Cherreads

Chapter 34 - Chapter 34: Beyond the Stage Chaos and Connection

πŸΎπŸ’˜: The Threat

Tsuki turned his head slightly, his voice low and calm but carrying a dangerous edge.

Tsuki: "Listen closely. If you fanboy during practice... I'll put a leash on you."

Silence fell over the room. Even Yuzuru paused mid-sip.

Raito: (Eyes wide) "You... wouldn't dare."

Tsuki: (Deadpan, unblinking) "Try me."

HiMERU: "Leash material: cotton or leather? Estimated humiliation radius: 15 meters." πŸ–€πŸ“

Rei: let out a tiny snort, quickly masked as a cough.

Izumi: wrote in his notebook: "Threat level: Tsuki Kuroi - S-Rank when provoked."

Keito: "...This unit is descending into madness."

But Raito? He was trembling, but still grinning. No matter how scary Tsuki got, they were together. Sun and moon. Chaos and calm.

βœ¨πŸŽ΅πŸŒ™β˜€οΈπŸ’žπŸΎπŸ–€

πŸŽΌπŸŒ‘: Reset

Tsuki stood up, the weight of leadership settling naturally on his shoulders.

Tsuki: "Enough distractions. We start now. Positions, everyone."

No shouting. Just calm command. One by one, they moved into placeβ€”Yuzuru straightening his posture, Keito taking point, Rei lowering into a starting pose.

Tsuki: (Looking down at Raito) "...You're staying put unless you behave."

Raito: "Fine! I'll be good! But if Rei does that growly ad-lib thing againβ€”I'm screaming." πŸ˜³πŸ’˜

Rei's shoulders tensed slightly. He knew exactly which one Raito meant.

Tsuki: "Reset positions. Sync beat from measure twelve."

The music started again. This time, seven hearts moved as one.

βœ¨πŸŽ΅πŸŒ‘β˜€οΈπŸ–€πŸ’žπŸŒŒ

🎀🌟: Harmony

The performance was flawless. Every step, every lyric aligned perfectly.

- Yuzuru's voice was like moonlight on snow.

- Izumi's notes floated like wind.

- Tatsumi's warmth filled the room.

- Keito's rhythm was sharp as a blade.

- HiMERU's vocals were cool as steel.

- Rei's voice dropped low, like thunder under water.

And then Tsuki began to sing, pulling them all into orbit:

🎀 "Even when the night has no end...

🎀 We carry light we didn't know we had." πŸŒ™πŸ’«

HiMERU: "Tsuki's timing improved by 0.3 seconds."

Izumi: "He's leading the tempo."

At the climax, they formed a crescent arc across the stage. Tsuki reached his hand out toward Raito without looking.

Raito, sitting on the floor, beamed so bright he could power the city.

Raito: "THAT WAS SO COOL!! REI YOU SOUND LIKE A DEMON FROM HEAVEN!!" πŸ’›βœ¨

Rei: "...Hn." (He was pleased.)

They were ready.

βœ¨πŸŽ΅πŸŒŒπŸ–€β˜€οΈπŸŒ™πŸ’žπŸ’«

πŸ¦‡πŸ’‹: The Fall

Suddenly, Tsuki's feet gave out. In a flash, Rei reached out to catch himβ€”but lost his balance.

They tumbled to the ground together. Rei landed on top of Tsuki, limbs tangled, faces inches apart.

Rei: "You're blushing, bunny."

Tsuki: "SHUT UP! YOU SELF-PROCLAIMED VAMPIRE!!" 😳πŸ”₯

Tsuki shoved him off hard. Rei landed on his back, looking amused.

Rei: "...Hmph. Still alive. What a disappointment." πŸ–€πŸ¦‡

Meanwhile, Raito was on the floor cackling, holding up his phone.

Raito: "THIS IS GOING ON EVERY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM!!"

(Caption: "Rei Sakuma gets 1st kiss achievement (unofficial) πŸ’‹πŸ”₯")

Izumi: snatched the phone. "No. Absolutely not."

Keito: "DELETE THAT OR I'LL DELETE YOU."

Yuzuru: "I did not sign up for fanfiction material."

Tsuki: (Red-faced) "...Delete... that photo."

Raito: "...Only if you give me five hugs after Holy Souls Day~!"

Tsuki: (Grabbing Raito by the collar) "Try it... and I'll chain you to Keito's schedule."

Silence. Then Tsuki turned away, fixing his wristband.

