#also that is in fact truck-kun in the back obviously

[avemstella]

Alice Genshin Impact I love you my messed up unhinged woman. The only Isekai protagonist I respect (jk for many reasons lol)

[rarepears]

Here’s the Fraternity Himbo!

So frat bro occasionally does in fact wear pink robes! He was actually transmigrated while wearing pink Frat robes and fuzzy slippers with Pokémon shorts!

The man is in his early twenties transmigrated to before LBH is born. A lot before actually.

He ends up in some random village, close to the demon realm where the villagers see him and immediately think he’s some terrible demon. Because he’s mixed and rather European. And maybe a little bit gay after he sees his first hot guy. But it’s totally because he wants to be bros.

So he’s in a Frat house going over what they should do to haze the next group drinking apple juice while the boys drink illegal alcohol (Frat Himbo accidentally made alcohol, he made a 50/50 sugar/fruit drink and left it in his room for a few days)

So he and the boys are in his alcohol smelling room and our Himbo, let’s give him an incredibly Himbo name that sounds like something scary in Chinese together.

He realizes he was supposed to turn something in for class and grabs his laptop and sprints to class. To turn in an online assignment. That saves and turns in automatically.

He’s studying childcare and wants to be one of those nanny/bodyguards that go to the academy. He thinks that rich people’s kids would get in trouble a lot and he’d get to save them or something.

He realizes this midway when someone stops him to ask him why he’s running in robes and slippers.

They stop him moments before truck-kun crashes inches in front of them.

“Whoa dude!” “Oh god what the f-“ “Kids here dude”

So our Himbo obviously goes to call the police and help the man out of the truck.

And the truck explodes moments after they get out, but he laid the guy down behind a tree so they’re fine.

He casually leaves once the police get there to get some snacks for the bros. And nearly gets killed in an alleyway after stepping in to save a girl.

Who was actually a murderer who got the tables turned on her and would’ve stabbed him if he accepted her kiss.

Himbo has not had his first kiss and wants to ‘save himself’ and also notices her dilated eyes and unsteady demeanor.

So of course he keeps her there till cops arrive. He called the police before stepping in. He’s a good citizen!

He gets his snacks at a store his friends work at and goes to the back to pick up the good snacks.

Moments after a robbery occurs where Frat Himbo once again calls the cops and leaves.

(You see all the tropes right?)

So he gets back to the house and casually dies SQH style. The one way he shouldn’t have died.

Turns out a few different systems wanted him isekaied and he would’ve gone to a different world depending on how he died. And accidentally gets sent to PIDW during the argument.

So back to PIDW he barely escapes angry villagers by having worn incredibly scandalous clothes.

“His ankles!” “I can see his knees!” “His legs are bare!” “Look at that collarbone…mm” “It’s a Demon come to tempt us!”

And so starts Himbo’s adventure in PIDW…

Well at least we would’ve started there if the world didn’t reset and turn into SVSSS, but at least our Himbo and our protag still have their memories.

So we end up with a (supposed to be) Isekai protagonist, transmigrator, and a now regression protagonist!

The sole intention of this is to mess with the system btw. (And by extension SY and SQH)

asdfghjhg I love the set up - the fact that so many systems want himbo fratbro?!

And now himbo fratbro - who's seen many awkward one night stands that his fellow fratmates went through after a night of drinking and thinks that's so awkward as fuck, like why bro are you doing that to yourself, you should find yourself a good fuckbuddy or two who knows the routine - ends up in PIDW with all the sex pollen. Don't worry, he's got this. He knows how to make his one night stands less awkward and not end so oddly. Everyone knows the bro-code and fistbumps, right?

[More in #a himbo fratboy in svsss au]

[biggestfoolonthemarket]

“reddit moment” i say, knowing full well that i am looking at an ifunny screenshot of a tumblr post with a screenshot of a facebook post which contains a screenshot of a shitty instagram meme account. the roller coaster i am on then flies off the rails, and moments before i hit the ground peter griffin jumps in front of it and kills himself. his immense stomach stops the whiplash from killing me. then the private army of elementary school mercenaries (with armored vehicles and m16’s) pulls up and i know i gotta activate my stand so i do and it gives them acid crayons that ruin all their drawings. next thing i know truck-kun smashes into me with the full force of an orc’s dick and i am isekai’d to a fantasy world where the magic system relies on cringe. naturally i sing the fnaf song while doing the floss and become god. i then decide to make earth 2. i shit out a male, female, and a non-binary. i tell them to stay the fuck away from apples (as a prank) and when they touch the apples i (joking practically) burn them to death. i hide the bodies in a black hole so space police jesus doesn’t give me a fine. i become bored of my godliness and isekai myself back to the real world. i wake up from a coma i’d been in for 119 years [not aging ofc] and immediately masturbate. i decide to not outlive my one remaining enemy and push him off the hospital roof {he was visiting me} and before he hits the ground i, through sheer force of will, stop my organs from functioning. i wake up in hell for all the torture i did to iranian children |bullshit sin| and i, like any other normal person, rape the devil and kick him out. i don my cap and bells which had been stolen from me by demons and send all the damned to heaven. except for my enemies, whom toil day and night in the ‘ideas-for-this-story’ mines for eternity. christian god catches wind of this and is obviously mad. i also rape him and kick him out. “fuck,” i say, “i’m god again.” i decide to appoint rick may as god because he can rocket jump <very cool> and while i’m smoking crack in heaven i spot elon musk. apparently he was in hell but i, in my foolish hubris, had brought him to heaven. i raped him and kicked him out. bored yet again i reincarnate as an orangutan and become the chieftain of all the apes. i lead the siege against humanity and within the hour earth is ours. apparently someone went on a 200-year space trip a few months back? idk, don’t care. me and my monkey pals fuck around (literally) and discover the key to immortality. but because i’m sick and tired of becoming god i cease to exist until, 500 million years later, alien archeologists get one fact wrong about me. i come back and destroy their entire civilization. i piss out a black hole and destroy everything that has ever been. content with myself, i become eaten by the black hole and discover myself on a roller coaster. i get out my phone and open ifunny.

the end

[loominggaia]

New Fanfic by Anon: New York

Anon just submitted a new fanfic! This one had me on the edge of my seat, check it out:

“Seeing the post on the freelance good guys getting isekia’d I thought I’d drop this short little fanfic idea. On night Evan is on patrol with Lukus, Alaine and Elska doing their usual rounds when they hear a odd sound? Suddenly a giant, ethereally white vehicle comes barreling towards them at high speed! They attempt to run but not before Evan gets struck, having had no time to react. They stare in horror as the white machine sends evan flying and hitting the ground with a sickeningly loud thud.

The crew is mortified at having seen Evan getting ran over, seeing his unconscious body on the ground. Just before they can help the machine responsible backs up and opens its doors, Evans lifeless body starts floating into the back of the vehicle. The crew latch’s onto him and pulls hard, trying to resist the trucks hold and save their captain and close friend. Despite their best efforts the truck pulls him in, latching it’s doors shut with elska pounding furiously trying to break them down.

The vehicle speeds off with Evan as it’s prisoner. The three try to chase it down but with no avail, elska being the only one able to keep up. With great fury the centauress runs down the evil machine, determined to tear the ethereal contraption apart with her bare hands to save Evan. But as she’s gaining ground the machine speeds up, faster and faster until a portal forms in front of it and in a blinding flash of light the machine, with Evan inside, disappears without a trace.

Evan wakes up in a hospital bed, feeling groggy and not knowing where he is or where that weird beeping sound is coming from? He’s greeted by a human nurse, happy to see him awake. He figures he’s in zareen judging by the room and the weird medical tech attached to him but has no idea how he got their? only remembering getting struck by a unknown machine and blacking out. The nurse ask his name and goes to get the doctor so they may access the new patients condition.

