[CHAT SCENE] Gumi (sender) and Kaito (receiver)

Megumi Nakajima

Kaito: Hey Meg! How are you? If you're not busy, can you spare a few minutes to hear me out here?

Gumi: Yo Kai! I'll have to cut to the chase here with you tbh. Lily already told me about this

Gumi: If you don't mind?

Kaito: Not at all! 😄

Gumi: So, you and your friends there want to reunite Rin and Len?

Kaito: Yes! But!

Gumi: …?

Kaito: We need YOUR permission first before we go through it

Kaito: You mentioned Lily already gave you a brief about this, then I think you know why we're doing this.

Kaito: But we're always willing to go through it again for you! :D

Gumi: Hmmmmm… I'd like to hear what your friends say in this, especially the mastermind. I was surprised Lily told me it wasn't you!

Gumi: This girl starts with M… Mika? Miku? Miko? Sorry! I'm bad with names you know x_x

Kaito: You got it right the 2nd time, it's Miku! And yeah I was surprised when she first brought it up, after Rin got into a mess with a classmate

Gumi: OMFG LILY TOLD ME WHAT HAPPENED THERE! YOU NEED TO TELL ME MORE ABOUT THAT! Rin never mentioned that, and I need it!

Kaito: Gladly lol!

Kaito: But you're actually willing to meet with us? :O

Gumi: Ofc. We're talking about Rin here, and according to Lily, your friend made another compelling point why your plan has merit.

Kaito: Thank you thank you Meg! I really owe one to you!

Kaito: So when are you available and where do you want us to meet you?

Gumi: Don't mention it hahaha seriously, I'd like to help Rin in some other way. God knows that girl needs help she keeps refusing

Gumi: I'm full-loaded this whole week 😭😭 But I have nothing for next week so we can lock that in before I get more shit to do then. How about Friday after school?

Kaito: That's definitely fine!

Kaito: Do you have a place to suggest where we meet?

Gumi: Can we do it at my place? It's still the same one nearby YMH! My parents are with sis and grandma. They're basically out the whole day so it's just me and my online classes. I can definitely welcome your friends here

Kaito: Are you actually serious? That's awesome of you to do that but I don't want to put more burden on you! We're the ones asking for your favour yet here you are hosting us! Are you sure we can hang out in your house?

Gumi: Kai I'm serious lol. It saves me the effort on public transpo, and you'd be very much familiar with the area anyway. I heard you guys went to the other side of the area for Lily. I knew that was tiring, even when you enjoyed the shopping centre

Kaito: True tho lol it was an exhausting trip. But anyway, thank you so much Meg! My friend Miku is also sending her thanks for agreeing to this meet-up!

Gumi: Tell Miku it's no problem for me. what you guys need to plan next is convincing me 😉

Gumi: Send a message again Kai if you need to follow up smth! Gotta meet with my debate society so ttyl!

Kaito: Thank you so much Meg!

Kaito: See you soon and good luck!
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Gakupo commented. "Now that was fast." He watched the conversation between his friend and their next guest in action.

"Miks, why did you have to take my phone mid-convo?" Kaito groaned as he locked his phone and turned his head at Miku who stood beside him.

"Kai, you were taking too long! You gotta make things concise and precise! We're on a mission!" Miku rebutted, her hands on both sides of her hips.

"Besides, why did you ask Megumi if she agreed to meet with us? It's already implied she will when she said she wanted to hear about what happened with Yuki!"

Oliver chuckled. "Are you sure you really want Yuki to hear you say that?"

Luka gently chided. "Miks, Kai just did the right thing to confirm things. It doesn't hurt to ask. You were too impulsive to steal Kai's phone and take control of the convo last minute. What if you accidentally pressed send and sent an unpolished reply?"

Kaito cried, clutched his phone in a protective grip away from Miku. "Yeah! See, Luka is the voice of reason here!"

Gakupo hit the edge of his hand with his other palm as emphasis. "Anyway, make yourselves free next Friday after school! If you have cleaning duty, you've got to speed things up!"

Oliver flicked his head on the side. "Or better yet, ask someone to sub for you. Someone asked me to sub them before and they did their end of the bargain. We switched our names on the weekly roster and viola, no trouble at all."

Kaito was surprised at what Oliver said. "I thought that wasn't allowed? I swear a few people got reprimanded for doing that."

"Well that's because one of them didn't do their end of the deal, or half-assed it. Of course there's extra risk in asking someone to sub you in the first place. They're just dumb to not handle it properly." Oliver explained.

"Oli's got a point though," Luka agreed. "But Gakt's right! Make yourselves free next Friday after school! We have a tough crowd ahead of us if we want to get this plan rolling." She continued.

Gakupo cheered and focused on the tracking page on his phone. "The photocard might be delivered today! Or still on the way today, according to the tracking."

Miku grinned, both hands on her hips in a show of triumph. "Good, good! We'll be able to convince Megumi into our plan, I'm very positive!"

"Not so fast, Miss Mastermind. We still have to think of our arguments that would convince her." Gakupo intervened.

"I thought we did that ages ago! It's even in the group chat!" Miku whined.

Gakupo rebutted. "What I meant is delivering it. Like, what if she took it the wrong way?"

