I don't own Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, Nakamura Shungiku does. Well, here I am. This is my ninth Sekaiichi fanfic published online. It's officially beat out Yami no Matsuei for the number of fanfiction I've written for a single series! I'm sorry for keeping you guys in suspense this whole time!

One thing I'd like to add is that this version of the fanfic is a condensed version of the story. I am going to publish an uncensored version of the fanfic at Archive of Our Own at a later date, so keep an eye out there.

Same warnings as usual: OOCness, slight lemon, and dirty humor

Postcards from Oblivion

Chapter One

"—not doing it right, Ritsu. You have to apply the Rule of Sines here to find the angle."

"H-H-Hai! Arigato, Sempai! I-I guess I'm just hopeless at calculus!"

"Don't sell yourself short. It'll stick with more practice."

"H-Hai!"

"Also…"

"…Hai?"

"How's your body?"

"PFFFFFFT!" Onodera Ritsu gagged on the soda he was drinking at the matter-of-fact question that emitted from the television set. He coughed and sputtered as the two young men on screen remained nestled close together in the abandoned library.

"I-I'm fine!" TV-Ritsu stammered, his whole face crimson. "Umm, Sempai? Could you please get back?"

"Why?" TV-Masamune asked flatly. "We're together, Ritsu. We shouldn't have to hide it."

"I-I-I know, but—"

"Why am I watching this?!" Ritsu shouted, grabbing the remote and shutting the television off. He scrubbed a hand over his face. "Get to work, just focus on work…"

It was impossible to focus though, when a fictional version of his life was a television sensation. It was bad enough that World's Greatest First Love was a bestselling BL novel through Marukawa Publishing, and it was bad enough that it was also a popular anime series. But seeing the live-action television show, with actors pretending to be himself and Takano, was completely unbearable.

Ritsu was genuinely concerned that one of his alumni from high school would watch the show, put two and two together, and ask his parents about it. The absolute last thing he wanted was for his parents to know that World's Greatest First Love was a fictional retelling of his real-life high school drama.

Don't think about it, don't think about it! Ritsu shook his head furiously and focused on the packet in front of him. He had a big meeting the following morning. Less than a month prior Mutou-sensei had an impulsive idea for a one-shot series and they had worked tirelessly to get all the kinks ironed out. Now it was outlined to the very last detail, and it was up to Ritsu to pitch it to Marukawa and convince them it was worth investing—and worth the trouble of putting Mutou-sensei's current series on hold so she could focus on this.

I just have to show confidence and make my proposal convincing. Mutou-sensei is stepping outside her comfort zone with this, but I think it's worth a shot.

As he looked over the proposal again, Ritsu's cell phone started ringing. He checked the caller-I.D. and scoffed before flipping it open. "What do you want, Takano-san?"

"Show some proper respect for your boss, Onodera," Takano Masamune replied coolly on the other line. "I'm calling for an update on Mutou-sensei's proposal."

"I'm all set with it. I'm just revie—"

"Then pitch it to me right now."

Ritsu blinked. "Eh?"

"If you're confident that it's a winning proposal, pitch it to me right now."

"A-All right." Ritsu cleared his throat and looked over the paperwork. Then he launched right into the proposal. He tried to envision himself in a boardroom confidently and enthusiastically presenting this one-shot story to them. Remembering that Mutou-sensei was counting on him, he tried to put as much feeling into it as he could.

But Takano interrupted him before he spoke ten words. "It sucks."

"W-WHAT?!" Ritsu hollered. "At least let me finish it, Takano-san!"

"I don't need to. It's a generic, uninspired lead. Mutou-sensei and you expect us to put her series on hold for two months for this one story. A story that fans might not embrace. A story, need I remind you, which is expected to start after her main series's latest chapter ended on a cliffhanger. Have you taken the reader polls?"

"Yes, I have!" Ritsu said hotly. "And interest in the one-shot won in the poll over getting the new chapter out!"

"By a very slim margin. Don't forget that the percentile for this was only 47%, while 46% of fans want her to focus on her current series and 7% don't give a damn. It might be a win, but in reality it's actually a draw. What you two want to do is very risky, and Emerald runs the risk of having angry readers on our asses until this wraps up."

"But this series is worth it!" Ritsu told him. "It obviously was worth enough salt that you didn't shoot our idea down immediately! It's such a drastic change in tone from Sensei's previous works that fans will honestly appreciate the change! So why don't you try having some faith in me instead of riling me up and increasing my stress when I present this proposal in less than twelve hours?!"

