Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Last stream, I promised to fully play through whatever game was most requested in my survey poll,” Kenma leaned back in his chair. His eyes flicked across his monitor as he spoke, pressing his mouse in tandem.

“And, to make things more interesting, I haven’t previewed your choice.”

A few members of the chat sent angel emojis. Kenma had the sense this was a bad idea from the moment he suggested it.

“I’ll reveal the poll results in three…two…”
He tapped on the sidebar, “one.”

The chat erupted with laughter and crying emojis. Kenma sighed. This was a horrible idea.

Of all the games his viewers would pick when given free reign, of course it had to be this one.

Kenma grimaced. “Seriously…”

The longest bar, with 90% of his stream's votes, read Haru no Umi. It was a dating sim, the dating sim Kenma had complained about on his streams numerous times, made by the creator of his favorite survival RPG. He ran to buy the game, expecting, despite its genre, for it to be of the same caliber of the developer's other works, or at least have an interesting plot—it didn’t. Kenma rushed through the prologue scene in a 10 minute stream months ago and never touched the game again. He hated dating sims.

But, he hated disappointing his viewers more.

“Alright…” his lips fell into a defeated, flat line, “I underestimated you guys. I’ll load it up now.”

Comments flooded the stream, and from the glances he got at the words speeding across his screen, Kenma could tell their amusement hadn’t subsided in the slightest.

He opened his computer’s files in a separate tab, and scrolled through them until he found the one that started the game.

He double clicked the icon. There was no going back at this point, but at least he could get his money’s worth out of it. That was possibly the only reward he would gain from this situation—aside from beating another game.

As the starting screen opened, cherry blossoms burst from the center of the screen, illustrated in faded, watercolor pigments and drifted out to the sides to border a distant school courtyard. At its center was a flowing, stone fountain and a grey path surrounded by pruned, green bushes in perfect spirals.

The menu loaded in, and beside it a boy holding roses faded into view. He had subtle, relaxed blue-green eyes and short, messy black hair. His role was sickeningly obvious from his white button down, with the top two buttons undone, and the small lopsided smirk that ticked his lips upward. It had been months since Kenma played, and the only thing he remembered was his name.

“Honestly, the graphics on this game are really cool…” Kenma turned back to his webcam, “Uh right, for any viewers who are unaware, this is Haru no Umi. It’s a dating simulator that was released last year, but I don’t think it’s gotten much traction. The guy here,” He circled the raven haired boy with his mouse, “is the main love interest, Akaashi Keiji.”

More comments came in.

kzkn.vs: he remembers his name after playing a game he “hated” for all of five minutes half a year ago…

guest: LOLL

etvr1qx: crazy denial tbh

guest: how much do u think abt him kodzuken T-T

“I’m ignoring you guys…” Kenma said, pressing the ‘start game’ button.

Piano music started to play softly into his headphones, accompanied by chirping birds and the sounds of footsteps. The screen faded into the image of a school hallway with small white lockers lining one wall, lit by the golden sunlight that streamed through the windows on the other. He began reading the text that appeared.

“Chapter 1, April third. Today marks the beginning of your first semester in Kaiyose Academy.

With its pristine white hallways, royal archways, and cherry blossom lined paths, the academy is nothing short of elegant.

This was the playground for only the top students in Tokyo, after all.”

Kenma cringed and mumbled “way too formal…” Then, he continued.

“In a school boasting its formality and elegance, you were anything but. You had only just learned the train route leaving you scrambling into school, books piled in your hands and your backpack thumping against your back. You ran down the long, turning hallways until suddenly.”

The screen went black and the sound of a loud thump echoed in his ears.

“You fell to the ground, books scattering across the hallway.”

Notifications popped up at the top left of the screen.

[Classmate affinity percentage has decreased by 20%]

[Beginning of main route]

An image of the floor and scattered books appeared, interrupted by black flickers imitating blinking.

“Are you alright?” a voice asks. The voice was spoken in a calm, neutral tone with a hint of concern. Kenma flinched.

The screen panned up to reveal the boy on the game's loading screen, wearing a white collared shirt below a cream vest with a blue-gold emblem and black slacks. His hair was just as messy as before but everything else was pristine, even the sparkles that floated around his head.

Two dialogue options appeared.

[Uh y-yes, I’m alright thank you!]

[Huh, where did you even come from?]

He hovered over each option. “Guys what do we think?” His eyes flicked back to the chat.

user0228: option 1!!
guest: 1111
kodzuqt: FIRST ONEE

“Hm,” Kenma’s lips ticked upward. He clicked the second.

“I apologize,” Akaashi said in the same neutral tone, “I carelessly turned the corner and made you drop your books.”

The next screen showed the boy kneeling down to pick up the dropped items then handing them to the main character.

“Allow me to make this up to you” Akaashi paused, “you must be a new student? I can give you a tour…”

[Please enter your name: ]

“God, please do not give me a tour.” Kenma typed in his username.

Akaashi continued with his hand extended and the sparkles reappearing around his face. “Let me give you a tour, Kodzuken.”

[O-okay… if you have the time. I am a bit lost]

[Really?! I would love a tour from you, Senpai]

“Is there seriously no option for no!?” Kenma’s face contorted into disgust. This game was way too cliché and with every passing second he swore to never make an open ended poll again.

