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Aira was starting to get worried — well, nervous, at the very least. Were those two the same thing? Similar, right? He never was the most proficient in his vocabulary, and his anxiety made it even harder for him to think properly. He rolled around in his bed restlessly, closely holding his phone up to his face. The dim blue screen tinted orange was the only light in the dorm room at such a late hour. “Kohakucchi…” he whispered to it.
Hiiro agreeing to date Aira was one of the greatest joys he’d ever felt, somehow even better than hearing the fans’ cheers during ALKALOID’s Lives. Not long after they started dating, Hiiro confessed that he shared Aira’s feelings for Kohaku, and they agreed to tell their friend in hopes that the three of them would be able to be together. But…
“Sorry, Love-han, but ’m busy right now. Talk t’ ya soon?”
“’m not really in the mood t’ talk right now… Crazy:B had a seriously tough job. But I promise this’ll be worth it when I get some free time later!”
“Uhhh… I need the bathroom! S-See ya!”
Kohaku wasn’t responding to Aira’s texts as quickly as usual either. His responses were much shorter than usual, much drier than usual, and again, he constantly told Aira that he was busy.
…Was it something I did? The young idol’s eyes watered at the thought.
“Shiratori-kun?”
Aira jolted, nearly dropping his phone onto his face, and he bit down on his lip to stifle a gasp. “S-Sakuma-senpai, you’re awake!?” he whisper-yelled.
“Kukuku. Is it not common knowledge that vampires thrive in the night? Any instances of me being asleep at night are merely me following the obligations of the human sleep cycle.”
“A-Ah, right…”
“It is truly wonderful to see you two getting along,” a sarcastic voice interjected. “But I am positive such a conversation can wait until the morning.” Tenshouin turned on the lamp next to him, and the comforting glow revealed all of them sitting up in their own beds. “Are you having trouble sleeping, Shiratori-kun?”
Sakuma rolled his eyes. “I was just about to ask him that before you interrupted.”
“U-Um… I guess…” Aira fidgeted with his comforter at the prospect of having such a personal conversation with not just one, but two of ES’ greatest idols. “It’s nothing much…”
“No need to diminish yourself,” Tenshouin assured. “Any concern you have, especially one that is causing you to lose sleep, is one that you should allow others to help you with.”
“Of course,” Sakuma added with a quick glare at the angelic idol, “there’s no need to tell us anything you’re uncomfortable with.”
Despite his serene demeanor, Tenshouin’s smile tightened by a fraction. “What were you just saying about interrupting again?”
Sakuma chuckled with a hint of intimidating darkness. “Just a bit of payback, old friend. Though I’m sure you wouldn’t be able to handle actually paying for everything you’ve done ♪”
“Bold of you to assume to know so much of my life. Although I suppose the King of Demons has always had that egotistical flare about him; it is quite unfortunate that his flame has died out ♪”
“Kukuku…”
“Fufufu…”
“Umm… Eep!” Aira froze up as the two steely gazes battling through the golden divider redirected to him, and he internally cursed himself for speaking up. Sweat started to form on the idol fanatic’s forehead as he waited until the fires died out in his idols’ eyes.
“Apologies, Shiratori-kun,” Sakuma and Tenshouin said at the same time. They blinked in surprise and stared menacingly at each other before nodding and directing their attention back to their about-to-pass-out junior.
“R-Right, um… so… Kohakucchi hasn’t really been talking to me lately…”
“Oukawa-kun?” Sakuma tilted his head thoughtfully. “He was always quite communicative and responsible when we worked in La Mort. However, I’m unsure as to whether he regularly keeps that diligence outside of work, especially as I only message him in the middle of the night, so I typically only receive a response quite a while later.”
Tenshouin scoffed. “You really should keep in mind others’ convenience when texting.”
The demonic leader smirked. “Unlike you, people are willing to speak to me for reasons other than business. Have you ever heard of ‘casual texting’? It works differently than a call. Anyway. Shiratori-kun, perhaps Oukawa-kun is simply busy…?”
“Kohakucchi did say he has a lot of work, b-but… his responses are pretty dry…”
Sakuma quirked his brow and hummed in confusion. “I hadn’t realized texts could be wet or dry…”
“Getting swept away by the sands of time, are we?” Tenshouin chuckled. “Shiratori-kun is referring to the level of engagement felt through Oukawa-kun’s text.”
With a confident grin, the self-proclaimed vampire bared his fangs. “I’m surprised you even understand those types of phrases. We are the same age. Is one of us trying a little too hard?”
“Unlike a certain someone, I have no need to keep up any false pretenses for disillusioning my juniors as to who I truly am. I assure you that it is merely for my own enjoyment. You must admit, the things children come up with these days are quite fascinating. Have you heard of this ‘Skibidi Toilet’—”
“NO!” Aira shrieked.
