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Rinne waved the last group of fans goodbye and turned to collect his belongings from the table on the small stage he had just stood on. The room, until now filled with bustling fans eager to take photos and ask questions, lay deserted, and in the quiet atmosphere, his steps resounded from the wood-panelled walls. This year’s birthday event went well, mostly thanks to a certain producer’s planning, and he looked forward to spending the day with his friends. He had not seen any of the other idols residing on Ensemble Square grounds when he woke up this morning, but he was sure he would find someone to blow some money on pachinko somehow. Their money, of course – it was his birthday, after all.
He picked up his water bottle and as he sipped, he looked around. The huge windows lining one side of the room had been opened to let in fresh spring air, a few rows of chairs faced the stage. Here and there he spotted a leftover pamphlet advertising the past event, its bright red and yellow matching the colourful decorations.
Seriously, was no one here?
Just when he was about to pull out his phone to shoot his boyfriend a message – Rei was not one to miss out on an opportunity to spoil someone with gifts, maybe something had happened? – the producer peeked through the opened door.
With a wave, she smiled and asked, “Hi, Rinne. Did everything go well?”
Rinne’s face brightened up. He took the few steps down the small stage and sauntered towards her. “‘T was great, thanks!”
The producer adjusted the jacket of her two-piece suit and, from seemingly nowhere, pulled out a piece of paper that Rinne did not recognise. “I’m sorry I can’t chat with you for long. I’m off to a date now, but first,” at that, she smiled a little conspiratorially, “I have something for you from a special someone.”
Well, that cleared up nothing.
Anzu handed him the piece of paper. Upon taking a second look, Rinne realised it was a laminated card. The edges were framed by a thick black line, in which someone had penned the words Birthday Slot, making the card look a little bit like the front of a slot machine. Inside this frame, where one would usually find reels to spin, something else was written, two lines on each reel.
“I’ll leave you to it now, have fun!” Anzu interrupted his inspection and took her leave. “Happy birthday.”
Rinne, amazed by the card, barely paid her any mind, only thanked her quietly, his thoughts already racing. He identified the handwriting immediately as that of his boyfriend: a little crawly and leaning to the right, with little dots on the i that almost resembled a flying bat. Excited, Rinne read:
Do you miss me, my dear?
Do not despair, for I will reappear.
But first you’ll have to find
A place you share with your kind.
The weather forecast predicts rain
A raincoat brought along will not be in vain.
This was the first time he had read poetry of Rei besides the occasional lyrics, and had he not been so adamant on solving the riddle it contained, he would have had more time to appreciate its penmanship.
A place he shared with his kind? ‘His kind’, did that mean idols like himself? Or perhaps his brother? And what was that about rain? When he had checked the forecast yesterday evening, the forecast had predicted nothing but sunny, warm weather. Weather, rain… Suddenly, the riddle’s solution dawned on him, and he burst out laughing.
Rei could not mean anything else other than his dorm room: his roommate, Hiyori, went on and on about Rinne’s general behaviour being bad weather for him, and the rain probably stood for Kanata, who loved water and rain like no one else.
Still smiling, Rinne made his way towards the exit of the ES building. Outside, no rain cloud was in sight, only pure, blue skies. His body threw a gentle shadow in the sunlight as he walked towards the Starmony Dorms. In the past week, the temperatures had risen to an almost unbearable heat, but today, the weather was surprisingly gentle. Rinne saw that as a sign of good luck. Once at the dorms, he squeezed himself into an elevator to the third floor and sighed when he reached the door leading to room number 303.
With more energy than necessary, he opened the door, revealing his roommates lounging on Kanata’s bed, open magazines spread around them.
“Rinne!” Kanata exclaimed and waved slowly. “Happy ‘birthday’!”
“Took you a while,” Hiyori quipped. He, too, congratulated him, and smiled as he gestured for Rinne to come closer.
Between two pages of one of the magazines, Rinne spotted a second card in the same fashion of the one he had received earlier. He plucked it out and turned it in his hands to read it.