“I hate this game,” he grumbled, pressing the first option.

“I always have the time for a pretty girl like you, but please be more careful.”

Kenma slowly turned to his webcam, disgusted. He sighed, and his chat was having a field day with his reactions.

[Classmate affinity percentage has decreased by 40%]

“Ah, so jealousy will be an issue, how annoying” he paused, “I didn’t expect that this game would require conversational skills like this. Is there a charm stat I can level up?” He sat up in his chair and adjusted his headphones.

For a boy groaning and sloppily seated in his chair moments ago, Kenma was now surprisingly engaged. He still didn’t want to play the game, but he certainly couldn’t lose. The notification had snapped him back into focus.

A phone icon appeared near the bottom of the screen, pulsing with golden light. Kenma clicked on it, and the phone enlarged, opening to a lock screen with a photo of flowers and a cat keychain dangling off of the side of the phone. A notification popped up on the screen with a soft ding.

[Objective 1: Find classroom 2-A before the first bell]

The pink cursive words floated above an unlock button. He clicked it to reveal the home page.

“A map would be nice…Let’s see, menu, settings, progress, stats, affinity, oh, here.”

He clicked on the map icon to see in large print “No data available.” And a note in smaller font: “Explore more to unlock map and fast teleport!” His face flattened in annoyance, though at this point he’d grown invested enough that his face about twenty centimeters from the screen.

“Well that won't be an option then. Affinity will probably come in handy now, but I doubt..”

He opened the affinity tab.

[Classmate Affinity: -60%]

[Akaashi Affinity: 0%]

He wasn’t surprised.

“Then, to progress we’ll have to make friends with some people? I think that will level up some of our stats too.”

He closed the phone screen and returned to the image of the hallway. He could free-roam in first person now, which was incredibly convenient. As he ran, he heard murmurs.

“Who’s the new girl? Does she know Akaashi?”

“Falling and pretending to need help just for attention is pathetic.”

“Right, running around like a child too.”

“She’s lucky he’s nice.”

[Classmate affinity percentage has decreased by 2%]

Kenma let go of the shift key, and his character was walking again. The affinity loss was regained.

“This game requires a lot.” He looked back at his webcam.

“So, to recap, the objectives we have as of now are getting to class, but we aren’t given a map and the affinity classmates have for us is important to the plot. If we move carelessly, it decreases,” he looks back at the screen, “which is inconvenient because we likely need to use our classmates to get to class on time.”

He walks to the next hallway “To get better responses, someone who didn’t see all that happened is probably a better choice.”

A talk button appeared in the center of an npc’s chest.

[I’m looking for room 2-A, is there any way you can help me?]

[I don’t have the time.]

“Is every character this annoying?” he asked, eyes glued on the screen.

He walked toward a few other characters only to get the same response. The timer was ticking down.

The last npc he asked was friendly, thankfully.

[Of course, follow this hall until you see bathrooms, and the stairs should be right next to them. Then, go up to the second floor and take the first right.]

Kenma’s eyes shot open in hopeful surprise. He made his character sprint down the hallway. Yes, that would decrease his affinity percentage, but he had 20 seconds. Clearing the first objective was significantly more important.

With 5 seconds left, he ran into the classroom.

[Objective 1: Cleared]

[+50 coins]

[+5 Classmate affinity]

[Stat: ‘Knowledge’ unlocked]

[Path: ‘Dutiful Student’ unlocked]

“Hah,” Kenma muttered, satisfied.

The screen displayed a clock, ticking slowly.

[You spent the day in class.]

A bell chimed in Kenma’s headphones as new notifications appeared.

[The school day has ended. There are many ways to spend your afternoon.]

[Keep your objectives in mind as smaller missions may appear.]

[Objective 1B: Tour the school with Akaashi]

Akaashi appeared in front of the desk.

“That’s…really creepy,” Kenma mumbled.

“Kodzuken, are you ready to go?” The image that appeared featured the boy extending his hand out and smiling in a painfully subtle, yet charming, manner. Kenma was only given the option to say yes.

Various images of the school lingered on his screen until Akaashi’s explanations ended. It didn’t take long because the boy didn’t say much, but all Kenma could focus on was how elaborate and grand the school appeared. A few images passed by before he blinked again.

“How does a school have this much money?” He said as he listened to Akaashi explain that the school had a multifloor gym with a basketball court, volleyball court, pool, and skating rink. Who even skates in school?

The tour ended near the school dormitory, a tall, light pink building with gold rimmed windowsills and trellis arches leading toward the front doors. Akaashi walked silently with Kenma’s character all the way to the door.

“I hope that helped.”

Akaashi turned to him. The sky had turned pink and dark orange. Of course, it was sunset and of course every hue of the fading light wound itself along the dark hair he ran his fingers through. Kenma’s face regained the grimace it initially held.

[It did, thank you.]

[I’m capable of handling this on my own.]

Kenma picked the second option.

“Hah…cute,” Akaashi said, “you looked pretty lost this morning.”

“Huh?!” Kenma said.

“Have a good afternoon, Kodzuken.”

[Objective 1B: Cleared]

[+100 coins]

[+1 Akaashi affinity]

“Plus 1… this is going to take a while,” Kenma sighed, “at least it’s realistic.”