Luka assured him, her hand on his shoulder for extra effort. "I'm sure we'll be able to explain ourselves if we end up in the wrong page, Gakt."

"Lu's right. Megumi is not as intimidating as you guys think. In fact, you guys might get annoyed with her." Kaito chuckled. "She's very much an airhead in our day. But if you need her to talk seriously, she will do it. And we'll be talking about Rin so she will definitely take this seriously. Just expect some jokes along the way that are hit or miss."

"A woman with a sense of humour? I will vibe with that." Miku grinned.

A certain person called the attention of their group. Rin entered the room with her bento box and new additions that she must have bought from the cafeteria. "Hey guys! Hope I didn't miss anything!"

"No worries sister, we were just talking about homework!" Miku answered Rin. The impromptu cover-up was immediately understood by their friends and naturally hopped onto it.

Gakupo joined in. "Yeah, I can feel the influx of stuff we have to do. Can you even believe we're actually halfway into the year now?"

They had mid-semester exams soon, which meant more requirements to ensure they passed. After that, it was new territory with the start of the new semester.

The elephant in the room Rin kept ignoring still imposed on her; whenever the idea of the end of the year was brought up.

She mustered up all the courage through one breath.

"Hey guys, I have to break some sad news, I guess for me."

Her friends became silent after they noticed a shift in Rin's voice. They attended all their focus and waited for her.

"We were informed by our agency that we might be close to receiving our visa. So uhhh…" Rin paused. "I have to prepare for that day. I don't really know how to tell this honestly in a chill way so… yeah. On any day, I might have to miss out before we can graduate."

When Rin's gaze was below on her lap, all her friends shared glances.

It was as if they did telepathy, and one idea crossed through all their minds.

The closure needed to happen soon.

Miku lightened up the conversation. "Then that means we've got to make the best out of every day with you!"

Rin smiled after Luka's side-hug around her shoulders.

Gakupo suddenly blurted out. "I think this calls for a group hug!"

To his amusement, it was exactly what all of them did with Rin in the centre.

Lunchtime went through its usual course, as if Rin had not dropped a compelling reason for Kaito, Luka, Miku, Gakupo and Oliver to act on their plan urgently.


Fortunately, none of them had cleaning duty the afternoon of their meeting.

Gakupo, Luka, Kaito, Miku, and Oliver all went ahead of the gates.

It was a huge convenience Rin had to stay back for her extra-curricular activities. Now it was ten times easier for them to not make up any excuse on why they all took the train together.

Rin would sometimes drop by Gumi's house after school on Fridays, or on days where she was dismissed early and did not want to go home yet.

It was often a last minute decision without any form of notice at all. The two were incredibly close that it was a frequent thing for them.

Gakupo enthusiastically commented. "Alright, lead the way Kai!"

They went to the train station, the usual destination for Kaito. He was the only one in the group who lived outside the school's local area, whereas most of his friends lived nearby.

Since Luka, Gakupo, Miku, and Oliver already went to Kaito's house in the past, the route was familiar.

When they hopped off the train, they went to the path that led to Kaito's home. But once they diverged on a road away from his street, they were able to see his and Rin's former school.

They passed through the front gate of YMH. The looks of awe and amazement were in Miku's and Gakupo's faces.

Luka and Oliver had a more restrained reaction, but were still fascinated at the small and humble school where Kaito Fuuga and Rin Shimoda grew up.

Kaito pointed out that if they took the pathway in front of them, they would notice the school's back gate. It was a shortcut towards his own street.

But for today's purposes, they took the other way. On the avenue that connected the main road and the area of the school, was Gumi's house.

For someone who lived three minutes away, Gumi was often late in morning classes. It became a running joke within their old cohort at the time, especially in seventh grade after Gumi began to be independent with things such as to prepare her food and wake up without her parents' help.

Compared to the other houses in the area, Gumi's house had every nook and corner covered with intrinsically-designed grills painted white.

Behind the grills was a wide open space with a cemented floor that only added to how barren the huge distance was between the gate and the front door.

"That's a huge ass foyer they have." Luka commented.

"Wait 'til you enter the house, their living room is huge." Kaito chuckled. Nearby their spot was a bell attached within the grills.

Oliver assumed it was decoration with how the bell's design blended in with the grills and its inanimate nature.

But when Kaito reached out for it and it actually made a loud noise, Oliver was taken aback.

A loud voice from inside was heard and told them they were approaching. Kaito stopped ringing the bell.

"It's been a long time since I visited Gumi, unlike Rin. I'm as surprised as you guys when I saw they still use the bell. They can't really do doorbells since they have this grill instead."

The door opened and a young woman came out. She had lime-coloured shoulder-length hair. Her eyes were also green but a darker shade. Gumi wore an oversized red hoodie with an eye and a half of a smile on the sides of the hood, together with mid-thigh black shorts and grey-slip ons.

"Hi Kai! Hi Kaito's friends! Welcome to my home." Gumi went straight to the spot with the framed opening.

A few seconds to work on the keys was all it took for Gumi to pull the door of the grilled walls and let her visitors enter.

"Hey Meg! Thanks for letting us drop by your house! I hope we're not imposing, especially to your parents!" Kaito accepted a hug from Gumi. He was the first one to enter after his friends were hesitant to enter before him.

