Episode 4 : Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans

Haruyuki's mind was elsewhere in the class. This was out of the norm for him. On the outside, his head was leaning against the knuckles of his loosely closed fist, a pen lightly tapping on the other with eyes seemingly paying attention to the current lesson upfront taught by the history teacher. But on the contrary, from his perspective, he was entirely preoccupied with the events since that jump-started the plot a week prior.

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After the incident in the library, the twins got to reconcile and finally talk. It took a while, but Ritsu began opening up more, mostly about his three-year crush towards Saga, his inner struggles, and fears. There were many tears, snot, and additional bruises involved; the latter applied more for Haruyuki from receiving death hugs courtesy of his twin, adding more to his already bruise-covered body from his earlier scuffle he had at school. That garnered more tears and apologies from his already distraught and bawling of a brother, which he had to reassure many times that he was, in fact, fine, sounding very much like some broken record.

It didn't bother him that much really. All that mattered to him was being there for Ritsu when he needed someone to confide in without being judgemental of his position for liking a guy. Hypocritical it may seem when it comes to secrets; he, of course, had sworn to him that he would keep his brother's closest to his chest from prying eyes and earsーEspecially their mother. He didn't want her to die of a heart attack. They were still dependent on at least one functioning parent since they were still considered technically young to be on their own.

Since then, the twins' relationship had noticeably improved for the better. The day before, Ritsu hinted admittedly he wanted to stay back to see Saga at the library, being all fidgety with cheeks taking on a rosy hue trying to look anywhere but his twin.

'Ah..young love.' Was Haruyuki's thought. Fond as he was of his brother's innocence, Haruyuki gently encourages him to go ahead to do what he wanted, confirming that he was alright with going home alone. Watching Ritsu break into a bright, cheerful grin as he went, was akin to watching a baby bird taking its first flight in delight, taking off from the nest.

The feeling was sort of happy yet wistful. He was proud that his baby brother was growing up little by little- well, technically young by a 10-minute difference, but you get the point. As expected, he covered for him when his mother had asked. It was the start of those days where he went on a home without his brother's company. He admitted he was beginning to feel a bit lonely. But that was alright.

Ritsu would return later, and he was reminded that he was right in his intentions. His twin was radiant with smiles, enthusiastic about his time spent with his crush. Haruyuki would sit on his bed, listening to his brother's happy rambles, and in turn, he would add a couple of comments here and there. He hadn't considered how much of his encouragement and support held impact on Ritsu; that's why he was taken aback when his twin said otherwise,

"I'm happy that I got to share this with you Nii-san…" he confessed, delighted. " More than anything, I'm so relieved… I don't have to worry about hiding it from you anymore."

The older twin was not prepared when Ritsu launched forward to hug him. Awkwardly, he just sat there. His arms circling him, almost touching. He could feel how much appreciation his brother was conveying through the hug, snuggling deeper into the warmth as he whispered in admiration and brotherly love, "Thank you, Nii-san…"

Eyes trailed on the boy in wonder as he carefully returned the affection, the only family he deeply cared for during those two years of being in this reality. Often, he questioned himself if the original Ritsu was constantly feeling this alone if it weren't for him existing at all.

All those times, he needed someone to turn to when he was scared with the mere thought of being shunned or persecuted simply because it was based on someone he liked. The high expectations held by his mother. A father who wasn't always present in his life.

Characters or not, he could no longer deny that Onodera Ritsu was a boy who was indeed normal if not emotionally starved for affection due to neglect. Even beyond that, the teen was like any other you would find in passing on a street despite being in 2D.

It might have made him a tat guilty for not sharing the same sentiment regarding secrets, but he vowed from that moment on he would share as much as he could about himself. If possible, he even considered confessing to Ritsu about his strange deal as a reincarnation and being in a position of a supposed psychic/empath when they are older.

Hopefully, without being labeled as insane.

And minus being characters in a BL manga bit.

He wasn't looking to scar his twin for life. The least he needed was a further traumatized Ritsu on his hands. So no, he definitely won't lift the metaphorical curtains for his brother. Ignorance is bliss; in this case, he decided.

However, it did bring unfavorable implications and scenarios to feed his wandering mind.

Did it mean that his current life was being viewed and served for entertainment? Catering millions of anonymous readers/viewers?

What about the so-called 'vision' he had at the library? Was it a plot device written by some unimaginative elusive author? Or something related when he transitioned here, being from a different reality?

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Onodera Haruyuki mused internally on the prospect of being put into that position again. Why was he the weird twin?

He was perfectly content with being just a plain old human with no extraordinary abilities whatsoever. Even if he was animated.