・・・・・

The next image Kenma saw was the dorm room.

“Ah, this is my room then. It’s autoteleport this time so I don’t have to run around after strangers again.” Kenma said, his voice sounding relieved.

“Let’s see, there’s only one bed and desk, so this isn't a shared room. Aside from that, and the fact that the desk has gold detailing, it's pretty plain.”

[What will you do now?]

[Clean]

[Sleep]

“It’s better I get the cleaning done now..”

[Achievement “Early Bird Gets The Dustpan!”]

Kenma wished he could reverse time to the moment just before he purchased this horrid game.

[You spent the evening cleaning.]

After the screen faded to black, a victory sound effect played, accompanied by confetti and the text ‘Day One Complete!’

“Heh…I survived the first night,” Kenma said. It was nearing 3:00 AM, and his eyebags were obvious.

He looked at his chat.

kodzzzluvr: lol five nights at akaashis

guest: lol

“If you guys understand that reference so well why didn't you suggest I play that instead.” Kenma glared at his webcam.

His chat laughed then reminded him he’d already streamed half the games, unfortunately.

Kenma started the second day by going through his in-game phone. His next objective was to ‘experience student life.’ It was vague, but had obvious implications.

“So, we have three concerns. First, we need to get on better terms with the people here. Then, there is a stat for academics, so studying is probably important. Finally, there should be events or maybe minigames of some kind that can boost our other stats,” he paused, “and there’s Akaashi too, I guess.”

He moved his character through the school hallways, and decided to talk to every person he was given the option to—a task done much more easily online than in real life.

It reminded Kenma of the time when Kuroo gifted him a friend-making simulator VR game ‘sure to bring someone from loser to amuser,’ or something like that. He shivered.

He pressed the chat button.

“Can I help you?” the character asked.

[I’m new here. I was hoping we could get along.]

[Yes, do you want to be friends?]

The choices were each in a slightly different color this time. Kenma pressed the first option.

“Huh? Uh… yeah, we’ll see.” The character walked away.

[+2 Classmate affinity]

[Note! Different character types may prefer different kinds of responses. These types will become more apparent as you progress.]

Kenma hummed in response, then he walked toward someone else.

“What?” she said sharply.

[Want to be my friend?]

[Are you okay?]

[I hope we can grow closer.]

Kenma picked the second option.

“Wh-what is wrong with you. Mind your business loser.”

[-2 Classmate affinity]

“So much for that, meeting people is such a pain,” Kenma slumped back in his chair again.

He spent the next hour farming classmate affinity points.

[-1 Classmate affinity]

[-4 Classmate affinity]

[+3 Classmate affinity]

[-10 Classmate affinity]

[+0 Classmate affinity]

[+14 Classmate affinity]

[+5 Classmate affinity]

[-1 Classmate affinity]

[+1 Classmate affinity]

[…]

After talking to every student he could find, all he gathered were that the affinity points added and removed seemed completely random. He clicked the phone icon at the bottom of his screen, and scrolled through the menu. There was one benefit to his efforts.

[Classmate affinity: 0]

[Achievement “School Rocked by the New Girl!”]

“Finally,” He exhaled and stretched. He looked like he was about to collapse, and his room had taken on a light grey hue, making it clear just how late he’d stayed up.

“Well, I’m going to end it there guys. Thank you for watching. Tune in next time during the normal streaming time to see me continue playing. Goodnight.” Kenma smiled as much as his tired body let him.

He waved to his chat before ending the stream and turning off his webcam. His house felt oddly silent, and he hoped he didn’t wake anyone up—that would be too awkward.

He pressed the save and exit button on the game only to see Akaashi’s face once again. Even if it was art, his expression made him uncomfortable. He clicked his computer off and dragged himself to bed, fumbling with the covers. Half his body barely made it onto his bed, but he didn’t care, sleep was pulling his every ounce of consciousness. His eyes fell shut, and when he woke up he wouldn’t be able to recall when he fell asleep.

・・・・・

His first hint should have been the smell of flowers. Winter had just ended, so there weren’t enough blossoming plants to produce a strong smell, especially not in Kenma’s room. The second hint should have been how cloud-like his bed felt. It was never this soft or springy, in the way only new beds could be. In fact, he wasn’t sure how old his bed was.

He passed these concerns off as a sleep induced hallucination, or maybe a wonderful lucid dream, and tucked himself further under the covers. They felt silky under his light grasp. That should have been his third hint.

He fell quickly back into sleep. When he woke up again, he opened his eyes enough to squint. The sun was bright, and it felt like the whole room was only reflecting it more. The walls look white instead of tan.

Wait, why are the walls so white?

Kenma jolted awake. He pulled back his sheets.

What.. is this silk??

He patted his hands over his sheets and pillow. They were abnormally soft.

He was officially panicked. Enough late night horror gameplays taught him that this could mean he was kidnapped. In a few games he’d played, the kidnapper used this exact tactic, treating their victim to comfort in hopes they would be more cooperative.

An even worse thought came to mind—usually the mc waking up cued the villain’s entrance, right? He didn’t have the stats to escape, he didn’t even know how to fight seriously. He knew he should have paid more attention to his character's moves.

