Posted by: Haley Russell
« on: January 26, 2026, 02:27:32 pm »![]() | Kaoru remained silent as she stood there while Tsubasa used his phone to call his boss. At least his boss didn't ignore the call from an unknown number. Otherwise, that would've sucked for Tsubasa being unable to get in touch with his boss, who ignored his call. Thankfully, that wasn't the case, and he was able to take the rest of the day off. He was surprised to hear Tsubasa's boss say that his concerts were popular. Thinking about that, the young man realized he'd never watched any of Tsubasa's performances, let alone paid attention enough to listen to the type of music he's into. Or maybe he did, and his mind was so doped up on antidepressants at one point that he glossed over it. He couldn't help but feel guilty about that. Then again, that's all he'd been feeling lately: guilt and anxiety for many different things. He was only here at this festival at the suggestion of his therapist to slowly integrate into learning how to enjoy things he once loved. It was just ... hard. Yes, Tsubasa was helping him through it, but he couldn't help but feel guilty about that. Part of the reason why he couldn't understand the other's feelings for him because it didn't make sense to him. That, and he couldn't trust himself to fall in love again. So, he settled for being friends with anyone who WANTED to be around him. And here he was now stuck in a situation where Tsubasa was clearly going through his Rut without even realizing what was happening to him. His expression was neutral as he took his phone back once the other male was done with it. As for Kasane, she was happy that the young man was able to reach his boss to let him know what was going on. She smiled warmly and said, "I'm glad you're able to get some rest and go through your Rut properly. Make sure to get to the hotel soon and use those vouchers I gave you. Please, take care you two." Kaoru turned to the woman and gave a small nod to the woman, then turned to face Tsubasa, who was speaking to him, apologizing actually for the entire situation. "Don't apologize for something you can't control. Let's just hurry up and head to the hotel. The sooner we get there, the sooner you can lay down and get some rest," he said to him. He knew his response came off cold, but it was going to take time for Kaoru to feel anything, much less respond in a manner of how he used to be before he became the person he is now. Sometimes he wished he could be the cheerful person he once was, but then fear that others would find him annoying for it. It was all his insecurities nagging at him at any given moment they could. And he hated it. But right now, he couldn't focus on that. He had to focus on Tsubasa to get him out of this god-awful hot weather and into a cool room where he can rest and focus on going through his Rut where he's at least away from others. The last thing either of them wanted was for him to suddenly attack someone. Kaoru knew Tsubasa would feel horrible if he ever did that to someone. So, without saying another word, he grabbed hold of his friend's arm and began to quickly lead him in the direction of the hotel. The place was massive, so it was going to be about a three-minute walk at most. He just hoped that Tsubasa could hold out long enough until they made it there. |
























