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"Uh-uhm— Mr. Kamishiro?" The voice squeaked again as its owner stumbled back. "I heard from a friend that you also make really cool machines....so I was wondering—"
Watching Hanasato on that stage had given Rui deja vu.
It was as if he were back in middle school again, in the audience with his eyes transfixed upon the play's heroine.
Back then, he hadn't been sure if it had been the light that was quivering or Nene herself - had it been the former, he'd have had a bone to pick with the whole production - yet either way, the lack of noise from the smaller girl's throat made something in his stomach jolt. Unknowingly, he'd gripped the seat armrests, leaving sweaty handprints.
Luckily, no one was there to see him. Not even Nene. Of course, she hadn't known he'd come.
Hanasato, that spirited girl who had taken Tsukasa's - and the rest of the troupe's - advices to heart, had stood on that much less formal stage. Eyes darting about, her usual demeanor drained by performance anxiety.
A sparkle of hope became many as she began to sing. Off-beat, but eventually...
Rui didn't miss how Tsukasa's lips stretched into that wide grin again, - even as Emu was nearly wrenching his arm off in excitement at the performance - this time with a hint of pride. At someone else, no less.
Putting down the cat-shaped drone he was playing around with, a smile of his own spreading on his face, he turned back to Minori.
"Mr....Kamishiro...?" Her round grey eyes sparkled despite the look of confusion. Then worry, as she put her hands up defensively. "AAAAA, sorry if this was a bad time—!"
His head tilted to the side with a chuckle, he said, "Oh, it's alright Hanasato-kun. Were you expecting the rest of WonderlandsxShowtime as well, mayhaps?"
"Eh?! Oh nonono it wasn't like I didn't wanna see you if that's what you mean, Mr. Kamishiro!"
Her blue otter shirt, same shade as the sky, caught his eye. At least he was reassured enough now that his somewhat-work-in-progress was safe lying in his open bag behind him. Either way, Rui still would've had the capacity to ask her something.
He was no doubt wearing that serious look on his face, Minori's confused eyes dragging over his locked-in features.
"I see....you want to train here again?" Bringing a hand to his chin, he continued with a coy smile, "Fufufu....and no worries, Hanasato-kun. Your words cause me no hurt nor harm."
Bowing forward like she'd just come back from a six or seven-mile run, Minori finally said, "I love lagtrains— I-I mean maglev trains— I mean–" she took in a deep breath, hand slapped over her mouth immediately as only her eyes as wide as saucers were the only visible parts of her face. "Aaaaaaaughhh....."
Wonderstage wasn't nearly as imposing as the other PxL stages, yet Minori eyed it warily before her gaze flickered back to Rui again. Then he finally understood, if his short-term memory served him right.
Both his hands dropped to his sides, loudly brushing against his gray pants. It couldn’t be…right?
She had outright asked him just now—
“—know if that would make our performances super sparkly and cool-looking!” Minori finally got out, a bright yet wobbly smile on her face. “If that’s alright with you, Mr. Kamishiro! Please???”
Oh gosh. Rui had always used his little contraptions - practically his fellow performers - for the lone shows he’d do when breaking into PxL before. Before they found him. No, not security.
And now, with the rest of WonderlandsxShowtime, they were a staple of the shows they’d done.
An idol performance wouldn’t be too different.
Rui replied, “You were quite dazzling up there at the Fan Festival. Surely my inventions will help you spread more hope, Hanasato-kun?”
Nodding quickly, Minori pumped her fists with a wide toothy grin. “Really? Yeah!”
This was quite reminiscent of what Kamiyama's dear hallway monitor would do after giving a pep talk during a basketball game.
A soft laugh bubbled out of his mouth at her resolute look. She was obviously a novice in her idol career, though her determination shone like some kind of aura. Emu and Tsukasa with their loud endearing laughs and equally loud determination came into mind.
It was such a relief everything turned out the way it did that day.
The day they all became WonderlandsxShowtime or the Fan Festival, he didn’t know.
*
Minori made a confused yelp at the sight of the cannon that was about as bright as Haruka’s idol aura. The small jet pack around her shoulders was no heavier than the backpack she'd carry to idol practice.
