It was this easy?

Gaze falling onto your palms, the feeling of satisfaction pushed aside any thought of the consequences of your actions. Dare you say, that sense of satisfaction placed a hand on your shoulder and there was a beguile whisper that said to not end with just a slap.

Genji was dazed for a moment, a hand touching his cheek. If anyone thought the idol was genuinely despondent, they'd be proven wrong within the very next second. A chuckle slipped by his lips.

"Did you start working out?" he asked. "It hurts my pride to say this, but––"

The instant you saw the subtle grin on his lips and heard his carefree tone, any means of restraint was shattered like thin glass. A frantic impulse urged your body forward and you grabbed onto Genji's collar. And since he was already close to a wall, you had no issues slamming him against it. You always knew that your physical strength was above the norm, but this was the first time you ever felt so in sync with it.

A grunt left the redhead and his hands instinctively tried to push you off. He's pretty strong. Well, you weren't really looking for an actual fight. You let go of Genji and backed off. Whatever he said afterwards was static to your ears.

Huh. For some reason I think I can beat him in a fight. What if I––

"(Y/n)! I've been calling you for the past minute!" A hand grabbed your arm, Kei's hand. Concern was explicitly conveyed in his eyes and you flinched. "Please stop. I know you're angry right now, but if you go any further things will get complicated. There are other ways you can get back at them."

"I..." What was I doing? "You're right, I just... That wasn't like me."

Kei smiled in relief. "It's fine. As long as you understand."

"You're insane!"

Almost. Almost all of Kei's efforts went in vain the moment you heard that high pitched screech. The girls rushed over to Genji, shooting glares at you.

"He's an idol, you know. We'll make sure your life gets ruined!"

"Report her to the police for assault, quick––"

"Oh shut up." You sighed. "Let's see... Who were the ones that trespassed here again?"

One of the girls laughed. "So what? You still laid hands on him."

"And you three laid your hands on me in the past. Do you think it was smart of you to leave bruises and obvious marking? I wonder how many times I had to go get treated. I had quite the reputation at the nurse's office. A trip to the hospital was needed once." You crossed your arms. "I guess if I spoke up now, the media would eat it up."

Honestly, most of what you were saying was completely off the top of your head based on inferring the previous (Y/n)'s past. But hey, fake it till you make it. Those who are guilty will fall for such an act much easier. Considering who these girls were, you wouldn't put it past them to have several victims aside from the previous (Y/n). A little investigation would expose that. All it took was for a someone to draw some attention.

The girls exchanged wary glances.

"As-as if anyone would listen to you."

"Do you think that you can make a better case than me, hm?"

They were silent, but the scowls they gave you were full of animosity. Honestly, you felt like you were in the wrong for a moment.

"What's wrong? Didn't you harass me in the past because I was vulnerable? Yet the moment I retaliate you guys act like the victim. It's kind of pathetic."

Any replies the girls planned to say were knocked right back down their throats at your last words. They struggled to counter you, so their attention riveted to Kei instead.

"Oh, is it my turn now?" he asked, pointing to himself. "Sorry, I don't feel like having a conversation. I have better things to do. I asked this a million times already, but can you leave the shop?"

Everyone, including you, looked at him in complete shock. Woah, what was this change in attitude?

Kei sighed and you noticed that, behind his back, his hands were clenched. "Look, I get that you can be insecure and feel the need to establish some form of power over someone to feel better, but this is just petty. Maybe get a hobby?"

Oh my god, Kei's passive aggressiveness was gold. While you were holding back laughter, the girls' expressions were scrunched in complete exasperation. Genji, however, didn't seem all that phased. For the first time, his expression was equivocal.

One of the girls impetuously grabbed Genji's arm. "Ryuu-kun, say something!"

"There's not much to say." Genji shrugged the girl off before heading towards the door. "Welp, sorry for the intrusion. I'll be heading out now."

I kinda wanna give him a goodbye punch.

Kei whispered to you, "(Y/n), don't."

You whispered back, "Are you telepathic or something?"

Genji didn't wait for a response and made his exit. The moment he stepped out, the other girls followed suit. Huh. So all you needed to do was talk a little and you'd be left alone? Hopefully, you won't be seeing those girls again. Seconds in silence elapsed before you glanced over to Kei.

"So, I thought you were a nice person."

"What do you mean?" He smiled. "I was helping a friend out."

"Right, right. No passive aggressiveness at all." You laughed. "Well, guess that's that. Getting mad is one thing, but it's not like I'm itching for revenge. They're a waste of time anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"They're connected to the previous (Y/n), not me. I need to focus on my own issues," you explained. "Also! Kei, question. What was with the sudden change in attitude? 'I get that you can be insecure'? Dude. Woah."