Takano was silent on the other for a long moment. "Ritsu?"

"Hai?"

"When the impulsive decisions of your artist sway you into last-minute changes, then you have nobody to blame for your stress but yourself."

Takano was right, but Ritsu snapped his teeth in anger. "Ta—"

"But just tweak the proposal for tomorrow. If Marukawa ultimately rejects it, then don't consider it a failure."

"I'm not a rookie!" Ritsu said heatedly. "I've had many proposals rejected before! I won't let one failure crush me!"

"…You've had more than one failure?" Takano asked dryly.

Ritsu growled in frustration. "You're distracting me, Takano-san! I need to get back to work!"

"One more question, Ritsu."

"Hmm?" Takano's tone had suddenly dipped, and Ritsu paused. "What is it?"

"Did you hear that Moto Ran and Akiyama Shin were spotted at a nightclub together last night?"

Ritsu's brow furrowed in confusion. "And what's your point? I don't know who either one of them are!"

"Haa?!" Takano said in exasperation. "Are you an idiot, Ritsu?!"

"Who are you calling an id—"

"Moto and Akiyama are the actors who play US in the drama, ahou! Moto plays you, and Akiyama plays me!" Takano scoffed, and Ritsu almost pictured him rubbing at his eyes. "How could you not know the names of the actors who play us?!"

"I don't care about that shit!" Ritsu snapped, though he felt his face flush with embarrassment. "And are you honestly following celebrity gossip, Takano-san?! It's pretty amazing how you accuse me of wasting time, when—"

"They play us, Ritsu, so of course I'm interested. The Marukawa forums are all lit up over this. Especially when this isn't the first time they've been spotted in public together."

"They're actors in a Yaoi drama, Takano-san," Ritsu said dismissively. "They're bound to do public appearances to promote the drama!"

"Except that these were all leisurely outings and not promotional events."

Ritsu pinched the bridge of his nose. "Takano-san, y-you're not seriously shipping these two men together are you? They're just actors pretending to be in love!"

"They're portraying US in love, Ritsu," Takano reminded him. "And why aren't you pleased with the attention? This shows based around our lives has critical acclaim, and the latest volume is being released tomorrow."

"Kami-sama, another one?!" Ritsu wailed. "Why can't Sensei focus on Pure Love Romantica or Egoist?! Why does he have to keep writing this garbage?!"

"Our lives aren't garbage, Ritsu. You should be flattered that people find us so interesting that they would emotionally invest themselves in the outcome of our relationship."

"But it's NOT REAL!" Ritsu shouted. "This whole series Usami-sensei has fabricated based on our lives is fake!"

"If it's such a bother to you, then why don't you bring your concerns to Usami-sensei himself?"

"Takano-san, I haven't spoken to Usami-sensei since the premiere of this blasted movie, and he flat-out told me that he was doing this because he wanted to! I tried to make him stop writing that stupid garbage, but he just dismissed me!"

Takano was silent on the other line for a long moment. Ritsu snapped his teeth together in irritation. "Did you hang up on me, Takano-san?!"

"Ritsu," Takano said finally.

"Hai?!"

"You're very dismissive and offensive about this series about our lives. You need to channel this energy into something resourceful."

"Haa?!"

"As such, you're not allowed to leave work tomorrow until all of your work is done."

Ritsu gaped in shock at the phone for a long moment. "W-WHAT?!"

"And I mean all of it. Good night." Takano abruptly disconnected the line.

"W-Wh…" Ritsu stared at the phone, and then stared at the wall behind him. Takano's apartment was on the other side of the wall.

A…Am I seriously being punished just for hating that shitty show?!

"You bastard!" Ritsu yelled. He threw a couch pillow at the wall. "I'll NEVER tell you I love you! Never!"

The following morning at Marukawa, Ritsu didn't have the time or the energy to dread the day. He knew the most important thing to do was to focus everything into his proposal, because if he couldn't be convincing then Mutou-sensei would be able to kickstart her one-shot story.

But it's good. It's a really good story. Ritsu read over the summary as he headed towards the elevators. I need to convince them that this story is worth putting her current series on hold for.

One of the elevators was open on the lobby floor with one occupant. Ritsu hurried inside and pressed the button to his floor. He turned to face the other person standing in the elevator, and felt a jolt of shock in his body.

"…What is it?" The young man before him said bluntly.

