Kensuke finds out. Ritsu has a lot to explain to the other boy, and to himself.
Honestly, it was almost pathetically obvious. As the saying went: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
The first time, Kensuke was willing to chalk it up as a coincidence. Your stomach doesn’t always agree with you, even during important operations. The second time was enough to rouse his suspicion, especially considering the side glance and the stuttered out excuse. Still, everyone seemed to believe it, and who was he to go against the crowd?
Still, he’d have to keep an eye out, if no one else would.
When the idea came up for the next ambush, he jumped to pair with Minezawa, if only because he was one of the most likely to believe any flimsy excuse. Faking an upset stomach the second they walked out of the school went by with ease, and he asked him to go ahead to the library without him while he stopped for a quick bathroom trip.
Instead, though, he waited around the door, watching until a familiar face slipped out of the school and headed in a different direction. He kept his footsteps quiet and tried to keep distance between then, occasionally flitting between crowds to mask his appearance. It’s days like these where he can be glad he’s so average looking.
Passing close to Honmachi station, he couldn’t help but wonder where Ritsu was heading, however, he never got an answer to his question. Right as he walked underneath the underpass, an unusually large crowd passed by, faces glitching in the tell-tale sign of some NPCs. Kensuke rushed past them, but Ritsu had already disappeared by the time he managed to regain sight of his surroundings.
It was fine, though. This was all the proof he needed. With a smile that no one would see, he turned around and walked back in the direction of the library, heels clicking against the pavement.
Luckily, Minezawa did not bother to wait up for him, merely texting him a location and telling him to meet him there. Loners, huh? Kensuke wondered if he should utilize the fact that he still had the contact info of some of the musicians (the ones that had forgotten to block him, anyways), but figured a more direct approach could be in order, especially if he wanted to keep things private.
So, taking his business to one of the more isolated rooms, he decided to take some risky measures. If Naruko could make use of Gossiper to cause some chaos, so could he! It’s the freedom of the internet! Texting out a random location and a call for those who’ve become aware of the truth, he booked it, walking into the carnage just as it was happening.
Smile crawling back on his face, he ducked, narrowly missing a blast fired off by Lucid. The intended target, on the other hand, was not nearly as lucky, collapsing to the ground before him. In moments, this girl was going to get up, living her life like the blissful dream she had before.
“Haah, you really don’t waste time, do you?” His tone was as carefree as always, despite the fact that he was alone and unarmed with what was likely one of the most powerful Musicians. “I figured that putting out multiple diversions might force you guys to split up, but you’re a powerhouse all on your own! I bet even if Aria was here, I wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Lucid pointed their gun at Kensuke’s head. A warning to turn around and leave, to return to the world before they had to force him to.
At least, that’s what they wanted him to think.
“Isn’t that right, Ritsu-senpai?”
The gun was dropped. Lucid’s head turned from side to side-- Kensuke could imagine how freaked out he was, thinking he was being unmasked by his fellow clubmates at last for the traitor he was. Lucky for him, a fellow traitor knew not to rat out his kin.
“Hey, hey, it’s just us two. You’d really think I’d be stupid enough to set you up? Can you imagine how everyone would react? I’m sure Ayana would fry you black before a word could leave your...skull. Skull thing. Whatever that is.” He waved his hand, as if shooing away the details. “Now I get that weird costume you have going on. Plus, the same weapons? I know Sweet-P uses a bow and arrows too, but you could’ve at least asked to disguise that, too. Unless, you were waiting for someone to discover you~? How gross, senpai.”
Kensuke could lay on a million jokes, but it didn’t hide the truth that, now that he knew...he had no idea what to say next. Emotional depth was hardly his specialty, and while Ritsu tended to know the right things to say at any given moment, he was too busy with his hands on his skull to have any conversation.
That is, until he spoke. The voice was heavy with distortion to hide his identity, but now that he was aware of Lucid’s true nature, he could feel the small twinge of Ritsu inside it. “Are you going to say anything to them?”