The first step of your journey taken
Are your thrill-seeking senses already shaken?
Now that you know the premise of this little hunt
About the next stop let me be blunt:
They search to reach a certain crescendo
And no, this is not some naughty innuendo!
Small letters spelt out a crawly “perv!” under the last line, and Rinne involuntarily smiled. Rei really knew him too well.
Hiyori wore the same expression that Anzu had shown earlier, one that told him they knew more than him. He picked up the magazine Rinne had cast aside and started flipping through the illustrated pages. The room returned to an irregular silence, only broken up by light giggles from Kanata and the occasional curious sound from Hiyori.
Pondering over the poem presented to him, Rinne started going through a few of his belongings. Seeing as the sun was blazing, he donned a black cap instead of his usual headband.
“We also have a little something for you,” Hiyori remarked as Rinne stuffed a jacket into his backpack – who knew how long he would be out trying to catch his boyfriend? – and crossed his arms. “I guess that’ll have to wait, though.”
“Thank ya,” Rinne said and checked his phone’s battery. It would survive for a while, he decided, and grabbed his headphones as well. With a wave to his roommates, he left their dorm and started walking towards the entranceway of the building.
As he tapped around on his phone’s screen to play music, he tried to decipher the riddle once more. A crescendo? Just what did he mean by that, if not the obvious? Sneakily, as though anyone paid him attention, he opened his web browser and searched for ‘crescendo ensemble square’. Sure, this could be considered cheating, but he really was at a loss here! CosPro’s official website popped up, displaying its slogan: Reaching the Crescendo in Entertainment.
In one way or another, he had been right. At least he knew how to find what he searched for. With newfound vigour, he headed for his next destination. Luckily, the offices were located not far from the dorms, and Rinne felt relieved knowing that Rei had taken the walkability of the distances between his stops into account.
The CosPro Office was empty, safe for two figures at the far end of it, one of them sitting in front of a laptop, the other looking over their shoulder. Rinne approached them and recognised Ibara and Jun, immersed in outfit designs for one Live or another. Jun had slung one arm around Ibara’s neck and pointed at the screen.
“I’m telling ya, we already had somethin’ like this before, I bet–”
“I can’t find anything like this in previous records, though. Are you sure?” Ibara scrolled around on his laptop, going through hundreds of files.
“Doesn’t it look like Hiyori’s Exclusive Outfit?” Rinne could not help butting in. The outfit Ibara had designed did look like Hiyori’s, though, with its jacket being embroidered with flowers and a cravat over the dress shirt.
“See?” Jun responded smugly before whipping around, obviously surprised at the sudden backing. “Who–”
Rinne held up the two cards he had collected so far and grinned. “Y’all don’t happen to have one of these, do ya?”
Jun relaxed visibly and smiled. He tapped Ibara on the shoulder, who, without looking up, handed Rinne the card. Same layout, except only a few words were written in the blank space. Instead, a small logo was printed on it, one which he immediately recognised as that of Café Cinnamon. Below the logo, a two-liner had been written.
A slice of cake shall reveal your fate
But be weary of what lurks on your plate!
Rinne was a little apprehensive about trusting that this was not another plot by CosPro’s vice president, but hesitantly accepted it when Jun looked at him and shrugged his shoulders. He thanked the two and left them to their devices. Having spent a lot of time at the café, Rinne knew his way there well. The thought of eating one of Niki’s meals had his stomach growl, and he was reminded how he had not eaten yet.
The café was crowded, as expected for a warm saturday, and Rinne weaved through the people standing in line. Luckily, no one recognised him, and after a few minutes, he managed to get to the counter. The part of it to the left of the cash desk was set up as a table of sorts, equipped with a menu for each seat. He plopped down on one of the stools that had been pushed underneath it and grinned at the familiar young man next to him.
“Hey, MeruMeru.”
HiMERU twisted around and, with the same solemnity as ever, said, “Happy birthday, Amagi.”