Last he checked, this was supposed to be a typical slice of life BL Manga; unless he missed the supernatural tag back then, he highly doubted. His brother's supposed role in this reality derived most from an exaggerated sense of comedic relief and drama.

'What is my life? Fifteen, and I'm literally living in some seriously messed up fanfiction.'

The teen glanced up when he realized the teacher had finished up today's lesson on the coming of WWII; the class greeted in thanks as she leaves for them to prepare for the next class.

Haruyuki stared forlornly at the blank page of his notebook. Had he been too deep in his thoughts to properly pay attention in class? He had actually been looking forward to that lesson.

Sighing, he made a mental note to hunt for the teacher to ask more so he could revise on his own later. As he was about to put away his books to make way for the next one, he noticed movement from the corner of his eye. He didn't pay them any mind at first, taking care to pull out his notes and textbook, but it was starting to get hard to ignore once they had begun talking.

"Umm… Onodera-kun?" came a timid response.

When he finally looked up, he was greeted by a curious sight.

It was a girl he noticed quite a few times in class, amongst others. She had semi-long bangs parted at the front, framing her soft features. Dark brown locks tied into a loose ponytail. Adorning rich sapphires for irises. A lovely eye color yet odd to be found in one of Asian descent. Contradictory to his belief, he had personally seen a multitude range of colors in people in this life. He, himself, and his twin have green irises.

It took a second for him to develop a functioning response after he shook out of his stupor.

"Yes?" He gave her a polite grin for the sake of being courteous. He didn't want to come off as rude after he caught himself staring.

Almost like a switch, the girl had gotten flustered, turning into a shade of red. Haruyuki stared puzzled at the reaction when she suddenly averted her eyes, looking down at her shoes in interest. She was mumbling something he couldn't make out. He ended up apologizing in advance before requesting for her to speak up.

Getting through her bearings, the girl awkwardly cleared her throat as she stuttered, "A-ano- S-sorry… I was wondering if Onodera-kun would like a-a copy of my notes…" If possible, the boy was looking even more confused, but she quickly elaborated. "From earlier? I'm sorry if I sounded too straightforward is just…" The timid girl glanced to the side for a second before taking a deep breath and exhale, speaking in a soft voice.

"I couldn't help but notice that you seemed distant in class than usual. It looked like you didn't manage to get some notes off of Sensei's lesson. I'm not as efficient as Onodera-kun when it comes to notetaking, but if you like…" She pulls out a notebook from behind her back and offers it to him with a small smile.

"I could lend mine to you? I'm fine if it's just for a little while."

"…"

"...Oh."

Haruyuki was at a loss to what was happening. It was a first for him for someone to walk right up and talk to him in class willingly. Usually, his classmates would leave him alone. He didn't mingle apart from being assigned to group work, and he didn't participate much in small talk. So to be offered some notes due to his incompetence for not paying attention during an ongoing lesson was certainly an abrupt change for him.

Apparently, it took a while to fully comprehend a dignified reply because the girl's smile slowly disappeared. Instead, she lightly bit her bottom lip in nerves and opted to hug her notebook close, her eyes strayed towards the ground.

"I-I'm sorry. T-that was rude. Please forget I said anything," She stammered out in a rush but was cut off by Haruyuki.

"No, you shouldn't have to apologize." Giving her a small smile of his own in reassurance. "It was wrong of me to stay silent like that when you're the one who's offering." Haruyuki rubbed at the nape on the back of his head, looking sheepish.

"I didn't quite catch your name. "

The girl looked relieved when he cleared off the misunderstanding. She gave a soft smile and said, "It's Akishima Aoi."

"Akishima, Sorry, I would very much appreciate it if I could borrow your notes. I hope it wasn't that much trouble." Akishima handed the book to him as he gave her his thanks.

"Not at all. I'm glad that I could help." With that, she scurried off towards her seat just in time for the class to greet the teacher.

As he would store away Akishima's book, Haruyuki gave his new friend a thoughtful side-glance before taking upon himself fully immersed into the lesson. Blocking out any other thoughts and further distractions that might attempt to stray into his mind for later dissection.

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"You wanted what?"

Ritsu was fidgeting, averting his eyes from his brother's questioning gaze. They just had their packed bentos for lunch when Ritsu proposed to go to a fast-food chain nearby after school.

"Why the sudden interest?" Haruyuki raised a brow. "I'm sure the cook could make something similar if all you wanted were a sandwich."

The Onodera's were pretty well off. They have a personal cook and a caretaker. Having said that, their mother was strict when it comes to healthy eating, among other things. Hence, eating junk food and the like was unfortunately off the table, much to Haruyuki's chagrin(B-But, my bacon, and cheeseburgers!).

Well, at least the cook allowed him in the kitchen whenever he wanted to whip up something.

