway, he enters the second room off to the left of it. The first office space he owns is filled with scripts from every movie and TV series he's ever starred in and every score he's had to play or sing. It's one of his favorite rooms to enter.
The second room - the one that he's just entered - holds every important date he's had to accommodate in his lifetime as well as every book he's ever bought. The walls are lined with shelving. Even the smaller loft that's been built above the entrance to the room has been made into a reading space with more shelving for books. The loft also leads into the loft that's set up above the entrance to the other office space. It makes it easy to flip back and forth if he's simply reading and examining scores rather than sitting at the desk on the main floor of the room and having to move everything he's working on.
Another lovely touch he's enjoyed adding to the spaces are the sliding glass doors that lead to a small balcony on the farthest wall of the room. It lets natural light in rather having to strain his eyes under lamps and overhead lights.
He places his dinner on the desk and stabs the fork into it before he sets the invitations down on his desk. More of the glitter falls from the envelope creating a mess in another room now. Annoyed, he throws his angry thoughts at a not-so-innocent Ren, who he's sure knows exactly what he's done. Tokiya should almost applaud him for managing to annoy him from across the World. Ren's always had a talent for doing that.
He scrapes the glitter off his desk and into the palm of his hand where he then dumps it back into the envelope. He can't find it in himself to throw it out despite how much he wants to. He puts the two cards back into the envelope and places it carefully into the letter organizer he's set up on the corner of his desk. He sits down and finally begins eating. It's only until he's doing that he realizes he hasn't eaten all day. The food is nearly gone within moments, and only when he's nearly done does he get up to grab a favorite book of his.
He's hoping that the book can distract himself, but he can't seem to focus on the words in front of him. Frustrated, Tokiya closes the book and stands up to walk out onto the balcony. There isn't much of a view from where he stands, but enjoys the gentle breeze that blows his bangs out of his eyes. It's relaxing. For the first time all day, he's able to forget about his frustrations and worries. He's able to ground himself more to the reality he lives in.
The sun begins to set behind the apartment buildings off in the distance, turning the sky into a mix of dark blues and purples and bright reds and oranges. Coming up with a better idea, Tokiya rushes back inside and grabs a pencil and a blank notepad from the top drawer of his desk. He bursts back out onto the balcony and begins sketching the night sky.
Drawing has been a favorite pasttime for a while, but only came into bloom back when he first entered the Master Dorms with the rest of STARISH. That's when he began taking lessons in his free time and tried to perfect the craft whenever he had a chance. Before, his drawings used to be horrible scribbles that hardly ever took the shape of what he wanted. Now he was decent enough to sketch a photo and have it look pretty accurate to the scene in front of him. Once he moved from Fukuoka to Shibuya, his drawings became more related to the scenery rather than of animals or whatever someone asked him to draw. He never released any of his drawings except for the few Shining wanted for promotion of music that was soon to come. That was it, though, and Tokiya didn't mind.
Drawing became more personal to him, much like his music did.
After the sun had set and he could no longer see the page he was working on, Tokiya walks back inside and slides the door shut for the night. Deciding to take care of the mess he's made tomorrow, he closes the notepad he was working on and slides it back into the drawer it came from. Without tending to anymore of the space, he exits the room and heads back down the hallway he originally came from.
At the other end of the hallway is the master bedroom. The room itself is very open with the bed facing a wall of windows that takes place to his right. Directly across from him are the majority of his closests and drawers that hold all his clothing and few accessories. Off to the side of where the bed sits to his left are open entrances to the private bathroom. It's very narrow with a vanity that lines the left side wall of the bathroom space. The back is taken over by glass doors to the jacuzzi tub and shower. The right side wall is where the sink sits. Across from the shower and behind the wall of where the bed is lies more closet space that Tokiya uses for necessities meant for showering.
It is easy to tell that the house is meant for one person, maybe two. The third floor is the smallest, but it's the one part of the house that he can enjoy his privacy the most. There are higher walls placed outside his complex, making it difficult for anyone trying to sneak a peek at his every day life. That was the one point of the architecture that really sold him on the property as well as the fact that it seemed to be built for one person despite the many accommodies for three people.
Tokiya unbuttons his dress shirt and tosses it to the ground. He opens the closet he knows that holds his nightwear and pulls out a loose shirt and bottoms. He slides the shirt on and unbuckles his pants to slip into the bottoms. Peeling back the black sheets, Tokiya settles in for the night deciding that today's worries should be saved for tomorrow. It doesn't take long before he slips into a dreamless sleep.