The doctor comes in, another human. He ask Evan his name and tells him about their finds. He’s alright though has an alarming number of scars across his body, seemingly a heart deformity that recovered and other peculiarities but is overall fine and has no obvious signs of injury. The doctor then gets to what he’s really interested in, wondering who this strange man is that was found on the side of the road by passerby’s unconscious, in medieval armor with no wallet, phone, id or anything?

The doctor interrogated Evan heavily? Wanting to know where he came from, why he was on the side of the road? how he lost his leg and obtained so many scars? why he was dressed in medieval armor? Why he has no identification on him? Etc…? Evan answers each question honesty, really wanting to know how he got their himself. As he tells them about his crew and the freelance good guys but dodges the question on his leg, not wanting to reveal his status as a lycanthrope unless absolutely necessary.

The more he talks the more worried the doctor and nurse become, exchanging looks to each other that gets Evan concerned as well. He gets a massive shock to find out he’s not in zareen but some strange place called “American”, specifically New York. The doctor writes down that the patient is delirious; believing that mermaids, centaurs and dragons exist and believes he’s in some non existent country yet claims to be from another unknown country called “Evangline”. He was gonna a rough case.

On the Gaia side, Alaine and Lukus are freaking out as Elska tells them that the evil machine that stole Evan got away by teleporting. Returning to the hollow they break the news of Evans kidnapping to everyone’s shock and horror. Issac, Jeimos and a grieving, furious Zeffer joins them on the hunt for Evan. Guessing that the magic vehicle was of zareenite origin they gear up to travel to zareen to demand answers, leaving the rest of the crew behind to continue their duties until they return.

Evan finds himself still in the hospital, still confused as why he’s being held their? The doctors believing he’s suffered a serious brain damage or mental illness due to his “delusions”. The only answer they can come up with. Trying everything they can the hospital attempt to do background checks on Evan Atlas but continue to come up with nothing, wanting to confirm his identity and contact some family or close friends. Evan picks up rather quick that’s he’s not leaving anytime soon.

He also gets the sinking suspicion that something is seriously wrong. Everyone he’s seen so far is human and everyone acts like he’s crazy when he talks about his crew, job and adventures. The truth comes when doctors alongside immigration officers interrogate him and ask him to point out where this “Zareen” and “Evangline” are on a map. He’s absolutely confused as he doesn’t recognize anywhere on the map nor the language it’s written in, realizing that whatever happened to him he’s not on Gaia.

The rescue crew makes it zareen and immediate start searching for any sighs of who took evan. After a great search, causing a scene and nearly being arrested afew times their search turns up fruitless. However on their journey they meet a deranged looking dworf who’s heard their story and claims to know some information on the mysterious truck that stole Evan. They obviously don’t trust the crazy dworf but hear him out anyway, anything being better then their fruitless attempts so far.

The dworf divulges all he knows about the magic truck that stole their friend. Telling them it’s a mysterious supernatural, dimension hopping vehicle that that runs people over to deliver them to other worlds. He calls it Truck-Kun and shows them grainy photos and numerous testimonies and stories of humans who claim to be from another world being brought to Gaia. While sounding mad, Lukus, Alaine and Elska having witnessed truck-kun in action believe him with how it matches their encounter.

Multiple testimonies from these humans claim to be from a place called “Earth”, mentioning Japan a lot but some others places like America, Russia and so on. Jeimois with Zeffers help prepare one hell of a teleportation spell to take the crew to this earth place, hoping that’s where truck-kun took Evan. Jeimois has little faith in the spell, not knowing where earth is, the power requirement, and the extremely high probability of the spell failing and killing them all but goes through with it.

Having acquired enough magic ingredients and a big enough supply of magic crystals through “questionable means” Jeimos cast the spell. The rescue team is sent flying through the void between worlds at highly velocity in the portal, them all blacking out. When they come too their all thankfully still alive if abit groggy from the trip. They wake up in a field, looking out to see a massive city scape, the likes of which trump any they’ve seen before, that city being New York City.

Evan finds more trouble in his non consensual stay in the hospital as he’s transferred to the psychiatric ward for further evaluation. It isn’t any better when he finds out the full moon is coming and terrified of what he may do divulges the fact he’s a werewolf, trying to protect the staff and any other potential victim. This alarms his doctors as they believe his delusions are worse then they feared and they push off Evan panicked fears by telling him “werewolves aren’t real”.”

TO BE CONTINUED…? Thank you for this, I really enjoyed it! I’m impressed with your understanding of the LG characters and lore! I wish you weren’t on Anon so I could credit you properly. If you guys want to read more fanfics, I’ve been posting them under the ‘fanfic’ tag.

[hamhamparadise]

December 12th, Happy Birthday Jingle!

Jingle is one of the main Ham-Hams, however, he only appears in episodes as plot device or to offer some counseling, but even then, he’s definitely counted as a main Ham-Ham when official art showing off all the main Ham-Hams are concerned.

Jingle is a golden furred hamster with the usual cream colored front that most male Ham-Hams have, and sports a brown mohawk as the first introduction of human-hair characteristics on a hamster. He is seen holding his guitar every time he shows up, and usually plays it too. Although he keeps his eyes open more often than not, he also likes to close them when playing his guitar or giving advice.

Jingle's personality is that of a mysterious hamster, poetic and philosophic, that is usually giving cryptic tips and counseling to the fellow Ham-Hams. He is moved by the wind, which he follows without a clear objective, just enjoying the journey. In some occasions, he has invited other Ham-Hams to join him.

Due to his travels, Jingle is obviously a wild hamster. It is unknown where he was born, who are his parents or relatives, and why he started travelling. Even though we are talking so much about his troubles, the truth is that he is usually around the same town as the other Ham-Hams more often than not, so we can assume that he is usually moving around the same places. He does makes cameos in some of the movies and OVAs, but these are rare and probably not canon. Jingle's Japanese name is Tongari-kun, and the motif of this name is related to his mohawk, as his name means “pointy”. In other countries, his name is based on the fact that he travels around the world with no baggage, for example in both Latin Spanish and European Spanish.

In the Japanese and English dub, Jingle always mistakes Hamtaro's name, calling him whatever other thing similar to his name (for example, “Hamusaburo” or “Ham and cheese”) much to Hamtaro's chagrin. 

Jingle is one of the few Ham-Hams with his own image song, “Kaze no Uta” or “Song of the Wind”.

Jingle's birthday was apparently chosen at random, since it is not a special date or a pun. If you happen to know why, please let us know! All we know is that it’s 12/12 so it’s somewhat easy to remember and that he’s the resident Sagittarius. 

Relationships

Jingle does not have any defined love interest during the series, since he barely hangs out with the Ham-Hams enough time.

However, it is clear that his obsession with Hamtaro and mistaking his name is probably leading to somewhat more than a bonding friendship.

Jingle also has a really interesting friendship with Nande. Remember that this peculiar hamster is always asking questions, and given Jingle esoteric and mysterious answers, they bond in an intriguing way.

Lastly, in early episodes Jingle finds a “travel buddy”, the pig Herbert, who is more like his companion/transport. Herbert is an actual character, unlike other animal friends like Françoise or Samba, he develops some psyche of himself. Sadly, we don't know it's birthday so we can't make a post about him.

Episodes

Episode 10 – Jingle, the Wanderer

Laura is taking a floppy disk to her dad's job, but it gets lost. They met a new hamster, called Jingle, who is a little weird...

Episode 24 - Hamtaro, Please come Home!

Hamtaro gets carried away on a truck but Jingle and Sabu help him get back home!