"Don't worry about it. They're aware I'm bringing people and that you won't start a ruckus of a party. Let's go inside so we can get started." Gumi opened the front door for everyone to go through.

When the last person, Luka, passed through the door, Gumi followed and closed the door behind her.

"So Kai, want to introduce yours and Rin's mutuals to me?"

"This dude with the funky eye bandage is Oliver." Kaito first gestured from the farthest left in the hurdled group.

"Hey Megumi, nice to meet you! Call me Oli." Oliver greeted meekly.

"Nice to meet you Oli. Meg is fine." Gumi kindly replied.

Kaito gestured to Luka. "Beside Oli is Luka, our mother hen in the group."

"Ah, Luka. I've heard stories from Rin. I'm glad to see she's not so uptight and the goody-two-shoes anymore." Gumi smiled.

"Well, she still has those moments. But your best friend can be quite a handful if you don't literally zip her mouth." Luka clutched both of her elbows in a relaxed posture at Gumi, who laughed at her remark in agreement.

Kaito gestured towards Miku. "The lady with the pigtails is Miku. And yes I can read from your face she is the mastermind."

Miku was silent. She had her mouth agape and stared intently at their host.

Then Miku quickly collected herself. "Nice to meet you, Megumi! Thank you so much again for agreeing to meet with us!" Miku shook hands with Gumi. "Kaito never mentioned how beautiful you are!"

"Oh. That's sweet of you, thank you." Gumi blushed while she smiled. "It's also nice to put a face to a very intriguing name, Miku. I do hope we enjoy this meeting." Miku had a huge smile on her face.

Kaito noticed but simply shrugged it off.

"This gentleman next to Luka, who looks like a crackhead even without doing anything, is Gakupo. Did I mention that he's also into your favourite band?"

"Wait, really?" Gumi's eyes sparkled if it was physiologically possible.

Gakupo timidly nodded. "I was into them ever since their 'Special' era. And I'm currently saving up money in case they have a concert here soon!"

"Woah! You're one of the OG stans, I respect you for that!" Kaito had to take a second look before he realised Gumi had not shaken in excitement, contrary to her usual habit whenever she felt very excited.

"Any fan is my friend. As a token of my appreciation of your presence, here is a photocard. Kai told me she was your bias, so I hope this was the best photocard you'll have so far."

Gakupo handed the photocard with both of his palms, as if an offering in front of a deity. Gumi let out a sob before she delicately received the photocard.

Luka and Miku made eye contact. Oliver was a hundred percent sure the two restrained themselves from bawling out of laughter with Gakupo's (and even Gumi's) antics over what they thought was just a shiny piece of photo paper. It did not even have the signature of the person!

Gumi cherished the gift. "You are a blessing from heaven, Gakupo!" She clutched the photo card to her chest.

"I'm terribly sorry I got so completely caught up with the gift. I forgot to make you guys sit down!"

When Gakupo and Kaito could not squeeze in after Oliver, Miku, and Luka sat down, Gumi intervened not before she safe-kept the photocard.

"Kai and Gakupo, you two can sit on the arm rests. It's alright, my parents won't notice." She gestured nonchalantly. When the guys finally got settled, Gumi smiled.

"Do you guys want coffee, tea, soda, or just water?" When all of them replied, Gumi left the living room and went to the kitchen to make the requested beverages.

Oliver, Gakupo, and Luka discussed the enormous space of Gumi's home. Kaito and Miku seemed to be in a silent conversation.

Even without a word, it seemed they were able to comprehend the other.

'God, I hope Kai's just kidding about Megumi and agree in a snap like Lily.'

'Megumi will support us, there's no need to worry!'

Gumi returned with a tray of all their glasses and put it on the coffee table across them.

Luka, Gakupo, Miku, Kaito, and Oliver expressed their gratitude before they grabbed their own glasses. For Oliver's case, it was a cup for his tea.

"I never drank tea when I was young. But chamomile tea was like a miracle when I have insomnia recently." Gumi simply smiled, the saucer that held her cup of chamomile tea in hand.

Oliver agreed before he took a sip of his own tea. "I believe tea is the wiser cousin of coffee. And it's indeed very relaxing when drinking it."

"Besides literal tea, I also love the figurative tea of gossip! So, what's been happening with my best mate?" Gumi set down her cup of tea on the coffee table and rested her hands on her thighs. Her smiling face now fully engaged and steered everyone to the purpose of their gathering.

"I did heard from Lily, who you met a few months ago, that one of you ladies here started a mission after what Rin did."

Everyone on the couch directed their gazes to the mastermind. Miku shrieked when she felt all her friend's gazed at her.

"Uh yes, that would be me, Megumi." Miku felt her heartbeat thump faster from her chest.

She could not stop this weird feeling that made her face warm every time Rin's best friend looked at her.

"Can you actually tell me everything about how Rin roasted your classmate? She mentioned about this Yuki gal, and I agree she's a bitch. Now I feel betrayed. Rin hadn't once even bothered to tell me she did that!" Gumi pouted, folded her arms across her chest.

Kaito had thought that Megumi did not grow out of some of her… childlike habits.

When the rest of her friends still looked at her in silence, Miku knew she had to step up and retell the events of that day.

