Morning came.
And, yeah, after I saw the sunset through that melting window, I managed to get some sleep…
Eventually.
Had the most fucked-up dream, too.
I was apparently kidnapped by aliens, became their leader, and then came back to Earth to conquer the planet.
Makes perfect sense.
Except when I woke up, I was still seeing shit.
The room was still shifting around me, and everything looked slightly wrong.
Beside me, Tetsu started laughing.
"Can't come down yet?" he asked.
His voice sounded like it was coming through a Bluetooth speaker from the other side of the room.
I stared at the ceiling.
"I'm cooked."
Tetsu snorted.
"Yeah, you look like it."
I turned my head toward him.
He grinned.
"Wanna do some lines to wake yourself up?"
I sighed.
"I'd rather just pop a downer and sleep."
"Fair."
Tetsu laughed again and flopped back against the couch.
"Probably the smarter choice."
Yeah.
Theoretically.
"That being said…" I continued. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to get home first."
"Ha! Girlfriend coming back from tour or something?" he asked, flashing me the biggest shit-eating grin.
"Maybe," I replied.
"It's so obvious. You've got that look we get when we know we're getting pussy tonight," he said with a smirk.
Bruh.
"Okay. Stop," I said, looking away.
My brother just laughed.
"Come on. Let's wake up."
Said and done.
We stumbled into the kitchen, the world still spinning on a strange axis around us.
A ceramic plate.
A credit card.
Tetsu lined up the powder with practiced precision.
"Go ahead."
I tightly rolled a bill and complied, feeling the sharp, chemical burn tear up my nose.
Instantly, my senses snapped into focus. The warping acid visuals began melting away into a cold, artificial rush of clarity.
Before long, we cleared the plate. The sudden surge of energy already had me convinced that I could actually survive the day ahead, completely defying the total lack of sleep.
Then, the door swung open.
Sayori.
She surveyed the room, blinked once, and immediately put up a mask—pretending she didn't just stumble right into the middle of a makeshift lab.
"Good morning, Tetsu-nii. Takumi-senpai."
Tetsu stared at her.
I stared at her.
She stared back.
Nobody said anything.
"...Morning," I muttered.
Sayori nodded politely.
"I'm just going to pretend I didn't see anything."
"That's probably for the best," Tetsu said.
She sighed.
"I figured you'd say that."
Then she turned toward the counter and started pulling some ingredients from the shelves.
"You guys hungry?"
Tetsu shrugged.
"Probably not," Sayori added, glancing at us. "I mean… look at you two. You don't exactly look like you're ready for breakfast."
"You don't have to cook anything," Tetsu said.
"I know."
She grabbed a few more things anyway.
"But seriously, you should eat something. Going all night without eating is probably gonna make you feel even worse."
She looked between the two of us, then nodded to herself.
"Whatever. I'm cooking."
Tetsu sighed.
"You're stubborn."
"Yep."
She gave him a little grin.
"And you're welcome."
Without another word, Sayori got to work.
She washed the rice and tossed it into the cooker, then moved over to the counter and started chopping vegetables.
A pot soon found its way onto the stove, followed by the ingredients for the miso soup.
She seemed pretty comfortable in the kitchen. No hesitation, she wasn't like an amateur constantly checking recipes.
Just grabbing whatever she needed and putting it together.
The quiet sound of the knife against the cutting board filled the room.
She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes landing on me.
"Still… I didn't think I'd ever end up having breakfast with Takumi-senpai."
I blinked.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?," I asked, unsure.
She smiled faintly.
"Good. Definitely good. I just… didn't think you'd ever end up here like this."
She tilted her head.
"Do you usually have breakfast with your friends?"
"I usually have breakfast with my girlfriend."
Sayori paused, then looked back at me.
"Right. Of course you do."
Tetsu laughed.
"You have no idea what kind of baddie this punk is dating, Sayori. Kid's either the luckiest bastard alive or the most fucked man I know."
Sayori stopped chopping for a second.
"Wait… you're dating Ku-chan, right?"
Tetsu grinned.
"Yep."
She blinked.
"Huh. I like Ai-chan more."
"Of course you do," Tetsu laughed.
Sayori shrugged.
"She just has better songs."
I deadpanned.
"She's my neighbor."
Sayori blinked.
"Wait, seriously?"
Her eyes widened.
"So you're friends with Ai-chan and dating Ku-chan from SIX STAR?"
She looked genuinely amazed.
"That's so fucking cool! You've actually met two of Japan's biggest rising idols!"
I shrugged.
"Well, you all know the story. My little Ai-chan diss basically kicked off my whole career."
Sayori's eyes lit up.
"Wait, wait. What even happened between you two?"
I sighed.
"You really wanna know?"
"Obviously."