Ritsu's mouth opened and closed soundlessly. The person standing before him looked like Takano. There were obvious differences of course—Takano had amber eyes while this young man had dark hazel eyes, and this young man's hair was a few shades darker than Takano's. But the hairstyle, the narrowed eyes, the frown…the resemblance was uncanny and disturbing.

I…this person looks like a younger Takano!

"You're Onodera Ritsu, correct?" The young man asked.

"U-Uh, yes I am," Ritsu stammered hoarsely. "Y-You know my name?!"

"How could I not know your name when everyone gossips about you?"

Ritsu immediately felt like shrinking into the floor. "W…What?"

"Yes, people gossip about you," the young man said. His tone was neither impatient nor sympathetic. "Some of the women who work here have written fanfiction about your boss and you."

"F-Fanfiction?!"

"They pass it around like a book club. For some reason it keeps ending up at Japun. I have a feeling some of the Sapphire editors keeps sending their stories up there." The young man scoffed softly. "It's really pathetic. I don't particularly have a good opinion of fanfiction. I mean if you want to write stories, write your own damn work and don't steal someone else's ideas. There's whole websites devoted to fanfiction of The Kan, and I feel it's a bastardization of the work. And writing erotica about real-life people?" He shook his head. "That's a different level of wrong."

"Kami-sama," Ritsu groaned, leaning against the wall of the elevator.

"I would ignore it," the young man continued.

"How can I ignore this?!"

The elevator suddenly stopped but not on Ritsu's floor. An older gentlemen entered the elevator and Ritsu immediately straightened when he recognized their face. "G-Gou-san! Ohayo!" Ritsu bowed respectfully.

"Ohayo," Gou Yasuda responded in a soft but blunt voice. He looked towards the young man as he moved to stand between him and Ritsu. "Shizukuishi Ryo-kun. How is Ijuuin-sensei?"

Ah, so that's his name? Ritsu wondered, looking at the other two.

"Sensei has been in ridiculously good spirits lately," Shizukuishi said just as bluntly, his tone turning a little harsh. "But it also means that he's been timely with his work, so we can't complain." He paused before saying, "The movie is looking good."

"Of course it looks good," Gou responded. "We produce nothing but quality material."

Ritsu got off on his floor, leaving both Gou and Shizukuishi behind in the elevator. They were thankfully nowhere near their usual "Hell Week", but the energy and enthusiasm on the floor was surprising for the time of day.

"—Just released twenty minutes ago!"

"I'm sooooo excited! I waited in line for six hours to get my copy!"

"Ritsu has to confess to Masamune!"

Ritsu jolted and looked up. He recognized a small group of women from the Sapphire Department talking together. He also saw all five of them holding identical books with two familiar faces on the cover. Ritsu ducked his head and hurried off towards Emerald. Damn it all! Why can't I ever escape it?!

"Ricchan!" Kisa called out to him as he entered the department. He was waving his hand excitedly. "Look, look! Aikawa-san just dropped it off for you a little while ago!"

Ritsu groaned with dismay as he saw that same book sitting in the middle of his desk right on top of his closed laptop. "'World's Greatest First Love Volume 7 by Akikawa Yayoi'." He immediately snatched up the book and thrust it at Kisa. "Here, take it! Get this damn thing out of my sight!"

Kisa happily snatched the book. "I wasn't able to wait in line for it last night, so this is a real treat! Arigato, Ricchan!"

"It's already sold out at three bookstores," Mino said from across the desks. "I myself was too busy motivating my author into finishing her 25 pages last night, so I wasn't able to wait in line either."

"Did you wait in line for it, Hatori-san?" Kisa asked their other coworker.

"I'm not a big fan of the series," Hatori admitted, looking over the storyboards in front of him. "Especially now that it's become so mainstream."

"At least it's not as overblown as Pure Love Romantica," Kisa said. He flipped through the pages of World's Greatest First Love. He found a page with a picture and his eyes widened. "W-Wow! Ritsu's sticking his tongue in—"

"LA LA LA—I CAN'T HEAR YOU—LA LA LA!" Ritsu shouted, covering his ears as he sunk into his seat.

"Onodera!" Takano suddenly appeared at the entrance way of the department. "What are you doing?! Your proposal meeting started five minutes ago!"

"EHHH?!" Ritsu shouted, jumping to his feet. "T-That's impossible! My meeting is scheduled for 10 am! It's not even 8:30 yet!"

"Didn't you get my text message warning you the meeting was moved up?!" Takano demanded.