When Miku finished her re-telling, Gumi held her stomach in laughter at her seat.

"Oh my fucking god that's deadass Rin! That's the real essence of Rin you all saw there. She was much worse back then. You should have all seen that!

"I do quite understand why you all felt it was too rude of her. But I also think Yuki deserved it. Just saying." Gumi raised her shoulders, palms up in the air.

Miku laughed in agreement. Luka slowly understood why Gumi and Rin were each other's best friends.

"Okay, okay thank you for that recap. So now I want to know how did this plan begin? Of wanting Rin and him to meet."

Luka held herself back from raising her eyebrows. Gumi had not mentioned Len in his name.

But Luka chose not to bring it out loudly.

"The day after, Rin told me I should approach Kai and tell me about their past. They had a conversation after she headed out of the classroom. Right before Yuki threw a calculator." Miku answered.

"Sheez, poor owner of that calculator. Rin told me you guys have to use the expensive kind. Anyway," Gumi shrugged.

"The dude is still demanding Yuki for a replacement," Luka comically added.

"So I can assume Kaito did tell you about it. And all your other friends here also got the whole story?"

"Basically, yeah. That's why it feels like I've known Len even if I never met him himself." Miku chuckled. "If I hadn't tried finding his social media, then I wouldn't even know what he looks like! They both have blonde hair and blue eyes!"

Oliver suddenly blurted out. "Len has darker eyes, and he has freckles. Rin has sharper features on her jaw and nose. And she's a year older than him."

Gumi smiled towards the timid blond teen. "That's a very specific set of descriptions there. But I appreciate that, Oliver."

Gakupo commented on the side. "How the hell do you know Len's age?"

"One of his social media accounts had his birthday in it. Complete with the birth year." Oliver casually replied.

Jeez, this man knows too much, Luka thought.

"But going back," Miku steered the conversation to where it mattered the most.

"I thought, from what Kaito mentioned, there needs to be closure between those two. Rin can't act passive-aggressively from what happened to them even if Len isn't around anymore, and for her to take it out to other people."

Luka snickered. "You said that as if Yuki didn't deserve that wake-up call."

"I mean, yeah she did! But Rin might project that resentment in an unhealthy way. And as her friend, I'm deeply concerned." When Miku finished, Gumi nodded in agreement.

"I guess the main takeaway of our plan is to help Rin have no regrets in some other way before she leaves…" Miku finished.

It was at that moment Gumi's face scrunched up. "Yeah. That's one thing I've been dreading since. It's been at the back of my mind since she told us her family lodged that application all those years ago. But now they were told they could receive the visa at any minute. I don't think I'll ever be prepared for it."

The silence in the room was deafening.

Gumi thought she was the only one personally affected with the impending possibility of Rin moving overseas. She was not the only one, as she noticed the gloom and sadness shown on all the faces of her newer friends.

It should not be a surprise to her. Gumi was firm in her opinion, to this day, Rin had that positive effect on people, which made them attached to her in a special way.

The mood in her living room was evidence of it.

"That's why I thought we need to do this for Rin. It may not be that much but we only want to do what's best for her. I know in my heart that this is the right thing for her and I am here to convince you of it." Miku's voice hardened with conviction. Her teal orbs gazed straight at the sturdy and elegant orbs of Gumi's.

She set aside that weird feeling and the fast heartbeat for the sake of convincing Rin's best friend.

Gumi heaved a sigh. "Thankfully, you don't need to convince me more. I support your plan."

Oliver, Luka, Kaito, Gakupo, and Miku all showed signs of relief after they heard Gumi's affirmation.

Shoulders were relaxed, sighs were released from their bodies, gratitude to the heavenly beings were muttered. Smiles were exchanged between the group.

Gakupo excitedly shared the possibility to Miku and Kaito. "This hits two birds with one stone. Rin can get her closure while Len can confess his feelings for her!"

"What?"

It was only one word. But Gumi's hard tone and scrunched up eyebrows instantly changed the mood of the living room.

The mood in the living room abruptly shifted. Oliver was not sure if it was just him.

They just approached the eye of a typhoon.

"Did I hear that right? Len is in love with Rin? Now of all places?" There was no doubt Gumi's face soured with a deep frown.

Miku thought there was a sharp distinction of disgust in her tone. She felt terrified but thought Gumi still looked charismatic.

Why are you thinking of this when we're about to be screwed!? Miku wanted to pinch herself.

Luka's eyes widened. Never had she thought this woman who looked like the goofiest bunch in Rin's closest friends would be scary.

Gumi's hardened glare was not directed to them.

But they caused it.

Luka checked how her friends were. All of them had nervous looks and terror in their eyes. They were directed towards Gakupo who started the chain reaction, when he mentioned Len's side of the plan.

But it confirmed Luka's hunches.

Those moments Gumi never mentioned Len's name, and how she said 'him' with a hidden contempt. She recalled Lily's words that she was not sure if Gumi 'changed her mind about Len'.

It all made sense.

"Uh, y-you see…" Gakupo stuttered. "We had this accident where our plan almost got leaked to Rin so we made this elaborate quick operation to fix it. While they," he pointed his thumb to his friends , "-were doing it, Kaito got Rin's phone to purposely distract her. But she was so busy, we snooped into her messages."

