Several weeks of exams took a huge toll to Kaito and his cohort. He just finished his last exam last week and was finally free from the agony. It was the similar case with Luka and Gakupo. Oliver was scheduled to take his final exam a day later.
Miku was unfortunate with two exams left on her belt; scheduled separately from the rest of her tests.
On the other hand, Rin was the lucky bastard who managed to end all her agony weeks ago after all her exams finished earlier than all of them.
But the future was now bright and clear after weeks of gruelling exams.
It was a children's game from that point to catch up on remaining requirements for graduation. But the collective anxiety continued. A good portion of their state-wide accredited score needed for admission at universities were from these state-issued tests.
There was unmistakable pressure indeed. So there was only serious business within their cohort until this period finished.
The weather was perfect for a Sunday mid-morning. The clouds covered the sun's harsh rays and there were no signs of heavy rain. So it made the trip to Kaito's house very much convenient for Miku, Luka, Gakupo, and Oliver.
Kaito's home was a familiar place for all of them. Without Rin, who easily took the record, it was Gakupo who was most familiar with the household; having visited countless times since they became friends.
It was only a huge coincidence that the group of friends met each other along the way.
Miku and Luka were together from the train station. Gakupo arrived from the nearest bus stop. Oliver was dropped off by his parents.
"Hey, the whole gang's here!" Luka jokingly commented. They joined together on the pathway that led to the doorstep of the Fuuga family's house.
"It felt like we were assembling like the Avengers just now." Gakupo chuckled. As he was told by the ladies, he rang the doorbell.
The distant sound of approaching footsteps became louder, until a click from the doorknob was heard from the other side, and Kaito opened the door.
"Oh! I expected you all would arrive one by one. Guess you all went in together." Kaito stood aside to let his friends inside. They all removed their shoes and were given house slippers.
"We actually went here in separate ways. Technically, Oli and I. The ladies went together. Then we ended up meeting in your front yard. Here we are!" Gakupo enthusiastically explained while Kaito brought them to the living room.
"Kanako! I missed you! Looking beautiful as always!" Gakupo enthusiastically called out to Kaito's mother who prepared things in the kitchen. He approached her with arms wide open.
"Ah! Gakt! My sweet samurai! It's good to see you again!" Kaito's mother reciprocated the hug from her son's dorky friend. "I hope training has been productive; also for your exams! Are you finished?"
"Yes! I finished last Friday! I'm finally free from the agony!" Gakupo cheered, to the delight of Kaito's mother.
"Come on Gakt, stop hogging Mrs Fuuga to yourself. We want to see her too!" Miku jokingly interrupted when she approached the kitchen bar. "Mrs Fuuga! It's so nice to meet you!"
"Dear Miku, still a darling!" Kanako greeted her son's friend.
"And hello to you dear Oliver, wearing your favourite sailor hat as usual! Ah Luka, graceful and a fair young lady as always!" Kaito's mother had referred to each of them, to the delight of Oliver and Luka who were used to the sweet gestures of their friend's mother.
"Kaito, the cookies are inside the oven. It's just in pre-heat so it'll be warm by the time Len arrives. Remember there's another batch to give to him and to your mates here." Kaito's mother instructed and finalised her packed lunch in her bag for work very soon.
"I almost forgot! There's banana bread for Len! Put it in the tupperware with the note. It's the recipe for his mum so make sure you give it to him!"
"He has his own banana bread!?" Miku shockingly whispered next to Luka, who only shrugged her shoulders in reply.
"Mrs Fuuga, you're a god sent!" Oliver cried out at the mention of the famous Fuuga family recipe cookies.
The woman cherished the compliment. Then she went back to Kaito. "Give more cookies to Len, okay? You know how much he loves those, and he needs the sugar boost with how quiet and lethargic he seemed last time!"
"Mum, you can't say it like that!" Kaito's tone was embarrassed and close to scolding. "Len's just shy now. But he's not sick. Yes, I will give him more cookies in the tupperware if he doesn't end up eating more of it before he goes home."
Luka jokingly muttered amongst themselves while mother and son interacted. "Huh. Looks like Len has special privileges to the famous cookies. And I thought Oliver and Gakupo were competing for it."
Gakupo commented on the side. "To be fair, Len is Kaito's oldest friend out of all of us, even Rin included. He must have grown up with it alongside being with Kai through the years."
Kaito joined his mother in the foyer. His mother gave him her last regards. "I hope you guys enjoy your stay! Kaito, call me any time if you need help!"
Miku, Luka, Oliver and Gakupo waved to their friend's mother on her departure.
Kanako's son answered. "Yup. Have a safe trip and hope you survive work."
It definitely was disappointing his mum had to work today. But such things had to be done, and she said this would happen only this weekend.
His mother dropped a kiss on his forehead. She went to the door and closed it after her.
Kaito returned to the kitchen and grabbed said pastries to feed the troops known as his friends in the living room.
Miku already clutched the pillow from the couch, put it on her lap where her arms rested. Beside her was Luka who watched Gakupo's phone as he showed it to her. Oliver sat in one of the complementary sofa chairs.
"Alright, as I said previously," Kaito began. "Len seems to have become too shy from the last time I saw him. I need to tell you guys to take it easy.
"I myself am easing back, especially with how much he said from last time. With his permission, I relayed everything to the group chat a few days ago, so you should already know about all of it." Kaito paused to make eye contact with all his friends who could be a bit feisty.