Both the calm demon king and cunning angelic leader stared at their roommate with identical deer-in-the-headlight looks.
Woah… That’s a face I’ve never seen either of them make before… This is the biggest privilege for an idol fan like me!! Aira shook his head from his thoughts as the embarrassment of his outburst caught up to him. “W-What I mean is… let’s get back to K-Kohakucchi…”
“Right.” Sakuma clicked his tongue. “Have you tried confronting him in person?”
The fledgling idol nodded glumly. “He’s always running off and talking about how busy he is… I’ve even tried talking to the rest of Crazy:B, but they’re saying the same thing too! Hiro-kun’s also been trying to help me, but Kohakucchi just brushes him off too…”
“How long has this been going on?”
“For like… a week?”
The vampire frowned in concentration. “Perhaps I could try talking to him…” He turned to the divider of heaven and hell. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”
Tenshouin smiled prettily, batting his eyelashes. “Hm?”
“Y…You know something, don’t you?” Sakuma glared accusingly.
“Who is to say, really?”
“I’m aware you love being stubborn and being everyone else’s problem, but can you take consideration of our junior just this once?”
Tenshouin stared into Aira’s pleading and desperate eyes for a few moments before sighing exasperatedly. “Very well, then. Shiratori-kun.”
“H-Huh!?”
“Listen to what I say very carefully.” Tenshouin’s usual serene, pleasant demeanor instantly replaced itself with an intense, stifling air. “Oukawa-kun is facing an incredibly difficult decision right now, so if you are worried that you may be the one at fault, rest assured that it is only Oukawa-kun’s inner turmoil causing his worrying shift in behavior. This decision is not something you can choose for him, nor does it seem that Oukawa-kun wants to trouble you with the weight placed upon his shoulders.”
“…So, I can’t do anything!?”
“Wait,” Sakuma interrupted. “Even if it’s difficult for Oukawa-kun to face you right now due to whatever circumstances he may be facing, it should still be possible for you to offer your support. I would suggest… bringing a gift of some sort and leaving it for him? Just to let him know that you’ll be there should he ever need you.”
Aira glanced at Tenshouin to gauge his opinion, but the leader of fine remained silent. “O-Okay… I’ll try it!”
The three talked a bit more about the best gift to get Kohaku, and when they finally turned off the lights, ready to wake themselves up in five hours, Aira felt the most hopeful he’d been in the past week.
The heart of ALKALOID felt his heart’s pounding worsen as he approached the Sazanami-Oukawa dorm. His left hand tightly gripped the handles of a gift bag with a colorful assortment of Japanese sweets inside, and his right hand desperately clutched onto his spade’s significantly less sweaty palm. Aira wasted no time in dragging Hiiro out that morning to shop for a gift, but in the end, Hiiro had to be the one dragging Aira to the dorms after his cowardly boyfriend had stalled for the last couple hours.
“Aira, everything is going to work out!” Hiiro confidently assured. “Oukawa-san is our friend, so I am sure he will listen when we see him.”
“If you say so…” Aira stared the imposing gateway into his best friend’s room. “Do we… just leave it here? No one’s gonna take it, right?”
“I can wait here and keep watch to make sure he gets it!”
The sleep-deprived blond rolled his eyes. “Hold on. We can also leave the bag here, text him to look outside his door, and then see if he takes it. If that doesn’t work, we could just ask Sazanami-senpai to give it to Kohakucchi directly. No point in looking like a creeper just sitting outside and peeking around the corner…” He gingerly placed the gift bag in front of the door. “Now we just—”
“Aira, wait.” Hiiro put a hand on his boyfriend’s mouth and held him close.
“Mmph…!?” Aira flushed a deep red. What does he think he’s doing!? Out in the hallway too!? I-Is… Is Hiro-kun an exhibiti— Wait… that sound…! He strained his ears as he tried to make out the noise on the other side of the door.
A muffled commotion was barely audible from inside the dorm, and a few barely recognizable voices seeped from the cracks between the door and its frame. The two eavesdroppers shared a look of concern before tentatively placing their ears against the door, Aira trying his hardest to ignore the guilt of invading Kohaku’s privacy.
“HiMERU thinks that—”
“LISTEN TO ME!”
“Rinne-han, stop yellin’,” Kohaku calmly reprimanded before coughing a couple of times.
“Ya gotta say somethin’,” Rinne insisted, more desperate than Aira had ever heard him. “I CAN’T LET YOU… I can’t let ya do this t’ yourself…” His voice cracked as he trailed off.
“I mean…” Hinata started.
“He will have to do something about this eventually,” Yuta continued.
“Right?”
