zero | sakuraba ryota

03

"Maybe I should just ask them..." you muttered to yourself as you waited for the two boys to exit the theater house. They asked you to wait for them as they talked to an acquaintance they saw at the theater. Throughout the whole duration of the play, the thought of either of the two boys being your soulmate didn't leave your mind. Especially since you didn't notice your timer hitting zero when you had met them.

"[Name]!" Kensuke called your name as they headed towards you, "Sorry for making you wait."

"No, it's fine." Well, it's now or never. you thought to yourself as your braced yourself in asking, "Hey, did... one of you hit their timers on zero when we bumped into each other?"

You were surprised when you saw Kensuke blink in surprise, while Ryota visibly flinch. "Er..."

Kensuke looked at Ryota, who lifted his arm to check his wrist, "You mean..." Ryota's eyes widened as he saw his timer no longer counting down.

"Wait, you didn't know it hit zero?" you asked, "Then it may not be you."

Kensuke shook his head, "No." he showed his wrist and that it was still counting down, indicating that he wasn't your soulmate, "Ryo had his timer almost at zero when we bumped into each other."

"I see..." you looked Ryota, who was quiet the entire time. "Uhm..."

Silence enveloped the three of you as you tried to think of a way to remove the awkwardness between the sudden knowing of being soulmates. Then suddenly, Kensuke cleared his throat to get both of your attention. "Why don't you head to a cafe?"

"Eh?"

"Just talk, you know? Get to know each other~" he said as he took your wrist and Ryo's and dragged you to the nearest place to sit down and chat.

"K-Ken. We can walk--" Ryota grunted as Kensuke ignored his friend. "Ryo likes sweets, especially imported ones. He likes theater, as you can tell. What else--"

"Ken!" Ryota blushed as Kensuke started enumerating his likes.

"What about you [Name]?"

"Eh? Oh. I also like sweets and theater... I'm actually part of a troupe!" you exclaimed happily, "Although, I haven't gotten a role for anything yet." you added sheepishly.

The three of you stopped at the cafe Ryota and Kensuke were in the other day and got in. "Heh~ So, you're an actress," Kensuke said as the waitress left with their orders.

"You could say that..."

"What's wrong?" Ryota noticed the sad tone on your voice.

You sheepishly grinned at him, "Well... I like acting and I'm happy that I got into a troupe but... I don't know about my acting."

"Why?"

"I keep messing up and well... My troupe members..."

"You got in the troupe, didn't you? Then it proves that you're capable, right? And that the owners see something in you. Just continue to work hard on it and don't mind them." Ryota told you with a small smile, "I'm sure you'll be rewarded at some point."

You smiled at his small encouragement and nodded, "Yeah. Thanks."

---

"I'm home." Ryota declared as he walked into his home, immediately greeted by his mother.

"Welcome back. How was the play?" she asked him as he removed his shoes.

"It was nice. The directing and the script was done well," he said as his mother noticed his wrist. "Oh my!"

She gasped, "Have you met your soulmate?"

He tried not to flinch as he gave a small smile, "Yes. Ken and I bumped into her before we entered the theater."

"I see. So? How is she?" she asked him, visibly excited for her son.

He thought of their interaction from earlier and their conversation about the theater world. "She's... interesting." he simply told her.

"Is she nice?"

Ryota nodded with a small shrug, "I guess so."

His mother smiled, "I see."

"Hm?"

She shook her head, dismissing that topic, "Whatever you choose. Whether to continue your relationship with your soulmate or not. I'll support you, okay? Don't worry too much about the family."

Ryota nodded with a small smile, "Yeah, don't worry." he told her as he excused himself to head to his room.

"Don't forget to introduce her to us, okay?~"

"Mother!"

---

a/n

my last update was... what? last year? haha sorry. thesis happened and life overall...

but i do hope you'll like this filler-like chapter. just for me to get back into things haha