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herri-writes · 1 year

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Frozen in Time

Chapter 3: “Until next time, my dear.”

Izumi Sena x Reader (F) (!!)

Synopsis: After the aquarium date with OCEANS, a call from the foreign land reached the model. His flight back home resulted in the photographer learning a certain language with the help of the model's fellow colleagues.

Note: Idk if Izumi and Leo being fluent in Italian is canon but I have to since this thought rotted my brain. hard. Had to google translate those and read my Italian dictionary and install Italian apps. Instead, I use DeepL thanks to March’s recommendations. If anyone here knows Italian, pls teach me until I reach college so that I'll learn Italian there once I'm still studying for college. I swear... If I can annotate this, I would've spammed the whole thing by spamming a lot of simping noises, pics, and gifs.

Sorry this took me a lot of time to finish it but I'm still trying... Q-Q school sucks...

At the airport, Izumi was called for work at Florence. Izumi didn't disclose any further information why he had to go back there so suddenly and he only said that it's just urgent.

Before he left Ensemble Square, he only told the rest of Knights to stay at Ensemble Square but they all came to the airport to see him off, much to his dismay. But he didn't show the annoyance when he eyed your figure and kept his expression neutral.

"So tell me, all of you wanted to see me off, don't you?" Izumi asked them, including you. "Why, don't you want to see us cry while you depart for Italy?" Arashi grinned as she asked him. Leo chimed in, "Come on, Sena~ We rarely get to see you depart when you urgently leave all the time."

Izumi pressed the center of his forehead using his fingers and massaged it as he let out an exasperated sigh. "Leo, you always go to Italy with me when we have the same flight." "Yeah, that's why I said 'rarely', remember?"

Ritsu chuckled at their interaction and glanced at you. "Not to mention, it's Princess' first time seeing you depart so..." He grinned as he trailed off and continued, "Coincidentally, she has something to give to you before you leave."

Arashi leaned close and whispered, "Go on..." and patted your shoulder. You walked closer to him and held out the bag to give it to Izumi. He raised his brow and stared at the bag with a stern face. "What's that?"

"Just take it, Mr. Sena." You replied, mustering up all of the courage to make him accept the gift from you. He didn't hesitate to accept the paper bag and took it from your hands from its handle. He scoffed, "So, last night, you called me by my name and now you addressed me by my last name with formalities? How weird are you?"

"Ignore that. Open that later when you're on the plane." You said and walked away. You immediately hid behind Arashi and let out a sigh of relief.

Izumi checked the time on his wristwatch and said, "I have to go. I don't want to be late for my schedule."

"Glad to hear that you're finally married to your schedule, Sena." Leo jested and Izumi huffed out, turning away from everyone and left for Italy for his work as a model overseas.

"See you in a week, Sena~!" Leo waved his hands and said goodbye to Izumi. All of the sudden, Izumk turned and walked towards you. The others let out a confused look until he leaned closer and whispered to your ear.

"Fino alla prossima volta, cara mia."

Izumi's warm breath touched your ear. Chills crawled into your spine as a blush dusted your cheeks when he whispered into your ear. Surely, those words will remain repeated in your mind like a broken recorder.

Arashi quickly pressed her fingertips on her lips as she hid her grin behind her hand and took a picture using her phone with her other hand.

Izumi's foreign words never left your mind. Those words repeated before and after you slept, keeping you awake at night. You don't know what language it was and try to wrack your brain if it's French, Spanish, or any other language.

You tried to look up those words in Italian for the translation online on the internet. Unfortunately, you don't know how to pronounce it or spell it out so you gave up.

The next morning, You read Izumi's profile once again in NewDi office and he lived in Florence, Italy for his modeling career. You heard from Tsukasa that Leo and Izumi live together in Florence while pursuing their own passions and come back to Japan for idol work. This time, Leo stayed in Japan because he's composing a song and he is stuck with his own inspirations while Izumi is away.

Coincidentally, your current schedule is accompanying Leo while he's attending DRAMATICA's circle meeting. After taking pictures of him with his fellow circle members, you know it's time for him to compose a song after gathering a pile of inspiration in his brain. You didn't want to disturb him but he noticed you right away and looked up to see you. A wide smile formed on his lips and called you.

"Oi, (Name)! Do you need some help or anything?" With that one question from him, you felt like you were determined to know the words Izumi told you and learn the language. With that, you asked Leo for help. When you explained to Leo that you want to learn Italian, he was ecstatic and was over Cloud 9.

It was all a blur when he dragged you to NewDi office so fast that your mind couldn't process the situation. You blinked twice as he ran out of the office and brought a stack of books with him, including papers fluttering away on the stack, falling like feathers from the sky.

"Let's start with the basics— greetings!" He said as his eyes sparkled with determination and delight and he let out flashcards that were nearly worn out of his pocket. The flashcards show that it was always used over time. Each card has a text and it's translated from Italian to Japanese, making it easier for the user to understand.

"But first—" His words cut off when Leo slammed a stack of books on the table. You read the name of the books from its spine. It's mostly written in Italian and your head starts spinning.

"Mr. Tsukinaga..." You called the composer. The unknown language that never existed in your vocabulary and it made you dizzy and you feel overwhelmed. "C-Can you slow down...? I'm new to the language..." Leo heard you and pushed the stack of books to reveal himself from behind it. He saw how your eyes practically spinning and it broke his heart.

"Rest assured, Princess~" Leo reassured you as he grinned. "I'm just showing these because these are what I used when Sena and I learned Italian way~ before we lived in Florence. Ah, the memories are flowing in my mind!" Judging from his expression, he's about to compose a song this time. "But, I'll let my inspiration stay inside me while my priorities go to the princess. Of course, to get used to the language, I'll speak in Italian to help you practice your auditory skills, just like how we learned Japanese since the day we were born."

"Alright... But please, can you please stop calling me princess...?" You sighed out and Leo answered, "But you're Sena's princess, you know?" Your eye twitched in annoyance and let out an exasperated sigh.

You slammed your forehead and planted your face on the table and groaned, "Stop calling me Zumi's princess. It gave me chills just by remembering his icy stare." Shivers crawl on your spine as you remember how cold his gaze is. But Izumi's warm and gentle touches made you blush. You're glad that you hid it away from Leo.

"Whoa. You have a nickname with him now, (Name)? That's nice. Seems like Princess and Sena's getting closer than expected." Leo exclaimed, loud enough for almost everyone in NewDi office to hear.

You sat up and facepalmed at how loud Leo's voice was. "What do you mean by that? That's the old nickname I gave him in the past." You waved your hand, brushing it off but the Italian classes with Leo turned into a one-sided interview with him about your relationship with Izumi.

"Tell me, you really like Sena, don't you?" Leo asked you once again while you read the flashcards. You blankly replied, "I don't."

Leo took your camera from the table and took a photo of you. The moment you heard the click from the shutter, you snatched it back from Leo's hands and looked at the picture.

In the picture, the camera's focus is on you while the stack of books on the side is blurry. You were reading the text on the flashcards with your face flushed red with a serious expression. Leo is not wrong about the fact that you're blushing but when he pointed out that it's because he talked about Izumi to you, your blush actually grew as you brought a tomato to shame.

"Hah?! Then why are you blushing for the whole time when I talk about Sena, huh?" Leo pointed out as he exclaimed. You fell silent as you stared at the picture in the camera and looked back at Leo, who was grinning for the whole time as he put his chin on his hands as his arms propped on the table. "So, did I lie about that?"

"You... still do..." You stammered and put your camera near you on the table, away from Leo's hands.

Seeing that you flushed in embarrassment, hiding your flustered reaction, Leo's eyes glinted in mischief and he took a picture of you with his phone while you're not looking. He snickered as he tapped his finger on the screen and sent the picture in Knights' group chat at Hold Hands.

Knights | Operation: Photographer

Leo sent a photo

Leo: Studying while interviewing her about her crush on Sena.

Arashi: Please make her admit it. I want to see them kiss and annoy the hell out of Izumi.

Leo: Princess is too stubborn. She denied the whole time.

Tsukasa: You two chatted at the wrong group chat.

Leo: Let Sena see this. It's not like he'll get mad or anything.

Leo looks up as he hears you read the words on the flashcard and his eyes widen in amusement. He listened carefully as you attempted to read a sentence.

"Te-i a-mo..." You read one of the phrases in the flashcard, the one that it's easy for you to read. "Why is 'I love you' in Italian pretty easy to read...?" You murmured as you went on.

"Ka-ra... mi-a...?" You tried to read the next two words in the same flashcard.

"Cara mia" Leo corrected it for you fluently and asked you, "Was that 'Ti amo, cara mia.'?" You nodded at his question and he grinned happily. "That's how they call their female partners and tell her they love her. Meanwhile, caro mio is for the women who used it as their endearment for their male partner. I often told that to Sena for practice ever since the day we moved to Florence." He laughed out and continued, "You should've seen his face. His face is as red as yours right now."

"But it translates into 'I love you, my dear.'," You pointed it out and his grin widened and beamed, "I just want to tease him while declaring my love for him, that's all. After all, I always say that to my muses, my source of inspiration!"

"No wonder why Ritsu told me that you two acted like a couple when Mr. Sena thought of you as a pet." You said as you drank your juice from the bottle and continued to read the flashcards one by one.

Suddenly, Leo barked, meowed, and cawed. You nearly spat out your juice and held it in your throat. You gulped it down and cackled, "Pfft—! Tsu-Tsukinaga?!" You laughed out and slammed your fist on the table. You clutched your stomach with your other hand and held it tight as it hurts to laugh out loud like this.