"So I ask you all to bear with him. He was pretty timid most of the time so we need to make sure he's comfortable. Let's tone down the accusations and not bring up what he did in the past. Because he himself will do a lot of that if it's gonna be like our meeting last week."
"You got it, Kai!~" Gakupo had his full attention and acknowledged it with a salute.
Oliver prompted the start of their business. "Alright, so what's first on the agenda then?"
Miku insisted, slammed the bottom of her fist in her other palm for emphasis. "We should get on into the plan, pronto!"
Gakupo argued, leaned his torso forward to look at Miku. "Idiot, Kai just said to ease it down and let Len settle first."
Luka counter-argued. "No, Miks is right. We've got to get into it so he knows we're not bullshit-ing this plan."
Oliver commented to side with Gakupo. "Shouldn't we make the atmosphere light first so he'll think he can trust us and be more complicit with the plan?"
Gakupo rejoiced, palms up in the air. "Yes! Thank you Oli!"
"What for!?" Miku insisted. "He's already hopped on the idea! We wouldn't be here if he didn't like the idea of us reuniting him with Rin in the first place!"
Luka boldly declared. "You two are making Len sensitive. He won't break, let's trust the process. We're helping him, not beating him up."
"What Oli and I just want to say is that we should slow down for him. We don't think he's sensitive. He's already a strong person to consider all of this before us." Gakupo replied and paused for a second, before he continued.
"We're making sure Len is proactive here so it would look like he is doing this out of his own initiative. And that it wouldn't look like we forced him to Rin. What if he ends up just saying yes all because he was intimidated by us?"
Kaito was about to make a comment and intervene with the opposing groups who passionately debated. Until he was interrupted.
The doorbell rang, and all their conversations immediately halted to gaze at the corner of the foyer; where the door was.
"He's here!" Miku whispered, grabbed Luka's sleeve and leaned against her.
"That could be Kaito's dad after his grocery shopping. Calm down." Luka casually contradicted Miku.
"I'll get it," Kaito stood up and walked to the foyer. But he turned his head behind midway.
"If it's Len, no peeking! I'm eyeing you, Miks and Lu!" Kaito squinted his eyes directly at the girls. Luka shrugged her shoulders in a deadpan expression.
Miku, on the other hand, whined in passing. "Oh come on!"
When Kaito opened the door, the light of the midday sun greeted him.
In front stood Len. The mid-morning sunshine reflected on the lens of his glasses.
"Welcome back, Len. How was your morning?" Kaito greeted and held the door for him.
"Hey Kai. It was good, I enjoyed the walk in your neighbourhood. I thought I was back at YHM on the way here." Len chuckled as he entered, removed his shoes, and took the offered house slippers by Kaito.
He noticed several new pairs of shoes with different styles and sizes on the side. More likely they were from Kaito and Rin's friends that he was about to meet.
His sense of daunt from last night returned in a flash.
"If you want, we can have a walk if you're nearby again." Kaito offered, closed the door and waited for Len to set aside his shoes. His friend put his pair on the other side from where the others placed their own in a lined pile.
"I'm so nervous. I hope I won't look like an idiot there." Len whispered to Kaito, especially after he heard the sound of multiple whispers behind the foyer.
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The said whispering was being halted by Gakupo despite his best efforts.
"It's really him! And his voice is deeper than I expected." Miku whispered once again, pointing to the foyer.
"You've never met him. How can you say his voice changed?" Luka asked with huge scepticism.
"Kai mentioned how much the guy changed. And based on what Len looks like when we saw his account, I assumed he wouldn't have a deeper pitch. I don't know, I just feel it." Miku shrugged her shoulders, fully confident of her assumption.
"That's still different, Miks," Oliver whispered in reply. "And stop looking through people's social media!"
Miku retorted in a hushed voice. "It's not stalking, and you can't stop me from doing my virtual background check!"
Gakupo scolded his friends. "Shush you all! They're coming out soon!"
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Kaito assured his friend. "You'll be fine! They don't bite, even with how much shouting they do. If they get too much, just give me a look and I'll stop it. It does the trick."
He smiled and patted Len's shoulder. "They're nice people. They welcomed me and Rin. They'll like you too." He was given an assuring smile in return.
So they both went forth to the living room.
Len invested the time to think over and practise on his self-presentation to the people who would push him in the right direction with Rin.
He talked to his own reflection in the mirror for an embarrassing amount of time. Kaito guided him through the multiple times the nerves got the best of Len.
The very moment he made eye contact with the people in Kaito's living room, all that preparation evaporated to dust.
Len noticed four people at Kaito's couch, as if they were in the middle of a discussion before they were interrupted by his entrance.
They all had curious gazes towards him and Kaito. But he knew it was mainly on him; the reason why they all gathered here under a common purpose, other than being friends with Rin.
His face paled after he noticed the familiar face of large teal twin tails and green-blue eyes.
When Kaito mentioned his hopeless crush to a 'popular' musician in his cohort, he assumed it must be the famous diva of CFH that everyone around him talked about.
But never in his wild imagination Len imagined Kaito and Rin would be in speaking terms with—
"Y-You're friends with Miku Hatsune!?" Len shrieked, pointed at Miku and clutched Kaito's arm.
"Ha!? What's that supposed to mean?" Miku frowned. Luka and Gakupo chuckled under their breaths.