To think about it, the backpack was getting much lighter for her. She was getting stronger....?
Noticing Rui standing below and in front of the stage while observing the whole set-up with a finger pressed slightly under his bottom lip, Minori cleared her throat.
"Oh, Mr. Kamishiro! I have to get inside this....cannon, right?" As she eyed it next to her, her mood instantly lightened even more from the huge....stickers? placed all over the body. Pale rainbows and clouds brightly glared at her.
The sun was still up enough too for her to notice the shininess of the awesome incredible thing next to her. Mr. Kamishiro would definitely have this under wraps.
"Oh— huh?" Speak of the devil. He blinked quickly, looking up at Minori. A hand went to brush back some hair though most of it was secured loosely by a hair tie.
Maybe she was taller than him, standing on this stage. And soon she'd be taller than the stage itself, even for a moment.
Her heart was still beating quickly in anticipation. Bad luck could strike anytime, it was a constant, formidable force she had to deal with.
Hands balling into fists as she brought them up, Minori once again smiled sharply. It was okay, it was enough that she was feeling happy right now, right? Kamishiro was - no, is - a very reliable person.
"Oh– did I interrupt anything?" Minori asked, her hands dropping to her sides almost immediately. Her smile didn't drop however.
Rui was murmuring something under his breath, once again in deep concentration as he stared intently at the cannon, then back at the sky briefly. Very visibly, he sighed, then a small smile was on his face.
"It's alright, Hanasato-kun." His smile grew bigger, a hand to his chin again, tone getting more excited. "Now, shall we get started?"
"Yeah! But Mr. Kamishiro...." Minori stared hard at him, hoping she didn't look too threatening. Or awakening her idol aura - people are usually bound to get stunned by those for about six-to-seven minutes. "Never mind...."
"Fufufu~ if you're nervous, just for your information we have all the time in the world!" Rui chuckled, hand falling to his waist. "I have made it so it will last overnight."
That was not what she was worried about - she was feeling so pumped up that perhaps she could even do this overnight - but that could be dealt with later. Kamishiro was likely just exagerrating.
....was he?
"Whaaaa??? N-No, I'm not nervous! Okayy sooo it's landing in Miya Girl's right?" Minori beamed even harder at him, noticing him shift his feet and stare at the ground for a second uneasily.
"....yes. I believe I have asked you this once or twice before, but are you....really sure that's where you're going to land?" Kamishiro now had a really concentrated look, eyebrows drawn in and eyes narrowed. "We can land you somewhere more secure. While I can do a rooftop, that is fine–"
The words came out like the Jenga blocks that would fall during Minori's turn.
"Hey– hey! O-Oh sorry Mr. Kamishiro but I think I'll be just...." Minori thought of a word, eyes screwing up in concentration, then her mind went to the sensible Airi, "...peachy! Bad luck won't get me this time!"
She drummed her foot against the floor. Luckily, Rui had told her it was safe to wear shoes in there.
"Would want to look presentable enough for your group mates, am I correct?" He'd teased, and a flash of blue came to Minori's memory. Did he know...?
"Oh....do you know Kohane-chan?" Minori ventured, eyes on Rui's very grave expression. Her weight shifted to her other foot, hand to her chin. "She really likes some of your shows! And she goes to Miya Girl's!"
Rui glanced at her. What she had said was so bizarrely unconnected and random, but his look wasn't a glare. "Yes, I do know her. And I quite know what you're implying, Hanasato-kun. No, I indeed do know where the school is. But I hold much gratitude towards you for asking and assuring that."
Mr. Kamishiro always had everything under control, had he?
Whipping out a thumbs-up, Minori grinned widely at him again. "Alright, so I enter from....here?" She stumbled over to the bottom of the canon and saw an open space there. Of course, she knew since she had seen the inventor open the hatch before.
Minori gulped at the thought of how much time Shizuku would have taken to find it. Or even stumbled over a wire, exploding the whole thi— that would be epic, but also dangerous!
All her thoughts came to an abrupt stop as something hit against her foot and then before she knew it, she was falling fast. The air whooshed past her then halted as cold metal quickly and un-warmly greeted the side of her head.
