POV: you're passed around by friends in their school's event to hide from your crush and you became a gamer god?


It was a day greatly anticipated by the local community at the CFH campus.

The weather was perfect for today's activities. The natural brightness of the sun without its cruel rays was paired with the tolerable autumn chill. There was already busy foot traffic by the visitors on the other side of the school gates.

Students, teachers and staff rushed to make sure things were finalised for when the clock striked eight in the morning.

Some of them already wore their costumes or a common accessory to stay on theme with their booths, or an agreed thing between their cohort and their friends.

The archway, temporarily attached on the school's gates, was decorated in small paper mache carnation flowers arranged by the colours of the rainbow. On the centre was the school's logo.

The large walls were wrapped with paper vines decorated with white and blue carnations. On the side of the archway, an easel stand with a chalkboard was displayed. The written message welcomed visitors to CFH's annual festival in a child-like font calligraphy.

Behind the archway was a small booth with a window on the side. Maps of the festival floor plan and advertisements for individual booths were strategically placed to attract visitors who were checked-in by a senior student.

The CFH annual festival celebrated the successes and persistent hard work of its students and staff that contributed to its legacy.

The festival was timed after the final exams for the senior students to celebrate before graduation. And so the event largely depended on the oldest cohort in the school every year as part of their last contribution for the school.

The crowd waited at the gates; visitors, alumni, and parents with little toddlers who were younger students.

When the principal declared the start of the event through a blue ribbon cutting, the annual school festival began.

Three senior students began their shift on the entrance booth right away. They checked-in guests and visitors, gave directions, and assisted when needed.

"Hi there! Can I have your pass please?" Mayu greeted a man in a black surgical mask, grey beanie and headphones around his neck. His blond hair was on a low ponytail. A set of azure eyes widened after its owner realised he was being spoken to.

The man wore grey trousers with a black wool turtleneck top, paired with a brown mid-length coat. When Mayu did a subtle head to toe glance, she noticed the man wore black converse runners.

Mayu judged this man's fashion choices. But she was in no place to speak about it, for the sake of being non-controversial on this important day.

The man brought out his pass and slid it on the surface of the booth towards her.

It was everyone's job at the booth to maintain a head count and cross out the names of students in their list who used the visitor pass. Mayu inspected the ticket as usual, but was surprised to see the name of the student.

"Miku Hatsune invited you?" Mayu was amazed.

"A-Ah, yeah! Yeah. She told me to come here." The man explained, even when Mayu was satisfied with just a 'Yes' for an answer. "I'm Kaito Fuuga's friend. Miku offered me her ticket so I could be here."

"Okay…" Mayu answered, eyes still wide open.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable there. I was just surprised that Miku invited someone for the first time in four years." Mayu quickly did what she had to do before she returned the pass.

"Can I have your name please? Just so we're able to log you in as a visitor."

Len would have choked himself had he not stopped himself just in time. He remembered Miku's warning last night:

Don't use your real name when you're asked at the front! Rin works there in the second round of the morning. If she sees your name there, we're already doomed!

Len stuttered, then composed himself. "Allen Futago."

Crap, was he bad at fake names, especially for disguises like this.

Mayu simply logged in his pseudonym without any suspicion, and slid back the pass together with a brochure of the festival.

"Alright, you're good to go Allen. Thank you for coming and we hope you enjoy the festival!" She smiled.

"Thank you! Have a good day!" Len timidly replied, took his pass and the brochure (he already had a softcopy but anyway) then walked away from the booth.

Miku and Kaito were serious when they said the festival would be busy. It was just thirty minutes past eight and there were already tons of people in the booths in the school grounds, and more activity inside the buildings.

Len felt a bit intimidated with everything.

He was no stranger to big events. But today felt different. He did not know anyone besides Kaito and his group of friends that were nowhere to be seen.

And there was the lingering thought of Rin being here at any second, and then their plan would be ruined once she saw him—

He felt someone was near his personal space, so Len quickly turned his head to his side where Kaito approached.

"Welcome to CFH, Len! Sorry I was late in picking you up. Some guys in my class needed help with their booths." Kaito scratched the back of his nape with an apologetic smile.

"It's fine, Kai. I just arrived actually. I was meant to call you after I get over my intimidation with all of these." Len gestured his hands around him, to the grandeur and energetic environment they were in right now.

"They didn't call it a festival for nothing, mate." Kaito chuckled. They stood on the side of the main walkway.

"Miku was supposed to welcome you here because you're her guest, as she said. But she had to call me in for a favour here because she had to prepare for her performances. Though this is not a favour since I like to guide you here."

"That's fine. She did give me a notice that there was a possibility this might happen." Len assured his friend. "But wow, I know Miku is popular here. But I didn't expect she would perform that many songs today."

"Like I said, they don't call her our diva for nothing." Kaito smiled. "Come, I'll show you around. Rin is doing her last rehearsal before she starts her shift at the front."

And so the two friends toured everything the festival offered. Kaito first bought Len inside the building where the place was filled with more booths that offered more interactivity, akin to an amusement park, as it occupied a whole classroom.

Kaito showed Len each booth and made him try out a few. It resulted in a hand drawn temporary tattoo of a symbol from his favourite video game on his right palm, and freebies to bring home to.

Len was amazed at the tremendous effort put into the booths. They were just two hours into the festival and he already understood why the CFH annual festival was one of the most anticipated events in the local area.

When Kaito mentioned the building had tons more activities planned, Len was both amazed and exhausted at the idea. They were still on the second floor and they needed to go to the next three floors, as the interesting booths were there thanks to the older students.

"You mean to tell me everyone is doing booths here?" Len panted for breath after his fourth set of staircases to the fifth floor.

"Yup!" Kaito answered. "Not our cohort though. We're basically responsible for operating everything. We assist the younger kids with their booths, manage the program of the concert hall, and help with the logistics in general."

"So that's why you all have those shifts. That sounds too exhausting. How are you guys coping?"

They ventured in the busy hallways filled with various decorations from each booth.

"We graduate within the next two weeks. That's all our motivation to get through it. Besides, this just runs today. Thankfully it's not an extended thing. By the time the weekend starts, we're done with this." Kaito explained.

They explored all the booths available. Len looked forward to the gaming booth they stumbled on had they not rushed to go downstairs.

It was a visual treat for him to see the colourful and intricate decorations. The overall set-up of each individual booth was unique and had obviously been invested with effort and hardwork.

When they returned to the school grounds, they checked out the food stalls. Throughout their exploration, Len noticed adults who looked like teachers who either helped out or stood with a clipboard and wrote on it as they observed students on their booths.

He forgot to ask Kaito about it after they often got distracted by more things around them.

"Sorry, Len. My shift in the concert hall starts soon. I'm passing you to Luka now. Don't worry about her, she won't bite." Kaito informed his friend as he typed on his phone; more likely it was for Luka.

Len did a backread of their group chat last night. They were all in a comprehensive plan to organise their own breaks to guide him, and shared each other's rosters, alongside Rin's that was leaked thanks to Miku.

Len had never seen an intense brainstorm in a group chat. If this was what they did in personal matters, he could not imagine how they did in school projects.

And so his time with Kaito finished. The next one to guide him was Luka. To be followed was Oliver, then Gakupo by the time Rin and Miku performed. Last but not the least was Miku who was the reason he was here in the first place.

Unless an emergency or mishap happened, then Len knew the order of the people he expected today.