Miku was the most dense person sometimes; a running joke within their friend group. One of the living pieces of evidence was her downplay of her own fame despite the school's countless promotions of her.
"Yeah. Rin and I were put in their class last year so that's how we were dragged to their group." Kaito simply answered, curious on the source of Len's astonishment for Miku's presence.
"Ah! Now I remember, because Miku's popular even outside our campus! I forgot to mention it to you, oops." He chuckled as he scratched his head. He gestured to Len to sit on the unoccupied sofa chair next to Oliver.
The host squeezed himself beside Gakupo at the end of the couch.
Len was still stunned. All his preparations faded and what was left was an empty shell of anxiety that was himself. He desperately only focused his vision on Kaito.
"Uh… You didn't have to, Kai. But I always assumed you and Rin being in the same school as the Miku Hatsune was just a coincidence. I didn't expect you'd be in the same homeroom, let alone be on talking terms!" Len's eyes widened with discomfort.
Miku meekly commented. "I still don't get why that should be a big deal though."
Len explained while he clutched the pillow that came along the sofa chair. "You're Miku Hatsune! Local diva of CFH! Everyone in this side of town knows you! You performed at my school last year and everyone loved you, especially my classmates over my school's own band."
"Wait, what school are you from? I'm Gakupo by the way. Call me Gakt." Gakupo reached out his hand, and Len shook his hand in return.
"I'm from ICL. On the other side of the city." Len answered, hoped it rang a bell to them and saved himself from further explanation.
"Ah! I remember! Me, Mayu and a few people from our cohort had to play together for that battle of the bands competition last year." Miku smiled, made eye contact with everyone to see if they also understood.
Oliver groaned and leaned against his seat. "That was the competition we all wanted to go to! But we weren't allowed because of some stupid reason that we were in our finals. I still feel salty about it."
Kaito sighed from that memory. "I know right. While Miku, Mayu and the others were having fun performing, we were stuck in the exam hall finishing finals on a boring afternoon."
Miku had a frustrated sigh in response. "But it was good you guys finished it quickly. We were forced to take those exams we missed the next day, and it was a weekend! We tried negotiating but they wouldn't budge."
Gakupo asked a quick question, to which his mate answered. "Didn't you say you sneaked there, Oli?"
"Yeah! I was finished with my finals anyway but Ms Haruka saw me and I had to be under her watch throughout the whole thing. She thought I owed her for not reporting me back to the office for truancy. I never intended to go to school in the first place!" Oliver elaborated.
Miku rolled her eyes, memories with that certain teacher flashed on her mind. "Oh I remember Ms Haruka alright. She thought you always owed her something in class. Good grief she left this year."
Len swallowed his anxiety and spoke. "My school organised it, and I tell you they did a shit job with it."
The collective gazes terrified Len. But they lent all their ears to him so he continued.
"One of the reasons was just mentioned: they limited outsiders to watch for reasons they never said. It could be why your school forbid you from visiting. The whole audience felt barren since it was mostly just us after they exempted us from classes.
They also started the competition in the morning. And they didn't really choose the best people to compete for us. I actually rooted for your team instead of mine."
Kaito was sceptical at best. "Wait, you weren't part of your school's band for that competition!? You're the best person they could have!"
Len shook his head. "I auditioned. I sent multiple tapes for different instruments to increase my chances. But they never came back to me. So I assumed I wasn't accepted.
They chose the 'popular kids', thinking it would encourage the judges that included our own teachers to vote for their own school. Guess it backfired."
Luka muttered for herself. "How stupid that decision-making must be."
Miku asked out of curiosity. "How many instruments do you play?"
Len stared at the ceiling; visualised the answers he said next. "The keyboard… acoustic, electric, bass guitar, piano, drums… I can do a little bit of violin if I can practise it more… And the keytar, one of my favourites!" He had a shy smile.
Luka was intrigued with widened eyes. "You're literally a one man band! Why didn't they accept you!?" No person she knew had known to play that many instruments.
Len merely shrugged his shoulders. "It's okay. If I ended up getting accepted, I don't think I would have gotten along with them as my bandmates. I saw them practise before and they weren't taking things seriously. It was better off in the end I guess…"
Oliver casually added a forgotten fact. "You know, I actually remember Rin auditioning to be part of our school band for that competition also. Said she auditioned for drums and the electric."
His comment unexpectedly caused startled reactions around him.
Miku's posture leaned towards Oliver in her seat. "And why do I only know this just now?!"
Kaito's mouth was agape. Len's eyes widened.
We could have met much earlier if things worked our way... Len thought.
"Didn't she tell you all? I thought she did." Oliver was dumbfounded. "She told me they rejected her because they wanted her to represent our school in the next academics competition. They wanted her to focus on preparations for that instead."
"They announced her participation after our finals. I think it's too late for her to even prepare anyway." Luka commented. "Unless they told her in advance and only told us later."
"... If Rin ended up being part of your band, we would have seen each other much earlier…" Len had slipped what was on his mind, loud enough for everyone to hear him.
"Ah, we forgot why we're here in the first place." Gakupo lightly chuckled. "Now that Len seems comfortable enough with us, we'll introduce ourselves."
Gakupo began. "Again, I'm Gakupo, but just call me Gakt. I'm one of the early supporters for this plan, you can thank me later," He added the joke at the end and continued.