Episode 135 – Hamtaro Gets Cold Hamtaro overhears Laura mentioning something bad about him, and he decides to leave on a journey with Jingle. But he catches a cold and gets really sick!

Episode 278 – Once Again! Why is that?

Nande and Jingle have some interesting conversations while the Ham-Hams play at the Tree House.

This is all! Happy birthday, Jingle!

[magioftheseas]

Magical Miracle Dream Girl ☆ Momonomi

Summary: Matsuda suits up Monomi for her next attempt at the second boss in the events immediately following Chapter 13 of Super Danganronpa 2: Matsuda Yasuke's Battle of Despair and Wits .

Rating: PG (?)

Warnings: Laaaaanguage I guess? Idk.

Notes: Dude, reading this over with it being more reference heavy is lowkey super embarassing for me so I really don’t get how Kodaka does it so shamelessly. But I tried. Oh my god did I try. Anyway, I’m a sucker for ribbons and yet I did not squeeze in a single reference to the Ribon magazine so in reality I am a failure. In all seriousness, writing Matsuda and Monomi is great and I wuv wuv them both so much.

Read this fic among others HERE

Main story is HERE

Commission? Donate?

“U-Uuu...boohoo.”

Monomi sniffled into her paws, sitting on her rump and looking so pitiful it was honestly kind of sickening. Matsuda, ever weathering, just stared and waited for her to stop crying.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I-I’ll get stronger, I will, I will, but, but,” her breath hitches. Matsuda wordlessly hands her a handkerchief and she blows into it. It’s an astounding sight and he refuses her trying to return it. He’s just, he’s not sure how his sanity would handle potentially having to wash off a stuffed animal’s mucus from a fabric. Shit was already so fucking weird.

Monomi dabs at her eyes delicately.

“Matsuda-kun, you really are such a kind boy. So, so kind.”

That’s such a miserable thing to say, so Matsuda rolled his eyes at it.

“O-Okay!” she exclaimed, getting to her feet with a few squeaky noises. “Sensei will now bulk up before her next fight! I won’t lose! Not when my precious students are depending on me!”

It’d be easy to burst her bubble but this time, she’s not wrong. We have to get to the hospital on the third island. Not just for that guy’s sake, but for all our sakes. I have to scan not just myself, but potentially everyone else.

“I-I just, um, need a new weapon, maybe a new ribbon, and, um.” Monomi pats her belly a few times. “This diaper is a bit restrictive too, huh.”

“Then just take it off?” He raised an eyebrow. “It’s not like you need it. You don’t defecate, right?”

“S-Such a horrifying question to ask your teacher!” she exclaimed, jumping with an utterly mortified look. “It’s not just inappropriate, it’s so indecent! You should never suggest nor ask such things of a young woman!”

Young woman? What about her is young besides that childish appearance? She has an age? She considers herself matured?

So many questions. So little importance. Matsuda scowled.

“I’ve already dug around your intestines,” he pointed out. “I know there’s nothing there but fluff.”

“D-Don’t say that; it’s so embarrassing!” she cried. “For a teacher to be in such a position before her precious, precious students! I’m just so, so ashamed! I never want to think about it again!”

“So you’re just going to keep wearing a diaper. Even though that’s not exactly tasteful either.” He shook his head. “What is there even to be done about you? Urgh. Come on.” He clapped his hands a few times, and she tottered after him in confusion. “Let’s go to Rocketpunch.”

Monomi blinked up at him. Grimacing, he explained.

“You said you needed a new ribbon, right? We’ll look for sticks on the way there but there might very well be something else you can use.”

“M-Matsuda-kun, oh.” She presses her paws together, awestruck. “Y-You really are such a kind, kind child!”

“Hurry the fuck up or I’m throwing you ahead.”

“R-Right!”

--

“Red or yellow? Is yellow maybe too flashy, Matsuda-kun?”

“Those are for pigtails.”

“Oh! I see! I’m not a pig, after all, I’m a rabbit! Ehehehe!” Monomi giggled even in the face of Matsuda’s stoic frown. “They have all kinds of ribbons. It’s difficult to choose.”

“Some of these have different names,” Matsuda said, pulling out a big red one. “This, for instance, is a V Ribbon.”

“Ooh! For victory!” Monomi exclaimed. “Yes, yes.”

“No, but whatever.” He held up the ribbon to Monomi’s ear. Making a face, he tied the bow and then leaned back to take in the sight. “A maybe, maybe?”

Not exactly feeling the most confident about this one. Best to find a couple of other options.

He dug around the ribbon section some more. His eyes light up as he pulled out another one, similarly bright red but so very fine.

“This one’s better,” he said, holding it out. “The Hime Ribbon. It’s an actual creation of the princess of the Magical Kingdom.”

“It looks like this one,” Monomi replied, patting her bow.

“It’s completely different!” Matsuda exclaimed, annoyed. “It’s come on, come on, go, go, jump!”

“Come on, come on, go, go jump?” Monomi repeated. She mulls it over before pumping her paw. “Ike, ike!”

“No, no!” Huffing, Matsuda rubbed his temples. “It's a classic! A fucking classic! Like, Akko-chan and Mami? No, not that Mami!”

“H-How cruel,” she sobbed, holding down her ears. “But, you know.” A pause before she beams. “It does give me a nostalgic feeling, Matsuda-kun.”

“Because it’s a classic,” Matsuda muttered, puffing his cheeks. “But, considering what this ribbon does, it’s a bad fit for you.”

“Eh? What does it do?”

“It’s...freaky.” Making a face, Matsuda set the ribbon lovingly aside. “Maybe we should look for something a little more straight-forward.”

“Hm, hm,” Monomi hums. “You know, transformation is a very important part of being a magical girl but it’s not always a good thing.” She tugs at her diaper, sullen. “This kind of transformation for instance.”

Transformation. Yeah, obviously. Normal people can only do so much even with the amount of capability they have. But, there’s more to it.

“It’s not about getting stronger, it’s also about building confidence in yourself,” Matsuda snapped, irritated now. “You may not have the range you did before but the fact that you’re so whiny and weepy about it is beyond infuriating. Was your character always that fickle? Your simpering, desperate optimism only a forced front?”

Monomi stilled and blinked up at him.

“Pathetic,” he sniffed. “Even if you didn’t mean for things to go so wrong, you’re making it worse with how flighty and pitiful you are.” He quiets for a moment, and weirdly, he feels sick. He covers his mouth with a groan. “Gross.”

“Matsuda-kun,” Monomi says, softly and meaningfully. “So harsh.”

It is a bit harsh, isn’t it? He thought almost in mirthless amusement. If she had just been trying to help, that’d be one thing, but she’s responsible for our lost memories. She’s part of the reason why we’re trapped in the first place. That’s why I can’t help but get so pissed about it.

That said, he should know better than to tell off a program of all things. He wished he could just spit in the face of whoever human in charge. But that person is, allegedly, someplace he can’t reach while trapped.

It’s useless. It’s all useless. Except. I really do have to get to the hospital.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. An adult complaining so much only burdens the children.”

Matsuda stilled for a moment, perking up.

“I’ll do better!” Monomi chirped. “I’ll get stronger! For my precious, precious students!”

She’s a program, but maybe she does have a semblance of maturity. He thinks that, but even so, his expression darkens. Still a program that acts as a proxy. Still incapable of explanations and justifications. Still the means we found ourselves trapped with our heads tampered. How trustworthy can someone so fundamentally detached and closed off really be? Even if it’s someone with this kind of personality?

Still, there was one matter that was clear while the rest were vague.

Even if we’re at odds, we have the same enemy. Komaeda said that about the traitor, too.