You lean your forehead on the table to hide your laughing face. Tears of joy came out of your eyes and you sat up and wiped it away. "Tsu... Tsukinaga... Th-That is too—" You chortled. "I can't help it...!" You kept laughing and his eyes showed a glint of mischief and shifted to his gaze to his phone leaning behind the stack of books.

Unknown to you, Leo recorded the whole thing with his phone, ready to show the whole scene to everyone later and quietly snickered. He turned his head to hear shoes clacking and the rhythm of the footsteps are like a model's, which he recognized oh so well.

"My, what's got our Princess laughing about?" Arashi chimed in and looked at your slumped figure as you rested your head on the table, exhausted from all of the laughing you had done. Quiet laughs came out of your mouth and breathed in between laughs. "I-It's Tsukinaga..." You felt like you nearly lost your breath after laughing a lot. "He— He suddenly made animal noises... out of nowhere..." You hiccuped and breathed as you calmed yourself down.

Arashi tried to process what you meant and it clicked her. She chuckled and smiled as she glanced at the stack of books written in Italian. Most of them are written from the original writer and author while the rest is translated into Italian. There are also Italian-Japanese and vice versa dictionaries, including some of the scribbled notes on the table.

"Why is she studying Italian right now?" Arashi asked and looked at Leo, who wrote notes on his old notebook. Odd, she thought. The composer is not composing and is just writing notes.

"Well, I believe it's something that Sena whispered to her at the airport last night," Leo answered as he scribbled down random notes on the pages and marked them down by encircling and underlining a word on the text's page. "I'm really sure he whispered something to her in Italian."

You sat up straight and took the flashcards once again and read it. "Something goes along with mi-a ka-ra or whatsoever..." You answered as you muttered, which caught their attention to you. Leo let out a wide grin on his face and snickered as you trailed on, "And a-ra puroshi... puro-chima... I... don't know now..."

Arashi looked at Leo and she saw him grinning like an idiot, making her gawk in response. "O-Oh..." She covered her mouth with her hand, baffled.

"Anyways, (Name)," Leo called you and he gave an old worn-out notebook in hand. "It's my old notes. You can have it and take it."

"Really?" You questioned and accepted the notebook. He nodded as he hummed in delight. "You asked me to teach you Italian and I'm happy to do so as I oblige. Anything for Sena's princess~"

"Thanks... but I'm not Mr. Sena's princess." You facepalmed. "Not now, but soon~" Leo teased and you felt so done at Leo that you groaned. Arashi giggled at your reaction.

"Tsukinaga... Let's just study, okay...?"

"Sì, mia principessa~" He grinned and he took the flashcards on the table and showed you a word on the card. He taught you Italian and his voice soothes you and motivates you as his energetic tone makes you focus on learning Italian.

He expected you to learn so easily on speaking Italian without the Japanese accent but his expectations went further south. First time's a charm and second can bring no harm but he wanted to snap when you reach the tenth.

After what seemed like forever (to Leo), he felt like he wanted to scream and cry his heart out when he saw you trying your best at the language but...

"Sh-Shi... ao..."

"No, no. That's 'ciao'."

Leo held the flashcard tightly and firmly. He is so determined to teach you Italian but you're trying. He is holding back his tears, too desperate to hold back his screams and hear you say the word so fluently. He is really trying.

"Leo, take it easy, she's trying her best..." Arashi looked at you worried as she saw you furrowed your brows as you tried to pronounce the word correctly. You squint your eyes at the flashcard and try to read the translated text shown underneath the foreign text.

"Try to say it quickly, (Name). It works." His voice slightly shook as he told you so. He nervously gulped down and stared at you deeply.

To Leo and Arashi, this is the 20th time (recorded by Tsukasa, Leo's orders) and the ginger is so close to kneeling on the floor, all fours and crying in such pain. You were too cute to be mad at but he is holding his tears because you are trying, like a child wanting to say its first words. He felt like a parent at this moment.

"Shi-ao." You did say it quickly, resulting in Arashi sputtering and she covered her mouth and she stifled her laugh. "You did your best, (Name)..."

'Baby steps, Princess! You can do it!' He wanted to scream out as dramatic tears began to form on the corner of his eyes. "One more try, (Name)! You got this!" He gripped the flashcard so tight and held back his tears as he encouraged you to do one more attempt.

"C-Ciao...!"

There was a moment of silence after they heard you say the word fluently. Arashi's mouth opened agape and nearly dropped her phone while recording a video of you trying to speak fluent Italian. Her eyes widened and she inhaled. She was about to scream but someone did before she could say her words out loud.

"Finalmente! La principessa di Sena ha finalmente detto "ciao" in modo fluente!" Suddenly, Leo cried out in Italian, breaking the silence. The composer shed tears in happiness as the papers on his hands finally scattered, floating and falling like feathers in the air.

"You did well, sweetie. I'm so proud of you..." Arashi congratulated you and she cried happy tears, felt so proud for Knights' princess while she still recorded a video of you. She felt like a proud mother who saw her child doing its best on their achievements in life.

Tsukasa looked at his seniors in confusion and applauded at you. "Congratulations, Miss (Name), you did well after twenty-one attempts."

"T-Twenty-one?!" You exclaimed. Leo grinned and replied, "At least there's progress. Whahahahaha! Sena should see this. He'll go crazy about seeing Princess learning and practicing Italian language."

'Oh, God... he's too loud...' You nervously chuckled at the words Leo exclaimed out.

"Ciao, (Name)~!" Leo beamed as he greeted you and you smiled and greeted him back, "Ciao, Leo." Leo nearly got a heart attack and hyperventilated as he fell to the floor. "Principessa is so adorable! Inspirations are overflowing! Whahahahahaha!" He left the office with a mad dash all the way to somewhere he can compose properly and well, he couldn't control his own composure.

And of course, he left his phone, still recording a video of you practicing the language. You eyed his phone and you are so sure he's sending the whole video to Izumi later.

The office was left silent after Leo left and yet, everything was left in awkward silence. You stood up from your seat and brought the old notes and flashcards Leo gave you to your arms and broke the ice.

"A-Anyways, I think I should go... passing my report to the agency about my progress..." You nervously chuckled and scratched the back of your neck as you let out a wry smile. Ritsu's eyes glinted in mischief as he saw this and grinned, "My, if you keep on doing that, I might consider it as flirting~"

"Flirting...?!" You looked at him, baffled and Arashi chuckled and chimed in. "He says that if you do that again, you might end up flirting to someone if you do that." Ritsu stifled his laugh and snickered. A blush bloomed on your cheeks and you flushed in embarrassment as your blush brought Tsukasa's hair to shame.

"Rashi, I'm not trying to flirt with anyone here! You two, quit that, will you?!" The blonde and the ravenette laughed as a response, resulting in you pouting at them, angrily as your cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

In Japan, it's noon. In Italy, it's evening. Izumi returned to his apartment after a long day's work. He plopped down on his bed in exhaustion and sighed. He was so sure he did get enough rest when he arrived at Florence yesterday in the early hours of the morning. Thankfully for the idol, he managed to get a good rest on the whole flight to Italy and slept again after he arrived at his shared apartment with Leo.

Izumi groaned when he heard his phone notifying him with constant messages and it's obvious who is the sender of the message. He grabbed his phone on his bedside cabinet and checked his lockscreen.

Knights | Operation: Photographer

Leo sent a photo

Leo: Princess is so cute that I couldn't resist getting mad at her. She is really trying her best.

Leo: Oi, Sena. You better see this.

He opened his phone and looked at the group chat in Hold Hands and his eye twitched when he saw that Leo sent a video.

Leo sent a video

Arashi: I'm pretty sure it took you five minutes to take a video of her saying "I love you, my dear" in Italian after you left the office.

Tsukasa: Senior Narukami, he sent the one where Miss (Name) was studying at Sky Garden.

Leo: Buuuuuut I managed to take a video of her at Sky Garden in secret. She's still reading 'I love you, my dear' and she is still trying.

Izumi opened the video Leo sent at Knights' group chat. He watched it and carefully listened to what sound was there in the video.

His eyes widened in surprise when he watched the video. It's a video of you reading one of Leo's flashcards at Sky Garden. You were sitting on the bench as you read the flashcard under the tree's shade, reading Italian in a Japanese accent. He didn't expect that you would study the language after he whispered such words into your ear before he left Japan.

A faint blush dusted on his cheeks as he continued to watch the video of you as Leo's student in Italian lessons post-classes. He stared at the screen as he listened to you reading the words in the cards, attempting to make it fluent and understandable to the foreign ear.

"Caro mio..." His heart flutters as you mutter the phrase properly. His gaze softened and smiled. "Cara mia..." He whispered lovingly. He wanted to hear it in person and he wanted to hear those words from you.

"Amore mio... Wh— Mr. Tsukinaga?! P-Put your phone down will you?!"

"Ahaha~ I got caught! Scusami, Principessa." Leo ran away from you and the video stopped right there.

Izumi chuckled lightly at the way you reacted to Leo taking a video of you. The sight of you having multiple reactions at once without your face mask covering your face made his smile soften more.

He exited the video with a single tap at the arrow on the screen as he smiled. His smile disappeared and turned into a serious frown when he saw the others assuming and expecting Izumi's reactions and comments to the video Leo sent in the group chat. He irked when he read the conversation in the group chat and gave the ginger a cold glare.