"That's Oliver there. He was our tiebreaker whether to proceed with this plan or not. So he's our MVP for the rest of this year." Oliver simply smiled at Gakupo's introduction for him.
"This lady next to me is Luka. She's our mother hen, or the wine aunt when she's drunk," And Gakupo received a karate chop from Luka on his head.
"She and Kaito were actually reluctant with this plan in the first place; for valid reasons. They were worried Rin would not take it well. But eventually they were convinced. Because that lady next to Luka," Gakupo pointed past Luka, "is Miss Diva herself, Miku, who started this whole plan and changed their minds."
Len was dumbfounded and looked directly at Miku. "B-But… Why did you do all of this? Not that I'm mad at you. I'm even thankful! But I can't help but think why…?" His voice softened at the last word.
Miku felt sympathetic, and sighed. "Because Rin could leave the country at any moment. I'm not sure if Kaito updated you. Rin's family can potentially fly out at any moment once their visa is released. Even if it meant Rin missed out on this graduation she always waited for."
Everyone else nodded. Then she continued to speak.
"And with what happened early this year, we felt we have the duty as her friends to help her, seeing as it still affected her today. You see, Rin barely mentioned anything about her time at YMH with you and Kaito. It was always Kai bringing up stuff from their shared past.
"After what happened, he told us everything about you and Rin. We had to talk to her other friends—Lily, Gumi, Neru—to ask permission and guide us. Without their approval, we wouldn't be here offering our help to you now. Kaito mentioned how much you want to approach Rin and we're here to help. This is our parting gift to her. We want her to start new without leaving any regrets. I think we're all on the same page, right?"
Len's lips trembled.
Miku began to ask herself how to handle the situation of someone they just met cry in the first thirty minutes of their meeting.
But her worries were for nothing when Len smiled.
"Thank you so much. I know you're doing it more for Rin than for me, but I really appreciate all of you for inviting me here… I wasn't the best person back then, and I did horrible things to Rin that I can never turn back and correct. But Kaito helped me realise even with just me telling everything to Rin, she would appreciate it; that it's never too late for the closure we both needed."
Gakupo smiled. "That's the spirit, mate! It's never too late to mend the wounds of the past."
He quickly added. "You've come a long way from realising and working on it yourself. It takes great strength to do that, especially doing it all by yourself. You should be proud of it. It's our time to do the work for you."
"Ah, thank you Gakupo. I appreciate it." Len timidly smiled, scratched his nape and timidly moved his gaze at the side. "So what happened to Rin that you mentioned earlier this year?"
And all of their faces were dumbfounded.
Miku spoke first. "Kai, didn't you tell him about that during his last visit?"
"I forgot, sorry! We were too caught up with catching up. It must have slipped off my mind." Kaito awkwardly smiled.
Luka sighed. "It's okay. We'll tell him the quickest summary." She directed her gaze to Len. Then she poorly held a chuckle. "Basically, Rin bullied our annoying ass classmate."
Len's eyes striked with what almost looked like fear. "W-Wait… She wouldn't do that on purpose, right?"
"Aw, Lu. Now you scared him!" Gakupo scolded in a teasing manner.
Oliver took over the discussion. "Luka was partially right. Rin was pissed at that annoying classmate boasting over her new boyfriend. Kai told us she remembered you with your past relationship, so she felt the need to break off that classmate's fantasy.
"When Rin didn't want to explain the context to Miku, it was Kaito who said everything. Then Miku had this sudden idea of bringing the two of you together. The rest is history because we're writing it as we speak."
"Oh." Len listened. "I'm not really that surprised… She did get in trouble for being too blunt. We often fought early in the break-up, and I was usually the receiving end of some of her harshest comebacks… I did deserve it though."
Miku gently contradicted him. "Nah. Even though that girl was a bitch and she deserved it, Rin did step over some lines. But she said what everyone else couldn't. All of Yuki's boasting about her boyfriend rings my ears everytime."
"Miku and the girl we're talking about haven't been on good terms since primary school." Kaito explained to Len as he helped his friend understand the layers of context.
"But Miku is not exaggerating. She is a hard person to be with. Majority of our class hates her for good reasons. Even Rin and I had a bad feeling when we were the new kids last year."
"Now that makes sense." Len answered, simply nodded along as he was not sure what else to contribute to the conversation.
Luka observed some interesting aspects of Len as they got to know Kaito and Rin's estranged friend.
Like Rin, Len was an observer and chose to blend in the background, rather than to actively participate.
But Len needed prompts, whereas Rin talked and interacted when the situation called. Both of them were into creating music. Luka recalled Kaito's words early in the year.
Rin admired Len's array of talents and noticed it early when they first met. On the other way around, Len felt he was seen by Rin that no one else, except Kaito, had the effort to.
When Rin sought out the latest happenings in her circle, Len absorbed it and kept it to himself; unless someone else probed it from him.
If Len felt he was trapped by his past, Rin was most anxious for the future.
For how studious and goal-oriented Rin was, Len was spontaneous and focused on the present. But with what Kaito said about Len's reconsideration of his life decisions, the two abandoned lovers might have another similarity.
Luka began to conclude that these two were indeed compatible.
Both Rin and Len's passion for creating music, their observant natures, their few shared interests that no one else had, and how they understood each other were one of the many reasons they connected, despite their distinct differences.
