![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nebulancer
Summary – One day, in the dorms. Aoi, who had completed a busy period in work, was having a healing time, surrounded by the animals. However, that was no longer the case when he received a phone call from Tsukishiro.
“Aoi-kun, there’s a scandal.”
And that was the beginning of the incident that also dragged in Arata, as well as Aoi’s older brother Chihiro.
1. Drama – “Aoi-kun, There’s a Scandal”
Yamato: Meow~
Aoi: Hwah... *breathes deeply* This is so healing~
...Yamato, this feels comfy to you too, right?
Yamato: Mreow~
Aoi: Thank... good... ness...! You’ve gotten quite clean, haven’t you?
Yamato: Meow~
Aoi: This is my blissful healing time~!
Arata: The Trimming Prince is being terrifically healed while performing said trimming.
Aoi: I really am being healed~ *sighs*
My schedule’s been sort of packed lately, so it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this fur and body warmth~ *deep breath*
Hwaaah~! The fluffiness... *gasps* ...is healing me to no end!
Arata: Uh, Aoi, is it okay if I snap a pic? Since we’re here already, I wanna give the fans a share of the healing.
Aoi: Sure, that’s fine, but you better make sure Yamato’s properly displayed as cute as he can be, got it?
Arata: Wait, that’s what you’re concerned about?
Aoi: That’s the most important part! Right, Yamato~?
Yamato: Mrr~...
Aoi: HAAUUUUGH~! You’re so cute...!
Arata: Aoi? ...Aoi-kun? Bro, you’re acting sorta gross right now, not gonna lie.
Aoi: You’re so heartless. ...But who cares~! No one else is watching! At least for today, I’m going to let myself be healed—
[Aoi’s phone buzzes.]
Arata: Hm?
Aoi: Hm?
Arata: Aoi-kun, your phone’s ringing. Says it’s from Tsukishiro-san. Here.
Aoi: Hmm? From Tsukishiro-san? I wonder what it’s about?
Yes? This is Aoi. Tsukishiro-san? What’s the matter?
Tsukishiro: “Ahh! Thank goodness. I got to you.
...Aoi-kun. There’s a scandal!”
Aoi: Whut?
-
[The door opens.]
Aoi: *gasping* Please, believe me, Tsukishiro-san! I’m innocent! It’s not me!!
Tsukishiro: Wh—!? O-oh, yes...
Arata: Aoi. There, there~ *pats Aoi* Calm it down, would you? You’ve shocked Tsukishiro-san.
Aoi: No, but—Because I—It’s wrong—I can’t calm—I’m—I’ve—Me, going on a date in the shopping district~!? I definitely wouldn’t and haven’t done it! Absolutely not!
Arata: ...What he said, Tsukishiro-san.
Tsukishiro: Ah... yes, sure.
Arata: I’m seeing an unprecedented side of Aoi that’s unbelievably amusing to me, so I feel like it’d be a bit of a waste to do this.
But could you tell us about the deets regarding what this aggregator site calls, “Satsuki Aoi’s Heart-thumping (Star mark) ☆ Late-night Shopping District Date Incident”? ✨
Aoi: AAARATA! You’re just brimming with the urge to poke fun at me, I can tell!
Arata: No, listen, Aoi. When things have gotten to this point, I think it’d be harder to not poke fun at you.
Gravi’s refreshing prince, Satsuki Aoi-kun, was spotted late at night in the shopping district on a... PFFT! Tehehe...! D-date, you know!? *snrk*
Ah. This is, like, totally meaningless, but the ring of the phase “shopping district date” sounds like the good old days, doesn’t it?
Aoi: I SERIOUSLY! *smacking the table* GENUINELY! THINK THAT’S SO! MEANINGLESS!
Tsukishiro: There, there, Aoi-kun! Please, do calm down! And Arata-kun, please don’t mess around with him too much.
-
Tsukishiro: Here you go. Drink some warm tea and calm down.
Aoi: Whoa—um... Thank you... very much. *wheezes*
Arata: So the kerfuffle this time around started from a regular person’s tweet out in the wild?
Tsukishiro: Yes. Someone who looked exceptionally similar to Aoi-kun seemed to be intimately walking down the streets of the shopping district, together with a woman.