Knights | Operation: Photographer

Leo: Senaaaa did you watch the videooegdkej

Leo: Sorry, I sneezed

Arashi: Obviously, he did.

Ritsu: Secchan must be squealing like a school girl in love~

Izumi: Say that again, Kuma.

Leo changed the group name to Knights | Operation: Photographer x Model

Arashi: Leo, Izumi will throw hands at you once he returns to Japan.

Izumi: Leo.

Leo: Ahahaha anyways...

Leo: I noticed that Princess can read the cards fluently without someone watching her as long as she did her best.

Leo: And it's obvious that she motivated and determined to learn because of a certain someone~

Ritsu: We all know who it is Lrosoprhrk

Ritsu: Sorry. Ritsu slept on me and he dropped his phone. — Mao

Izumi turned his phone off and placed it on his bedside cabinet and lay down on the bed, hugging the dolphin plush you gave him yesterday. He pressed his face on the plush, just like how you did back then at the aquarium's souvenir shop.

He can vividly remember that scene right before him. The way you pressed your face on the plush and nuzzled it, like a mother giving gentle affection to their child. The way you hold it in your arms is like how one will carry their pet, knowing its back is sensitive.

The model couldn't help but to lovingly sigh. For this whole time, he admired you and he never realized it. But that admiration grew the more he knew the others teased him for being warm, gentle, and affectionate towards you. The way he treated you is different from the way he treated Makoto in the past when he's still a student in Yumenosaki.

And yet, after reminiscing those memories of the past, his mind still wandered back to you, repeating the scenario over and over as he continued to remember the events back then at the aquarium. The way you reacted when he draped his coat on your shoulders, the way you looked at him when you caught him staring at you in admiration whenever you smiled, the way you shy away when he held your hand on the way back to Ensemble Square. He clearly remembered it all but his mind only thought of you holding the toy plush you bought from the souvenir shop, the one you gave to him, the one he's holding right now.

Speaking of a toy plush, he remembered something and he realized about one thing he forgot to do back in Japan. His eyes widened in realization when he remembered the plush inside his dorm room, inside the paper bag, and the said item sitting on his table.

That loving gaze full of admiration faded when he remembered what he forgot.

'Ah... I forgot to give that to her...'

At night, inside the shared apartment you lived in with your aunt and cousin, you still studied Italian with the notes and flashcards Leo gave you. You swiveled your chair as you turned to the next flashcard, reading the basic greetings in Italian text.

Outside of your bedroom, your aunt and cousin looked at you from your door, confused. They looked at each other and returned their attention back to you and the two stacks of old books on your desk. They let out a confused look ever since you arrive in the apartment, late in the afternoon with flashcards on hand that it caught their attention. They looked at each other and quietly followed you until you reached your room, closing the door shut.

Earlier, after you returned to the apartment, your mind wandered as your focus remained on the flashcards on your hand. You accidentally entered the apartment's storage room and you found old Italian books in there. You know that she kept her old things in the storage room. You scratched your head at the utter coincidence that you dusted the books and brought it all to your bedroom, which is now stacked in your desk.

While the two are watching you studying, Nyaitsu is playing with the crumpled papers on the floor. He stared at the ball made of a sheet of paper like a predator and growled as he jumped to get the ball of paper but it jumped away from him. The kitten yeowled and tackled on the crumbled paper again and this time, his attempt was successful on his playful little hunt, he happily let out a few small meows when he was able to crush the crumpled paper ball with his little paws.

From a cat's perspective, they seem to be grinning in victory as they watch its prey like a predator. He growls and scratches the crumpled paper with his claws and eradicates it under the paws of the merciless kitten.

While Nyaitsu is having fun with his own little game, you focus your brain on your studies and read the notes Leo gave you with his flashcards on the side.

"A-Ari... Aribi... de..." You tried to read the flashcard on your hand as you studied the language. "Ari... bede..." The kitten's ears perked up as he began to seem curious at his owner's new routine. He sat there and looked at you as he looked at you with curiosity.

You groaned and leaned your back on the chair's backrest and sighed. You don't want to give up right now. You sighed out once again and returned to study the language orally. You quietly exhaled and uttered it out. "Aribidecchi."

You facepalmed and your actions scared the kitten behind you. You sighed, "Too close..."

"Arrivederci."

You turned your head to the door and saw your aunt, entering your bedroom and walking closer to you. "Arrivederci translates to 'Goodbye' in Italian." She pointed out and said the word fluently and accurately and she sadly smiled, remembering something she always wanted to forget. "Those are the last words I heard from your uncle before he left."

"He did?" She nodded at your question. "It remains fresh in my memory and it never fades. I missed him very much." From a longing gaze, it turns into a sorrowful one. You know your aunt's heart shattered on that fateful day, where he left completely in your lives, gone like the wind. It broke your heart seeing her like this.

You know all too well when her husband, your uncle, left Japan to work overseas as a full-time photographer. She begged him to stay but that heart wrenching news broadcasted on television made her heart shatter into pieces, shredding her from her core. Her sorrow affected you and it made your heart beating in pain whenever you saw her cry in her room ever since that day.

She shook her head and ignored the pain of the past and smiled. "Since you wanted to learn Italian, may I teach you as your foreign language teacher?" You excitedly nodded and hummed in agreement. She chuckled at your response to her question and began to wonder why you were learning the language on your own.

"(Name), what made you learn Italian yourself?" She asked you and you confidently answered, "Actually, I wanted to know what Mr. Sena told me at the airport yesterday evening."

Her eyes glinted in awe at your answer. "My, it seems like someone made you learn the language just because of a single simple sentence or phrase." She quietly held her chuckle and grinned. She patted your shoulders and engulfed you into a motherly embrace, something you loved to feel ever since you moved into her apartment.

"I won't pry further into your curiosity and I will teach you. In exchange..." She deeply thought and whispered into your ear. Her condition made your cheeks pink so that you couldn't help but to disagree without hesitation. "I-I can't accept that...!"

"Sweetie, consider that as a motivation to learn the language," She said as she placed her index finger on her lips and winked. "After all, you found a reason to be motivated and determined to speak the words you wanted to tell him once he comes back from overseas."

You bit your lip as you held your blush. She is right. You wanted to tell him something back once he returns from his flight back home to Japan. You wanted to know what he told you that day before he left the country to work in Italy for his modeling career. That is the reason why you wanted to learn the language.

An undying urge to learn while burning the midnight oil is too strong that the small fire of determination in you turns into an endless flame. You huffed out in excitement as you balled your fists as your eyes glimmered. She chuckled at your determined state and smiled. "But..." She pointed at the clock on your desk. "It's almost time for dinner so you can weaken the flame in you for a moment."

"Aw..." You sadly sighed and she patted your head. "If you knew that your stomach grumbled with that determined look on your face, your cousin would laugh at you and tease you for that." Her remark couldn't help but to make you flush in embarrassment and you clutched your belly. You heard your stomach grumble and you felt it from your arms as you clutched it and your blush grew more red, earning a chuckle from her.

"Now, now, little student of mine, it's time for dinner~" She smiled and noticed the little Nyaitsu climbing up on your sweatpants and resting on your lap. You gave out an anxious chuckle and sighed. "I guess he doesn't want me to eat..."

"No worries, I'll bring you your plate once I return." She said and left your bedroom, leaving you and Nyaitsu alone. Once the door is closed, Nyaitsu's ears perked up and meowed, trying to get your attention.

You look down to look at the kitten on your lap and smile. "Still playful, huh?" You asked him as you scratched his chin. He purred in satisfaction and melted on your touch. Somehow, seeing him like this made you remember how he patted your head that day while looking at you in a most affectionate manner.

Red bloomed on your cheeks and you hid your face behind your hands. There is no way that one single look of his made you melt. You swiveled close to your bed and took a pillow. You pressed your face on the pillow and screamed on it. There is no way that your idol crush is the first person you worked with since the whole collaboration project started and it made your head spin.

"Nonononono— There is no way...!" You panicked as your mind began to swirl with fragmented memories of you and Izumi together. You felt like a high school girl in love, infatuated with your crush. But the more you felt like you are infatuated towards him made you deny it. You felt like you wanted to crawl in a hole and die there at the fact that you are still in the first stage of Five Stages of Grief: Denial.

"Oh, Goddess of Fate, please help me..." You muttered your prayer under your breath as you returned your attention to the old notes on your hands. But the more you read the language, the more your mind thinks about Izumi. You begin to feel warm as your blush darkened and Nyaitsu is satisfied with how warm his owner is right now. Great, you made yourself as his personal warmer.

The next morning, you arrived at Ensemble Square's entrance doors. Before you entered ES' grounds, you put your face mask on, checked your camera bag and its contents, and patted every pocket on your coat. You felt a slight change in your coat pocket and noticed that there is a bump on it. You checked your pocket to see what's inside and you saw Nyaitsu, napping in your pocket.

"Nyaitsu...!" You whispered out his name. "Why are you in there?! You're not supposed to be here...!"

Seeing that the kitten was still napping in your pocket with no signs of waking up, you sighed and entered the premises and acted less suspicious, avoiding the fact that you have a kitten in your pocket.

You remembered you brought a paper bag with you in your hands. You'd rather not think about what's inside the paper bag because this piece of clothing belonged to someone you know and you forgot to return it to him. You are asking yourself why you forgot to return that to him after you left Ensemble Square for the day.