.
. . .
.
He forgot to close the blinds last night.
It's his first thought of the day as the sunlit sky blinds him. His second thought is him wondering why he can hear knocking at his door all the way from the third floor that he's on. Groaning, Tokiya forces himself to sit up on his bed and slide off. It's not the most graceful movement, but has there ever been anyone who's ready to wake up every morning? He certainly isn't today. There's too much to think about, and even more that he doesn't want to. Whoever is knocking on his door has resulting to screaming his name, and only adding to his refusal to get up.
He rifles through his closet quickly and gets changed into a neatly pressed dress shirt and a nice pair of casual jeans that he owns. He then makes his way to the office space he stayed in briefly last night and grabs his dishes from dinner. Carefully, he makes his way downstairs to the kitchen and tosses the dishes in the sink to deal with later.
Whoever is at his door is driving him insane. Now there's knocking and taunts coming from the other side. However, he does know that whoever it is has to be someone important if they know the passcode to get into his gate. Tokiya walks over to the front door and unlocks it to open it. He's surprised to see who his wakeup call is from.
"Kotobuki?"
"Tada! Did you know it was me? Could you tell, Tokki?" Reiji's standing outside his door with a bouquet of flowers cradled in his arms. "I knew you had to be here." He seems too proud of himself for knowing that.
"Ah, well yes. It is my home after all. How did you-" Tokiya's about to ask why he of all people has the code to his gate when Reiji brushes past him to enter his home.
It's been roughly three years since he's seen any of the members of Quartet Night. Ai left the band and decided to open his own software company, which had turned into a huge success. Ranmaru wanted to keep playing music, so he made up a smaller rock band that only played local shows. It was only for fun, he said. Nothing more. Camus flew back to the Kingdom of Permafrost to serve the Silk Queen. There has yet to be anyone who actually believes that story and the existence of such a place. Cecil does, but that's about it.
As for Reiji, well Tokiya was almost one hundred percent positive that he flew off to California. Reiji always enjoyed the sun, so it made sense for him to live in the sunniest place in the world. Everyone agreed that it was the perfect place for him to live. Reiji also said it was to live his life without any regrets, and something about moving such a distance away did that for him.
Now here he was, walking around Tokiya's house making comments on his living space.
"It's sort of cramped here, isn't it? Whoever your dating must hate it here."
Tokiya scoffs at him. "I'm not with anyone. Kotobuki, why are-"
"What? How's that possible? You are a stick-in-the-mud but still! It's weird that Ren's settling down before any of you. I thought maybe Otoyan at least would beat all of you to it. That's really funny!" For emphasis on his words, Reiji bursts into laughter as he collapses on the couch in the room that overlooks the pool on the other side of the glass wall.
"Reiji, why are you here?" Tokiya folds his arms over his chest after locking the front door and entering the room Reiji is in. "I thought you were in California."
"Oh, I'm still here."
Tokiya refuses to actually comment on that.
"I heard the news that you left showbiz, so I thought I'd pay you a visit." Reiji lifts the flowers in his arms up and waves them around, scattering a few petals all over the couch. The very white couch, Tokiya adds bitterly.
"That can't be the only reason why you flew across the world. Ren's wedding will be in Italy, not here in Japan. What's the point of being here?" His words are harsh, but he can't figure out why Reiji would go through so much trouble. He's also a little annoyed that he's the second person to bring up Ren's wedding to him.
"I'm going to visit Otoyan as well! I decided to stop by here first, though. The news of your leaving has everyone upset! They keep calling you the Golden Child of showbiz. Even people in Cali know who you are. I couldn't believe it either when I heard the news." Reiji then smiles slyly at him. "Plus I heard Ren's bachelor party was going to be held here, and I wanted to crash it."
Tokiya sighs in disappointment. He's only just met up with him again after so long, and he's already sick of talking to him. "I decided I needed to slow my life down. The chaos of waking up to hundreds of upcoming projects was beginning to exhaust me. I've been in the business for far too long. I can see why the other's left before me." Tokiya walks over and takes the flowers from Reiji before he starts throwing them around the room. "You plan on crashing it? How well do you think he's going to take that if you suddenly show up uninvited."
"Ren-Ren always had a soft spot for me. He joined me in a few of my pranks before, remember?"
Another set of memories Tokiya doubts he could forget from his time in the Master Course. "Of course I do. Although, I'm not sure Ren is quite the same as he was."