"I normally avoid confrontation or trying to cause a scene... I'm not sure. I guess I just wanted to live a quiet life, but that's kind of naive." He paused for a moment. "Seeing you slap Genji-san surprised me––I realised that I was just standing back while you were bottling up your anger. So, I did what I did." He chuckled. "And it was satisfying."

You smiled. "Right? By the way, thanks for stopping me there. Though it would feel great at the moment, if I had actually severely injured Genji-san, who knows what that would spiral into." You clenched your hands. "It was so natural the idea of hurting someone I just..."

Kei placed a gentle hand on your shoulder. "It's okay, don't feel forced to tell me anything."

An appreciative smile on your lips, you replied, "Thanks. But hey, we got 'em good. Didn't we?"

"Truer words have never been spoken."

You two high-fived and the atmosphere was light with laughter.



===



The next day arrived faster than you expected. With the sun setting and darkness sweeping over the skies, it meant that the event had finally arrived. You were currently in your parents' car on the way to the restaurant. Apprehension weighed on your shoulders. Not because you were probably going to be in the centre of attention alongside Yusei (though, the thought of it made you groan), but because of the potential death and injuries during the event.

As a way to relieve your stress, you furiously texted Kei. Having someone to vent to really does help.

"(Y/n), we're here!" Your mother exclaimed, looking at you through the car mirror. "Ah, my daughter is stunning. Make sure you take someone home after this event, okay?"

Your father sighed. "Honey, now's not the time."

"Nonsenses, it's always a time for romance. Oh, look! Isn't that Shichirou-san waiting for us? And he's wearing..."

You raised an eyebrow when your mother suddenly trailed off. Glancing out the window, you spotted Yusei outside the restaurant. The dude already looked neat and prince-like at school, but seeing him with his hair done and everything just levelled his charms up. You could literally envision purple roses blooming around him.

Wait a minute.

You looked down at your dress, the dress Yusei recommended the other day. You looked at Yusei again. Oh god.

Your mother grinned. "I didn't know you were––"

"Matching? It's a misunderstanding. Goodbye, I'll be heading out first."

You basically launched yourself out of the car, sent a cursory wave at your parents, and sped walked to Yusei.

"(Y/n), it's good to see you."

"Uh huh." You gestured to him and then your clothes. "This."

"You have good fashion senses."

"Yusei."

"It slipped my mind that the dress I chose for you happened to bear some resemblance to mine." He gave you an innocent smile. "Well, the two of us play the role of the host. Isn't it fitting that we match?"

You pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed. The day something slipped Yusei's mind will be the day you could snap your fingers and the system would let you end the game immediately.

"Ugh. Fine, whatever. There's no point in arguing. Let's just go in."

Since you and your parents arrived early to help set things up, the restaurant was currently empty. The space was massive. For a moment, you mistaken yourself for entering some sort of royal banquet.

Whilst the parents greeted each other and discussed things, you made preparations alongside Yusei. It wasn't anything complicated. Just preparing gifts to hand out and planning how you'd approach the guests. Yusei also gave you some briefings on notable individuals. You did your research, but that was put to shame with his knowledge. Since you both work together in the student council, everything went smoothly.

Yusei checked his watch. "They should be here soon."

Ah, right. Genji and Kashi would be arriving a little earlier to set things up. The last time you saw Genji, you slapped him and slammed him against the wall (and not in the romantic aspect). Wonder how this will go.

It was only a few minutes later when the idols arrived. Ichika was the first to enter and you almost instinctively avoided eye contact. She went over to greet your and Yusei's parents. Your last encounter with the woman was still fresh in your mind. Ichika's opinion of you was beyond your comprehension, you just hoped that she wouldn't bother you.

That might be wishful thinking, though. Ichika's smile when she greeted you sent a message that she will, in fact, not be leaving you alone.

"(Y/n), over here!" Kashi beamed brightly.

You smiled and walked right past Genji, his subtle glance towards you didn't go unnoticed.

If Kashi's natural appearance wasn't vibrant and lively enough, now it definitely was. The idol had his makeup done; his eyeshadow a perfect blend of ash and baby blue followed along with a touch of pink lipstick. In a sense, he looked a little more feminine than usual, but that only added to his appeal. Plus was probably a lot more done to his face, but you really didn't know make-up that well.

Of course, his hair was done in his iconic side braid. Though, his bangs that fell over his forehead were now parted to the side. Nothing too drastic, but that subtly gave him a touch of professionalism. The attire captured the essence of summer; light colours and clothes casual yet clearly expensive. Plus, seeing him with his ear mic reminded you that he was, in fact, an idol. Heck, just seeing him dressed up made you excited for his performance.

In short, Kashi looked amazing.

"Next time, remind me to bring sunglasses. You're too dazzling."

A hint of pink on his cheeks, Kashi chuckled adorably. "Same goes for you!" He glanced over your shoulder for a moment. "You're matching with Shichirou-san?"