You texted Arashi to meet you at the garden and she agreed to meet you. Coincidentally, she mentioned Nyanko in her tote bag and she asked you if you brought Nyaitsu with you. Without hesitation, you said yes and she is ready on her heels to go straight to the garden, prepared for Nyanko and Nyaitsu's little playdate.

At ES' garden entrance, you were met by Ritsu, waiting for you at the entrance. Since today is the welcoming of mid-spring, the garden became a little colder than yesterday. You wondered if summer is closer than you thought but it didn't drop at the slightest.

Ritsu didn't hesitate to throw himself behind you and draped his arms on your shoulder. "Carry me." He whispered into your ear and it sent shivers on your spine. "A-Apologies, you seemed a bit heavy for me to carry you. And you're... invading my personal space..."

"I know," He mischievously grinned and smirked. "But you wouldn't mind if it's Secchan invading your personal space, hm?"

A pink blush dusted your cheeks and immediately answered, "I-I would mind..." You tried to push Ritsu away but he hugged you from behind, holding you in place. His warm breath touched your ear. It made you feel slightly ticklish and sirens began to wail in your head.

"R-Ritsu, can you please let go?" You shyly asked him and he rested his chin on the junction between your neck and shoulder. "I will, under one condition."

Oh, you know how much you hate conditions whenever you're in such a predicament. "No."

Goosebumps formed on your skin and when he blew air on the back of your neck. When he saw the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, he grinned. "Hm, I will let you go when you accept and admit your feelings towards Secchan to me."

"What if I don't harbor such feelings towards Mr. Sena?" You turn your head to look at him and struggle in his embrace. If someone saw you and Ritsu like this, it'll create a scandalous mess and rumors will spread like wildfire. The entertainment society is a dangerous place whenever scandals and rumors are formed and you don't want to be involved in such events.

"Ritsu, please let go of me." You grunted as you struggled and his embrace became tighter and yet his hold was firm. "Hm... I'll think about it until you say yes." His smirk became impish when he heard you groan in annoyance.

Light footsteps were heard on the way to the garden and it made you jolt and pale when you heard it. "R-Ritsu, let go! Someone's coming this way...!" You panicked as you struggled in Ritsu's embrace.

"Relax," He sighed in reassurance and nuzzled his face on your neck. "It's just Haakun, he brought the tea leaves he prepared for today's circle meeting."

"Yeah, right but what if it's not him?" You hissed under your breath and panicked. Desperate to avoid attention from the eyes of strangers, you quickly whispered. "F-Fine...! I'll tell you but please, let go. Let go...!"

Ritsu let go of you and grinned. "Good girl. You can't turn back on our agreement, okay~?" He grinned and you narrowed your eyes at him. The air became tense the moment you stared at him. Ritsu noticed a slight change in your aura that sweat began to form on the side of his face.

Your narrowed gaze became a cold glare. He saw that and it somehow reminded him of Izumi's glare but this glare is more intimidating and colder.

'Shoot... I crossed her line...' He thought as he looked at you. Deep inside, he is intimidated by your gaze alone when he doesn't show it on the outside.

You crossed your arms and asked him, "I don't know what you were implying but I do know that it's not a good thing, Ritsu."

He hid his fear with a sly grin and replied, "What if I tell you it's about the way you acted towards Secchan back at the aquarium?"

"What—"

"Senior Ritsu, I brought the tea leaves!" Your words cut off when a soft, gentle, soothing voice fills your ears and the intimidating aura around you dissipates. You blinked twice and looked at the person who was skipping its way towards where Ritsu is.

Baby blue colored hair, bob cut in style. His lavender eyes glinted in excitement. His smile is like a child's and it seemed adorable. In his hands is a box of tea leaves, which there is a label on the front of the box's side. Your eyes widen in surprise at the familiar sight of this young male right in front of you.

"Shino?" You said out his name and he stopped behind Ritsu. His eyes widened in joy and surprise and smiled. "Senior (Name)? It's been..." He counted with his fingers and continued, "...last year since we last met."

"My, you've gotten taller than last time, Shino." You chuckled and patted his head, earning a delighted giggle from him.

You met Hajime back then when Nazuna asked you to take a picture of him and his unit, Ra*bits, for his graduation picture for his last year in Yumenosaki. Time does sure flies seeing that there are changes that you can pinpoint a few when you saw Ra*bits' lives on your phone screen.

"How was Nyan-Nyan? Is he doing well at college?" You asked Hajime and he gleefully answered, "Of course! He manages his time well as a college student and as an idol. It's been like this since the past year after a long hiatus from college."

"I see. That's good to hear~" You chuckled and exchanged questions with Hajime for a moment to talk about Ra*bits' growth as an idol unit and their individuality as a unit member of the said unit.

Ritsu looked at you, baffled at the sudden change of your personality. He was left out when you suddenly chatted with Hajime. Thankfully for him, he can remember what Kaoru once mentioned in the common room a few days ago.

"If looks could kill, then her glare is way scarier than yours, Senacchi."

'Kaoru isn't lying about this one...' He thought and nervously gulped down, ready to apologize. But since seeing you smiling like you are talking to an old friend you haven't met for a long time, he decided that he'll wait after FLAVOR's circle meeting.

You remembered that the Music Course building never existed before when you stepped in as a student of Yumenosaki and blended in with the students in the Idol Course, just like how Anzu joined in when she became a student in the Producer Course. After the Music Course building was established after you became a third year in the academy, you never showed up to anyone in the Idol Course and stayed in the shadows for the whole war.

And seeing what happened at past Valkyrie's last performance and met Nazuna after he recruited members for the Broadcasting Committee, it made you wonder how were you pulled back to the Idol Course building after meeting Nazuna, whose voice is silent every performance and lived everyday as a doll, under his puppeteer's control.

Now that the marionette's strings are cut from its puppeteer, he lived like a human and he deserved to live like one.

You sighed, missing your committee leader. You know how everything was in the war. Though you're a student from Music Course, you knew what the war was like two years ago and you knew how much Yumenosaki had changed after the revolution. Peace spreaded throughout the whole academy when that happened.

"I heard from Senior Ritsu that you're his photographer today in your schedule as Knights' photographer for Picture Perfect. Am I right?" Hajime asked and you nodded. His eyes shined and lit up in joy, finally got to see his upperclasswoman back in action as a photographer whose job is to capture every memory, just like how you did for your fellow alumnus' yearbook pictures. "So it's almost like you're doing what you did before you graduated, right?" You nod and hum in affirmation at his question.

Suddenly, Nyaitsu popped his head out of your blazer pocket, surprising Hajime. "Whoa...! Where did that come from?"

You chuckled at the young rabbit's reaction and Nyaitsu climbed up on your blazer and stood on your shoulder. He meowed as a small greeting and Hajime stared at him.

"Apologies, Shino," you apologized to him and let out a light chuckle. "Meet Nyaitsu. He's my kitten and a part of my family. Well, I don't like him calling my pet because it sounded like I babied him and I rather having him as a family member."

"Nice to meet you, Nyaitsu." Hajime greeted him and Nyaitsu jumped off your shoulder. You didn't get to catch him on time and he landed on your forearm and dived into the paper bag.

"Nyaitsu?!" You panicked and opened the mouth of the bag and you saw Nyaitsu napping on the clothing in the paper bag. "Nyaitsu, don't nap in there. You're going to make me wash it again..."

"What's inside the paper bag, Senior (Name)?" Hajime asked and you nervously answered, "Someone let me use his coat and I forgot to return it to him before he left the country for work."

Ritsu heard this and his eyes glinted in mischief as an impish smile curved on his lips. Hajime asked another question. "Whose coat was it?"

"Mr. Sena's." You didn't hesitate to answer when a slight pink blush dusted your cheeks.

"Wait, Secchan's coat?" Ritsu joined the conversation, pretending to be surprised. You nodded and spoke, "Well, he let me have his coat back then at the aquarium. He said that the indoor area is cold and he let me wear it."

"I... I see..." Hajime smiled and uttered in confusion. You sighed out, "As much as I wanted to return his coat, now I have to wash it again because Nyaitsu is napping on Mr. Sena's coat..." You paused for a moment and remembered something.

"And speaking of coats..." You slowly turned your head to glance at Ritsu and an annoyed glare was seen on your eyes. "Ritsu, where is my coat?"

The ravenette nervously chuckled and dropped a sweat. "I left it in Secchan's room..."

You facepalmed and sighed. Your blush grew. You thanked your mask for the umpteenth time since the collaboration started and you sighed. "Ritsu, you have been really implying something since the start, hm?"

"Er... no?" He feigned ignorance and nervously chuckled once again. Your glare became colder, colder than the harsh winter in the mountains. You crossed your arms and spoke in a low tone of voice.

"I am watching you, you self-proclaimed vampire."

Ritsu grinned but behind that grin is a scared Ritsu who is speed dialing 119 for his life. On the other hand, Hajime, who seemed oblivious, made him remember something from your glare and pose. He blurted out, "Senior (Name), just you remind me of Senior Sena."

"Hm?" Your cold aura dissipated and looked at Hajime. You asked him, "Am I?" He nodded and hummed in affirmation. "Your glare and pose made me think of him." He smiled like an innocent child while he answered.

Your blush grew. "O-Oh..." His words made you look at him in confusion but your heart couldn't help but to flutter at the sight of your adorable underclassman being honest at his own thoughts. 'Goodness gracious, Shino... You are so cute that I wanted to shove you in my pocket with Nyan-Nyan...!'