"Hm? Why do you say that?" Reiji leans his head against the back of the couch, watching as Tokiya pulls a vase out from one of the many cabinets above the kitchen sink and fills it with water for the flowers.
Tokiya sighs again, but quietly enough that Reiji can't hear him. How can he explain it? It's not that he knows for sure himself yet, but it's merely an observation he's made through the gestures Ren has made to them so far individually. "I'm not sure."
"Then you can't say he won't appreciate it! I bet he would! After all, he did send me an invite to the wedding. How do you feel about it?"
Tokiya takes the wrapping off from around the flowers and sets them in the vase, adding the food for them right after. He carries the vase over to his dining table set up before the kitchen area and places it down in the center of the table. If he's being honest with himself, then clearly he doesn't like the idea of the wedding. Other than the bride, he can't distinguish the other reason for caring as much as he apparently does. His brows furrow as he tries to figure out what exactly that feeling is.
"I knew you wouldn't like it." Reiji grins again at him, enjoying himself a little too much.
Tokiya quickly flashes his eyes over at his guest, confused as to why he thinks he wouldn't known that. "And why's that?"
Reiji's jaw drops in what seems like fake shock. "You're telling me you never figured it out for yourself how you feel?" He begins shaking his head. "I'm very disappointed in you, Tokki. I had higher hopes for you."
Tokiya cocks one of his brows up. "I should be the one disappointed in you for wanting to crash a formal event."
Reiji snorts. "A bachelor party isn't meant to be formal. It's a boring party if so. Hey, don't change the subject!"
Tokiya ignore him and enters the living room to sit down at the table next to the couch where Reiji is. "I'm simply stating the facts given to me."
"Tokki, do you still not understand how you feel? I'm pretty sure the others do, so I can't imagine that you don't see it."
Tokiya begins tapping his finger impatiently against the tabletop. "I'm not quite sure what you're going on about. I understand how I feel perfectly fine." Hasn't he already spoken his distaste for the wedding? What more could Reiji want from him?
"Clearly not. I can't say I'm surprised, though. Must've been hard to ignore how you feel for the sake of your job. That's probably why everyone split up rather than keep going."
Tokiya keeps his gaze locked on Reiji's. "What are you talking about?"
Reiji frowns at him. "C'mon, Tokki. Are you really this blind? Everyone left because they got tired of being restrained by the rule for so long. Everyone was following the path that Shining opened for them rather than what they did for themselves. Even Otoyan explained to me that he had enough. That's what happens when you grow older. You start to realize what you want. I'm sad that you haven't figured it out yet."
"Can you state what you are getting at plainly?" He's annoyed now at Reiji's cryptic words. He already knew about the rule. Everyone in STARISH did. The no love rule made them all feel restrained, but none of them seemed to care for it anyway. How come all of a sudden Reiji is making it seem like the real reason everyone left. That leaving meant to get as far away from being restrained as possible.
"Tokiya, they all found what that kind of love meant to them. Otoya's is the orphanage and being with Cecil, who he figured out was his brother. Masato's was and always will be playing the piano. Ren decided that modelling was where he's the happiest. Syo's is the acting in action and adventure movies for as long as possible. Natsuki kept going with music because it made him and the people who listened to his songs happy. As for you... well, you don't seem to have found it yet."
Reiji's more serious tone and lack of nicknames keeps Tokiya's attention as he speaks. He doesn't look away once. Despite that, he already knew all of things he's talking about. "I knew that."
"Do you understand it the way they do, though?" Reiji stands up from the couch and walks over to Tokiya, leaning over him with that same serious expression. "What makes you truly the happiest? Clearly it wasn't singing for as long as you could, so what is it? Have you found it?"
He can't say that he has. When he thinks of happiness and all the times he's felt that way, he thinks back to the days when all of them were together. Of course, there was always yelling, fighting, or some kind of mess to clean up after, but it was genuinely what made him happy. When everyone left, he spent more time alone than he realized he liked. It was hard to wake up every day and deal with everything on his own. Despite that, he kept singing because he was sure that it was the glue that kept himself together. To hear it stated so calmly in front of him that it was a lie to himself... Tokiya isn't sure how to react.
"I think this is what you needed to hear even if it's a little late." Reiji pulls away from him, immediately changing his mood. "I'm going to visit Otoyan now. If you want to tag along you can!"