The original post wondered if it was the person himself.
A picture of the side profile was posted with the text, but I can say that it looks somewhat similar to Aoi-kun when in disguise.
Arata: Ooh. ...So the person’s a hottie?
Tsukishiro: Haha. Yes, they are.
There’s dark lighting and the angle to consider, and due to the image quality of the camera taking it, the person might not actually look like him in reality.
Regardless, it was a photo where even I thought they looked similar, so there are some people out there who believe in the rumor.
It’s been making the rounds a bit.
Aoi: If I could ask... how much is... “a bit”...?
Tsukishiro: The last I checked, it was at around 10,000 views.
Aoi: NGRK—
That’s... a pretty big number, isn’t it...?
Arata: It might even spread even more from now on~ Popular boys have it tough, don’t they, Aoi-kun? *pats Aoi*
Aoi: ...After this, I’m going to post that photoset I have of you making freaky-weird sleeping faces.
Arata: *chuckles* That’s one way of getting revenge.
Tsukishiro: Don’t worry, Aoi-kun. As I just told you, it’s already been confirmed... or rather, shared within the agency that the person within the photo isn’t Aoi-kun himself.
After all, the day the picture was posted, the man in question was with me, Kakeru-kun, and Yoru-kun.
Aoi: Y-yes. After the interview, the four of us stayed together and went to eat at a restaurant with the staff members... and Tsukishiro-san drove us to the dorms. ...Right?
Tsukishiro: Yes, that’s right.
Arata: That’s all? Letdown for real.
Aoi: *growling* Aaaraaataaa...!?
Arata: *chuckling* Sorry, sorry! Just joking.
Tsukishiro: But of course... there’s always the possibility that you secretly left the dorms in the middle of the night, freeing yourself from restraints in the shopping district. It’s not impossible, I’d have to say...
Aoi: Tsukishiro-san!?
Tsukishiro: Pfft! Hahaha. I’m sorry about that. I was also joking.
I know for a fact that you’re not the type of person to do such a thing, and I believe you. The dorms’ security cameras also didn’t show you going out.
Arata: Ahh. Even though you believed him, you still made sure to check the security cameras?
Tsukishiro: Yes. Though it may feel discomforting, please understand that it’s a necessary procedure in order to protect you all. If, in the worst-case scenario, the situation were to blow up horribly, it will serve as verification from an objectively external standpoint.
Aoi: If the... situation blows up horribly...!
Tsukishiro: Ah, please, don’t let yourself worry about it! That’s only in the absolute worst-case scenario.
Myself, the agency, and your fans know your personality and who you are inside. However, we can’t rule out the possibility that discourteous people could be out there who consider it hilarious to fan the flames of the incident.
Arata: We’d be better off thinking about it this way: we’ve gotten popular enough that those sorta doubts are enough to make us a trending topic.
Tsukishiro: That’s true. It’d be nice if you could see it that positively.
Aoi: ...*sighs* ...I don’t know what to do.
Tsukishiro: ...Those who work in showbiz make it their jobs to be the reason for rumors or be the center of attention. Nevertheless, such a thing instead becomes adversity at times like this, correct?
Aoi: Yes...
Tsukishiro: After this, the members of Gravi and Procella will be individually notified of this by myself and Kurotsuki, all right?
We’ll inform them that it’s nothing more than a groundless rumor, but things might get hectic for a while.
Aoi: I’m sorry for putting you through all that trouble...
Tsukishiro: It’s no problem! That’s my job, after all. It’s not your fault in the first place, either.
Aoi: ...Do you think it’d be better if I were to tell Hajime-san myself...?
Arata: Ahh. That’s true, true.
Tsukishiro: Ah! I’m sorry. As he’s the leader, I’ve already told him the details, as well as the fact that there were no grounds for the rumor, right after I contacted you.
It was perfect timing, since I had to meet with him for another matter, so I did so while I was at it.
Aoi: Er, um, by—By the way, would it be all right... if I were to ask you... how he responded?
Tsukishiro: Huh? Oh—Hajime-kun... Well, he...
Arata: Ah? Wait, could he have gotten angry? Like, that he was too defenseless or off his guard?
Aoi: Well, that wasn’t me, so how could I have even been on my guard in the first place...? But it’s true... that my name’s the one causing a commotion...