Not too long, Luka met up with the two men.

"I'll be heading off. Lu, let me know if something's wrong and continue with our location updates in chat. See you around!"

Kaito saluted to the new pair and quickly walked to the other side of the school grounds, where the concert hall already banged tunes for everyone at the front to hear from a distance.

Luka looked at Len from head to toe, then returned her gaze to his eyes again. "So uhhh… You dress like that?"

Len would have taken it as a compliment had he not realised Luka had an unimpressed look on her face.

"I get it, my fashion sense sucks!" Len cried under the face mask. "I was forced by Miku and Kaito to look different to be safe!"

"Yeah, yeah I know that. They told us." Luka said. "Let's get going, gamer boy. We have to move if we don't want you to get caught."

Now it wasn't only Miku who called him that, Len begrudgingly thought. These two best friends…

Luka and Len walked around the school grounds since she had no idea what to do with him after Kaito had just shown him around the whole school.

They approached a food booth and Len felt hungry.

"Do you want to grab a corndog? It's my treat." Len turned his head from behind to Luka.

Luka thought this was the most unexpected thing she heard. "Nah, I'm good. Thank you. I already grabbed a snack before fetching you."

"You sure?" Len hesitated.

"Yeah. Don't worry about me, gamer boy." Luka stepped aside, crossed her arms in front of her and waited for Len to finish.

When he got his food, he went to the other side; at the boba tea stand. "But I seriously need to give you something. And no one can resist bubble tea. So tell me what I need to get you."

"What if I said no?" Luka fooled around. So it was true he was too nice, as Miku mentioned.

"What if I also said no?" Len challenged.

"Well, if you're going to be this stubborn, I won't reject free food." Luka shrugged her shoulders for emphasis.

She briefly glanced at the booth's menu until she found her staple flavour. "Get me passionfruit."

Len nodded as he paid for both of their bubble tea.

"I know somewhere where we can sit." Luka quickly said when Len got their drinks. They went through the busy crowd until they reached the sitting area decorated with ornaments in the festival's theme.

When all the tables were occupied, Luka noticed the tree with the rectangular bench around the trunk was empty. So she told Len to follow her and they settled there.

Luka got her bubble tea and Len ate his food after he removed the face mask.

With all the excitement he felt with Kaito while they toured the whole school, he had forgotten it had been a long time since he had breakfast with the far distance travel to CFH.

The two were silent. But Luka did not mind, and she assumed it was mutual for Len.

They watched the stream of people that came in and lingered around the booths. Groups of students on their breaks gathered with friends who were in the booths, or were by themselves alongside Luka and Len in the quieter areas. Families came in from various sizes and kinds, mostly enjoying the moment.

"I want to ask a question." Len began after he swallowed his food.

"Ask it away, gamer boy." Luka answered while she sipped her drink and still looked at the people.

"Have you met Rin's family?" Len was curious. As he saw all these families, it reminded him of Rin's own.

He got along with her parents, he thought. But her brother and sister were another topic.

Luka clicked her tongue and grumbled. "I wish I didn't. I've never met a family so snobbish."

Straight off the bat from that response, Len knew what Luka thought of them.

"Everytime Miku and I visit and one of her parents gets home, they don't acknowledge us even when we say hello out of courtesy. They act as if we aren't there with their daughter."

Len was surprised with Luka's revelation. Rin's parents welcomed not only him but Kaito, Lily, Neru, Gumi, and all her close friends who dropped by the Shimoda household.

"Miks and Gakt have this thing on getting good impressions from parents, even to the most intimidating bunch. So I knew there was something wrong when they weren't liked by Rin's parents, especially her siblings." Luka continued, her eyebrows scrunched now that they entered that topic.

"Yeah… It's always her siblings…" Len agreed.

"They're rude as hell. They look at you as if you're imposing on them. It's maddening. I still wonder how that family works. Situations like that make me thankful my parents aren't together, rather than endure that kind of stress twenty-four seven."

"What happened with your parents?" Len could not help but ask.

"Divorced since I was seven. Kept things much simpler for them since I'm their only child. I'm thankful they did that." Luka paused and drank her boba tea.

"Sure, it's hard with finances since mum had to juggle between jobs to keep us going despite child support. Through the years, I'm happy they're not together anymore. I'm glad mum left early and lessened the damage to herself and to me."

Len was too stunned to speak. He had not expected to be a recipient of this personal information.

He felt he was not in the place to comment since he had a healthy relationship with his parents who were in their own functional marriage; something Luka and her mother lacked.

But Len thought it was her effort to make a point about the unspoken issues in Rin's family.

Luka continued. "It does look like I'm probing Rin's personal affairs, but I need to say this to someone else, if you don't mind."

"No, not at all." Len assured her.

"I can't care less if society sees me and my mum as a 'broken' family. But we make it work for ourselves. Rin has said too much since last year for me to conclude their family acts like the broken family in the guise of the picket-fence household. No wonder she feels restricted and brings out all that pent-up energy to us here."

Len did not know what to say once again. But he remembered what Rin once said. He could not help but agree.

"If you're getting back with Rin, all I can say is you need all the luck you can ask for by the time you meet her family."

Len gulped. "If Rin wants to get back with me in the first place."

"Right." Luka agreed. "You know, I was very hesitant getting you and Rin back at the start. Because I thought you two would only hurt each other again like in the past. Boy was I wrong."

She chuckled dryly. "I was told, after Lily, how much you two left so many things unsaid. It was a natural consequence—both of you not being able to move on even when you think you've put it in the back of your head. You can't expect the opposite to happen. Then there were the issues with your friend group after you two broke up. Miku told only to me."

Len sighed in relief. He was worried that Kaito knew about what happened to him with Megumi. He himself still processed what Miku had just told him.

"Rin is giving mixed signals to herself. So I agree with Neru that you two can try it out this time, now that you've both grown separately. You guys know how to make it work this time."

Len's eyes were wide open. He had not expected Luka, and especially Neru, to think that way about him and Rin.

He could not help the emotions within him when he asked with a raspy voice. "Did she really say that?"

"Yup," Luka turned her head after she noticed the shift in Len's voice. "She begged us to make this plan work. She had full faith you two needed to try it out again if you and Rin wanted it."

"Wow… I had not expected that…" Len had one more thing to process before the fateful day of his meeting with Rin. His old friends from YMH all supported him to get back with her.

Luka simply allowed a moment of silence for Len, who looked like he needed to step back, as he realised things were in his favour.

It was not so bad to be part of the plan and secretly cheer for Rin and Len to get back together.

But Luka was not ready to admit that to Miku, Kaito, and Gakupo who were fully rooted for their comeback.

There was a group of seniors who were about to finish their breaks when they all stood up and started to head back.

"Rin's going to begin the tour with the principal here in the outdoor booths. We better start preparing for that." One of them, Cul, spoke out loud. She was met with nods of agreement and hums of affirmation.

Luka's eyes widened. Len heard what the passing students, he assumed were also seniors like them, had mentioned.

"For fucks sake, why is that geezer already starting the tour?" She grumbled under her breath.

Luka's phone pinged, and she knew it was a message from the group chat thanks to a custom notification.

When she brought it out and checked the message, she flinched.

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[CHAT SCENE] Operation: Closure for R&L ? ゚ルマ - Luka POV

Operation: Closure for R&L ? ゚ルマ

Gakupo Kamui
Luka Megurine Rin's gonna meet the principal from the gate now and accompany him in touring the booths downstairs

Wherever the hell you are with Len, you need to bring him here inside the building!

