Chapter Text
After taking the bugs to the police station and explaining what Rui thought their involvement was in the Kusanagi kidnapping case, Sakurako had invited Asahi to a cafe for lunch. The two were credit based at their respective schools, so it made finding time for things like this easier. She wanted to talk to him as both an actor in similar standing to herself, and as a childhood friend and newer friend of Wonderlands x Showtime. She arrived first, buying herself a coffee and a small slice of cake before finding somewhere quiet to sit and wait. Her ankle was still giving her pain. Nowhere near as much as the day before, so she’d concluded it was just a bad sprain. At least it wasn’t broken. She’d already finished the cake by the time he had arrived, ordered his own drink and sat down opposite her. They exchanged the usual pleasantries, but it wasn’t long before Asahi got to the point.
“So, how’s your relationship with Nene?” He asked, turning the conversation over to what Sakurako had wanted to talk to him about. She’d been telling him bits and pieces, but often lacked the chance to just sit and chat the way they were right now.
“It’s complicated…” she told him. That was the best way she could describe their relationship. Complicated. She’d already told him about Nene’s amnesia, and how no progress was being made with her recovering her memories. “We had a really nice date yesterday, but…” she took a deep breath, already starting to get emotional. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.” Those words left a sour taste on her tongue, and highlighted a weight she carried on her shoulders.
“What do you mean?” Asahi was quick to ask, clearly not understanding what she meant. She didn’t blame him at all. They hadn’t been able to sit and have an in depth chat like they were about to have right now in a long time.
“I don’t see our relationship lasting if she can’t remember who I am day to day.” Sakurako admitted. She’d been thinking and agonising about it for so long, and that was the unfortunate conclusion she had come to. “I do really like her, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve worked my whole life for my dream career, and if it came down to my future as a world class actress or keeping a relationship with Nene, I’d have to pick the stage. She’s enough of a distraction now, I can’t keep it up forever.” She felt so heavy and uncomfortable with that confession, but it was her truth. She couldn’t carry Nene along with her in life forever, even if she wanted to. She had her own life to think about too.
“Won’t you walking away from her because of her amnesia hurt her?” Asahi asked. Sakurako had thought about that. It had been part of why this whole topic had been agonising. She’d never want to hurt her.
“Not really. If it comes to it, I’m going to ask Rui to update her tablet to remove any mention of me so it’ll be like we never met. That would be best for us both.” She told him her plan. Disappearing in plain sight, so to speak. Besides, nothing would stop them being friends if it was possible to maintain some kind of relationship that way.
“That makes sense… Still, I’m sure if anyone can come up with a way to cure her amnesia, it’s going to be their crazy fun director, Rui. He’s always got some kind of insane ideas in his mind, I’m sure one of them will cure her.” Asahi told her, clearly trying to cheer her up. Even so, Sakurako could see the faint change in the colour of his face. It was slightly more rosy. Ever since his troupe had started working with Wonderlands x Showtime for a show, he’d been talking almost nonstop about Rui, and had been devastated when his offer for Rui to be his troupe’s director was rejected.
“Don’t even start me on Rui…” she muttered bitterly, picking up her cup and taking a sip of coffee. She was still mad at him for how he had tried to keep Nene and her amnesia away from her.
“I know, but he is helping her even now. He modified that tablet for her, and it hasn’t had anything wrong with it. Other than when your profile was missing, obviously.” He tried to defend Rui, not to her surprise. While she wasn’t exactly his biggest fan right now, she had to admit that he was helpful. He managed to get her data put on the tablet pretty quickly after everything came out, and he did help her identify what the bugs were that were implanted backstage to listen in to her troupe.
“I just…” she sighed, looking down and feeling the weight of what she would say next already. “I never thought I’d fall for someone the way I did for Nene. Honestly, part of me thought love was only a thing that existed in plays. Then we met, and I heard her sing for the first time. It moved me in a way I wasn’t used to.” Her mind wandered back to that night. Wonderlands x Showtime’s Christmas play, with Nene as the lead. She’d been moved and brought to tears before by other (admittedly) far more talented performers, but there was just something about Nene’s performance that had been different. That was when her feelings for Nene began, and only blossomed when they had the chance to perform together. “We only got together about two months ago now, so it’s still so new. Honestly it feels like I’m living in a play right now, only it’s never ending and it seems like there’s no happy ending to come. I don’t want to leave her behind, but I can’t stop moving forward either… I know if she had her memories, she’d want me to keep moving forward to inspire her to keep moving forward to catch me up. It’s just so strange and uncomfortable…” Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but she refused to allow them to. She didn’t want to be seen crying in public. Asahi reached over, holding her hand for support.
“Why don’t we continue this conversation in our more private space later, alright? I don’t wanna see you get all worked up here.” Asahi suggested. Sakurako subconsciously glanced down at her phone, realising he was right. This conversation would’ve been better had somewhere far more private.
“You’re right.” She sat up straight, taking the last sip from her now empty coffee mug. “Perhaps we should’ve met there like we used to. It’s been a while, and something reminded me of it recently.” She told him. It had been so long since the two of them had been there, she’d thought he would’ve forgotten it. She had forgotten about it completely until her memory of that place had been jogged recently.