"'Text message'?!" Ritsu echoed incredulously. He yanked out his phone. "I haven't received anything from—"

But sure enough, there was a text message in his inbox from Takano, and it'd been sent twenty minutes prior. "Your meeting was moved up to 8:15. Isaka-san apparently wants to sit in on it. Make sure you're ready!"

"Saaa…Ricchan wasn't careful enough!" Kisa said with sympathy.

"It's always important to keep an eye on your phone!" Mino chimed in.

Ritsu clenched his teeth and gripped his phone so hard that he was sure he would crush it in his fist. "D…Damn it all! Next time, call my damn office phone!" Ritsu exploded, frantically scrambling to get his proposal materials together.

"Next time, don't ignore my text messages," Takano retorted dryly.

I hate this place! I don't care if Isaka-san caught me posturing that one time—one of these days these people are going to push me too far and I'm going to quit!

As Ritsu followed Takano out of the Emerald department, he caught a glance inside the Sapphire department. Absolutely none of the ladies were working on editing storyboards or drafts. They all had their noses buried in their own copies of World's Greatest First Love.

Ritsu tried to quell the feeling of dread inside of him and hurried after Takano towards the elevator. It was a little easier to put that horrible book out of his mind when he had a meeting he was late for.

Shit, I'm so underprepared. I need to get my head in the game or else they'll reject it! Hell, they might reject it because I'm late for my own proposal meeting!

"Don't sweat it."

"Eh?" Ritsu looked at Takano in confusion as the elevator doors closed behind them. "W-What did you say, Takano-san?"

"You're going to do fine," Takano told him, straightening his glasses. "I have faith in you."

Ritsu was embarrassed to feel his heart skip a beat over his words. He ducked his head and turned around to face the doors. Why did Takano's words have so much power over his emotions?

Don't forget he's forcing you to overwork yourself today.

Ritsu tried to focus his anger on this fact to dispel the discomfort in his gut.

"So the book sold out at six different bookstores in Tokyo alone," Takano said idly.

"E-EH?!" Ritsu hollered, gaping at him in shock. "SIX?! I thought it was three!"

Takano shrugged. "That was the number I heard just a little while ago."

"Well, which is it?! Six or three?! How many of those damn books are—"

"We're here," Takano announced as the elevator doors opened. His phone buzzed and he casually checked the screen. "Ah, Isaka-san has been waiting—"

"Damn!" Ritsu shouted. He bolted out the elevator and ran blindly down the hallway. I can't screw this up! I can't—

BONK!

Ritsu hollered as he slammed headfirst into another person's head and fell backwards onto his backside. He clutched both hands to his head as he curled himself inward. "Itaiiiiii," he wheezed, squeezing his head shut.

"Itai!" a familiar voice responded.

Ritsu's head still ached terribly but he dropped his hands and blinked to clear his vision. "T-Takahashi-san! Are you all right?!"

Takahashi Misaki sat on the floor in front of him, similarly clutching at his head with his eyes squeezed shut. "Haa…hai, Onodera-san."

Ritsu scrambled to his feet. "Here, let me help you—"

"Onodera, Takahashi-kun, are you both all right?"

Ritsu quickly looked up to see Kirishima Zen approaching the both of them, holding a folder in one hand. He also extended a hand to Misaki and they both helped him up. "That looked like it hurt," Kirishima said sympathetically. "Are you both okay?"

"H-Hai, I'm fine!" Ritsu sputtered.

"M-Me, to Kirishima-san!" Misaki exclaimed. He bowed to Ritsu. "Gomen nasai, Onodera-san! I wasn't looking where I was going!"

"No, I wasn't looking where I was going! Please excuse me!" Ritsu bowed to him.

"Onodera, what are you doing?" Takano thundered as he came up behind them.

"Don't mind him, he hit his head and had a nasty fall on the floor," Kirishima said sympathetically. "Go easy on your subordinate a bit, Takano."

"A fall?" Takano came to Ritsu's side and looked him over. "Are you all right?"

"I-I'm fine!" Ritsu sputtered, though his butt was still hurting him. "A-Again, I'm so sorry Takahashi-san, Kirishima-san!"

"Good luck with your meeting this morning," Kirishima said.

"Good luck!" Misaki echoed cheerfully.

"Oh, you knew about it?" Takano asked Kirishima.

"Oh, sure. Yokozawa told me about it."

Ritsu was shocked that Yokozawa told someone who was in a separate department about their meeting. But Yokozawa-san babysits Kirishima-san's daughter, right? They must be close.

"I appreciate you wishing me good luck, Kirishima-san," Ritsu said, ducking his head. "I'm going to ensure I pull this off."