"I know, but I really wanted to try one." Ritsu pouted at his brother. "It looked really good when my friends had them for lunch. I just wanted to try something new other than the meals we usually have at home for once."

"..."

Haruyuki hummed, taking in his twin's sound reasoning. It certainly couldn't hurt for his brother to try and experience having fast food. Admittedly, the thought itself makes him feel giddy because he wanted to see the joy and excitement on his twin's face when he tries something he himself enjoyed when he was an average teenager in his other life. It was something like a rite of passage for him.

"So." He drawled. Haruyuki suppresses the urge to smile, donning his best poker face.

"You're saying, this is you making a stand then. That's quite bold of you Ritsu. What would mother say if she saw her precious son chose to act unbecomingly of an Onodera heir? Is my brother a defiant hoodlum all this time?" He theatrically added with a disappointed sigh. "All for a taste of mere pieces of bread."

It was getting increasingly hard by the minute, trying not to laugh at his brother's horrified expression.

"N-No! That's not I-I was-" Ritsu was a spluttering mess, flailing in dissent with a likeness of a flustered hummingbird in an attempt to justify himself. When he saw the look his brother was sporting, however, he knew he had been had.

"Nii-sannnnnn." came a whine. Haruyuki chuckled when his twin hit him repeatedly in hopes of stemming off some of the embarrassment. He knows that he will be wearing some bruises later, but the look on Ritsu's face was well worth it. That and it never ceases to amuse him whenever his brother got so animated. No pun intended.

"Sorry." He snickered. " I couldn't help it even if I wanted to." Haruyuki then added with a smirk. "You're just too cute for me to resist, little brother."

Said twin was red-faced, mumbling sulkily, something along the lines of 'only by ten minutes' and 'big bully'. Other than that, it was too inaudible for Haruyuki to hear.

"Regardless, I don't mind going with you." He smiled warmly. "But really. If you wanted to buy some Subway knockoffs, you shouldn't have to skirt around the subject. All you have to do is ask." He snorted at the confused teen who was mouthing the word 'Subway'.

"I'm not mother, you know." He jokingly added that he ruffled his brother's hair for good measure, much to his protest. Haruyuki lay off the teasing to a minimum when Ritsu was becoming irritable.

"I know..." Ritsu started, fixing his hair into something more presentable. "I just wanted to be sure. You're really hard to read sometimes Nii-san." He mumbled the last part.

The older twin stop short at this, blinking. "What do you mean? Am I really that hard to read?"

"W-well. Maybe n-not all the time. Don't take this the wrong way!" Ritsu hurriedly clarify.

"C-compared with other people, whenever you're with me, you're more open and thoughtful. I don't think there was ever a time you haven't considered my best interest at heart. And I'm really grateful! Really!" He bit his bottom lip pondering on what to say next. Haruyuki wasn't sure if the action was done unconsciously or not. However, he felt that his twin was broaching a topic bordering uncomfortable for him to deal with.

"But despite that, sometimes you had this look on whenever you're alone...like you're sad. Even at home, I couldn't help but think that maybe you're disappointed... I'm constantly a burden to you and-"

"Now, let me stop you right there, Ritsu." Haruyuki cut off his brother's rambling before it continues on any further. He doesn't know what brought this on but letting his brother think that he was a burden was the last thing on his mind.

"Ritsu...Never once have I thought of you as nothing but a burden. Not even close." He shook his head.

"And don't ever call yourself out as a disappointment because you're not." He added sternly. His eyes grew soft as he addresses his brother's worries, shooting them down one by one. "Not to me. Having you confide in me was enough. It was the happiest I have ever been."

"I do have some bad days. But whenever we spend time together, there's never a dull moment, and I enjoy spending it on you," he assured this, giving a firm grip on Ritsu's shoulder. "If you're happy, then I'm happy. Don't think otherwise, alright?"

At this, Ritsu relented, albeit reluctantly. It didn't escape his notice that neither of them had mentioned what happened for the older twin to come home, getting all bruised and beat up a week earlier. He didn't want to pry and end up upsetting the only person he was comfortable being with as himself. But he couldn't help but worry. He wanted to be there for his brother just like he did when he needed it.

"Now none of that," Haruyuki poked at the frown marred on his twin's face, somehow reading his thoughts. "How about after we get your sandwich, we pay a visit to the bookstore?" He suggested with a grin seeing his brother perked up in interest. "That magazine you wanted was supposed to come out today, right?"

The pseudo empath still couldn't believe that he was living in a fictional world sometimes. He was well aware of the other 'characters' that were outside of his brother's circle. They hadn't yet crossed paths with each other, save for the honor of reading some of the works done by the infamous Usami Akihiko. They were at least on par with most of the queer and interesting stories done by Roald Dahl back from his world. And this is the Usami when he was still in high school. It really threw him for a loop when he realized they were vaguely at the same age.