“HiMERU agrees.” HiMERU put his thumb and index finger to his chin, assessing the severity of the situation in his mind. “Unfortunately, this dilemma is an issue that must be dealt with immediately, lest Oukawa suffer the consequences.”
“Shit shit shit shit shit, this is all BULLSHIT!” A small thud followed Rinne’s outburst.
“Nothing will come of throwing a tantrum.” HiMERU was unnervingly calm in contrast to Rinne’s uncharacteristic panic. “This situation must be thought through logically. Unfortunately, HiMERU sadly must admit that he believes Amagi is correct.”
“Not ya too…” Kohaku groaned.
“Kohaku-chan is gonna be alright, right!? Right!?” Shiina screeched.
Hiiro slowly backed away from the door. “Is this… I…” The redhead's eyes glazed over, unseeing.
“Hiro-kun, keep your voice down!” Aira whispered vehemently.
Without even sparing a glance at his boyfriend, Hiiro shook his head and took off down the hall.
“Wh…!?” With one last pained look at the dorm door, Aira took off in the direction of his partner. He caught a glimpse of Hiiro turning in the direction of the stairs and internally groaned at the thought of having to sprint up a flight.
Aira melodramatically burst through the door of Hiiro’s dorm room. “HIRO-KUN— Huh…?” Though he was fully prepared to apologize for breaking in so aggressively, Aira was shocked to see the dorm room dark and empty.
“…Ah!” Aira immediately U-turned and booked it to the stairs again, skipping every other step on the way up. By the time he made it to the next floor, he was already gasping for air. Sprinting up two floors shouldn’t make me this out of breath… I’m blaming this on yesterday’s Live…
The former underachiever barreled through the door to his dorm, clutching onto the doorknob as he tried to keep his exhausted body upright. “H-Hiro-kun! I…” His body froze at the sight before him.
Hiiro was curled up in the comforter on Aira’s bed, a haunted look in his hazy eyes.
“Hiro-kun…?” Aira carefully approached the redhead and slowly lowered himself onto the bed. “What happened out there?”
“I think… I might know what is happening to Oukawa-san. Kind of.” Hiiro shivered.
“W-What!?” Aira gripped Hiiro’s shoulders and shook him insistently. “What do you mean by ‘kind of’!? By ‘happening to him’!?”
Hiiro shuddered as he spoke, goosebumps rapidly forming on his skin. “This… sounds like something that happened back in my hometown… The screaming… The crying… The pleading…! It…” His breathing grew heavier with each passing word. “He told us not to worry… They wanted him to… But he was gone before he could…”
“H-Hiro-kun.” Aira lunged forward and captured Hiiro in a warm embrace, his bony frame struggling to wrap itself around the martial artist’s muscular torso. “Sorry for pushing you… I got ahead of myself! Y-You don’t have to tell me any more…”
Hiiro shook his head in the crook of his boyfriend’s shoulder, sniffling in a way that would be adorable if it wasn’t so depressing. “But we need to help Oukawa-san…”
“Right now, it sounds like Kohakucchi’s got 2wink and the rest of Crazy:B supporting him. But right now, you only have me,” Aira stated firmly. And then softer, “And I say, take a few deep breaths. We can continue if you want, but only after you breathe. Okay?”
“Mm…mhmm…”
As he waited for Hiiro to steady himself, Aira had to admit… he was downright terrified of what Hiiro could possibly have to say. Usually, the redhead was the cool-headed one no matter how ridiculous or scary a situation seemed, while Aira was the one screaming nonsensically as he tried to figure out how Hiiro could possibly stay so calm all the time. The only exception was when an issue concerned Rinne, obviously.
But Hiiro’s reaction was so visceral, just like Rinne’s, the trickster who always flirted easily, joked around, played pranks, and smirked like he constantly had the upper hand. What could be the thing they were so upset about possibly be!? Was Kohaku hosting a zombie virus that would cause the apocalypse!?
No, Tenshouin didn’t seem too concerned… Or was he just hiding it for Aira’s sanctity of mind? Regardless of Aira’s fears, the least he could do was be an emotional anchor for all the times when Hiiro held his hand – a reassurance that no matter what, the two of them would always be there to support one another. Aira intertwined both of his hands with Hiiro’s, allowing his breathing to match the younger Amagi’s as it calmed down.
Hiiro slowly lifted his head from Aira’s shoulder. “I… I think I am ready to talk,” he whispered. The stillness of the room made his small voice sound like a booming judgement.
“…Okay.” Aira regretfully pulled away from Hiiro, still tightly clutching onto his hands. “Remember to take your time.”
Hiiro sullenly nodded. “…Everything that has been happening for the past week feels like something that happened to me back at my hometown. There used to be a young man in our town that was very outgoing, befriending every person and animal he came across. He had the kindness to tame the wildest beasts and the strength to help people with any task. But one day… we started seeing him around less and less. He would stay home more, saying that he was feeling under the weather, but he assured us that he would get better in no time.”