While he’s still undeniably pissed and suspicious, he does need all the help he can get. Especially from someone with the capabilities of taking down the Monobeasts, of opening the paths to the closed-off islands where more could be gleamed and where more could be done. With that, he looks through the ribbons once more, pulling out various options before he found one that had him pause.

A pretty yellow ribbon adorned with a blue star. Still quiet, Matsuda knelt down and tugged the red ribbon off Monomi to replace it. He fixed the yellow ribbon and the star shone brightly at him. Pulling back, he took in the beaming Monomi and nodded.

“Yeah, that’ll work. Let’s go with this one.”

Monomi twirled around with flourish.

“Magical Miracle Girl ☆ Monomi! At your service!” A pause. Monomi yelped. “N-No, Usami! I mean Usami! I’m not Monomi, I don’t even know a Monomi!”

“Right,” Matsuda said, nodding along. “There should be a baton around here that we can use as a weapon. Hopefully one that suits your new look.”

“Y-Yes!” she exclaimed, watery-eyed. “Yes, yes!”

When he found one and handed it over, Monomi waved it around and declared,

“I absolutely won’t lose! I’ll fight for the sake of my students! With the power of wuv and hope!”

Matsuda said nothing to that, even as his lips twisted in the slightest way.

Later, when Monomi faced against that snake beast again, not only was she knocked away again in spite of her best efforts, but...

That thing knocked her away with the force of a truck, causing the now broken baton to clatter at Matsuda’s feet.

“Welp,” was all he had to say.

[sanhatipal]

Tagging Game

I was tagged by: @emily-cheshire and @i-prefer-the-term-antihero . Thank you both so much! I really enjoy these,but thus time I was super slow,I got no excuse , forgive me ;-;

I made the questions purple '^'

How tall are you?

5 feel 1 inch. That is 154cm. Yeah,tiny,and full grown. I used to hate it,but I've come to terms with it. Also it's my king Arturia's height,at least that's something to be happy about.

What colour and style is your hair?

Pitch black,and well...not really styled? It's pretty long, comes down to the middle of my thighs,and is a strange mixture of straight and wavy(straight the first foot or so,then gets wavy as we go down,curls at the tips) but I swear I've never styled it. It's side parted,with irregular accidental bangs formed from when a part of my hair got caught in rubber cement a few years ago,and I chopped them off close to the scalp,and they grew to become bangs, because obviously they're shorter than the rest. I usually keep it tied in a Jack Vessalius type braid that reaches my lower waist :")

what color are your eyes?

Brown, slightly reddish

do you wear glasses?

Aye,and I'm pretty blind without them.

do you wear braces?

No

What’s your fashion sense?

....it only exists while buying the clothes,while getting dressed....I put my hand in the cupboard and pull out something,if I'm ok with it I wear, else put it back in and pull out something else if I don't like it

That being said,I like simpler clothes with soft fabric. I wear either knee length or slightly longer dresses/frocks(the simplest type,with a stitch at the waist),or jeans(full length,black,blue or brown because anything else gets dirty too easily) with formal collared shirts or casual tops. If it's not collared, I like to have at least part of my collarbones exposed, but all cleavage hidden(yeah I'm picky). Most of my wardrobe is red,so much that my mom gets scared if I reach for something red in a shop, but also a lot of white, brown,maroon and peach,and a few blues, purples and pinks.

And oh yes,black heels, practically the only thing I wear, and everyday the same pair,unless there's some event or trip or something where I know I'll have to run, then I take the effort to take out converse shoes and the pain to tie laces.

Full name?

You all already know. Sanhati Pal.

when were you born?

27th May '97, in the height of the sticky Indian summer. That too around noon.

where are you from and where do you live now?

India,and I still live in the same city too.

what school do you go to?

I graduated from school in 2016. I went to an all-girls' convent. Now I'm in medical school,which is I guess actually university?

what kind of student are you?

The kind that absolutely hates studying but does it dedicatedly anyway. It's ALWAYS been that way. Teachers think I'm studious,but trust me, I'm not. I just push hard.

do you like school?

I loved school from the later half of 6th grade onwards. I guess 7 and half years in the same place gave me a sense of control. I still love my school and muss it. But college... not really. But then I get restless at home without regular classes or work,so I guess I do,to some extent.

favorite subject?

Back in school, Physics, Literature and Biology. Now, Forensics (though no way in hell will I take it up for post graduate atudies) and Orthopaedics.

favorite tv shows?

My head isn't really working but if anime counts,I guess SKET Dance, 07-ghost,Your lie in April,Fate series, Anohana, Little Busters, fmab, Fairy Tail, Noragami, Chihayafuru, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki kun....what else?

I enjoyed the shows 101 things that changed the world, and You have been Warned, I guess?

My favourite shows at 10 were Art Attack and Backyard Science

Oh ! The first ever TV show I'd ever watched was incidentally an anime called Heidi,girl of the Alps, when I was 5. I recently rewatched it twice,and while there might've been a nostalgia factor for me,I definitely recommend watching it! It's there on YouTube!

favorite movie?

Good grief..... Uh... I'm just gonna list some randomly without order: Brave,Bridge to Terrabithia, Into the Woods, Kimi no na wa, Coraline, Maquia when the promised flower blooms, Brother Bear, Song of the Sea, Spirit Stallion of the cimmaron, Kiki's Delivery Service,Laputa the castle in the sky.

favorite book?

THIS IS AN IMPOSSIBLE TO ANSWER QUESTION but.... I think The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis is a good candidate. I love high fantasy and adventure like Narnia,LOTR,but also slice of life books like Ruskin Bond's Room on the Roof. Most of my favourites centre around children or young teen protagonists,and while 90% are in the English language, there are some in Bengali that are close to my heart too. Basically, everything I illustrated in Inktober 2018.

do you have regrets?

Aye,too many to count but that's okay. I've accepted them and moved on. I've acknowledged my faults. I'll never forget,but I won't whine.

dream job?

Book illustrator and doctor. I'm already halfway through the process of becoming a doctor, it's what I've always wanted and I'm happy, but I still crave to illustrate children's novels,YA fantasy and Light Novels.

do you like shopping?

...I never thought about it.. I guess it depends on what I'm buying and with whom,if it's art supplies,knick knacks, interior decoration,books or plushies,DO I ?!! But if it's clothes.....eh. Oh yes,I only go out with my mom,I don't like spending my money,I know if she's with me, she'll pay,and unlike classmates who insist on buying stuff, she'll make sure I don't buy unnecessary stuff I'll regret later.

what countries have you visited?

None

scariest nightmare you have ever had?

Something I saw when I was 6,or at least that's what had ever frightened me so much. And not once, 2-3 times. I honestly don't remember much,but it had something to do with a possessing virus that turned the host's eyes light(i.e. in our case, yellowish,given the usual colour here is brown),made them kill or something,and jumped to a different host if they died. There was something to do with burnt banana trees too(what the hell), though I don't remember well. It had frightened me so much back then that for a few weeks I'd run whenever I saw people with golden irises(incidentally,there were two or more such people in the neighborhood I lived in then),and after that freak for a few months. But that's all in the past,and it kinda makes me laugh at myself now.

Look at me loving Gilbert Nightray more than anything and anyone else now, it's proof that I've long since gotten over that dream.

any enemies?

Probably yeah. It's not something I've actively avoided,and with a temper like mine, you're likely to make some. But hey, that's okay. Also,I don't consider myself an enemy,more like a hurdle at times,and a malfunctioning machine at others.

do you believe in miracles?

