19:08
Aether walked down the street, leisurely stepping along the stone paving and occasionally glancing around, hoping not to run into any acquaintances. There were plenty of them. Since his first semester, the guy had built a large circle of friends: he knew upperclassmen, got along well with student council colleagues, and was in good standing with professors. But he still tried not to draw attention and kept a low profile. It was all because of his damn sociability, which for once was biting him in the ass…
Aether pulled out his phone to check notifications. There were a lot piled up while he slept, so now on his way to the café (the lack of caffeine was hitting harder than ever) he decided to reply to everyone…
No, wait. Who was he trying to fool?
Within a hundred meters, there was no one but him, yet he still pretended he was definitely checking his phone for anything except a message from Xiao. Aether didn't care about everyone tagging him in the student council chat, didn't care about his classmates bothering the group leader on a Sunday. He even ignored a message from his sister. Nothing interested the guy except… him.
Of course, there was no reply.
Xiao never replied to anyone, always staying so unreachable—even when he was the guitarist in "Yaksa." Back then managers forced him to give comments at press conferences or concerts, but Xiao always kept his distance from public activities. He was never interested in showing his face for fans and producers. Alatus was cold and aloof, but that didn't stop him from doing his job brilliantly. He played guitar magnificently, sometimes losing himself in creative flow so much that his bandmates, noticing the youngest's love for his own parts, let him improvise a little during shows. He handled the instrument gracefully, as if dissolving into the process, and it was so pleasant and captivating to watch that it was no wonder the band quickly gained a solid fanbase. Among which, by some happy (or not) coincidence, was Aether.
The guy still remembered with awe the first "Yaksa" concert Lumine had dragged him to under the pretext of "I don't want to be in a dark room with Tartaglia alone." Ajax himself had been playing in some band then and was very interested in his direct competitors' success. Aether couldn't stand that ginger face, and leaving his sister with him in a club with deafening music and a raging crowd would've been a mistake. But in the end Aether spent the whole evening mesmerized by "Yaksa"'s young guitarist, so impressed he barely noticed anything else. Even Tartaglia was stunned by the sight and had to practically drag the blond out of the club before he completely lost his mind.
Over three years had passed since that concert, and in all that time Aether had never approached Xiao (except yesterday's encounter at the café), never asked for an autograph, never pestered him for a selfie like others did. Aether admired from afar, knowing full well—Alatus hated all that, and crowds of strangers made him deeply uncomfortable. Aether ran a fan community, but even when "Yaksa" disbanded after the tragedy, Aether didn't dare message Xiao, afraid any wrong word might hurt Alatus. After all, he was the only one who survived… Back then all the fans genuinely worried for him, leaving tons of messages and comments under clips and social media posts, wishing him a speedy recovery. Because after that day his mental health had sharply deteriorated. Everyone feared he might end up like his bandmate who took his own life days after the tragedy. Aether followed everything through his phone screen, posting countless messages of support and comments Xiao never read—but it was still vitally important to the blond to let Alatus know someone genuinely cared.
"Please, Xiao, don't give up…"
It was hard for Aether to accept that his favorite band had simply… ceased to exist one day. Just recently he'd attended their shows (never missing one), listened to Bonanus's beautiful voice, enjoyed the music and the deep guitar sound from Alatus's talented fingers. The person who, a couple years later, would end up much closer to Aether than he could've imagined. Of course, the blond tried to convince himself and everyone around that their "coincidental" choice of university was just that (pure blatant lie), though it helped a little that this school was the most popular and famous in the city due to its large campus and variety of programs. Still, everyone was happy. Lumine with Tartaglia, and Aether quietly watching Xiao, his rehearsals with the new band (for which Aether quickly made a new stan account), and how he was gradually getting better. Or so it seemed…
Aether snapped out of his thoughts when his phone rang. "Venti" flashed on the screen, and the blond immediately answered.
"Hello?"
"Aether, heeey!" the guy giggled into the receiver. "Listen, I finally sorted all my stuff and closed my debts, ugh…" he sighed. "Anyway! Wanna meet up? You free right now?"
"Yeah, sure," Aether completely ignored the fact that he needed to prepare tables for tomorrow's student council meeting. "I want coffee."
"Ah, didn't sleep all night, huh?" Venti guessed and hit the mark perfectly. How did he always do that?! "Let's meet in ten minutes at the café—only don't be late this time, hehe!"
Aether didn't manage to reply before the caller hung up. The blond pocketed his phone and hurried to the café again.
Inside it was warmer than outside and smelled of fresh arabica. It was also noticeably cleaner than yesterday: all tables wiped, no dust on light fixtures or windowsills, ceramic tile floors polished to a shine. From that "sparkle of cleanliness" alone Aether could guess—Thoma was on shift today. When that guy worked, the café transformed before your eyes. And his guess was confirmed when he saw a familiar blond behind the counter: Thoma waved, momentarily distracted from a girl ordering coffee.
"Aether! Hi!"
Thoma's smile was so genuine and kind that the braided guy forgot everything for a second. Someone was going to be lucky to win that guy's heart!
Aether hurried to return a friendly smile and, reaching the counter, joined the short queue to order.
"Your usual vanilla cappuccino?" Thoma asked when Aether finally reached him, studying the menu overhead.