“Hmmm...that depends, Ritsu-senpai. I’d imagine that, if it were anyone else standing here, you would’ve already been exposed.” He took out his phone, holding it by the edge before placing it on the table. “But~, it’s more complicated for me. I can’t say I feel betrayed .”
He cuts himself off there, hesitating. Yes, he’d come clean with his own confliction regarding returning to reality or not, but it was difficult to retread those emotions. Luckily, Ritsu spoke up again, although the hesitation in his own voice made Kensuke wonder if this was hard for him too.
He ran his fingers against his head, tapping them against the surface with the knock of wood accompanying it. “You...You understand, right? Although-- I wouldn’t say I’m on their side, necessarily.”
Kensuke couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re on their side enough to sabotage our ambushes-- al though , if you’re under Thorn’s watch, I can’t exactly blame you~. Soooo...it’s better if you just say it, you know. Because--”
He cut himself off, reaching up to take off his glasses. It’s a convenient way to stare at the ground, as if this conversation wasn’t happening. “--you’re not sure you want to leave. That’s funny! Ah, so funny. I joined because I wanted to find a reason to leave, and you joined them to find a reason to stay.”
He knew, when he had to say something was funny a million and one times, that it really wasn’t funny. Ritsu crossed his arms, an uncomfortable air beginning to take over. The only thing that cut through it was the buzz of a phone, which he was quick to pull out.
He glanced at the message, then at Kensuke. “We shouldn’t talk about this now. I’ll-- I’ll explain later.”
He pocketed his phone, and Kensuke almost added in a snide remark about alt accounts, until he realized that Lucid had raised his gun again, smacking him in the head hard enough to knock him unconscious.
--
“Kensuke!? Kensuke!”
Suzuna’s concerned voice that bordered on a panic attack rang through his ears, the blurry surroundings of the library settling back into his vision. He rubbed at his eyes, catching a glimpse of everyone gathered, minus Kotono and Eiji, who were all but collapsed in the corner.
Of course, ‘everyone’ included the missing president, who was leaning against the farthest wall.
He tried to put on his usual smile, but it was difficult to do so when you were suffering from a not-really concussion. “I’m-- I’m fine, fine…”
“Oh, thank goodness…” The relief in Suzuna’s voice was palpable, but other than Ritsu, no one else even gave him a look of concern. He couldn’t blame them-- they’d likely figured out that he’d broken away from the plan, and had even left Minezawa in a dangerous position by himself. Whoops.
“What were you thinking!? You could’ve caused someone to get caught and brainwashed, or-- ugh, why don’t boys ever listen...every boy in the world should be put on a leash, so they don’t cause trouble ever again…” Ayana was off in her own, misandrist world yet again, but he decided not to pay her any mind.
To his credit, Minezawa didn’t seem like he cared much. “Luckily, I managed to avoid falling into any traps.”
Kotaro, the impulsive ball of anger he was, kicked the closest bookshelf. “Damnit! Seriously, though, what the hell!? Shouldn’t we be questioning this guy more!? Why was he even here!? I bet he’s still working with the Musicians in secret, selling us out so our ambushes all--”
The only force that could contend with Kotaro’s blind rage was Ritsu’s unusually subdued voice, which brought everyone’s attention to him. “Let’s discuss this at the clubroom. Kotono and Eiji are exhausted, and I don’t want to force them to lay on the floor any longer...I’ll talk with him, alright? Don’t worry about it. It’s part of my presidential duties.”
Before Kotaro could interject, Mifue spoke up, shooting him a glare. “The president’s right. Kotono needs to rest, so, let’s save this talk for later.”
The pointed lack of Eiji in her sentence didn’t go unnoticed by Kensuke, although he more than understood the reason as to why. With defeat weighing on their shoulders, the Go-Home club trudged back to the music room.
Ritsu was quick to snatch Kensuke away from the clubroom and to the nearest empty classroom, shuttering the door and triple checking for any spies before speaking up.