I do. It's a miracle we haven't gotten hit by trucks or died till now. It's a miracle we're alive. Life in itself is a miracle. There are a million ways to die,even without people killing each other,in spite of trying to prevent it. And I've grown up seeing these,and I will keep seeing them for the rest of my life. That is the life of a doctor. I've come to realize how fleeting and fragile this life is,and come to treasure it. There are terrible things in this life, but it's also precious,and I've come to be grateful for it. I don't pray for miracles,I don't believe they'll work that way, I've seen too much to think that way. The fact that we're here right now is a miracle in itself. I will never ask for a miracle,but will always be grateful for all the miracles I already have.

how are you?

I'm fine, nothing wrong at the moment.

I tag(it's ok if you don't want to): @maddyisenough @moody-marshmallow093 @madness-of-lost-memories @miloomezai @k-amui @lolpurple @bagel-san @anyone else who wants to do it

[thechongz]

One Last Time

Riku chooses Tenn.

Tenn doesn’t.

PART I

It was IDOLiSH7’s second anniversary concert.

The group had been rehearsing their set since 7am, barely taking a break to grab some food, before continuing with their rigorous rehearsals. After all, it was their second anniversary! They had gathered quite an impressive fanbase by now, and concert tickets sold out within the hour. Regrettably, they could only hold the concert for one day, instead of the two that they had been gunning for. It wasn’t that the president didn’t support them; the venue didn’t have a slot for them.

The boys were determined to impress their fans, and to perform their best for those who had been supporting them all this time. It still hadn’t really sunk in that it had already been two years since their debut. All the ups and downs they had gone through had only served to strengthen their bonds with each other, and before they knew it, two years had gone by. After their win at Black or White, the number of fans they had had grown exponentially, and still was growing by the day. Not only that, they also grew closer to their rival group, TRIGGER, as well as to Re:vale.

At midnight, Tsumugi had surprised the group with a cake specially baked for them. “Happy second anniversary!” she had announced when Iori opened the door, slightly bewildered as to why somebody was visiting their dorm in the dead of night. After realising that it was just their manager, the younger Izumi went to gather the others in the living room.

“Ehhh, Iorin, why did you wake me up? I was dreaming about pudding...” Tamaki had whined, rubbing his eyes tiredly while sitting down on the couch. Iori gave Tamaki a slightly exasperated look, and continued to get everybody out of their rooms. It took a while, but soon they were all settled down, and Tsumugi lit the two candles on the cake.

“So tomorrow’s the concert and I know we won’t have much time to celebrate because we’ll all be busy preparing, and after the concert I want all of you to have a good rest. Let’s make our respective wishes, be it for ourselves or for the group, and blow the candles out together!”

I hope Nanase-san will be healthy this year as well, and for Nii-san to have more confidence in himself.

Hmm... maybe this will be an IDOLiSH7 year as well?

I want to meet Zero.

…I will eat more pudding this year.

Maybe Tamaki-kun will eat less pudding.

I want to watch more Magical★Kokona!

I wish that Tenn-nii will achieve his dreams.

May IDOLiSH7 stay together forever.

   An hour before the concert began, the group had finished rehearsals and were now touching up their makeup, as well as taking a well-deserved break before the actual concert began. Riku was fiddling around with his phone, frowning and pouting at it for a few moments before letting out a long sigh.

“What is it, Riku?” Yamato asked, raising a brow at the fidgety redhead.

Riku glanced up, and sighed again, shaking his head in reply. “Don’t worry about it, Yamato-san.”

“Is this about Kujo-san?” Iori guessed. His suspicions were confirmed when Riku sighed once more. “Nanase-san, he’s probably busy as well. Why don’t you stop staring at your phone and focus on getting ready?”

“But...”

“Rikkun, you should eat some snacks.”

“Tamaki-kun, our concert is starting soon,” Sougo chided.

“Um, Riku-san, I was chatting with Gaku-san earlier and he said that they’re in the middle of a recording,” Tsumugi cut in. “I did give them VIP tickets to our concert, so I’m sure they’ll try their best to make it here once they’re done.”

Giving his phone one last, long look, in the hopes that its screen would light up with a reply from Tenn, Riku nodded and ran through the concert flow once more. Tenn-nii told me he would come. I know he won’t lie to me.

The next hour passed by quickly, and the seven idols changed into their first costume before making their appearance on stage. The fans’ screams were deafening, especially when the spotlights shone on each member, one by one, before finally shining on Riku. Then the opening of Restart Pointer began playing, and they focused all their energy on giving their best performance yet.

From the backstage, Tsumugi watched the performance with a fond smile. It really had been a great two years with IDOLiSH7, and she was sure that the years to come would be amazing as well. After all, it was hard for life to be dull when you were the manager of seven idols, each with their own special traits.

While paying attention to the performance, Tsumugi was also keeping in contact with Gaku. She knew how much Riku wanted his Tenn-nii to be there to watch him. Tenn had seen their performances on TV before, and had obviously watched from backstage, but as part of the audience? This would be a first. Riku had come so far from when he was just a trainee, working so hard just to catch up with Tenn, and to stand on equal footing with him. Tenn being part of the audience would really boost Riku’s morale, and honestly it would probably motivate everyone else too. After all, TRIGGER was their rival group, and although the two groups were pretty close, there was still friendly competition between them. If TRIGGER was in the audience, the IDOLiSH7 members would definitely work even harder, perform even better, so as to leave an impression on TRIGGER.

The phone in Tsumugi’s hand buzzed, and a smile made its way onto her face when she read the latest message from Gaku. The concert had just begun, and hopefully the trio wouldn’t take too long to arrive.

‘We just ended rehearsal. We’re on the way.’

   “Oi, Tenn, hurry up or we’ll miss the concert,” Gaku called out. The three of them had just finished recording for a radio show, and had actually ended ahead of schedule. Still, IDOLiSH7’s second anniversary concert had already begun, according to Tsumugi, so Tenn really shouldn’t be dillydallying. As if we don’t all know that he wants to watch Nanase perform.

Tenn gave Gaku a pointed look. “Can’t you see that I’m still changing?”

Rolling his eyes, Gaku replied, “Yes, but will it kill you to be a little bit quicker? Their manager just informed me that they’re performing the first song.”

“Now, now, don’t argue. We don’t want to be in a sour mood while watching their performance,” Ryuu said, looking between his bandmates. Really, he was used to this by now, but sometimes he wished the two weren’t always at loggerheads with each other. It would make life that much easier.

“...tch. Okay, I’m done. Let’s go.”

“Ah, Anesagi-san, will you be driving us to IDOLiSH7’s concert?” Ryuu asked. Anesagi put her finger to her lips, still in the middle of a call, and Ryuu nodded. From what he could hear, it sounded like Anesagi was talking to their president. And it seemed like the president wanted Anesagi to run some errands asap. Gaku and Tenn were already gathering their things, ready to leave.

After a couple of minutes, Anesagi ended the call with an exasperated sigh. “President wants me to go to the office to settle some issues regarding your appearance on the talk show next week. Ryuu, can you drive to the concert?”

“Alright. We’ll drop you a message when we get there.”

Ryuu took the car keys from Anesagi, and the trio left the recording studio. Gaku was furiously tapping away on his phone, whilst Tenn seemed to be deep in thought. Ryuu was used to this, too, so he just walked in silence and got into the driver’s seat. Once he ensured that all of them had buckled up, because “You never know when an accident might occur”, he began the drive to the concert venue. It wasn’t too long a journey – twenty minutes at most, if there wasn’t any traffic.

Unfortunately for them, though, there was a little bit of a jam, and with each second that they were stuck in the same spot, Tenn grew increasingly impatient. “Ryuu, is there no other route to the venue with less traffic?”

“I think there might be, but if I remember correctly, the lighting isn’t very good so I tend to avoid driving there,” Ryuu replied.