You sighed. "Trust me, it wasn't planned."

"Planned or not, I'm jealous." Kashi huffed lightly, to which you found cute. "We should match some time! Something like a ring, necklace––Oh, matching keychains are cute!"

You shrugged. "I mean, as long as you buy it."

"So, is that a yes?"

"You're very enthusiastic about this."

Kashi sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess so."

"(L/n)-san, you seem to be good friends with Utari-san."

Upon hearing Ichika's voice, when you turned around and saw the woman's seemingly innocuous smile you almost rolled your eyes. She gestured to a certain redhead.

"Have you greeted Genji-san yet?"

Ah. She knew exactly what she was doing.

In short, you had to go through an awkward 'introduction' with Genji. Seems like your parents didn't know about his and the past (Y/n)'s relationship. And the most annoying part? It was how fine Genji looked. You searched for any marks from your slap, but you supposed the make-up helped cover things up. Genji's appearance resembled autumn with the warmer hues in his makeup and attire; it contrasted Kashi, but not to the point where it was jarring. It complimented well.

Kashi tapped you on the shoulder. "(Y/n), wanna check out backstage? It'll be cool to show you how things worked."

A million thanks were mentally sent to Kashi when he smoothly got you out of the situation. You accompanied him behind the small stage and breathed a sigh of relief once you were out of sight from everyone else.

"That was horrible."

"Sorry if I'm assuming things wrong, but you seemed more frustrated than usual."

"Nothing escapes you, huh?" You sighed. "Yeah, I had a bad encounter with Genji-san yesterday. I won't go into the details, but it was not pretty. At least I got the chance to slap him."

Kashi looked at you in bewilderment before he stifled a laugh. "Pft––You. Oh, that was why he had a red mark on his cheek this morning!"

"So he did have a mark! Good. Now I feel better."

For the remaining ten minutes or so, you spent it chatting idly with Kashi. He explained to you what the performance was going to entail, humming some notes and singing a few lyrics as you used your phone's flash mode as a makeshift glow stick. Though, the cheerful mood immediately subsided when a certain redhead showed up.

"(L/n)-san, your mum called for you," Genji said. "Something about helping Shichirou-san greet the guests."

You checked your phone. Right, it was almost time for the event to start.

"Alright. Good luck on the performance, Kashi."

"Thanks! Have fun greeting the guests."

You left backstage and met up with Yusei and almost had a heart attack when you saw a camera crew on the way. They were here for Kashi and Genji's performance, you had forgotten.

When people began flowing into the restaurant, you and Yusei made sure to welcome them with a friendly demeanour. Chatter filled the restaurant, lights gorgeously lit up the space, and staff began doing their thing effortlessly. If you went close enough to the kitchen, the scent of food being cooked prompted a dreamy sigh of content from you. Not to mention, the pastries from your family's bakery were laid out for display. They looked as delicious and perfectly presented as ever.

Greet everyone with a smile, escort them to their tables, hand them their gifts––wow, you felt like an entirely different person. A luxurious space, a few guests here and there that were supposedly very important (you made sure to avoid them as subtly as possible and let Yusei handle them), fancy clothes and whatnot; it was another world and you were subconsciously swept up in it. For a few minutes, you simply spent in awe looking over the lively restaurant.

You felt a tap on your shoulder.

"Don't get distracted now," Yusei said with a chuckle, a trace of coquetry. "Though, your expression was kind of cute."

"Since when were you flirtatious?"

"I'm trying something new."

You brushed it off as a joke, but that comment of his did put you a little on edge.

"I found her!"

"Oi, (Y/n). Over here!"

You and Yusei had agreed to take care of the guests in your respective areas. However, these certain siblings threw that plan out the window when they rushed right past Yusei and approached you. Himari and Kai had arrived and my god––Himari's fitted red dress and Kai's black dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up?

Thank you to whoever is up there for allowing me to live long enough to see this.

"Hey, you look different this time!"

"Really now, Kai. I didn't notice."

Himari raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you're matching with him?"

Kai glanced over to Yusei. "She is! Why didn't you match with us?"

"I mean, no one asked."

"It's fine, give me a moment." Himari opened her handbag and took out a gorgeous necklace that screamed 'wear me to show off your wealth'. You realised it was the exact same one she was wearing. "Come over here."

"Woah, Himari. You didn't have to––"

"Just do as I say."

"Yes, ma'am."

You turned around and Himari placed the necklace on you. Holding the jewel, you gazed at it in awe before smiling appreciatively at the brunette.

"Thanks!"

"Yeah, yeah. Keep it." She paused for a moment before mumbling. "... It looks good on you."

Did Himari just compliment you? Himari just complimented you. Oh my god, Himari just complimented you––

"Hey, hey. What about me?" Kai asked. "I wanna match with (Y/n)."