Tsukishiro: Oh, no, please rest assured! He wasn’t upset.
On the contrary...
Aoi: On the contrary?
Tsukishiro: When he saw the heading on the same summary site that Arata-kun was looking at... he snickered in amusement.
Aoi: Hajime-san did!?
Arata: Sometimes, Hajime-san’s funny bone gets smacked in the easiest of ways~
Isn’t that nice, Aoi?
Aoi: I don’t know if it’s nice or not... I haven’t even done anything, yet I feel like only my embarrassment is on the rise...
...Tohoho...
Arata: Okay, but still, Aoi-kun. Methinks you’ve got no luck.
You’re out here thinking you’re in the clear, since you’re done with your work schedule being packed to the brim. But now a spitting image of you pops up in a failed attempt to get you flamed in a scandal.
Aoi: *weakly* You can say that again. Treat me with sympathy, would you?
I want to get back to the dorms right now and get all the animals to gather up, leap right into the fluff, and scream. Like, “FURRRRRRGH!”
Arata: Ah. Because of their fur? [Thunk.]
...Whew, seriously, though. Now that I look at it again, this person’s the spitting image. They really look like Aoi—
...
......Uh!?
Tsukishiro: Hm?
Arata: Legit, like, for real looks like him. This person absolutely, seriously looks exactly like Aoi.
*sucks in breath* When I think about people who look exactly like Aoi, the guy that comes to mind is...
Aoi: Hh!? Arata... Could you show me that on a larger screen? I’ve been purposely avoiding looking at the picture, so...
Arata: Uh, let’s see here. Like this?
This side profile’s—......
... *gasps*
Arata, Aoi: CHII-CHAN!?
Tsukishiro: Er, uh... Come again?
2. Drama – “As Your One and Only Older Brother”
[tap.]
Arata, Aoi: ...HMMMMMM......
Arata: Using the big-screen tablet...
Aoi: No matter how I slice it, this is most definitely...
Arata, Aoi: Chii-chan......
*They groan*
Arata: ...All right. Aoi-kun. Let’s think about this positively. Everything is always based off of how you perceive it.
There are multiple good points about this situation.
Aoi: Which are...?
Arata: First up. Number one: a scandal of this caliber has caused enough commotion to disrupt the timeline. So that means your level of fame has risen to this degree, and we’re popular enough to cause such a thing.
Aoi: Er... Considering I’m the one at ground zero, this fact doesn’t make me happy, but I can tell what you’re trying to get at.
Arata: Number two. The source of these doubts, “Satsuki Aoi’s Heart-thumping ☆ Late-night Shopping District Date Incident,” has been confirmed to be a completely false report throughout the agency. All of it is completely baseless, lacking in truth, and it’s been proven as such due to various sources of evidence.
Aoi: ...I feel nothing but malice in how you go out of your way to say the title name in its entirety, but, well... You’re right.
Arata: Number three. Chii-chan’s......
...gotten himself a sweetheart.
Aoi: *Clutching a pillow to his mouth, muffled* Hngh! That’s the thing!
*sob* It’s such a normal thing, but why!? I feel way too shocked about this!
Arata, you’re actually calm after this bombshell got dropped!?
Arata: Actually. I’m not calm at all.
As proof that I am intensely shocked about this, look.
......My pupils are opened up wide.
Aoi: *Looks up* What? ...Uh, sorry. I can barely tell the difference.
Anyway, uh, I guess that means you... are shocked, right?
Arata: Yeah. ...... *sighs*
When I think about it objectively, he’s 26. He’s just that cool, that smart, and has such a charming personality. It’d be weirder if someone like that didn’t have a girlfriend.
Like, in my head, I know that’s the case.
Still, I’m shocked.
Aoi: *sighs* Exactly. If anything, it should be a fortunate enough occasion for me to wish him the best, but why am I so shocked about this?
Arata: This is... it’s like that. It feels unsettling, since Chii-chan’s never been the type of guy to make you feel like he’s associated with that sorta stuff.
Like a bolt from the blue, this sudden late-night scoop hit us way too hard.
Aoi: Uh, wait—But in junior high and high school, I’ve seen him with someone who looked like his girlfriend. Multiple times, in fact.