Tokiya thinks over this option. He almost feels like he should before the bachelor party - if he decides to go at all or not - but it could be a very awkward meeting. He's not sure if he's ready to face the rest of STARISH quite yet. Then again... "I will join you if you let me."
Reiji nods in approval. "Sure, Tokki! You can always grab a ride with me!"
Tokiya never wants to take him up on that offer. "Let me change properly for an outing." He can feel Reiji's need to laugh at him as he turns his back to walk up the stairs to his room.
"I'll be exploring your house!"
Tokiya rolls his eyes.
.
. . .
.
Tokiya releases his breath finally as Reiji parks the car outside Otoya's orphanage. He's been in his car before when Reiji was driving, but he's forgotten how fast the other likes to go. Unbuckling his seatbelt, Tokiya then opens the door and slides out as Reiji parks the car.
The orphanage is almost exactly as Tokiya remembers it to be, hitting him hard with nostalgia. The walls are still a light beige color with salmon colored trim. The windows are still decorated with paper cutouts to match the season, so as of right now they are decorated with flowers, clouds, and different animals. Everything about it reminds him of Otoya.
"Are you hesitating, Tokki?" Reiji scares him as he throws his arm around his shoulders. "You're still so sensitive!" Reiji bursts into laughter, quickly removing his arm to clutch his stomach.
Tokiya sighs for what feels like the hundredth time and starts walking towards the entrance. Only the doors swing open before he can even reach them.
"Catch me if you can!" In a burst of excitement, Otoya comes running out of the doors and crashes into Tokiya.
Luckily, Tokiya manages to ground his footing and catches the both of them from falling.
The confusion is clear on Otoya's face as he pulls away in a hurry and begins apologizing right away before even looking up. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were coming to pick up your kid early! I'll be more careful next time!" His words are in a flurry.
Reiji can't keep himself from laughing at the mention of Tokiya even having a kid, and it takes every ounce of Tokiya's control not to turn around and punch him. A vein pops on his forehead as he sharply turns around to glare at him. "After so many years, you still haven't grown up?"
Reiji completely ignores him. "Otoyan, Tokki's too busy trying to figure out how to get a date! There's no way he'd have a kid so early on in his life." His fit of laughter begins again.
At the mention of such nicknames, Otoya hesitates in his steps as he tries to run back into the building. He whips his head around and stares at the two figures before him. It takes a moment before the realization sinks in, but once it does, his jaw is to the ground. "Tokiya?! Rei-chan?! W-What are- Why are you here?! I-I'm mean I'm excited to see you again, but I just didn't think- I didn't know that I would! Wow. Wow! Uh- I'm really sorry!"
Tokiya brings a hand to his forehead to calm himself down from the frustration of dealing with Reiji. "It's quite alright. I apologize for showing up unexpectedly. This wasn't a planned visit at all."
"Hi, Otoyan!" Reiji runs up to join the two of them and waves from where he stands behind Tokiya.
Otoya is completely and utterly dumbfounded. It is very easy to see that he doesn't know what to say to them. It's alright, though, because Tokiya is at a loss as well. What do you say to someone you haven't seen since things started going sour with? The last time they talked, Otoya and Tokiya had gotten into an argument over staying in STARISH. Everyone was deciding to leave around the same time, and Otoya expressed his intentions to leave as well. Tokiya, being as stressed as he was, took his pain and anger out on his roommate at the time. Otoya left the next day, and that was it. They haven't seen each other since.
"Mm." Otoya fidgets where he's standing, refusing to meet neither Reiji or Tokiya's eyes. "It's okay." There's still a flush of embarrassment on his face from earlier, though. Either that or he's just as confused as Tokiya for what to say.
"We can leave if you're busy at the moment. It was Kotobuki's idea to intrude on your day after all."
"No!" Otoya finally looks up and meets Tokiya's turquoise eyes with his own bright red ones. "Um... I mean you can come in if you want. T-There's a conference room we can sit in and talk." Otoya looks away as quickly as he turned his attention to them. "I-If you want to. You don't have to, though."
"We'd be delighted!" Reiji takes Tokiya by the shoulder again and pushes him towards the entrance of the orphanage.
Otoya begins leading them inside but pauses before entering all the way. "They're gonna be kinda loud. Just a heads up." He leads the way again.
The kids in the room all pause to stare at the trio as they slowly enter one by one. As quickly as they stopped talking, they all begin clammering up to the three of them to ask questions. A few of the kids recognize Tokiya right away from his music and all ask him to sing something for them. Reiji bends down and answers as many questions as he can for them.