Tsuki: "...Now let's go over measure twenty-four again."

βœ¨πŸŽ΅πŸ‡πŸ–€πŸ’˜πŸ”₯πŸ’”πŸ“Έ

πŸ•πŸ”—: The Leash

The next day. Practice Room 7 was silent and productive.

In the corner sat Raito Hikari, neatly tethered to a pole by a soft sun-and-moon patterned leash wrapped around his waist.

Raito: "This is cruel and unusual punishment~! I didn't even do anything yet!" πŸŒžπŸ•πŸ’›

Izumi: "You were drafting an autograph request list for Rei under your desk."

Keito: "Pathetic."

HiMERU: "Leash effectiveness: 98%. Recommend permanent use." πŸ–€πŸ“Ž

Rei: walked past and gave the leash a light tug, making Raito squeak.

Tatsumi: "This might be our most productive rehearsal ever."

Tsuki: conducting flawlessly. "Behave... and I'll let you hug someone after practice."

Raito: "I'LL BE ANGEL!!" ✨

They had become something rare: a family made by choice.

βœ¨πŸŽ΅β˜€οΈπŸŒ™πŸ–€πŸ’žπŸΎπŸ“ΈπŸŒŒ

πŸ‘—βœ¨: The Performance

The big day arrived. Seven idols stood backstage in their dazzling outfitsβ€”white silk, gold embroidery, shimmering black, and moonlight silver.

πŸ”₯ "Souls Entwined" - LIVE PERFORMANCE BEGINS.

Yuzuru:

🎀 "I walk alone... but not because I want to."

Izumi:

🎀 "Connection is risk... but victory demands it."

Keito:

🎀 "I don't need youβ€”but I'll use you anyway." πŸ”₯

Tatsumi:

🎀 "What if we weren't meant to carry everything alone?" πŸŒΏπŸ’ž

Tsuki: stepped into the spotlight.

🎀 "Even broken things... can shine brighter than stars."

Rei:

🎀 "You don't have to speak... To be heard." πŸ–€

✦ "SOULS ENTWINED - FIGHT! FOR THE LIGHT WE BEAR!" ✦

The crowd roared. The performance was a miracle.

πŸ“±πŸŒ: Reactions

The news spread everywhere. "Miracle performance!" "Top 10 most viewed!"

- fine: Eichi watched amused. Tori noted Tsuki's strength. Yuzuru whispered, "...Yeah. They really can."

- AKATSUKI: Kuro teased, Souma admired the raw emotion.

- Knights: Leo was excited Rei showed emotion. Izumi admitted, "I was supporting something greater than myself."

- ALKALOID: Tatsumi felt inspired to bake.

- UNDEAD: Kaoru noted Rei had let his guard down. Adonis understood: "Strength isn't always cold steel."

- Crazy:B: HiMERU analyzed the data. "...Efficiency rating: 94%. Acceptable performance." πŸ’«πŸ“Š

πŸƒπŸ’¨: The Chase

Back at COSMIC Production, chaos erupted.

Tsuki: "Get back here, you golden pest!" πŸ‘‹πŸ“

Raito: "YOU GOTTA CATCH ME FIRST, MOON BOY!!" πŸƒπŸ’¨

They sprinted through the halls.

Eden, Valkyrie, 2wink, Crazy:B all watched the spectacle.

Ibara: sighed. "It seems the root cause is that photo Raito sent to the media."

Jun: "It went viral!"

Hiyori: "Oh dear. Tsuki looks furious~"

Tsuki: "When I catch you, you're getting thirty strikes and no stage privileges!"

Raito: "WORTH IT! THE WORLD HAD TO SEE THAT ART!!"

Tsuki: "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"

Rinne: "Look at him go! Like an angry bunny with a ruler!"

HiMERU: "Predicted capture time: 3 minutes 12 seconds."

But Raito was grinning. This yelling, this chase... it was love.

πŸ¦‡πŸ–€: Intervention

Just as Tsuki lunged, Raito tripped and fell... right at the feet of Rei Sakuma, who had appeared silently at the end of the hall.

Rei: looked down at Raito, then up at the flushed Tsuki.

Rei: "...You two are exhausting."

He walked past them, but muttered quietly:

πŸ‘‰ "...But send me an autograph list later."

Tsuki: dropped the stick.

Raito: started crying happy tears.

Ibara: "...The organization has fallen into madness."

To be continued...? βœ¨πŸ‡πŸ–€β˜€οΈπŸ“ΈπŸ’₯🎡

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