5WIRL + Wanderer COLLAB!!!

Chapter 5

  Kazuha wasn't late, but once again everyone else had decided to be early. He shook his head with a smile as he walked in. "At least you make a habit of being early instead of late."
  Heizou laughed, "right you are, my friend!"
  Venti gasped dramatically, "what happened to your hand?!?!" And ran up to Kazuha frantically.
  "Uh-" the very edge of Kazuha's bandages were barely peeking out of his sleeve. How had Venti noticed that?! "I just burned myself while cooking last night. It's nothing, really. It doesn't hurt that much anymore and it won't affect any rehearsing."
  Venti narrowed his eyes, "you are the last person I expected to be clumsy."
  "Accidents happen," Kazuha smiled.
  "Just don't push yourself," Venti squeezed his arm reassuringly.
  He nodded, "I won't, thank you." Then he went over to the table set his backpack down. As he stood back up he caught Kunikuzushi looking at his wrist and frowning.
  Kazuha smiled, trying to show that he was okay and that it wasn't a problem. Kunikuzushi only looked away, which just made Kazuha feel guilty. He really shouldn't have been so forward about his feelings. What possessed him to even try?!
  "Let's get to work on vocals!!!" Venti clapped his hands together excitedly.
  And thus, everyone filed into the recording room and listened to the finished instrumental. The rest of the work day consisted of working only on the song. Heizou said that they could focus on choreography the next day and that it would even out.
  But after they had finished recording everything, Xiao sent everyone out so he could focus.
  "How about we play a game???" Heizou offered.
  "Like what?" Aether asked.
  "Hmmm, I dunno, like Truth or Dare?" He shrugged as he sat down on the couch and pulled Aether to sit beside him.
  Venti took one of the chairs from the table and sat on it criss-cross-applesauce. "Sounds good to me!"
  Kunikuzushi sat down on Aether's other side, "how long do you think Xiao will take?"
  "Oh, not that long. He's really good when it comes to this stuff. I'm really only helping most of the time by 'taste testing' the music, so to speak." Venti giggled.
  Kazuha pulled over another chair and sat on it properly, "probably an hour or two."
  "I'll go first," Heizou smiled, "Venti, Truth or Dare???"
  Venti drummed his fingers against the chair, "hmmmm dare!"
  "I dare you to lick the floor!"
  "Ew!!"
  "Okay, maybe that's too much. Lick the table, then!"
  Venti laughed, "much better!" Then he leaned over and dramatically licked the table, making everyone laugh.
  "Kazuha, Truth or dare?!"
  "Are we going in a circle?" He chuckled. "Truth." He wanted to go for a safer option. Not that he thought Venti would make him do anything crazy... well, maybe a little bit...
  Venti thought hard for a moment. "Uhm, who's your favorite member of 5WIRL?"
  Kazuha sighed, "really?..."
  "Yes! I want to know!" Venti laughed, "and you have to be honest!"
  Kazuha paused, "well... I guess it would have to be Aether."
  Venti nodded, "okay, that's fair... It's coz he doesn't tease you, huh?"
  "My reasons weren't a part of the question," Kazuha smiled. "Aether, Truth or Dare?" He asked, deciding to break the circle.
  "Mmm, truth." He responded.
  "What's your favorite color?"
  "That's too wholesome!!!" Venti exclaimed. "You're supposed to get all the juicy secretsss!!!"
  Aether giggled, "blue. Kuni, Truth or Dare?"
  "Dare," he smiled, waiting for a challenge.
  Aether paused to think. "Keep your eyes closed until your next turn."
  Kunikuzushi leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and taking on a focused expression. "Excepted. Heizou, Truth or Dare?"
  "Definitely dare!"
  "Alright. I Dare you to call a member of your family and tell them you got engaged."
  Heizou laughed, "that's a good one!!!" He pulled out his phone, "who should I call???"
  "Ooh! Call your mom! She'll be so confused! Put it on speaker!!!" Venti scooted closer.