"Can you get straight to the point?" Gumi did not take any bullshit, Luka grimly thought.

"S-Sorry," Gakupo seriously prevented his legs from shaking, even though he was already seated. "We saw Len's hidden messages from all these years. It made sense when Kai mentioned beforehand Len wanted to confess after your graduation. But Rin and her family left the venue before he could do it. The last message was from two months ago which meant he still has feelings for her."

Gumi grumbled. "It wasn't an elaborate prank by him after all." She muttered.

"Fucking asshole has the audacity to just realise what he wasted." Gumi made a 'tsk' sound.

Gumi's gaze directed to a nervous Kaito. "I thought you and him were impressive actors with how desperate you looked for Rin. Something in my mind told me you weren't faking it. But I denied it since I can't trust Len. But now you confirmed what I never wanted to know."

Gumi showed her anger multiple times during their shared years as classmates. But most of the time, she was not taken seriously by people, including Kaito himself.

But distance, maturity, and change in Gumi's actions and body language made her anger so intimidating today.

Kaito started to doubt if this was the Gumi he knew as a classmate two years ago.

"If you also intend to help Len confess to Rin, I have to back out my support to this whole thing." Gumi declared. Her tone had every ounce of finality in it.

Kaito pleaded. "You can't be serious Meg."

"Can't you remember how much of an asshole Len was to Rin? Let me also mention he was an asshole even before Rin entered YMH. Dude is a fucking mess and I don't think he's improved no matter what you all say." Gumi glared at Kaito.

The host closed her eyes to take a breath, and sighed in her seat. She took a sip from her tea that was almost cold.

"I have to be very honest with you all here. Especially to you Kai, as someone who rooted for the two of them back then. I always knew Len and Rin were doomed from the start." She took another sip of her tea before she continued.

"You see, I've always thought Len has too many issues with himself that he still yet to fix. I don't hate him, compared to some of our classmates. But he's a straight-up douche bag. He was just too quiet and kept to himself from anyone to constantly notice and talk shit about. That was the big difference with him from the other assholes in our class. He doesn't deserve Rin."

Miku did not think she could say anything more after that. "Ouch…"

Gakupo spoke out. "Hold on, does Rin even know all of this you're telling us now? I don't mean to impose on your friendship. But would saying this without her knowledge be bad for her as your best friend?"

Kaito replied. "Gakt! That was uncalled for!" Luka quickly joined in to scold Gakupo.

Gumi raised her hand to quell their argument. "He's right. Give him some slack."

She faced Gakupo. "To answer your question, yes. I admitted all of this one midnight, and Rin had her usual midnight meltdown."

Luka replied as she spoke out for the first time in a while towards their host. "Damn woman, you're harsh to tell someone having a breakdown their ex-boyfriend was shit from the start."

"Well, Rin gave me permission to be very honest with her that night. I wanted her to know the truth and be free with it." Gumi maintained her hardened stare.

"When I heard Rin liked Len at seventh grade, I honestly thought 'Fuck, she had to choose him of all people.' But before I could gently warn her in private, the two idiots suddenly confessed out of nowhere. And I got the news not from Rin, but someone outside our group. Imagine how shocked, and unimpressed, I was." Gumi stared at her clenched fists on top of her folded knees.

"You see Kaito," Gumi raised her head to make eye contact with her oldest friend in the room. "This is why I never liked Len. My support in their relationship was only for the sake of being supportive to Rin as her best friend. I couldn't talk shit about Len around Lily and our group because Rin would be nearby most of the time.

"So I wasn't surprised when they broke up because of Len. Of course he would be stupid enough to dump someone like Rin. I was upset for the poor woman who took almost two years to move on. Rin admitted one night she had a gut feeling they would end soon. But she wasn't expecting it would end that way. But honestly? Good riddance. Len just became worse. Sure, he was more docile a year after the break-up. But he was still that withdrawn, edgy kid." Gumi continued.

Oliver crunched his teeth with how sour the mood at the table had gone. Was this the sign they should have dropped this whole plan?

Gumi added, with eye contact to each and every person on her couch. "Based on the few updates I get from Len's social media, I don't think he should cross paths with Rin, especially with the intention of wanting to be more than friends."

Oliver innocently replied. "Why is that?"

But from the perspective of others, it was very frank of him to do it.

Gumi had her lips in a straight line. "He's still the same incel who has yet to touch grass. Not that I have anything against people with his interests. But Len is the type to spend an unhealthy amount of time and thinks 'fiction is better than reality' like some edgy people."

Luka muttered. "I mean, Rin and Len match with thinking fiction is better than reality."

She was half-way into a chuckle under her breath before being painfully nudged in her side by Miku's elbow.

Gumi continued. "He's condescending to people who aren't into his stuff. I often see him post that people who don't like his shit are boring and ignorant. And don't get me started on his opinions are just… not it. You know? I can see it with the few things he posts that are lowkey sexist and insulting to the likes of me, Rin, Lily, and Neru. It's not anything new at this point. But if he doesn't improve on any of his stupid shenanigans, then Rin doesn't need to deal with all of that in her already heavy plate.

