𝒢𝑜𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓃𝒷𝑒𝓇𝓎𝓁.

7. The School of Her Dreams

" ̝̣͔̝͎̎̃̈́̾̈̇̓̑́͞I͕̣͛̏ͨͦ̃ ̩͔͉̙̪̘͓̟͌ͥ̉ͤ̏d͕̮̘̣̭̰͓̖̗ͭͮ̽ͧ͗̆͗̊ͮ̏̑ͯ̈̉͠͞͞͞i̓͏͙̬̝̪̻͉̞̞̗̠̎͂̃̑ͧ͘͜s̸͖̖̹̑͒ͭ̓̂̈ͩ̃͛̊̒̄͞҉̖͚̪͙l̤̯̞͖̮̘̣̭̰͓̖̗ͦ̈ͬ̀̆͗̊ͮ̏̑ͯ̈̉͞i̓͏̷͙̬̝̺̺͙͐ͫͫ̃͟k͛ͨ̉̚҉̷̳̬̼͓͔̠͈̥̻̗̣͚̺̀̏̀̕e̒ͦ̇̈҉͙͓̳̩͔͉̙̪̘͓̟͌ͥ̉ͤ̏d͕ͭͮ̽ͧ͗͠͞͞ ͫ̂͏̨̯̲̭͞t̵̷̡̠̘̙̮̥̯̰̝̦̮̹̫̭̲͔̄͋̏͋̇̂̾h̷͚̬̲̘̥̠͈̥̻̗̣͚̺͐͋̒ͣ̏̀̕͟͢͢e̒ͦ̇̈҉͙͓̳ ̷̠͈̥̻̗̣͚̺̏̀̕e̒ͦ̇̈҉̸̴͙͓̳̹͓͍̘͊́̏͒ͣ͛n̨̥͍̬͈ͧ̓́̿ͫ̂̕͏̨̯̲̭͞t̵̵̡̠̘̙̮̥̯̰͕̺̄͋ͮ̀̚ͅr̨̲̦̰̪̿̅̓̇̀̒̐͜͟a̷̸̴̙̬͍̪̗̝̤̪̹͓͍̘͗̀͊́̏͒ͣ͛n̨̥͍̬͈̯͉ͧ̓́̿̀̇ͥ̕̕c̸̷̠̦̞̠͈̥̻̗̣͚̺͛̔ͨ̀̏̀̕e̒ͦ̇̈҉͙͓̳ ̯͉̀̇ͥ̕c̸̷̠̦̞̠͈̥̻̗̣͚̺͛̔ͨ̀̏̀̕e̒ͦ̇̈҉̵͙͓̳͕̺ͮ̀̚ͅr̷̨̲̦̰̪̠͈̥̻̗̣͚̺̿̅̓̇̀̒̐̏̀̕͜͟e̒ͦ̇̈҉͙͓̳͕̩̠̬̪̟ͦ̎̂̄͂m̤̲̣̻̮̞͈̼̯̜ͧ̂͛̓̌͑ͬ̔͆͂̇͝ͅo̸̴͇̬͎̹͓͍̘ͦ͊́̏͒ͣ͛n̨̥͍̬͈̰̟͙͙̤̲ͧ̓́̿̍ͣͬ̕y̧̛̘̬̫͂̅̃̅̽̓̇ a̷̸̴̙̬͍̪̗̝̤̪̹͓͍̘͗̀͊́̏͒ͣ͛n̨̥͍̬͈̩͔͉̙̪̘͓̟ͧ̓́̿͌ͥ̉ͤ̏̕d͕ͭͮ̽ͧ͗͠͞͞ ̝̣͔̝͎̎̃̈́̾̈̇̓̑́͞I͕̣͛̏ͨͦ̃ ̮̘̣̭̰͓̖̗̆͗̊ͮ̏̑ͯ̈̉͞i̓͏͙̬̝͕̩̠̬̪̟ͦ̎̂̄͂m̤̲̣̻̮̞ͧ̂͛̓̌͑ͬa̷̙̬͍̪̗̝̤̪͗̀ͤͦ̅̽̈̍͏̩̠͚ḡ͕̤͕̮̘̣̭̰͓̖̗ͪ̉̆͗̊ͮ̏̑ͯ̈̉͟͞i̓͏̸̴͙̬̝̹͓͍̘͊́̏͒ͣ͛n̷̨̥͍̬͈̠͈̥̻̗̣͚̺ͧ̓́̿̏̀̕̕e̒ͦ̇̈҉͙͓̳̩͔͉̙̪̘͓̟͌ͥ̉ͤ̏d͕ͭͮ̽ͧ͗͠͞͞ ͫ̂͏̨̯̲̭͞t̵̷̡̠̘̙̮̥̯̰̝̦̮̹̫̭̲͔̄͋̏͋̇̂̾h͚̬̲̘̥͐͋̒ͣ͟͢͢a̷̙̬͍̪̗̝̤̪͗̀ͫ̂͏̨̯̲̭͞t̵̡̠̘̙̮̥̯̰̄͋ ͕̩̠̬̪̟ͦ̎̂̄͂m̤̲̣̻̮̞ͧ̂͛̓̌͑ͬa̷̸̴̙̬͍̪̗̝̤̪̹͓͍̘͗̀͊́̏͒ͣ͛n̨̥͍̬͈̰̟͙͙̤̲ͧ̓́̿̍ͣͬ̕y̧̛̘̬̫͂̅̃̅̽̓̇ ̨̬̜̖̫̝͓̯͔̇͗ͭͬ͡f̨̤̪̫͈͙̺̮̘̣̭̰͓̖̗͑ͯ̀͒̽̄̆͗̊ͮ̏̑ͯ̈̉̕͢͞i̓͏̵͙̬̝͕̺ͮ̀̚ͅr̨̲̦̰̪̪̻͉̞̞̗̠̿̅̓̇̀̒̐̎͂̃̑ͧ͘͜͟͜s̸͖̖̹̑͒ͭ̓̂̈ͫ̂͏̨̯̲̭͞t̵̡̠̘̙̮̥̯̰̄͋-̰̟͙͙̤̲̍ͣͬy̷̧̛̘̬̫̠͈̥̻̗̣͚̺͂̅̃̅̽̓̇̏̀̕e̒ͦ̇̈҉͙͓̳a̷̵̙̬͍̪̗̝̤̪͕̺͗̀ͮ̀̚ͅr̨̲̦̰̪̿̅̓̇̀̒̐͜͟ ̪̻͉̞̞̗̠̎͂̃̑ͧ͘͜s̸͖̖̹̑͒ͭ̓̂̈ͫ̂͏̨̯̲̭͞t̵̷̡̡̠̘̙̮̥̯̰̱͕̲̖̄͋̋̊̃͂͗̚͜ų̘͔͎̖͍͍̞̩͔͉̙̪̘͓̟ͫ̀͌ͥ̉ͤ̏͢͜ͅd̷͕̠͈̥̻̗̣͚̺ͭͮ̽ͧ͗̏̀̕͠͞͞e̒ͦ̇̈҉̸̴͙͓̳̹͓͍̘͊́̏͒ͣ͛n̨̥͍̬͈ͧ̓́̿ͫ̂̕͏̨̯̲̭͞t̵̡̠̘̙̮̥̯̰̪̻͉̞̞̗̠̄͋̎͂̃̑ͧ͘͜s̸͖̖̹̑͒ͭ̓̂̈ ̛̪͍̘͕̥̠̮͇͚ͩ̈́̍ͮ́ͦ̈̎̀p̵̙̞͍͕̺ͪͨ̔̂ͮ̀̚ͅr̨̲̦̰̪͈̼̯̜̿̅̓̇̀̒̐̔͆͂̇͜͟͝ͅo̵͇̬͎͚̗ͦͬb̷̼̠͕͔̯̟̖͙̋ͥ̋ͯ͆̍̚͢a̷̵̙̬͍̪̗̝̤̪͚̗͗̀ͬb̷̼̠͕͔̯̟̖͙̋ͥ̋ͯ͆̍ͩ̃͛̊̒̄̚͢͞҉̖͚̪͙l̤̯̞͖̰̟͙͙̤̲ͦ̈ͬ̀̍ͣͬy̧̛̘̬̫͂̅̃̅̽̓̇ ̨̬̜̖̫̝͓̯͔̇͗ͭͬ͡f̷̨̤̪̫͈͙̺̠͈̥̻̗̣͚̺͑ͯ̀͒̽̄̏̀̕̕͢e̒ͦ̇̈҉͙͓̳ͩ̃͛̊̒̄͞҉̖͚̪͙l̤̯̞͖ͦ̈ͬ̀ͫ̂͏̨̯̲̭͞t̵̡̠̘̙̮̥̯̰̄͋ ͫ̂͏̨̯̲̭͞t̵̷̡̠̘̙̮̥̯̰̝̦̮̹̫̭̲͔̄͋̏͋̇̂̾h̷͚̬̲̘̥̠͈̥̻̗̣͚̺͐͋̒ͣ̏̀̕͟͢͢e̒ͦ̇̈҉͙͓̳ ̪̻͉̞̞̗̠̎͂̃̑ͧ͘͜s̸͖̖̹̑͒ͭ̓̂̈a̷̙̬͍̪̗̝̤̪͕̩̠̬̪̟͗̀ͦ̎̂̄͂m̷̤̲̣̻̮̞̠͈̥̻̗̣͚̺ͧ̂͛̓̌͑ͬ̏̀̕e̒ͦ̇̈҉͙͓̳. "

-Ą̵̺̰̻̻͔͇͓̈́̓͛̏̈́͌͋̄̑͆̏y̶͔͗ǎ̴̯̀͠ǹ̷̨͍̮̥̹̘͙̗̻̬̬̜̥̮̃̒̈́̽͗̿̍̄̂̏͆͠͝ŏ̸̡̼̺̫̥̻͈̞̍͆̏̓́͜͝ͅk̵̘̺̦͉͖̪̪͖͉͊̆̔́̈́̍̃̈́͒̂̑̀̚͜͝ŏ̸̡̼̺̫̥̻͈̞̍͆̏̓́͜͝ͅj̵̬̺̭̼̺̫̦͚̬̼͚͙̰̭̐̐ͅi̶̡̹͈͎̳̞͙͖̾̂̀͑̀͆̑̓̽̉͐͘͘ͅ K̵̢̛̛͉̳̫͔̺̱̗̫̽̉́͋̾́͂͛i̶̡̹͈͎̳̞͙͖̾̂̀͑̀͆̑̓̽̉͐͘͘ͅy̶͔͗ŏ̸̡̼̺̫̥̻͈̞̍͆̏̓́͜͝ͅt̸̫̫̤͕̳̻̰̣̭́̌̉͝ͅǎ̴̯̀͠k̵̘̺̦͉͖̪̪͖͉͊̆̔́̈́̍̃̈́͒̂̑̀̚͜͝ǎ̴̯̀͠

Error, Error, Error!!!---

❚█══REDACTED══█❚

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" I disliked the entrance ceremony and imagined that many first-year students probably felt the same."

- Hoshino Goldenberyl

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.

.

.

" My punch connected, didn't it..."