Tenn huffed, frowning as minutes went by and the car barely moved ten meters. Gaku, too, was obviously getting fed up with the traffic, constantly updating Tsumugi on the current situation and relaying her messages to the other two. “They just finished their first stage game. I think we’ve already missed a third of the concert.”

“Let’s just take the other route. We’ll never make it if we wait for this traffic to clear,” Tenn decided, with finality. Ryuu looked at Tenn through the mirror, pondering for a moment before giving in. He turned at the next exit, and continued to the venue through the other route. Granted, it was definitely less jammed, so Ryuu decided to speed up slightly to get to the venue faster.

“Huh. Nanase just finished his solo performance. Apparently he’s upset that you weren’t there for it,” Gaku read off his screen, making sure to look at Tenn. “Maybe if somebody had been faster...”

“Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”

“Guys...” Ryuu said, turning to give both of them a tired look. “We’re going to support them, so I think it’d be nice if we were all in a good mood.”

Snorting, Tenn crossed his arms. “Your leader started it.”

“Oi, I was just stating facts.”

Ryuu, who had been constantly looking back and forth between the road and the other two, sighed and shook his head while looking back at the two. “Really, I don’t think they would like it if we watched their concert in a bad mood.”

Suddenly, Gaku’s eyes widened. “Ryuu, that truck in front-!”

And by the time Ryuu turned his focus back onto the road, he was met with a blinding flash of the truck’s headlights. They were on the highway; it should have been a one-way road. Perhaps the driver was drunk, but who really knew? All Ryuu knew was that it was all he could do to swerve haphazardly, trying to avoid the oncoming collision.

The last thing they heard was Tenn’s scream.

   Riku stepped off the stage, trying to catch his breath after ending his solo. Throughout the entire performance, his eyes had been scanning the crowd, looking for a familiar head of white hair, for a familiar face, but he hadn’t been able to spot Tenn anywhere. He’d managed to keep the smile on while he was on stage, but the moment he went backstage, the smile disappeared. His chest felt heavy; he had practiced really hard to impress Tenn, to show him how much he had grown from when he first debuted.

“Good job, Nanase-san,” Iori said, handing him a towel and a bottle of water.

Riku took it gratefully, wiping his sweat off and taking a big gulp. “Manager, are they still on the way?” Riku asked, unable to mask his disappointment. He looked at Tsumugi expectantly, waiting for her reply. Eventually, she sighed and nodded. “They were caught in a jam, but they’re taking a different route now so hopefully they’ll get here soon.”

“Cheer up, Riku!” Mitsuki said with a bright smile, waiting for his turn to perform. Tamaki was currently on stage, belting out dance moves that Mitsuki could only hope to master.

Riku gave the older Izumi a small smile, trying to be positive. “Thank you, Mitsuki. I just hope they make it here before the end of the concert...”

Tsumugi smiled apologetically. She had been asking Gaku how long it’d take them to get here, and when he told her that they had been caught in a jam, she was pretty upset. The seven members had really been working so hard for this anniversary concert, and she wanted TRIGGER to watch them perform live. So when Gaku said that they decided to take a different route, she felt her mood lift slightly. “Riku-san, you should change into your next outfit quickly. They might be here by the time you go up on stage again,” she ushered, trying to take his mind off the fact that Tenn was still not here yet.

Riku sighed, nodding and heading towards the dressing rooms. Manager is right. They should be here soon, and I need to give it my all so that I don’t disappoint Tenn-nii!

   Gaku groaned, feeling his head pound as he opened his eyes. “What just happened?”

It took a few moments for him to adjust, still feeling extremely disoriented, and when he finally came to his senses, Gaku bolted upright. Or at least what he thought was upright, because the car was lying on its right side, where he and Ryuu were seated at. The window was shattered, shards of glass cutting into his upper arm, and he struggled to lift himself off the pool of glass. “Oi, Ryuu, Tenn, are you guys alright?” he asked while fumbling around for his phone to call for an ambulance.

All he remembered was that he had been arguing with Tenn, and Ryuu had tried to mediate as usual. Then he saw bright headlights coming towards them, and the car swerved… and they crashed. Eyes widening, Gaku quickly tried to assess the condition that the other two were in.

Ryuu was still unconscious, but he seemed fine for the most part, save a few cuts and bruises. The glass on the driver’s side, too, had shattered, and was slicing into his skin.

And then Gaku’s gaze landed on Tenn, and the blood drained from his face.

“Oh god no.”

   Gaku-san still hasn’t replied.

At this point, Tsumugi was pacing worriedly. With only a handful of performances left, she didn’t know if TRIGGER was even going to arrive by the end of the whole concert. Also, Gaku had been replying to her texts within minutes. It had been a solid half hour since her last text, and he had yet to reply. She tried calling him, too, but the calls wouldn’t go through.

It was plain as day that Riku was upset. Tamaki had tried offering him pudding. Yamato suggested going out for a feast after the concert. Nagi asked if he wanted to watch anime together at night. Sougo tried to distract with videos of TRIGGER’s performances. Mitsuki was attempting to lighten the mood with jokes. Iori offered to go shopping for books with him in their free time. Nothing succeeded in lifting his spirits.

That’s why, when her phone screen lit up with ‘Yaotome Gaku-san’, Tsumugi immediately answered the call, feeling relieved that they might have finally arrived. “Yes, Gaku-san, are you here yet?”

“No, we were in an accident,” Gaku replied. Tsumugi’s breath caught in her throat. What?

“Ryuu seems to be alright, but Tenn was sitting on the side that the truck collided into.” He took a deep, shaky breath, as if to compose himself. “There’s a lot of blood. I think something might have jabbed into him. The seatbelt’s stuck... and I can’t get him out. I already called for an ambulance; they should be getting here soon. I’ll update you again when they get here. Nanase... I’m not sure if you want to tell him now, but the situation isn’t looking good for Tenn.” Gaku sounded helpless, broken, so different from his usual cold exterior. This was Tenn they were talking about, TRIGGER’s centre, and although Gaku and Tenn always argued, they had each other’s interests at heart. Seeing Tenn covered in blood and unconscious, and not being able to do anything... Gaku had never felt more useless in his entire life.

Halfway through his explanation, tears had already begun to gather in Tsumugi’s eyes. The group was up on stage performing right now, which was probably a good thing because if they saw her crying, they would definitely know that something was amiss. “I think I should tell Riku-san,” she managed to reply, despite the thickness in her throat. She knew that Riku would throw everything away for Tenn, and especially now that he was in a life-or-death situation, didn’t he have a right to know? This was his brother, the one that Riku looked up to so much.

While she was lost in her thoughts, Tsumugi didn’t realise that the ambulance had already arrived. She could distantly hear the sirens wailing, and Gaku saying that he should hang up, that he’d call her back. By the time she got back to her senses, he had already ended the call, and Nagi was walking over to her with a concerned look on his face.

“Manager, what happened?”

At this point, the others were also making their way backstage, and were heading towards the two of them. Tsumugi wiped at her eyes, trying to keep a level voice when she announced, “TRIGGER got into a car accident.”

All hell broke loose.

   Riku started breathing heavily, on the verge of an attack, and Iori rushed off to find his medicine. Tamaki and Sougo were in a similar state of shock, while Mitsuki looked at her incredulously. Nagi, too, couldn’t find the words to say. The first one to recover was Yamato, and he immediately asked, “How are they?”

So she repeated what Gaku had told her, and Riku only continued to hyperventilate more as she went on. Iori had returned with Riku’s medication, and forced him to take it before asking any questions. The concert was clearly still ongoing, and this transition period was supposed to be for them to change costumes, but there were more pressing matters at hand. At the end of the explanation, Tsumugi asked, “Riku-san, I know the concert hasn’t ended, but Kujo-san is in a very dangerous situation. I need to know what you want to do now.”