"Guess you were too much of an idiot to come prepared."

"You––"

And cue their bickering. You sighed wearily, but couldn't help but laugh soon after.

You escorted the siblings over to their seats, to which they protested that they wanted to sit with you. With some black magic, you managed to arrange that with the help of Yusei. Originally, you were just going to sit with your parents. Now, your table consisted of Yusei, Himari, and Kai along with a few spare seats. The siblings basically speedran to sit next to you.

Since you were running around greeting guests and handing out gifts for a while, when you finally settled down you were more than ready to eat. For a moment there, you almost threw basic table manners out the window.

"Slow down, you'll choke," Himari said.

"Have some of mine!" Kai slid his plate to you. "More food means more strength."

His sister glared at him. "Take some of mine as well. Actually, do you want pastries? I can go get it for you."

Kai suddenly stood up. "Not if I do it first."

Cue the siblings rushing to get you food before you had a chance to say anything.

"I've never seen them act like this," Yusei said. "They really like you."

"The feeling's mutual. They're good company."

"Any romantic feelings?"

A harmless question, but the grip on your utensils tightened a little. "Not really, more so platonic."

"That's a surprise. Your expression changes drastically when you're with them. I––"

"HAH. I got back here first!"

"No shit," Himari breathed out. Did she run in heels? Damn. "You're literally an athlete."

Bless the Kasumi siblings for interrupting your conversation with Yusei. Kai and Himari slid plates to you and now you were stacked with food. Oh well, you were hungry anyways.

You started up a conversation, doing your best to stray away from any topics of romance, before secretly slipping away from the discussion. While everyone else was preoccupied on the topic of the latest rumours in the school––you had a feeling this trio will make a terrifying gossip group one day––you texted updates to Kei (there were many typos).

I saw Hayami not too long ago and I'm pretty sure she's avoiding me. Kashi should be backstage with Genji.

With Genji, huh? Paranoid swirled within you, assuming the worst. However, you reminded yourself that there were many staff members backstage and Kashi was busy preparing for the concert. For an incident to happen, it didn't make sense.

What could happen? How can a death or injury occur?

Ugh, you really wished that chapter summary feature of yours didn't get removed as a penalty for Aimi's injury. Freaking Satoshi.

"Hey, Yusei. Before the performance, can I make some impromptu speech? Just thanking everyone for coming and other stuff. It'd be a good introduction," you said. "I swear I won't mess it up."

Yusei paused the conversation and those on the table looked at you in surprise. To be fair, you did say it out of blatantly nowhere.

"I don't see an issue with it, but that's sudden. Are you sure?"

Actually, Kei and I worked to make a speech in preparation for the event. So it's not exactly impromptu.

You shrugged. "An opportunity is an opportunity, right?"

Kai slapped you on the back. "That's the spirit! You should be the star of this event."

Himari scoffed. "I'm surprised you even had to ask."

Yusei didn't question you any further, but his knowing gaze indicated that he suspected you had another motive. Eh, it wasn't like him being a little suspicious of you meant anything. You were just setting up a scene to use one of your features.

Yusei's parents approved of your request without a hitch. Your mum gushed about how proud she was of you while your father gave you a few pointers on public speaking. When it was almost time for Kashi and Genji's performance, you went backstage and explained to the staff what you were doing.

Kashi was currently getting his makeup touched up by one of the staff members.

"(Y/n)? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to make a small speech before you guys perform. Some kind of introduction, you know? Don't worry, I won't be stealing the spotlight for too long."

"I see, that's cool! Good luck."

"Thanks."

Genji was currently fixing up his clothes in front of a tall mirror. He glanced over his shoulder. You were about to avoid his gaze, but keeping eye contact just made you feel more powerful. No words were exchanged and you walked onto the stage.

Everyone's attention reverted to you, fixated like nails against a wall. Wow. Talk about pressure. But after seeing your parents' smiles, Kai giving you a not so subtle thumbs up, and Himari's encouraging nod you felt a lot better.

A confident smile on your lips, you began. "Thank you for coming today."

Alright the rules were: red outline meant death and white meant potential injuries. I'm also limited to two minutes using this feature.

It was difficult using the feature and speaking at the same time, but you practised a lot with Kei so you managed to pull it off decently. You looked around, masking your analysis as eye contact and engagement with the audience.

Hayami, red. Not surprised there.

"... And finally, I'd like to acknowledge the efforts of our two idols who will be kindly putting on a performance for us today."

Kashi and Genji were waiting behind the curtains, ready to go on stage as soon as you left it. Using the context of the speech as an excuse to look at the idols, you checked the outline on Genji.

Ah. It was red. You suppressed an annoyed chuckle. First I slapped him and now I need to save his ass.