"Ah, yes. So anyways," You changed the topic and continued. "I believe the rest of FLAVOR is waiting for us so let's go to the heart of the garden for tea."

"Oh, right. It's the welcoming of mid-spring." Hajime smiled and looped his arm under yours. "Let's go to the garden. I want to introduce you to Kazehaya." Hajime gently pulled you as he escorted you to the garden. You two giggled in joy as you two walked your way towards the garden and whilst having a conversation.

Ritsu was left behind, stunned as he watched you and Hajime walk away. He knew that Kaoru wasn't wrong after he witnessed your glare and he knew that Hajime reminded of Izumi's usual glare and serious composure.

'Seems like I really shouldn't mess up with her and be careful...' He nervously gulped down and followed behind.

At the garden, three of FLAVOR's circle members are waiting for the other two to arrive. As of now, their aura was serene and calm as the gentle mid-spring breeze passed by the three idols by the table. Eve's leader and Eden's unit member, Hiyori Tomoe sipped his tea from the cup and closed his eyes to savor the flavor of black tea, as suggested by fine's leader, Eichi Tenshouin.

A delighted, satisfied hum escaped his lips and let out a neutral smile. He opened his eyes and his amethyst gaze glanced at his aquamarine blue ones.

"I heard you were the one proposing this collaboration project to that certain modeling agency. Am I right?" Hiyori asked Eichi a question with a stern expression. He chuckled and answered, "Of course. Originally, it was meant for StarPro's project but it requires experienced models. Thus, I changed it and asked NewDi's manager for permission, to which he openly accepted along with Knights' leader."

"I see." He replied and heard a dog barking underneath the table. Hiyori looked down and saw Bloody Mary sitting beside his feet. A gentle smile formed on his lips and lifted her up and placed her on his lap. "Jun, aren't you supposed to be watching her while I'm busy?"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Jun apologized as he arrived to fetch Mary and took her from Hiyori's lap. Tatsumi softly chuckled while he read a book in his hands and spoke, "I heard that there will be a few cats visiting the garden today. It'll be better that there won't be a fight between two kinds, Tomoe."

"Perhaps you are right." Hiyori agreed and faced Jun. "Jun, take Mary with you. I don't want our little princess to get hurt by their claws."

"Understood. I'll take her to my dorm room. I'm sure Oukawa won't mind. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go." He excused himself to leave and waved his free hand while his other arm carried Mary.

Just as Jun left, they heard a cheerful chatter nearby and they turned their heads to see who was arriving at their meeting place.

The teal haired idol smiled and closed the book after marking the page where he last read with a bookmark. "It seems like they have arrived."

"Come on, it'll be fun. I promise~" Hajime beamed and smiled as he pulled you to join the small tea party with FLAVOR. You hesitated and told him, "Shino, I don't know if I should join you..."

"Well, that can't be helped when you came along with Tsukippi and Secchan on their own circle meetings." Ritsu grinned and he asked you, "Don't tell me you're not used to drinking tea?"

"I-I am used to drinking tea but I'm not sure if I should come along right now." You retorted and shy your gaze away from him when Ritsu stood beside you.

"Isn't that (Name)?" Eichi and Hiyori asked themselves at the same time and they looked at each other and returned their attention to you, Hajime, and Ritsu. Eichi chuckled and grinned, "What a surprise. I didn't expect that they'd send one of their junior photographers for this project."

"And what a mere coincidence. It's someone we knew from the past who came along with Ritsu." Eichi muttered and remembered the past events at the war.

As the three of you arrived at the garden, you looked up to see a familiar blonde and your eyes narrowed at the lime-haired male. You stared at the two familiar idols and you clicked your tongue as the worst of memories in the past began to resurface in your mind.

"Heaven's Demon and Cabbage Head, long time no see. What a surprise to meet you here." Your words came out with sheer hate that slipped out of your tongue. Hajime and Ritsu sensed that your mood became sour the moment your eyes laid on Eichi and Hiyori's figure.

Eichi chuckled and Hiyori grimaced at the nickname you gave them back in your second year days. You began to wonder why you were acquainted with the previous members of ex-fine before, during, and after the war and you let out a wry chuckle and looked down on them out of pure contempt and you sneered.

"My, if it isn't (Name) from the Music Course," Eichi spoke up with a smile. You were aware that his smile isn’t genuine and you narrowed your gaze at him. He continued, "I thought we were still friends after you took pictures of the memories in Yumenosaki. We were so close back then." He spoke as he began to sound provocative while he grinned.

"Seeing that smile of yours made me think that you never changed at all, Tenshouin." You let out a neutral smile while your hatred towards Eichi seeped out with the words escaping your lips. "And oh, I'm not here to have a cold war with you once again. I'm here for the project you proposed."

"And how did you know it was me?" He asked and looked at you like an innocent child out of pure curiosity. You sighed out, "My boss, Ms. Narukami, Mr. Tsukinaga, and Suou."

Eichi blinked twice and he chuckled. "You never changed at all, (Name). You are a smart one, just like before."

"Became smarter than usual after the war ended, Tenshouin." You smirked with confidence and placed your hand on your hip. "And hearing the news that the heavenly orchestra lost to the revolutionaries back then, I couldn't help but to laugh. You deserved that by the way."

Ritsu and Hajime looked at you and Eichi exchanged replies. The self-proclaimed vampire notices the tone of contempt in your voice while Eichi's voice is being friendly. It's a one-sided hate conversation, a cold war Eichi had caused between you and him after fine won against Valkyrie in the past.

Hajime broke the moment of silence and asked you, "Senior (Name), I didn't know you were friends with Senior Tenshouin in the past. And what happened in the—" You covered Hajime's mouth and shushed him. He quietly nodded and removed your hand off of his mouth.

"Well, I may forgive you for being a changed man but I still loathe you with every fiber of my being for what you had done in the past, Tenshouin." You looked at Eichi out of disgust and crossed your arms. "Don't think I'll let the past slide like it's normal and meant to be forgiven."

"Understood." Eichi gave you a close-eyed smile and poured tea at the empty teacup. "And I wouldn't mind if you join us for tea, (Name). When was the last time I drank tea with you?"

"I never drink any tea you offered to me." You scoffed. "I don't trust you for that because I know you'll spike my tea."

"Oh?" He let out an amused chuckle at your remark out of doubt. "I am not spiking anyone's tea, (Name). I'm hurt."

"I'll take a few pictures of Ritsu's circle meeting with flavor and that's final. Nothing more, nothing less." You utter out and bring out your camera from its bag and turn it on. "I'll go ahead and prepare the camera. If you'll excuse me— ow?! Nyaitsu?!" Your words cut off when Nyaitsu climbed on your back. His claws caught on your hair and climbed up on your shoulder.

Hiyori sputtered and stifled a laugh while Eichi held his amused chuckle as both of their shoulders began to shake. Tatsumi on the other hand was quiet for the whole time and let out an amused smile while he watched you staying still until the kitten reached its destination— your shoulder.

Nyaitsu meowed and you let out an annoyed sigh. "Please don't do that again..." Ritsu chuckled and grinned. "If only I'm that cat, I wouldn't mind clinging on you anytime."

"Aren't you a self-proclaimed vampire, Ritsu? You might as well address yourself as a vampire with feline-esque behavior." You replied and walked away from him. He was stunned for more than he can count today. Ritsu clicked his tongue and sighed. "She really is like Secchan but modest..."

Few pictures were taken and you were satisfied with the result. You sat on the bench in the garden as the members of FLAVOR left except Ritsu, who was napping, resting his head on your lap. In the midst of the break, you read the flashcards you brought whilst you drank tea Hajime blended in your thermos. Darjeeling Tea, your favorite. You didn't know that he blended your favorite tea when you didn't tell him. You appreciated his effort and took a few sips while reading the flashcards.

"Mi manchi, amore mio." You read the flashcard as your Italian accent became accurate as you read it fluently. You looked at Nyaitsu sleeping on Ritsu's chest and you muttered out, "Nyaitsu è un gatto." You chuckled and patted Nyaitsu's head softly while he was on Ritsu.

"My, it seems like your Italian is getting accurate, (Name)." Ritsu commented and looked at you while he rested his head on your lap and asked, "What were you saying just now?"

"It's a secret." You replied and silently read while you mastered each sentence and phrase in the flashcards. You kept reading that you didn't hear the wings of a bird fluttering and perched on your shoulder. You blinked twice when you heard a small coo and you glanced at the bird on your shoulder.

"If this is one of Hibiki's doves, shoo it away from me." You blankly muttered and you glanced at the white dove on your shoulder. "And I mean it." The dove cooed and stayed there for a moment. You let out a sigh and continued to read the flashcards.

"(Name)! I'm here~!" The dove flew away from your shoulder and landed on your head and sat down as a voice called out to you. You saw Arashi skip her way to where you were and brought a tote bag with her, slung on her shoulder. "I hope I'm not late for their playdate." She sat beside you and put her bag on the bench.

Nyanko meowed and popped her head out of the bag, revealing herself to one of her owner's closest friends. She jumped out of Arashi's bag and her little bell on her purple collar jingled as she moved. She looked at Nyaitsu sleeping on Ritsu's chest and she didn't hesitate to walk over Ritsu.

"H-Hey! Naru, don't let Nyanko walk over me." Ritsu sputtered after Nyanko's tail brushed on his mouth. She sat beside the sleeping Nyaitsu and looked at the sleeping kitten.