The last glimpse she saw was Kamishiro taking a small step forward, yellow eyes as wide as saucers.
The hollow bang rang throughout the empty part of the park.
"Aah, this again," Minori groaned, shifting herself above the slanted surface with an aching elbow. Something slowly shut behind her, and everything was dark.
Soon enough, her throbbing head wasn't the only thing to worry about.
"Um....Mr. Kamishiro..? Help?"
She had made a mistake, but she could make it right! Resolution replaced her nervousness, her breathing steadying as she inched down the slanted smooth surface then pressed something along there....
"My legs are soooo cramped...." groaned Minori out loud with a grimace, despite the glowing feeling in her chest not burning out. "Mr. Kamishiro! I'll come ba—" she said as if he could even have heard her in the first place. Then her stretching feet pushed against something loose.
Tilting her head, Minori thought, "HUH? Something's loose. Maybe I could push it back into place!" Kamishiro would be so happy with her. Proud even. Maybe.
Maybe he'd even want to meet the rest of MORE MORE JUMP!. Haruka was so amazing and kind and organized, Airi so snarky(overexagerration but the practices she put them through were grueling!) yet hardworking and sensible, Shizuku so caring and gentle and graceful.
BOOM!!
Air was whistling through her hair and clothes, and something opened up behind her with a crack. No, it wasn't her back breaking.
And at least she wasn't in the dark again.
She was moving fast.
....huh?
Her eyes opened way wider than before, her arms spread out. The sky rushed past her, and she didn't feel like looking down. Like Kamishiro had told her.
"WAAAAHHH?" She yelped in awe. She was flying. Her heart beat so fast, drumming around in her chest like beads in a jar during an earthquake.
If Minori looked behind her, her flying hair would zip into her face. Minori had always never been the type to look behind her, but it was tempting like now.
From the tails of her eyes, she saw blobs of white vibrating. They looked soft, like wings. Surely, that was the cause of the crack sound from earlier.
"Woooooo!!!!!" Her arms stuck to her sides partially because of the air and partially because she wanted to go faster. And accelerate she did. Positively.
She wanted to do more of this.
In a split second, a gray building came into view and she was slowly and gracefully floating upright over a gray square, a high rooftop of a high school. At a normal speed, Minori was lowered onto the concrete tiles. The wind froze her smile, her muscles still locked in place and making her reminiscent of some horror mask.
"Hah....that was fun!" Minori huffed for a second, her feet hitting the ground and another crack being heard. Looking to her sides again while straining her neck, she saw no wings. The contraptions were still stuck to her back.
Then another sudden sound, a creaking of the door just ahead of her, made her take a few steps back to reveal Haruka, donning her bright magenta practice jacket and a bag.
"Oh...Minori? You....you're here early," Haruka smiled at her. Not the blinding smile that would nearly give the bullish brown-haired girl a heart attack, but the type that gave a warm syrupy feeling in her chest.
"Yeah...." Minori rubbed at the disheveled hair at the back of her head, laughing and staring off into the void next to Haruka. Luckily it was actually a dark void, most of the school's lights having been turned off by now. "I-I just wanted to come practice early! You know how I am!"
"Okay....but are you okay, Minori?" Worry displayed itself on Haruka's face, as she put down her bag and walked towards Minori. "Your hair...."
"I-It's...." her heart hammered in her chest, standing straight up though Haruka was twenty-six or twenty-seven centimeters away. "It's nothing! I JUST WOKE UP—!"
Before Haruka could interject, saying it was the afternoon and she had seen Minori at school today(unless she'd taken a nap), another loud sound greeted Minori's ears.
"Hanasato-kun! There you are!" Minori saw Rui just hit the ground, nonchalantly shoving some hair back over his shoulder. There was a visible tear in his sleeve. After he landed, he gave a small bow that was nearly theatrical. "Oh, pardon me, I'm guessing this is Kiritani Haruka from....?"
"MORE MORE JUMP!. And you are Kamishiro-san, I'm guessing?" Haruka's eyes widened slightly as she stared at Rui, even more as he straightened up, making his face visible.