  Heizou was giggling as he waited. Then he took a deep breath before his mother answered the phone.
  "Hello???"
  "Hey, Mom, I've got something really important to tell you," Heizou was smiling widely.
  "Oh, what is it?"
  "I'm engaged!!!" Heizou exclaimed.
  "What?! That's- wait, aren't you not allowed to date???" She sounded confused and concerned. "What happened???"
  "Shhh, don't tell anyone. I just really needed to let you know. And don't worry, they're the sweetest person in the world. I cant wait for you to meet them." Heizou covered his mouth to hold back his giggles.
  "Oh... oh, well, if they make you happy... I just don't know about keeping this a secret... I mean... what would happen if someone found out you were engaged?..." she sounded genuinely worried.
  "It'll be alright, mom. They're worth it. I've got to go now, I'll talk to you later, okay?"
  "Okay. Just be careful," she said, "love you."
  "Love you, too." Heizou hung up and started cackling. "I can't believe she didn't suspect anything!!!"
  Venti was holding onto his chair so he didn't fall out of it, "that's crazy! She was so calm, too!!!"
  Heizou shook his head as he put his phone away, "alright. Next. Uh, Kazuha, Truth or Dare."
  Kazuha did not trust Heizou to give him a dare at all. Not under any circumstances. "Truth."
  Heizou clicked his tongue, "what? Scared?"
  Kazuha forced a smile, "you could say that..."
  "Hmmmm... have you ever been in a relationship before???"
  Kazuha loosed a silent breath of relief. "Yeah."
  "Oh." Heizou blinked. "Was it before or after you became an idol?"
  "That's not a part of the truth, but it was before." Kazuha shrugged. "Kuni, Truth or Dare?"
  Kunikuzushi opened his eyes, "that was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Truth."
  Kazuha took a moment to think. "How much sleep did you get last night?" He had noticed the bags forming under Kunikuzushi's eyes throughout the day.
  Kunikuzushi chuckled as he sat back up, "that's so weirdly specific." He counted on his fingers for a moment before responding, "six."
  Aether looked over in concern, putting his hand on Kunikuzushi's arm.
  Venti laughed, "you must be super caffeinated right now, then!"
  "It's mostly sugar, actually," Kunikuzushi smiled. "Anyways, Venti, Truth or Dare?"
  "I wanna do another dare!!!"
  "Yell the first word that comes to mind."
  "Gobbledygook!!!"
  Aether and Heizou laughed. Kazuha just smiled, glad Venti hadn't cussed or said something weird.
  "Good enough," Kunikuzushi chuckled.
  "Heizou, Truth or Dare???" Venti asked.
  "Hmm, I guess I'll do truth this time."
  Venti giggled evilly, "what's the worst thing you've ever done?"
  Heizou paused to think, "the worst?... I'm not sure, I guess the thing I regret most is... When I was a kid I pushed someone because they were being a bully and they ended up getting a concussion."
  "Dangggg!" Venti clapped his hands, "at least they deserved it!"
  "Yeah, but he was, like, eight..."
  Venti rolled his eyes, "whatever! Pass it on!"
  Heizou chuckled, "alright. Kazuha~ Truth or Dare~"
  Kazuha felt like running away. He wanted to ask "why me?...", but he knew why. "Uhm... truth..."
  "Come on, man! That's so boring!" Venti groaned.
  "I'm just not in a a very daring mood..." Kazuha smiled nervously.
  Heizou folded his arms, "fine. What's your biggest fear?"
  Kazuha hesitated. His initial thought was messing up on stage and being hated... but then he thought about being unable to quit smoking... and he was kind of afraid of Kunikuzushi finding out about Kazuha's crush on him... He wasn't sure what he feared most. "Uhm..." he felt very nervous.
  "Take your time," Aether smiled.
  Kazuha nodded, "okay..." and took a long moment to really contemplate. "I'm... My biggest fear is loosing our unit. All of you. I feel like you all are a part of me. All we've done together has shaped me as a person. I don't know what I'd do without you guys..."