Kaito Fuuga
She said they're sitting in the tree near the outdoor tables. Midway between the gates and the building

If she doesn't reply within a minute I'm calling her

Luka: I'm alive. I'm bringing him there now.

Luka: Oliver Cody where are you? My shift is also starting soon.
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"Kagamine, we have to head out." Luka quickly stood up with her half full cup. "Rin's coming! She's accompanying the old man principal and will be here for a long time."

Len quickly grabbed his half-eaten food. What he had not anticipated was Luka to have dragged him in the shoulders.

"Hey! My corndog!" Len whined as he was pushed forward at a faster speed while they dodged obstacles in the crowd.

"No time to lose, gamer boy! We're on a mission to get the hell out of here!" Luka continued to drag him inside the building. When the coast was clear, she told Len to follow him and they took the stairs where the seniors lingered.

Once again the man met his demise on these stairs.

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[CHAT SCENE] Operation: Closure for R&L ? ゚ルマ - Luka POV

Operation: Closure for R&L ? ゚ルマ

Oliver Cody
Luka Megurine I'm here on the 4th floor, in front of our classroom with the haunted house booth. I'm grabbing Len next.

Luka: Omw. Thanks Oli!
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It was often difficult from the start. Because for Len's second time in those stairs, he had not fought for his life nor panted for air this time.

It worked well when Luka hurriedly manoeuvred between people in the hallway to their classroom on the farther end of the hallway.

They eventually approached the blond man with a sailor hat and bandage on his left eye.

"He's all yours, Oli. I need to start my shift in the concert hall." Luka nudged her head to the side towards Len next to her.

"Good luck, Lu! And thank you, I'll handle Len now." Oliver smiled as he waved to Len who looked like he needed a few more breaths after their trek on those stairs.

"Let us know in the group chat if you need help. And keep your notifications on in case one of us needs to say something." Luka regarded him.

"Hey Luka. Thank you for accompanying me." Len began before she left. "I appreciate your honesty back there."

"That was nothing too big, gamer boy. Just don't get caught by Rin or her friends today." Luka casually replied.

It was nice to know there was one more ally in her disdain with Rin's family. But Miku was right, Luka could see how Len worked hard to win back Rin.

She only hoped for the best for him.

"Aight, I'm heading out now, or else Ars hunts me down." Luka waved to Len and Oliver as she turned and made a dash for downstairs.

"Looks like it's you and me, Len. How are you finding the festival so far?" Oliver smiled as he stepped aside so they were not in the way of the moving people in the hallways.

Len followed suit. "It's pretty awesome, Oliver. Downstairs was a whole food court! And the booths here are insanely organised, it's amazing. How have you been?"

"Yeah, we go all out for today since it only happens once every year." Oliver smiled. "I've been helping these kids with their haunted house booth actually."

He gestured his head towards the door with the elaborate halloween decorations on the frame and the old wood design of the booth's signage.

"It's awesome! I'm proud of these guys and they appreciated my advice on the details. It's also our very own classroom so I know the nooks and crannies despite how complicated they made the route. Do you want to enter?"

Naturally, Len accepted the invite. "Of course!"

Even if Len was a scaredy cat, he was always up for an exciting time. As they said, he was here for a good time, not a long time.

Oliver, being someone very into the macabre and the eerie side of things, thought their tactics to jumpscares and scaring visitors were the best they could do with the circumstances and resources.

It also helped that the majority of these kids were from the theatre club and knew how to apply their theatrics. So he was excited to be on the other side of the walls and witness how the kids scared those who dared to enter.

They paid a small entrance fee and had their names signed up.

"Oh you're with someone today. Who are you with, Oliver?" The young girl from the lower year level curiously asked.

Oliver quickly recalled his script. "This my cousin. He's around town so I thought of inviting him today." Someone from inside confirmed they were ready for the next round of visitors.

"Nice! Enjoy the booth, you two. And thank you for your tremendous help with us, Oliver!" The girl lifted the end of the expandable wall barrier and set it aside.

It was the signal for Len, Oliver and the rest of the queue to enter.

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Oliver was satisfied with the whole operation of the haunted house booth.

He was quite pleased he was assigned to help these kids. They did a bloody good job, if he was asked.

But if he asked Len, he may be biassed for how frightful he was, and still shook as a leaf, when they finished the tour inside the booth.

"For how excited you were to enter Len, it seemed you had to fight for your life when we were inside!" Oliver laughed.

He never thought he would spend his time inside laughing out loud whenever Len got scared and screamed.

It may have ruined the experience for the people alongside them but Oliver had no regrets.

"I liked everything there! I just can't help but get scared though. But that's part of the experience, Oliver!" Len chuckled even when he was all flushed and warm.

Oliver roared in laughter. "You're a fun person, Len! No wonder you got Rin's attention. And you should call me Oli like everyone else."

"Really? I don't want to overstep or anything…" Len worried.

Oliver shrugged it off with a wave of his hand, "None of that! I'm fond of you after we met in Kai's place. Though I'm not sure if we have a mutual feeling about this."

"I feel honoured, actually!" Len admitted. "I was worried I might not have made a good first impression to you and to everyone else. I also like your personality, Oliver— I mean, Oli."

"Now we're talking. Rin will be downstairs until her performance starts, so it's best we just stay here in the building. Do you want to explore any particular booths here?"

"I don't think so? I'm happy for you to bring me anywhere."

"I was told by Kaito you're very into video games. I know just the right booth to bring you." Oliver smiled as he gestured to Len to follow him.

They went one floor below and arrived at the source of the booming sound.

A group of younger kids were barred at the entrance by one of Oliver's very own classmates.

How did Len forget this booth he saw earlier with Kaito?

"I saw this in the brochure! I've always wanted to go here!" Len excitedly shared. His eyes seemingly twinkled and stood out with the mask on his face.

In the entrance, Dex scolded and raised his foot on his chair to intimidate the rowdy primary school boys that hogged the entrance of the video game booth.

"You can't enter here, you little rascals! You all have records for destroying school property!"

The younger students in front of him grumbled and made their complaints louder.

"Has anyone called their homeroom teacher yet!? We're losing visitors because of these idiots making a ruckus!" Dex desperately cried.

"Kyo is on his way to find her!" Wil replied.

Then he noticed Oliver and Len in front of his desk. "Hey Oli! How's the haunted house booth going?"

"It's bloody awesome, Wil! You should visit those kids when you're available. I'm quite proud of them." Oliver gleefully shared about the tutelage he had done to the younger students of the haunted house booth.

"I will! I'm guessing you want to see our booth now?" Oliver excitedly nodded in reply. "And who's this with you? Hello there!"

Len subtly flinched, never expected he would be directly addressed. So he meekly waved his hand.

"He's my cousin visiting town for the week. I thought I'd bring him here and join in the fun." Oliver added.

"Oh, that's awesome! Welcome to CFH then! Here's your tickets." After the payment was received, Wil gave out two green pieces of paper. He stood up and opened the door for Len and Oliver.

"Hey! Why are those two entering when they just arrived!? We've been here for hours!" A boy whined and crossed his arms.

"One of them is your senior who didn't do jackass things for his school record, and he's tagging along a visitor. How many times do I have to tell you rugrats that your record of damaging school property is why you can't get inside?!" Dex's voice boomed in the hallway, which earned a few chuckles from the older students.