Tokiya did have a soft spot for children, but it's a little overbearing to say the least to be in a situation such as the one they are currently trapped in. He's not sure which of the kids to answer first, but he doesn't really want to sing either.
Luckily, Otoya seems to read his facial expression well because he stands in front of the two of them trying to corral the kids back towards the center of the room. "Alright, everyone! I'll be right back! I have a few guests that I need to show around, and then I'll walk around and see what you've all drawn! They better be good!" He laughs as one of the kids tries to pick up their artwork and show him already. "You have to wait! I want it to be perfect when I get back, though, okay?"
She nods in reply and runs back to the table she was sitting at before they entered. A few of the kids try to follow him out of the room and keep asking where they're going. It takes him repeating the same promise that he'll be right bak and shutting the door as they leave before the kids back off. Otoya sighs and begins walking down one of the hallways. "Sorry about that. They're not used to visitors." He turns around briefly to grin sheepishly at them.
"I thought they were adorable. Although, Tokki seemed like he was going to throw up." Reiji pokes him in the arm, gaining him an eye roll from him.
"I'm fine."
"That's not what your face said a moment ago."
Otoya laughs awkwardly and stops when he reaches a rather bare room with a long folding table set up in the middle with folding chairs set up around it. "If you two want to hang out here for a bit, that's fine. I have this class for another twenty minutes. I promise I'll run back over as soon as it's over!" Otoya bows quickly and sprints out back to the room they came in.
Tokiya sits down in one of closest seats and takes a breath to calm himself. And then he remembers that Reiji is still here.
"Y'know, Tokki, the kids got me thinking."
"That's dangerous."
Reiji pouts for a moment but only very quickly. "You should sing something for them!"
Tokiya is quick to shake his head no. "I would like to be away from that now. I can't go around singing to everyone who asks me to. That would be how Shining ropes me back in for a reunion concert of some sort, and I would very much like to not be a part of that any longer. You may sing for them if you want. I will stay out of it." He's begun counting down the minutes to when Otoya will come back.
"You know they want you and not me! You're going to disappoint them!"
He knows what Reiji's trying to do, and guilt tripping him doesn't work anymore. "No means no. I'm sorry, but I won't do it." There's no reason he should have to do something he doesn't love just because people ask something of him.
"Boo. You're no fun." Reiji plops himself down in one of the folding chairs next to Tokiya's at the head of the long table. "Hey, Tokki?"
"What, Kotobuki?" Tokiya pulls his phone out of his pocket in hopes of ignoring Reiji for as long as possible.
"Do you plan on going to Ren's wedding? If so, what are you going to wear? I talked to Hijirin about it, but he said he wasn't sure and wanted to see what you said."
Tokiya looks up from his device and quirks an eyebrow at him. "Did he say that?"
Reiji lifts his right hand up for him to see. "I swear to you he did. I didn't know you two were still close."
It's an honest statement, but Tokiya still feels as though Reiji is leading up to something else. "I don't see why Masato would care whether or not I am going. He didn't seem like that would impact his choice when I saw him yesterday."
"Aha, so you two really are close!"
Tokiya stares at Reiji waiting for a pun that doesn't come. "I would say that we talk a few times a week."
Reiji waggles his eyebrows at him suggestively, and Tokiya can't see how anything he's said deserves such a response. "How often do you two hang out?"
"I wouldn't call it that. Rather, we meet up occassionally to catch up on times."
"So a lot. Got it. I wouldn't say that you two are my favorites together, but I can accept it. Ai-Ai always said that you two were more compatible than the rest." Reiji leans in with his head in his hands as he supports them up with his elbows. "Would you two show up to the wedding together? Oh! What if Ren gets jealous when he sees you two before the ceremony even starts and runs-"
"What exactly are you going on about?" Tokiya can barely keep up with Reiji's wild imagination.
"I'm saying that you and Ren are more suitable." Reiji's eyebrows do that thing again, and suddenly Tokiya feels nervous under his gaze. "What do you think?"
How has it only been five minutes? He's not very religious, but he starts praying that Otoya's class gets out early. "I haven't thought far enough ahead to think about the date. It's hard to say when I don't know what I will go on to do myself now that I'm on my own for the first time in a while."
Reiji pouts again. "That doesn't answer what I just asked, Tokki. You're avoiding my questions again."