  "You're not supposed to get all mushy on us!" Venti wiped his eyes, "I'm not in the mood for crying right now!"
  Aether pressed his hands against his chest and Heizou genuinely smiled at Kazuha's response. "I can't even be mad..." he shook his head.
  Kazuha grew embarrassed, "uh, Kuni, Truth or Dare?"
  "I'll do a dare this time."
  Kazuha felt like it was harder to dare people than to ask them for a truth. He took a second to think of a good dare. "Show us the last picture you took."
  "Ooooohh!" Heizou and Venti both excitedly leaned over.
  Kunikuzushi chuckled, "I don't even remember what it is." He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his photos. "The last picture I took... was this." He showed his screen to the group.
  It was a picture of Nahida and himself at a cat cafe. "This was a few weeks ago, actually," Kunikuzushi explained. "Uh, this is Nahida, my other manager."
  "Huh? Isn't that a child?!" Venti blinked.
  "It's... complicated," Kunikuzushi waved it off and put his phone down. "Aether, Truth or Dare?"
  "Truth, please."
  "Okay, when was the last time you lied?" He smiled in a somewhat sinister way.
  Aether paused, "ah, I guess I lied the other day. My sister asked if I knew what happened to her mascara... I said no, but I saw our roommate borrowing it earlier."
  Kunikuzushi snorted, "you're way too nice."
  "He already deals with so much grief from her..." Aether said helplessly. "Uh, Heizou, Truth or Dare?"
  "Dare all the way!"
  "Do as many push-ups as you can. And then wait a minute and do one more." Aether smiled innocently.
  "Aw man," Heizou stood up and got onto the floor. "Kuni, Truth or Dare?" He started doing his own dare.
  "Truth."
  "Uhmmm," Heizou found it difficult to think, "have you ever cheated on anyone?"
  "Nope," Kunikuzushi folded his arms triumphantly, "I haven't even dated anyone."
  Everyone was shocked. "Really?! You're being serious?!" Venti was the first to ask what everyone was thinking.
  "Yea. I'm serious," he nodded.
  "No way..." Venti shook his head. "For real, for real???"
  Kunikuzushi chuckled, "yes. Why is that so hard to believe???"
  "I don't know, because you're super pretty," Venti held his hands out. "I mean, I bet there's a long line of people waiting for you to stop being an idol so they can have a chance!"
  Kunikuzushi laughed, "thanks, but no thanks! I'm not *that* good looking!"
  "But you *are*!" Kazuha blurted.
  "Yeah! Have you had any surgeries done? I saw that your fanbase is always debating that!" Venti pointed out.
  Kunikuzushi shook his head, "none. This is all completely the work of my genetics."
  Aether poked at Kunikuzushi's cheek in wonder.
  "Why? Have you guys...?"
  "What? No! No, but I know a lot of other idols get work down on their faces," Venti explained, "I was just curious. I mean, you're so oddly perfect..."
  "Perfect?" Kunikuzushi's eyebrow twitched.
  Kazuha agreed, "yes, there isn't anything imperfect about you."
  Kunikuzushi looked at them in surprise and confusion, "you know, you two aren't the first to say that to me..." He sighed, "it's so weird to be called perfect. I mean, obviously nobody is perfect, but still. It's such a weird standard to be held to."
  "Ah, yeah, I guess that's pretty rough," Venti nodded. "But how do you keep all your fans at bay??? I bet you constantly get DMs from fans asking for marriage!"
  Kunikuzushi chuckled, "most people are respectful when I say no. And they understand that I would have to quit being an idol to even think about it."
  "Really? I'd thought your fans would be more feral than that," Venti pointed out.
  "Well, some of them are. But I've only had to get one restraining order," he shrugged.
  "What?! Oh, now I have to hear this!!!" Venti scooted closer.
  Heizou collapsed onto the ground, "I can't do any more..."
  Aether reached down and pat him on the head, "you get one minute of rest before your last one."
  Heizou groaned, "you're so mean to me, Aether!"