Arata: Hhhhh... Are you for real?
Aoi: Yeah. They’d be walking together. They were holding hands and stuff, so I assumed... she was his girlfriend. But back then, I didn’t receive that big of a shock from it all. The most I reacted to it was feeling like my heart skipped a few beats.
Arata: ...For your information, I’m undoubtedly... receiving an even greater shock from the situation.
Aoi: Ahh. Sorry. I guess.
Arata: *whining* Dangit, who even cares anymore. I don’t even get what it means, but anyway, I’m just shocked at it all!
I’m shocked. Chii-chan was someone I admired in a different way from Hajime-san.
And that Chii-chan...! Was on a... Heart-thumping ☆...! Shopping district date...!?
AAAAHHHHAHAHHH...!
Aoi: I’m seeing an unprecedentedly amusing side of Arata, so now on the contrary, I actually feel calmer in response to it all...!
Arata: You heartless scoundrel!
Aoi: Anyway! We can’t really do anything about this if we’re idling away talking nonsense, so I’ll contact Nii-san and confirm it in person.
Arata: Confirm what? Like, his girlfriend’s name? How they started being an item, or their first meeting? Nononononono~!
I don’t WANNA hear it~! Like, what if he hit us with something crazy!? What would you do then!?
I’m so shocked that I won’t be able to drink strawberry milk for some time!
Aoi: Hope your blood sugar level goes down.
...All right! Let’s head into it and call him right away...!
Arata: Aoi-kun, when you break through all your doubts, you become way too dauntless!
Aoi: ...Hrm...! *taps the phone, and after some buzzing, the line picks up.*
Chii-cha...
...Nii-san? Um, you know...
-
[The elevator door opens.]
Employee: Welcome. Do you have a reservation?
Aoi: I put in a reservation for a group of three under the name “Tsukishiro”.
Employee: Ah, yes! Tsukishiro-sama, I presume? We’ve received your order. The remaining third person... It seems they haven’t arrived yet.
I will guide you to your room first.
Aoi: Understood.
Arata: Chii-chan’s not here yet, eh?
Aoi: Looks like that’s the case.
Employee: Please go ahead, remove your footwear, and head in.
*calls* The reservation for three has arrived!
Arata: Oh yeah, why’s the reservation under Tsukishiro-san’s name?
Aoi: I got Tsukishiro-san to reserve the place for us. There’s also the stuff online, and even though we’re going to a drinking establishment off work, I thought it’d be better off for me to inform him beforehand.
When I did so, he quickly made the reservation right then and there.
Arata: Gotcha. Now that’s our ever-capable manager Tsukishiro-san for you.
If it’s a place that Tsukishiro-san reserved, I can rest easy, in all sorts of ways.
Aoi: Exactly.
Employee: Your footwear may be kept as is. Here is your room.
[The two of them sit down.]
Employee: Well, then. Please relax.
[The door closes.]
Arata, Aoi: *sigh*
Arata: Oh, yeah. I dunno when it happened, but at some point, the topic of Aoi’s late-night date disappeared from the trends. Weird.
Aoi: *laughing wryly* Why are you phrasing it like that’s sorta disappointing?
I’m glad it died down before the topic became too big of a deal.
Arata: Kakerun and Yoruyoru posted pics of the dinner meeting y’all had that day, so I guess that got rid of the misunderstanding.
Aoi: Yeah. Our clothes and hairstyles were completely different, after all.
Arata: Wouldn’t the situation have been resolved sooner if you’d uploaded your own picture?
Aoi: I shamefully admit that it’s only during these times that... I was the only one who’d forgotten to take a picture.
Arata: ...Goodness gracious.
Aoi: *sighs* I get the feeling that I’ll get nervous every time I tweet from now on.
Arata: Don’t let it get to you, don’t worry about it~ It’ll drop off the list of rumors right away. A wonder lasts but nine days, so rumors don’t linger all that long.
Aoi: Mmhmm...
...Social media’s fun and useful, but sorta... scary, isn’t it?
You become a trending topic while you’re caught unawares, and like this time, you can suddenly be the center of certain topics.
Arata: By mistaking how you use it, and just a slight mistake of how you phrase something, you can totally get flamed online.