An untouched plate of cake stood in front of him, next to it a cup of hot coffee. Rinne knew that drinking hot drinks technically cooled down the body better than something cold, but the mere thought of drinking coffee made him sweat. He thanked HiMERU for the regards, reached over the counter and almost managed to grab a plate of cake at the ready before his fingers received a small slap.
“Only for paying customers,” Niki said as he passed him by on his way to the cash desk, where a group of girls was waiting.
Rinne had no time to pout – today was his birthday, who was Niki to deny him cake? – before HiMERU sighed and pushed his own plate towards him. Rinne happily dug in. Sweets were not his favourite, but every then and now, he appreciated a slice of good chocolate cake. That was the plan, at least, to enjoy his food to the fullest, but when he had taken a good bite out of it, he grimaced.
“Wha–” His question came muffled.
Niki laughed from across the café, and even HiMERU looked amused.
Rinne reached over the counter once more to grab a napkin. He wiped his mouth and used his fork to disassemble the cake. From under the treat, he pulled out an all-too-familiar looking piece of laminated paper. A bit of cream hid what was drawn onto it, and when he wiped it away, Rinne made out a map.
His expression still a little bit sour, he licked his finger and stuffed the card into his pocket.
Carrying a tray of dirty dishes, Niki approached the two of them again. “Here,” he sighed and went to fetch a lunchbox from the kitchen worktop behind him, “I made you lemon meringue pie. ‘Xcuse the prank earlier.”
In no time, Rinne devoured the cake – without any unwanted surprises this time – and, freshly fortified, jumped off his stool. He thanked both of his unitmates and set off again.
Because the sun decided to do its best to shine, Rinne opted for wearing sunglasses as he slowly walked down the sidewalk. Lots of people were out and about, enjoying the great weather and the day off, and more than once, he had to avoid running into someone. For a while, he basked in that special feeling one only feels when they are alone on their birthday, a feeling of buzzing anticipation, a feeling Rinne likened to the thrill of hitting a jackpot.
Before he realised it, he had reached a small courtyard of another ES building, where a few trees’ shadows kept the air cool and fresh. A few pink flowers in a flower bed kept a swarm of bumblebees occupied and a bird called from a place higher up; Rinne was certain he had just discovered a hidden paradise amidst the grey building landscape that was Ensemble Square.
Apparently, the garden was not that hidden after all, he realised when he saw Sora and Shinobu kneeling on one of the stones creating a pathway from one building’s terrace to another. They huddled around something on the ground that Rinne could not make out.
“Hey there,” he called out to them. “What are y’all doing out here?”
They both turned to him, revealing a row of cups and crafting materials, and Rinne was none the wiser. The scene distantly reminded him of the few times he and Hiiro had played in their garden, before they had grown up and into their roles.
“We’re developing a new game for the Asobi Club!” Shinobu proclaimed triumphantly. “Wanna play?”
“Sorry, I’m on a mission,” Rinne declined. “I got this map but directions ain’t really my strong point. Does one of ya know where this is s’pposed to be?” He rummaged around in his pocket and pulled out the latest card he had received. A small crumb of chocolate cake still clung to it. He quickly wiped it away.
Sora laughed brightly. “You somehow managed to find the right place even without it!”
Rinne let out a questioning noise. “You mean ya have one of these for me?”
“Yep!” Sora and Shinobu exclaimed in unison, “but we’ll only give it to you if you manage to win a game against us!”
As a gambler with a reputation, Rinne could not turn them down. Shinobu started explaining the rules while Sora set up five plastic cups upside down. On each of the cups’ bottoms, they had written a letter, spelling A-S-O-B-I. The game was rather easy: Each player got a limited amount of paper chips that they had to throw onto the cups in the order of the letters. If they missed, the next in line would get their chance, and whoever spelt the word first, won.
Now, Shinobu and Sora were smart, but they had not taken into account just how skilled Rinne was with poker chips – even when they were made of paper. With relative ease, he managed to spell the first four letters before a gust of wind carried his last chip farther than he had anticipated.
“Nah!” He exclaimed, “that doesn’t count!”
“Those are the rules,” Shinobu said smugly and got ready to start his own round.