Aqua was busy rubbing a cold cloth against his cheek till' he turned around and met a suprisingly apologetic Narushima Melt.

" I'm sorry." He was sincere about it. Looks like even his arrogance could not outweigh the guilt, Narushima was a lot more perceptive than Aqua initially gave him credit for. 

" No need to apologize, " Aqua dismisses it. " I got in front of your punch on purpose."

" But--"

" Surely, acting is all about leaning into your emotions." Aqua begins to point out, " Even when you realized my intentions, you still held onto that anger so you could portray a believable show of emotion."

Narushima slowly nods, albeit in shock that even Aqua noticed such a detail.

" You turned in a good performance." Aqua reassures him with a smile. " And thanks to that, Arima was able to pull off all the stops." 

Narushima watched as Aqua walked away. To be honest, being complimented like that, and from someone like him felt....strange. Strangely nice, he thinks. He was never into acting and all that, really, the only reason he's starring in a drama was like this was out of recommendation from his agency that this could give him some spotlight to work out of. Otherwise? He would've been long outta here by now.

But to be told he did a good job by a person who showed incredible acting ability....

He couldn't help but smile to himself, his head raised high, but not so far as that he'd get lost in the clouds like he always does. Not one of arrogance. Just happiness.

........

Kana overheard their conversation, she was standing by the side, and her eyes stuck like glue to Aqua's back as his figure approaches his brother. A surge of new feelings resonated within, the longer she looks at him.

You did...that...for me...?

........

" These kids really made a mess..." The supervisor grumbles as both he and the director reviewed the captured footage. " We'll have to make a number of adjustments to our directorial plans now..."

The director releases a huff, before smiling. " Well, what else can you expect from a set filled with young actors? Reworking the script on the spot is not uncommon in situations like these."

But his thoughts linger towards that boy...

" How did he do it..." He mumbled. " The way he filmed everything....it gives the vibe of it happening in real time. It sucks in the viewer's attention, and simulates a whole different reality....it's....a masterpiece."

" Did you say something?" The supervisor asked.

" Kazuto-san, what do you think of the footage we got from his directing?" The director asked, expectantly.

"..." Kazuto sighs, he felt ashamed to admit it but, " It's amazing. He really brought out the story with all the orders he issued during filming, it felt as if....ya know.... you were really there, spectating the entire scene in real time."

" The way he monitored where each camera should go, when to zoom in or out, and the adjustments on the lighting-- it really captured the beautiful emotions exhibited from our actors. The shot with Arima Kana says it all." Kazuto says, flipping through the script with an almost melancholic look from having been proven wrong by a child. 

The director chuckles. " Exactly my thoughts. It's hard to believe it's his first time..." 

" You sure he hasn't done this sort of thing before?" Kazuto suspects, " Not even for a youtube video, at least?"

" Well...I did ask him and...."

........

" Huh?" Beryl stares at him in confusion.

" C'mon, kid." The director nudges. " Surely this couldn't have been your first time directing a film, you must have a youtube channel or something, right? "

" No, I don't."

" Eh..? Cmon now! It's okay to admit it, don't act so shy--"

" No, seriously. I really don't. This is my first time shooting a scene." Beryl interrupts.

" What?" The director's smile flipped to shock as he stares at him incredulously. " But...then...how did you know to film like that? " He asked.

.......

" What did he say? " Kazuto asked, the suspense somehow killing him.

" He says he only knew how to capture that scene....because his brother, Aqua, was in it." The director seriously wanted to laugh, it was such an hysterical explanation to hear. Totally something he hadn't thought of when he witnessed such talent or skill, or whatever.

" That's ridiculous....even if they're twin siblings it's just...." Kazuto scrunched his face in disbelief. "Unbelievable..."

" He didn't tell a lie though..." The director hummed. " So it must be true."

" Well, him aside." Stretching his arms and resting it behind his head, a smile crept on his face again. " The scene will probably turn up well. And I'm sure Miss Kana is happy about it."

And the director would never admit it aloud, but he was happy with it too.

He witnessed something spectacular, a familiar spark was presented to him, that spark he himself used to have back in his earlier days as someone with a more impressionable attitude towards the film industry. For a while, he truly believed he wouldn't feel it again but the boy proved him wrong in more ways than one. That a good director can truly salvage a situation like this. And bring about a masterpiece of a scene that he long wished to accomplish himself...

" Man," He mumbles, feeling a buzzing feeling in his chest. " Don't tell me I got inspired by some kid..." Despite his tone, his smile was bright as day.

Hoshino Goldenberyl....that's your name, wasn't it?

.

.

.

" Kana-chan, shall we film the final scene?"

~~~~~~

" Can we go home now?" Beryl yawns, complaining like a child. That caused a chuckle to leave Aqua's lips and had him shaking his head at him.

" You did good." Aqua ignores Beryl's tired tone, and shoots a compliment instead.

Beryl shakes his hand dismissively. " Nah, you did good." He shoots back.

Aqua releases a huff.

" We both did good, then." He states with a tone of clarity, extending a closed fist to him.

Beryl bumps his own fist against Aqua's, this time with the little brother on the receiving end of this sibling contract. The job was done, and the both of them can take that with pride. However...

" Scene 7, shot 310."

" And....action!"

" She did better though." Beryl remarks, switching his gaze from Aqua onto Kana.

" Mm," Aqua hums, following Beryl's gaze, having his land on Kana as well. " Can't disagree..."

After all, with all the preparations and improvisations made from the two brothers....

They were all meant to let Arima Kana shine the most.

~~~~~~~

" Sniff...! sob....ajsdrudn...!"

Not so discreet crying filled the silence of the room as the episode rolls into credits. The Hoshino siblings and Miyaemon, were all seated on the couch and had watched the premiere of the final episode for the mostly half-baked production TV Drama that is " Sweet Today ", but contrary to many expectations-- the final episode evoked plenty of emotions from people who were still on the boat to watch it.

" *Wheezzeee...!* "

And Ruby was bawling her eyes out.

" Are you done yet?" Aqua boredly asked as he passed another roll of tissue to Ruby's direction. The latter quickly snatching it and ripping a piece out to blow her nose and her tears again.

" Ruby....stop crying. It's just a show." Miyako says.

" Miyako-san, you're tearing up too, you know?" Beryl blandly points out.

" Tsk, I'm not." Miyako stubbornly denies, snatching a piece of toilet paper from Ruby and quickly wiping away the few stray tears that rolled down her cheek. " It's just...something got in my eye." She excuses.

" Waaghh...it had no reason....to be so sad...even in this crappy adaptation...!" Ruby cried out.

" Ahem," After regaining composure of herself, the older woman begins to realize something. " It's quite strange though.... if you compare this episode to the ones that released before. It's like night and day. Tonight's episode felt like it received a shift in production..."

Aqua and Beryl glance at each other, and then immediately avert. Neither brother willing to elaborate on that.

" And big brother says his acting wasn't all that good..." Ruby, after wiping away the last bit of tears she had left, turned to Aqua with a smirk. " But look at you, portraying the role so well. It sent shivers down my spine, you know!"

" Don't get so smug." Aqua sighs, " This will be the only and last time you'll ever see me on the screen again."

" Ehhh~" Ruby still kept that smug tone of hers, she didn't believe that for a second.

But then she switches her attention to Beryl, with a rather curious expression replacing her previous smug one. She never found the right time to ask this, but it's been bugging her from time to time. and there's probably no better time than now.

" Say, why did you Aqua bring you on set? Were you really just there for emotional support?" Ruby asked.

" You think I'd be there for anything else?"

" Well....maybe? I don't know, I feel like you helped out with the filming or something, knowing you." She says.

" Think again, because that's just ridiculous--"

" Huh? Wait, Beryl is that...." Miyako trails off, pointing her index at the screen, gaining the attention of the triplets so that they looked at the screen too.

Beryl's eyes widened.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special Assistant Director - Hoshino Goldenberyl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"....."

"....."

"....."

"....."

Ruby and Miyako slowly turn to Beryl with blank expressions.

" Well, won't you look at the time?" Beryl says, standing up and looking at his watchless wrist, faking a yawn. " It's so late! I'm heading off to bed now." He begins to walk away.

" Good night family--"

" Where do you think you're going!" Ruby comes to tackle Beryl from behind.

" Owmph!" Beryl falls flat on his stomach with a loud thud against the wooden floor. Ruby immediately flips over so that he was facing her and she begins shaking him back and forth as if she intended to turn his brain into gooey mush--

" That was your camera skills the entire time?!" She asked, still shaking him.

" Stop--" Shake

" I'm--" Shake

" Getting--" Shake

" Dizzy--!" Shake again.

Okay, this is getting out of hand... Having had quite enough of Ruby's unnecessary shaking, Beryl waits a few seconds, before spotting and then seizing the opportunity to switch the tides to his favor.

" Eh--?" In an instant, Ruby found herself on the ground, caught in an arm bar locked tightly by Beryl's legs.

" G-Gak--!" She immediately taps out.

But Beryl refused to release her.

" L-Let go-- you're going to--grkk! k-kwill me!" She struggled to say, her tapping quickly learned to slapping his legs the hardest she could. It felt like her arm could snap at any moment, dammit!

Miyako and Aqua sighs from the background. Ruby truly has to have the biggest balls in Japan to even think of messing with Beryl despite knowing she'd lose like this one way or the other. Well, I guess that goes without saying that the line between courage and stupidity is closer than one might actually think. And judging from how the girl was being assaulted by her little sibling's ruthlessness-- she was currently on the latter end of that spectrum.

" Kill you? No, you see, this won't kill you." Beryl twists his hips, slightly extending the pain. " You're just going to lose an arm." He heartlessly whispers.

" W-Wahh--! Aqua! Miyaemon! Helllpppp!!!!" Ruby panicked, she hasn't even set foot on the stage to begin her idol career and now she's going to lose an arm?! She can't let this happen!

" Okay, there will be no arm breaking here when I'm around." Miyako interrupts, standing above them with a serious look on her face. " Beryl, let her go." She commanded.

"  Alright, alright...." Beryl promptly releases his hold on her, " I wasn't going to actually do it." He nonchalantly says.

Ruby immediately points her finger accusingly at him. " What do you mean? You really were going to break my arm there!"

" Now why would I do that? I'm your biggest supporter, you know?" He questions her as if she were the crazy one.

" Stop trying to gaslight me!" Ruby tackles him again and the two begin roughhousing again....

Miyako stares blankly, a fire slowly igniting in her eyes as she releases a steamy sigh.

" Alright then, if you two are going to keep fighting..."

.

.

.

" You can't be serious--" , " Huh?! I don't deserve this!"

" Zip it. I'll hear none of it." Miyako strictly said.

As punishment for Beryl and Ruby being a little rowdier than usual and testing Miyako's patience. She had both the kids standing in the hallway, arms outstretched, and an equal amount of three books stacked at each of their palms for them to balance. 

" Keep those arms straight." Miyako gives a pointed glance to Ruby. " Or else you get hit with this stick." She says, patting a discipline stick on her hands to show that the older woman was dead serious this time.

" B-But my arms hurt!" Ruby begs for mercy, to which Miyako responds with none.

