I stare at him for a moment.
I mean, maybe it's the backlighting or something, but . . . . . .
. . . . . why does my partner look like a fucking angel?
Like, what the hell? Who gave him permission to-
Toya coughs, reminding me that I'm kinda still leaving him hanging there.
I take his hand and he pulls me up.
We stand in front of the window together, just in time for dawn.
Sunlight lit up our city from the sky enthusiastically, even though it was the middle of winter.
It felt symbolic, in a way.
Today marked the start of a new beginning. A new existence. A new dawn.
I take a step forward and touch my palm the cool glass.
Today marked the day that things would finally get better.
• — • c>~ • c>~ • c>~ • — •
"How's the ski resort guys?" I practically yelled into Toya's phone's mic.
"It's great!" An replied through a mouthful of jam toast.
Toya and I were on call with An and Kohane while they were eating breakfast.
"I didn't know they ate such sugary breakfasts here," mused Kohane as she dug through a plate of waffles. "No wonder their obesity rate is higher."
Kohane's whole getup might be "sweet little hamster girl" but she's the one of the most savage members of Vivid Bad Squad when she wants to be.
Second only to me of course.
What?
I'm just being honest.
"Greetings, Akito and Toya!" Ken said through the screen as he walked by the two female singers. An's father plopped into a seat on Kohane's right and began munching at his scrambled eggs.
"Hey guys? Can I ask you something?" queried Toya. The Vivids nodded in unison.
"Who fell more times yesterday, An or Kohane?" he smirked. I laughed, as Aoyagi Toya rarely ever joked around like this.
The twin-tailed girl immediately pointed at An, who become flustered and red.
"H-Hey! I didn't fall that many times!" She paused, seemingly counting her falls in her head. ". . . Wait . . . didn't you fall once as well, Koko?"
Her partner laughed sweetly. "Only because you pushed me." "Riiiight. I remember now."
"Sometimes I wonder whether you have the brain of a pig or human. You can't remember things thst happened twenty four hours ago, let alone study." I said daringly.
"You're the one to talk. I beat your score on our last math exam."
"O-Only by three points!"
An leaned forward and rested her head on her palms, smiling mischievously.
"A win is a win. And it was a bet too, don't you remember, pig-brain? You still owe me a favour."
On cue, Toya, Kohane, and An burst into loud laughter. I silently gave Shiraishi a death glare.
When it died down, An's amazing, talented, and compassionate father saved me from further embarrassment saying, "You two better finish eating soon. Kohane's father wants to be on the slopes early to take pictures before too many skiers get there."
Taking my chance, I sped through my goodbyes, barely listening the Vivids' before pressing the 'end call' button.
My phone buzzed with a notification just as Toya put his in his pocket.
My eyes widened.
"We've been invited to perform at a live show, taking place in three days."
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