The three played several rounds, all of their attempts being sabotaged by the wind or, in one case, a stray wasp startling them. Rinne had practically forgotten about the time when his last chip landed safely on top of the ‘I’ cup. He could not help the victorious laugh that escaped him.
“Haha, let’s go!”
Sora congratulated him, got up and retrieved his bag, out of which he dug card number five. By now, Rinne was certain he would need to up his gift game for his boyfriend’s birthday in November. The effort that had gone into preparing this hunt was almost overwhelming, and he wanted to pay it back as best as he could.
“And now, as promised,” Shinobu grinned, “your reward!”
Clutching it with both hands, he handed over the card. This time, another poem awaited him, and with it, another riddle.
In circles you were running
In a game that was cunning
And in circles you shall remain
Seeking out monsters, naturally unslain
Now’s your time to draft
Now’s your time to craft
Rinne laughed, having cracked the code already, and bade farewell to Shinobu and Sora. As he left, he could hear them go back to improving the game with newfound vigour.
“Maybe we should weigh down the paper chips somehow…?”
“We could put something in-between two paper chips and glue them shut.”
Rinne looked forward to seeing their efforts pay off the next time the Asobi Club would meet.
After he had spent the last hours outside, the cool air inside of the building that housed his next stop felt refreshing. He almost felt cold as he walked down the hallway leading towards the prop room that recently had been hogged by a certain circle he was in. Without knocking, he let himself in.
The curtains were drawn, a fan provided the two inhabitants inside with a crisp breeze. One of them, Hokuto, sat on the couch, slaving away at embroidering a star onto his jacket, Makoto had his head in his lap and massacred the buttons of his handheld console.
“I heard ya got something for me?” Rinne came straight to the point. His body did not do well at adjusting to the cool air so suddenly, and he leaned against the closed door to stop the world from spinning around him.
Hokuto nodded. “Happy birthday.”
Makoto chimed in with his own congratulations before focusing on his game again. From what Rinne could see, he just got his own ass handed to him. Hokuto carefully laid down his work onto the table in front of him and eyed the sweating gambler. Wordlessly, he bent over the armrest of the couch and pulled out a bottle of water from his backpack, which he tossed to Rinne.
“Thanks,” Rinne panted, “it’s way too hot out there.”
Only when he had already taken a few gulps did he realise that the label of the bottle was not the standard one, and with an impressed yet exasperated groan, he inspected it. This was smart. Somehow, the original label had been taken off, edited and reattached, and when he turned the bottle in his hands, Rinne found the next clue. Or, well, he wished that what he had found was a clue, but rather than a poem or a riddle, only a single line was written on the bottle.
What are we not doing enough in our relationship?
Rinne could name a few answers. Kiss, fuck, hold hands… That was it! From his pocket, he pulled out his phone and opened Hold Hands. Surprisingly, only one message lit up the screen: A picture from Shu, designed in the same fashion as the cards he had collected in his backpack so far.
Thanking Hokuto and Makoto, he left the room to read the text in the picture.
One eversleeper, the guard of your next clue
Six minutes of rest will refresh you anew
Beware of the lower three levels
For they sometimes rile up the devils
Their skill is on the top rack,
‘Tis the time to turn on the soundtrack
For the first time today, Rinne was completely stumped. An eversleeper? Did that mean he would meet someone dead? The only undead people that came to his mind were the members of Undead, and he had no idea where to find them. Six minutes of rest… that sounded good, but why only six?
He figured the lower levels referenced the basement of the building he was in. But what devils would he rile up with his presence? A top rack? A soundtrack?
When he passed by a group of younger idols chatting away, he overheard them briefly. “Do you want to practise our new choreography later? I always mess up this one part…”
“Top rack, t’is,” Rinne mouthed. To practise. He smacked his forehead with his open palm and laughed. The sound rang through the open hall, and the idols eyed him weirdly. Rinne ignored them and started walking faster.