" I know it does, but you know, idols actually use this method for muscular endurance and to practice balance. So think of it as training but still a punishment, alright, Ruby?" Miyako smiles.

" I-is that really true...?" Ruby mumbles before turning her head to Aqua, who was seated on the chair, watching them in amusement. " Aqua--!"

" Don't drag me into it." The older brother immediately rejects all requests of assistance. " I'm not helping you, and besides, Miyako-san isn't wrong either. It can help as idol practice."

Ruby frowns before sighing in defeat. 

" Brother, help...." Beryl tries to play the ' irresistable little brother ' act that was theoretically proven to guilt trip any older sibling if done right--

" Nope." Aqua remained unaffected, leaving Beryl with a bitter taste of disappointment.

I did it right, the theory was just wrong... He thinks in denial. 

" How long do we have to stay like this..." Ruby whines.

" 30 minutes." Miyako says, tapping her index on her crossed arms. " But I won't be here to make sure of that since work just called me to the office for important business."

" Huh? But it's so late...?" Both Ruby and Beryl acted like they cared but really...

As soon as she steps out that door, I'm dropping this book! Was the similar process their thinking led to.

Miyako sighs, " Yes, but it's important. That's why...." She places her hands on Aqua's shoulders. " I'm leaving your brother in charge to make sure that you two didn't move an inch for those 30 minutes."

" I can count on you, right, Aqua?" She asked.

" Don't worry. I'll make sure this time that they'll serve what's due." Aqua assures. Satisfied with his answer, Miyako hands over the stick of discipline to him.

" In that case, you'll need this. I'll leave it in your capable hands." She waits a while before Aqua finally accepts it. Nodding, she gives one last warning look at Beryl and Ruby before quickly changing and then leaving the house.

Golden brown and Ruby eyes stare at Aquatic ones as a moment of silence befalls the room....

That is, until Ruby releases a confident sigh. " Finally, she's gone!" her arms slowly loosening up.

But as soon as Beryl was going to do the same, he quickly noticed the sharp look in Aqua's eyes, so he stills again while Ruby slowly lowers her palms.

" Well, Aqua, looks like there's no need to--"

Thwack!

"  Ow! What the--?!"

" Straighten those arms."

Thwack!

" Ah--! Hey!" After getting smacked twice by her sides, she straightens her arms again, back to her previous position of balancing the books.

" Just because she left me in charge doesn't mean you're off the hook." Aqua rolls his eyes, " You two had this coming for a while, anyway. It's best you learn the importance of minimizing scuffles between yourselves."

" Even when she starts most of them?" Beryl inputs.

" Well you certainly know how to end them!" Ruby seethes at him, reminding him of the countless times she found herself in a submission hold whenever he flipped the tables on her.

" Thank you." Beryl takes it.

" That's not a compliment!" She growls.

" It doesn't matter who starts or ends it. What matters is the two individuals who are usually in it." Aqua interjects. " Deal with your 30 minutes, preferably in silence."

" But my arm..." Ruby whines.

"..."

Aqua looks between them in silence before sighing to himself. They had a strange dynamic, yet one could argue that they're inseparable, even when they fight other and exchange bitter insults, they've got each other's backs just as much. But as an older brother who occasionally has to walk around town with these two brats under the eye of public scrutiny, he can somewhat understand Miyako's worries into taming these two wild animals. He can't count the amount of times he felt ashamed and apologetic to strangers for the two's disruption in the background.

.......

After a deciding 5 minutes or so, without a peep from neither Beryl nor Ruby. Aqua suddenly gets up.

" I'm going to get myself a treat from the convenience store. Be right back." 

" Huh?" Both younger sibings look at the older with hopeful eyes.

" When I come back I'd better see the two of you still balancing those books." He eyes them carefully, " Don't try to act slick and place it down only to place it back as soon as I enter the room again. I can catch the two of you lying, easily."

"..." Immediately, that hopeful gaze was decimated. It wasn't a bluff, Aqua can easily see through easy lies such as this, I mean how could he not? He's had these two by his side for practically his entire life now. And they knew it too.

" But...."

But...? Beryl and Ruby wore quizzical expressions.

" If you really do want to get out of this punishment. Then....I'll only let one person between the two of you to do so." Aqua holds up a finger. " The two of you will have to discuss this with the other, because one person will have to hold both of your weights and endure the 30 minutes while the other is free to go."

" R-Really?!" Ruby perks up, immediately glancing at Beryl, but upon meeting his gaze of rejection she immediately silences.

" Not happening." He blankly tells her.

" Tch!"

But Aqua clears his throat, returning their attention to him. It seems he had more to say.

" However, even if you do agree on something. There's still an extra catch to it." Aqua continues, " When I come back, I'll ask the person holding both of your book stacks this question; Did you agree to do this or did they force you to."

" If the person holding the stacks answers the latter, then the ' free ' person will undergo punishment." Aqua said.

" Huh?" Ruby scrunches her eyebrows at this as sweat pooled on her face, " B-But that would mean that one of us could betray the other at any time! And god knows Beryl would betray me in a heartbeat!"

" Heh." Beryl chuckles, proving her point.

" Well then," Aqua grins. " I suppose the two of you could take this as a practice of trust. And developing your relationship with the other to be less violent and more ' wholesome '. Either you try to discuss about trust, or you both endure these 30 minutes." He shrugs, " In the end, it's all up to you two."