"I can only answer one at a time. You are throwing too many at me at once." Tokiya frowns and begins scrolling through his many emails. Now that he's left Shining Agency with the plan for retirement already settled, other agencies for record labels and modelling have begun reaching out to him. It may have only been one day, but there are now hundreds of emails he needs to sift through.
"Okay, then. Now will you answer me?"
"Of course. I can't imagine that we would show up together. He is plenty busy with his schedule, and I do not know what mine will hold. If we both decide on going, then it is most likely that we will just wait to see each other there."
Reiji throws his head back and whines. "Tokki! You're killing me!"
"I'm answering your questions, am I not?" The corners of Tokiya's lip curve upwards into a small victorious smile. "Isn't that what you wanted?"
"You know what question I want you to answer! Why are you avoiding? Have you known this whole time?" Reiji sounds exasperated as he dramatically waves his arms around.
Tokiya goes back to ignoring him and continues flipping through his emails, deleting any of which that are from large companies. He pauses on an email from Shining Saotome himself. He's not surprised to see one already in his mail, but the contents of it are interesting. Rather than asking him to reconsider retirement once more, it's about a teaching position at Shining Academy.
"-kki? Earth to Tokki! Hello? Is anyone there?"
Tokiya snaps his gaze away from the email and lands his eyes on Reiji once more. "Sorry?"
"You were ignoring me!" Reiji gasps. "I'm offended! I thought you were better than that, Tokki! Shame on you."
Tokiya feels no shame whatsoever and goes back to reading the email. It lists more information about what exactly he'd be doing. Apparently, he would have to start with a week or two of training depends on how it goes the first week. After that, he would be given one class to teach. If he can handle it, then another class of Shining's choice would be added to his list. So on and so forth. Tokiya stars the email and sets it aside to view later. It would be rather interesting to teach a course at Shining Academy, and it would make sense. He would no longer be in the business, but he would get to share tips and tricks on how it goes after graduation. He would also be helping students towards their debuts. It seems like it would be a lot of work, but nothing he can't handle. After all, he did graduate from the courses.
"-very rude."
In the next moment, Reiji snatches the phone out of Tokiya's hands. He's confused momentarily before he sees Reiji flipping through the device. "Hey!" He tries to reach for it only for Reiji to stand up and walk towards the window with it.
"What's so interesting that you keep ignoring me?"
Tokiya can't imagine that he'll see anything of interest, though. He was only going through his emails, and he had already pushed the email from Shining Saotome into a separate folder.
Reiji whistles. "You have a lot of job offers. What's this one?" It scares Tokiya how fast Reiji's face lights up and then turns suspicious all within a second.
"What are you doing?" Tokiya hesitates on whether or not he should attempt to get it back from Reiji. He doesn't want the other responding to an email without his knowledge.
"I think you should become a model. It would be a good chance of pace for you. You're very good during shoots, too. The camera loves you!"
Tokiya narrows his eyes at him. "And why is that exactly?" There has to be some kind of reason as to why he chose one of those emails in particular to talk to him about.
"I'm just looking out for your future, Tokki. Isn't that my job as your elder?"
"More like elderly," Tokiya mutters in response under his breath to Reiji's now caring tone of voice. "I wouldn't say that's your job over me anymore. It hasn't been like that in a few years, so why the sudden interest in the projects offered to me?" He stands up and takes a step towards Reiji, who in turn pulls back a foot.
"I'm just saying," Reiji taps on the screen a few times, "that this might be a good opportunity for you. It'll really expand your horizons."
"Those have to be the most professional I've ever heard you try to speak to me."
Reiji snickers and locks the device. He walks over to Tokiya as is nothing happened and places the device in his hands. "Look into it for me, will you?"
Tokiya stares at his phone for a moment before deciding to unlock it and see what exactly he's done. Once he opens the mail app, he can now see that there are two new emails starred rather than just the one he put in beforehand. Curiously, he looks over at Reiji before clicking on the starred folder. On the bottom is the email from Shining, but above that is an email he hasn't looked it. It's an email invitation from Elite Model, a modelling talent agency that is known as the best of the best. From what he knows of it, there are plenty of talented people on their lineup from movie stars to profession athletes.
It's also a name he's heard before because they've sent requests to Shining Agency asking for Ren specifically.
Currently, it's the modelling talent agency Ren is working at.