Kirishima laughed softly and hoisted his folder onto his shoulder. "'Even a lovely flower will soon wilt if a poisonous energy eats away at it'. Come, Takahashi-kun."

"…Huh?" Ritsu blinked with confusion as Kirishima walked away with Misaki. "Wha…did Kirishima-san quote a proverb?"

"Actually, I think Tuxedo Mask said that once on Sailor Moon," Takano said, heading towards the boardroom.

"S-Sailor Moon?!" Ritsu exclaimed, hurrying after him. "Kirishima-san watches Sailor Moon?!"

Takano shrugged. "I don't know. But he has a daughter so it wouldn't surprise me. Let's go, Onodera."

Yokozawa Takefumi was glaring at them when they arrived. "You're late, Onodera." he said nothing to Takano.

"S-S-Sumimasen!" Ritsu sputtered, bowing deeply.

Isaka Ryuichiro was yawning noisily and rubbing at his eyes. "Haa…I'm so tired! It's far too early to have such important meetings!" Asahina Kaoru was sitting nearby, reading notes with a neutral expression on his face.

"It's surprising to see you at the meeting today, Yokozawa," Takano said, moving ahead to sit down at the table. "Haven't you transferred to the literature department yet?"

"Eh?" Ritsu looked at Yokozawa. "Yokozawa-san, you're transferring out of the sales department?"

"Not that it's any of your business Onodera," Yokozawa snapped at him. "But yes. I was offered a promotion to the literature department and I accepted it. I start over there next week."

"C-Congratulations!" Ritsu said sincerely, bowing to Yokozawa.

Yokozawa snorted. "Well I managed to get the job that you were never able to get."

Ritsu snapped his teeth together and glared back at him. Why did Yokozawa continue to be so rude to him? He was genuinely congratulating him on his promotion!

"All right, let's begin!" Isaka announced, clapping his hands together. Asahina discreetly set a cup of coffee down on the table in front of him. "I'm fully expecting to be wowed by your proposal, Nanahikari!"

"H-Hai!" Ritsu shouted, scrambling to his feet. "Three days ago, Mutou-sensei approached me with a treatment for a one-shot story that she would like to try out. She doesn't intend on making it a full-fledged series, but I've read her outline and I believe it to be a fresh new idea that will not only be very engaging for her readers, but it will surely succeed in bringing in more readers as well."

"Hmm, that's very interesting," Isaka said thoughtfully. "It's nice to see Mutou-sensei developing more and more new ideas. What is the target date for publishing this new story?"

"With the next issue of Emerald," Ritsu said.

"T-The next issue?" Yokozawa said, looking up in disbelief. "But what about her current series?! The story arc isn't finished yet, and the most recent chapter ended on a cliffhanger!"

"I-I realize that," Ritsu said shakily. "But I believe that this one-shot story will be worth putting her series on hold for the time being. Here…"

Despite the change of times-lot for the meeting, Ritsu was cool and professional as he spent twenty minutes going over the outline for the four-chapter series. He presented character sheets, rough draft sketches Mutou-sensei had put together, and a timetable that he had developed for the story. By the time he finished his presentation he was immensely proud of himself, and he was certain that he had won everyone over.

"Onodera-kun," Isaka said, his leaning his chin into his palm while his elbow rested on the table. Ritsu felt his stomach drop when he realized that Isaka wasn't smiling. "Based on this timetable, you would be putting Mutou-sensei's current series on hold for six months."

"A-Ah, hai," Ritsu said, nodding. "But I believe that it's worth—"

"And you realize that your fan poll generated a middle-ground ratio of 47/46 regarding whether they want to see a new story at this time, correct?"

"O-Of course I—"

"You've chosen a very bad time to put her series on hiatus!" Yokozawa interjected sharply. "The margin of the fan poll is too close! We would be risking serious backlash against Emerald and sales of the issues would take a noticeable hit if we leave Mutou-sensei's cliffhanger without resolution for six months!"

"Last I check, Mutou-sensei was NOT the only mangaka drawing for Emerald!" Takano snapped, jumping to his feet. "There are other series that are published, so there should be no impact on sales by putting her series on hold!"

"Takano, even you can't deny the enormity of the cliffhanger Mutou-sensei left," Isaka said, idly drawing on the table with his index finger. "Shall I remind you both? The fact that Mutou-sensei's heroine Miki was pushed onto train tracks while a bullet train was coming by her yandere rival? Such a cliffhanger needs a swift resolution. A cliffhanger of this magnitude cannot be simply left hanging for too long."

