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Anzu is plenty used to going above and beyond for the sake of her units and friends.
Schedules, stage-managing, choreographing, costuming, shopping, cheering, sometimes even joint-performing if necessary... It’s all the kind of thing she knew she was signing up for when she agreed to become a producer, and none of it ever felt like a chore or too much. She was happy about it.
The one thing she has to admit, though, is that playing mediator and/or therapist for the boys on top of everything else is tough. Right now it’s the former.
Arms crossed and a concerned frown in her face, Anzu watches on as her upperclassman whines against the infirmary door. Rei usually waits a bit before showing off his distress like this, so it’s evident he’s been struggling with his little brother for longer than usual.
“...Ritsuuuuu.” The older Sakuma calls out, his voice tired, low and almost pathetic. “Please let me see your face, you can’t possibly stay there forever?”
Anzu doesn’t even need to press her ear to the door to hear the big and showy yawn Ritsu makes in order to properly ignore Rei further. She blinks at the mess of an older sibling with worry.
“He’s especially dismissive of you today, isn’t he?”
“Oh, this is actually Ritsu on a good day.” Rei smiles weakly-- he almost looks like he’s going to pass out from sheer anxiety. “It’s just been a long punishment period this time around, I guess... He’s acknowledging my presence, but I haven’t seen him the entire week.”
A beat, and Anzu can’t help but squint at him.
“...But it’s just Wednesday, Rei-san.”
“And what a terribly long Wednesday it’s been without my sweet little brother…” Rei laments, dragging himself down the door until he’s on his knees, still pressed to the door and so very sad. “And Monday, and Tuesday… I just don’t know what to do anymore. My life force escapes me with every moment we remain conflicted…!”
Gee...whoever had decided girls were more emotional than boys certainly hadn’t spent more than a few hours around the hysterics and theatrics of the entire male population at Yumenosaki High. Anzu wasn’t really annoyed or mad at the fact, though, and mostly found the situation sort of troublesome. She steps forward to easily knock on the door.
“Hello?”
A very brief moment passes before Anzu hears a small sound of realization.
“Anzu.”
“Yeah, it’s me.” She says, a smile clear in her voice. “Can you please let Rei-san in? He’s embarrassing himself out here.”
“That’s not my problem.”
A fair statement, honestly. But a single glance at Rei manages to keep Anzu in place and only chuckle at the further dismissal.
“I know, but he keeps saying your name while mumbling and complaining… people might catch on that you’re blocking the door for people who actually need the infirmary.”
That gets Ritsu to give one long and groggy hum that drags on for a bit. Anzu and Rei exchange one hopeful glance before she knocks once more, tentative.
“Is that a yes?”
“...Okay,” Ritsu says, finally, “I’ll go open the door, but you have to come in as well.”
A smile escapes Anzu.
“Did you hear that, Rei-san?”
“Oh--” Rei perks up instantly, springing right back on his feet with motivation and delight in his tired eyes. “Yes, I just did! How wonderful…”
And as they celebrate, sluggy footsteps can be heard approaching the door. Rei loses no time getting ready to envelop his beloved brother in a big and warm hug--
“Rit~su~!”
--Which Ritsu sidesteps so carelessly and swiftly it sends him crashing into the infirmary room with near perfect comedic timing. It was almost as if the brothers rehearsed this greeting, and Anzu would’ve probably laughed were she not worried for Rei’s poor head while on the floor. An unimpressed Ritsu raises a hand to wave lazily at the producer.
“Hi.”
“H-Hi,” Anzu goes, trying not to think too much of Rei’s resuming sulking. “Were you sleeping before we came over?”
“Yeah, and I was thinking I’d nap a little longer after I managed to shoo anija away...it’s still lunchbreak, so it’s okay.”
“Will you go back to class after that?”
“Maybe.”
While her talk with Ritsu is nice enough, Anzu can feel Rei’s sad eyes piercing through her. She sighs and composses herself to actually help the way she promised to.
“Well… okay, I came in as promised, so I better let you two talk things out.”
But the moment she tries to leave, Ritsu holds on to her arm.
“Wait.” He says. His grip is surprisingly strong compared to his lowkey energy, and Anzu can only blink at him before he elaborates, “I still don’t want to talk to it.”
It grimaces from behind Anzu, pained.
“Come on, that’s pushing it a little…” Anzu tells Ritsu, now too pitiful of the situation to even consider it funny anymore. “Is there anything I could do to help you talk to him?”
“Nap with me.”
The answer is so quick and blunt Anzu feels her eyes widen a bit. It’s almost as if the boy had been sitting on this request for a while, and had finally managed the perfect situation to use it. He’s even smiling a bit, crimson eyes narrowed in delight as he continues to hold on to her arm--now with a softer, clingier grip.
Rei, on the other side of things, gawks for a moment. Then, something inside him seems to click right in place, and he’s soon clinging to Anzu’s free arm with a playful smile. Ritsu immediately gives him the stink eye.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, we’re talking now?” Rei taunts, grinning. “I just thought I’d join the fun if I was allowed in the room anyway. I bet you won’t mind.”
Anzu’s eyes dart between the two vampire-like brothers, and she suddenly feels like prey between scary predators willing to fight for it. Knowing this is immediately wrong, she tenses up to pry free from their grip.
“That’s it!” She says, finally annoyed and showing. “I’m not going to stand around to let you two treat me like--well, a treat!”
The brothers at her with wide eyes, and Anzu huffs.
“I’m not sticking around to be your plaything, okay? You work out whatever you need to by yourselves and I’ll be on my way. Please don’t put me in the middle of your arguments like this again.”
She turns on her heel, ready to exit the infirmary, but both of her hands are grasped. This time, instead of it being a possessive hold, though, it’s gentler and tentative. She looks over her shoulder for two pairs of apologetic red eyes looking right at her.
“...I’m sorry for dragging you into this.” Rei says first, his hysterics and deviousness long disposed of. “I only meant to argue with Ritsu to rile him up, but I never meant to make you feel used.”
“Same here, yeah...” Ritsu says, looking to the side. “I wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable, but I did want to patch things up quickly. And spend some time with you in the meantime.”
The confession makes Rei look his way, delighted. And at such sincere apologies, Anzu can’t help but relax her entire body and sigh; despite their differences, the Sakuma brothers can be just as silly when it comes to people.
“Okay, okay…” She says, smiling at them both. “I guess as long as you guys don’t do this again, I can comply this time around.”
They both perk up.
A while later, Anzu is sitting on the infirmary bed with her sides occupied by sleepy brothers clinging to her arms like they’re glued to her. She’d promised to let them rest just until break was over, but both were so deeply asleep--or so it seemed, at least--that she couldn’t help but join in on that, giving in to the warmth of the rooms and her friends and the comfort of their fight being over, if only for now.