It was proven with the effect both of them had on one another. It was a relationship that flourished and thrived from mutual effort and passion.
Kaito brought out snacks for them to munch on. They all eventually went into their separate conversations.
While Kaito and Miku asked Len more questions, Luka was on her phone and typed a message while she listened.
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[CHAT SCENE] Miku (sender) and Luka (receiver)
Miku Hatsune
Miku: sis, he's so quiet? Kai said he was a lil shit back in their day but I srsly can't see it with this dude in front of us
Luka: I mean, he was a lil shit for being an unreliable narrator when Kai asked him if he still loved Rin 2 years ago
Luka: I was right after all 💅 the guys have to pay me those bucks now $$
Miku: You were ahead of your time, queen 💅
Luka: But srsly Kai wasn't kidding when he said Rin's ex seemed so mellowed, like he lied low lol
Luka: Ngl is this even actually Len we're with 😭
Miku: I'll ask Kai pls this is so awkward
Miku: Wherever you are Rin, help us 😭😭😭
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Luka's thumb stopped from scrolling the feed on her phone. "Yo, Yuki just broke up with her boyfriend. She's ranting on social media as we speak."
Miku and Gakupo quickly turned their heads to Luka who sat in between them. They took a peak at the phone screen and saw the evidence themselves.
"Oy, send the screenshot in the group chat!" Oliver's back still rested against his seat.
"Just go to Yuki's profile, Oli." Miku snorted.
Oliver rolled his eyes. "Ain't nobody got time for that. I'm too lazy."
Luka enthusiastically took screenshots and shared it in their group chat. A few minutes later, Rin replied and virtually joined along to their reactions.
Kaito scoffed. "Rin said they'll break up in three months. Turns out she was wrong, at the length of it. But she was right about the fact they'll break up, even without coming from a place of hurt."
Len appreciated Kaito's explanation so he could be on the same page as everyone else. Yet he felt awkward and did not know what to say after that.
Eventually their interest in the tragic affair of their infamous classmate faded away. Miku and Luka interrogated Len with Kaito's supervision. Gakupo and Oliver watched short videos on social media. Since the phone was on speaker, everyone was able to hear the videos but had not paid any attention.
"'Guess these notes, and if you do you might have a perfect pitch'..." Gakupo read out the caption at the very start of the video.
He and Oliver did the joint effort to identify the notes that played without any clues on the screen. They were able to identify a few that were pretty obvious, based on how the instrument and vocals were played.
"Wait, what was that? Can you play that again Gakt?" Oliver prompted, which his friend obliged.
They finally encountered the first note they struggled to identify. They were about to skip it when an unexpected person replied.
"That's A. After that, C sharp. Then D, next is B minor, and last was C." Len timidly answered with a soft voice, audible enough for the two men to catch it.
"Holy fuck mate you have perfect pitch!?" Gakupo and Miku were both astonished, mouths agape from their places towards their new guest.
Kaito smiled, merely shrugged as if it was another ordinary day with Len. "Oh, I forgot to mention. Len has a perfect pitch. That's why he's able to write our sheet music sometimes at the last minute."
Luka realised another thing to herself.
Rin was the type of person who loved to discover and explore new things. Len Kagamine was the surprise her heart sought for.
Now Luka understood it all. It was no wonder the two became the pairing in the first place.
Gakupo put his phone in his pocket and grabbed the few remaining snacks on the large platter. "Damn. He should be leading our theoretical band if he's this talented!"
Miku answered, which brought them back to their original goal. "Well, if he and Rin get back on good terms first, we could work on that."
"Right. The closure plan." Luka commented as a matter-of-fact. She then led the effort.
"Okay, now that we're all here, we need to finally talk about how we do this. When and how do we execute this? How can we leave room for back-up plans in case we need to push it back or pull it as soon as possible? Do we do this as a surprise, or do we give notice to Rin beforehand?
"These are the main questions we've got to answer straight away. After that, we can all relax and let time do its work. Oh and for Len, it obviously gives you time to psych yourself up."
Miku made a sniffing noise, mimed someone with tissues who wiped the tears from their eyes. "Look at Luka taking the lead. I'm so proud of what we've gone through to see this moment."
Luka simply rolled her eyes at Miku's antics. "Because if we let you speak for this, you'd be in circles getting distracted telling Len about Rin's latest shenanigans."
"Excuse me!? I would never! I'm quite focused on our plan!" Miku, with a palm on her chest, retorted.
Len had a small smile. "I wouldn't mind listening to those stories." The blush on his cheeks was a more obvious indicator of his inclination to the idea.
"That's for later, lover boy. Right now we need to set a date. If no one has ideas, I have a suggestion we could start off." Luka paused to let everyone in the room say their ideas.
When she was met with blank faces that expected her to keep going, Luka sighed.
"So to speak, I was thinking we should do this before graduation. Remember, there's a chance Rin might not make it to graduation itself because of the uncertainty in the release of that visa. So we've got to do it as soon as possible."
"I agree. But how do you define ASAP?" Kaito continued the discussion. "I'm all for the idea, don't get me wrong. But do you mean like right now? Because that would catch all of us off-guard, even if we say a week from now."
Oliver argued in favour of Kaito. "Kai's right. We still have to prepare for the school festival next two weeks. We couldn't possibly let Rin feel stressed on top of that by adding the reunion with Len."