The way from the prop room towards the basement, where the practice rooms were located, led him through the entire building, and Rinne was secretly glad he was able to stay indoors. In the afternoon sun, the few patches of asphalt he could see from his position appeared wet, and although the mirage was awe-inspiring, he also wished to stay away from it as far as possible. The thought of himself melting into a puddle popped into his mind, and he chuckled as he walked.
If he was correct and he was searching for a practice room, he needed a number. Rinne read through the riddle once more. One eversleeper, six minutes, three lower levels. 163. Not bad.
A few of the practice rooms on this level had small windows to look through, and so did room number 163. From what Rinne could see, though, it was empty, safe for a pile of blankets at the far end. He was surprised to find the door unlocked, and with weary steps – he was supposed to meet devils here, cut him some slack – he approached the pile… that suddenly started moving.
Startled, Rinne swore.
The pile swore back at him.
From underneath one of the blankets emerged a black mop of hair, two red eyes blinked at him. That look, a little dazed, as if ripped from a nice dream, was familiar. Rinne knew the other hated being compared to his brother, but he could not help it: they were quite similar, especially when woken up from a nap.
“Hey there, Ritsu.” Once his heartbeat returned to a normal frequency, Rinne ran his fingers through his damp hair and sat down next to the nest his boyfriend’s brother had built. Leaning his head against the huge mirror covering the entire wall, he sighed.
“I was s’pposed to wait for you but…” A yawn cut Ritsu off. He sat up, stayed upright a moment, and then sagged against Rinne’s shoulder.
“Ya fell asleep?”
Ritsu nodded, and Rinne laughed.
Mockingly, Ritsu bit back, “You don’t look much better!”
Unfortunately, he was right: now that Rinne was able to see his reflection in the mirror, he, too, noticed how sweaty he was. A pink blush spread over his nose and cheeks, a trail of sweat ran down his temple. Still, he did not look as terrible as Ritsu made him out to be. He was just cranky from having just woken up. From his backpack, Rinne pulled a pack of now-melted chocolate bars that he kept on him at all times, just in case Rei forgot to eat as he so often did. “For your iron.”
Ritsu plucked one with caramel from his hands. His expression gradually shifted into relaxation. Only then did Rinne figure out the riddle: Not only did the lower levels refer to where the practice rooms could be found, they also meant Ritsu’s iron levels! The guy could really be a devil when someone disturbed his slumber. Once again impressed by how well his boyfriend was with words, Rinne grinned.
“Happy birthday, by the way.” Ritsu dropped something into Rinne’s lap.
Inside the rustling cellophane bag, Rinne made out a stack of red velvet cookies, decorated with white chocolate to resemble poker chips. Somehow, Ritsu had managed to keep the aura of doom that usually surrounded his sweets at bay, making them look actually edible, almost harmless.
He quickly hid how moved he was by ruffling through Ritsu’s black hair. “Thanks. They look pretty… normal, for once.”
With a defiant glare, Ritsu huffed. For Rinne, who was used to receiving dirty looks, this only strengthened the adoration he had for him. For a while, they chatted. Rinne had not seen him for a while, and although Ritsu always acted annoyed around him, he seemed happy to share stories of what transpired in his life at the moment. Rinne intently listened to Ritsu go on and on about his latest work in a new shuffle unit and how happy he was to have worked with friends from other units again.
Before Rinne could lose track of time for the second time today, though, Ritsu reminded him of his mission: to find his boyfriend, wherever he was hiding. He presented him the card he had held onto, and Rinne read.
Are you sweltering in this heat?
Your journey has not been an easy feat.
Your soul must be exhausted, my dear
But worry not, the end draws near
In a place to feast you'll find your kin
Who is today what before you had been.
The poem went on and on about how long his search had been going on for, but did not say much about where to go next. A place to feast could mean a lot of places, with ES’ huge assortment of restaurants, cafes and bars; judging from the way the hint assumed he was tired, however – which he definitely was – Rinne was sure the next clue was hidden somewhere close.
“I guess the cafeteria's my next stop.”
Ritsu yawned once more and, with a promise to catch up again sometime soon, nodded off.
