#especially ruinene since they're neighbours

[kerizaret]

Because I refuse to believe the play wxs made in the main story to make Rui come back took only a day or two, but rather a longer while, and there's nothing I can currently recall in canon to prove me wrong, just imagine this really strained week or so in Kamiyama when they all avoid each other and refuse to talk

Tsukasa and Rui noticing each other in the school hallway and before anyone has the chance to do or say anything, Rui immediately turns away and disappears behind a corner, leaving Tsukasa just standing there dejectedly (but with even more motivation to make their plan work). Them passing each other on the corridor throwing each other a depreciating and guilty stare respectively

Nene and Rui meeting on the way to or back from school and walking together in an awkward silence, or talking in circles, as if they're walking on eggshells, clearly avoiding the topic of theatre, wxs and Tsukasa, since anytime these come up Rui either cuts the conversation short or throws some excuse to go another way alone

Emu sneaking in to talk to the rest, catching sight of Rui and trying to greet him, though clearly less energetic and worried. Rui reciprocating becsuse he doesn't hold anything against Emu, though clearly a bit uncomfortable as they do their best to chat yet somehow avoid the currently taboo topic of wxs

Rui coming to talk to Nene about something quickly in her classroom, but seeing Tsukasa already talking to her there and quickly passing the classroom before he has a chance to enter and be noticed. Similarly Tsukasa bursting into Nene's classroom to talk more about that show and seeing Rui inside and leaving them all standing tensely before Rui quickly excuses himself

Imagine if the rumours about Rui increased when the students saw the loudest kid in school getting unusually quiet and hesitant around him, and Rui himself clearly avoiding him, all after these two seemed to sometimes discuss things and hang out together before. Also with Rui weirdly not causing any trouble at school at that time and just isolating himself when he seemed to be brimming with ideas and muttering to himself a lot just a few days before

Just think about it for a second