So, he was done for. For some reason, some freak had decided he was worth taking from his home, and put him in a room with perfectly soft bedding, white walls, and…

another bed.

A shiver shot through his body. The worst of this was just beginning. That meant he would have to share the room.

If he wasn’t forced to interact with the other victim, then maybe his kidnapper wanted to stay in the room to make sure he didn’t escape. Or, this could be one of those survival game scenarios that only happened in dramas, where rich people torment the poor in the form of death games. Kenma knew he wasn’t rich, but he thought you at least had to consent to that kind of thing.

After much deliberation, he came to a decision. If he laid in bed as still as possible, there was a chance he could be seen as dead.

He laid under the covers with just enough of his head showing to cautiously glance at the door every time he heard a noise. He jumped at almost every creak for minutes.

Then, he heard distant footsteps. They slowed to a stop in front of the door. His heart was beating loudly. This was bad. He surely couldn’t play dead like this.

A key was inserted into the door. The handle opened.

Kenma tried to calm the panic that stifled his breath and made closing his eyes feel like a death request.

The door gently opened. Kenma shut his eyes quickly.

After a few seconds, he opened them as little as possible. A boy stood at the door. He had black, disheveled hair and he was struggling with his keys. He wore a cream vest over a white button up.

Kenma threw the covers off of himself and almost jumped to the back corner of the bed.

The boy looked up.

Blue-green, confused eyes found him.

Kenma’s eyes shot open. Every feature was familiar to him, the messy hair, sea-like eyes, and light uniform. There was no doubt the boy in front of him was Akaashi Keiji.

Chapter Text

“Sorry, did I wake you up?” Akaashi said politely, with a tone as monotone as Kenma remembered.

The sun reflected on the boy’s face in a less picturesque manner than it had on Kenma’s monitor. Rather than illuminating delicately drawn and tousled hair strands, it made him squint. His hair wasn’t perfectly distressed either, in fact it bordered on messy. Honestly, he looked a bit stressed.

Only after Akaashi spoke was he able to pull his keys out of the door and let it close behind him with a slow twist of the door’s handle. Kenma recognized that move, he did it too when he finished a game in the early morning and knew any sound could wake someone up.

Kenma couldn’t bring himself to reply. His mind was consumed with questions, and he couldn’t tell if the world around him was a vivid dream or the result of endless daydreaming in his waking life. The game aspects he envisioned in the real world were only random creatures and stat boosts, which was nowhere near as all-consuming as this. That meant this had to be a dream, and if it were, Kenma could act with less worry, though even dreams had rules.

A few years ago he played a game about a boy escaping a lucid dream. The loading screen displayed three rules, the first being never to ask any beings in a dream if you were dreaming, and the others he’d forgotten.

One rule was a good start, anyway, and he could guide himself to an answer if he eliminated the dangerous choices, just like the pink-button dialogue options he noticed had conveniently been excluded from the scene he’d entered. He wasn’t sure now if that would be a good thing. Regardless, he would have to figure this out on his own, so he loosened his arm’s hold around his knees and chose to start with a question he could walk his way out of if he had to.

“Where am I?” he asked, more quietly than he would have liked. Feeling someone stare at him was unnerving.

Akaashi placed his shoulder bag on the ground by his desk. It had short shelves full of neatly organized manga and figurines and a clear pencil holder with a few pens.

He sat down in his desk chair and watched Kenma curiously before responding. “Kaiyose Academy,” he paused, and a flicker of realization appeared on his face. “You must be a new student.” His eyes drifted between Kenma and the empty desk at the end of his bed.

The familiar line was strangely comforting, though this version of Akaashi sounded nothing like the one in the game. With the exception of his voice, every word was spoken differently, with more hesitance and sincerity. His voice held a sort of depth here that Kenma didn’t catch through his headphones.

“Yeah,”

Without understanding the world he had entered, Kenma knew he had to be careful with his words. The attention placed on him now was greater than in the real world. Every character had different preferences and Akaashi was his most available source of information. If he unsettled him, that could be game over. He didn’t want to know what a game over would entail.

“Sorry, I had a…disorienting dream.” Kenma replied, relaxing his shoulders.

“Really?” Akaashi asked. Kenma could hear the skepticism in his tone.

“I see,” he continued calmly, “The principal told me I’d be getting a roommate but she didn’t specify that it was a new student.”

He stopped talking and glanced at the disheveled state of Kenma’s bed. The sheets were wrinkled at his feet.

“Can I assist you with anything?” Akaashi asked.

He didn’t request to make up for any mistake nor was he pushing for Kenma to do anything, and not once did his words sound like a performance. It was weird; Kenma almost felt comfortable, but he couldn’t afford to think like that now. What had become exceedingly obvious was that the story strayed from its original path, and what would occur now was anyone’s guess.

“Uh..” Kenma began. His phone buzzed.

It was in the pocket of his hoodie, where he would have kept it normally. He quickly flipped it over in his hands to see there was no cat charm. It was his usual plain phone case. A notification on his lock screen read the words he had hoped for.

[Objective 1]

He quickly swiped up to read the full message.