Aoi: Yeah. For better or worse, the speed at which information gets carried around is, despite everything, quick as can be.
Arata: You can communicate with people all the way across the globe with just a single click, so trending, getting flamed, or even getting popular can all happen in the blink of an eye.
Aoi: I... feel like that speed’s going to give me vertigo.
Arata: Don’t try to force yourself to keep up with that speed. Why don’tcha use it at your own speed?
Aoi: You’re right. I get that, but it’s... not really doable...
But with that, Arata, you’re good at taking things at your own pace, whether it’s our normal lives or on social media. I envy you.
Because with even the most normal, common tweet, I worry, “I’m not misspelling anything, am I? Hope I’m not missing a letter!” “I just hope I haven’t phrased this in a way that leads to misunderstandings!” Stuff like that.
Every time, I feel my heart pounding as I push the “post” button.
Arata: Even when you’re just saying, “good morning”?
Aoi: Even then.
Arata: Doesn’t that get exhausting?
Aoi: It’s not so bad that I get exhausted, per se, but I’m quite aware that I get pointlessly nervous about it.
If possible, I’d want to go “Whoop! There you go!” and post as casually as I breathe, the same way you do.
Arata: Bro, you really see my tweets as being that casual?
Aoi: Ah, well—Of course, not like the content of them. It’s about the readiness of the sender, perhaps? I mean it as in the attitude of how you post.
In my case, I feel like my anxiety oozes into the text when I’m posting.
When that happens, the people reading might not find it interesting... is how I feel.
Arata: Aoi-kun. I really do think you’re taking this way too seriously.
Aoi: And I think so too.
Arata: I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, but you don’t have to think about it so deeply, man!
Like, good mornings? Good nights? I ate something tasty? Isn’t it enough for you to post stuff that’s easy to digest and low-stress?
Just use it with a relaxed mindset and post content that’s easy to approach.
Aoi: Relaxed...
Arata: Yep. Go at it and stay relaxed. They’re just tweets, y’know? They’re not like theses.
Aoi: You’re right...
Arata: Plus, if something were to ooze into the text, wouldn’t it just be your diligence and your consideration for the topic?
Then that’s fine! And from a fan’s viewpoint, they know who you are already, so that’s what’s up.
Just getting a glimpse of the prince’s daily life would make them happy, methinks.
No need to push yourself too hard. Use it at your leisure, so you don't need to run away spouting stuff about being uncomfortable with it all. ‘Kay?
Aoi: Mm... ...Mmhmm.
You’re... right. You’re completely right. I don’t have to write scholarly passages or post hilarious content. I don’t need to think that much as I... let’s see... I use it for greetings and the like.
If I consider my posts as being simple greetings, I bet I’ll be able to make use of social media without thinking too deeply into things.
Arata: Aah. “Greetings” is a nice way to phrase it. Good morning, world! Good afternoon, world. I get the feeling that’s the most proper way to use it.
Aoi: Thooough after this, a struggle regarding something completely personal, which most definitely cannot go onto said social media, is going to begin...
Arata: AAAUUGHUUHGUHUHUH~! I haven’t steeled myself yet.
Aoi: Ahaha! Arata, it hasn’t even been half a minute since you were acting so cool with the impression that you’re totally prepared for everything coming your way.
Why do you suddenly become so lame when Nii-san’s the subject matter?
Arata: Okay, dude, but listen... The deets on Chii-chan’s love life... It’s like I wanna know... but I don’t wanna... but in the end, I wanna...
Aoi: *chuckling* Settle on one, why don’t you?
Ah, but... I guess I sort of understand that sensation.
Employee: Excuse me. Your companion has arrived.
Arata: He’s heeeeeeeeeeere! *squeaks*
Chihiro: Hey there, Aoi. Arata. It’s been a while.
-
Chihiro: So. The person in that picture... Or should I say, people, consisted of...
Arata: Blindsided by my very own older sister, Uduki Yuuka...
Chihiro: Yeah. And, while we’re listing people off, the person whose head is displayed here is the street neighbor Tanaka-san. The person whose shoulder is shown here is Old Man Shibata. And this one’s...
Aoi: Ohh! The people in this picture aren’t passers-by... They were all taking part in the drinking party?
Chihiro: Mmhmm.