Dread slowly wrapped its clawed fingers around Aira’s throat, not squeezing, but sitting there and making its uneasy and uncomfortable presence known. “A-And he did get better, right!?”
“…About a week had gone by, but instead of getting better, he started to withdraw himself more and more, until he ended up not leaving his house for the entire day. So, a few of his close friends went to visit him, and I followed to eavesdrop on them… and, and…”
Aira gulped.
Hiiro shook his head. “Sorry. This is where my memories get fuzzier. I remember a lot of yelling. The conversations they had sounded a lot like the ones in Oukawa-san’s room. They wanted him to do something… But it almost sounded like… he did not want to get better…?”
“He didn’t want to get better…? What does that even mean!? Why wouldn’t he wanna get better?”
“U~miu~ It sounded like whatever they wanted him to do would have a terrible consequence. For some reason, he refused to do anything about it, telling his friends that he ‘did not have the strength to go through with either choice’. He… coughed a lot. His coughs got worse as the days went on, and his friends tried harder every day to get him to listen. Nii-san was really upset too, but he refused to tell me what was happening.”
Aira hummed in thought. “It sounds like he had some sort of condition… Coughing… Keeping himself locked up… Friends screaming at him to do something… But refusing to do anything… Just like what Kohakucchi is doing right now. Do you have any idea of what it could be?”
“I think I might.” Hiiro took a deep breath. “It was on the day he… the day he passed. I heard a few people whispering to each other something that sounded like, ‘Hana’… Fumu~ There was something after. I believe I heard some people saying that at his funeral too. They also mentioned flowers a lot for some reason.”
“Flowers… Hana…?” Aira felt the clawed dread excitedly yet subtly squeeze his neck, and he coughed to try to rid himself of the suffocation. “I think I’ve heard about something like that before.” He let go of one of his boyfriend’s hands and quickly typed one-handedly on his phone, a necessary skill if he wanted to be able to hold tons of fan merch while posting about it. After a couple of minutes of scrolling, he grunted, “Ugh, the search isn’t specific enough to give us anything we’re looking for. How many sicknesses related to poisonous flowers could there be!?”
Hiiro squeezed Aira’s hand. “Normally, I would ask Nii-san, but I doubt he would tell us—”
“Ah! We can ask Sakuma-senpai and Tenshouin-senpai! They’re super knowledgeable ♪”
“Do you know when they will have finished work?”
“They should be getting back from work soon, I think…” It didn’t take long for Aira to memorize the schedules of the insanely popular idols that were his roommates… but saying that he knew the minute they’d make it back to their dorm would probably come off a smidge too creepy.
“You wished to speak with us both, Shiratori-kun?” Tenshouin sat comfortably on the edge of his bed with an overly innocent expression, probably already knowing what Aira planned to say.
Sakuma was thankfully much more straightforward when the situation called for it. “This is about Oukawa-kun, isn’t it?” He hunched forward so much that he was practically falling off his bed.
Aira looked down at his lap as he nodded, his right hand holding onto Hiiro’s hand, and his left self-consciously gripping his bedsheets. Something was comforting about not knowing the truth, a truth he most likely wouldn’t want to hear. And after hearing the ending of Hiiro’s story…
“Aira.” Hiiro offered a small encouraging smile.
Fueled by a sudden swell of courage, Aira sat up straight and faced his seniors head on. “We’re pretty sure Kohakucchi has some kind of sickness. Something with flowers, a-and it has something that sounds like ‘Hana’ in its name. We thought you might know what it is.”
Sakuma’s eyes widened by a fraction. “Hana…Hanahaki…?” He squinted at the seemingly angelic emperor, who still had a serene smile on his face and an amused twinkle in his eyes. “You knew how serious this was, didn’t you?”
“Sharp as always, are we?” Tenshouin chuckled. “Yes, I did. I have known since the past week.”
“S-Serious!? Is that true, Tenshouin-senpai!? B-But you said….”
Hiiro hugged Aira protectively, glaring a hole through the emperor’s head. “Then why did you not tell Aira?”
Tenshouin only looked more amused at the Hiiro’s hostility, and he shook his head. “Now, now. It was hardly out of malicious intent. As I told Shiratori-kun last night, if Oukawa-kun wanted you two to know, would he not have told you himself? If he did not wish to inform you of something so crucial, there was no need to intervene. I had already given him my own advice.”
“Unfortunately, you fail to understand that some of us are not so content with letting our friends die,” Sakuma scoffed.
“D-Die!? So is Kohakucchi going to…!?”