"If one of them wants to date the other, it's the last thing you guys should want to happen. It'll backfire your whole plan for closure. If this plan of yours insinuates them dating again, I have to back-out. I apologise. But I'm only considering Rin's best interests and this plan is not part of it."

The atmosphere was heavy among Kaito and his friends. He and Miku kept glancing at each other, with the same thought in mind.

Is this the end?

Miku felt desperate, she was.

They made it so far with Lily. It was not too late.

"Please listen to us. You of all people should know how much Rin needs this. You just said it yourself, the longer she holds on to this, it would be unhealthy for her!"

Everyone in the room was stunned.

Luka and Oliver had scandalised looks on their faces. Gakupo had a palm on his face that hid his open mouth. Kaito turned his head to Miku. He feared what Miku would say next.

"You cannot assume what people want to do or what not to do. If Len wants to confess to Rin, that's his decision and all of us can't intervene. If Rin accepts him, it's her decision that all of us, as her friends, need to respect. You're her best friend, you know all of this!"

Gumi stared blankly at her guests. Then she frowned. "You don't know Len."

Oliver replied. "All of us don't." After the brief pause, he continued. "All of us here haven't met him personally for three years. Who's to say everything he says online is what happens to him in his life?"

Miku continued from Oliver's momentum. "We'll get in contact with Len once we get yours and Neru's permission. If we think Len's not willing to be helped with Rin, or he's uncooperative, then we drop the plan ourselves. We never want to force the two. But we have evidence they both want this to happen. And they both need our help. This was never for Len only. This has always been for Rin."

Silence rang in the living room.

The sound of the local activity from outside Gumi's home resonated. Vehicles moved, children played, footsteps by passing pedestrians, businesses boomed, people went their own ways in the streets. The noises from outside echoed inside the living room.

Kaito sighed. He had to get through it until the end. "So does this mean you don't approve of us reuniting them?"

Silence engulfed them. Gumi had her eyebrows scrunched and sighed slowly.

"Despite everything I just said, I am curious what can happen with this whole elaborate plan you're doing." Gumi answered. No more creases on her forehead, gaze lowered and a forlorn look.

"It still doesn't mean I changed my mind on the idea of Len wanting to hook up with Rin this time. Lily would have said a different thing and Neru will most likely also support her. So the majority would still be in your favour." Gumi gave Miku a worn-out smile.

But the frown on Miku's face still meant she was not satisfied.

Gumi gave a guilty smile to Kaito. "... I did not answer your question, right?"

He nodded in reply.

Miku frowned. "But what if we want you to agree? Just because you'll lose by the majority, doesn't mean we will take that as a success.

"It would mean everything to us if you could express your support for what we'll do. We want your involvement in this plan too…"

She continued. "With your presence, Rin would be at ease knowing you have our support. And that's what we need the most now: Your trust and your guidance."

Gumi contemplated things.

Miku reflected how their meeting with Gumi and with Lily had such a huge difference.

Lunch with Lily was vibrant, energetic, and pleasant.

Their afternoon tea with Gumi was intimidating, tense, and breath-taking on the potential demise of their plan.

Miku thought the silence was another sign to further convince Rin's best friend.

"We know how important Rin is to you. And we all would never let her be in harm's way. And we're all vouching ourselves here for this because we know she badly needs it. So, what do you say?" She smiled and offered her hand.

Once again the anticipation was sharp.

If a pin dropped, it could have broke the focused gazes of Gakupo, Luka, Oliver, Kaito, and Miku who held her hand to Gumi.

"... Yes. If you take your word for it." Gumi curtly replied, and shook Miku's hand.

Huge smiles were on the faces of Kaito and his friends. Some of them did not hold back with their reactions.

Gakupo cheered and wrapped Miku in an excited hug. Luka heaved a huge sigh of relief. Her body leaned against the backrest of the couch out of exhaustion.

Oliver's fist clenched and Kaito heard him say 'yes' under his breath.

"Thank you, Meg! Thank you!" Kaito stated. "We'll get back to you after we get in contact with Len. You, Lily and Neru will be assured that we are all on the same page with this plan. I swear on that."

Gumi shrugged off her palm with an apologetic smile. "No need for that, Kai. I appreciate your sincerity here. I know I need some re-thinking to do after this. That's why I want to apologise for my behaviour there."

Miku felt her face slowly feel warm the longer she looked at Gumi. She dropped her gaze and grabbed her empty glass to fidget with.

Luka joined with a relaxed smile. "You were protective of Rin, that's alright. We all understand where you're coming from. Kai told us what you and her had gone through the years. Right after what happened to Rin, it's natural for you to be wary."

Kaito replied on behalf of his friends. "All is forgiven, Meg. Thank you for being honest with us. We really appreciate you accommodating us, and your help to our cause here. We won't let you down."

They finally felt relaxed with the change of ambiance in the conversation.

"Of course I would take this seriously, Kai. Rin was the one who actually understood and took me seriously, despite everyone thinking I was a lost cause, and that included you."

Luka restrained her facial expression. This woman has no filter!

"Yeah. We had some tough roads back then. But I swear I have huge respect for you today. I noticed your growth and I'm happy for you, Meg." Kaito confessed. Miku and Gakupo nodded in agreement.