[Objective 1: Increase Akaashi’s affinity percentage to 75%]

There were no other messages, no hints, subgoals, classmate affinity bar, or stat menu, no matter how many times he refreshed the screen. Kenma wanted to bang his head against a wall. This wasn’t the worst that could have happened, but interacting with people without clues was hard enough as is. He got the sense, based on what little of the game he had played, that having to do so here would prove more difficult than usual.

“Is there a map of the school I could use?" Kenma asked.

“A map?” He replied, his voice tapering off. “Surely, there is, but I'm unfortunately unsure of its location. If you need me to accompany you somewhere I can?”

Kenma toggled his phone’s volume buttons to busy his hands. He hadn’t been given a schedule, so he wasn’t sure where to ask Akaashi to take him. The school was large enough for a lot of locations to be utterly useless, but It would be foolish to decline an offer that helpful.

“If it’s not too much trouble,” Kenma said, “then classroom 2-A”

Akaashi nodded. “I have class there as well.”

・・・・・

Kenma learned quickly just how different this Akaashi was from the one he imagined. As he stumbled to get out of bed and throw on his uniform, Akaashi didn’t say a word, he didn’t even watch. Instead, he sat quietly at his desk writing something that Kenma guessed was important. The sounds of lead on paper and a pencil lightly tapping wood were just loud enough to disrupt the uncomfortable silence, and Kenma was grateful.

He combed through his hair with a brush that already existed in his desk. Luckily, he wasn’t completely hung out to dry. His bag already had everything that would be required for a typical class as well, so he didn’t have to think much in that regard either.

He slung his back around his shoulders and walked up to Akaashi, hand lingering in the air before he gathered the courage to tap him on the shoulder. Akaashi glanced at him. Then, he wordlessly zipped his bag closed and stood up. He smelled faintly of eucalyptus and laundry detergent, and somehow that was the least surprising part of Kenma’s morning.

The sun was just as bright when they stepped outside. It would have been blinding if not for the trellis vines that diffused the golden-white light. Their footsteps blended with those of the students around them and various snippets of conversation came and went. The school was just as lively as Kenma hoped it wouldn’t be.

When they entered the main building, the clock read 7:40, and the hallway ahead of them matched Kenma’s memory exactly, with white lockers and large windows.

The further they walked, the more quiet murmurs echoed around them, until they became hard to ignore.

“Oh my god, Akaashi is always so mysterious.”

“I might try putting a note in his locker today.”

“I wonder if he’s the jealous type.”

“Do you think he has a girlfriend? She is so lucky.”

Kenma was almost surprised; no one spoke a word of his existence. Akaashi was a perfect shield, at his own expense.

As they turned the corner, Akaashi intertwined his hands. His nails pressed into his knuckles and his gaze didn’t stray from the hallway directly in front of him. His discomfort wasn’t obvious, but Kenma noticed. This Akaashi didn’t like the attention, and that was something Kenma could understand. He wouldn’t have wanted it either.

Kenma pulled the headphones from his pocket and plugged them into his phone. He tugged at the tangled wire until the knots came undone. Then, he pushed the right earbud into his ears. He nudged Akaashi’s arm with the other one, and it seemed to snap him out of a daze. He looked puzzled, but after a moment’s hesitation he took the headphone and placed it in his ear.

Kenma pressed the play button on his phone without looking at the song, and the soft piano notes of a wordless video game track began to play. Akaashi’s hands fell back to his sides.

“What song is this?” Akaashi asked. They had passed the crowded hallways of students and turned the corner of a grey stairwell, shoes squeaking against the freshly cleaned floor.

Kenma tapped open his phone screen.
“Crossroads.”

“It’s similar to a yellow lamp spilling out onto the street from a dusk-lit restaurant.”

Kenma had no idea what he was talking about, but he looked calm and comfortable so he didn’t mind listening.

They made it into the classroom at 7:50. A few students walked in ahead of them and gathered in groups among the neat rows of desks, where some sat backwards in their chairs and others leaned against surrounding tables. Kenma and Akaashi decided on seats by the window, and as they walked over, they could see the river.

“I never asked for your name,” Akaashi said.

He stood by the desk in front of Kenma, and kept looking through the large windows when he spoke.

“Kozume…Kenma.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Kozume.”

Kenma could tell he was looking at him now, but he only had the courage to glance at Akaashi before turning toward the window again. In the moment that Kenma looked over, he caught the faintest glimpse of an unreadable expression. He wouldn’t have felt uncomfortable if it didn’t hold such subtle warmth.

He’d almost forgotten that he had to return the question. In a normal scenario, he shouldn’t know Akaashi’s name.

“What’s yours?”

“Akaashi Keiji,” he didn’t speak for a while. “The plum blossoms will bloom soon.”

“Yeah,” Kenma replied. He knew that wasn’t enough. “They’re pretty.”

・・・・・

Classes here were the same as in real life. They weren’t terribly difficult, but Kenma wasn’t particularly interested in every topic either. He took notes and paid attention regardless.

When he glanced at Akaashi’s desk, the boy looked laser focused. He had a pen, pencil, highlighter, and a set of sticky notes. When called on, he responded calmly, with an answer that always pleased the teacher. Kenma, on the other hand, found it harder not to hesitate. He knew what to say, but having his words heard by a room full of strangers was difficult.