The night-dweller grimaced as he realized his poor choice of words. “N-No. Ah, apologies for not elaborating.” Sakuma’s eyes narrowed, glaring sharp and venomous daggers at Tenshouin. “Since it seems as though Tenshouin-kun isn’t too keen on helping, I’ll tell you both what I know about Hanahaki Disease. Luckily, there are a couple of solutions for dealing with the issue.”
Aira and Hiiro shared a hopeful smile.
“Hanahaki Disease is a rare disease born of unprofessed love. When one holds feelings of deep romantic affection for another individual, suppression of those feelings results in a festering of sorts. From there, roots begin to sprout within the person’s lungs, causing what at first feels like chronic asthma or temporary shortness of breath, depending on how healthy the individual is.
“However, it doesn’t take long for those roots to begin to flourish and start growing flowers. Oftentimes, the flower grown is representative of the one the person holds affection for, for any variety of reasons. It can be the loved one’s favorite flower, the color of their hair, their personality matches the meaning of the flower, and so on. The person will begin to cough up flowers as their lungs attempt to dispel the flourishing garden in them.
“Unfortunately, the flowers will continue to grow at an exponential rate, and not only will the frequency of the coughed-up flowers increase, but the severity of how much they cough up will too. If left untreated for too long, the afflicted may even start coughing up the roots as the lungs desperately try to rid everything in one last effort for survival. Most suffocate on the flowers before then though.”
Aira glanced at Hiiro, who was staring back at him with an equally grim expression.
Tenshouin cheerily bobbed from side to side, humming what sounded concerningly close to “Rainbow Circus”.
“Don’t worry,” the vampire assured, his calculating red eyes softening a bit. “As long as Oukawa-kun isn’t too stubborn, this issue can be easily resolved.”
Aira allowed his shoulders to relax slightly, and he heard Hiiro breathe a sigh of relief from beside him. He really didn’t know how much more of a roller coaster he would be able to handle.
“Solution one: the afflicted confesses to their loved one. Once the other person becomes aware of those voiced affections, the flowers and roots will begin to wither immediately. Of course, whatever happens to the relationship between the confessor and the one they confessed to is completely up to the individuals themselves. Solution two is the… less ideal one.”
“…Less ideal?” Hiiro anxiously asked.
“Yes. The second solution is undergoing surgery to remove the roots at the source. But… this course of action has unfortunate consequences. The person loses all feelings of love toward the person, romantic and platonic, as if undergoing a reset. Removing the manifestation of love in your body will remove those feelings… and the cause of those feelings as well, as in all the memories they shared with that person. To put it bluntly, they’ll forget the one they love.”
Aira’s heart dropped into his stomach, landing too painfully to bear.
“It is possible for the amnesiac to restart their relationship… but given the fact that Hanahaki managed to afflict the person in the first place, they are susceptible to contracting the disease again. Of course, the forgotten person will know the second time around that they are the target of the sick one’s affections. But having to restart their relationship with someone that they’ve built up such a strong relationship with will be painful for them.”
Sakuma’s eyes misted wistfully. “Ironically, it is only as if the one who hid their feelings confessed without knowing it, and ended up making the one they loved go through much unnecessary heartache. Convince Oukawa-kun to avoid—”
“I am afraid that choice will remain completely up to Oukawa-kun.” Tenshouin’s smile remained completely unconcerned with the situation. “Though merely confessing is enough to dispel the flowers, he has not done it yet, has he? That suggests that perhaps he values the friendship of the person too much to put the burden of his feelings on him, or he may have another reason for doing so. I advise you to consider that if you plan to confront him.”
“Right.” Hiiro immediately leapt out of bed, dragging Aira along with him and ignoring his indignant protests. “Sorry, Aira. We cannot waste any time.” He suddenly stopped, causing the small blond to crash into him with a pained yell, and he turned to Sakuma. “Do you have any idea who the person Oukawa-san likes is?”
“Hmm…” Sakuma put a hand to his chin. “I believe it may be one of you.”
Aira gaped at his senior. “O-One of us!?”
The leader of UNDEAD nodded morosely. “It certainly seems that way. Given that Oukawa-kun has built a significant bond with both of you, and that he’d withdrawn soon after you two had gotten together, it’s highly likely that he wanted to avoid doing anything that may affect your relationship, such as putting the guilt of his feelings on his close friends. At least…” He shot a tired look at the smug blond. “I’m pretty sure that’s what Tenshouin-kun is trying to tell you.”
“Kohakucchi…” Aira clenched his fist.
“…Aira?” Hiiro delicately landed a shaky yet hopeful hand on Aira’s fist.
“I’m… I’m fine.” Aira fixed Hiiro with determined eyes. “We’re going to fix this, right?”
Hiiro nodded with equal resolve. “Of course. We will save Oukawa-san together.”