Rinne reached the cafeteria when the sun almost began to set. Only a few tables were occupied with residents, the light smell of fried rice wafted through the hall. Rinne’s stomach growled. How long had it been since he had warm food? He did not know. What he did know was that detecting the source of his next clue would be easy, mostly because it clung to him the moment he set foot into the hall.
“Brother!” Hiiro’s eyes practically sparkled as he waved. “Happy birthday!”
A few steps behind him stood Kohaku, who nodded towards Rinne and congratulated him as well. Rinne was not surprised to see the two together, as they often ate together, yet their friendship still amused him. Deep down, where no one looked, he hid his joy over the fact that Hiiro had found friends his age. When they were younger, their family was all they had, and being able to see his little brother grow independent moved him.
The card Rinne received this time was bent a little bit, probably because it had to have survived the longest. The letters were faded and read:
High up top, dominating this tower
Sits a studio, empty at this hour.
Flowers will await you there
With a performance only to be seen in a pair
Time's-a-wastin, go now and rush,
Expect there to be spoils lush
“I’ve already figured it out,” Hiiro announced proudly. “You–”
Kohaku elbowed him slightly and Hiiro fell silent.
“I’ll come with you,” he then said and did not relent even when Rinne protested. “I’ve got something for you.”
They walked in silence. Rinne expected Hiiro to start talking, to reveal why he wanted to follow him, but Hiiro only fiddled with the hem of his shirt. Fed up with the uncharacteristic silence, Rinne stepped closer, wrapped one arm around his brother’s head and put him in a playful headlock.
Ever since he had arrived at the city, Rinne had slacked off in his martial arts training. Slaving away at building muscles just was no fun when you could spend your time elsewhere – gambling, resting, stuff like that. Hiiro on the other hand had not slacked off, and now, Rinne finally felt the impact of hard training when the back of a fist landed in his stomach.
“Ow, ow, ow,” he complained, “I never thought my cute little brother would betray me like this.”
The distress in Hiiro’s voice seeped into Rinne’s nerve endings and raised goosebumps on his arms as his brother apologised profusely. He raised the hand that was not currently clutching his stomach and ruffled through red hair, just like he had done earlier with Ritsu.
‘It’s fine,’ was what he had wanted to say, but he was interrupted before he could even open his mouth.
“Here,” Hiiro murmured, removed his hand from his head and shoved something into it. Rinne inspected it.
“This is…”
From his index finger dangled a black leather necklace with a pendant, small enough to be hidden away under a shirt without problem. It was shaped to look like a flower native to the village they had spent their childhood at, one that bloomed beautifully in late spring.
“I thought this might remind you of home.” Inhaling heavily, his brother smiled earnestly and pointed to the left of them. “I’ll go back to the dorms for the night. Happy birthday, brother.”
With a heart beating heavier in his chest than he would have liked, Rinne continued his way alone. Leave it to Hiiro to flip his entire day upside down with a plain necklace and a few words. Why would he need something to remind him of home, when his home was right beside him?
Unwilling to let this weight take over entirely, Rinne diverted his attention outside once more. While they had spoken, the sun had begun to set, colouring the sky deep orange. Without anyone around to annoy, his mind drifted, and before he knew it, he found himself standing in front of the offices on the highest story of the East building.
This was where he should find another clue, but where…?
A sudden flash of pink emerged from behind a wall, followed by a turquoise one. With precise movements, Hinata and Yuta started performing what Rinne recalled as the beginning of one of their choreographies. After a set of moves, the twins stopped in their tracks and held their poses.
“If a signpost to your final destination is what you seek to track,” Hinata started, a mischievous smile spreading on his face.
“On your journey you shall look back.” Yuta finished.
Rinne snickered. Of course Rei would use his juniors in his scheme.
"Hey," he greeted them. Hinata waved with a smile.
A little baffled by the riddle presented to him, Rinne sat down. 'On your journey you shall look back'... Did that mean he missed something? Absent-mindedly, he took out all of the cards he had collected today and shuffled them as if he were to play a game with them. Yuta kneeled down next to him, curiously peeking over his shoulder, while Hinata stayed right where he was.