Every time he finished speaking, Akaashi would turn slightly in his seat. With the same unreadable, gentle tone he’d whisper ‘good job, Kozume,’ and Kenma would mumble a thank you. It was embarrassing, but Kenma was a little less nauseated at the thought of being called on.

・・・・・

The lunch period began with the chime of a bell, and voices faded as the classroom slowly emptied. Akaashi stayed in his seat. He packed away his school supplies and pulled out a neatly wrapped lunch.

It felt odd to stay in the classroom with him, given that they had just met, and, from his demeanor, it seemed like Akaashi ate here regularly, and likely alone. Kenma couldn’t tell if his presence was disruptive, but he didn’t really know his way around well enough to go elsewhere. He pulled his lunch from his bag and began to undo the wrapping.

Akaashi turned around with the faintest hint of surprise on his face.

“May I eat with you?” Kenma asked slowly.

“Of course,” he replied simply. Kenma was relieved, though he didn’t seem like the type to decline a request like that outright.

Akaashi moved his lunch to Kenma’s desk and sat backwards in his chair. They ate quietly while they listened to the distant laughter from the courtyard and the footsteps of teachers in the hall. The sheer white curtains along the wall rustled whenever a slight breeze blew in from one of the open windows, and for the first time since his arrival Kenma didn’t feel uneasy.

Akaashi didn’t force a conversation, and he didn’t stare at Kenma as if he were a strange entity either. He seemed preoccupied with his food or the sky or the notebook he occasionally scribbled words in. Kenma had never really felt comfortable in the presence of another person, regardless of the occasion, and other people didn’t appear that comfortable with his form of communication either.

Akaashi was different though. He wasn’t loud or demanding, and even with their proximity Kenma felt like he could breathe.

For the first time, Kenma understood why someone would play a game like this.

He blinked. The thought startled him slightly when it crossed his mind. He looked up at the boy across from him, who was carefully erasing something from his notebook.

That’s right, Kenma remembered, this isn’t real.

Chapter Text

Kenma sat in his bed, legs crossed beneath his blankets as he occasionally shifted his feet through the silk fabric. Shades of blue slipped away from the sky with the sun, leaving distant stars to illuminate what remained. He never really paid the stars much mind at home, unless his friends mentioned it. They’d drag him outside and move their hands across the sky as if painting an image. He was never one to find his way there alone. The remnants of light from his computer or phone always made the sky look pitch black.

Street lamps glowed somewhere along the campus grounds below, and the wooden dormitory floor had been creaking at odd intervals for hours. Kenma held his phone inches away from his face, carefully examining the app that provided him with nothing but one notification:

[Objective 1: Increase Akaashi’s affinity percentage to 75%]

His eyes felt heavy and his head was starting to hurt. He wanted to close his eyes, but he couldn’t stop. He reset his phone, opened and reopened various apps, and toggled every setting button that he never cared to acknowledge before. No matter what he pressed, every screen he opened was blank, bright white and tauntingly empty. He couldn’t find anything.

It was strange for a game to feel so unfamiliar when he would normally understand them with the same ease that he understood what it meant to breathe. There were clear objectives, battles, and minute actions that, when built upon, raised stats to the necessary level. They had an order that Kenma could follow, recognize in any scenario, and adapt to.

This was a game. He could say that much because hours ago he sat at his desk and stared at the buildings he was surrounded by now. But, when this was only a pixelated school on his screen, he had clearly designated tasks, and the students didn’t move past him on their own, lost in flurries of conversation.

He turned his phone off before putting it down beside him. The sky above was as empty as he usually found it, but the lights from below were just bright enough to give the room a careful glow.

He glanced at the bed across the room. Akaashi had fallen asleep a long time ago and now laid facing the wall as his covers slowly rose and fell.

Blurring the line between a game and reality wasn’t a challenge but a sanctuary. A desperate act reserved for moments when every logical part of Kenma’s brain wished he could stop. But, that only applied when he had control.

In the real world, he could overlap reality and fiction at will, but here, he didn’t have the choice. Every line felt too blurry to properly traverse. Worst of all, there were consequences he didn’t know and effects he wouldn’t see until they happened. If reality could have a difficulty level, he’s certain this would be the highest.

He sighed quietly as his eyes began adjusting to the dark. He knew he couldn’t think of this world like reality. If he did, he would lose, and he didn’t want to lose.

Hours ago, in this world, he walked through the halls of a new school and had lunch with a boy named Akaashi Keiji. His sole objective was to raise his affinity percentage, but he wasn’t sure if a moment of the day had. He would have to learn quickly what actions would help him progress. Based on his short playthrough, he knew there was one aspect he hadn’t begun. The only aspect of the game that he wished to avoid: classmate affinity.

It would require a monotonous, painful exchange between himself and strangers that guaranteed attention. If the students here were anything like those he experienced in game, he was certainly unequipt.

Kenma sighed. He looked back at the silent, almost dark room, where the shadows of his desk exaggerated across the ceiling and the door was shrouded in darkness. His eyes drifted to the boy across from him who had, at some point, turned around, now facing Kenma. Half of his face was covered by his blankets and his hair was disheveled as it pressed into his pillow. There was just enough light for his eyelashes to form shadows against his cheeks, beneath his closed eyes. Despite his momentary hope, looking at him didn't help Kenma figure out what he would have to do to meet his objective. Instead, his mind felt suddenly empty, void of every previous thought and more than a little tired.