The scrambling pair nearly crashed into the Aois on their way to Kohaku’s dorm.
Seeming equally shocked to see them, Hinata and Yuta sent each other a telepathic look before greeting in perfect sync, “Hellllooo—”
“We know Oukawa-san has Hanahaki,” Hiiro interrupted.
“Which one of us is it!?” Aira demanded.
“WE DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!” Hinata screeched, ducking behind his younger brother.
Yuta sighed and facepalmed. “We know who it is.”
“Yuta-kun!”
“What.”
“…”
“Exactly.” Yuta smiled apologetically. “You’ll have to forgive my idiot of a brother. It’s honestly shocking that we’re supposed to be related, let alone twins. He—”
“Hey!”
“—tends to overreact to a lot of things. Anyway, I’ll make this short before someone comes across us and overhears. I was there when Kohaku-kun started coughing up flowers. Obviously, you’ve already figured that out. He didn’t confirm anything, but I saw that he coughed up… two different kinds of flowers.”
“He wha—!?” Aira gasped at the revelation.
Hiiro’s eyes widened. “He likes two people…? Is that possible?”
“That’s what I’m thinking,” Yuta agreed. “And judging by the first question you guys asked me, it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out…”
“It’s us!?” Aira choked out. All the information he’d been getting in the past couple hours made him feel like he was on the verge of exploding. “Uh, t-thanks so much, you two!” He bowed deeply.
“No prob ♪” Hinata replied before yelping as his twin smacked him. “What was that for!?”
A pair of footsteps approached the quartet.
“Ah, you two.” HiMERU scrutinized Aira and Hiiro with a piercing gaze. “What are you…”
“They already know everything,” Yuta clarified. “Oh, and by the way, Kohaku-kun likes the two of them.”
HiMERU hummed noncommittedly as he nodded, not seeming surprised in the slightest.
“HOLD ON A SEC, WHAT!?” Shiina gaped as his eyes darted between the spade and the heart of ALKALOID. “SINCE WHEN!?”
“Forgive Shiina,” HiMERU sighed. “His brain is not made for much other than picking out what meals he will be having throughout the day.”
Yuta nodded wisely. “No wonder he and Aniki are roommates.”
“Now that’s just a lie!” the chef cried. “Not only do I think about which meal I’m having, but I also know just about every single cooking technique you can think of, which ingredients and seasonings work the best together, the type of seasonal— HiMERU-kun, where are you going!?”
“Good luck,” HiMERU muttered as he stepped past Aira. “I know you two can get through to him.” He spoke so quickly that by the time the first-year turned to him, HiMERU already had continued down the hall.
That’s right… It’s not just me and Hiro-kun that care about Kohakucchi. He’s found a family here that cares about him too! We can’t let them down!
“Are you ready?” Hiiro asked, pressing a quick comforting kiss to Aira’s forehead.
Aira blushed and pushed his boyfriend away in embarrassment, but he knew that Hiiro knew he appreciated the gesture. “Y-Yeah…” With a shaky hand, he knocked on Kohaku’s dorm door.
“Kohakucchi…?”
The door slowly opened, but instead of cherry blossom pink hair, a head of messy red peeked out. “Otouto-kun… and Girlfriend-kun?”
“Eh…!? Rinne-senpai!? Isn’t Kohakucchi here?”
Rinne playfully bobbed his head as if he didn’t already know the answer to Aira’s question. “Mm…Yep!”
“Rinne-han!” a voice scolded from within the room.
“Sorry, Kohaku-chan!” Rinne turned and cheerfully apologized without a hint of sincere remorse. “It’s time t’ face the music; we already let this mess go on for long enough. And…” The gambler’s cocky grin faltered. “And I won’t let it get any worse… ya hear?”
Kohaku coughed a few times but didn’t respond.
“Great!” Rinne swiveled his head back to the anticipating duo. “Judgin’ from the looks on your faces, I’m guessin’ you’ve already got a good idea of what’s goin’ on, yeah?”
Aira and Hiiro nodded sheepishly.
The leader of Crazy:B chuckled. “Figured. He made us promise not t’ tell anyone, but he can’t say we exposed him now, can he~? Well, we were probably gonna tell y’all anyway even if it was against his wishes. Us bees jus’ ain’t the type t’ respectfully follow the rules, no matter what anyone — even our own family — tells us ♪”
“How long has he been like this?” Aira asked, afraid to know the answer.
Rinne must’ve had mind-reading powers because he shook his head with an easygoing smile. “Nah, don’t worry, he ain’t been like that for long. Dumbass said he’d get around t’ it, so we gave ‘im a week, but he obviously hasn’t said shit t’ ya guys. He’d been well enough to act mostly normally with that damn water bottle t’ swallow down all the flowers, but it’s gotten worse. This mornin’, we tried t’ talk ‘im into doin’ somethin’. Tellin’ ya guys was the last resort.”