One of the cards bounced from his hands and landed upside down in front of him – or rather, with its poem turned to the ground. On its back, a few small lines decorated the blank space. Slowly, Rinne started to piece the cards together in the order he had received them, and saw…
“A map!”
Below the map, two lines had been written:
What you seek rests up high
Gazing into the evening sky.
Even without the map, Rinne would have figured out what Rei had meant easily. After all, the place Rei meant was a secret to most of ES, only a few select higher-ups knew of it. And, of course, a certain vampire-gambler couple.
“Wait a second,” Yuta held him back before Rinne could run off, “we thought you might like this.”
Rinne, having collected a few presents over the course of the day now, thanked him and checked out the jar that had been nudged into his hands. It was filled to the brim with something dangerously red, its label read Special extra spicy pizza sauce. His taste buds still remembered the spicy rice cracker he had received as a Valentine’s gift a year ago, and he shuddered involuntarily.
“Thanks, guys,” he said. “‘Preciate it.”
He would ask Niki to make him pizza with it later.
Yuta let go of Rinne’s shirt and both twins grinned at him. Rinne dipped his head, smirked and rushed towards his destination.
The route to the East Tower’s rooftop was ingrained into his muscles by now. An elevator would take him to the highest possible story of the Eastern building, then, he would need to climb up an old, rusty ladder that constantly threatened to fall apart. If he hurried, he might even be able to see the sunset from up there – preferably accompanied by a certain vampire.
27, 28, 29 – the green numbers displayed over the row of buttons stopped at 30; with a quiet pling, the doors of the elevator slid open.
Where the entrance halls of the ES buildings impressed with their sheer size, the highest level of them beat them by a mile. The penthouse served solely as a space to receive guests, and normally, no one would be able to enter this easily. Somehow, no one interfered whenever they were up here, though. Rinne did not question it, he chose to believe no one knew they were up here.
Rinne crossed the room with big steps, not sparing the expensive furniture or the view a second glance. His target was the glass door opening to a small balcony. A lukewarm wind ran through his hair as he held onto the railing. He clambered up the ladder, the metal screeching under his weight, and took his first step onto the rooftop.
The first thing he noticed was not the blanket spread on the warm ground below his feet, the many boxes containing food enough to feed an army, or the breathtaking view but his boyfriend. Rei sat on the other end of the roof, keeping a safe distance to its edge, his black hair waving in the wind. Slowly, he approached him, took off his backpack and sat down next to him.
Rei turned his head to look at him and smiled. Rinne grinned back.
“Happy birthday.”
For a while, Rinne ignored the sunset to admire his boyfriend. In the golden light, Rei was practically radiating. Hundreds of thousands of fans, Rinne's foggy mind supplied, and only he got to see him like this.
“You will miss out on the view,” Rei mumbled.
“No sight prettier than ya,” Rinne answered and scooted closer to his boyfriend. Hugging his waist, his head resting on Rei’s thighs, he stared into the pink clouds above them. For a while, all they did was watch, and Rinne could not have been more content.
“Today was fun.”
“I planned this for weeks,” Rei confessed, his expression one of embarrassment. While he spoke, he took hold of Rinne's hand and intertwined their fingers. “I thought you’d have more fun being active than receiving some lousy present.”
Internally, Rinne went through the day again. How he had thought no one had come to celebrate his birthday. How he had solved riddle after riddle, and how he had seen everyone that mattered to him. The games he had been able to play, and the presents that filled his backpack.
“I loved it.” After some consideration, Rinne added, “The only thing I would’ve liked more is havin’ you with me.”
“Then you are lucky tonight,” Rei bent forward and whispered into his ear. “For I have one more present in stock for you.”
Rinne raised his eyebrow in surprise and hummed for Rei to go on. From seemingly nowhere, Rei produced a ribbon tie. Blood rising to his face and dusting his cheeks pink, he raised his hand to place it on top of his head.
A laugh bubbled up inside Rinne.