“Of course I want to go to Tenn-nii!” he shouted, once he caught his breath. “I need to be by his side, especially now that his life is in danger!”

“But the concert, Riku-kun,” Sougo pointed out hesitantly.

Riku shook his head, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “But what if I never see him again!?”

Everyone looked just as conflicted as Sougo and Tsumugi. They all knew what Tenn meant to Riku. He was more than just someone that Riku admired – Tenn was the entire reason why Riku was an idol, why he had worked so hard all this time, and why they were able to form IDOLiSH7 with Riku as their centre. And Tenn was his brother. But at the same time, their fans were waiting for them. If their centre disappeared in the middle of the concert, what would happen?

Eventually, though, Iori spoke up. “I think you should go, Nanase-san. If nii-san was in a critical situation, and I didn’t know if he’d make it, I would go to him no matter the cost. I’m sure the fans will understand,” he said. Mitsuki nodded in agreement, clearly sharing his brother’s sentiments.

Slowly, all the others nodded as well. “Nobody will blame you,” Yamato finally said. “Manager, please ask Yaotome which hospital they are at and go with Riku. We will deal with the fans.”

Riku sniffled, nodding quickly and looking at Tsumugi. “Manager, quick, let’s get on a cab while you call Yaotome-san.” He was already going to the dressing room, grabbing his valuables and getting ready to leave immediately.

Looking at Yamato, Tsumugi let out a long sigh. “Yamato-san... please take care of the group while I’m gone,” she said eventually.

Yamato nodded, already getting the others to change into their next outfit. “No problem, Manager. Take care of Riku, and update us on what’s going on. We’ll head over as soon as the concert ends.”

“Manager, let’s go! Hurry!”

   It took nearly an hour for the duo to arrive at the hospital where TRIGGER was at, and Riku ran ahead of Tsumugi, heading directly for the A&E. He was familiar with hospitals, so familiar, and he absolutely hated the smell that all hospitals had. But right now, he wasn’t thinking about any of that. The one single thought running through his mind was Tenn-nii, please be okay.

All his life, RIku had been chasing after Tenn, feeling like he would never catch up with his elder twin. He was always in and out of hospitals, so he didn’t really have any close friends in school. The only person he was close to was his Tenn-nii. And then when Tenn left their household, willingly going off with Kujo-san… Riku had never been more devastated. Tenn did eventually tell him the truth though, that he’d gone with Kujo because their parents had been in debt and couldn’t afford to bring him to the hospital. So many years wondering what he did wrong, why Tenn left, and it turned out that Tenn just wanted to make sure that Riku could get the medical care he required.

“Yaotome-san! Tsunashi-san!” Riku exclaimed as they came into view. It was obvious that they had been in some sort of accident, just with one look at them. Both were covered in bandages of different sizes, and Ryuu’s right arm was in a sling. They shared a similar expression of worry, and glanced up when they heard Riku.

“Riku-kun, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching the road while driving. It’s my fault that this happened,” Ryuu apologised, immediately getting up and bowing.

Riku shook his head, trying his hardest not to cry. “Is... is Tenn-nii alright?”

Ryuu looked at Gaku for help, unsure of what exactly had been the situation. He’d only woken up after they arrived at the hospital, after all, so he didn’t have all the details. He didn’t see the state that Tenn had been in, either, but he knew the gist of it.

Gaku sighed, looking down sombrely. “There was a big piece of glass that broke off the window and cut into his side. They couldn’t remove it at the accident site; Tenn would’ve lost too much blood. They’re operating on him right now. He broke a few ribs from the impact, and there was a lot of blood. Right now we can only hope for the best.”

At this, Riku began to hyperventilate again. Hope for the best? But Tenn-nii is strong! He’ll definitely be able to make it out of this… right? Honestly, Riku had no idea. He never had to worry about Tenn before – it was always the other way round. Tenn taking care of him while he was in the hospital, when he had attacks, and even now as an idol, Tenn had always been the one looking out for him.

Tsumugi finally caught up with the redhead, panting and trying to catch her breath. “Riku-san, I have your medication with me,” she said, sifting through her bag to find it. By the time she did manage to find it, however, she heard a thud, and looked up to see that Riku had collapsed.

“Riku-san!”

“Oi, Nanase!”

“Somebody get a doctor, please!”

   “Hey, where’s Riku-kun?”

“Isn’t somebody missing? Where is Nanase-kun?”

“Eh, Riku isn’t there!”

Those were just some of the murmurs that the rest of the group could hear, and it only got louder and louder as Yamato cleared his throat, taking a step forward. They were expecting this reaction from the fans, naturally. After all, the centre had just disappeared, and there were at least four performances left.

“I’m sure most of you have noticed, but Riku isn’t on stage with us right now. Something really urgent cropped up,” Yamato tried to explain, and he was met with a wave of questions. Some fans looked concerned, some were confused, but most of them were visibly upset. This too, they had expected. Idols were supposed to put on a show for their fans, and what kind of idol left the concert before it had yet to end? It was really a matter of professionalism, but the other members understood perfectly well that Riku absolutely had to go and see Tenn.

Nagi stepped forward as well, maintaining a serious expression. “We are truly sorry and we understand that this is unacceptable behaviour as idols, but the six of us will ensure that this concert ends on a good note. Once again, we apologise and we hope for your understanding.”

“Come on, come on! The next song we will be performing is something that we are all familiar with, Perfection Gimmick!” Mitsuki exclaimed, trying his best to lighten the mood. They got into position, and as the music began playing, the remaining six members poured all of their energy into their performance.

But it wasn’t the same without Riku, and they knew it too.

They just didn’t know how serious the repercussions could be.

   “Ah, Riku-san, you’re awake!”

Riku blinked slowly, registering the awful yet familiar white walls of the hospital room. Then everything came rushing back to him, and he quickly turned to look at Tsumugi. “Tenn-nii! How is he?” he demanded.

“...still in the middle of surgery, I think. You were out for almost an hour. The others should be getting here anytime now,” she informed him. When RIku struggled to get up, Tsumugi sighed and pushed him back onto the bed. “No, you need rest. How else are you supposed to take care of Kujo-san? Gaku-san will tell me when the surgery is over, don’t worry.”

Before Riku could retort, the door to his room burst open and Iori came striding in. “Nanase-san, you came here to make sure that Kujo-san is alright, but how did you end up collapsing as well?” he questioned. Although he sounded annoyed, he had clearly been very worried about the redhead. The others followed in behind him, showing varying degrees of concern.

“I just blacked out,” Riku confessed. “But how did the concert go?”

At this, everyone went silent. Riku looked at each of his bandmates. Had something gone wrong? Mitsuki had cried, he could tell from the red eyes. Yamato was visibly quieter than usual, and Nagi was just staring at the floor. Even Tamaki looked upset.

Finally, Sougo spoke up. “The fans weren’t pleased. Towards the end of the concert, they kept demanding to know where you went. It wasn’t as if we could announce that TRIGGER had gotten into an accident. To the fans, it probably seemed like we were being irresponsible.”

Riku’s heart sank. This was his fault. And even though he’d left the concert halfway through, Tenn was still in surgery. He could’ve waited for the concert to end before coming. Tenn was always telling him how important professionalism was, and that an idol should never disappoint his fans. But what if I’d stayed till the end of the concert and something went wrong during surgery?

There wasn’t anything he could say to rectify the situation. The fans were upset and disappointed, with good reason. It didn’t matter that a family member was in a critical condition; their fans paid to go to their concert to see them, all seven of them. IDOLiSH7 was a group of idols, first and foremost. It was their job to put on a smile and perform for the fans. It was what idols did, and Tenn had drilled that into Riku more often than not.