Arata: And everyone here was a participant in the neighborhood Mahjong tournament?
Chihiro: You got it. Yuuka-chan might be sent to take part in her company’s wine and dine Mahjong in the near future. But she said that she doesn’t know how to play Mahjong aside from the PC game, so those in the neighborhood, who were more experienced with the game, suggested that she give the tournament a try at least once.
Aoi: That’s when you were called over?
Chihiro: Yeah. *chuckles* She caught me. I was forced to attend.
Aoi: You can play Mahjong? I didn’t know that.
Chihiro: True, I can play, but just barely. Back when I was in the engineering department, I had a friend who liked playing Mahjong, and they made me play with them.
But I was horrible, and... Heh. Totally incompetent.
My final position was at a lower position than Yuuka-chan, who’d played for the first time that day.
I remember I played so badly that they nicknamed me “Sitting duck,” since they thought I was a sucker just begging to lose.
Aoi: “Sitting duck”... ...Cute.
Arata: Since we’re here already, I’m just gonna ask this on the side. But Chii-chan, do you have anyone at the moment with whom you’d go on a late-night date...?
Chihiro: What, you mean a girlfriend?
Unfortunately, no. Right now, I’m having enough fun studying in my veterinarian program, but I’m busy too. I have my hands full managing that alone.
Aoi: I see...
This means that this incident... from the start to end, happened because of... misunderstandings and misinterpretations...?
Arata: Bruh, this falling action feels like a total free-fall.
Arata, Aoi: *sigh, slumping over* Haaaah~...
Aoi: ...Arata. I didn’t notice, so I’m equally guilty as you, but... at the very least, why didn’t you recognize it was your own older sister from behind, the moment you laid eyes on the picture?
Arata: Aneki changes hairstyles constantly, so how could I have known?
I’d be able to recognize her in a flash if I saw her from the front, though.
Aoi: Yeah. I would too.
Chihiro: Err... Um. *laughing* Uh, well. Sorry, you two. I guess.
Neither me, nor the people around me, tend to use social media, so I didn’t even know it’d gotten that big of a deal.
Aoi, were things okay with you?
The agency didn’t get upset with you, did they?
Would it be better off that I did something about i—
Aoi: Aah, ah, no, that’s fine. The office instantly clarified that it wasn’t me, anyway.
Chihiro: *sighs* Got it. I’m glad to hear that.
Arata: Aoi’s crazy level of agitation when called over was a sight to behold, though.
Aoi: Araaataaa...!
Chihiro: ...Fufu.
Aoi: Nii-san?
Chihiro: It’s nothing... Just, it might be inconsiderate of me, but it’s rare to meet with you two like this outside of our homes. It made me feel happy thinking about it.
Arata: Oh, true.
Chihiro: My tiny kindergarten hat-wearing younger brothers, who played around making mud balls and the like, are now meeting me in an izakaya. They’ve gotten old enough to chat with me, with alcohol in their hands.
Now that you two are in showbiz, I’ve started seeing you pretty often on TV, advertisements, or online websites.
It’d be nice if I could create an opportunity to see you in person, directly like this... even if it’s once in a while.
Aoi: Eh—
Chihiro: I get info about you guys every day from all types of sources. But there might be a mistake like the commotion that happened this time.
More importantly... or actually, most importantly, it doesn’t have the warmth.
Getting to meet you in person, feeling the warmth of seeing you, looking you eye-to-eye as we talk... That’s really the best. That’s what I was thinking.
[He turns to look both of them in the eye.]
...Mm. Are you two in good health? Having fun? Are you doing your best?
Not too tired, are you? I’m always going to be your worrywart of a doting brother, so you should meet me from time to time to reassure me.
Arata, Aoi: Chii-chan...
Chihiro: Aoi. And Arata.
You’re always working hard, aren’t you?
You’re so cool and sparkling so bright. I’m proud of you. Both of you.
As one of your fans, and as your one and only older brother, I’ll be cheering you on, no matter where you might be.
Aoi: ...Got it!
Arata: Thanks, Chii-chan.
Chihiro: Ahh. Also, when it comes to your relationships with girls, make sure to update me, first things first, before the scandals blow up.
Aoi: Chii-chan!!
Arata: Ahuhuhu.