She turned the heat down on the stove, giving the miso soup one last stir before looking back at me.
I pointed at her.
"Fine. But you have to promise me you won't tell anyone."
She immediately nodded.
"Promise."
Tetsu burst out laughing.
Sayori looked at him.
"What?"
"You have no fucking idea what you're about to hear."
I shot him a look.
"Shut up. You already know the story."
"Yeah. That's why this is funny."
Sayori rolled her eyes and went back to the kitchen.
"Whatever. Tell me while I finish this."
She dished the rice into bowls and poured the miso soup into a couple more.
"I can help with that," I offered.
I rushed to where she was.
"Thanks," she said simply.
Then she gave me the dishes and I placed them on the table down one by one before taking my seat back.
Sayori grabbed a few more plates and utensils before finally taking a seat.
"Okay," she said, looking at me expectantly. "I'm listening."
I sighed.
"So…"
I leaned back, trying to remember how stupid the whole thing was.
"I heard her singing in an empty classroom. I didn't know who she was. Didn't even know she was an idol."
A small smirk crossed my face.
"My first thought was just, 'I should do a song with her.'"
Tetsu snorted.
I ignored him.
"I told her I rapped. She asked me to play her something, so I did."
I shook my head.
"Then she called it garbage."
I could still remember the look on her face.
"Said I used too much autotune. Then she hit me with the 'I'm a popular idol, I can't be seen singing with some second-hand artist' bullshit."
I shrugged, giving her a dry smile.
"And, well… You know the rest."
Sayori stared at me for a second.
"Wait…"
She slowly looked toward Tetsu.
"She actually said that?"
Tetsu nodded, already grinning.
"Word for word."
Sayori's mouth fell open.
"Damn. That's brutal."
I shrugged.
"Yeah. Didn't exactly take it well."
She looked back at me, then down at the breakfast she just made.
"And that turned into your whole rap career?"
"Pretty much."
Sayori let out a quiet laugh.
"That's actually insane."
Tetsu grabbed his chopsticks.
"Enough history. I'm starving."
"Yeah, yeah."
I picked up mine.
For a while, the only thing filling the room was the sound of chopsticks against bowls.
I took another bite and paused.
"Damn."
Sayori looked up.
"What?"
"This is actually really good."
She blinked, then smiled.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I wasn't expecting much."
Tetsu looked at me.
"That's probably the worst compliment you could've given her."
"I mean it."
Sayori laughed.
"I'll take it."
I took another bite.
"Seriously, though. You made all this after working last night?"
"Yeah. I cook sometimes at home."
"You live with your parents?"
"Yeah. Mom, Dad, and my little brother."
She picked at her rice for a second.
"I'm usually the one who cooks when Mom's busy."
"Didn't know you were that responsible."
She gave me a look.
"I'm not irresponsible."
"I didn't say you were."
"You were thinking it."
"Maybe."
Tetsu laughed from across the table.
Sayori rolled her eyes and went back to eating.
"So what about you?" I asked. "What are you planning to do after school?"
She shrugged.
"I don't really know yet."
"College?"
"Maybe. I haven't decided."
She looked down at her bowl.
"I've been thinking about culinary school, actually. Not seriously or anything. Just… maybe."
I nodded.
"Wouldn't be a bad idea."
"Yeah. But it's expensive."
"Fair."
She smiled faintly.
"For now, I'm just working here. It's kinda weird, but I don't hate it."
"You're working at a yakuza bar and you don't hate it?"
She laughed.
"Once you get used to everyone being terrifying for the first five minutes, they're actually pretty nice."
Tetsu pointed at her with his chopsticks.
"See? I told you we're good people."
Sayori stared at him.
"I didn't say that."
Tetsu lowered his chopsticks.
"Fair enough."
I laughed.
The food was gone before I even realized it.
Sayori collected the empty bowls and stacked them neatly.
"Thanks for the breakfast," I said.
"No problem, Takumi-senpai."
I pulled out my phone.
"I'm gonna go home."
"Already?"
"Yeah. I haven't slept properly, and I have shit to do."
Tetsu groaned.
"Look at him. Already acting like an adult."
"Someone has to."
I opened Uber and ordered a ride.
A few minutes later, the confirmation popped up.
"Five minutes."
Sayori nodded.
"Okay. Take care, Takumi-senpai."
"Thanks."
I stood up and stretched.
For a night that had started with me completely fucked up, breakfast with Tetsu and his cousin wasn't exactly how I expected the morning to end.
But honestly?
I wasn't complaining.
Tetsu escorted me to the exit.
Just before the threshold, he dropped a heavy hand on my shoulder and held out a small pharmacy bag.
"Four bars in there. For the comedown."
Xanax.
I reached into my jacket for my wallet, but his gaze didn't move. He dismissed the gesture with a subtle shift of his shoulders.