“I’ll take responsibility for this, I promise,” the centre said.

“Nanase-san, don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” Iori warned. “We are just as much at fault as you are. IDOLiSH7 will face this together, as one team.”

Tears welling in his eyes, Riku nodded.

“Yeah. You’re right, Iori. Thank you, everyone.”

   It was only one day later that Tenn finally woke up.

Gaku and Ryuu were both resting in their dorm, and Riku was the only one in Tenn’s room when he awoke. After all, Riku had stayed overnight in the hospital as the doctor wanted to ensure that he was alright before discharging him. As Tenn’s eyes fluttered open, Riku almost cried in relief. “Tenn-nii, you’re awake!”

“...Riku? What happened? I feel like I got hit by a train,” Tenn said, wincing when he tried to sit up. RIku quickly adjusted the pillows, trying his best not to jostle Tenn too much.

“Ah. You, Tsunashi-san, and Yaotome-san were in a car accident,” Riku mumbled. Thinking about it now, Riku was also partially at fault for the accident. If he hadn’t been so insistent on Tenn watching him perform, TRIGGER wouldn’t have taken the shorter route, and the truck would never have crashed into them. Upon realisation, Riku began to cry. “I’m sorry, Tenn-nii. I’m sorry.”

It took Tenn some time to actually remember what exactly happened, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that he had more than just a couple of broken bones. How long would he take to recover? How many fans would he disappoint by not being able to perform? Will I be able to perform the way I used to? These were the most important questions he had, and Riku probably didn’t have the answer to any of them. Sighing softly, Tenn used his right hand to pat Riku, in a small attempt to comfort him. His left arm was all but useless, currently encased in a thick cast.

“I don’t blame you, Riku. I do wish I could’ve seen you perform, though,” Tenn said with a wistful smile. “I know you wanted me to be there. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it.”

At this, Riku only cried harder. He knew what the others had told him; knew that the fans had been upset at his sudden disappearance. But that morning, he had gone onto his social media sites. It was the same few posts being shared everywhere, almost to the extent of going viral.

The headline read: IDOLiSH7’s centre abandons anniversary concert.

And as Riku continued reading the article, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread fill his entire being. It had been less than a day, but the news spread like wildfire. There were fans blaming him, calling him an irresponsible idol. Some fans spoke up in his defence, reasoning that he really could have needed to attend to an emergency, which was nothing less than the truth.

Then there were the tabloids.

All sorts of rumours and theories had come up. Maybe he had been involved in a scandal. Maybe he had knocked someone up. Maybe he was injured. Maybe his illness relapsed and he was sent to the hospital. The worst of all was that one article that suggested that maybe he just couldn’t take the pressure of being the centre of IDOLiSH7, and fled the concert venue.

It wasn’t that he didn’t understand where all this anger was coming from. It had been the second anniversary concert for them, so for the centre of the group to disappear halfway through? And it wasn’t as if the news about TRIGGER’s car accident had gotten out yet. It was still classified info, as far as Riku knew.

It wouldn’t be long before Tenn found out that Riku left a concert midway to come to the hospital. He could already imagine what would happen.

So Riku cried.

   It took one more day before Tenn found out what had happened.

Gaku and Ryuu had been visiting, not having had time to drop by the hospital before that. Anesagi had driven them, and probably would never trust any of them to drive ever again. The three of them were given a stern talking to, rightfully so, because how did they end up in a car accident on the one occasion that Anesagi trusted them to drive?

Somewhere in between, Anesagi mentioned that “You guys shouldn’t cause IDOLiSH7 any more trouble than you already have. Tenn’s younger brother already made quite a mess, leaving the concert just like that.”

“Riku did what? He left the concert?!” Tenn questioned, turning to look at his bandmates and hissing in pain at the sudden movement. But the pain was a secondary concern. How many times had Tenn told Riku that, to an idol, fans were everything? Time and time again, he emphasised the importance of living up to a fan’s expectations. He thought that after two years, Riku had finally grasped the concept of putting his fans above all else, but, clearly, he hadn’t.

“Tenn, calm down. Think about what Riku-kun must have felt,” Ryuu said, trying futilely to calm Tenn down. He and Gaku had known Tenn for so many years, so they knew exactly how the other felt when it came to professionalism. There were to be no compromises whatsoever; Tenn even escaped the hospital once, just so he wouldn’t miss a performance. The fact that Riku willingly left a concert halfway through it? Tenn would never let it go.

Gaku nodded, agreeing with Ryuu. “Nanase made his choice. He knew there would be consequences, but you were more important to him than anything else.”

“And that’s exactly why I’m angry!” Tenn exploded. “What kind of idol is he, to leave his fans in the middle of a concert? And it was their second anniversary concert! Did he even stop to think about the impression that his fans would have?”

At least he knows what matters most, Gaku couldn’t help but think.

He isn’t heartless like you.

   “Tenn-nii, I brought some fruits!” Riku exclaimed happily as he entered the room.

The other members of TRIGGER had long ago left, leaving Tenn to gather his thoughts. The idol had spent the past few hours looking up articles on IDOLiSH7 from the past two days, and the more he read, the angrier he became. By the time Riku came around, Tenn was seething. He turned to give his twin a dark look, and Riku shrank back slightly. “...Tenn-nii? What is it?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t have found out?”

Riku’s heart nearly stopped in his chest, and he tried to play it off with a smile. “Found out about what?”

“Don’t pretend not to know, Riku. It’s all over the news and social media. How many times have I told you that fans are everything to an idol? Did you even pause to think about what your fans would feel, leaving the concert like that?” Tenn demanded.

And Riku did know, which was exactly why he didn’t say anything to Tenn. He’d expected his fans to understand, and some of them did, because they believed that he wouldn’t have abandoned such an important concert for nothing. But Tenn was also right. Many more of their fans had been upset, beyond disappointed at the centre of the group. He couldn’t even begin to fathom what kind of consequences his actions could have on IDOLiSH7 as a whole, but Tenn had been in an accident. If anything had happened and Riku had missed the chance to see his brother one last time... he would have regretted it forever.

But of course, Tenn’s priorities and Riku’s weren’t the same, and probably never would be. There wasn’t any way to justify his actions that would make sense to Tenn. Riku hated disappointing people, and it seemed that that was all he knew how to do. “But Tenn-nii, you were in a critical condition!” Riku tried to defend.

Tenn nearly scoffed, and Riku had never felt more hurt. “It doesn’t matter. If it had been me, and you or Kujo-san were in the hospital, I wouldn’t have left the concert no matter what. I told you before, I would never do anything that would make the fans sad, and I would definitely never break my promises to them. We’re both idols, Riku, this should be ingrained in us. The day that IDOLiSH7 decided to hold an anniversary concert, you guys made a promise to your fans to be there and smile for them with all your heart. Do you remember what I told you, almost two years ago?”

Nodding, Riku stared at his feet, unable to look Tenn in the eye. How could he forget? Tenn had come all the way to their dorm and had given Riku a long lecture that day. Of course, he thought he would never have to think about it ever again, because IDOLiSH7 had only gotten more and more successful over the past year. But with this stunt he pulled... Riku wasn’t so sure about the future. It was beginning to look bleak, and he didn’t know how hard he would have to work to make things right again.

“You told me that it would be best if I quit being an idol.”

“I thought something had changed, you know. After Black or White, and our collaborations, I thought you were finally understanding the essence of being an idol. But I said it before, and I’ll say it again.

You couldn’t keep your promise to your fans, Riku, and this time, you might not even have fans to keep a promise to anymore.”