"And I'm glad you aren't as biassed compared to before, Kai," Gumi chuckled. "Now, I'm badly curious on how you will execute this plan after contacting Neru."

Miku and Luka essentially admitted that things were still in the fog not until after they touched base with Len.

But they wanted to execute it sometime before their graduation. Gumi nodded her head throughout their explanation.

They diverted from discussions of the plan for closure. Both Gumi and Kaito's party shared stories of Rin and her defining moments of shenanigans, alongside those that had their friends included Lily and Neru.

The whole room laughed and finally eased any tension from last time that once lingered.

Miku witnessed Gumi's infamous sense of humour Kaito had mentioned as a heads-up a while ago. It was true some of them were a hit and a miss based on her friends' reactions.

But being Miku Hatsune, she appreciated every single joke of the woman.

Miku hoped Rin would invite her with Gumi. She wanted to know more about this person.

She had not noticed how much she herself smiled until her cheeks ached.

Multiple packs of snacks were opened, and more stories about their individual experiences in school and life as teenagers were shared.

Unfortunately for them, all good things had to end as Kaito and his gang needed to head home after they noticed the darkened orange-violet hue in the sky.

Kaito shook both Gumi's hands in gratitude. "Thank you so much for having us, Meg. My friends and I really appreciate your hospitality."

"I should be thanking you and your friends for making my Friday night interesting. After all of this, I should scold Rin for not making me meet you guys sooner." Gumi smiled at Miku, Luka, Oliver, and Gakupo.

Miku assured her. "We will surely pass that regard hopefully soon, Megu–"

"Call me Gumi, Miku!"

"Oh, uhm, Gumi." Miku stuttered. "That's a cute nickname."

Gumi smiled at the compliment. "You can follow my social media, if you want. That offer is open for the rest of you."

She made eye contact with the rest of Kaito's friends. "We can get in touch directly without Kai being the middleman all the time."

Everyone chuckled at the joke. A sense of belonging and bonding was established.

Luka and Kaito helped Gumi clean up the mess of plates and snack bags on the coffee table. Gakupo, Miku, and Oliver settled themselves with their bags.

When they made it to the foyer, Gumi hugged all of them.

When she reached Miku and Kaito, she hugged them each with both arms. Miku could not hide her blush at the surprise embrace.

Luka, Oliver, Gakupo, and Kaito thought they saw something more than a friendly hug.

One by one, Miku, Luka, Gakupo, Kaito, and Oliver went out of the grilled gates of Gumi's home. When she clicked the locks closed, Gumi waved her new friends a heartfelt goodbye and greetings of safe travels to their own homes.

Kaito insisted to accompany his friends to the train station despite their protests.

Gakupo worriedly pointed out to his friend. "Kai, you're literally home in a few corners. You could have taken the shortcut and gone home now!"

"Nah, I'm not in a rush to go home. And I want to make sure you guys get in safely. No worries at all."

When they arrived, the next train was due to arrive in five minutes. The gang occupied the whole bench after a few bags had to be placed on the floor.

Luka and Miku openly admitted how intimidating Gumi was when she snapped after Len was mentioned.

Oliver recalled his hopelessness at that point, and dreaded that was the end of their plan. But he appreciated her change of heart at the end.

Luka shrugged her shoulders. "You know, I felt like I was put on the spot when Gumi asked what Len wanted to do with all of this. Like damn, I've never even met the guy. How am I supposed to know?"

Kaito placed a palm on his forehead. "I've known Len for years. But after not talking with him for almost two years, I don't know too. Everything in him could have changed."

He thought about the endless possibilities about Len. His old friend was unpredictable at best. So any of his hunches would lead to no conclusion.

They moved on from that. Kaito thanked Miku for the bold wake-up call she made. Everyone else agreed.

Gakupo recalled. "Yo, if Miks had not spoken just now, Megumi could have kicked us out at any moment." It was a huge save, as they all unanimously agreed with them.

Luka began an impending teasing episode. "Speaking of Gumi, what made you so startled when she hugged you?"

Oliver, of all people Miku did not expect, pointed out that one fact. "And you stuttered there! You never stuttered, Miks!"

Miku blushed and she hid her face with her school bag. Luka, Gakupo, and Oliver began to profusely tease her. Kaito got along through the friendly torture towards her.

But he wanted to scream.

Luka smirked. "Spill the beans, mate! We won't let you get away with it!"

"Alright!" Miku relented. "I thought Gumi was so cute! I might have a crush on her!" She blushed throughout her confession.

Luka, Gakupo, and Oliver cheered. Their sheer loudness may have resulted in a few turns of heads from the nearby people among them on the platform. Miku teasingly scolded them as a result.

Kaito desperately put up a cover to not let his disappointment show on his face.

Gakupo made a joke. "Wait 'til Rin hears about this! You have a crush on her high school best friend! That's such a romance book moment!" Oliver, being the bookworm amongst them, nodded in agreement.

"Just so you all know!" Miku caught the attention of all her friends who rambled about the latest development on her affiliation with their guest. "I'm focusing on this plan! I won't make a move just in case either us or the plan doesn't work out, and it might be awkward for all of us."

Miku coughed; avoided the gazes of her friends when she looked at her side. "Besides, I want Rin to know about this before I make a move to Megumi. She's her best friend so I need her help and blessing. And that can't happen until we drag her and Len together first."