"You want me to choose the audition for a company Ren works for? Why?" Tokiya scrolls through the invitation, not knowing what he's looking for. It's a simple email with their look book attached with a simple message that they think he would be perfect for their image. It's hardly anything, only an invitation to audition rather than a job offer. There's no timeframe or indication that he needs to reply right away to save a spot. It's only an inquiry. That's it. He doubts he'd even get it since he's no longer singing.
Reiji shrugs as if he didn't intentionally put the idea out there. "I thought maybe you'd like a job where you can be closer with one of the other previous members of STARISH than furthering the distance between all of you."
"Why do I need to stay close with them? It's not as if they have any intention of reaching out to meet up as a group. It's as you said earlier. Everyone left for a reason. They didn't just leave because they got bored. If everyone else wanted to keep in touch, then don't you think they would've."
"Maybe it was too hard."
Both Reiji and Tokiya turn to stare at Otoya, who's now standing in the doorway fidgeting with a loose thread on his sweatshirt. "I'm back."
Tokiya doesn't dare to say anything. Otoya bites into his lip and naws on it for a second before sucking in a deep breath. "Tokiya, I missed you. I don't know how the others feel, but I miss seeing everyone every single day."
Even Reiji seems to be at a loss for words. He awkwardly laughs as he stares between Tokiya and Otoya. "Well, I'll be waiting in the car. Let me know when you're done!" He sprints out of the room past Otoya as if his life depended on it.
Tokiya shifts the weight from one foot to another before pocketing his phone. He folds his hands in front of him and just sighs. How is he expected to react? What should he say to Otoya?
"I've always felt bad for running away from you. After the day I left, I began carrying regret with me everywhere I went."
"Otoya, you don't have to apologize for something like that. I was the one who-"
Otoya lifts a hand to stop him from speaking. "It's my fault. I didn't tell you that I was thinking about leaving until it was too late. I left without trying to make amends. I didn't bother trying to apologize after all this time. I thought that leaving meant that all those feelings would get left behind, too. I was wrong. Really wrong. No one seemed happy anymore working day in and day out on the same stuff, so I guess I just thought that you'd feel the same way. I didn't think that there was anyone who still worked hard because they enjoyed it. I was really rude to you. I'm so sorry, Tokiya. I hope you can forgive me." Otoya bows deeply, keeping his hands on his knees.
Stunned, Tokiya stares at Otoya with his eyes widened. "Otoya... I didn't know you carried that with you all this time. You don't need to bow. I'm also at fault."
"How could you be? You always tried to push me to be my best. You were always there to lend an ear. You always tried to help settle feuds between the others. You were always there to support the rest of us, even through the times you struggled yourself. I just couldn't keep up anymore and told myself that leaving would be the best."
"Otoya, please stand up." Tokiya is unaware of how desperate his voice is beginning to sound.
"I didn't even realize that I was ruining what you loved. You still had faith in STARISH and it's growth. Even after we got to accomplish our dreams together, you were always there to tell us that we could achieve so much more. BEing a part of STARISH was the greatest part of my life. I didn't see that and just left you alone. I can't tell you how sorry I am."
Tokiya can see the tears fall onto the carpet below Otoya. "Please stand up, Otoya." He needs to stop Otoya. It's too much for him to take in all at once.
Otoya finally listens to him and stands up, tears streaming down his face. "I didn't mean to make you angry. I n-never wanted that..."
"Otoya, you don't need to be sorry. I foolishly threw my ideas on you and imposed on what you wanted without thinking it through. It hadn't occurred to me that you or the rest were ready to quit. Instead, I went on every day believing that things were alright for STARISH. I didn't know. You don't need to apologize for what you wanted. You seem happier here now. I couldn't see any other possibility for myself if STARISH broke up, so I thought that I could convince you to stay. That was wrong of me. When I saw the rest leave one by one, I noticed that they all had ideas and dreams beyond our goals as a group. I didn't factor in that we're all individuals. I should be the one apologizing." Tokiya hangs his head, bowing back to Otoya.
"No, you don't! I already told you that I'm the one who needs to apologize not you!" Otoya frantically flits over to Tokiya.
Tokiya lifts his head and gives him a gentle smile. "Does that make us even then?"
Otoya backs up quickly, baffled by the sudden expression of relief on his face. "E-Even?"
"We can't stand here and say we're sorry to each other over and over again. It's clear we're both sorry for actions that happened long ago. If you accept my apology then I will do so with yours. Is that a deal?" Tokiya lifts his right hand up from his side and keeps it between them.