Len curiously asked, seemingly lost in their conversation. "School festival…? I thought you guys already finished for the year?"
Gakupo replied. "Technically it's true since we all finished the exams," But with Miku's cough, he retracted a part of it.
"Well, most of us. We're now supposed to finalise some admin stuff like submitting requirements for graduation. During that, we have to be part of our annual school festival. It's this tradition where classes operate booths for marks. But as the oldest cohort, we're responsible for the operation and logistics of the whole thing."
Len was amazed, alongside the nods from Kaito and Luka. "Wow. That looks like a huge deal, and a big event by the sounds of it."
He secretly wished he could join them. But he was not allowed to hope too much. Especially when Rin would be there, and the plan might be ruined if they met prematurely.
Luka prompted. "So, do we agree we do this after the festival then?"
Kaito, Oliver, and Gakupo nodded their agreement
Miku elaborated. "Yup. To be specific, the window between after the festival and before graduation. Len, your schedule is pretty flexible now, right?"
Len was startled for being directly referred to. He nodded quickly.
Luka explored options for everyone to consider. "So now the next question is: how do we want this plan to run? Where do we want these two to meet? Should we be on the sidelines or just leave the two of them by themselves?"
Oliver began brainstorming. "I suggest they meet somewhere that sets the mood for a serious and private conversation. But at the same time, it's not too closed off that'll make Rin comfortable and not feel forced."
Luka nodded eagerly with composure. "Yeah, that's good Oli. But where would it be? All of our houses are out of the picture; it screams 'private but closed off'. It should be in a public place but not too rowdy like a restaurant."
Miku, Luka, Kaito, and Gakupo shared similar looks of contemplation and doubt as they all had their thinking hats on.
Len also explored ideas in his mind. Yet the favourite places he and Rin had in the past were not suitable. Former date places were crossed off since it might give her the hint.
Then Oliver smiled. "Can I suggest the local park?"
All eyes focused on the young man, which he took as the cue to continue with enthusiasm.
"Like the one on the other side of town, nearby Gakt's area. We can do it in the morning or the early evening on a weekday if we want to avoid the busy hours?"
Gakupo expressed his agreement on that. In his mind he visualised the nearby park in his local area. He could not think of another place that was more than perfect.
Miku clapped her hands, her eyes shone with the widest smile on her face in excitement. "Oli, you're a genius! By the time we do the plan, it'll be winter so there's gonna be a lot more lights if we do it in the evening!"
Kaito nudged Len's side. "That really does sound like a romantic scene. In case someone's confession here works out." He whined and blushed in reply.
"Come on. You know you want to do it." Kaito teased. Len's reaction reminded Miku of how Rin dealt with embarrassing teases at her.
"I want to take that leap of faith and take my chance." Len answered succinctly after he got over the flush of embarrassment. His eyes hardened in conviction as his posture shifted.
Luka sighed. "We need to say this," She looked to her friends before she spoke directly to Len.
"You see, we weren't sure whether to allow you to confess to Rin or not since the plan was for a closure . But after we were told by the girls that you're as stubborn as her, we can't stop you and can only offer you guidance."
"Thanks… I guess?" Len felt awkward. He had a gut feeling Luka had something else to say.
"But just because we support you in reuniting with Rin doesn't mean we'll let you go without a shovel talk." Luka frowned, the mood in the living room became heavy and tenacious.
Gakupo intervened. "Woah, woah, woah! I thought Kai said to tone it down before we started?" But his attempt only fell to blocked ears.
"I won't hurt her this time. That's why I'm apologising and will treat her better." Len swallowed his nerves and gathered all the courage to prove himself.
Miku commented on the side. "We will guide you. Because if I were to be honest with you Len, the Rin you last met two years ago in YMH might be different from the Rin we know at CFH today." Not only Len was intrigued, but everyone else around her.
"What I want to say is, Rin might not get over the shock of seeing you after two years of silence. And uhhh..." Miku paused; bought time for herself to collect the right words she needed.
"The changes you had recently, so we'll help you get past the shock she might be in so she can understand your intentions." Miku smiled. But compared with her previous assurances from today, this one felt as if there was a threat underneath it.
Rin's friends were intimidating. Len was close to accepting that fact.
"I-I can see your point there. But I swear with my life, I just want to be with Rin. I learnt from my stupid mistakes that'll ruin the both of us again. You're all personally entitled to punch me if that happens." Len sounded as if he was joking.
But with his frown and scrunched eyebrows, only the truth was spoken from the bottom of his heart. And none of them missed that point.
Luka continued her gaze that was borderline a glare. "Good. Because we will be on the lookout. If you make Rin shed a tear, you'd better remember your own words, mister."
The guys had to interrupt to prevent the threat from becoming a reality.
Len collected his breath and affirmed it. "I will. I won't waste this chance this time." He exhaled.
Not only would his throat be threatened with a choking episode by Neru, Lily, Kaito and especially Megumi, there were four additional candidates with Luka, Gakupo, Oliver and Miku.
Miku directed the conversation to Kaito. "It's nice to see this. Makes me feel assured we're putting Rin into good hands. Don't you think so, Kai?"
But Kaito's focus was completely out of their chat as he was on his phone, with fear on his face .
"Guys. Bad news. Rin's coming here—very soon."
It felt like he was attacked with a thousand spears with the sheer voices of his friends.