Dex was someone who fooled around and did not take things seriously. So it was a rare situation for him to be so angry and fed-up, especially towards unruly primary school children.

Oliver and Len entered the school's computer lab where rows of desktops were placed.

A wide area between the PCs and the large television on the wall paved the way for the play area on the three consoles available in the room.

A large portable screen was used to enable another high heavy duty console and a large flat screen monitor allowed for a small portable console.

The row of computers were used on a MMORPG game that was currently projected on the wall beside the computers. Since they were moved a few inches together than its usual place, it allowed for space to put in a small portable metal bench that mimicked the seats on sports stadiums for spectators.

When Len asked Oliver how on earth their school had that, he shrugged his shoulders and admitted he wasn't sure where they had got it from.

"Do you have a certain preference on some games or consoles?" Oliver asked. They stood beside the entrance and decided what to do.

"Hmmm…" Len hummed, his eyes browsed the areas. "Those younger kids look like they're finished with the portable console. Maybe we can start there?"

Oliver liked the idea and nodded, so they went near that area.

A pair of primary school kids played together in a game. Their characters seemingly explored a world with cute ghosts and creatures made of slime. They just finished the whole game throughout their play time in the booth.

"Awesome job there, Meika and Mikoto! That's it for today. We have to let Oliver and his friend play next." A junior student gently reminded the toddlers.

The pair, who looked like siblings, nodded as they properly closed their program and placed the controllers on its designated place. They thanked the older student with their adorably squeaky voices and left the booth.

Dex's voice boomed from outside and thanked the two children.

"Aw, they were so adorable cleaning up after themselves on the consoles! Did you see that, Oliver? That was so touching. They're more considerate than some older kids these days!"

Oliver replied. "Oh they were! I'm impressed with how well-behaved they were."

"I hope they stay that adorable!" The student, Merli, sighed. "Anyway, I'm guessing you and your friend will use it next?" Both Oliver and Len nodded.

After Merli sanitised the controllers, it was Len and Oliver's cue to start their session.

"Choose any game you like. This is your time to enjoy what you love, Len." Oliver insisted.

Len was excited. He rarely got to play video games with so many people around him. After he browsed the vast collection of games available, he found his favourite game and opened it.

"Am I supposed to go to Loaded Game?" Len asked Merli.

"You can. Though if you want to play from the very start, that's fine. Kyo hasn't touched that game so he's not losing anything if the game starts all over again." The junior student explained.

"Oh, alright. Thanks." Len answered, then looked back at the screen. "I guess we'll continue on where the last player left then."

Oliver only nodded in agreement. He simply watched Len play.

Len's gameplay was smooth and swift. Enemies were strategically defeated and quests were done on a systematic process.

It was obvious Len already played the game in the past. Oliver assumed this must be his friend's favourite game.

And then Len's character reached into a boss battle. It was not the final one, yet it was considerably strong since it was the last stage before that ultimate final boss.

Right before he began, Len was given an option to prepare his character. Healing potions, improved weapons, upgraded stats, he had done everything to gear up.

And so Len took a breath, then launched his character to attack the enemy with two health bars.

Oliver was not the type to play video games and did not see the appeal to do it on a daily basis.

But he was fascinated to watch Len's focus and coordinated press of the buttons as his character attacked strategically and turned the tides in his favour.

All it took was ten minutes for the boss to run out of its health and Len won the battle.

Oliver was dumbfounded. But it was Merli that had the look of shock and awe.

"W-What!? How did you do that!?" She shrieked. "Everyone who played that game couldn't defeat him! But you just did it in under ten minutes!"

Len just blinked. "Uhhh… There was a strategy. So I just followed it? And I improvised one way or another."

Oliver commented. "That's mind blowing!"

"You guys still have a lot more time to play, by the way." Merli reminded them. "You think you can defeat the final boss there?"

"You bet I will." Len snickered and had an excited smile under his mask. He navigated the character to begin the progress to the final boss battle.

Oliver enjoyed being at his side and watched the gameplay with all his focus.

A few people gathered behind to watch Len play. Some of them were previous players and were amazed at his progress.

Len eventually met the final boss. The most shocking part was how it took him merely thirty minutes to defeat the final boss, and then finish the game.

"Woohoo, I did it!" Len whispered to himself, loosened his grip on the controller but still held it as the flashcard of his win appeared on screen.

Kyo had his mouth wide in shock. "Holy fuck? He just defeated the final boss…"

Chris commented amongst the small crowd who witnessed the game. "No fucking way he just did that under thirty minutes!?"

"Language, you two! We have kids here!" Merli scolded the two. "Alright, your time's up Oliver. Thank you for playing, and good game back there, Oliver's friend!"

"Thank you for having us." Len shyly returned, a smile behind his mask. The small crowd dispersed after the two left.

"Do you want to try out the other console nearby?" Oliver gestured with his thumb.

Len nodded and so they went there. It was miraculously empty and the junior student that supervised the game helped them get settled.

"Are you sure you don't want to choose your game, Oli?" Len insisted. He felt bad and wanted Oliver to participate instead of just watching him.

"I sure do, Len! I trust your tastes because I definitely don't have one when it comes to video games." Oliver answered.

"Alright…" Len accepted it. He was about to browse the games when he noticed a drum controller nearby. It was not only one but two of them!

He had an idea.

"Can we use the drum controllers there?" Len pointed it out and faced the junior student.

He agreed and helped Len set it up for them.

"What are these for?" Oliver asked and analysed the drum controller with its sticks placed on top of its legs.

"It's for this game we'll both play!" Len happily admitted and opened the rhythm-beat game.

"Oh this game, I know this one! Rin would play it and practice getting through the difficult songs." Oliver pointed out as he grabbed the drumsticks.

He mentally recalled whatever he saw from Rin's past games and to replicate it for today's game.

"Really? She plays this game?" Len felt more giddy at the thought they had a new common interest.

"Yup! She'd play this whenever there was an arcade of it. Now, I'm terrible at this game and can only ask for one round and in the easy ones. I'm more than happy to just watch you go wild after." Oliver advised him. He still felt awkward as he held the drumsticks.

"Okay. Because I'm very nice, I'll choose an easy song but with a little challenge for you." Len suggested. Oliver agreed and let his friend control the menu.

They finally got settled on a fast phased song with fewer notes. Len paused the game just as it began to teach Oliver the very basic instructions to beat the drum on a specific area to hit the right note.

When Oliver finally got the hang of it, Len pressed resume and began the song.

Oliver eventually got the hang of the mechanics before the chorus began.

The song was pleasant and a joy to dance to, if it were not for his desperate need to hit a drum to get in the notes for it. He never noticed Len's changed demeanour.

Len was far more focused. His eyes squinted in that focused glare at the screen was made obvious with his concealed face from the mask.

He held the drumsticks in a particular way that encouraged agility on his hands, as proven when not a single note was missed.

The song was finished and Oliver barely made it to clear the song. Beside his score tally was Len's flawless full combo.

"Bloody hell, Len. Kai was not kidding when he said you're a mad expert on video games." Oliver heaved to breathe. He felt his arms ache.

"Kai was just exaggerating. I suck at some games. I just had too much time practising to play for years." Len scratched the back of his nape, in denial to the legitimacy of Oliver's comment.

Same as Rin, denying their strengths. It's a no-brainer these two connected, Oliver thought to himself.

"Like I promised you, you have the game to yourself. I don't think I can use my arms anymore after that." He joked.