Kensuke piped up right away. “I--”
Ritsu bent down into a bow. “I’m sorry. I am. I only...listen, it’s-- it’s complicated. Thorn told me that-- that there were people in this world that truly couldn’t live in reality. I wanted to know if...she was telling the truth. I didn’t think things were going to go this far. I only wanted to understand. And...and to…”
As he trailed off, Kensuke clicked his tongue, sitting on the ground so he could see Ritsu’s face. “Senpai, you’re not making the best example for your underclassmen right now. Besides, when did I ever ask for an apology~? You’re such a people pleaser.”
He winced at the phrase, inciting the other boy to continue. “You don’t think I notice? Your conversations with the others in the clubroom are so loud . You tell them what they want to hear, and that’s why they go to you for advice. Even when it’s harsh or hurtful, if it helps them, then they’ll never doubt you for a second. In fact, I’m sure you’re doing the same with the Musicians, aren’t you~? Even now, you’re trying to apologize, not because you feel guilty, but because you’re trying to spare my feelings.”
Perhaps he was cutting too deep, but he had a feeling that Ritsu would do the same thing in his shoes. Kensuke would’ve wanted to hear the truth, but he wasn’t sure if anyone had ever looked the other boy in the eyes and been so honest with him before.
Carefully, like a robot trying to figure out how to be human, he stood up straight again, then sat down, crossing his legs over each other awkwardly. “...I’m not sure I want to go back, or fight against the Musicians, if it means taking away something they can’t live without. Besides my own uncertainty, I try to get to know them as well as I can. Maybe if I try hard enough, they’ll...learn to live in reality, somehow.”
An expression of fondness crossed Ritsu’s face, and he continued. “Shounen Doll is getting used to other people at his own pace for the sake of eating a bento with Suzuna, since he still holds that promise close to his heart. Sweet-P is learning how to diet so she can change her appearance in the real world-- I know that it may be difficult, but...I only want to leave if I know there’s a way they can all be happy too. They’re my friends.”
He’d never admitted this to anyone else, not even to the other Musicians. Finally, he met Kensuke’s eyes. “You’re all my friends. But, so are they. And for everyone’s sake, I’m going to find an answer to my doubts. That’s why I made this deal, and I don’t intend to back down from my role as Lucid, unless it puts any of the Go-Home Club member’s lives at risk.”
Kensuke wasn’t sure if he’d ever heard Ritsu talk for such a long time, nevermind talking about himself. The most he knew about the boy was what he was able to pick up himself, and his name. If anything, this river of honesty was a breath of fresh air.
With a satisfied grin, Kensuke jumped to his feet. “Allllright~! I wasn’t expecting a refreshing talk like this from our Ritsu-senpai, but after hearing all that, there’s no way I could even think of ratting you out. If you can get that band of weirdos to leave this world willingly, then go ahead!”
Relief washed over Ritsu, but before he could voice it, Kensuke stuck a finger up. “On two conditions, of course. I think a burden like that is far too much for you to bear alone, isn’t it? If I see you bottling it all up again like you’re some kind of protagonist, then I’ll have no choice but to bring those complaints to the others. So~, condition one! Be honest with me about what you’re thinking. If I can be uncool sometimes, so can you. Condition two!”
He paused for dramatic effect, then said with the cheekiest grin he could muster, “Let me come up with the excuses for your absences. You’re a terrible liar, Ritsu-senpai.”
He jolted at that, clamoring to stand up. “H-- Hey…! I try my best…”
“But, I can be more convincing about it. Next time you need to escape, pair up with me, and I’ll be sure to tell them about the girl you ran off with~.”
He groaned, running a hand down his face. “Let’s just go back to the clubroom...I’ll tell everyone it was a trap on the Musician’s part, so they’ll leave you be.”
“Aha! Thank you~!” Humming like he’d just won a prize, Kensuke skipped out the door, with a tired, if relieved Ritsu in tow.