It was like he was having a sharp stomach pain or just stubbed his toe. Minori would know that.
"Mr. Kamishiro? Are you okay?" Minori worriedly ran up to him.
His expression relaxed as soon as he saw her, shoulders slouching a little again almost in contrast to Haruka's very upright posture. It was a wonder he'd kept his composure even when he was worried. But why?
Shit. Minori had screwed up again. But it was alright, right?
"Aaaaa....so sorry Mr. Kamishiro! I screwed up! I thought that loose thing in the cannon was actually something that broke!"
"Ah..." Kamishiro sighed, eyes a little wider than usual and his smile now visibly shaky now that Minori was closer. His fingers twitched. "I....I see. You're not hurt anywhere, might I ask?" The yellow eyes pierced through her hair and her ruffled clothing.
"No!" Minori piped up with a huff, then continued, "But look at you! Did you bump into something Kamish—"
"It doesn't hurt, Hanasato-kun," Kamshiro unconsciously put a hand to his shoulder then involuntarily flinched. Some messy bangs fell over his eye. Some of those strands were the same color as Minori's new toothpaste....
Haruka put a hand to her waist and scrutinized Rui. Then her expression sobered. "Kamishiro-san, I won't question how you got here. But you're still hurt, aren't you? I have something in my bag, luckily for you." She turned around and prepared to walk back to her bag lying near the door.
Minori took a moment to fangirl - Haruka is always so ready for any situation! Even when a random boy flies onto the rooftop of Miya Girls!
"I-It's okay, Kiritani-san. I'm not hurt." Kamishiro put a hand to his chin with a cat-like smile, nearly normal again. "Fufufu....but watch over Minori, will you? It appears that she is about to explode."
Hand nearly on the zipper to her bag, Haruka stood straight back up again and turned her head confusedly. Her eyes focused on Minori with surprise at first, then recognition. Slowly, the corners of her lips curled slightly up.
"HUHHHHHHHHH???????? HARUKA-CHAN PLEASE IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!" squealed Minori, bright red, glowing brighter every time she saw that same shade of blue in those eyes looking at her. Not in surprise though.
Was she that predictable....?
"Hehe. I'll be making my way out now." Minori felt something peel off her back and heard a button being pressed, and saw Rui in front of her this time with the wings out. They didn't look too feathery, but they looked cute. Cool even.
Did Minori look that cool to Haruka when she descended from the air— no, she had come to the rooftop right after Minori had landed.
But testing out this flying contraption of Rui's was frankly awesome. It ended well, so maybe they could—
"—wait!!!! Mr. Kamishiro!" Minori yelled, though he wasn't even flying yet. "I really liked this! Can we test it out again??? If you have time of course!!!" Her hair nearly blew in her face. It wasn't windy....
....oh, it was just the wings.
"Eh? Hanasato-kun? Of course...." his expression went through a shift, that wide smile on his face again, this time a sparkle in his golden eyes that caught the sunlight. "I'm glad you landed safely and it worked out in the end. Until we meet again!" He saluted with two fingers then he suddenly zoomed up into the air and away from Miya Girls.
Talk about a graceful escape. Though it wasn't like many faculty members were still in the building at this point in time....
Mr. Kamishiro had given her hope. More hope than ever. Who knew, maybe he could add more things to their performances in the future, his troupe and MORE MORE JUMP! could collaborate together, and....and—!
"Minori....you're sure you want to practice right?" Haruka smiled gently at her, close enough to reach out a hand and comb back Minori's messy hair. No, she wasn't actually doing that.
"Yup! I'm really really pumped up today! More More than ever before!" Minori quipped. That should've been their group name....but it was too lengthy and not so catchy. Oh well.
Now Haruka reached out a hand and did what Minori had just been daydreaming about.
"H-Haruka-chan?!" Minori was caught off guard again, and she quickly pulled away and dusted down her clothes. "Anyways— let's begin practice before Airi-chan comes here! I want her to be impressed!"
"Her specifically? Airi is a pretty good idol...." Haruka pondered. "But so are you, Minori."
"Thanks, Haruka-chan! But I want to try more, more, and more!"
"....that's a lot more 'more's."