“Really? I still go there every so often. It’s a nice place to unwind or rehearse lines for upcoming shows.” He laughed. Sakurako was surprised not only that he remembered that place, but that he still went there. Still, it would be nice to go back. Might be a good temporary distraction for her.
Temporary was probably how Nene would describe her world. She couldn’t remember a thing from one day to the next, guided through her life by a tablet. The tablet told her who she supposedly was, and where she supposedly had to be. She didn’t know for sure, not until she arrived and was greeted like she belonged there. At least that had happened arriving at class today. Now it was lunch time, and Nene didn’t know what to do with herself. Rui hadn’t mentioned anything to her about lunchtime, and her tablet didn’t tell her where she should go or what she should do either. She’d taken to wandering around, trying to find something interesting to do. She reached for a door handle, wanting to know what was inside when someone suddenly shouted for her.
“Nene! Don’t go in there, over here instead.” A girl with dark hair with blue tips came over, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her down to the end of the hallway. Nene just followed, trying her best to keep up. She didn’t recognise this girl, but she knew her name so they must be at least acquainted. “That’s the guidance counselor's room, and she hates being interrupted unnecessarily. You would’ve gotten detention for sure.” The girl continued, letting her hand go now they were at the end of the corridor.
“Oh. Thank you.” Nene thanked her, turning her tablet on and looking for this girl’s profile. She wanted to know who she was, since it seemed like she knew her. Eventually, she found it. An Shiraishi, in the same music group as her classmate Toya.
“You’re welcome. What’s got you wandering around, anyway?” An asked, leaning on the wall. She still appeared pretty alert. Nene held her tablet closer to her chest, shrugging. She hadn’t known what to do with herself, and honestly still didn’t.
“I didn’t know what to do with myself now classes aren’t on, so I just went for a wander around school.” Nene told her truthfully. She didn’t know the school well enough to come up with a convincing lie, plus her profile on the tablet made it seem like she was trustworthy.
“Well, that won’t do. Come on, it’s a good opportunity for us to have lunch together.” Instead of grabbing her hand again, An linked arms with her and started to lead her out of the building. She just followed, looking around where they went and trying to remember it so she could get back to the classroom when needed.
An led her out to a field behind the school, guiding her towards a tree. Looking around, she could see other people in school uniforms, but she couldn’t recognise a single one.
“Are you sure we’re allowed out here?” Nene asked, looking around. She didn’t see many other students out here, and certainly none she recognised. She held her tablet a little tighter with one hand, the other holding on to An’s hand even tighter. Bad thoughts did go through her mind, like An had brought her out here to have something bad happen to her (she wasn’t quite sure what, just something bad).
“Yeah, we are. It’s nice out here.” An insisted, leading Nene over to a tree and laying her blazer down before sitting on it. Nene copied her actions, sitting under the tree beside her and putting her tablet into her bag for safe keeping. The breeze was cool as she felt it over her arms. It was peaceful here, peaceful and calm unlike her classroom. An was humming beside her, getting her lunch from her bag. Nene also got her lunch out, not saying a word as she started to eat. The quiet between the two was nice. Just the breeze through the tree branches above their heads and the sounds of other students chatting and messing around in the near distance. “Nene, do you have any plans for after school today?” An suddenly interrupted the silence by asking her a question. Nene shrugged, taking her tablet from her bag and opening up the calendar. She checked what was on it for the rest of the day, before shaking her head.
“No, I don’t have any plans.” She told An. An grinned, taking the tablet from her hands. Nene was quite surprised by that action.
“Good. We’re making plans right now.” She told her, starting to add something to the calendar. Nene shuffled closer, trying to get a look at what she was adding. “After classes today, you and me are gonna go to Weekend Garage. It’s gonna be so much fun!” An told her, finishing what she was doing and handing the tablet back. Nene could see what An had added a lot better now, and it was pretty much what An had just told her. The only thing they hadn’t discussed was the note An had added saying she would come and meet Nene at her classroom to take her.
“Okay.” She read the plan over again, putting her tablet back in her bag. She would do her very best to remember what it was. At least she’d be reminded.
After class ended, Nene had waited outside her classroom for An to arrive. An arrived quickly, and the two were walking to Vivid Street together to get to Weekend Garage. She had mostly been following An, as there was no entry for Weekend Garage anywhere on her tablet including directions. An took her inside, and the two were quickly greeted by a man.
“Good day at school, An?” He asked, leaning on the counter. Nene stared up at him, trying to drag up any memory of him and giving herself a headache in the process. Nope, no recollections of this man. All she could tell was that he had some semblance to An, like a family member of hers.