Kenma quietly slipped under his covers and closed his eyes. He wondered where he would wake up. If he were lucky, it would be his room.

Although, if it were, he wouldn’t get to spend time with someone like Akaashi again. He wasn’t sure why that thought occurred to him at all.

・・・・・

Kenma blinked a few times as he tried to open his eyes. He felt the familiar need to squint, and that told him all he needed to know. A nagging pain began to pulse behind his eyes as he sat up. Part of him wished didn’t spend the night searching through his phone, though he knew he wouldn’t have slept if given the chance.

The room was empty and sunlight shined against the wood floor in a blurred, rectangular shape. Akaashi seemed to have left; his bed was neatly made and the bag that hung across his chair was gone.

So, Akaashi was clean, meticulously so, Kenma noted.

It seemed to fit with the version of him that he imagined, but he took a mental note regardless. He also carefully arranged the sheets on his bed and fluffed his pillows, something he typically only did when someone nagged him about it.

As he began looking through the closet, his phone buzzed, and he languidly slipped it from his pocket and glanced at the screen.

[Sunday, ###, ##, ####]

[Day One Progress Conditions: Met]

[Objective 1: Increase Akaashi’s affinity percentage to 75%]

He sighed. His lack of knowledge about this game's expectations was growing more annoying as time went on.

But, he didn’t want to dwell on it. He decided that being a good student and spending time with Akaashi was a general requirement for progression, and keeping that up wouldn’t be too hard.

He pulled a sweatshirt over his arms and put on a pair of joggers. Then, he brushed through the knots in his hair with unrefined motions. It was the weekend, so he wouldn’t have class, leaving him the needed time to tackle his current, burdensome objective. He slipped his shoes on and swung his bag around his shoulder when a small folded piece of notebook paper fell out. Kenma picked it up and scanned over the words.

I’m leaving my contact info below if you need anything.
Akaashi

His phone buzzed almost simultaneously.

[New Contact: Akaashi]

[Add him to your contacts? (yes/no)]

He pressed yes, then folded the note and put it in his pocket.

・・・・・

Kenma leaned against a cold concrete as the wind occasionally nipped at his exposed neck and strewed his hair across his face, making it difficult to see. He began to seriously regret this plan of action.

There were endless amounts of people walking about, sprawling out against the wooden benches and speaking loudly about the weather or strangers Kenma would never meet.

He ran his fingers along the bottom hem of his sweatshirt, looking out just enough to never make eye contact with someone. He was sure he looked odd, leaning against a statue aimlessly without any way to occupy himself. With every quick glance he accidentally returned, he wondered if they found him out of place. He knew he couldn't stand there forever, but he didn’t really have a good plan either.

Usually, when it came to social interactions people would come to him, and he could relax, knowing the burden of the first hello wasn’t his. His mind raced with so much anxiety that he nearly missed the girl who stood in front of him.

“Excuse me!” she said.

He nearly jumped back.

“Uh,” he mumbled, eyes shooting up to meet hers then returning to the floor.

“Loitering isn’t really tolerated here.”

Kenma’s eyes followed a small crack in the sidewalk.

“I.. go here.”

The words that left his throat felt strange.

“What was that?”

Kenma cleared his throat. “I’m a student…at this school.”

The girl flinched a bit, and her head dipped into a bow almost immediately.

“My mistake! I’m so sorry!”

Kenma wished she didn’t speak so loudly. Apologizing for that would have been more appropriate.

“Uh, by the way..” Kenma choked out the words, “do you know Akaashi”

Her face was unsettlingly expressive as her cheeks were pushed up and by a wide smile.

“Who doesn’t?”

Kenma moved his hands together, pressing his nails into his skin.

“Right...” he replied, “I mean do you know anything about him?”

Her brows furrowed slightly. Was she confused?

“It’s for a project… research project,” Kenma continued.

It was a horrible lie, yet her eyes lit up. A ding practically went off in Kenma’s head. Objective secured.

・・・・・

She went on about the boy for what felt like hours. Kenma’s head was spinning, though he’d tuned her out a while ago. Her words were nonsense.

“Ah, yes yes rumor has it he has a secret dark side.. heh”

“Huh..”

The same boy who intentionally ate lunch alone and avoided every glance in the hallway? Kenma doubted it.

“Yes, oh! He’s just so charming and romantic. Why does he play so hard to get?”

Kenma blinked in response, his face uncontrollably cringing.

She left after that, and Kenma was more than relieved. He tilted his head against the statue. Talking to strangers felt especially exhausting here. Surely, everyone couldn’t be like this…

“Yo!”

Kenma felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

“You were talking about Akaashi?”

Kenma nodded slowly as his bangs fell in front of his face. This guy was loud too. He was really starting to appreciate the sound of Akaashi’s voice.

“That guy…” the boy before him begins, “hah, he’s so unfair, keeping all the attention for himself and not doing anything to help the rest of us. He’s got all the options in the world. Why not take one? I sure would. Hell, I'd take all I could get.”

Again, nonsense. Kenma wished this would end.