Arashi began to fawn that her cat made a new friend. Her eyes widened when Nyanko licked Nyaitsu, cleaning him. Nyaitsu woke up and meowed, glad to meet its new friend. But what surprised you both is when Nyanko bit Nyaitsu's scruff and jumped down from Ritsu's chest and landed on the stone-paved floor and put Nyaitsu down.

Seeing this interaction between the two cats, you prepared your camera and took pictures of Nyanko and Nyaitsu playing together. She is acting like a big sister to the kitten when Nyaitsu chased Nyanko's tail and he tackled it. He bit her tail but Nyanko showed no signs of pain. Nyaitsu is still a young kitten so his bites aren't painful and she lets him play with her.

Out of habit, you stood up and took quick shots of the two cats on the stone floor in various perspectives and positions. The dove flew away as you stood up and disappeared into the blue spring sky. Ritsu hit his head on the bench and he hissed in pain. He pouted angrily at the fact that his pillow left him, taking pictures and squealing like a schoolgirl.

"(Name), that hurts. Aren't you supposed to be my pillow today?" Your brain is not listening.

You blatantly ignored Ritsu's annoyed remark and you kept squealing and fawning over at how adorable Nyanko and Nyaitsu seemed when they’re together. "You two are soooo cute I can just shove you two in my pocket!"

Ritsu left the garden with an annoyed sigh and looked for a different napping spot. He regretted having you as his pillow for today when there are cats in the area. First, he compared you to Izumi, now he's comparing you to Leo. Life is so not okay for the self-proclaimed vampire.

Arashi chuckled and took pictures of you kneeling on the floor and smiling like a child seeing an attractive toy right in front of them. Her seeing your smile made her remember once when she saw the pictures of you in your camera, back when she lent it from Izumi before they went to the modeling agency to return the camera to you.

Her heart softened when she saw that soft, genuine smile curved on your lips while holding Nyanko in your arms. You let out a soft giggle when Nyanko licked your cheek and you beamed towards the owner of the cat.

"Rashi, Nyanko is just like you." You smiled, complimenting the blonde haired idol and she chuckled. "I know, she is so sweet that I want to protect her in any way I can. Just like how I once declared to myself to protect you."

Your heart fluttered at her words. It made you feel soft and warm inside. Knowing Arashi, she is always there by your side wherever you go to accompany you as old childhood friends reunite after years of not meeting each other. You let out a soft, quiet smile. Your smile made her want to be with you longer than she knew.

She once declared back then that she will be the knight who will protect you, your happiness, and your smile. And now, she will pass that responsibility to the one fitting for you to protect your smile, taking you where the sun shines as you stay in peace.

Her mind tells her to protect you but her heart says otherwise. She knows that she will still pass that responsibility to someone and her decision is final after staying there by your side as your loyal Knight.

"Anyways~" She ruined the silence at a perfect timing and grinned. "Have you finally known what Izumi told you back at the airport a few days ago?"

You shook your head in dismay, earning a sad sigh from her. But not long, you beamed, "But I will do my best to know what he says and I'll finally be able to understand what he meant by that."

Arashi chuckled and cheered you on, "Do your best. I'll be here to support you."

You huffed out, determined to continue learning the language. "I will. Thank you for your kind support, Rashi."

"You're welcome, (Name)."

Behind the bush is the composer composing another song. He nodded as he heard you practice your greetings and farewells with Arashi. He secretly recorded a voice record of you and nodded at how accurate your accent is in Italian. He quietly chuckled and continued to compose a song, not wanting to disturb your small warm-up session with his fellow unitmate.

Leo hummed a familiar tune while composing and messaged a certain idol in Hold Hands. He sent the voice record to him and continued to compose.

Sena

Leo sent a voice message

Leo: Please listen to this Sena.

His eyes lit up when he heard a buzz from his phone and grinned.

Sena

Sena: Leo, why are you sending me this?

Leo snickered and sent a quick message to Izumi.

Leo: The sender you are messaging right now is composing.

Sena: Whatever.

"Ah, right. Rashi, I forgot to return Mr. Sena's coat. Can you leave this in his room?" You picked up the bag sitting near the bench.

"My, of course." Arashi chuckled as she accepted your request. She saw you hesitating to give her the bag and confessed. "But... Nyaitsu napped in the bag a while ago and I'm hesitating to give this to him or have someone leave it in his room..."

"No worries, a few brushes of lint roller will do the trick~" She smiled and you gave the bag to her. "T-Thanks, Rashi..."

Leo's hand froze as he wrote the melody from his mind. He blinked twice and began to process and remember what he had just heard.

'Did I hear that right? Princepessa has... Sena's coat?' He repeated his thoughts and without hesitation, he jumped out of the bush, scaring you, Arashi, and the cats. You jumped out of your seat and backed away when your eyes met his. He yelled, "(Name), you have to give it to Sena in person!"

"Whoa?! When did you get here?" You asked him, surprised at his sudden appearance. You looked at him and you were not amused by how the leaves stuck on his head and his tired eyes with dark circles, failed to hide from the concealer and worsened due to the lack of sleep. He simply answered, "I was here for the whole time."

"Tsukinaga, Rashi can leave it in Mr. Sena's dorm room once she returns to Starmony Dorm. You know that outsiders are not allowed there." You placed your hand on your hip and stared at his current physical appearance. "And most of all, you need sleep. You're in a worse state than I am."

You weren't lying. You stayed up all night studying and you don't want to lose your learning streak today because of work. Gladly the concealer you applied on your face worked well but your tired eyes show it all.

Arashi chimed in, "It's alright, Leo. I can leave this on Izumi's bed and give him a note."

Leo took a picture of you holding a paper bag and messaged someone. "Nah, leave it to me." He pressed the send button and grinned when he got a sudden message from his sender.

Sena

Sena: Leo, tell Naru to leave it on my bed in the dorm.

"Well, he said he wanted Naru to leave the bag on his bed in the dorm..." Leo sighed, disappointed. "Well, pretty acceptable because outsiders aren't allowed in the dorm.

Arashi took the bag and chuckled. "Well, I must go and I have work to do." She picked up her tote bag and brought Nyanko in there. "I'll be heading back to the dorm to leave Nyanko and Izumi's coat there so we'll see you next time." She left with a small wave and you waved back. "Mhm, good luck with your work Rashi. Stay safe and be careful on your way there."

As Arashi leaves the garden, you turn to face Leo, who still stuck his head out in the bush. He pulled himself backwards and got out of the bush and sputtered as he dusted himself to remove the leaves and twigs off of him. "So, how are your progress in Italian?"

"Fine-ish, I guess?" You answered and he chuckled. You helped him remove the leaves on his hair and on his shirt. "I'm still looking for the words Mr. Sena told me at the airport the other day..."

"Well, I can help you with that." Leo beamed and asked you, "So what was that again? The one you mentioned back then?"

"Something like..." You thought deeply and didn't hesitate to answer. "Fino arra prochima bolta, cara mia."

Leo stifled his laugh at your attempt at being fluent at the first attempt. It sounded a little funny now that he considered you in the intermediate level but you still tried your best. "He said that?" He asked you and you answered with a yes. He chortled, "Well, I didn't know he'll be the roman...tic type..." His words faltered and faded out in realization. His eyes widened when he realized what you had just said. He blinked twice and looked at you, dumbstruck.

You tilted your head in confusion and asked him, "Tsukinaga...? Is something wrong?"

He shook his head to go back to reality and asked you in pure shock. "Se-Sena told you that...?" He asked you as he looked at you in bewilderment. You innocently nodded and he blinked twice. "Yeah. Do you know what he told me, Tsukinaga?"

Leo fell silent and thought for a moment. He sighed and replied, "Apologies, Princess. You might be surprised if I tell you the truth. That shall wait in the near future."

"If you'll excuse me, Princess. I have work to attend to." Leo picked up the music sheets from the grass and excused himself to leave. You tilted your head in confusion and watched him leave the garden, leaving you there with Nyaitsu sitting close to your feet and he meowed.

Few days had passed and it's the day Izumi returned home to Japan after finishing his work in Italy. Somehow, you expected him to meet you and the other members of Knights here at Ensemble Square after work hours but someone has other plans in mind.

At the break room, you quietly drank your tea from the can and reread your draft of your report in your notebook. You crossed out the less important parts in your draft and you wanted this to be perfect before passing it to your boss.

While writing, you felt an eerie presence behind you that you nearly dropped a sweat when you felt it that it sent shivers on your spine. That presence seemed oddly and nostalgically familiar at the same time. You were so sure that you felt this certain presence back in the days when you were wandering the halls while you were still studying at Yumenosaki.

Unknown to you, three idols stared at you deeply, deep into your soul. A pair of red and green eyes stared at you from behind the seat you were in. That caught the attention of a certain idol who was just entering the break room. He blinked and let out an amused smile. "Oho~?"

Suddenly, someone swept you away from the table and carried you in their arms and ran away from the crime scene. Everything went slow when someone carried you like time stopped and returned to normal when they ran away with you in their hold.

"H-Help me?! This is kidnapping! Put me down!" You screamed in confusion and flailed. Your screams caught the attention of the few at the halls and tears practically formed in the corner of your eyes as you cried for help. This is normal in Yumenosaki, they say. But this behavior cannot be tolerated outside of the academy grounds.

You felt like crying until a voice spoke up. "Shut your mouth or it'll affect Knights' reputation."