“It was fine. Same as usual.” An shrugged, going behind the counter and getting something to drink. Nene just stayed by the door, looking around. The place had a cozy atmosphere. A few small groups sat at tables drinking coffee and chatting, with music playing in the background. “Oh, dad, I brought Nene over like I told you I was gonna.” An piped up, setting her bag down behind the counter and running back over to Nene. Dad… so I was right about them being related somehow… An linked their arms as Nene let that thought wander on for a little longer. They seem close. I wonder if me and my own dad are close. I… can’t remember…
“It’s nice to see y- m-meet you, Nene.” His words brought her back into reality. He seemed to stumble over his words slightly, which she did pick up on. She just stared up at him, holding her tablet close to her chest. She already knew there wasn’t going to be any information on him on there. “I’m Ken Shiraishi, An’s dad and owner of Weekend Garage.” He introduced himself, holding his hand out to her. She didn’t understand why, until she glanced over at An. An was miming holding someone’s hand and shaking it, while she mouthed “shake his hand” to her. She followed An’s suggestion, shaking his hand.
“It’s nice to meet you too.” Nene returned his greeting, letting go of his hand now. That seemed to be the right thing to do. An came back over, holding two mugs.
“I made you a coffee, Nene. Let’s sit down to drink them.” An suggested, setting the cups down on a nearby table. Nene took that as a sign to sit at that table. Taking her seat, she looked down into the cup at the dark steaming liquid inside. It had a rather pleasant aroma. An went back over to the counter, grabbing a plate and bringing it back over. “Here’s some freshly baked treats too.” She set them down on the table, before sitting down too.
“I’ll leave you girls to it, then. I’ll be at the counter serving customers if you need me.” Ken told them, going back over to the counter. Nene picked up her cup, taking a sip of coffee. It was strong and a little bitter, but not completely undrinkable.
“Here, have one of these little brownie bites. Got them to make them not long before we came so they’d be warm and perfect for us.” An encouraged, nudging the plate towards her. Nene put her coffee cup down and tried one of the brownie pieces. It was sweet and fudgy, a perfect snack to have with the coffee. It was still warm too, making it even better. “Aren’t they so good?!” She asked, taking one and eating it herself.
“Mhm. They’re so good.” She helped herself to another one, drinking from her coffee mug as An started chatting to her about her dream. She wanted to surpass something called Rad Weekend and was working on it with her group mates. It sounded interesting.
“Do you have any dreams, Nene?” An suddenly asked, taking her by surprise. She hadn’t even thought about a dream. Maybe once she had dreams and ambitions, but like her memory, they were gone. She was getting a headache trying to think about it. Luckily for her, An got so distracted by someone coming into the cafe that she didn’t have to answer that uncomfortable question. “Akito! Here!” She waved her arm at someone. Nene looked over at the boy An was waving at, before looking back at her.
“Is that your boyfriend?” Nene asked innocently.
“NO! He’s not my boyfriend!” An had turned bright red, shaking her hands and her head. She looked so embarrassed. Nene could hear An’s dad Ken laughing hysterically behind them. “He’s just a friend and groupmate.” An continued, starting to ramble as she continued making excuses. Akito had come over, also looking somewhat embarrassed. Now she felt bad for embarrassing them both.
“Wow, I thought I meant more to you, An.” Akito teased, clearly forcing himself to sound sadder than he actually was. Even Nene could tell that. He sat down at the table with the two of them, taking a piece of brownie and eating it.
“Akito…!” An whined, giving him what looked like quite a strong shove on the arm. That seemed to just make him laugh harder, which in turn was making her giggle a little. She felt bad for laughing at An, but she couldn’t help it.
“Coffee, Akito. On the house for a future son-in-law.” Ken teased, setting the coffee cup down in front of Akito. He ruffled Akito’s hair before going back over to the counter. Clearly he had heard at least part of their conversation.
“Daaad!” An whined rather loudly, sounding even more embarrassed. She rested her head on the table, trying to hide it with her arms. Nene hesitantly reached out and started patting her on the head trying to comfort her as best she could.
“Come on, An. We’re just messing with ya.” Akito sighed, having a drink from his coffee mug. It was clear he was bored of this now. An groaned, before forcing her head back up. She still looked a bit red.
“I was just having a nice after school coffee and brownie with Nene and you had to come and ruin it, didn’t you?” An asked, shaking her head in disapproval. If An hadn’t said they were friends, Nene might’ve thought they didn’t like each other based on how they were bickering.
“It is still nice, though.” She spoke up, trying in her own way to make the bickering stop. Akito smirked, giving An a playful little push on the shoulder.
“See, An? Nene said it’s still nice.” He continued to tease her. He kept prodding her on the shoulder for a little bit longer before she shook him off. “You know, Nene, I don’t think we’ve ever spent time like this before. It was always so hard to talk to you.” Akito said, turning back to Nene. His tone had shifted slightly too.
“It was?” She asked, curious as to the person she used to be. What made her so hard for Akito to talk to in the past? She wondered about the person she was before her amnesia, the person who her friends had befriended, the person her supposed girlfriend had developed feelings for.
“Oh don’t listen to him.” An tutted, gently hitting his arm. “You were just… shy.” She tried to explain. Nene’s mind began to wander. What was it like to be shy? Did they like her more now than before? Would she ever know who she really was?