Haruyuki once wondered, knowing what goes on in this person's life somehow, he could relate with Usami's circumstances to some degree.

'I guess...loneliness breeds talent.' came a stray thought, feeling downcast as he was going through one of his short stories one day.

Nevertheless, Haruyuki had smiled at the thought of a certain brunette that would come into this person's life, changing his world for the better. It reminded him that life wasn't always going to remain bleak as one should believe.

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The school bell chimed, signaling the end of lessons for the day. The students were on their way, gathering their textbooks, packing up their belongings in preparation to leave while the teacher spoke out to the class for some last-minute reminder.

"Don't forget! Next Tuesday I'm holding a quiz on what we've learned so far. Be sure to do some revisions and do turn in your essays by Monday…"

Meanwhile, Haruyuki approached Akishima's desk to return her notebook, thanking her for letting him use it to take some of the notes he missed. As he was about to walk out the door, he was held back by the sound of her voice.

"Onodera-kun?"

The teen turned and looked at the girl who was standing in front of him. Was there something wrong with her notebook?

"Can I have a moment of your time?" she asked nervously.

Haruyuki blinks at the question, stepping forward from blocking the door. "Sure. Is something the matter?" He was confident that the notebook was in good condition the last time he checked.

Akishima ducked her head, her face flushed as she cleared her throat, " U-Uhm, nothing's wrong. It's just… I was wondering if I could talk to you about something in private."

Sighing internally in relief, having assured that he didn't somehow mistreat her book, he nodded, "I guess it's fine, but I hope it didn't take long,'' he smiled in apology. "Actually, I kinda have an errand to go to after this."

"Oh." was Akishima's downcast reply. "I guess next time then."

Feeling bad, Haruyuki relented a bit while adjusting the strap of his bag from slipping off his shoulder, "Was it something important? If it is, I think I could hold off another minute or two."

"E-eh? N-no no. Don't worry. It's nothing urgent." the girl flustered, insisting in protest. "Please don't hold off on my account. I don't want to keep you from doing something important."

Pausing a bit in hesitance, Haruyuki took it as assent and nodded in farewell, "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then, Akishima."

As he left, he could hear a resound bye coming from behind him, unknowingly leaving behind a disheartened girl.

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The streets were buzzing with people; most of them were students and adults alike who just got off from school and the evening shift. The twins have been walking, almost nearing their destination when Haruyuki stopped to check his bag only to find his wallet missing.

"I've must've left it in the locker by accident," he sighed, knowing he had to go back and get it. Ritsu wanted to help and go with him, but his brother shook his head and said otherwise.

"I won't be long." His brother had said in reassurance, "Why don't you go on ahead and order something while I go and grab it. I'll be quick." Thus leaving one flustered twin to his own devices.

Haruyuki had jogged all the way back to school, it hadn't been that far, but it still had him panting. He wasn't all that in shape since he lacks in taking any sports other than the routine PE classes he had twice every week.

"Maybe I should take up swimming or something," he muttered to himself.

Straightening himself, he immediately went to his locker and sighed in relief when he found what he came for, sitting innocently on top of his indoor shoes.

As he had the brown wallet in his hands, he made to put it away into his bag when suddenly he twitched, feeling the all too familiar sensation that slowly crept into his body.

"Nononononono….not now…" he repeated the words like a mantra before his mind finally betrayed him. He found himself diving into that accursed light.

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"Not again!"

Instead of finding himself at school, the unfortunate teen had popped up on the street where he left Ritsu. At first, he thought he was still conscious and was somehow back to catch up with his brother, but he realized the atmosphere was a bit duller than he remembered. This time there wasn't any music nor pink flower petals flying in the non-existent wind. It still had him frustrated because it reminded him of the vision he had a week ago.

Resigned, he instead tried to locate his astray twin, feeling mildly concerned since he had left him on his own. He turned around only to freeze up in place.

In front of him stood a very familiar dark-haired teen he least wanted to bump into, his twin's love interest.

Haruyuki didn't dare breathe or made a move in a frail attempt to make himself appear invisible. He wasn't sure if Saga could actually see him or this is just a recreation of a coming future, but he could have sworn that the teen's dark orbs met with his green ones that were reminiscent so much like his twin's.

"..."

'...What's he doing?'

Haruyuki wouldn't admit to anyone if he jumped when the taller teen started talking. However, he did blink, momentarily confused. He hadn't seen his lips moving.

He stared long and hard when he noticed that Saga was not looking at him but somewhat behind him. So he followed his line of sight.

Loitering near the entrance to the shop was his twin. Ritsu glanced around now and then, looking very much out of place.