Otoya stares at his hand and then looks back up at Tokiya. It takes a few glances before he smiles in return, tears still rolling down his cheeks. He puts his hand in Tokiya's and pulls him in for a hug. "Deal."
Tokiya welcomes the surprising hug. It's relieving to have everything out in the open with both their thoughts on the matter expressed to the other. To have such a weight lifted from his shoulders, Tokiya feels lighter.
They break apart after another minute or so, and sit down at the table to catch up a bit. After all, it has been a while since they last talked.
"You help run this establish now, don't you?"
Otoya smiles and nods his head. "Yep! Cecil and I are currently in talks with the current owners to give possession to us instead! It's looking good right now, but I'll keep you informed!"
"There are still a lot of kids here. It's impressive how well you maintain the grounds."
Otoya scratches at his cheek in embarrassment. "It is really hard, but I have a good team behind me. They help with a lot of the manual work, while Cecil and I focus on the other important matters. I saw that you retired yesterday! Is it true?" He leans in against the table.
"Yes, it is. There's only so much more you can handle at the age we're at now. They told me I was considered one of their older talents, so I reflected on what I was doing and how much longer I could handle it. I decided that one more album was it. Now I'm here."
"Do you know what you're going to do next?"
Tokiya sighs. So far, he's the third to ask him this question and there has yet to be an answer to it. "I'm not sure yet. Shining offered me a position at the academy, so I think I will look into that for now."
"Didn't Reiji say something about Ren's modelling agency? I think you'd be perfect for that, too!" Otoya beams at him.
"You were listening for that long?" Tokiya crosses his arms.
Otoya whistles as he leans back into his chair.
Tokiya rolls his eyes. "I'm not sure about that position. That would be too much spotlight again, and I think I want to work away from that."
Otoya places a finger to his chin in thought. "You should at least try it. Oh! Did you see the invitation for Ren's wedding? Cecil and I couldn't believe it when it came in the mail!"
If he's going to see anyone else from STARISH or QUARTET NIGHT then he shouldn't be surprised anymore that Ren would be the big topic of conversation. "I did. I got one as well."
"Well? Are you gonna go?"
Tokiya taps his finger against his forearm. He just wishes that everyone would stop asking him that question. Reiji's going to be on his case about it for the rest of his stay in Japan if he doesn't give him a real response. "I'm not sure. I'm still thinking about it."
"I figured." Otoya laughs awkwardly. "Cecil and I are going. If Ren's happy with her then we're going to support him!"
That just doesn't sit right with him. Again, he can't figure out why. There has to be some reason why it's bothering him so much. It's as if there's a memory he's forgotten stuck in the back of his mind that he can't seem to access. It deosn't make any sense. "Why did you figure I wouldn't go?" If Reiji won't be straight with him, then maybe Otoya will. They both seem to share the same idea about why he wouldn't go to support one of his bandmates at his wedding.
Otoya suddenly gets very quiet.
"Otoya?"
Otoya flicks his gaze down to the clunky watch he's wearing and bolts up from his seat immediately. "I didn't realize how late it was! I'm sorry, Tokiya, but I have to go! I have another class in a few minutes that I need to prepare for!" That's all he says before sprinting out of the room.
Maybe he needs to consult Masato on this matter since everyone seems to be avoiding the truth with him outright. Why must this be so complicated?
Tokiya gets up out of his seat and leaves the conference room to attempt to find the main exit. He could ask Reiji to be more specific, but he's afraid that hearing from Reiji will only make matters worse without giving him real answers. After finding the exit, he walks around the back to where Reiji parked his car earlier. Reiji's now sitting in the car with the faint sound of music being played in the background as he shifts through what seems to be the playlist on his phone. Tokiya knocks on the window on the passenger side, scaring Reiji to which he finds humor in.
Reiji unlocks the car door, and Tokiya quickly opens the door and sits down before he can think twice and lock him out. He's done it before he could do it again.
"How'd it go?"
"It went well. I think it was a conversation we needed to have."
Reiji coughs, muttering something under his breath.
"I'm sorry. I seem to have missed what you said."
Reiji snickers to himself. "Nothing, Tokki. Am I dropping you off at your place?"
"Yes, please. I have matters to attend to."
"Oh?" Reiji starts the car and puts it in drive. "Are you going to answer the email I told you to?"
"No. There are more important matters than that."
"Like RSVPing for Ren's wedding?"
"One day you won't be as immature, although I'm afraid I've been waiting far too long for that."