"WHAT?!"
"Oh fuck!" Miku clutched her head in apprehension.
Gakupo crossed his arms. "Hold the fuck up! Why would she be here when you didn't invite her!?"
"No, no I didn't! She's dropping off a gift from her parents and SHE SAID SHE'S IN THE CORNER WE NEED TO CLEAN UP, STAT!"
Everyone quickly rushed to gather their things. Luka grabbed everyone's shoes from the foyer. Miku kicked everyone from the couch as she arranged it.
"Get the fuck off, people! We're eliminating evidence!" Miku scrambled in the process.
She hastily flattened the couch's surface to remove the creases and arranged the pillows. Oliver quickly ran the plate of their snacks back to the kitchen after he wiped the coffee table clean. Kaito did the last minute checks to erase any evidence that he had welcomed visitors.
"Oh for god's sake Rin. Why today of all times!?" Luka grumbled while she went back to the living room with all their shoes
The doorbell rang.
They all widened their eyes towards the foyer with a mix of fear and nerves.
Kaito gestured them to tip-toe towards upstairs. The door and the foyer's walls were not soundproof.
Gakupo quickly clutched Len's shoulders as he guided him with the rest of their group. They sped up their tiptoeing towards the stairs and hid in Kaito's room for safe measure.
Kaito walked to the foyer and opened the door.
On the other side stood Rin who carried a large basket filled with goods; packaged in a transparent plastic wrapping with a ribbon on top.
"Hey Kai! Sorry for the sudden visit. I won't be long since we just passed by the area and decided to drop this. My folks want to give this to your parents." Rin's voice was loud enough for the people upstairs to hear it.
"Thanks Rin, and to your parents too! That's nice of them to give this." Kaito answered. "What kind of friend and host am I if I don't invite you inside for some snacks to take home with?"
Knowing they would both get in tangles to convince each other, Rin relented.
"If you say so. But you know I'm fine without anything. My parents are waiting for me from the corner so I shouldn't take too long." Rin answered as she entered.
Kaito took hold of the basket and was meant to close the door before Rin beat him to it. She proceeded to remove her shoes.
"Oh, no! If mum realises I let you go without giving you anything, she will whack me." Kaito chuckled and offered a pair of house shoes for his new guest.
Good thing the barren space of the (usually stuffed) drawer for guest shoes was away from Rin's line of vision.
"I thought I heard a commotion here. Are you having guests now?" Rin casually asked while she untangled the tight laces of her runners.
Kaito's face flinched.
Rin was too observant for someone to keep secrets from. It was unspokenly agreed upon that she would know things unintentionally.
But if she needed to, she would know.
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From upstairs, his friends in hiding heard the conversation downstairs; crystal clear.
Most of them stood still in fear a single step would be heard by the two people below. Oliver crossed his legs and sat on the floor.
"I told you, Gakt! You should have lifted your steps so you could tone down your climbing in the stairs! Now she ended up hearing it!" Miku complained in the softest hushed voice she could utter.
"Give me some slack, Miks. I was helping Len guide him with us!" Gakupo replied in a lower hush, careful not to increase his voice in the process.
"What for!? He literally went here more than all of us combined! He would have gone here with his eyes closed, and discreetly!"
Luka had to forcibly stop the two from arguing in the high-risk situation they were in at the moment.
Len left Gakupo's side to slowly and quietly walk towards the door. He leaned his ear against the door and listened to the conversation from the living room.
More specifically, Rin's voice that he now heard for the first time in two years.
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"... No, no! It was just my dad carrying stuff to and from his office." Kaito tried his best, shook his palms in front of her to convey the point.
"Oh, then I should show myself to your dad then."
"YOU CAN'T!" Kaito desperately answered and accidentally dropped the facade.
With such a strong reaction, it was natural for Rin to raise a suspicious eyebrow. "Is he busy?"
"Yeah! Yeah! He's working from home today!" Kaito nodded, convinced he made a rebound there.
"On a Sunday? Jeez. Your dad must be exhausted. Well. Tell him I said 'hi' later."
The two friends left the foyer. Rin stood near the couch as Kaito went to the kitchen and placed the basket on the counter.
"Rin, sit down and rest those feet. You act as if it's your first time here!" Kaito convinced her.
"It's been a long time since I last went here though." Rin replied back with a teasing smile after she sat down.
"I don't think two weeks ago was a long time ago. And add the fact you've been here for six years." Kaito simply shrugged his shoulders and teased her.
"You make it sound as if I lived here for six years. And besides, it's not like I was the one who was frequent here, especially before we met." Rin smiled as she counter-argued for fun.
"Well. You can name one person who beats your record and I would happily concede." Kaito smirked as he prepared the plate and opened the oven.
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Back upstairs, Len felt his heartbeat speed up.
He did not want to hope. But he would lie to himself if he denied it.
Kaito himself said he was the only person who frequented his house since they were in primary school.
Could it be…?
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Rin smiled. "Oh. That smells so nice! Are those the famous Fuuga cookies?"
The smell brought her back to simpler and pleasant times from the past.
Whenever Kaito opened his tupperware, the aroma of the delectable treats made the class chase where he was to get that delectable bite. Even when he was at the rooftop of the school, some of his classmates made the climb, all for those irresistible homemade cookies.
