Tsukasa Tenma and his Well-Hidden Anxiety

Ch. 4

Nene doesn't start calls. She hardly answers them either, if she can avoid it. Something about speaking to someone else while you're sitting alone in a room is very off-putting to her. Even if she can't be seen, it's objectively more terrifying than speaking to people in person.

Yet here she is, opening her very dead Nightcord account and making a new conversation with Emu and Rui.

I cannot believe I'm doing this for Tsukasa FUCKING Tenma.

Her earbuds ring for a few seconds, stopping momentarily and being replaced with Rui's voice.

"...Nene?"

"Uh- um. Hi." She whispers.

"Hi, Nene!" Emu's loud voice startles her.

"Emu, please talk quieter..."

"Right, sorry."

"Why'd you call us?" Rui asks. "Were you worried about Tsukasa too?"

"Unfortunately." Nene grimaces, causing Rui to laugh.

"I never thought Tsukasa would have the same problem as you, Nene," He says. "Then again, Toya once told me he was shy when they were younger."

"Really?" She exclaims. "I never thought he could be like that- Until today, that is..."

Luckily I had the same problem, so I knew how to calm him down...

"I don't know how we're supposed to help him, though..." Emu's voice says. "He's never been like this before..."

The three sit in a synchronized silence, before they hear Rui unconsciously mutter.

"I should've known it was too good to be true..."

"What was that?" Nene asks him.

"Huh?"

"What do you mean, 'it was too good to be true-?'"

Rui struggles, "Oh, uh..." Quick, make an excuse! "I just thought, there really was no way he really felt the way he acted all the time..." he decides to say.

It wasn't what he meant, but it wasn't entirely a lie, either.

"...Yeah. I... just don't know what to do- what we can do."

"He won't tell us anything if we ask, will he?" Emu sighs.

"Of course he wouldn't..." Nene grumbles in frustration. If only Tsukasa wasn't so complicated. Maybe it would be easier to figure out how to help him.

But of course, he has all these layers to him, as any person does, which can't be skipped over if they really want to help him without causing too much stress. Nene knows all too well how that feels; she can't have one of her best friends feeling the same pain.

She sighs. "I can try to talk to him tomorrow, I guess." Not like she knows what to say to him, anyway. A slight guilt grows as she realizes this. After all, Tsukasa has always known what to say to her.

Whenever she had anxiety attacks, whether it was before a show started or she was just having a bad day, he always knew how to help; whether it was talking to her, helping her through her tasks or even knowing when to step away.

Chances are he's not willing to accept that help though, considering he's hidden away this side of himself from all of them for almost half a year now.

He's helped her so many times, even if he didn't realize it; she'd probably never forgive herself if she didn't do the same for him now.

"Do you think it would be okay for me to visit you guys tomorrow during school?" Emu asks. "I wanna see Tsukasa..."

"Not sure if that's a good idea." Rui inquires. "He may get overwhelmed."