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Psychology. The scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The understanding of everyday actions, thoughts, and emotions that can be applied, if necessary, to abnormal or clinical cases. This broad scope captures everything from how we perceive the world, make decisions, and develop relationships to how we cope with challenges.
Akane found that the pages of textbooks, worn between her fingers, were the best friends a girl could ask for. There was a certain comfort in understanding herself and others—why she reacted the way she did, why people could be so good or evil, why the world felt the way it did. Knowing was a form of armor. If she could understand things at their core, she could believe, even for just a moment, that nothing would catch her off guard again.
With that in mind, Akane also found that knowing so much about people was a curse in its own way. Especially at parties.
Tokyo Blade’s after-party was far fancier than Akane had expected. Director Sumiaki had thrown together a soirée that would make The Great Gatsby proud. The room buzzed with conversation, bursts of laughter, and the soft clink of crystal glasses.
It was all so polished, so perfect—and so completely overwhelming.
This wasn’t like the after-parties she was used to. Normally, they were intimate gatherings, just cast and crew swapping stories over takeout containers, with the occasional karaoke machine blaring in the background. This? This was a spectacle. A grand production. And really, what else could she have expected from Director Sumiaki?
She sighed, her hands sliding up her face to shield her eyes. “This is... too much for me,” she muttered under her breath. The dazzling lights and the swarming energy of the party made her head spin. For a moment, in the soft darkness behind her fingers, she could breathe. She had faced countless emotions in others and dissected their layers with precision, but tonight? Tonight, her emotions were the problem.
Tokyo Blade was by far one of her best accomplishments. Playing Sayahime was a gift, and acting alongside Kana as an equal was incredible. But despite that, she still found herself being a critic.
I misstepped during Sayahime’s speech, what if someone noticed?
Himekawa really stole the show the first few nights, should I have tried a similar approach?
Maybe I should have spoken more to Abiko-sensei. Sayahime is her precious character.
Akane didn’t let tears spill from her eyes. At the end of the day, she was a professional now. It would be embarrassing to cry at an after-party full of happy people.
She lowered her hands as Mr. Sumiaki approached with a group of people she could only assume were the investors for the show.
“And this,” he announced, “is one of the stars of the night herself—Miss Sayahime!”
Akane mustered a soft smile, dipping her head in greeting. “It’s a pleasure.”
The investors beamed at her, their compliments a blur of polished words. Akane responded on autopilot, laughing lightly at their jokes (which she didn’t understand), offering answers without truly listening. She shifted subtly, inching away from the circle, and passed the dessert table with a quick swipe before her back eventually pressed against the cool glass doors leading to the balcony.
A breath of relief left her lips as she spotted a familiar blonde figure standing there. She couldn’t help but smile as she pushed the doors open.
The cool rush of wind greeted her, followed by the still night. It was cold but somehow more inviting, with the moon being more welcome than the blinding chandeliers inside.
She paused at the sight of the figure leaning against the railing. Aqua, with his ever-calm expression, turned slightly toward her.
“Aqua,” she breathed, relief flooding her voice.
He held up a glass. “Mock champagne?”
Her lips quirked into a smile. “How did you know to grab two?”
He shrugged. “You don’t like parties. I don’t like noise.”
She stepped closer, taking the offered glass. “I hate it when you’re right.”
“I know.”
The two stood in comfortable silence for a moment, the night air settling around them. While it might surprise others, Akane and Aqua were rarely silent around each other. The many fake dates had resulted in a million conversations, but somehow, silence still held its own charm.
Akane broke the silence first. “Are you happy, Aqua?”
He tilted his head, brow furrowing slightly. “What do you mean?”
“Your performance,” she clarified, leaning her elbows on the balcony’s edge. “Every night, you put your heart and soul into your acting. You were in pain and then bliss over and over again. You called out Kana’s acting, but yours is truly exasperating.”
Aqua tilted his head, mirroring her gesture. “That bad?”
“No, it’s incredible!” Akane asserted. “That level of intensity... some would say your ability to maintain stability afterward is a medical marvel.”
A gust of wind swept by, and Akane instinctively shivered, rubbing her arms for warmth.
“Who said I’m stable?” Aqua sighed, shrugging off his suit jacket. Without waiting for her response, he draped it over her shoulders. “No one in our industry is.”
“How wonderfully depressing,” Akane quipped, tugging the jacket closer. She held up a plate she’d swiped from the party. “Good thing I brought these. Otherwise, the mood might have been permanently soured.”