Hiiro tilted his head. “So, he told you that we were the objects of his affection?”
“Nope, I only jus’ figured it out.”
“H-How!?” Aira squeaked.
“’Cause, Ai-chan~ Hina and Yuta-kun acted real sus the whole time, meanin’ they prolly knew from the start. We agreed t' go out and look for whoever Kohaku-chan liked if the li’l brat refused t’ get help. Ya guys show up not long after they leave, with determined faces like y’all are ‘boutta go t’ war. Easy.”
“Nii-chan is always very smart!” Hiiro chirped in awe of his dear older brother, stars briefly gleaming and soaring in his eyes.
Aira groaned. “Yeah, yeah…” He glared at Rinne’s arrogant expression. “Just let us in already.”
“’Kay ♪” Rinne daintily skipped down the hall, leaving the dorm room wide open. “And thanks for the sweets! They tasted great!”
“What a weirdo… WAIT A MINUTE, HEY! COME BACK HERE!”
“Aira.” Hiiro sadly stared off into the direction Rinne skipped off. “Did you see? His eyes had signs of inflammation, as if he had been crying.”
Aira stared down the hallway, all of his outrage instantly dissipating. “Oh, I… I didn’t notice…”
Hiiro put a hand over their interlocked ones. “Let’s do this for him, too.”
“R-Right!”
With a fleeting kiss to the back of Aira’s hand, Hiiro led them inside.
“Kohakucchi,” Aira growled. “Get out of there.” He jabbed at the blanket mound for the hundredth time. He didn’t want to say it out loud… but he was a bit underwhelmed by the whole situation. He and Hiiro had a whole crisis about Kohaku literally dying, yet the young bee was acting like a little kid being told that he had to get ready for his first day at school.
“No thanks, ‘m jus’—” A few painful-sounding coughs cut Kohaku off. “J-Jus’ leave me alone!”
“Oukawa-san, you are being unnecessarily stubborn. I will throw you out of bed if I have to.”
Kohaku hacked out a few more coughs before chuckling. “Ya think you’re the only one that can fight? Jus’ try an’ see what happens!”
Hiiro wound his arms up. “You cannot fight as well when you are sick; this fight will be very one-sided. Please, I would rather not hurt you.”
“W-Wait,” Aira interjected. “Are you seriously gonna just toss him out of bed!?”
“C’mon then! Gimme yer best shoOAHHHHH…!” Kohaku was scooped up in the blanket he was hiding under and thrown across the room. He hit the ground with a sickening crunch. The blanket unfurled, throwing him out to roll on the hardwood floor. Kohaku groaned painfully. “D-Damn, ‘kay then… didja hafta go that hard though!?”
Aira covered his heated face. Why was Hiiro manhandling Kohaku kinda…? No wait, this is serious! FOCUS, AIRA!
“Love-han, why the hell didja just smack yerself in the face?”
“Are you okay, Aira?”
“YES!” Aira dramatically pointed at Kohaku. “Don’t distract us from the fact that we need to have a serious talk!”
Kohaku pouted childishly. “Ya can’t make me…” He coughed out a few times, not bothering to acknowledge the petals that escaped his lips.
“Cherry blossoms, and… white lilies.” Hiiro observed. “These… represent us.” The redhead moved to delicately scoop up the fallen petals, and when Kohaku showed no intention of stopping him, he gestured for Aira to join him. Once his boyfriend neared, Hiiro handed him a few petals. “Pretty, right?”
Aira nodded, awestruck. He slowly traced the edges of a lily’s petal. Despite their unnatural growth – or maybe because of it – the shapes were completely uniform, and the texture was extremely soft. They also emitted a wonderful aroma, reminiscent of… home? Meanwhile, Hiiro was melancholically taking in the sight of the cherry blossom petals around him, though his mood would’ve been considerably happier if the petals were not from Kohaku’s throat.
“Quit starin’, wouldja?” Kohaku rubbed the back of his neck as his face flushed from embarrassment. It was oddly relieving to see him finally acting his age, although Aira would’ve preferred that this situation be one of the times where the young spy decided to act like an adult.
Aira glared at his best friend. “Are you actually going to actually talk to us this time!?”
“…Yeah, ‘s not like I got much o’ a choice anyway.”
The heart of ALKALOID softened his stern gaze. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
It was then Kohaku’s turn to glare at his two close friends. “Whaddya think? Oh, right, lemme jus’ confess t’ m’ friend an’ his boyfriend the day after they get together. Do ya seriously think that’d cross m’ mind!?”
“You can always talk to us, Oukawa-san.” Hiiro placed a comforting hand on Kohaku’s knee, a hurt expression flashing across his face as the young bee recoiled from the touch. “We will be here to listen, no matter what.”