" Good luck. I'll be back soon." 

~~~~~~~~~

While the average person accustomed to Ruby and Beryl would quickly assume that their verbal assault against the other would clash as soon as Aqua left the room, suprisingly enough, silence was what rested in the hallway. It felt almost eerie, things may be quiet, but it was far from anything calm. There was hidden tension dense enough to cut with a knife between them.

Beryl was used to being a silent person. It was part of his whole shtick, and it remained prevalent throughout his elementary and middle school years too, so being silent was normal behaviour for someone of his history. 

However....

He glances at his quiet sister. He couldn't exactly say the same for her.

Ruby is not a quiet person by nature, in fact, staying quiet actively goes against her nature. The nature of an extroverted person such as herself, to freely express whatever she's feeling at the moment, a longing itch to do something instead of doing nothing, and a depressing attitude when she doesn't get to do the things she wants to do. It's not that she's incapable of maintaining silence, she simply does it when needed to.....but when it's not needed to, she goes off.

From the point of view of someone who understands her character, the typical actions Ruby would resort to in a situation like this would be to yell his ear off till' he becomes clinically deaf. But so far, she hasn't once said a word, nor looked in his way. But judging by the twitching of her eyes, and the biting of her lip, she was clearly containing something raw inside and refusing to let it go out. In other words, for whatever reason, this silence was definitely killing her.

So he provides her an opening.

" You're not going to bargain with me for your freedom?" 

Her shoulders shook in suprise, glancing at him with distrustful eyes before promptly averting them with a loud huff. 

" You're either going to reject me immediately, or lead me on with betrayal. I lose either way." She muttered.

" You don't know that." He eggs her on, " It's within natural order that any man or woman can be persuaded with something, so long as the proposal appeals to them."

" If you can convince me, then surely, I might just--"

" Nope. Nah-dah. Not hearing you right now. Bloop. Not a sound. Brrtfffllppp." She childishly blows through her lips, mocking him.

Beryl sighs. 

.........

" You do realize we're here because of you, right? You can't deny it." He said.

"....." Ruby stays silent. 

Beryl's gaze went from her face to her arm, it was currently shaking, looking like it's barely able to hold up.

"....Does it really hurt?" He asked in a suprisingly gentle tone.

" Would you care?" Ruby grumbled.

" Of course I would," He answers. " If it really does hurt then just hand over your stack to me. I'll hold it for the both of us--"

" Nope, you're going to trick me." She says, immediately shaking her head before eyeing him with suspicion. " Don't think I'll fall prey to your mind games, I know you just as much as you know me!"

Before he could counter her statement, she brazenly continues.

" I've developed a pseudo-spidey sense that alarms me whenever you're going to pull something nasty on me." She narrowed her eyes, seemingly smug with herself. " You can't fool me, Beryl~"

" No need to. You're pretty much already fooling yourself," Beryl rolls his eyes. " Don't be stubborn. Just hand it to me." He insists.

" No!" She refuses, " I don't trust you, and besides Miyako-san says this is endurance training. So it's beneficial to me anyway."

Or so she says, but her arm continued to seemingly twitch in pain. Beryl couldn't take his eyes off it, it was bound to shut down completely in a little while and doing this was just going to stall its recovery and have it unnecessarily ache even more. Perhaps deep down he did feel just a tiny bit of remorse for being the cause of that pain...

......

A turn of heel and approaching footsteps snaps the reverie.

" Wha-- Beryl, what are you--?"

Confusion sprayed across her face as he stepped back into place without another word.

......

There he stood, back to posture, with equal stacks of books resting on his palms as he spreads his arms horizontal, but the stacks on his palms seemingly increased with an extra 3 added to each.

"...."

And none on Ruby.

" Why did you..." Slowly her arms droop down to her sides as she stares at him. His eyes were closed, as if he were trying to concentrate himself solely on endurance. 

" Your arm hurts because of me, right?" He spoke, " Take a seat and rest. You're only going to render your arms immobile if you strain them so much when it's clearly aching."

She steps in front of him with her hands on her hips as she cranes her head upwards to meet his eyes, snapping her fingers in front of him in order to ' wake him up '. The bone-grinding sound quickly snapped his eyes open to gaze down at her, confused.

Don't tell me she really thinks I'd still betray her...

" Just so you know, I won't betray you. I mean it this time." He assures her, but she was not deterred.

" What about you?" She asked, her brows furrow in worry. Her glances directed at the stacks of books on his palms.

Huh, so it's not about that?

" This is nothing." He's been through plenty worse, after all.

" Still it's..." She looked guilty now. Beryl couldn't understand why. The Ruby he knows is kind, for sure, but when it's at his expense a silly little thing like this would get her jumping in happiness like a spoiled little girl.

" What's wrong?" He decides to ask her.

But not without a quip into the mix. " I find it odd to find you so distraught when I'm the one shouldering the weight here, especially when you caused the mess in the first place--" 

" I was mad, okay?"

Beryl stopped mid-sentence, Ruby looked impatient and a little nervous after admitting that.

"...What were you mad about? If it's the directing, then I'm sorry for not telling you. But it was just a spontaneous act, it wasn't originally my plan to--"

" That's...." She sighs. " That's not...what I mean."

" Whenever there's a chance to praise you....you always redirect it to something else." She starts, " This was something I took notice since elementary all the way till now. Every time you do something amazing, or whenever you try to help someone, you always pin the source to either me or Aqua."

" I don't like getting too much attention. I thought you already knew that, Ruby."

" Of course I know that, but that's not the root of the issue here!" She points at him. " You never allow anyone to praise you!"

"...."

Beryl, with all his brain power he could muster, tried to understand where Ruby was trying to go with this. The ' root of the issue '? He sees no root, and he fails to register this as a serious issue besides framing his actions to either of his siblings, but she made it clear that that's not the reason why she's so agitated.

Sensing that Beryl wasn't getting it, Ruby decides to make it clear.

" Beryl, I want to be proud of you." She said, sincerely. " But you never allow me to."

" Like just a while ago, when you denied having any involvement with tonight's latest episode. But then the credits show that you did do the directing, you tried to run away." She frowns. " You keep trying to avoid being praise like it was some virus. Whenever there's a reason to be proud of you, you always somehow snap those reasons away with a comment or two."

" It's necessary so that I don't attract more attention from other people. You have to understand--"

" There's nothing wrong with that. But don't you think it's alright if you admit to it when you're at home?"

"...."

" I get that you don't want attention, I really do. And it's your business but..." She clenches her fists. " Whenever you speak about helping me out with my dreams, or giving me advice, or talking about how you're my number one supporter. It makes me feel guilty knowing that I've....never done the same for you."

" It makes me doubt a few things....what if you're just saying all this because of our promise? It makes me think that the promise we made is holding you back, like....what if the reason you don't find it in yourself to look for dreams is because mine is just easier for you to get to? "

She looks down, nipping on her lip as the thoughts raced further. " I'm afraid...of being the person holding you back....I....I want you to be happy too....to find your own dream to follow...to do the things you're good at, freely, and receive praise for it..."

" If I really am holding you back then--"

" You're not."

"....." She smiles, pitifully. " You're just saying that to make me feel better."

" I'm not." His tone was soft. " So get those thoughts out of your head."

" But--!" When she looked up at him, she lost the words to continue. His eyes were focused on her, with an intensity that instantly threw away everything else she was going to say. He always had this look of certainty, a confidence she sometimes wish she had for herself, it assured everyone he came across with this look in his eyes, her included.

" Ruby, it is true that I don't possess dreams like you do. But that's not the result from our promise, it's something....I have a problem in myself." He can't tell her the mission. " So for the time being, share your dream with me. Allow me to support you as much as I can, and make that my dream."

" Remember? I told you, if I don't have dreams for myself by the time we get older, that I'd be your secretary." Beryl thinks back on it himself, before managing a small smile. " Right....and I remember saying that it didn't sound too bad of an idea."

" But still....are you really sure?" She was worried.

Beryl doesn't like it when she gets worried.

He'll do anything to quell her worries away.

Even if it means reinforcing his promise with her again.

" It's a promise, remember?" He said to her.

She sighs, a lot calmer now. Looks like his reassurance was successful, but she still wore that downcast expressions. Seems like he was yet to address the issue she had with all of this in the first place, better now than never, he guesses.

" As for the praise thing....well, I wasn't entirely honest." 

" Huh? "

Whenever he was praised, he was only reminded of the past. The words he hears every day coming out from the instructor's mouth, or from that man. Words that never really held meaning, so he always disregarded it as nothing but useless white noise.

And it carried over to this life too....except...

Something had changed. A certain person praised him, and it was genuine, it held meaning. For the first time ever, he felt something when he made her proud.

I guess...I subconsciously restricted that to you alone, huh, mom? He thinks.

" I never really cared much for praise in the first place, when it wasn't about receiving attention. It was just about me avoiding a meaningless concept, I find it empty receiving most praises, so I always redirect it to somewhere else. I know I can just accept it, but then they create expectations out of me. Something I don't really like either. Do you get me?"

It was his truth, the truth derived from his past experiences from the white room.

" Ah..." Ruby slowly nods in understanding, her eyes lighting up again after receiving an honest answer out of him.

" But that doesn't mean I can't praise you, right?" She asked. " Beryl, it's only fair that you let me become your number one supporter too, you know?" She pouts.

He eyed her expression, and he sensed determination from her gaze. She wasn't going to drop this anytime soon, really, he saw no point in agreeing to something like this nor does he see much point in her having to praise him. After all, the truth was that she was going to grow above him, shine more than he could. That was the plan, wasn't it?

But she's just.....unbearably honest.

Fine....if it makes her happy then...

"....." He sighs.

His eyes began to look at anywhere besides her, his tone shifting in a way Ruby would never expect.

" If...that's what you want....then....you can." 

She gasped.

" Wait...Beryl, don't tell me...."

"...."

" Ah~ I see~" 

A smug smile begins to decorate her face. She places a palm against her cheek as she looked at him, teasingly.

" You were just too shy to receive praises from your sister this entire time!"

" You're delusional."

" I can't believe it--!"

" No, seriously you shouldn't."

" --All this time, my baby brother was really just too shy to accept praises from his beautiful older sister, fufu~!"

" Ruby, I swear to--"

" Hahaha! Admit it, Beryl!" She points at him, confidently, the joyful youth she typically possessed finally returning to her. A far cry from the Ruby of five minutes ago. " You were shy this entire time, weren't you?!"

" You make it hard for me to fight against to urge to just throw you out of the window."

" Haha, he's shy~ Uuu, my shy little brother~ Shy~ Shy~ Shy~" After plunging the knife of shame deep into his skin, she twists the blade by constantly poking his sides with each repeat of the word ' Shy '.

Beryl seriously wanted to put her in her place.

But deep down, he was content with this.

He found this look of happiness better suited for her than that sad expression from before.

" Hehehe~ So Shy~~~"

"...."

But still, oh how he wishes to drop these books on her and squash her like a bug--

" I'm back."

Aqua walks into the room with a plastic bag full of snacks. His gaze immediately switches from Ruby and Beryl, and his lips remained a thin line as an aura radiated off of him. 

Ah.... An idea lights up in Beryl's head.

Ruby's teasing expression immediately morphs into one of horror, Aqua's presence, and Beryl's lit up eyes told her everything she needed to know.

She became the free one.

" So, it's Beryl carrying the weight, huh..." Aqua sends a pointed glance to Ruby, to which she nervously gulped at his stare, before approaching his little brother.

" So....did she force you, or did she not." His eyes were cold as he stared Beryl down, ready to pass judgement depending on Beryl's choice of response. The little brother smirks.

I shouldn't have trusted you, dammit! Why did I let him do that! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid--! Ruby was pulling her hair when she sensed the evil aura coming from Beryl. She shouldn't have let the devil sweep her off her feet like that! She was a fool!

" Well..."

I'm going to die, oh god I'm going to die--!

" She--"

I hate you so much Beryl, I'm going to haunt you after my death you cheating scum!

" Didn't."

I'll make sure you never have a peaceful night's rest you undeserving little brat hell spawn of a brother-- wait, what?

" Eh...?" 

" Really?" Aqua narrows his eyes in scrutiny.

" Mhm, I took it on myself. After all, her arm was hurting and that fault goes to me." Beryl answered. 

" Is that right..." Aqua hummed suspiciously before turning to Ruby. " Looks like you're safe."

" Phew..." Ruby sighs in relief.

" Well, 30 minutes have already passed. You can put down the books now." Aqua said to Beryl.

" Oh? I see." Beryl drops them on the table immediately.

" I bought snacks for the three of us, so just get some." Aqua gestures to the bag.

" Ooo! Potato chips!" Ruby immediately snatches.

" I see." Beryl nods before walking to the bag.....or...not?

" I'll take the snacks, but after...." His glare locks onto Ruby. " I take out the trash."

Ruby had already stuffed her mouth full of chips, she felt a chill run up her spine as Beryl approaches her menacingly, with her cheeks expanded like a chipmunk she began to make noises in panic.

" W-Wait--?!"

Beryl picks her up over his shoulder and begins approaching the window.

" Waiiiitttt!!!!!!!!!" She begged, immediately regretting teasing him earlier, but Beryl's will wasn't swayed by her newfound sense of remorse.

......

Aqua facepalms.

" Guess they didn't learn a thing..." He sighs.

~~~~~~~~~

With the acting gig all over and done with, Beryl had no other choice besides going to work. Tamako greeted him at the door, all excited, and even attempted kissing his cheek to show him how much she's missed her little cafe mascot-- but Beryl didn't hesitate to push her face out of the way, much to her disappointment. Tako and Hayate greeted him too, but Beryl could sense the malicious intentions they have for him which was telling enough that they probably knew about his involvement with the show, somehow.

But other than that?

He was ordered to clean the tables as a start.

.........

" Well, well, well...." 

A face gets in the way of Beryl's cleaning.

" If it isn't the ' special assistant director ', Hoshino Beryl..." A face that belonged to Hayate's.

"..."

Beryl sprays water on it and immediately wipes it with a rag.

" Argh! What the hell?!" Hayate flew back, immediately caressing his face and searching for a clean towel to wipe it off.

" Sorry, your face seemed dirty with all that acne building up. Though it'd help." Beryl shrugs.

" Ha ha ha. Very funny, you dipshi--"

" Anyway!" Tako shoves Hayate to the side and begins batting her lashes in Beryl's direction. " Did you really do the filming for that episode?"

" I didn't know you watched cheesy stuff like that, Tako-senpai." Beryl tries to change the topic.

" I would never watch that crap, but that episode was trending on tiktok. See?" Pulling out her phone and proving her words to be true, as multiple videos were made depicting everyone's delighted reaction to the final episode of Sweet Today.

Beryl looks at the mini-screen and notices that it indeed was trending. With over 125k views, 67.1k likes, and 5k comments. He was suprised this many people found the scene that amazing. Curious as to why, he presses the comment section and reads a little bit of what everyone is thinking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anonymous:

- It can't just be me who thinks that the stalker is lowkey kinda cute right? 👉👈

( View more replies [ 30 ] )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow....what a great start, Beryl cringes for his brother before scrolling down to see more ' acceptable ' reviews.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anonymous:

- To think they pulled out this type of acting for the final episode.... it got me speechless ngl.

( View more replies [ 10 ] )

Anonymous:

- I was a bit disappointed about how Arima portrayed the female lead during the other episodes, but she really nailed it this final episode!

( View more replies [ 15 ] )

Anonymous:

- My bones were shook when I saw the male lead actually ' acting ' for once, it felt like it came straight from the panel! Great episode! ( But the series as a whole is.....mid )

( View more replies [ 7 ] )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were definitely positive, but there are a few bad comments scattered here and there. And most of them are collectively agreeing that the final episode was definitely a higher level of production they never would've expected from this mediocre adaptation, still though, it doesn't save the previous impressions they have of the adaptation series as a whole. Ranking it as bottom-tier.

Beryl was just about to hand the phone back to Tako, until he spotted a peculiar comment amongst the rest, one that had just appeared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Frill_ShiraNu1~

- The camera work is outstanding. My best regards to the one responsible. [ ❤. 250k.... ]

( View more replies ( 1.5k ) ]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" E-Eh? No way!" Tako stared at the comment with wide eyes. " S-Shiranui Frill just commented!"

" Who?" Both Hayate and Beryl asked. The both of them clueless as to who that is.

Hayate was not well-versed in film or TV media since he was always touching grass or spends the rest of his free time grinding on his favorite game.

Beryl knew what was necessary about the entertainment industry, little tips and tricks that could help Ruby skyrocket through the charts once she finally has an official group. But special persons like celebrities or other popular stars were superfluous information to him, thus he disregards their existence completely until brought up. Usually by Ruby. And some tidbits are supplied to him thanks to Aqua's knowledge as well. Overall though, he doesn't hold much interest in that sort of field.

" Shiranui Frill, the multi-talented performer that can sing, dance, and act! Everyone knows her, so how can you two be so dense?!"