"Okay. Good thing these drums look modded because I think I can do this." Len looked at the drum he used and returned to the song list.

He already had a song in mind with how he had quickly skipped the previous songs before it. The rhythm and vocals had a very fast tempo based on the preview of the chorus.

Oliver knew, at that moment, it was going to be a killer song.

The song seemed to have a reputation to turn heads, when it did exactly that as Len adjusted the option to the most extreme difficulty.

"Is he going to play Six Trillion Nights!?" A senior student asked his friend beside him.

"He's doing it on Demon level! We've got to see this!" The other guy excitedly claimed and dragged his friend to watch the screen.

Especially when the first few notes of the piano played, more and more people gathered behind Len and Oliver. The latter turned his head and was shocked with the bigger group of spectators behind them.

But Len was in the zone to not notice the growing crowd for him. When the first wave of notes came through the screen, he hit all of it with clean finishes.

Some of the people bopped their heads to the beat. Those who had not seen the game before had their mouths agape, as they saw Len hit the drum in time with the never ending wave of notes bunched together while he maintained a combo beyond three hundred.

Oliver finally saw Len's face while he played. It reminded him of something else that was from the back of his head.

Until it finally clicked.

The focused glare that sharpened Len's azure orbs as it subtly moved through the motions of the game mirrored that of Rin's when she played the same game.

Another idea entered Oliver's head.

He grabbed the drum he had just used and turned on its back. There was no amateur engraving with the letters R.S. that was done with a packing knife.

It was a huge coincidence Len used Rin's very own drum controller.

No wonder he mentioned something about the drum being 'modded', and all that terminology on the video game community Oliver never wrapped his head on.

Of course Rin would have done that since she frequently played the game.

"Will he get a full combo!?" A junior student speculated, felt second-hand nerves on Len who was on the bridge to the song's last chorus.

"Keep it down, kid. You'll distract him!" Wil lightly scolded the same kid. They all watched Len still continuously hit the drum in sync with the screen's notes.

The song made it to the last chorus and Len showed no sign of stopping. The crowd continued to be mesmerised, especially those exposed to the game for the first time.

The ones who knew the song bopped their heads to the beat with the fast tempo. Others even silently lip-synched to the lyrics sung by the virtual singer.

It was the last ten seconds and then the song immediately finished.

The crowd went wild with their reactions with Len's score on the screen. He had just achieved the full combo of eight-hundred forty-six notes.

A new high score was achieved on the song.

"That was fucking AWESOME!" The younger student screamed in amazement.

"This dude is amazing! He never missed a single note!"

"Look at the screen, he only had less than five OKs. That's neat gameplay right there!"

"You're becoming quite a celebrity here, Len." Oliver commented as his friend tidied up the drums and the console itself.

Len noticed the other console next to them was unoccupied. He felt the momentum of his adrenaline today.

"Oli, can we try that one next?" He enthusiastically pointed to the very console beside them.

Oliver agreed with a chuckle. They did their previous arrangement again: Len played while Oliver peacefully spectated from his side.

Len chose another rhythm beat game. It required pressing the buttons of the controller corresponding to the notes that floated throughout the screen.

All was well until Len chose a fast song and played the most extreme difficulty.

Similar to the previous game, Len unwillingly gathered a small crowd behind him while he focused on the screen.

His thumbs moved at the speed of the light to hit the buttons and keep up with the game's spontaneous and excessive notes after the virtual singer's fast singing.

Oliver thought the singer sang gibberish with how fast they were it almost sounded ineligible.

Just like in the previous game, Len finished the song with another perfect combo.

Oliver's eyes widened. He stammered. "J-Just—How did you do that?! Aren't your thumbs dead from all that pressing!?"

Len lightly chuckled and scratched the side of his cheek, uncovered by the mask, with a finger. "I just had too much time to do it again and again. And I guess I build stamina the longer I play."

They had not noticed the medium-sized crowd that had gathered. Len's gameplay was apparently starting to be sought after.

"Yo did he just finish with a Perfect on the hardest song on Project Diva!?" Wil pointed at the screen.

"He just perfected Intense Voice Ex-Ex!"

"He's a freaking monster, that one!"

And then the talk of Oliver's friend with god-tier skills on rhythm beat games spread within the four corners of the gaming booth.

Oliver stretched his arms as they went to the side and they took a short break (specifically, it was for Len).

"Hmmm… I wonder why Dex is still here. He's the drummer on Rin and Miku's performance." Oliver wondered out loud for Len to hear.

"Really?" Len was interested.

Oliver nodded and brought out his phone to ask the question.

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[CHAT SCENE] Operation: Closure for R&L ? ゚ルマ - Oliver POV

Operation: Closure for R&L ? ゚ルマ

Oliver: We're still in the gaming booth. I'm wondering why Dex is still here when Rin and Miku are meant to perform soon?

Kaito Fuuga
Miku is still on. The audience asked for an encore LMAO

Gakupo Kamui
Ars and the team thought they had time to spare so they allowed the encore

Miku enjoys performing but boy would she be hella exhausted and just before she joins Rin

Luka Megurine
Miks was given extra breaks for that. And she would have that one final song with Rin to do after all those breaks.

Oliver: That makes sense. That's good they gave her extra breaks. She deserves the rest from all the extra work she's doing.

Oliver: Alright, I'll focus on Len here. I'll be on standby while he plays and earn his reputation as local celebrity here lol

Kaito Fuuga
You'd be in for a surprise Oli if you let Len play a MMORPG there

Oliver: Well then, let's do it!
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Oliver shared the answer to Len shortly.

He understood and then added the excitement he contained for Rin's performance. Under the mask, Len's cheeks warmed.

It had been a considerable time since he played so it would not be the reason for his blushing.

"I think they're almost finished playing the MMORPG there. We can participate in the next game." Len pointed at the computers and the projector with various players.

Most of them were local students, with the uniform they wore, and a few visitors in their casual outfits. They focused on their own screens.

"You might be the only one playing out of the two of us. These kinds of games aren't really my forte…" Oliver nervously chuckled.

"But you know how to play the game?" Len quickly asked.

"Yeah, like the basics. But I end up being baggage to the team."

"Don't worry, I'll carry you." Len mischievously smiled with a thumbs up.

Oliver was impressed, and so he went on board.

The match was finished. Some players stood up and left their tables while others remained in their seats for the next round to begin. The host, Yuu, invited new players to join.

"Any new players that want to join this round?" Yuu loudened his voice specifically for the spectators on the side.

Oliver raised his hand, and also lifted Len's. "We do!"

"Do you and your guy have accounts here, Cody?" Yuu asked and prepared to leave his seat to assist either of them.

Oliver and Len looked at each other. Both of them nodded and went back to Yuu.

"Yup! We'll just get settled here. Thanks Yuu!" Oliver replied. He chose the desktop that had its seats vacant beside it so he would be next to Len.

It was a game Oliver was familiar with, and had considerable experience to gauge he could survive until the end. He was thankful and sighed in relief. He put on his log-in details and set himself up.

He saw Len focused on his screen. When he took a peak, the man read what seemed to be details of every weapon or every skill that was present in his character. Len muttered strategies and plans of action while he skimmed over those details.

Talk about hardcore expert, Oliver kept it to himself.

Oliver noticed his teammates. Another blessing was he got assigned with Len. Everything else be damned.