Aqua raised an eyebrow. “Chocolate strawberries?”
“There were about a million on the table,” Akane replied, popping one into her mouth before offering the plate to him.
“So, you swiped them,” he remarked dryly. “How humble.”
“Do you want one or not?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Depends,” Aqua squinted at the plate, his gaze scrutinizing the assortment. “Why are there different kinds?”
“Fancy people love variety,” Akane explained quickly. She began pointing to the various types. “There’s the classic milk chocolate, chocolate raspberry, white chocolate, and—ooh—salted caramel!”
“Gross,” Aqua said immediately, wrinkling his nose in mock disgust.
Akane gasped, clutching her chest as if he’d just insulted her entire existence. “You won’t say that after you try it,” she insisted, plucking one of the salted caramel strawberries and holding it out between her fingers. “Here.”
Aqua eyed the strawberry like it was a trap, but ultimately sighed in defeat. He leaned forward taking a bite from between her fingers. He chewed thoughtfully, his expression going from curiosity to blank
“Well?” Akane leaned in slightly, watching him expectantly. “How is it?”
“…Do you have more?”
Her face lit up with triumph. “Just as I thought!”
Aqua sighed. Two wins for Akane. Stage plays and strawberries.
“Did your family come with you?” she asked as he finished, swiftly taking off his gloves to wave them dry
“Mhm, Miyako came for networking reasons, but Ruby’s here too.”
“I see” Akane taps her finger against her lip :Somehow, I never run into your sister. It’s been what, six months since we started this?”
“Consider it a blessing,” Aqua said flatly, reaching for another strawberry.
“Don’t be mean,” Akane scolded, swatting his hand from the plate.
“It’s not mean,” he replied, his tone unchanged.
“You complain so much about Ruby, but really, you love her like any brother would.”
“Spoken like a true only child.”
“Surely you guys are a little similar, right?”
“That depends,” Aqua said, leaning closer to her face. “Do you think I’d make a good idol?”
Akane blinked at the unexpected question, then tilted her head as if seriously considering it. “I think so…”
“Akane,” Aqua groaned, a conversation with Ruby about the same topic playing in his mind.
“You have the face for it.”
“I can’t sing, Akane,” Aqua said, deadpan.
“If you smile enough, some girls will definitely be able to look past it,” she countered.
“Would you look past it?” he asked, raising a brow at her.
“ If you can dance,” Akane shrugged, turning and leaning against the railing as she smiled. “I’d be your number one fan.”
“Ah,” Aqua said with mock solemnity, “but then I’d have to compete with Kana for your attention. What’s the use?”
Akane chuckled softly, shaking her head. “I don’t think Kana-chan sees me as her fan. I’m afraid only you would acknowledge me.”
“Does being a fan mean you have to be acknowledged?” Aqua asked, tilting his head.
“Mm, no,” Akane admitted, her voice thoughtful. “But it’s preferred. If you hated me like Kana-chan does, I think I’d cry.”
“I don’t think she hates you,” Aqua said, his tone matter-of-fact.
“Oh?” Akane arched a brow. “What would you call it then?”
“Strong dislike,” Aqua replied without hesitation.
“Oh, I feel so much better,” Akane said, rolling her eyes with a dramatic sigh. “Thank you, Aqua.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, his lips twitching into a faint smile.
Akane placed the plate of strawberries on the railing beside her glass, the clink of the dish barely audible over the gentle rustle of the night breeze. Aqua mirrored her, setting his glass down as they leaned against the cold metal, their arms brushing lightly.
He stared out at the moon, his lips moving as he spoke, but Akane didn’t catch the words. The sound seemed to dissolve into the stillness around them, as though his thoughts were meant for the sky alone. Her gaze lingered on him, her hand propping up her chin as her thoughts wandered.
There’s so much I want to ask you, she mused, her eyes tracing the soft contours of his profile. Are we friends? Are we allies? Could we even be something closer than all of that?
Her eyes drifted down to their hands, their fingertips resting so near that the distance felt intentional, like a silent promise neither dared to voice. A soft smile curved her lips as a warmth settled in her chest.
Or… could it be that it doesn’t matter?
“Aqua-kun?” she said softly
He turned slightly, a quiet hum of acknowledgment escaping him. “Hm?”
“Let’s stay like this”
Aqua didn’t turn to her, and his expression was masked. But at the very least, his hand rested on top of hers
“Okay.”