" Aw c'mon, Tako Bell. You already know I'm not big on that type of stuff," Hayate releases a bored sigh.

" Never heard of her." Beryl says in an honest tone.

" My gods, you two live under a rock, I swear..." Tako sighs, exasperatedly. She puts away her phone and opts for a change of topic, lest this gets any more deserted.

" Anyways, that dead topic aside..." Tako smirks. " Who knew you could film with such skill, Beryl~"

" I only did what Aqua told me to do." Beryl doesn't even look at her, continuing to wipe the table. " He convinced the director to let his little brother do the shooting for that scene, and he agreed."

" Well, the show was already crappy enough from the reviews....can't blame the guy for choosing to be experimental with the last one..." Hayate comments.

" Hey!" She slams her hand on the table, catching Beryl's attention. " Don't try to hide behind big brother now, I can tell that you're using him as an excuse."

" You're actually a lot more skilled than one would've thought, Beryl!"

"...."

" And with such skill, maybe you could use that as leverage to hook up with Mrs. Mysterious who enters the cafe~" Tako winks suggestively, giving his arm a little nudge nudge.

" Mrs. who?" Beryl looks at her as if she were an asylum patient.

" She's talking about that milf you've been trying to rizz up lately." Hayate blatantly puts it.

Milf? What in the world is a milf? Beryl thinks, confused by these terms. He tries to recall every single term he encountered on the internet, but he hasn't seem to have stumbled upon anything milf-related. He quickly deduces that it must be one of those ' degenerate ' things that his peers back in middle school discussed about.

And when they used the word ' milf ', it was typically used to describe...

An older woman...?

" Are you referring to Tamako-san as a Milf?" Beryl questioned.

" Huh? Wait what, no! Of course not! You're not getting it--!"

" That's quite the derogatory term to refer your boss as, Hayate-kun~"

" Eeghk--!"

Hayate immediately freezes, his pupils disappearing, as his soul slowly leaves his body.

Tako laughs in amusement.

While Beryl stares at him in confusion.

Was I wrong? He asked himself.

~~~~~~~~~

" You're back."

It was later in the afternoon, a typical event would happen at this time. A certain interaction that Beryl somehow finds himself intrigued with. He was met with shades once more, an accompanying smile that graced what little features she allowed to show as she took a piece of her blueberry cheesecake.

" I saw the episode, by the way." She started.

" I didn't take you as someone who would be into dramas." Beryl responds, and she laughs.

" Well, no, I'm really not into them-- buttt, you see, one of the co-workers I'm close with is really into them. She would constantly force me to watch Sweet Today with her, just so she could rant about how dogshit it is and then make comparisons with her top 5." Yuki sighed, tiringly. " Honestly, she can be a handful with it."

" She sounds like trouble." Beryl muses, " For someone that possesses social anxiety, she sounds like hell too."

" Oh, definitely." Yuki nods her head. " But overtime, she and I got closer. And besides, as an adult, you've gotta be involved in companionship one way or another. Humans work best together, instead of alone."

" I agree with that." 

Engaging in conversation with her feels like a tug of war, she's rapidly draining each of my attacks, and remaining passive about it. Beryl thinks. She's been on his mind from time to time since the last they'd interacted. Like a ghost riding on his shoulder.

Each lie she spills from her mouth is well-perfectly timed, and woven into her story. Any person would be fooled and believe her words to be the truth, but not Beryl. He's certain that she is no harm to his family, but then that doesn't leave him with any answers, the question is still there. It just becomes more complicated then, why does her presence attract him? Why does it evoke suspicion from him. Until that question has been answered, he plans to know more about her. But he has to give where credit is due, and admit that she employs a well-performed act to conceal whatever info that could give him leeway about her.

And deep down, he can't help but muse...

That having a conversation with her felt oddly stimulating to his senses...

Like old friends, who've finally reunited. But that would be a ridiculous thought to have, no?

" I noticed your name was credited at the ending, and it made me curious, so I decided to watch the last episodes a lot more carefully and came to a conclusion; would you hear me out?" She said, clasping her hands.

" Go ahead." He says.

" At first, I attributed the finale's suprisingly well-produced act to your brother's and the actress, Arima-san. But then upon delving deeper into it, I realized.... that it wasn't their contributions alone that made the episode shine the way it did." She takes another piece of cheesecake into her mouth. " But a closer look at how the scene was filmed was the key into making it better than it is."

" With skills like that, you can refine it further by going to a school like..." She hums in thinking motion before the idea hits her. " Like Yoto high!"

" I already applied to that school, actually." 

" Really? Did you get accepted?"

" Well, the email should arrive within a few days....but I'm quite confident I will." Beryl shrugs.

Yuki smiles. " It'd be a shame if you weren't accepted, you could learn a great deal from the performing arts department there--"

" I'm taking general education." He clarifies.

" What? Why?" Yuki tilts her head, confused at his choice.

" Not really interested in anything related to performing arts." Beryl sighs, " I only did the filming because my brother believed I could match what he envisioned, and I only joined Yoto because my siblings were going there...."

" Why not do the things you want to do?" She asked the question many people asked him over and over. " Surely, you must have dreams yourself, right?"

" Nah, just following my siblings around is good enough." Beryl rests his cheek on his palm as he continues, " I don't really have personal plans anyhow."

" Mm, that's not good." She smiles. " You're wasting away your years, kid."

Yuki feeds herself another piece before speaking more.

" You know, I once knew someone with a similar outlook on life similar to you." She opens up, catching Beryl's curiosity. Smiling on the sudden memory, she elaborates. " He was so closed off as an individual, he had no dreams, only because he was never allowed to. Till' that eventually morphed into him developing no motivation to look for dreams himself."

" It was like.....he was trapped in a small world he believed was ' good enough '. He was content with doing the things others told him to, he never attempted the risk of exploration, nor did he really want to."

" Really? And what happened to him?" Beryl asked.

Yuki's smile switches, before slowly fading into a thin line.

"....He died, without living a full life."

"...."

" He let others dictate his life for him, and when we separated, I tried desperately to look for him. Only to find out that after all this time, it looked like his seconds were up."

Beryl could feel the melancholy from her tone. 

" I wanted to see him again, to show him what he's been missing out on. We could've traveled to many places together, we could've been...." She pauses for a moment, as if she realized something awkward just now. Her tone shifts back to her cordial one, she began to apologize.

" Sorry, I spoke too much. But the point I'm trying to make here is that you should try to find a purpose in life that affects you. Maybe you are content with just following your siblings, I wouldn't know, and I won't ask why. It's your business but.... life is limited. Freedom is not infinite. As you age you'll slowly lose your grip on the horse, so it's best to have experienced everything you can before you'll have to hop off that horse and start balding."

" I strangely feel motivated now after you introduced the unknown fear that is ' balding '."

" Pfft, it's not a joke, you know~?"

Whoever the person Yuki described just now. Must've been someone important, someone she held dear. Beryl understood her message clear and well, it was wise, he thinks. But he could never tell her or anyone about the situation he's gotten himself in, that instead of dreams to carry they were promises. 

" I'll keep your word in mind." He says.

" You better." Yuki laughs.

............

" Anyway, it's quite a shame but...." Yuki had finished her coffee drink. " I won't be able to get the chance to visit this cafe anymore."

Beryl's eyes widened in suprise. A strange feeling of disappointment surges in him.

" Do you remember the story I wanted to put out? It's approaching its final stages. And I have to dedicate all of my time to it now so that I can finally publish it." She explained.

" I see...yeah, we talked about that. I hope it goes well." He replied. 

" It will, I'm quite confident you'll see it on TV as well." She suddenly said, which immediately attracted Beryl's linger suspicion.

" Right..." But Beryl chose to not think much of it this time. " A story that will stun millions, I'll be waiting for it."

" But will I see you again sometime?" He asked her.

"....I'm not sure." She honestly answered before smiling teasingly. " Oh? Don't tell me you're smitten with me now."

" With you? Never. I'd rather start balding than ever feel attracted to a creepy adult like you." He blandly replies, earning Yuki's laughter.

That laugh.....so strangely familiar, he tucks that thought into the deepest parts of his mind.

" In any case, I'm guessing this is farewell?" He asked.

She nods. " Indeed. We've known each other for so little, but it was quite pleasant getting to know you, Beryl."

" Likewise, Sagami-san."

She offers her hand for a shake.

" Farewell, and I hope that in the near future. You'll choose to have dreams for yourself."

He accepts it, gripping her suprisingly rough hand and shaking it.

" Your hands are quite manly." He comments.

She tightens the grip in response, causing Beryl to widen his eyes from her suprising strength, so much that he immediately taps out.

" Ouch......but same to you...I hope you succeed." He grimaces, and she smiles.

.

.

.

" So~...?"

"...?"

" Did anything interesting happen, Beryl~?"

" Please wipe that grin off your face."

" Something did happen then!"

Tako immediately questioned him as soon as he returned behind the counter after Yuki had left. He was perplexed as to what she was possibly insinuating, but he doesn't want to ask. Knowing her, it's likely something outrageous.

" She's not gonna let up unless you answer her, you know that right." Hayate whispers.

" Painfully so." Beryl mutters.

" Beryl, c'mon! I'll treat you to dessert if you tell me what's going on between you two~ " She persists.

" Just entertain her, man." Hayate nudges.

" With what? Seriously, nothing happened--" Beryl was about to say until he feels Tamako's presence entering their zone.

" Hey, it's closing time. What're you three still doing here?" The 36 year old woman asked.

" Beryl has a crush on your friend, Tamako-san!" Tako quickly tattles.

" Huh? My friend? Wait...." Tamako's jaw slackens. " Beryl, you told me you weren't..."

" I'm not." Beryl deadpans. " Tako-senpai just needs to be taken to a mental institution. Asap."

" Phew, well...I'll take your word for it. I was going to pity you since this will likely be the last time she'll visit for quite a while."

Tako freezes at that.

" Yeah, she said so during our conversation too." Beryl nods.

She said what?! Tako turned to him in shock.

" Aww, poor you, looks like you were fated  to be rejected by your first love, fufu~" Tamako teases.

" I had no such thing." Beryl was incredibly tempted to throw a pastry at her face.

" W-Wait, Beryl...is that really true?" Tako frowns.

" Yeah."

" You're not sad about it or anything? Surely you must've felt something!"

" Why are you so nosy about this?" Beryl asks, " Don't tell me...." He narrows his eyes in disgust, pointing at her accusingly.

" You suspected that a cheesy lovey-dovey romance would bloom between us...?"

" WOULD IT BE WRONG IF I DID?!" Tako cried back.

" Pfft! You're hoping too much, Tako-chan!" Tamako laughed heartily, amused by the situation. " I'll age 90 before I can imagine Beryl of all people getting into a relationship, you know? He doesn't have the charm of a gentleman!"

" Coming from the old lady, huh." Beryl comments, sending a piercing strike to Tamako's pride.

" W-Why you..." She falls to the floor in a defeated tone. 

" That's a shame dude. Ah, by the way, even got to take a good look at her while you were away filming." Hayate grins. " You really missed out."

" She was super pretty....." Tako sighs in bliss. " Gosh, I wish I took the chance to ask what type of skincare she used!"

Skincare, huh. Beryl nearly chuckled at that. if only they knew the feeling of her rough hand.

" I could've taken a picture but that would be weird." Hayate said.

" Do you wanna know what she looked like, Beryl? You've gotta be curious at least!" Tako says, trying her utmost to revive the topic of love.

Beryl shakes his head. " Nah. No need."

" Aw c'mon!" She falls to the ground too, lying next to Tamako in defeat.

Hayate snorts in amusement. Serves the both of them right when they try to bargain with Beryl, he thinks.

" It's gonna be weird not seeing her around in the afternoon, though." Hayate mused. " She's become a regular, after all."

" Yeah."

" Will you miss her?" He turned to Beryl. " I'm not tryna' pressure you for answers or anything like that. But you did seem to enjoy talking to her at least, right?"

Beryl pauses.

 " Miss her?" He repeated. Taking a moment to think about it....

.......

Looking off to the booth she usually sits in, he hummed to himself in affirmation. Deciding to spare his co-workers a few crumbs.

" I supposed it'd be a lie to say I wouldn't....."