"Demo—!" Ritsu exclaimed, but he quickly clammed up.

"This one-shot story is an excellent idea," Isaka said, his eyes narrowing. "And under different circumstances I would have no problem approving it. Unfortunately, Mutou-sensei created a cliffhanger for her current series that must be resolved in a timely manner, or there will be significant backlash against Emerald. Marukawa even, if the fans get angry enough. Therefore, at this time I must deny your request to start this series."

Ritsu felt his throat tighten and his chest ached, but he didn't let it show on his face as he bowed stiffly. "…Arigato gozaimasu, for giving me the opportunity to give this presentation."

"If I may speak," Takano said, startling Ritsu slightly. "I have a lot of faith in this story and I feel that it would be very popular with readers. Onodera has a good eye for these things and I would like to request another meeting at a future time for this story."

"Granted," Isaka said, his devious smile returning to his face as Ritsu gaped at Takano. He…He really does have my back.

"Although I do agree the timing for this story was atrocious," Takano added.

"Oi, Takano-san!" Ritsu snapped.

"So that ends the main part of our meeting," Takano said, speaking as though Ritsu hadn't said anything. He glanced at Ritsu then. "Onodera, you may head back to Emerald. I will be down shortly."

Ritsu grumbled angrily to himself as he gathered his materials. What a waste of time! I completely wasted my time! Now I have to call Mutou-sensei and tell her that her story was rejected!

"Oh, Onodera-kun!" Isaka announced loudly, waving his arm childishly. "I heard Aikawa-san sent a special gift to your desk this morning!"

Ritsu twitched violently, Takano didn't react, and Yokozawa looked mildly annoyed. "…Hai," Ritsu said after a painfully long moment.

"That's good to hear!" Isaka added. "I heard that volume 7 was the final volume of World's Greatest First Love, so it's nice that you—"

"Wait, FINAL?!" Ritsu shouted, his head snapping. "I-It's over?!"

"Yes, it is! Akikawa-sensei made the announcement a few weeks ago, thus why it sold out so quickly! Quite surprising though, given the very successful anime and live action series'!"

Unable to help himself, Ritsu let out a cheer and pumped his fist. He no longer felt sick, but a great amount of joy. Yes, finally! FINALLY it's done! No more embarrassing fictional stories about my life!

"Onodera!" Takano snapped, probably harder than he intended. "You're wasting necessary time! Please hurry up and return to Emerald!"

"Hai, I'm on my way!" Ritsu cheered, bowing to the room and running out. It's over! This is officially the best day ever!

Ritsu tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator slowly reached his floor. He didn't doubt for a second that Kisa was still reading the book and so he would know how World's Greatest First Love ended once and for all.

I'm kind of shocked it ended before Romantica and Egoist. The elevator opened on his floor and Ritsu took off running. But what do I care? It's over with! Usami-sensei can never humiliate me on paper again!

Ritsu heard various different conversations around him as he headed towards Emerald, but he didn't pay them any heed as he rounded the divider. "Kisa-san! Did—"

Ritsu's voice broke off as he saw Kisa. His coworker was sitting in his chair as though he were in a daze. He was frowning deeply and staring off into space. There were red rims around his eyes…he looked like he was about to cry.

Ritsu swallowed thickly. "K-Kisa-san?"

Kisa slowly looked at him. "…Ricchan?" his voice sounded quiet and meek.

"Kisa-san." Ritsu rushed to his side, wondering how on earth Mino and Hatori were ignoring Kisa's obvious distress. He quickly looked across the desks and saw Mino wearing his usual smile but Hatori was stone-faced. Takano obviously still hadn't returned. "Kisa-san, what happened? Would you like to talk?"

Kisa looked away. He opened his mouth as though to say something, but then abruptly closed it. Very slowly, he shook his head and his shoulders rose stiffly.

Ritsu touched his arm as he took his own seat. "Hey. What happened, Kisa-san? Did you receive some bad news from home?" he kept his tone coaxing and gentle. He had no idea what was going on in Kisa's personal life, but he'd never seen the older man so emotionally distressed before. "Kisa-san?"

Kisa looked at his desk. Out of the corner of his eye Ritsu saw World's Greatest First Love sitting in the center of the desk. "Ki—"

"They broke up," Kisa said quietly.

Kirishima Zen's Japanese seiyuu is Furuya Tōru, who voice Chiba Mamoru (Tuxedo Mask) in Sailor Moon.