Chapter Text
“ Starting when you turn 18, if you write or draw something on your skin, the same thing will appear on your soulmate’s skin. ”
The first time it happened was when Nagisa was eating his lunch. There was a sudden, weird ticklish sensation on his skin, and when he checked on it, there was an unfamiliar handwriting on his arms. Some short sentences that looked like... a lyric?
“Nagisa? What’s wrong?” Ibara asked worriedly.
Nagisa showed him his arm, and Ibara gasped in surprise.
“Oh my God! You got your first message from your soulmate! What does it say?”
“… I don’t know. It looks like some kind of lyrics? But I am not familiar with this song.”
“Let me see! Let’s google it!” Ibara said it excitedly. “Huh… That’s weird. There was no song with those lyrics… Maybe, it’s their original song?”
“… Maybe”
“Then it would be hard for you to find her just from those writings. You should write back! So you guys can meet!”
“… Don’t want it. I am focusing on my job right now. Dating would be a hassle.”
“Ehhh… Are you sure? It would be such a waste!”
“… Don’t worry about it. Let’s just finish our lunch so we can go back to practicing.”
“Okay, if you say so.”
Tsukina did not have time to think about her soulmate. Between practicing, doing live performances, and taking care of her frail body, Tsukina already had too many things on her plate. There was no rest for her if she wanted to become popular as soon as possible. Learning new songs, practicing dancing steps, even doing commercials—there was not a single day for her to relax! And if there’s any spare time, she would prefer to rest or practice even more.
If anything, meeting her soulmate now would mean risking her career as an idol.
Tsukina had seen how so many idols were stepping down from the stage because they met their soulmate and couldn’t love their fans as much as they used to. Not to mention how some fans just don’t see an idol as another human. They worshipped their idols so much that even the slightest mistake would end their entire career.
So just like many idols out there, Tsukina had been very careful not to write anything on her skin, because once she did, her soulmate somewhere would have a clue about her existence. Of course, temporary writing using a pen can be erased quickly, but it would still be too risky for her to write anything on her skin. What if someone recognized her writing? She’s an idol after all; even her handwriting was part of her public image.
Tsukina was such a diligent person; she always prepared herself for every possibility, every single day. It would be rare for her to be caught off guard. Clumsy was never a word anyone used to describe her. And if anything, she was too much of a worrywart to be able to act unprepared.
But it was not like Tsukina was a perfect human. There were days when she was unlucky too, just like today.
She had been exceptionally busy for the last month. Between preparing a brand new song with full choreography and facing an upcoming exam, the stress was too much for Tsukina. In the end, she ended up coming down with a cold once more and being forced to take one day off.
The problem was the day after that, because Tsukina had forgotten to set her alarms. Not only did she end up waking up late, but she also didn’t have time to properly prepare her belongings. And when it was time for her to practice the new song, she was the last one to get notified about the changes in their lyrics. She didn’t have time to get her notebooks, and her phone was always off when it was time for her to practice. She was left with no choice but to write the lyrics revision on her skin, just so she could join her partner in singing practice.
Of course, it worries her. She had been so careful not to write anything on her skin, but now suddenly she wrote her brand-new song lyrics on her skin. What if her soulmate found out about her later? Should she add new notes explaining everything?
The minute their singing practice ended, Tsukina ran to the toilet and desperately wiped the writing on her skin, while wishing that her soulmate hadn't seen or remembered much about it.
Nagisa had been walking alone around the Shibuya crossing after his practice ran late. It has been two months since he got his first writing on his arm, which disappeared right when he finished his lunch. After that, there wasn’t any other message from his soulmate. Not that he wanted to get another message either. After all, he also never wrote anything back.
But somehow, those lyrics he read that day stayed on his mind. He kept repeating those lyrics in his mind, wondering about the melody every single time.
And tonight, his curiosity finally got an answer.
That popular duet unit named Eclipse had been releasing a new song. It was so popular that it got played on the big billboard at Shibuya Crossing, and Nagisa realized it had the exact same lyrics as the one he saw that day.
“… So that’s the melody to those lyrics, huh?” Nagisa whispered to himself as he stared at the white-haired girl on the screen. “… No wonder she never wrote anything again. She is an idol too.”
Nagisa smiled, and for the first time, there was something tugging on his heart. He was intrigued; he was interested in knowing more about the white-haired girl from the duet unit Eclipse.
Nagisa took a pen from his bag and started to write on his skin.
“… I like your new song.”