~~~~~~~~

.

.

.

~~~~~~~~~

.

.

.

" Seeing everyone gathered here reminds me of just how many people were involved in the project..." Aqua remarked.

" Yeah," Kana, who was next to him, nodded in agreement. " A lot of people's jobs are riding on our performance."

" It's imperative we produce results and refrain from getting involved in scandals." She sighs, before discreetly shooting Aqua a curious look. " On that note, do you have a girlfriend or anything?"

" Nope. So no scandals or any dirt on me." He answered, quickly.

Kana hums. " That so...?"

For some reason, Kana felt happy about that news. 

" Thanks for your hard work filming the show!"

Kana snaps out of her trance as her head registers that tone. Immediately turning around, she gasps in suprise upon seeing the author of Sweet Today congratulating her. Aqua turns his gaze to their interaction.

" S-Sensei!"

She couldn't figure out what to say to her. Kana clasped her hands, her nerves blaring at an all time high, as she tries to set everything aside to ask the one question she needed an answer from. That despite the show's bad adaptation, did the final episode at least get a passing mark? But as it rests on the tip of her tongue, ready to fire, she remembers the look on the author's face during the set filming of episode 1. Kana wonders if...she really had any gall to fire a question like that...

But noticing Kana's tensing expression, the author smiles kindly.

" In my opinion, it was your performance that carried the show, Arima-san."

Kana's eyes widened in suprise when she noticed the author's bowing head.

" Thank you." She spoke with sincerity.

" U-Um....you're..." Small tears began to prick up from the corner of her eyes, Kana quickly tries to wipe it away, the author's expression was soft as she witnessed Kana's own sincerity towards her work. 

" Especially in the final episode....I only wish it'd been like that from earlier in the production." The author expressed.

Kana lets out a small apologetic chuckle at that.

........

Looks like it paid off, Arima....

Aqua was glad to see the girl a lot more lively now that she put up a great performance at the finale. Though, that goes without saying, that it was only made possible due to his and Beryl's efforts to make her shine as much as she could, that's the way it should've been from the start.

" Hello there, Aqua. That last episode was well-received."

A voice shook him out of his thoughts, he immediately turns his head to the approaching figure of Kaburagi Masaya.

" Thank you." Aqua bows.

Kaburagi Masaya....

He raises his head again.

Was not their father.

" Things were tough from an earnings standpoint, but the goal was to give talents like yourself an opportunity." The older man goes on.

After properly testing the cigarette remains, it's been confirmed that this man was of no relation to him at all. At least, not by blood. And a part of Aqua felt somewhat relieved, but that only means the search still continues.

" Hm? Where was that young man who brazenly took it upon himself to direct that particular scene..." Kaburagi asked, looking around the room before looking back at Aqua. " Your younger brother, Goldenberyl, was it?"

" Ah, well, he couldn't attend. Please excuse him for his absence." Aqua says.

" Really now? That's a shame, I wanted to personally extend my congrats to him as well. To pull off a scene the way he did.... that was quite a talent." Kaburagi remarks before eyeing Aqua carefully. " And I've heard that it was his first time actually filming a scene like that...?"

" Yes, sir." Aqua said. 

" What are the odds, huh..." Kaburagi mused before taking a sip of his glass of champagne. " You and him are with Strawberry Productions, I recall."

Aqua nods.

" Hm, you two possessed features quite similar to Ai-kun." He remarked.

An alarm goes off in Aqua's being.

" Ah...you think so?"  But he chooses to play it cool. Don't give him a sign whatsoever about the truth.

" Yeah." Kaburagi smiles. " After all, I often saw her up close."

"..."

......

" ' Up close ', you say? "

" If you don't mind me asking, what kind of relationship did you have with Ai?"

.......

" We worked together when I was acting as an intermediary for fashion magazine models."

" After that, on top of sending jobs her way, I looked after her in other ways as well."

Kaburagi lists down those things with his fingers as he talked. " I introduced her to quality clients, recommended good restaurants and such when she was meeting up with a guy unbeknownst to her agency, and so on."

" ! " Aqua's breath hitched. The guy she was meeting up with....it has to be...!

" Do you know whom she was meeting?" He asked the question, a little too quickly might I add. It definitely caught Kaburagi's attention.

" Hm? " The man raised a brow. " Are you perhaps a fan of Ai-kun? You're interested in gossip even after her passing?" He asked.

" I am." Aqua answers. 

" Oh, I see..."

He hums for a moment, perhaps he could the boy's curiosity to his advantage for his latest production in the works...

" Very well," Kaburagi grins. " However, in exchange for the sweet info, you'll have to do something for me."

" You have a beautiful face that's reminding of Ai-kun's...."

He points to him with a proposition.

" So join my reality dating show."

" Ah, and as for your brother...

I would like him to join as well."

~~~~~~~~~

" That's so not happening." Beryl said in repulse.

Aqua sighs, grazing his palms against his face. " Yeah, figured you'd say that."

Beryl crosses his arms. " Don't tell me you're going to try and convince me, brother."

Aqua stares at him. " I'm going to try and convince you."

" No."

" Yes."

" No."

" Please?"

" No. And that's final."

" It won't be that bad I swear,"

" Can you?"

"...Well, no, I can't be entirely sure but--"

" All the more reason to say no."

" Beryl, you're just going to be doing some work with the camera men. You'll be behind the scenes and not in front of the screen, unless called upon." 

" Look, I thought we agreed that what happened back at ' Sweet Today ' was just a one-time thing, for Arima-senpai's sake."

" Yes, but Kaburagi was super impressed with your work that he wants to give you another opportunity to--"

" I politely reject."

Aqua sighs, exasperatedly. He went home, fully knowing that convincing Beryl was not going to be an easy feat. He was as stubborn as Ruby is with her idol dream, but he supposes that it can extend to himself as well. Stubbornness runs in the family.

" I'm not going, even if you try to persuade me with the possibility of clues being there." Beryl takes away Aqua's weapon before he could use it.

" Let's search for a compromise then," Aqua switches things up. " How about this; Since the estimate show's run should last about 8 weeks. Why don't you try alternating your visitations? Come with me during the first week, rest for the second, come with me for the third, and so on  so forth."

" That's still 5 weeks worth of wasting my time." Beryl shoots back.

" Look, this is the last favor I'm asking of you, I swear. Kaburagi is really interested in us being there, so--"

" Tell the old man I don't swing that way."

" Good one. But don't distract me." Aqua sighs at his little brother. " At least....consider it. I'll even treat you on the weeks that you do choose to come."

"...."

" At least take this offer with careful consideration. That's all I'm asking for, Beryl."

"....Fine."

~~~~~~~~

It was late at night, and Beryl couldn't sleep. His mind was wandering all over the place, and so were his feet as he paced back and forth outside his house. His thoughts were split between the farewell with Sagami, and the bombshell dropped by Aqua. Both of which he contemplated with serious thought.

That's not to mention the fact that the first day of school officially begins next week....

" Man, I'm hungry." He mumbles, combing his fingers through his long golden hair. All this thinking ended up with starvation. How amusing.

He looks up to the night sky, watching as the moon illuminates its nightly glow on the neighbourhood. He seriously wanted to avoid having to join the dating show as much as possible, he thought he could easily refuse but for some odd reason Aqua was adamant on having him be present there.

Why though? That was the question his older brother didn't answer.

Kaburagi should be satisfied enough that Aqua was guaranteed to join. Really, his role is a lot more important than Beryl's. Does he have to come up with something that could act as reason for Aqua to have him there? Well, to be quite frank, Beryl has an idea as to why. But it still won't make up for the waste of his time having to be there.

Man, he really was hungry.

" Hungry?" A voice calls out to him, before he suddenly felt a chip bag poking his arm.

"...." He sends a glance her way, she who stood beside him with a sleepy look in her eyes.

" Thank you." He accepts it without another thought and rips it open, smelling the sweet scent of junk food before eating a piece.

"  Aren't you sleepy, Ruby?" He questioned his chip provider.

" Yeah..." She sighs. " But the thought of school finally happening next week is keeping me awake."

" I see." He figured.

" How do you feel about it?" Ruby asked him.

" Nothing much. Same as always, like all the other ' first days of school ' we've had."

" Hehe, that does sound very like you."

The two of them stare at the night sky.

" I'm....so excited. But also a bit nervous. It all feels..... a bit jumbled up inside, you get me?" She releases a deep sigh.

" It's normal. That's how you usually feel, no?"

" Yeah but...I feel that this time, it's a bit different." Her eyes soften at the moon's glow. " I'm joining a high school of my dreams here. I can train being an idol there, learning the knows and hows of entertainment there. So that one day I can shine as bright as mama."

...............

" She would be proud of you--"

" I wish mama was here...."

"....."

He stopped chewing, slowly swallowing it down.

" Yeah..." He sighs. " Same here."

" If mama knew of your potential, she would've reprimanded you about why you chose general education." Ruby giggles, switching the mood to a lighter one.

" Would she? I think we remember different moms, Ruby. " Beryl smiles in amusement.

" I think that's just you." She winks, before her face turns solemn again, her gaze departing from the moon and towards the brightest star. " At any rate, I hope you're watching us carefully, Mama." She says to the sky.

"...." Beryl says nothing, he's already spoken enough to the sky for the past decade after all. As ridiculous as that sounds.

...........

" Hey," She turns to him with an idea. " The three of us should take a picture on our first day of high school."

He turns to her as well. " For the scrapbook, I'm assuming?"

She nods with a smile. " That's what mama would've done, right?"

"I suppose so. Very well then. Don't forget."

" At least try to remind me!" She pouts, " I have the tendency to forget about stuff like this."

" If mom heard that-- which she most likely did from heaven --she would be disappointed in you."

She slaps his arm after that before heading back to the house. " Whatever you say! I'm going to try and sleep again. You should too."

" I will."

.........

Her footsteps faded out of ear shot, as he heard the closing click of the entrance door. Beryl throws away the chip bag from the trash can across the street.

His mind suddenly links back to Ruby's words from a moment ago.

Learning the know and hows of entertainment, you say...

And then back to Aqua's offer....

And...

..................

" Then how about we make a deal?"

" A deal?"

" When we're older, and you still don't have a dream. How about helping me become the idol I want to be?"

..................

He sighs. 

" Looks like it won't be a waste of time, after all..."

.

.

.

.

.

.