You look up to see Ritsu carrying you all along, all the way to the main entrance of the building. You fell silent and stared at him in disbelief. The K in Knights stands for kidnappers and the K in Yumenosaki stands for kidnappers, too. This is a norm in Yumenosaki and it's been a year or two since the last time someone kidnapped you like this.

Ritsu put you down on one of the benches in the lobby and sat beside you. He rested his head on your shoulder and napped. "Don't leave and someone will fetch us to pick Secchan up at the airport."

You deadpanned and replied, "He's an adult and he doesn't need to be picked up by anyone."

"What if I tell you that Anzu did that often whenever Secchan returned to Japan?"

"She's a producer, silly."

"And there's me, Leo, Suuchan, and Naru."

"You're his fellow unitmates."

"And what if I tell you that he wants to see you at the airport?"

"For work, of course." Ritsu let out an annoyed sigh as you countered his remarks without hesitation. "You really are a smart one, yet oblivious to understand why we need you there at the airport to meet with Secchan."

You were about to answer but it was cut off when someone tackled you from behind and greeted you with his usual greeting to you. "Uchuu~✩ Ciao, Principessa!" You felt like the air escaped your lungs the moment he tackled you from behind and you nearly fainted. Nyaitsu on the other hand jumped out of your pocket and yeowled in surprise.

"C-Ciao, Leo... Do you need to greet me in Italian?" You greeted him back and scratched your head in confusion. He haughtily laughed and answered, "Well, it's another way for you to learn faster into the language, Principessa~"

A sigh escaped your lips and suddenly, Leo took your hand and ran as drag you out of the lobby. You don't have time to prepare nor deal with his antics right now. You really need a break from Leo and his eccentric-like behavior.

"Tsukinaga?!" Alarmed, you screamed out his name and he didn't hesitate to carry you in his arms. You were so sure you thought that he's just a shrimp but he's actually not. You completely judged a book by its cover. "Sorry, (Name), we really need you in this one."

"Tsukinaga, I appreciate the fact that you are going to the airport to fetch Izumi after work hours. But do you really need me there?" Your words faltered when Leo dragged you to Ensemble Square building's exit. You were quite surprised there is a white van at the entrance.

Ritsu let out a yawn as he followed behind you and replied, "Well, we promised Secchan to bring you there to the airport with us and he agreed."

"I doubt that the frost prince of a knight agreed to your menacing antics." You rolled your eyes and narrowed your gaze and glanced away from Ritsu.

Your eyes widened when the van's door slid open, revealing Tsukasa. He held out his arms as if to reach something. A hit of realization came into you when Leo suddenly passed you to Tsukasa. For someone who is a few years younger than you, he held you in his arms with ease.

The moment you are in Tsukasa's arms, he commented, "Oh, God. She's so light..." He brought you inside the van and put you beside him. Leo slid in and sat beside you and yelled, "All right, let's go! We got her."

'Oh, God. I've been kidnapped by Knights.' You paled at the realization. "Leo— No, Knights, are you planning to kidnap me?!"

"Maybe yes, maybe no." Ritsu yawned and entered the van and at the seats behind you, holding Nyaitsu in his hands. He chuckled and asked you, "Wanna join with me here? You can cuddle with me."

You blinked twice and shook your head. You nearly cursed in perfect English but you held your breath and sighed, "No, I am not coming with any of you., except Rashi, of course. The K in Knights stands for kidnappers. I am leaving this van—"

Suddenly, the van's door is closed by Leo and locked. "Darn it..." The van left in front of the building and went out of the gates, driving its way to the city. You slumped your back to the seat's backrest and let out an upset huff.

As if everything is normal, Tsukasa read an article in his tablet, Leo composed a few melodies in his music sheets, and Ritsu napped with Nyaitsu at the back. You held your camera tight in your hands and beads of cold sweat formed on your forehead. Oh, you wished if only the ground could take you alive right now but drowning yourself in the sea is a better option as of now.

You sighed in distress. You were an alumnus of Yumenosaki Academy and escaped every chaotic antics and shenanigans of every student there in that said alma mater. You thought you could get away after graduation or Repayment Fes but you nearly forgot that it still existed at Ensemble Square, where most of Yumenosaki Academy students are there.

"Rest assured, (Name)." A voice called you and you look up to see Arashi at the seat in front of you where you, Tsukasa, and Leo are. She waved her hand to greet you with a kind smile curved on her lips.

'Rashi...!' You were on the verge of tears when you saw your childhood friend right in front of you, who seemed like an angel descended from the heavens, taking you away from the depths of hell. "Rashi, how can I be rest assured when Knights— your unit members to be specific— kidnapped someone in the past?" You deadpanned and she sighed, "I guess that can't be helped..."

You groaned in annoyance and you looked at Leo and Ritsu. "Still, why do you guys even need to kidnap me? You could've just told me."

"Well, technically, we have to do what our current king commands us." Ritsu answered. Tsukasa immediately retorted, "Don't point anything or everything to me. It was you all along."

"Nah, Naru and Leo helped you plan for all of this. The Knights-taking-(Name)-all-the-way-to-the-airport-with-a-getaway-van is all done by you and her." Ritsu replied and yawned as he forced Nyaitsu to cuddle with him, which made the kitten panic in the hands of the vampire. Out of habit, you grabbed Nyaitsu away from his arms, fearing that someone might hurt him in the process of forcing him to be cuddled by someone due to his small size. It pains you to hear Nyaitsu crying out to be free from his terrifying embrace.

Arashi dramatically gasped, "How dare you say such things right in front of Little Princess?! I would not dare to plan something like that just for bringing her to the airport with us."

Leo chimed in to the conversation and he retorted back, "Hey! I also didn't plan this so-called kidnapping thing. It was Ritsu. Naru and I only suggested bringing (Name) along to pick up Sena. Besides, she has something to say back to him once they meet again at the airport, right?"

You gave the self-proclaimed vampire a side eye when you found out the truth and you clicked your tongue. When Leo mentioned what you were supposed to do once you and Izumi met at the airport, a faint blush dusted your cheeks. To be honest, you weren't prepared at all. You hoped that it's just a simple greeting or a phrase to say it back to him.

"Well, it seems like you snitched the tactician of the unit." Ritsu huffed out in defeat.

Arashi ignored Ritsu and peeked from her seat and turned to look at you. "(Name), are you feeling uncomfortable? You can join me here~ My seat right here is a two-person seat~"

"Rashi... You are the sweetest being..." You called out her name with tears forming on the corners of your eyes. You sat beside Arashi with no hesitation and hugged her. Arashi chuckled and comforted you as she hugged you back. "There, there..."

'Tch. Favoritism...' Everyone in the van (except the driver) looked at you and Arashi being close from the seats behind you two.

"Ah, right." Leo remembered something and spoke his thoughts out. "(Name), remember what Sena told you a week ago at the airport?"

"A little. Why?" You answered and he grinned. You blinked twice in realization and you blurted out, "Wait. I told you that a few days ago and I only know "cara mia". What's the translation of the first one?"

"Don't be surprised, okay?" You nodded at the small note that can be thought of as a warning. He answered, "Well, "Fino alla prossima volta, cara mia" translates into "Until next time, my dear"."

Everyone in the van fell silent. You looked at him out of pure bewilderment as your face flushed in embarrassment.

"Wait. What does he mean by "Until next time"...?" You inquired out in confusion and Arashi stifled her laugh at your sudden outburst. Leo held his laugh and nearly fainted as he held it in as his shoulders began to shake in amusement.

"You'll have to know about it from Sena himself." Leo laughed out, earning a flustered groan from you in return.

Later, as the van arrived at the entrance, Leo opened the van's door and grabbed your hand, dragging you out of the van with him. Nyaitsu jumped into Leo's jacket pocket and hid there as the two of you went out of the van in such a rush. You hurriedly fished for your face mask in your pocket with your free hand but it fell down to the stone floor the moment you and Leo stepped into the airport's entrance.

"Tsu-Tsukinaga, wait!" You tried to pull your hand away from him but he suddenly carried you in his arms and held you in place. "Scusami, Principessa~☆"

"Leo Tsukinaga, put me down. I can walk on my own!" Your demands fell on deaf's ears when his decision was final. You hid your face behind your hands to avoid anyone seeing what you look like. Luckily, the crowd in the airport is small and less in numbers so you're safe, for now.

In the airport's waiting lounge, Izumi waited for the others to pick him up. While waiting, he's listening to a recorded audio from his phone with his earphones. A small smile was curved on his lips as he listened carefully, almost memorizing every detail.

"Mi manchi, amore mio."

"My, you did well this time, (Name). How about goodbye in Italian."

"Oh, that's simple. Arrivederci."

"Wow. Who taught you?" "My aunt."

"Fufu, she's a good teacher and boss." "And she's also the best aunt."

His heart began to flutter as the sound of you expressing your happiness and joy and he let out an affectionate sigh. 'Thank you for raising her to be the sweetest person known in existence, Miss Old Lady...' Izumi thanked your aunt in his mind while listening to your conversation with Arashi, exchanging thoughts and laughs with you in the recorded audio.

Leo kept sending him recorded audios and videos of you speaking Italian in such a fluent manner since a few days ago. He noticed that there's progress but there are some words that you considered difficult. And on the next day, it became easy for you to say it but on the close to the accurate side. With Leo's help, you learned the language like a walk in the park. He was amazed at how you were a fast learner in the language. He let out a soft chuckle, catching someone's attention beside him.