"Yeah. My mum made these before she went to work. It's been in pre-heat here to stay crunchy." Kaito closed the oven again and brought the plate of hot and fresh cookies.
He placed it gently on the coffee table in front of Rin. Beside was a small tupperware filled to the brim with another set of cookies, and a glass of orange juice on a coaster.
"Oh thank you Kai! I feel bad knowing I can't eat most of these on the plate. But thank you for the take-away ones. I'll return the tupperware tomorrow at school." Rin gladly took the tupperware, clutched it with all the care and affection she had. She took a sip of the glass as she ate her first cookie.
"Yum! It's been too long!" Rin had not hesitated to express her joy on the cookies, even with her mouth full.
"I wished you'd bring these cookies nowadays like you did back then. Are you afraid of our whole class hogging you this time? I'd understand. I wouldn't even bring them in the first place if I were you."
"My mum doesn't bake as much as she used to before. She's focusing more on learning main course meals. But she does the baking and desserts for special occasions." Kaito explained.
He did want to bring cookies like the old days, and experience once again the chaotic yet bonding effect on people around him loving his mother's work.
"So something special happened today then for her to bake these?" Rin asked as she nibbled on her second piece.
Kaito once again suppressed his face that would have suggested she was right.
The special occasion was the visit of their friends without her because of the special addition of Len—his mum's 'favourite boy' because he devoured her cookies like he breathed in it.
"Yeah. It's my mum's 'treat yo self' moment. And also for Dad's way to celebrate the small things at work." Kaito prayed to every deity with mercy that Rin's suspicion did not increase with every word he muttered.
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At upstairs, the group were still motionless and in a frenzy due to the unspoken tug-of-war between Rin's subtle suspicion and Kaito's cover-ups.
Gakupo whispered in agony, hands clawed his head. "Crap, why is Rin poking our holes!?"
Oliver whispered. "Rin, I love you as my friend but please don't eat all of them…" He referred to the cookies that were meant for them.
Luka whispered her thoughts, a hand on her chin in a moment of concentration. "It's either she knows and will reveal it in a few moments. Or she knows but decides to let it all play out. Or the good part, she does not know at all."
Miku whispered, already in peril for the turn of events. "Rin, not knowing anything!? Are you kidding us, Lu!? That girl will never not know shit!"
"Come on, you. If you were right, she would have already climbed upstairs and opened this door." Luka argued in a hushed tone and crossed her arms.
Len still stood beside the door, head leaned on the wood, and listened to the conversation.
From Gakupo's position, he was behind Len so he would not notice it. Oliver was in a similar situation as he never turned his head back.
But the two girls perfectly saw Len's face.
His gaze was downwards as he focused on Kaito and Rin's interaction downstairs. Len looked so invested in the eavesdropping without the sight of their faces.
The interesting part, for Luka and Miku, happened when they heard Kaito and Rin laugh.
When Rin's laugh lingered longer than Kaito's, Len smiled. His eyes spoke to them his feelings of soft satisfaction and content.
Rin's laugh echoed again. So Len closed his eyes with a small smile, relaxed his body against the door he leaned on.
Luka and Miku made eye contact to affirm it to themselves.
The boy was deeply in love with their friend.
And he was serious.
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Rin prompted her exit as she received a text from her father to get back.
"I'll walk with you until you reach the block. Your parents are parked in the corner, right? It's time I show my face and for them to see I've delivered you in one piece." Kaito joked at the end.
But the whole intention was for Miku and the others to get back from hiding in his bedroom.
Rin subtly raised her eyebrows. The way Kaito had insisted was said in a sort of haste way.
She had a nagging feeling within her ever since she was in front of the door. But Rin decided it was not the best time to explore it.
And she was under pressure with her parents who waited for her.
"Sure. Lead the way, Kai." Rin stood up and went to the foyer with him.
Kaito waited for her to tie back her shoes, went outside and then locked the door behind.
As they walked, Kaito sent a text to Gakupo.
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[CHAT SCENE] Gakupo (sender) and Kaito (receiver)
Gakupo Kamui
Kaito: Yo you can go down now
Kaito: Just walking Rin back to her parents
Gakupo: Cool cool 👍 👍
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"We can go down now." Gakupo loudly declared.
All of them sighed in relief after they held their breaths, even when they heard the click of the door as it was locked.
Len seemed to be startled, yet recovered fast enough to open the door for everyone else. All of them said their form of thanks as they passed by the door, began their descent in the stairs, and returned to the living room.
Everyone heaved their sighs of relief once again after they went back to their previous spots.
Oliver raised his torso after he relaxed the sofa chair.
His vision focused on a new object beside the plate of cookies. It was not there when they were all gathered here before Rin.
"Guys… What's this next to the plate?"
It was a small tupperware filled to the brim with a new batch of cookies.
They all have not packed their own cookies yet. Kaito only did that if someone was about to leave.
Which meant…
Gakupo's phone chimed. He grabbed it from his pocket and checked it out.
His face paled in fright.
"Guys. We need to hide again!" Gakupo stuttered, his gaze never left his phone.
Miku, Luka, and Oliver took a peak for themselves.
And they all had different expressions of the same dread.
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[CHAT SCENE] Kaito (sender) and Gakupo (receiver)
Kaito Fuuga
Kaito: FALSE ALARM!
Kaito: GO BACK AND HIDE! RIN IS GOING BACK!
Kaito: I CAN'T STOP HER