~~~~~~~~~~

.

.

.

Today is the day, mom....

" Jeez, just wait a minute! This uniform is super cute, but it's pretty complicated." She said as she tried to fix her ribbon, making it look neat.

The three of us...going off to high school...

She finally arrives to the front door, Aqua and Beryl sighing in relief that she's finally here.

" Don't go making us late on the first day." Aqua comments, Ruby sends him a mocking look before putting on her shoes. His eyes evaluate her uniform and he decides to leave a remark on a certain aspect of it.

" Isn't your skirt a little too short?"

" You know you sound like an old man. So nit-picky about these sorts of things." Ruby replied, rolling her eyes.

Beryl decides to comment too.

" I agree. The skirt is too short, it's showing way too much of her hairy thighs. Have you ever considered wearing leggings instead--"

" MY THIGHS ARE NOT HAIRY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" She sarcastically exclaimed, slapping Beryl's arm as hard as she could but the boy remained unfazed.

The three of us wish you were here to see it, us in these...silly uniforms.

As we embark on a new chapter of our lives at Yoto high....

" Alright, let's head out before you two start fighting again." Aqua quickly said, clutching his bag over his shoulder and opening the door to finally leave for school.

Aqua was first in their line, with Ruby in the middle, and Beryl as last. But before the triplets could step outside the house, Ruby's eyes widened as if she almost forgot something.

And we hope....that from heaven....

" Ah wait!" She says, halting Aqua from leaving just yet. He turns to her, only to see that she was facing the family picture frame sitting on the entrance cabinet. 

She smiles, leaning closer to it, as if she were talking to Ai herself.

" Mama, we're heading out now." She spoke as if she were still here.

And in her heart, she definitely is.

Aqua shot the picture a glance of remembrance before stepping out, Ruby following from behind. But Beryl chose to stay back for a few extra seconds, pausing at the picture frame like Ruby did. 

He aims a small smile towards it, the sincerest smile, for his one and only mother.

" Wish us luck..." She was in his heart too.

That from heaven....you are watching us....

.

.

.

" Ah wait!" Ruby stops both of her brothers again. They turn to her, Aqua with an incredulous expression, while Beryl remained indifferent.

" I almost forgot," She looks at Beryl with expectation.

The little brother sighs, taking out a small mini camera that Ruby packed into his bag the night before.

Aqua's eyes soften, immediately understanding the unspoken explanation here. So it was for that, huh.... He thinks.

" Come, come, huddle closer." Ruby orders.

If it's for her, then.... Aqua had no room to complain, only obeying Ruby's command and huddling closer to her and Beryl so that they could all fit in the frame.

Beryl shoots a peace sign with his free hand.

Ruby does a wink while playfully showing her tongue.

And Aqua just smiles normally.

" Say Hoshino." Beryl gives the prompt.

" Hoshino! "

Click!

~~~~~~~~

Those three have really grown.... Miyako thought as she sorted through documents on her computer. They were on their way to deciding their own individual paths, it was at this age that dreams are the most valuable.

Ruby has certainly got that in the bag, but she can't quite say the same for Beryl and Aqua just yet.

Still, whatever it is they pursue, as their adult figure she'll be there to support them on their path.

Ding!

" Hm?" Miyako's focus went to an article pop-up notification on her monitor.

It read;

" Jinnosuke Naoe, head of the Naoe faction, facing heavy fire from the government as leaks of an illegal facility under his administration has been revealed, hidden under the cover of a ' Talented Persons Nurturing Program '....... "

Naoe...? Miyako thought in suprise. She's not too deep in politics but the party was familiar to her. It's said that they've risen amongst Japan's political ranks like a powerhouse after a special showcase of their personally educated geniuses were revealed to the country, and later on-- to the world. It was said that these geniuses, starting from a young age, were under the strict teachings of the government in the aforementioned ' Talented Persons Nurturing Program '. But with the way this article is structured....it seems there was something deeper going on in the scenes.

Curious to know, she clicks the link and it takes her to the site.

Her eyes widened upon the content revealed to her on the screen.

.

.

.

.

~~~~~~~~

...............

" For these next three years, let us together--"

...............

The three siblings walked through the courtyard, surveying their surroundings. Plenty of students were already talking to each other, or following the same route as the group ahead of them. They assumed that this was the right way to class so...

" So for performing arts, there's just Class F?" Aqua asked.

" Mhm." Ruby nods. " The three of us can at least walk partway though!"

Beryl was lost in his own thoughts, fighting back a yawn due to the ceremony from earlier. He disliked it, and he imagined plenty of the other students felt the same.

But then a loud stomp catches the siblings' attention. Followed by a familiar voice.

" Congrats on starting school here, Aqua!"

As they turned around, they were met with the presence of Arima Kana.

" And Ruby....and you too, Beryl." She mentioned the other two with little to no enthusiasm like she did for Aqua.

Before Beryl could throw a crack at Arima's confidence with his words of venom, the girl went straight to explaining the school, making sure he didn't get the chance.

" Here at Yotou high, though the class schedules are a lotmore flexible compared to other high schools, you'll still have to repeat a year if you get failing marks or don't attend class enough, and the curriculum itself isn't that different."

" But!" She makes a huge pause, holding a finger in the air.

" That guy's an actor." She began pointing to a male student.

" Those two are members of the leading idol group." She then points to two cute girls.

" And that girl with the big bust is a pin-up model." She points to the aforementioned girl. Enough said.

" There's a voice actor and streamer. A fashion model and singer. Over there on the bench is a kabuki performer and actress. And you see, the point with me pointing all these people out is because I wanted to make something explicitly clear..."

" Everyone here's an entertainer."

Aqua and Ruby felt intimidated by her statement, they could definitely feel the hidden weight behind her words. Well, except for Beryl since he has no experience whatsoever but--

She spreads her arms wide.

" But don't worry, I'll give you a warm reception here, my dear juniors!"

~~~~~~~~~~

Class 1-F....

Right beyond this door is the start of my journey in the performing arts....

With that thought weighing in on her for the first time, she gulps nervously at the expectations everyone might make of her.  What if she doesn't fit in? Oh, that could spell a death sentence for the rest of the school year. She can't thrive in isolation like Aqua and Beryl can. Nu-uh! She didn't possess those loner genes.

Gripping her hand on the door handle, she psyches herself up. There was nothing to worry about. Just act like you always do.

3....

2....

1....!

She slides the door open as soon as her mental countdown came to an end. And....

She gasped at the people in the room.

Pretty girls on her right,

Hot boys at her left,

This was heaven!

It was a bustling atmosphere full of all sorts of different entertainers. Everyone just possessed a certain ' vibe ' that's telling of what they specialize in and the type of personality they have. Each step she took on the way towards her seat mostly comprised of her trying to suppress her giddy attitude and exaggerated demeanor so as not to creep everyone out and label her as the " weirdo girl from Class 1-F" on the very first day. Nobody from her middle school could ever compared to the students here....

T-That being said, I've got Mom's genes, so I shouldn't be outshone in terms of looks. Ruby encourages herself and she eventually sits down at her designated seat.

Placing her hands on her lap and taking deep stable breaths. She vows that she won't let this place overwhelm her!

Maybe greeting my seatmate can be a start!

Or so she hoped. But upon opening her eyes and turning to her right, she was met with the most voluptuous body type she's ever seen from a high school girl in person.

H...Her breasts?!

It's so huge...

W-Wait, you're staring too much! She's going to think you're a creep, Ruby!

Immediately departing her eyes from her seatmate's bosoms, she locks eyes with pink ones. The girl in question, seemingly blinked in sudden realization as if Ruby had just noticed her, and she proceeds to smile apologetically.

" Oh, goodness me! Sorry for starin'." She spoke in a kansai tone. Ruby immediately felt the guilt racking up within her because it was she who had been staring a little too hard at her--

" It's just....you're so very pretty." She compliments.

" The performin' arts department is really amazin'! " She said.

" No, no you're..." Snap out of it, stop staring at her chest! " --Really amazing yourself. Are you a model? " Yes, like that. Focus on her eyes.

She chuckles sheepishly. " Well, gee, I guess I am...?"

" I'm Kotobuki Minami. Nice to meet ya." She introduced.

" ' Kotobuki Minami '...." Ruby repeated as she shamelessly searches her online, in front of the real deal. And upon receiving the results, her eyes lit up. " Oh! You're a pinup girl."

" Ain't it a bit inhumane to google me in front of my face...?" Minami remarked but Ruby paid no mind as a blush began to spread across her face, her jaw dropping to the table upon looking at the images.

" I...Is that a G-cup? Whoa, these are pretty sexy!" Ruby says as if it were a compliment.

" S-Stop it...! " Minami covers her face in embarrassment. " Stop looking at those!!!"

..........

" This is my first time hearing a genuine Kansai accent by the way. Are you from Osaka?" Ruby asked.

" Nope, born 'n' raised right in Kanagawa. The way I talk is just...uh...a vibe I went with it?"

" You faked your accent all along?!"

~~~~~~

" Just like what exactly?" Aqua muttered.

" Hello there. It's nice to meet ya." Minami bows her head politely upon introducing herself.

Aqua gives her a nod of acknowledgement before going back to Ruby. " Well, it's good that you made a friend."

" How about you? Made any friends, Aqua?" She asked, curiously.

" Not really," Aqua says after a while, looking off to the side. " Besides, I didn't really come to this school to make friends anyway." He said.

" Oh........so you didn't make a friend at all."

Ruby's eyes showed pity for her older brother. Immediately breaking Aqua's cool, causing him to look at her with apprehense.

" Sorry for bringing up something....so upsetting..." Ruby looks away, she couldn't bear to stare at a pitiful sight. " We'll never talk about your class again--"

" I did find some people to talk with, okay?!" Aqua blurted out, unwilling to take any more disrespect from his little sister in front of her new friend. 

" But boys don't consider each other friends right off the bat! " He added. " And since general ed has integrated their middle school and high school programs, there are already plenty of people there with previously established friendships. It's a lot harder for newcomers like me to get close to them that way." He said before crossing his arms, finalizing his point. " I'm not some loner who can't make friends. Okay?" He ended.

"....What an awfully long defense coming from someone who claims to not care about a topic..." Ruby calls out.

" Minami-chan, please be friends with Aqua too." She said, turning to her friend for a favor. "It's a pity seeing my brother like this."

Minami smiles courteously. " No problem!"

Aqua's eye twitches at that.

" Ahaha, ya know...I get nervous when I think about how everyone around me is a pro..." Minami shivered a bit. " It makes me feel small in comparison!" You're anything but small though.

" Oh, don't be." Ruby bumps shoulders with her, attempting to ease her nerves. " This isn't a training institute or a film studio-- it's just a regular school. Act like how you normally would!" She beamed.

Minami gasps in amazement at her words. " Ruby...you're so wise!"