“That’s why they aren’t interested in you.”

“What was that?!”

He looked like he was trying to appear scary, but Kenma found it a bit funny. He glanced up at the trees for a moment, putting his hands in his pocket. The sun filtered through the leaves the same way it did in the morning, but the light was closer to yellow now.

“Akaashi, he makes his bed every morning,” Kenma said.

The boy didn’t reply for a moment, and Kenma said nothing more. So, he walked off grumbling “I make my bed too sometimes,” but Kenma wasn’t really listening.

Akaashi didn’t seem like the type to do things sometimes. Anything he did was strangely meticulous and anything he didn’t do was so clearly untouched that it too seemed intentional. Akaashi was the kind of person to write goodbye notes and try to find quiet in plain sight. Akaashi was, truly, a stranger. Kenma couldn’t say why hearing such odd perceptions of the boy made his chest tight.

He spent the rest of the early afternoon talking to people. It got slightly easier but no less useless. At some point, Kenma realized he didn’t have to ask much to hear people’s endless thoughts on Akaashi. Surely, they didn’t think about him that much?

He was objectively attractive, of course. Kenma wasn’t blind, but looks alone weren’t a good enough basis for romance, right? Every opinion people had of Akaashi’s character was vague. How could they be so infatuated?

Kenma cringed. He felt a bit sick, but this was a game after all. He didn’t have to care. All that mattered was that he talked to people, more people than when he played online. He must have done what was needed to meet the classmate affinity requirement by now.

・・・・・

Hours later, Kenma slumped into the dorm room and lazily slipped off his shoes. Akaashi, seated at his desk, glanced at him twice—once as he entered and a second time as he dragged himself into his chair. Kenma expected the overwhelming barrage of questions and words he was used to in the real world. Instead, Akaashi turned slightly toward him and continued the work he’d been doing. Kenma wasn’t sure why he thought, for a second, that Akaashi would do something he was used to.

Kenma laid his head on his desk. He really was grateful.

At some point, he opened his eyes to the sound of a distant voice. He slowly raised his head. When did I fall asleep? he thought.

A faint laugh came from across the room, reorienting Kenma. He turned in his chair.

“Huh…” Kenma mumbled.

“Did I wake you?” Akaashi’s voice was just above a whisper, gentle and monotone enough to feel predictable. “I asked if you’d be interested in taking a walk with me.”

“A walk…” Kenma considered it. “Why?”

“The sun will set soon and there’s a hill with a lookout point a few minutes from campus. Watching the sunset there allows you to see every tree dusted in a red-gold light. The breeze it’s…almost orchestral.”

Kenma’s mouth opened to decline but the words didn’t come out. Akaashi’s eyes held a faint sparkle, like the distilled light that falls across pavements when it’s cloudy. It was almost imperceptible yet all too present for Kenma to ignore.

“Okay.”

The next time Akaashi blinked, it felt like the light in his eyes grew tenfold. He stood and carefully strung a camera strap around his shoulders.

Kenma got up too, though he felt a bit dazed. His feet carried him out of the door sooner than he’d realized, and he really didn’t enjoy long walks.

They walked the entire way in silence, listening as the rumble of engines came and went and their shoes occasionally scraped the concrete. It wasn't awkward. Akaashi looked off into the distance, his eyes trailing passing signs. He seemed lost in thought, though the short time Kenma knew him he always seemed to be.

The sky was orange once they reached the lookout point. Wind whipped through Kenma’s hair until the strands of hair framing his face were practically pinned back. He wouldn’t call it orchestral or particularly glamorous at all, but he liked it nonetheless.

They stood on a small circular platform enclosed by metal railing, Kenma shoved his hands in his pockets. Akaashi held his camera as he leaned against the railing. It made odd noises, as if he was adjusting some of its settings. The wind rushed through his hair with equal force but he didn’t so much as flinch.

As Akaashi looked out, Kenma took a few steps toward the edge of the railing, looking at the trees below. Akaashi was right, they were all dipped in a reddish-gold. The scene was a bit other worldly, perhaps even enjoyable, and-

Click

Kenma froze. He could vaguely see Akaashi turn back to the railing and flick through photos on his camera.

Kenma wanted to ask why, but he wasn’t sure that he wanted an answer. It wasn’t an unpleasant thought, Akaashi having a photo of him. He didn’t know that he would have minded the boy taking another. He had no clue what he looked like or why Akaashi believed he was worth photographing at all, but as the wind calmed to a gentle breeze he couldn't find any will to fight it.

All he could do was look at the boy beside him, who had already grown a distant expression as he looked out at the trees.

At some point, his focus turned to Kenma. His blue-grey eyes were unreadable and gentle all at once. The sun tinged them in the same gold it did the trees. Kenma didn’t look away.

・・・・・

When they returned to the dorm, Kenma was beyond exhausted. He languidly prepared for bed and hardly had the effort to pull the covers over himself. His eyes were heavy in the dark room and he couldn’t imagine ever waking up again. Within moments, he fell asleep.

Hours later his phone, long forgotten on his desk, buzzed.

[Classmate Affinity Unlocked!]

[Day Two Progress Conditions: Met]
[Progress Conditions Bonus ++]

The room fell silent once more.