Being in the same team as Len was all the assurance Oliver needed. After the monster-like skills he just witnessed and with Kaito's stories, he knew he had a skilled player with him.

Yuu was the referee who managed the game, as well as controlled the view and decided which map to place the camera for the entertainment of spectators.

The loading screen was in every monitor and in the projector's light before the game commenced and the players moved.

Oliver had the role of support. So it was understandable if he did not head straight into the action to face the opposing team or destroy turrets.

A red circle popped up in a symbol on the corner of the screen. He clicked it to check and realised he received a new message.

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MirrorSound27_: Oli, follow me. I'll carry you :D

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It was from Len. He told him to just follow him, and they would help each other.

Being a smart person who never wanted to shamefully die early in the game, Oliver followed Len wherever he went.

Whenever Len attacked, Oliver also attacked with a bit of defence (when he got the hang of his character's moves). It did fit his role as support after all.

Len's fingers moved throughout the keyboard. The mechanical click of each key became so audible for the spectators, but not to the other players who had their headphones on.

Oliver wore his headphones but was on the lowest volume so he was able to hear it.

What the hell is he doing? Oliver scrunched his eyebrows as he glanced at Len's frantic typing. The game only needed a few keys and most clicking to use in basically everything.

He finally figured it out as he opened the chat function and saw a whole sentence-worth of messages from user MirrorSound27_.

He was sending detailed orders to the team!?

Len told someone to keep pushing and he would go to them soon. He convinced someone else to start destroying a turret.

He also scolded another teammate to 'stop freaking farming and help us!'

The enemy team ambushed on Oliver, Len, and two of their allies.

Oliver's instinct was to get the hell away from the enemy team and avoid being hit. But all his attempts of defence and attacks were futile.

His health bar quickly drained and Oliver already accepted his fate of his first death.

Not until one of the enemies that cornered Oliver died.

And then the opposing team's momentum broke when all of them, one by one, were killed. Oliver quickly looked at what had just happened and noticed Len's character went nuts with the attacks and combinations to drain the enemy he was on.

The tides turned for their team as Oliver quickly helped their other teammates to defeat other opponents.

It did not take long for Len to join them and did the last hit for their last enemy. Their health bar was depleted and they fell down.

The voice-over in the game spoke of a WIPE OUT as the enemy team were all in cooldown after they were killed.

Several of the players reacted negatively to the sudden turn of events.

The spectators gasped and had their few reactions.

"Holy shit did you all see that!?" Chris quickly stood up and pointed at the projector screen while he held his can of cola in shock.

"Sit the hell down Chris, you're blocking the view, mate!" Charlie scolded as he pulled the hem of Chris's shirt downwards.

"Phew, was that hella insane! The dude with the Giga character was OP! He's a beast!"

"I wonder if that was just a one time luck or will he carry the whole team again?"

When everyone processed what had just happened, Oliver had his mouth agape on the screen.

He lost focus so his character did not move, even when Len and their other teammates pushed towards the enemy base.

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MirrorSound27_: Oli, you okay? We're pushing now :) nightmarelody: oops yeah omw

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When they reached the last turret before the enemy base, some of the players from the enemy team came back and attacked Len and Oliver's team.

Another ambush happened. With Oliver, Len, and their team's combined effort, the enemies became immobile again.

They destroyed the turret until they were interrupted by the return of more and stronger players. Len coordinated his attacks to quickly damage the enemies, and at the same time took damage for his teammates as they destroyed the turret beside them.

Even if Len received damage, he seemed to inflict more damage to the enemies in return. They got killed, one by one, once again.

"This man is becoming the MVP!" Chris cheered.

"What in the name… He's too strong!" A junior student commented out loud.

When the last enemy ran out of health and died for the second time, it only took a few seconds for Oliver's team to finally destroy the last enemy turret.

The way to the enemy base was finally wide open. They all charged and attacked.

Some of the enemies killed earlier were revived and attempted to stop the attack on their base.

But their efforts were wasted when Len immediately fought back. Not even for more than ten minutes they were in-game, they died once again.

The crowd gasped. The players from the opposing team roared in frustration while Oliver's teammates howled in victory.

The rest of the enemy troops were revived and all charged towards Len specifically. Oliver and his teammates defended him.

But Len carried and killed them for the third time.

"Destroy the base now!" One of their teammates had unintentionally spoken out loud while he typed.

Oliver, Len, and the rest of their teammates put everything they had to lessen the health bar of the base.

With no one left to defend it while they were all in cooldown, the enemy team's fate was sealed.

The base ran out of health and the animation of it breaking into pieces flashed before the eyes of everyone.

The crowd roared in cheers, especially Oliver and Len's teammates who removed their headphones, stood up, clenched fists in the air, and screamed in triumph.

"Fuck yeah, Oliver's cousin! You're breaking all the records!" Wil clenched his fists in the air.

The man himself had heard it after he removed his headphones. He turned his head to the crowd to check.

Len flushed from the compliment and let out a small chuckle in awkward acknowledgement.

Kyo asked Wil beside him in astonishment. "Wait, that's Oliver Cody's cousin!?"

Dex pointed at Len nearby the door with a mix of shock and amazement. "Him! What the hell is he made of, smashing all these games here!?"

Merli asked from the side. "Dex, aren't you meant to be at the front?"

"And why aren't you in your post, Merli?" Dex asked, a matter of fact, as a comeback.

"Technically I am. I can still see these kids what they're playing," She gestured her hand to the playing freshmen. "And with that big of a projector screen, how could you not see that?"

"Stop being a smartass Merli~" Dex pouted.

But he dropped it when Len stood up from his seat after Oliver clapped enthusiastically at him. Their desktops automatically booted them out of the game and were now in standby mode for the next round.

Oliver praised Len as they walked away from the desktops. "Holy crap you were awesome! I've never watched a game that intense, let alone someone who single handedly carried the whole team!"

"You compliment me too much Oli," Len shyly chuckled. "We wouldn't have won without you all helping me. I was just helping, that's all."

One of their teammates commented, who turned out to be right behind Len and Oliver's spot. "Mate, that wasn't just helping. That was a full on demolition course you did there!"

Dex walked towards them. "CODY! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY YOUR COUSIN IS A FUCKING LEGEND!?"

Oliver merely shrugged his shoulders and smoothly lied. "I'm not really into video games. So I just support him whatever he does. I guess?"

He saw nothing would come out from his own classmate. So Dex turned to the man, the legend himself.

"YOU!" He pointed to Len who flinched. "You're a fucking monster! You just obliterated games in every console we have here! You're a freaking god!"

Len stuttered and shook his palms in front of Dex. "I-It's not like that! I just do it ever since I was a kid—"

"God! All hail the gamer god!" Wil enthusiastically shouted and mimicked the motion to bow with their arms outstretched.

Kyo, Yuu, Dex, Merli, and the half of the people in the room did it out of newfound respect for the visitor brought by Oliver.

The rest, who did not want to look like idiots, clapped. Even those from the enemy team paid respect.

"See, you're a celebrity now here Len!" Oliver whispered with a slight nudge to Len's side with his elbow.

"I-I don't know what's happening! I just zoned out and got into it." Len flushed as he shook from being in the centre of attention in the gaming booth.

Oliver chuckled until he felt his phone vibrate on his pocket. He brought it out and checked the messages from the group chat.

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[CHAT SCENE] Operation: Closure for R&L ? ゚ルマ - Oliver POV

Operation: Closure for R&L ? ゚ルマ

Gakupo Kamui
Oliver Cody YOU AND LEN NEED TO LEAVE THE GAMING BOOTH NOW!