  Kunikuzushi sat back, getting comfortable, "so, this person and I were actually friends before I became an idol."
  Venti blinked, "really???"
  Kunikuzushi nodded, "yeah. We were pretty close before I joined a unit. But then we drifted apart because I was working and... they didn't really want me to become an Idol. But about a year after I joined HARBINGERS I got a message from them, saying they wanted to meet up. I didn't really have anything to do outside of idol work, so I was eager to see someone other than my manager and unit members.
  "So we met up in person and it was actually really nice to see them again. They even apologized to me for not being supportive of my decision." Kunikuzushi took a deep breath, "and so we started meeting up every week, and it really wasn't anything bad. Well, until I realized that there was some confusion between us..."
  He paused to think, "I guess... before I became an idol, they thought we were together. I didn't think so at all, I had no idea that they felt that way towards me. I didn't want this to become an issue so the next time we met up I brought it up, hoping to clear things up and move past it. Only... in his mind, we had been dating for... well, forever. That was why he was so upset with me for wanting to become an idol. I guess he saw it as a sort of break up."
  "Wait, so this guy assumed you two were dating without even asking you?!" Venti exclaimed.
  Kunikuzushi nodded, "yeah, but I don't ever remember him saying anything about dates when we went out together. I was shocked to find out, to say the least..."
  "I would be, too! This guy's crazy!" Venti shook his head in disappointment.
  "Anyways, I stopped meeting with him after I found out what he thought." Kunikuzushi sighed, "I felt really bad about it and essentially ignored his existence for the rest of my time with HARBINGERS. I would occasionally see him at shows and other things, but he never approached me. I suppose that's because the other members are pretty intimidating."
  Kazuha was giving Kunikuzushi his undivided attention, completely and solely focused on him. He definitely didn't like this crazy person, and had no sympathy for them whatsoever. It was so selfish of them to assume Kunikuzushi was theirs!
  "It wasn't until I left HARBINGERS that he approached me again. And that's when things escalated. First off, he apologized to me again and said he wanted to start over. He admitted that he was wrong. But then he said that he wanted me to 'be his' officially." Kunikuzushi rubbed his arm nervously, "of course I said no. At this post I had realized all the creepy and weird things he used to do."
  "As you should!!!" Venti cheered. "So you got a restraining order?!"
  "Sort of..." he hesitated. "It actually wasn't until later and it was my manager Nahida who suggested it."
  "So you waited even longer to deal with the problem?!" Venti ran his hands down his face in suspense.
  Heizou did his last push up and crawled back onto the couch, leaning against Aether. "That was torture..."
  Aether giggled and patted his stomach as if to say, "you'll thank me later."
"I had a lot going on..." Kunikuzushi said sheepishly. "And he hadn't hurt me or anything, so I didn't see much of a reason to go so far... until he actually tried to hurt me. Well, I shouldn't say that... I don't think that was his intention..."
  Kazuha's hatred for this person grew by the second, like a raging fire with an endless supply of wood.
  "He kept asking to meet with me and I continued to ignore him. It was about a month later that he discovered where I lived and, well, you can guess how that went down..."
  Venti shook his chair angrily, "that's awful! I'm glad that yucky guy's gone!"
  Kunikuzushi chuckled, "me too."
  "Dang, being an idol is so hard sometimes!" Venti sighed, "but I wouldn't trade it for anything!"
  The door to the recording room opened and Xiao stepped in. "I'm done. I've sent the file to the rest of you so you can listen to it tonight. I've got to head home, now, so I'll see you all tomorrow."
  "Hm? Why? Has something happened?" Venti quickly got up and pushed his chair in.
  "Nothing too urgent. Zhongli just decided to have people over, forgetting that I have a life, too." He sighed, but didn't seem upset.
  "That sounds fun!" Venti decided for Xiao that he was going, too. "I'm technically family, right?!"
  Xiao hesitated, "... sure."
  "I feel like I'm going to pass out," Heizou huffed, "Aether you need to take responsibility..."