Izumi didn't notice that the person sitting beside him heard him sigh and chuckle. He was too caught up in the progress from Leo's lessons that he was living in his world. He turned his head to face Izumi and asked him, "Sena, what's making you sigh and laugh like that? Is there something interesting in what you were listening to?"

Beside him was Shu Itsuki of Valkyrie, who returned to Japan to work as a member and unit leader of the said unit. Izumi turned to Shu and took his earphones off and replied, "Leo sent me something that made me annoyed. That's all."

A chuckle escaped Valkyrie's leader's lips and replied, "That made you annoyed? You seemed like Agape whispered into your ear, telling you to listen to the voice Tsukinaga told you to listen."

"Do I seem like one?" "You wouldn't be if you didn't let out a sigh full of affection out of infatuation."

"You sound like Mademoiselle, Itsuki. Or rather, you sound more romantic than usual." Izumi let out a sigh, making Shu let out a quiet smile in response. Shu huffed out in response, "Hmph, if she were to talk right now, she would've chimed in and said how much Mademoiselle and I are alike. But yes, it seems like I've gained quite a few insights in terms of romance. I have to admit, I read a few romance books in France when I'm having more time to rest at work."

"No wonder why." The two let out a friendly chuckle afterwards. Shu saw the paper bag beside Izumi's travel bag. "So you still have that? Is that item in that paper bag so special to you?

Izumi nodded and answered, " Yeah, it's from someone I know before the collaboration project started. I believe you met her back then, Itsuki. She's a fellow alumnus from Yumenosaki."

"Really? I would like to meet her." He replied and Izumi smiled, "Of course. Leo told me she'll be here with them in any minute—"

"Senaaaaaaa! We brought (Name)!" Their conversation ended when a voice called out to Izumi from a distance away. Izumi turned around to see who was calling him and he clicked his tongue when he saw who. "—when I told him that I'll meet her later at ES..."

Leo ran his way towards Izumi with you in his arms. He saw you looking like a mess while Leo carried you and ran towards Izumi. Nyaitsu is clinging on your skirt and clinged on it with its claws for dear life. When Leo slowed down and stopped after running, he climbed up on your skirt and landed on your knees.

"Speaking of... It's them and they're here... with her?" Izumi facepalmed and sighed. He walked closer to Leo and scolded him. "Leo, I told you that I'll meet her later at Ensemble Square. Are you out of your mind, Tsukinaga?"

Behind the two of you is a running Tsukasa, Arashi, and Ritsu, following the two and stopped running when they saw Izumi. Arashi waved her hand to say hi to Izumi but her face became serious when she saw Shu. "Ah, it's "Teach"... What a coincidence."

"Where is Kagehira? Isn't he supposed to be with you, Narukami?" Shu asked Arashi and she answered, "Well, Mika wanted to come with me but he's still busy with work. For Valkyrie, he says."

"I see." He nodded and held his sigh, worried for his unitmate who stayed by his side for the whole time as a unit member and dear companion.

Izumi's eyes widened when he saw that you didn't wear a face mask, the only protection of your identity from prying and sharp eyes in the area. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw you covering your face with your hands. He will definitely scold Leo for doing all of this so suddenly with you being involved in such matters later at Starmony Dorm.

"Leo, didn't I tell you not to bring her here?" Izumi gave the composer a cold gaze. Leo guffawed out loud and answered, "Sorry, Sena~ I can't help it. She really wanted to see you right now."

"Lies! I didn't say anything about it..." You sighed out and took Nyaitsu and put him in your blazer pocket when Leo put you down. Your feet missed the ground and your legs were a bit wobbly as you stood up properly on your feet. Leo replied, "Well, now, it finally happened."

Shu's eyes gazed at you with a sense of familiarity. He felt like he had seen you before. He was so sure he heard your name before but he didn't know where or when was the last time he heard that name back then.

You looked at the seat where a familiar paper bag was sitting beside his travel bag. You looked at him and asked, "So you still have that?"

"Of course." He answered and retorted, "Do you think I'll leave it there in Italy? Who knows when Leo will scribble his pens on the walls when he enters my room without permission?"

"Hey!" Leo glared at Izumi and retorted back. "You always lock your door in our apartment. Scared that you'll lose the gift Principessa gave to you?"

"I didn't say who gave it to me, Leo." Izumi and Leo began to argue. You let out a sigh and turned away from them and pretended that you don't know any of them here.

Your eyes glanced at the doll on Shu's arms and recognized it. You look away for a moment and for a split second, it moves. You glanced back at the doll, only to see it in its original position and you glanced away and looked back when you caught the doll moving.

'Mademoiselle, I know you're quiet right now and you can't fool me...' You spoke to the doll in your thoughts and surprisingly, she didn't answer. You let out a sigh of relief and turned to face the two arguing idols.

"Before anything else, Principessa has something to tell you." Leo turned his head to face you and he grinned. "It's something she promised to me in the middle of our study session."

"I didn't—" You paused for a moment and you remembered something. You sighed and walked closer to Izumi. As you were finally close, you looked at him in the eyes and spoke, "I know what you told me a week ago before you left Japan, Mr. Sena."

Izumi's cheeks were dusted with pink as you told him. You continued, "And I wanted to tell you this on the day you returned here in Japan... With the same language you told me a week ago..." You walked closer to him and told him to lean down. He didn't hesitate to lean down and he froze when you whispered something into his ear.

"Bentornato, ammiratore mio."

Izumi's faint blush grew on his face as you whispered those words into his ear. His blush reached the tip of his ears as he gawked in awe. He nearly fainted and his hands began to shake and blinked twice in confusion. He finally recovered from shock and let out a small chuckle and smiled in the most affectionate way possible, a rare sight to see.

When they saw Izumi's blush, Arashi stifled her laugh, Ritsu snickered, Leo grinned wide, Tsukasa was stunned, and Shu was surprised to see his friend blush like this. Knowing that the others saw him blush like this, he will never hear the end of the interview from his unitmates later after they return to Starmony Dorm.

You distanced yourself away from him to give him space. Your eyes were in a daze when you saw how red he was. Finally, when you told him the words you planned to tell him once he arrived home, you felt the weight on your shoulders lifted.

"I won't pry further into your curiosity and I will teach you. In exchange..." She deeply thought and whispered into your ear.

"Tell him something in return in Italian. Tell him a greeting once he returns. Or if you're brave enough, you can confess to him in that said language."

Her condition made your cheeks pink so that you couldn't help but to disagree without hesitation. "I-I can't accept that...!"

You felt like fainting on the spot when you remembered the condition she gave you with him. At least you have a goal that you kept as a secret for this whole time without any of them knowing.

"But, if he gave you an endearment in return, well..."

"I'm back, (Name)." He answered and he whispered into your ear, just like how he did before he left the country a week ago.

"Mi manchi, tesoro."

Your mind short circuited for a moment there when he whispered those words to you. Your heart exploded inside your chest. You felt like running ten laps right now after hearing him say that with an endearment in the end. Both of you at this point are an endearment away from falling deeper in love.

"You'll have to spend the whole ladies' night in my office with us and tell us everything that happened after the task is done. In. every. detail~" She continued her words with a wink.

"Mi manchi means "I miss you" in Italian." You remembered what Leo told you when you read the flashcards once back then. 'He misses me?!'

"I... er..." You stammer, quite unexpected at the endearment he gave you. You shyly chuckled and looked away to avoid his gaze. 'Oh, God... I'm falling for him...' You mentally sighed and you became flustered just at the endearment alone. Of course, you knew about it when Leo taught you the endearments in Italian.

Leo grimaced and commented, "Argh... I can't believe (Name) stole one of my muse..." He scratched his head and groaned, jealous. Arashi chuckled and replied, "But didn't you have her in your list of muses?"

"Ah, right..." He chuckled out of embarrassment at the realization and scratched the back of his neck.

"Is it over already?" Ritsu yawned and asked the others. They nodded in response and he let out a sly grin. "Hm, it seemed like we're a few moments closer to make their re—" Tsukasa shoved a donut in Ritsu's mouth, preventing the languid vampire from saying more than he should have. "Alright, you've nearly said too much Senior Ritsu."

Ritsu's protests were muffled by the donut in his mouth and slowly ate it. He glared at the garnet-haired knight but Tsukasa didn't care at all.

W/N:

I suck at writing endings that my hands craved to write chapter 4 because I am offering my soul after doing every single performance task this week. I am so done. Writer's block is a btch.

Give me a break. It took me a month to finish this. Fck school. It's summer here and it's soooooo hot. And worst is that I felt like I died due to red week.

T/L: (With the help of Duolingo lessons and DeepL)

Fino alla prossima volta, cara mia - Till next time, my dear.

Ti amo, cara mia/caro mio - I love you, my dear.

Si, mia principessa - Yes, my princess

Finalmente! La principessa di Sena ha finalmente detto "ciao" in modo fluente! - Finally! Sena's princess finally said hello fluently!

Scusami, Princepessa. - I'm sorry, Princess.

Mi manchi, amore mio. - I miss you, my love.

Nyaitsu é un gatto. - Nyaitsu is a cat.

Bentornato, ammiratore mio. - Welcome home, my admirer.

tesoro - darling

taglist: (url in bold text means that you were unable to be tagged. dw i’ll tag you at the reply section^^/)

#written by herri #izumi sena x reader #sena izumi x reader #ensemble stars x reader #enstars x reader #enstars #ensemble stars #izumi sena #sena izumi