RIN IS COMING THERE WITH GUMI

Go from behind the building. Rin and Gumi will more likely go inside from the front entrance.

she finished touring with the principal too early and now she's showing Gumi around and on their way!

Meet me at the concert hall. I can handle Len next.

OLI!

Oliver Cody
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Oliver's eyes widened and grabbed Len's arm.

"We need to leave now! She's coming!" He quickly whispered.

Len's eyes widened at first until a flash of realisation hit him. Then he nodded with a serious face.

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[CHAT SCENE] Operation: Closure for R&L ? ゚ルマ - Oliver POV

Operation: Closure for R&L ? ゚ルマ

Oliver: I'm on it Gakt ?
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Oliver and Len quickly bolted towards the exit.

The former brought his head out of the door's frames to check both directions for a certain blonde and lime head amongst the busy hallways.

The coast was clear.

"Thank you everyone for having us! But we need to zoom out so goodbye and enjoy the festival!" Oliver politely gave his regards in a haste before he dragged Len by the arm out of the gaming booth. They bolted out and ran downstairs.

"Wait Cody! We haven't gotten his IGN yet!" Dex cried out from the doorframe. "Aw damn it! I wanted to ask tips from him!"

Kyo whined. "God damn it Yuu. You were the referee, why didn't you remember his IGN?"

"I couldn't help it! He was like a flash moving all around until his enemy died. It was mesmerising to watch!" Yuu defended himself.

Wil put his palms together in prayer. "May we meet gamer god again."

It was meant as a joke. But his gang and the rest of the locals at the gaming booth put their hands together the same way.

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Oliver and Len ran for their lives until they reached the ground floor.

The latter followed his friend who took him to the back entrance and exit of the building. The sight of the school's oval welcomed them; occupied by a few booths that focused on physical activities and sports.

They crossed through the wide area to reach the concert hall. Tall scaffolding bars were set up with lights above the centre stage where a dance battle between groups of younger students was held. The large speakers were strategically positioned on both sides of the stage.

The small studio that managed the lights, the audio and every technical detail on the stage was a few metres away within the audience area.

A small crowd gathered in the concert hall. They were mostly younger students who knew the dancers and invested in their performances.

Not far away from the stage studio was Gakupo in conversation with another student with red hair, maroon eyes and had a walkie-talkie on him. On his forearm was a purple band and a purple lanyard around his neck

"Who's Gakupo talking to?" Len curiously asked. Their phase now slowed down from all the frantic running they just did.

"That's Ars. He's the leading hand on the stage crew. Every person you see with a purple band and purple lanyard, that's the stage crew. Here was mine when I did my shift." Oliver brought up the used band and lanyard from his pocket to show Len.

Gakupo finished his talk with Ars when the man left to finalise the preparation for the next performance.

After he noticed the two blond men made it, Gakupo waved. "Oli, you're here! How was the gaming booth? Len! Welcome to CFH!" He removed his purple band and lanyard to formally finish his shift.

"Len just obliterated every console they had there! Dex and the dudes already see him as their god!" Oliver chuckled and patted Len's shoulder.

Their friend blushed and denied what Oliver had just said.

Gakupo laughed. "That must be a blast watching it all happen. You finished your shift here at the stage crew, right?" He asked Oliver.

Oliver nodded. "I'll have to join Kai and Lu to guide the ladies here."

Len politely interrupted. "Wait, who are you talking about?"

Gakupo replied. "Your old classmates Lily Matsuda, Megumi Nakajima, Neru Akita." Bewilderment was on Len with fear in his face.

Oliver worriedly asked. "Did we forget to tell you?"

Len nodded with the same expression on his face.

"Oh no. But I don't think they saw us though. Kai nor Lu haven't said anything and they've been guiding them ever since." Gakupo assured Len.

"Now Oli, join Kai and Lu. You guys will be here soon anyway. I'll keep Len comfortable here."

Oliver smiled. "Thanks Gakt. Thanks for helping me with the game back there Len. See you soon!"

"I should be the one thanking you for bringing me there, Oli. I really enjoyed playing with you!" Len enthusiastically replied. "We should hang out again sometime!"

Oliver waved his hand to the two before he walked away to get back with Kaito and Luka. The three would accompany Neru, Lily and Megumi at Rin and Miku's performance very soon.

"How are you finding the festival so far, Len?"" Gakupo faced Len with a smile. "Nice outfit you have there!"

Len blushed out of embarrassment with the comment about his attire.

He appreciated that someone complimented it, despite the reactions from Luka and the senior student at the entrance booth.

"It's awesome you guys do this every year!" Len's eyes seemed to sparkle if it was possible for how enthusiastic he was. "Everything is just extra! All the booths are awesome! Hell, you guys managed to host a gaming tournament with your school computers! And now this!"

Len gestured to the concert hall beside them. "This is a lot! But it's awesome!"

Gakupo had a boisterous laugh, delighted with Len's reaction. "Now that's the reaction I love to hear! We didn't work hard for the last two weeks right after finishing exams to half-ass all of this."

He gestured his hand at the concert hall and the busy activity around them with crowds and visitors within the oval.

"But thank you for thinking of that. It's nice to see the reactions of guests like you notice our hard work. It's a tradition for every senior cohort to do this huge job for the last time before graduation. We wanted to leave here with a blast, you know?"

"Seriously, you guys did an awesome job. Not saying this out of bias but it's the actual truth. I don't know how else to say it."

"You're an awesome dude, Len. If you don't know that yet, you should." Gakupo smiled. "I think Kai, Lu, and Oli already toured you around the whole campus. I don't think I can take you somewhere else that you haven't seen unfortunately."

"That's alright, Gakupo—"

"Call me Gakt, mate. No need for formalities."

"Gakt. I was thinking if you could just tell me some few things I want to know…?" Len timidly took his chances.

"Of course, anything that I can answer and tell you! Ask it all away!" Gakupo noticed a few people relaxing in the temporary benches near the concert hall.

He pointed it to Len. "While we're at it, we should chill there while we wait for the performance to start."

Len nodded and they wordlessly went to an unoccupied bench.

In front of them was the side of the stage where a few of the stage crew were busy at work, whether they were in the bottom edge of the stage and behind it, or talking into their walkie-talkies.

"So how come Lily, Neru, and Megumi are here? I heard you're all entitled to one visitor pass only?"

"Ah." Gakupo began. "That's because Lu gave up her pass for one of them. Rin invited Megumi and Kai brought in Lily. They were thinking how to sneak Neru in, until Lu offered her ticket; said she wasn't using it anyway."

"Now that makes a lot of sense." Len commented. "And then Miku suddenly decided to invite me here. Which makes six of us from YMH in the same place at the same time."

"Is there something wrong about it?" Gakupo curiously asked.

"Well, it sure feels awkward for me. This is the first time I would see someone from my old school for almost two years, besides Kaito… But he's the exception. I don't think those three also want to see me. They're very protective of Rin…"

"That's valid, mate. That's why it's better we stay away from them with Kai, Lu, and Oli helping us. We'll be on our own if that makes you comfortable?"

"Definitely, it does. Thanks Gakt."

"No problem, Kagamine." Gakupo had a relaxed smile.

"Also, do you know why Miku invited me? I asked and I still can't believe that she thought I would want to watch Rin perform today." Len gazed downwards to the ground.