"Fair enough, Miks." Oliver agreed. "Good on you for considering Rin though. I don't think she would have minded you dating Megumi. But it would be a huge surprise to her once she finds out."

Luka chuckled. "Damn right, Oli. Miks might end up giving Rin a heart attack!"

Gakupo laughed along with Luka and Oliver. Then a quick glance on his side, he noticed Kaito was quiet most of the time they teased Miku.

"You okay, mate? You seemed too quiet." Gakupo gently asked.

"I'm fine, Gakt." Kaito lied. "Just feeling a bit tired after everything today. It's been a week after all." He tried his best to smile.

How he hoped Gakupo would never figure out the real reason.

"That's why I told you to not wait with us here. You should have gone home a while ago and started resting." Gakupo had a sympathetic smile in return. "Rest well when you get back, yeah?"

Kaito nodded. His mouth sealed shut in fear a sob could come out without his control.

The automatic PA system announced the train they waited for. Kaito sent off his friends as they positioned themselves to the nearest door.

When the doors finally opened, they quickly entered and settled on the nearest vacant seats that allowed them to sit together as a group. Luka, Miku, Gakupo, and Oliver waved at Kaito through their window, even when the train slowly embarked and left the platform. It went the other way towards their own homes.

Kaito stopped waving when he was no longer in view from his friends. He stood alone, hands inside his trouser pockets, and gazed at the moving train until it became a dot on the horizon.

He left the train station and started his solitary walk home.

Today felt like a storm had just destroyed Kaito. And he did not know what to do to recover.

Was this how Rin felt when Len left her? No wonder she had a bad time. Kaito felt pain hit his chest.

Now, he would never have a chance to confess his feelings to Miku.

He knew he had to start getting over her.

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Alone in her home was Rin. Her family left to buy the month's worth of groceries.

Rin insisted she preferred to stay back instead. Even with the scepticism of her family, they obliged the youngest child's wishes and went on to the journey.

The time alone brought Rin an opportunity to destress and unwind, without the heavy feeling of being watched or the pressure to think twice of her actions.

It also allowed Rin the opportunity to use the electric guitar without anyone to disturb. Once the speaker was plugged up and the guitar was connected, Rin started the prep.

A few twists and turns, wipes on various parts and tests with the speaker, it was ready for action.

She had no concrete playlist to follow. The session was only a freestyle approach to her. Rin allowed herself to move her hands in the familiar motions of strumming flow on her. The vibrations from the strings resonated under her fingertips.

The sound from the speaker travelled to her ears. It was what she once loved so much once upon a time.

Today, she returned to it.

It was the goal; to rekindle the love she lost when she was left in her relationship with someone who inspired this passion.

Rin began to play a few familiar notes, and later evolved into verses from famous rock songs. She allowed her fingers and her muscle memory to do the playing.

At the same time, her head processed thoughts completely unrelated to her music session.

Rin talked to herself, but everything happened in her mind. Long ago she had to learn to keep things inside her head, the hard way, when she was at home.

Even when she was all by herself now, old habits were hard to kill.

I wonder what Miku thinks of what happened with me and Len, after Kaito tells her about it?

Does she think it's some pitiful time of my life? Or just some lame puppy love that was bound to not be taken seriously and I was oblivious all along?

Rin was deep into her speculative daydreaming. She played the guitar part of a famous rock song that told the feeling when their partner lost their love to them.

How did Kai tell the whole thing? Would he have mentioned things that I might actually not know in the first place?

Rin sighed. She already felt tired just when she thought of it.

I do hope Miku doesn't think anything different of me now that she knows about what happened with me and Len.

It felt embarrassing at the same time. The most popular girl in class, her closest female friend, knew the one and only time she dated and turned into a two-year shitstorm.

She chose to ignore the numbness of her fingertips after the continuous strumming on her guitar.

Maybe Rin should send a message to Lily. She badly needed someone to intervene with these worries and spirals of 'what-ifs' that she cannot afford in this time and age.

God knew Rin had already too much on her plate with her fragile mental health.

Or maybe she needed to talk to Kaito instead? Perhaps Gumi who could give her a sense of reality? Maybe Neru to cheer her up?

One thing at a time, Rin. She convinced herself.

As she continued to play the guitar with her heart's content, warm memories from the past slowly resurfaced in her consciousness.

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Kaito had just settled in bed. It was early in the night. But dinner was already finished and he did his homework for the first half of next week.

He was still upset with what happened.

Gumi was never to be blamed, as she was not aware Kaito had feelings for Miku. In no way he also blamed Miku.

Kaito could only blame himself for waiting too long.

Now he was too late.

He could only lament in regret.

Kaito did not know how to approach these conflicting emotions with Rin; not today.

Luka, Gakupo, and Oliver should never know about it. He felt he was not confident enough to open up to Lily nor Neru about this.

It was bound to happen sooner. He was supposed to do it after they got in contact with Neru. But Kaito thought he could only tell everything to him.

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[CHAT SCENE] Len (sender) and Kaito (receiver)

Len Kagamine

Kaito: Yo Len, you still kicking? Can we hang out soon? I just need someone to talk to