  Aether laughed as he stood and helped Heizou up. He waved at the others as he left, towing Heizou and their belongings behind him.
  Kunikuzushi stood up and stretched out his arms, "that was a surprisingly uneventful game of Truth or Dare. I thought for sure Heizou and Aether would be dared to kiss each other at some point."
  Kazuha chuckled as he put his chair away, "I did think something like that might happen."
  Kunikuzushi shouldered his bag and went towards the balcony door, "let's get this over with."
  "Hm?" Kazuha hurried to follow him.
  "I can tell you have questions," Kunikuzushi pushed the door open and went out.
  "I..." Kazuha couldn't come up with a good excuse so all he could say was the truth. "It just makes me worried about you... I mean, what if you have more fans like that? People online joke about being married to and dating celebrities, but some people could take it too far. Especially with how coveted you are."
  Kunikuzushi lit himself a cigarette, "I can take care of myself."
  "I- I know, I'm sure you can. I'm just... worried for you..."
  Kunikuzushi looked over at him without turning his head. "What did you mean by 'coveted'?"
  Kazuha paused, "I'm sure you know how everyone fights over you... and we were talking about how beautiful you are..."
  Kunikuzushi turned to face him, "that isn't a word we used at all."
  Kazuha grew nervous, "it's basically the same thing..."
  Kunikuzushi sighed, "whatever."
  "If something like that has already happened to you, then... isn't it more likely to happen again?..."
  Kunikuzushi grimaced, "it's not like there's much I can do about it. It isn't my fault people like me so much."
  "I know it isn't..." Kazuha said quietly. "I just want you to be careful..."
  Kunikuzushi rolled his eyes, "it isn't like he actually did anything to me."
  Kazuha was a little relieved, "he didn't?"
  "First of all, he isn't strong enough. Second, he didn't even break in." Kunikuzushi faced the balcony again, bending over and leaning his forearms against it. "He just showed up and started begging me to take him back... I felt bad for him. I mean, this used to be my close friend. The only thing even a little bit violent he did was forcibly kiss me, but I pushed him off and then Nahida heard the commotion. Once he saw there was another person, he ran off. Then we got the restraining order and I haven't seen him since."
  Kazuha's expression grew dark, "he violated you?"
  "I wouldn't call it that," Kunikuzushi shrugged.
  Kazuha frowned, "how are you so calm about this?"
  "It was a while ago... and he used to be my friend... I can't imagine he would actually do anything like that..." Kunikuzushi paused, "it makes me wonder what happened to him..."
  "You shouldn't. He was awful to you, how could-"
  "It isn't your decision." Kunikuzushi stood up, giving Kazuha a harsh look.
  Kazuha closed his mouth. He didn't know why he felt so strongly about this. But... the fact that Kunikuzushi wasn't angry towards this person proved that he really was a kind person... "I'm just worried..." Kazuha explained quietly.
  "It isn't your problem, so stop worrying about it," Kunikuzushi stepped towards him and exhaled smoke into his face.
  Kazuha's heart skipped a beat as Kunikuzushi came close. He really wasn't prepared for this! He felt impossibly afraid that Kunikuzushi hated him now. But he also felt excited by their closeness. He felt a lot of confusing things and he was sure his face was incredibly red.
  Kunikuzushi took a step back and returned to his spot on the balcony, "just mind your own business..."
  Kazuha nodded, unable to say anything back.
  "I can't image your relationships ending any worse than mine," Kunikuzushi commented. "You said you've dated before."
  Kazuha hurriedly pulled himself back together, "uh- yes. I haven't been an Idol for very long, so I've been with a few different people. Most of them ended okay, but we don't talk anymore."
  "Yeah, you seem like the kind with bad taste," Kunikuzushi smirked over at him. "I mean, you're choosing to stay."
  Kazuha got increasingly more red. "Uh-uh, I..." he sighed, "well... I've been told that by other people, too..."
  "It's why you started, isn't it?" Kunikuzushi asked, gesturing to his cigarette.
  Kazuha was shocked, "how did you guess that...?"