Those words sound awfully familiar... Aqua mentally comments.

~~~~~~~~~~

Kana was currently guiding her juniors to their slotted classrooms.

" Now, I'm nervous..." Ruby muttered with each step she took, getting nearer and nearer to her destination.

Kana, who picked up on that, huffs. " Don't be. This isn't a training institute or film school. It's just a regular school. Just act how you normally would!" 

~~~~~~~~~~

Right.

" Well, based on what I saw at the entrance ceremony. There seems to be many good-looking students, though, none of which I particularly recognize online." Aqua places his input on the topic. " Taking that into mind, there's really no need to be nervous now, is there?"

" Well...you say that but...." Ruby's tone grows quiet, filling with admiration. " There's actually this one amazing student in class..."

" Hold that thought." Aqua suddenly begins looking around. " Where is Beryl?"

Ruby blinks. " Huh? I thought you'd know. So I didn't ask..."

" I haven't seen him since we went to our separate classrooms. Though he said he would meet up with us here....and yet, he's not here exactly." Aqua replied, checking his text messages again.

" Who's Beryl?" Minami asked, clueless.

" Oh, that's our little brother. We're triplets!" She said.

" Triplets?" Minami's eyes went wide as saucers. " That's quite something! It's not common to see that around this 'ere parts..." She said, completely amazed again.

" Where could he be though..." Ruby huffs, crossing her arms. " Knowing him, he's probably still at class, completely forgetting to meet up with us because of his daydreaming about equality or whatever."

" Huh?" Minami found that peculiar.

" Hm, I still recall during middle school when he went on an essay long rant about that topic." Aqua nods.

" And it didn't even correlate with the conversation we were having at the time either. We were talking about fruits, Aqua. FRUITS." Ruby reminded rather strongly.

Haha...from how these two are speaking about him, he does sound like quite the peculiar person... Minami kept that thought to herself, too shy to express it.

" We never did return to the conversation of fruits either, did we?" Aqua asked.

" Nope." Ruby answered.

While the two siblings were busy reminiscing strange antics from their youngest sibling. Minami looked around, feeling a bit awkward and out of place with herself in this topic, she had no choice but to find interest elsewhere until they let up on their conversation. Her eyes scouted the courtyard with no particular intention, until it landed on a certain individual that left her releasing a gasp.

" Yeah! And remember when he--"

" Um, Ruby. What does your brother look like by the way..." Minami asked, her tone quiet.

" He's like a bit taller than Aqua over here, and he has long golden hair like me but a bit shorter. And he has these sweet purple tints at the end of his strands--"

" I think I see him."

"--Which I find myself a little jealous-- wait what?" Ruby paused, looking at Minami in confusion. Aqua as well.

Minami awkwardly smiles and points a finger to moving group of boys, with one of them fitting Ruby's exact description. 

" B-Beryl?!" Ruby screeched, taking a few steps back from whiplash at the view.

" Ah, so there he is....wait..." Aqua realizes too.

Beryl....

Beryl is walking around with a group of people?! And he's actually conversating with them normally?!

Minami turns to the siblings. " Um, should we call him over--"

" BERYL GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!"

.........

" Yo, dude. Someone seems to be calling you." A boy noticed, quickly informing Beryl.

" Ah, right. I was supposed to meet my siblings around here." Beryl nods.

" Oh that's them? Well, we'll leave you alone then. We'll chat with ya later?" The same boy asked.

" We gave you our LINE right?" The other people in the group asked.

" Yeah, I have all of it. Don't worry." He brushes them off with a casual wave. " I'll talk to you guys later."

" See ya later, man!" The boys waved goodbye before leaving Beryl behind. He then makes his way to Aqua and Ruby...

.........

" Who were they?!" Ruby immediately interrogated as soon as he met up with them.

"...My friends?"

" What did you do to bribe them..." Ruby said, pointing at him with suspicion.

" You're making it sound like I'm a scumbag, Ruby." Beryl blandly said.

" Beryl....since when did you...get so many friends like that..." Aqua asked, his tone sounding off.

" Well, they approached me first. Asked if I was a model or not, and if I've mistaken the classroom. Then we had a short conversation consisting of me shutting down their assumptions and from there....well...we hit it off?" Beryl shrugged.

" Ah....I see..." Aqua's pride earned a critical hit from seeing his loner little brother suddenly become Mr. Popular during the first day, of all days.

" You're not a model?" Minami instinctively blurts out of nowhere. Catching the turns of heads of the Hoshino siblings immediately.

" M-My apologies! I didn't mean to..." She began to feel bashful from all their eyes on her until Beryl shoots a question.

" And you are...?" He asked for an introduction.

" Hey, don't make her nervous, Beryl!" Ruby pouts.

" I'm not trying to..."

" Oh! I-I'm Ruby's friend, um, Kotobuki Minami." She awkwardly introduces herself.

" Hoshino Goldenberyl," He offers a hand. " But just call me Beryl."

"  Nice to meet ya, Beryl..." She takes his hand, it felt strong. And upon taking a closer inspection at his face....

He's sorta....handsome.....very handsome... She thought. How his long hair perfectly framed his sharp complexion, his skin was pristine and clear just like Aqua and Ruby's, the shared features were made apparent up close, but his eyes are what caught her attention the most. It

" You're so tall..." She muttered.

" I've been told that, yes." Beryl nods before sending a pointed glance to his other two siblings. " Seems like between the three of us, I won the genetics race."

" Hey." Both Aqua and Ruby glared.

" Pfft!" And he's suprisingly got jokes, Minami added. 

" Anyway," Beryl turns his attention back to everyone else. " What were you guys talking about before I got here?"

" Ah, right!"

................

As the teacher was greeting the students and informing them of the necessary requirements for the school year, the sliding door opens and in came a figure that captured everyone's attention.

A girl with long hair, coloured with a sleek dark green. And lime coloured eyes, sharp and fierce. A clear complexion, without blemishes or spots. With such an alluring figure...

She was....

Shiranui Frill...

" Excuse me, I had to go on live TV for a promo this morning. I do wish I could've attended the entrance ceremony..." Her tone was devoid of any extravagant emotions, but it wovened perfectly into her cool persona.

" That's...Shiranui Frill..."

" Shiranui Frill is in this class...?"

" Amazing...it's really her...!"

................

" Shiranui Frill showed up at our class!" Ruby announced, starstrucked by it still. Minami nodded vehemently, sharing the same feeling as the blonde.

" Her 9 p.m Monday Tv drama is a huge hit! She's a multitalented entertainer who can sing, dance, and act!"

Huh, that rings a bell... Beryl matches it word-for-word with what Tako said as well.

" Shiranui Frill is the first person most people think of when they hear ' beautiful girl'! " Ruby was straight up fangirling.

" No need to give me a synopsis. I know her. But you sure are infatuated with her, huh? " Aqua said.

Ruby beams, expressing with hand gestures. " She's my fave right now." She brazenly said.

" Hmm..." Aqua looked disinterested, turning his head to the bushes. 

Ruby pouts, placing her hands on her hips as she scrutinizes his expression. " What's with that ' hmm' and that disinterest?! This is Shiranui Frill we're talking about!"

" Not interested. My favorite was and always will be Ai." Aqua says without hesitation, even having the audacity to grin a bit.

Ruby frowns. " Well, of course she's my favorite too but..."

" Isn't that her over there?" Beryl points out.

" Huh?! Where!" Ruby immediately follows the direction of where Beryl was pointing and there was the girl in question, casually passing by. Her long hair imbueing the gentle breeze of the wind.

"Ahhh! That's her!" Ruby squeals.

" She really is pretty, huh...even from a distance..." Minami whispered. Ruby nods in agreement with delight.

" You're acting like an ordinary fan of hers. You're classmates, aren't you?" Aqua asked before approaching her direction. 

" Yeah but..." Ruby, who didn't notice at first...

" He's approaching her." Beryl says.

" He's what?!"

.............

" Hello, Shiranui-san."

Aqua had intercepted her path, greeting her lightly. She promptly halted herself, turning to him with a blank look that reminded Aqua of a certain guy he knows with that exact same expression. Nevertheless, he continues.

" My sister is in the same class as you. Please get along with her." He politely requests.

" Oh god. Kill me..." Ruby says in a crushed tone, animated blood trickling down from her mouth as her legs wobbled like jelly ready to melt into the crust of the earth.

Beryl drags her along. " Let's go say hello."

Minami also follows behind, and all three of them finally stood by Aqua's side.

" I know you. You were in ' Sweet Today ', right?" The multitalented performer recognized, catching Aqua slightly by suprise.

" You really know your stuff. The show wasn't even much of a hit as it was a flop." He said.

Frill tilted her head to the side, her eyes looking elsewhere as she spoke. " It kept coming up at one of my jobs. So I decided to watch it." And then her eyes return back to Aqua.

" It was good." She said, truthfully and with full confidence in her own words.

Huh... Aqua felt strangely bashful from her unexpected opinion of the show. It was mediocre at best, but...

" Thank you..." Hearing praise coming from someone as renowned as her was quite something.

Frill then turns her attention to the girl with pink hair. " I've seen you on the cover of Middle Jump. Your name's Minami-san, right?" She asked.

" Y-Yes! I feel honored!" The girl blurted out in response.

Wow...those two are getting recognized by Shiranui Frill! Ruby felt envious.

Her eyes are like a lizard's... Beryl mused to himself.

Until those same eyes turned to him, pausing. She twists her entire body's direction to face him, looking up due to how tall he was. Beryl stared back, taking this as a contest of sorts, and as the bored person he was-- decided to accept it without secondary thoughts. Everyone stared between them, in awkward silence. Wondering what these two peculiar people were doing until Frill's lips parted for a moment.

" Your name?" She asked.

" Hoshino Goldenberyl." 

" Goldenberyl..."

" Just call me--"

" Ah, I know you..."

" You're the hottie at that new Cafe everyone's been buzzing about lately, aren't you? Strawberyl, was it?

Ah, and also that special assistant director that was responsible for that amazing camera work."

"..." Beryl stares at her blankly.

Everyone was silent for a moment till...

" HE'S WHAT?!" Ruby and Minami exclaims.

Aqua facepalming.

And Beryl's eye twitching at that shameful call out, muttered.

" Couldn't you have just said the last part..."

And so concludes the highlights of the Hoshino triplets first day at Yoto high....

~~~ Chapter End ~~~

I wanna die now please. This chapter didn't need to be this long, but I felt lowkey offended that my 5k words didn't satisfy you in the last chapter, and then it just turned personal as I started this chapter....and then here we are...

15k words later...

Ffs I killed myself with this.

Ahem, anyway.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ( Seriously you better fucking do--) It took a lot of my time, sanity, and patience to come up with the flow for this chapter, and after publishing this I'm hoping it actually paid off.

And well.... now everything has returned to where we left off, yeah? For those that read the original goldenberyl series and made it to the small  'sample' I released at the end of the epilogue. Welp. here we are! The long awaited ' Beryl/Kiyotaka ' storyline about to make its debut.

But first will come the interlude chapter I'll publish in the next one. It's going to be a short chapter, and it's going to focus on Yuki's pov with her ' interview ' with a certain person. Hopefully, as always, you guys will look forward to it!

With nothing more to say except that I wanna die for like 2 weeks so I can recover...

See ya~