Round One
Our StoryA/N: I'm so sorry for not being able to post as frequently compared to early this year. I really really appreciate everyone's patience with me!! Without any further delays, here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy the read!
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The blaring sound of the wake-up alarm echoed throughout the room. Annoyed at the pestering ring, Daiki let out a low grumble before covering his head with a pillow in order to muffle the noise.
After hearing that the alarm was turned off a few seconds later, he lifted his pillow, only to be blinded by the lamp that his best friend had .
"For heaven's sake, Ryo. It's..." Daiki paused to glance at the clock on the table in between their beds. "...6 in the morning!"
"Do you not remember what Nishida said yesterday? He expects all of us to be ready in the lobby by 7." Ryosuke replied as he shuffled his body towards the edge of his own bed. "We should get something to eat before we head out."
"I'll skip breakfast." The older one responded, turning away to face the other direction before pulling his duvet covers over his head.
Ryosuke stared at Daiki in disbelief and rolled his eyes. They've known each other for almost twenty years now and he still couldn't believe that the latter was really older than him. "Suit yourself." He said, shifting his weight to his feet before proceeding towards the bathroom.
However, halfway there, his gaze fell upon a white card that appeared to have slid from under the door. Curious as to what it was, he decided to pick it up and read the contents.
'We had a first-responder's meeting this morning and we were told that today's theme is 'First Impressions'. Amu coordinated your outfits just in case. It's on the handle on the other side of the door. -Rio'
As soon as he read the message, he took a quick glance into the peek hole of the door. After confirming that nobody was around, he opened the door to find two sets of clothes in garment bags, and written on each of the bags were the boy's names.
Ryosuke shifted his attention down the hall and noticed that Yuto and Chinen had also received theirs too. To say that he felt rather disappointed was just an understatement but there wasn't anything he could do.
At the end of the day, Rio was Yuto's girlfriend - not his.
After closing the door behind him, he walked back over to Daiki and placed the set of clothes on the latter's bed. "It's from Amu."
"Huh?!" Daiki uttered immediately, quickly throwing the duvet covers off. "Was she here?" He asked after glancing at the garment bag in front of him.
"Geez. If her name was all it took to get you out of bed, then I should've mentioned it sooner." Ryosuke said in disbelief as he handed the white card to him. "This was left under the door. Chinen and Yuto received theirs as well."
"Wouldn't they get in trouble for helping?" Daiki asked after having read Rio's message.
Ryosuke nodded, dropping his shoulders at the same time.
"I hope they know what they're doing..."
--
After the two both had grabbed coffee and toast from the hotel's breakfast buffet, they headed towards the hotel lobby as per Nishida's instructions. Given that it was only 6:45 am, they assumed that they would've been the first ones there.
Perhaps that was also why they were surprised to see Yuto and Chinen already sitting in the lobby seats, and of course, they were dressed up as well.
"Now do you think waking up early is a good idea?" Daiki mumbled.
"Still better than being late." Ryosuke whispered back as the two took their seats on the sofa in front of their bandmates. However, in just a span of 5 seconds, Chinen immediately spoke up when he noticed how peculiar Daiki's outfit seemed to be.
"Hey Dai-chan, I didn't know you owned clothes like those." He interrogated, his eyes narrowing at the boy's jacket.
"Oh uhh, I went shopping yesterday." The latter lied on a whim. But after glancing at Chinen's expression, he knew the younger one wasn't buying it all.
"Did you go shopping in our garment storage room? Because I could've sworn I saw that shirt when I helped Amu packed hundreds of fabrics into containers."
"Well, that might've been a coincidence then."
"Honestly, Daiki. Do you really think I'm that dense to believe any of that?"
"Okay, Chii. What is it that you want?" Daiki asked, letting out a sharp exhale. "It's not even 7 in the morning yet. Getting into an argument is the last thing on my mind right now."
"I want you to tell us the truth. Amu and Rio are helping the both of you too, aren't they?" Chinen asked.
Ryosuke firmed his lips. "And if they are?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest.
Angered by Ryosuke's nonchalant expression, Yuto stood up from his seat in a haste and walked towards him in anger. "You got Rio involved, didn't you?"
"Me?" The latter scoffed in disbelief. After rolling his eyes, Ryosuke stood up from his own seat to meet Yuto's glare. "She was already involved in this mess the moment you asked her out." The older one muttered back. "If you were more careful then Nishida wouldn't have found out about the two of you."
"Haa..? Are you really trying to pin it on me now?" Yuto retorted. "If I recall correctly, you were the one that made Rio's life a living hell in the beginning. Then towards the end, you even had the audacity to get her hopes up on everything before crushing it by suddenly leaving. If we're talking about what is best for Rio then I don't think you have the slightest idea!"
Yuto's sudden outburst left everyone speechless, especially Ryosuke. The two have had their fair share of arguments when they were younger but that was then. It has been over ten years now since they last fought like this - and it was all over a misunderstanding.
After noticing that the latter had nothing to say, Yuto couldn't help but raise a corner of his lips. For the first time in what seemed to be centuries, he won an argument against his childhood rival and he smiled contently at the thought of it. "That's what I thought." He said, turning around to proceed back towards his seat.
However, before he could take more than two steps, Ryosuke let out a slight chuckle as he placed his hands in his pockets. "Despite my history with Rio, I bet you that I can still make her happier than you ever could."
Ryosuke's proposition was enough to cause Yuto to stop in his tracks. "What did you say?" The younger one asked with anger arising from his voice as he turned back around slowly.
Noticing how things were starting to get completely out of hand, Chinen quickly ran up to his best friend to hinder him from potentially escalating things further. "Forget it, Yuto. None of this is worth it."
At that same time, Daiki hurried over to Ryosuke's side and placed a hand on the latter's shoulder. "Ryo, I think you should tone things down a bit." The older one whispered. "Right now isn't the time for this conversation."
Ryosuke knew that Daiki was right. They were already beginning to catch the attention of a couple of people who were passing by. Even with masks on, they couldn't risk potentially being labeled as the Johnny's group that couldn't get along.
Holding back his frustrations, Ryosuke began to walk away from the three. However, before he could get far, Yuto spoke once more.
"To tell you the truth, Ryo... I'm honestly disappointed in you." Yuto sighed. "I didn't know you were such a playboy that you find playing with Rio's heart that amusing."
Yuto's words were enough to push the latter past his limit and without even thinking, Ryosuke immediately rushed back and grabbed Yuto's shirt towards his chest. "I'd rather die than even think about the idea of hurting her." Ryosuke muttered in a low voice, his gaze filled with anger from the accusation. "... And sorry Yuto, but I don't give a damn if you don't believe me. It's not my job to convince you how much Rio really means to me."
After getting the frustration off his chest, he shoved the latter away before walking away to take a seat on the other side of the lobby.
Daiki watched as the frame of his best friend grew smaller and smaller as the latter walked off. However, before he could trail after him, Chinen took a step towards the boy.
"If it's not too much to ask, could the two of you please just stay away from our girlfriends?" Chinen sighed. "I don't want to argue with you either but if you continue to get Amu involved in your mess, then I'll have no other choice but to take things into my own hands."
Daiki narrowed his eyes. "Sorry Chii, but if I recall correctly- this 'mess' started when you made the decision to pretend that your girlfriend never existed for
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