"You're essentially right. She felt compelled that you had to see today's performance. Even if she didn't admit her plan with you to us, had Luka not checked her messages on her behalf and seen your message." Gakupo chuckled at the memory of their first day of preparation two weeks ago.

"We lost our marbles that day trying to figure out how to hide you from Rin, adding her and Kaito's old friends to the mix today."

Len replied. "Kai explained the situation. And Miku apologised to me for the confusion. But I want to apologise to all of you for causing the extra stress but Kai stopped me. So uhh… I appreciate all of you sacrificing your breaks for me here."

"You made our breaks fun, Len! If you weren't here, god knows what I'd be doing with some stupid shit to get the boredom away."

Then Gakupo became serious after a sigh. "To be frank with you, it's the first time we're seeing Rin perform in such a huge crowd. Other than the time she wanted to join that battle of the bands competition last year, she never wanted to perform outside of a classroom. Maybe Miku thought it would be something you would love to see after two years of not seeing her."

Len stared and contemplated Gakupo's words. "She was right… I want to see Rin again, especially hear her play again… When we broke up, she never played a single instrument. She stopped making music all together; at least from what I knew until we graduated and separated ways."

"She was writing songs when she joined us last year. There were times Rin shared samples of those songs with us and had us listen. Some of them were completed. Sometimes they're just left as drafts. Don't worry if you think she's not creating music anymore. She does."

Len sighed. The way he had exhaled seemed like all the weight from his shoulders slid off with Gakupo's affirmation.

"Thank goodness. Before today, I was carrying the guilt that I caused Rin to lose her passion in music. We bonded over our love and creative drive to make music. She needed to cut that part of her if she needed to get over me…"

"Now that she's coming back to music. I think it's safe for us to say she's pretty much done it…?" Gakupo wanted to lift up the mood.

"I think you're right. I just feel nervous meeting her soon. I know it should happen. But I kept thinking of the bad outcomes even if I have to stop. Yet I can't help it when I know my heart wants to say everything to her."

"Say all of it. Even if she gets mad, you're already there, mate. There's no going back." Gakupo stared ahead at the crowd in front of them.

"Just go for it, tell the truth and you'll free yourself from it. There are things that you need to know no matter how it hurts to hear or think of it. Rin, of all people, should know that. It's part of living our life."

Len hummed his agreement.

From a distance, they watched the increasing activity in the concert hall as the dance competition concluded. The winning group celebrated their win on stage. The crowd of mostly younger students cheered and howled in victory.

"You're a strong person, Len. You know where you went wrong and you worked on it. You're able to process the past four years and want to do something about it today. If that's anything courageous, Rin should be able to recognise that if she does applaud honesty, as she says."

There were important things that Len learnt today. He would remember this day in the future, especially these lessons from Gakupo's words.

"Thank you. I'll say everything. No matter what."

"That's the spirit!" Gakupo smiled. When he checked his phone clock and saw the crew set up the stage for Rin and Miku, he knew it was time.

"We better get there now actually, so we can get a good spot." He stood up and noticed more older students, specifically some of his classmates and a few from his cohort, already congregated.

Even a few parents approached the concert hall. He recognised Dex's mother and sister amongst them.

They took a spot not so near from the stage, but far from the first few rows. In the case Kaito and his group decided to be at the front to bring in three of their enthusiastic visitors to support Rin, they were more likely safe.

While Len gazed in amazement at the set-up of the stage, Gakupo felt his phone vibrate and checked the newly received text.

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[CHAT SCENE] Operation: Closure for R&L ? ゚ルマ - Gakupo POV

Operation: Closure for R&L ? ゚ルマ

Luka Megurine
Gakupo Kamui Backstage is calling for Rin, Miku, Dex & Cul. Either you drag Len away from the concert hall or you guys blend in the crowd.

Gakupo Kamui Also try to stay away from the front. We have Neru, Lily & Megumi. They want to be at the front.

Gakupo: Len and I are in the middle of the crowd. And we're pretty far away from the front ? ゚ムヘ
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"Your friends are coming this way. Since we're in the middle of the crowd and we have a few tall people around us, we won't be seen." Gakupo casually added as he put back his phone in his pocket.

"They're not my friends anymore… After what I did to Rin…" Len denied.

"They will be once again after you get that closure." Gakupo contradicted it. "Now, we'll just have to wait. Rin, Miks, and their band are being called now so they should start very soon. Are you excited?"

"Yeah… I don't know how to describe this… I feel agitated and my heart is beating faster than I think is normal now. Especially when I think of Rin appearing soon."

"You really have it deep… huh?" Gakupo chuckled. "Don't worry, no judgement there. Let's enjoy the performance, shall we? Look, they're about to announce their number now."

Sure enough, Gakupo's classmate Sonika entered the stage. She stood on the side and held large cue cards with the microphone on her other hand.

"Good day everyone! For today's performance we have the return of our very own Diva, Miku Hatsune!" She had to pause to let the round of applause from the audience to lie low.

"And this time she has given her support and will accompany our awesome cohort leader, Rin Shimoda. Together they have collaborated for our next song!

"The ladies will be supported by Dex Blakeslee and Cul Eri to give you this special performance of their original song, Doubleganger. Please give them your warmest welcome here at the concert hall!"

When Rin's name was mentioned, specific screams were concentrated in a specific area.

When Len and Gakupo took a peak further to the first rows, they saw it was Neru, Lily and especially Megumi who cheered even when Sonika introduced the other band members.

They were indeed at the front, near the corner of the stage, and accompanied by Kaito, Luka, and Oliver.

"LET'S GO RIN!" Lily, Neru, and Megumi shouted in sync, their voices louder as a result. Kaito, Oliver, Luka and the rest of the audience also clapped and cheered along with the chant.

The cheers lasted even when Sonika finished and the stage crew came out with the instruments and mic stands.

Since this was part of the rehearsal for the stage crew they did for two weeks, it became a breeze to assemble every instrument, plug in every single wire and activate all the equipment needed, as well as connect the speakers.

Len noticed a certain guitar was carried by a stage crew with its unique stand. They placed it in front of the rest of the instruments. The bass only being a few metres away on the same row.

The guitar had the same mustard body with black accents and the wood-brown neck. And from the angle the guitar was placed, he recognised the familiar shape of a sticker on the back of the body.

"Hey Gakt? Can I ask a quick question?" Len's heart began to beat faster.

He suppressed a slow surge of hope in his mind.

"Of course Len! What is it?" Gakupo quickly replied, turned his head away from the swift and organised preparation the crew did on the stage. They were on their finishing touches.

"Who's gonna play the electric guitar there…?" Len's words were spoken carefully, as if he was afraid one mistake would ruin the moment he clung on.

Gakupo was confused. Until he remembered Kaito and Miku's conversation from the first day of rehearsals.

"…She decided to focus on the electric to accompany him."

"They often played together since they met, and it got more frequent when they dated."

"Rin was Black Star, Len was Blue Moon."

Bingo!

"That's Rin! I know you recognised her guitar. Miku does the bass. They're both singing but she insisted Rin sing more, so Miks is supporting vocals."

And here Len had thought Rin would be on the drums or even the bass.

Len could not help himself. He was beyond shocked.

When Gakupo said Rin came back to music after they broke up, he had not expected Rin to go back to the electric after four whole years of avoiding even the sight of it.

But now she brought Black Star to see the light of the day in all its glory.

"Wait WHAT!?"