  "How else would a goody-goody Angel like you get into it?" He chuckled. "It's not that hard to tell."
  "I'm not... an Angel..." Kazuha looked away in embarrassment.
  "Sure," Kunikuzushi shrugged.
  Kazuha sighed, "I guess I don't... have the best taste... the last person I was with got me addicted. They were fun to be around, but I guess they weren't the best for me..."
  "You *guess*?" Kunikuzushi gave him a skeptical look.
  "Hey, they never... they never hurt me..." Kazuha gave his excuses.
  Kunikuzushi rolled his eyes, "so why was this one bad?"
  "They weren't financially stable and freeloaded a lot. They didn't have a stable job, either... My roommate got fed up with them pretty quickly. And I was forced to choose between them..."
  "And you chose your roommate?" Kunikuzushi sounded surprised.
  "I was going to... but then I became an idol, so the decision was made for me. It made me feel better, because then it wasn't like I was the one breaking the relationship..." Kazuha wore a nervous smile.
  "What was appealing about them?" Kunikuzushi shook his head, "I can't imagine they looked all that attractive."
  Kazuha laughed nervously, "ah, well..."
  "Well?" Kunikuzushi turned to face him again.
  "Uhm..." Kazuha looked around, "he was... he was pretty to me and he was so good at being nice..."
  Kunikuzushi rolled his eyes once more, "seriously? You need to raise your standards."
  Kazuha looked down at his feet, "well, I have..." He held back from saying that Kunikuzushi still met those standards...
  "Good," Kunikuzushi stated.
  Kazuha wasn't sure how to take that. "Uhm..."
  Kunikuzushi shook his head, "I'm just saying that you should be careful, too. It could happen to anyone, but it's more likely to happen to idols."
  Kazuha nodded, "right..." Was Kunikuzushi worried about him?... He felt elated and all warm and fuzzy. So much so that he also kind of felt like he was going to throw up.
  Kunikuzushi sighed, "I just can't understand... If you love someone so much how could you even think of hurting them?..." He spoke wistfully and out towards the scenery.
  Kazuha nodded, placing his hands on the railing. "I could never hurt the person I love..."
  "Oh?" Kunikuzushi turned his head to look at him, smoke coming out of his nose.
  That was when Kazuha knew he was doomed. He felt his body go rigid and his heart stop beating as he held his breath.
  "So there's someone you've got your eyes on right now?" He asked mischievously.
  "Uh, yeah..." Kazuha felt so incredibly embarrassed. He was tempted to just throw himself off the balcony...
  "That must be hard," Kunikuzushi smiled, "knowing you can't date them."
  "Kuni..." Kazuha hardly spoke louder than a whisper, "now you're just being mean..."
  Kunikuzushi laughed, "either way, I'm glad you can call me that. But, there is another thing."
  Kazuha nervously shifted on his feet, waiting for him to move on from this topic.
  "You *could* just date them. Your company would probably profit from the publicity that would come with it."
  "Not all publicity is *good* publicity..." Kazuha said slowly.
  "Sure, but you'd be the only idol that's-"
  "It just isn't a good idea. I mean, there's so much that's affected by it and I... I wouldn't want my... special someone to have anything else to worry about right now." Kazuha slowly looked back at Kunikuzushi.
  Kunikuzushi was smiling, "you're way too soft. No wonder your roommate is worried about you, you're such a pushover!"
  "N-no, I'm not!" Kazuha hurriedly defended himself.
  Kunikuzushi gave him a skeptical look, "so if I asked you to go get me a glass of water right now, would you do it?"
  "Of course I would," Kazuha folded his arms, "it's the nice thing to do..."
  "Even thought it greatly inconveniences you?" Kunikuzushi shook his head, "sounds like you're too much of an Angel even for your own good."
  "Please stop calling me that..." Kazuha felt embarrassed again, looking down at his hands.
  "Hm? An *Angel*?" Kunikuzushi chuckled, very much enjoying himself.
  Kazuha covered his face, "Kuni, please..."