Kohaku coughed out a few more petals, opening and closing his mouth with a conflicted expression. “I… I…”
Call Aira impatient and insensitive, but scared as he was to talk about the unspoken feelings between the three of them, the stress of Kohaku’s condition and the annoyance with his petulance were ten times stronger. The fact that he lost sleep didn’t help. And so, he just went with what felt right in the moment. “KOHAKUCCHI, WE LIKE YOU, SO TELL US THAT YOU LIKE US!”
Kohaku and Hiiro gaped at Aira for a few seconds, the latter regaining his composure first. “Yes, what Aira says is true. Just let your feelings out, and the flowers will disappear.”
“Ya guys make it sound so easy…”
“That’s because it is,” Aira deadpanned. “I’m giving you ten seconds, or I’m having Hiro-kun flip you over again.”
Hiiro stood up and readied his stance.
“W-Wait!” Kohaku frantically flailed backward. “Gimme a sec t’ mentally prepare!”
Aira started, “Ten. Nine. Eight.”
“Love-han, jus’ a li’l bit o’ mercy, please!?”
“Seven. Six. Five.”
“WAIT!”
“Four. Three.”
“A-Alright! Here goes…!”
“Two. One.”
“I GOT ROMANTIC FEELINGS FOR LOVE-HAN AND HIIRO-HAN!” Kohaku shouted, face more than beet red. He stared wide-eyed at the other two as if he surprised himself for saying it out loud. “Ack… AH…!”
“Kohakucchi!?”
Kohaku started choking harder than he had since Aira and Hiiro had come into his room. When the worried pair tried approaching him, he waved at them to get away and keeled over, using his forearms to support himself. Kohaku continued hacking a stream of petals until an entire bouquet, covered in saliva and flecks of blood, fell to the floor beneath his head. The night crawler rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand as he looked at the floor in disgust. “…I’ve felt worse.” But he hardly had time to recollect himself before Aira and Hiiro tackled him to the ground, tears streaming from their eyes.
“Kohakucchi… you’re good now!?”
“Y-Yeah,” Kohaku chuckled. “I think so.”
Hiiro, ever the blunt one, got straight to the point. “Go out with us.”
“Y-You do still want to be our b-boyfriend, right?” Aira asked meekly, losing all his previous bravado.
Kohaku’s face practically split from his blinding grin. “’Course. I’d love that ♪”
“Sooo, I’m willing to bet things went well with Oukawa-kun~?” Sakuma teased as he slid himself into bed. “You’ve been smiling a lot more as of late.”
Aira flushed proudly, unable to stop a stupid grin from forming on his face. “Yep!” He cupped his cheeks and sighed. “I can’t believe I have two boyfriends now! How lucky can I get?”
“You are very welcome.” Tenshouin gave another one of his signature cheeky smiles.
Sakuma directed a poisonous grin at Tenshouin. “And why are you acting as if you’ve done anything?”
“I was referring to the vase, Sakuma-kun.” Tenshouin smirked. “You really must stop taking everything so personally. This situation never involved you to begin with.”
Aira shook his head. “T-Thanks to both of you for your advice with Kohakucchi! Thanks to Sakuma-senpai for telling me and Hiro-kun about Hanahaki, and thanks to Tenshouin-senpai for gifting me that vase!”
“It was no problem at all,” Tenshouin assured, smug as a cat. He smiled at the beautiful small vase on Aira’s bedstand.
It was a deep royal blue, contrasted with the precious rubies that lined the skinniest part of its curvature. Painted golden vines spiraled and intertwined from the base of the vase, forming intricate patterns as they climbed to the rim, with small flowers blooming at each turn a vine made. Out of the vase bloomed a few sprigs of cherry blossoms and white lilies bunched together. Kohaku had coughed out enough to gift a small bouquet to both his boyfriends.
“Ehe…” Even though Aira admitted it looked beautiful, he felt a little embarrassed to have such a gaudy piece of art next to his plain light pink alarm clock and beige air freshener.
“It’s doing a tad too much, if you ask me,” Sakuma commented. “Maybe you should stop focusing on compensating for your personality with your money and instead realize how much it clashes against Shiratori-kun’s own style.”
“Apologies, I was unable to hear you over the notifications of the income and dividends my stocks and funds are making me ♪”
“…I know you put your phone on silen—”
Aira clapped his hands together. “O~kay! I think it’s time to go to bed! Good night!” After bidding both of his roommates goodnight and texting his boyfriends the same, the young idol took one last glance at the flowers at his bedside before the lights turned off. I can’t wait to spend the day with them tomorrow…
And if Aira dreamt of a three-way wedding when they all grew up and became famous idols, that was no one’s business but his own.