"On the family."
We stepped out into the cold morning. Tetsu struck a match, his face momentarily caught in the amber glow before he drew from his cigarette.
I lit my own. The first hit of nicotine spiked the adrenaline in my veins, sharp and unwelcome, turning my stomach into a knot.
A few minutes later, the Uber pulled up.
I bumped fists with Tetsu before getting into the back seat.
"See ya, bro."
"Later, kid."
I shut the door and watched him disappear behind the window as the car pulled away.
The ride home was quiet.
By the time we reached my apartment, the morning already settled into its usual rhythm.
Today was supposed to be a school day.
For me, it was a scheduled blackout.
I ignored the phone buzzing holes through the counter and went straight to the kitchen. Poured a glass of tap water, popped one bar out of Tetsu's bag, and swallowed it dry.
Then, I hit the sheets.
The chemical quiet hit fast. The morning light stopped glaring, fading into a heavy gray. That ugly knot in my stomach just dissolved, replaced by a cold, numbing void.
My pulse slowed down to a lazy, mechanical bump, wiping out all the paranoia in my brain.
By the time my head sunk into the pillow, the whole world lost its grip. I drifted out.
When I woke up, it was already noon.
A sharp knock came from my door.
"Baaabe~? Are you sleeping?"
Another knock.
"I'm back from tour~! Come let me in already!"
"I'm coming."
The moment I opened the door, Kurumi dropped her bag on the floor and threw her arms around me, planting a quick kiss on my cheek.
"I missed you~," she murmured against my shoulder.
"Missed you too."
We dissolved into the embrace for a while before Kurumi finally broke apart.
She picked up her bag and rummaged through it for a moment.
"I have a little something for you," she said, almost shyly.
I raised an eyebrow.
"For me?"
"Yeah."
She pulled out a folded black shirt and held it out.
I unfolded it.
An Evanescence logo stared back at me.
I blinked.
"Evanescence?"
"You like them, don't you?"
I looked at her.
"You remembered?"
Kurumi smiled.
"Of course I did."
"Thanks," I said, feeling my voice drop a little as I leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her lips.
Kurumi let out a delighted little squeak.
"You're welcome~. And congratulations on getting your license, babe. I can't wait to drive around with you~."
"You mean drive you around."
She stuck her tongue out at me.
"Same thing."
"Not even remotely."
"Details."
A few minutes later, Kurumi ordered takeout from a nearby sushi place. By the time it arrived, we were sitting across from each other at the table, surrounded by boxes of sushi, rice bowls, and enough side dishes to feed three people.
"So," I said, picking up my chopsticks. "How was the tour?"
Kurumi immediately groaned.
"Ahhh, it was sooo exhausting."
She dropped her head onto the table for a second.
"I swear, my feet are fucking dead. Every day was rehearsals, interviews, photoshoots, performances, more rehearsals…"
She lifted her head.
"And waking up early should be illegal."
I laughed.
"You're an idol. That's basically your entire job."
"Don't remind me."
She grabbed a piece of sushi.
"And Aika was being annoying the entire time."
Yeah, I can imagine her bossiness rubbed you off the wrong way. She really kept me in check at the school festival.
"Of course she was."
"She kept complaining about everything."
Kurumi rolled her eyes.
"She complains about the schedule, the food, the hotel, the choreography… Everything."
"You two really don't get along."
"She gets on my nerves."
She paused.
"Although…"
"What?"
Kurumi narrowed her eyes.
"I think Yui has a crush on me."
I nearly choked from laughter, remembering how Suzuki told me about their little tickling session.
Free yuri, lads.
"No way!"
"I'm serious!"
She pointed her chopsticks at me.
"She keeps staring at me. And whenever we're alone, she suddenly gets all shy."
"Maybe she's just worried about you."
Or maybe your tickling actually flipped her switch.
"Nope."
Kurumi shook her head confidently.
"I know that look."
I raised an eyebrow.
"You're sure?"
"Obviously. I'm an expert."
"That's reassuring."
She ignored me.
"And Nono was even worse."
"How?"
"She asked me like a thousand times if I was actually leaving the group."
You're leaving every time there's something you don't like. The rumors are there for a reason.
"Because of the rumors?"
"Yeah."
Kurumi sighed.
"She kept asking if I was serious about quitting. Like, over and over."
Her expression softened slightly.
"I think she's actually worried."
"Are you?"
Kurumi went quiet for a moment.
Then she smiled.
"Maybe."
She reached across the table and stole a piece of sushi from my plate.
"But right now?"
She leaned back in her chair.
"I just want to enjoy being back with you."
I smiled.
"Fair enough."
Kurumi smiled back.
For once, she didn't complain.
At least not for another five minutes.