  "What?" He laughed, "isn't that your unit's whole theme?"
  "Not... not really..." Kazuha carefully put his hands back on the rails.
  "Could have fooled me," Kunikuzushi shook his head again. "Compared to a lot of other units you guys are definitely Angels. Except maybe Heizou, he seems to be quite infatuated with Aether."
  "Yeah, I just can't believe Aether hasn't noticed yet," Kazuha giggled.
  Kunikuzushi rolled his eyes, "I know, he's so oblivious it makes me feel like I have to point everything out to him. But then he goes and solves a mystery that's been stumping everyone else." He shook his head, "I can never get a good grasp of what he's really like..."
  "I think he's always been like that," Kazuha smiled, "I think it's quite charming."
  Kunikuzushi snorted, "I'm sure his fans eat it up."
  "I'm sure they do..." Kazuha felt really happy that he was able to have a conversation like this with Kunikuzushi. He was sad to think he may never see Kunikuzushi again after the collaboration is over...
  "You always do that," Kunikuzushi pointed out.
  "Do what?" Kazuha blinked.
  "Sometimes you just stare at me for a long time," he continued, "like you're lost in your thoughts."
  "Oh- uh, I'm sorry, I don't mean to stare..." Kazuha grew incredibly embarrassed again. He needed to think before he did things!
  "What were you thinking about?" Kunikuzushi asked, looking back out at the streetlights below.
  Kazuha paused, "just that we only have a few months before the live..."
  "Does that stress you out?"
  "Just a little bit... but I'm sure it'll be fine. The dance isn't hard and we've already pretty much finished the song. We just have to put it all together. Oh, and then we have your songs, too." Kazuha gestured vaguely at everything as he spoke.
  Kunikuzushi nodded, "yeah..."
  "Do you... not want to preform your songs with us?..." Kazuha whispered, his voice hardly carrying as the wind blew by.
  Kunikuzushi sighed, "it's not preforming that I'm worried about. The content is just... Nahida says it's depressing, but I prefer to call it real."
  "I understand... I've hidden a lot of sad lyrics behind happy melodies. I doubt anyone will mind."
  "And I think my songs will pair with yours just fine, I'm not worried about that." Kunikuzushi took a deep breath, "but a part of me doesn't want anyone to hear those songs..."
  Kazuha took a moment to choose his words carefully. "I get that... but doesn't it feel nice to get all those feelings out?"
  "I guess..." Kunikuzushi put out his cigarette with a frown. "Well good luck with your special someone," he chuckled as he stood up.
  Kazuha laughed nervously, "ahaha, thanks..."
  "You're welcome," Kunikuzushi flashed a sinister smile.
  Kazuha felt the urge to get back at him for this. "There isn't anyone you like?" He asked as he held the door open.
  Kunikuzushi shook his head, "nope."
  "Not even a little bit?..." Kazuha felt so much better now. Kunikuzushi really didn't like anyone?! That meant Kazuha didn't have to worry about taking him away from anyone!
  Kunikuzushi laughed, "not even a little bit! I've only just started being a solo idol, I've been taking a lot of time to myself. My company doesn't actually have any rules against dating, but we all act like it does to keep things less complicated. Even if there was someone I liked, no one would know. I'm pretty good at keeping secrets."
  Kazuha followed him out, "is that a good thing?..."
  "I think it is. It means I'm trustworthy," Kunikuzushi smiled, "so I won't tell anyone that their perfect little Angel has a crush~"
  "Kuni..." Kazuha groaned softly.
  Kunikuzushi laughed again, "just don't go falling in love with someone who's going to hurt you." He pat Kazuha on the head as he left.
  Kazuha was frozen in place. One, because Kunikuzushi really did care about him... And two, because Kunikuzushi just pat him on the head...
  Kazuha's face exploded in red as he leaned against the wall. Even standing was difficult! How was he supposed to deal with his feelings if Kunikuzushi was going to keep teasing him like this?!
  "That isn't fair..." Kazuha whispered helplessly.