"No, something different today," the blond shook his head. "Recommend something strong? I need to wake up…"
"Ah, got it, then I'll make you…" but Thoma didn't finish—a crash came from the back room. The guy glanced toward the noise and, apologizing, stepped away.
"Gorou, you okay?"
"Yeah… I'm fine. Sorry."
Thoma returned from the small room with his colleague. Gorou looked a bit rumpled—had he dropped something…?
"One day I'll learn how to use a ladder," the brunette laughed awkwardly.
"Please be careful—I still need you alive," the green-eyed one gently encouraged, returning to Aether and his order.
"Oh, Aether!" Gorou smiled, seeing a familiar face across the counter.
"Hey to you too," the blond was glad to see Gorou. He was one of the few people who didn't annoy Aether, even though all three—Thoma, Gorou, and Aether himself—were student council members. And Thoma especially suffered alongside Aether as fellow group leaders.
"How's it going? Ready for tomorrow's bloodbath?" Gorou started doing something behind the counter, apparently asking about the student council meeting.
"If I'm honest, no…" Aether gave a slightly nervous chuckle. "Afraid Sara won't forgive me."
"That woman has too much power! And a very heavy hand…" At Gorou's comment Thoma mysteriously smiled silently for some reason, punching in strong coffee for their guest on the register screen.
"Am I done for?" Aether asked, pulling out his phone to pay.
"No," Gorou shrugged. "But better prepare anyway. Otherwise Sara and Kamisato-senior will torture you over this screw-up."
"Pfft," Thoma snorted nervously, as if catching some Vietnam flashbacks, and started brewing coffee.
"What's your topic, by the way…" Gorou turned to Aether, trying to find out what task the council had given him, but the guy suddenly fell silent. As if a cold sweat broke out, his hair standing on end. Aether followed Gorou's gaze to the café entrance and spotted the same brute who'd knocked him over on the dorm porch yesterday. Itto, was it?
"Argh! Him again! Okay, I'm out," Gorou spun on his heel and vanished from sight. Aether watched carefully, not understanding why his friend was so terrified of this…
"Haha! Takuya, you idiot!" Itto laughed loudly and heartily, bursting into the café with his buddy and seemingly interrupting every conversation.
"Screw you! Next time you park! You weigh a whole ton, asshole!"
Thoma chuckled quietly, catching out of the corner of his eye Gorou's head peeking from the back room door before disappearing completely. The barista finished Aether's coffee and handed it over:
"Here," Thoma's signature charming smile bloomed again. "I added a little vanilla syrup so it's not too bitter," he winked lightly, making Aether almost blush. But he was very flattered by the attention: Thoma remembered exactly what his guest preferred.
The golden-haired guy sat at a window table, warming his fingers on the hot cup. To not waste time, Aether pulled out his planner and the papers he'd fallen asleep on in Albedo's lab, trying to make at least some progress on tomorrow's assignment…
Ten or fifteen minutes passed before Aether heard Venti's familiar voice—he'd already ordered coffee and was heading straight to the table.
"Hey again!" the ex-vocalist sat beside him, glancing curiously at the papers Aether was writing on. He leaned in, tilting his head sideways.
"Hi," the blond nodded, starting to gather his poor belongings, deciding to finish at home. But Venti stopped him.
"Wait-wait, what are you… doing there?" the guy took off his dark green windbreaker and hung it on the chair back.
"This," Aether rubbed his nose bridge, "is the club schedule. Certification starts tomorrow, and here I am trying to fit everyone's times."
"Clubs? Is our band in there too?"
"Of course," Aether nodded, flipping a few pages in his notebook. "Let me see when…" the blond ran the pen tip down the page, searching for the familiar name. "Next Tuesday."
"Got it! Gotta warn the guys…"
Aether didn't understand at first why the former "ANEMO" vocalist cared about this, but… Wait. Because he was "former," damn it! Their band had nearly fallen apart yesterday morning, remember! How were they supposed to pass certification with the council missing one member? This "certification" was bureaucratic nonsense, but it determined whether the band got a free rehearsal space, could perform at festivals, and the university was even considering partially sponsoring such clubs… Well, why not? It was great advertising for the school, and last year's festival proved it.
"Wait…" the blond's eyes widened. "Venti, how are you going to pass it?"
"It'll be fine, don't worry!" the owner of the cute twin braids waved it off and sipped his coffee. "Since we're on the topic…" he took a short breath, set the cup aside, and his expression changed… His gaze grew heavier, almost sad? Aether didn't understand the sudden mood shift and just stayed silent, watching the former vocalist intently with slight fear in his eyes. What was he about to do or say? Did it concern Aether's work as manager? Or…
"Yesterday convinced me I did the right thing," Venti finally spoke, but didn't meet his companion's eyes, staring out the window instead. "No matter how much I love the guys, right now they don't need this at all…"
"What do you mean?" Aether raised a brow in confusion. What did Venti mean? He was convinced leaving the band was the right move?
"You see, when that studio invitation came a couple weeks ago, I seriously thought about it. I really wanted to support the guys, but… I can't. They're not ready for that kind of work."
Aether was genuinely surprised by what he heard.
"Remember when we first talked about you joining our band? I said…"
"…I want you to keep an eye on them. Especially one of them…"
Aether remembered that conversation perfectly—it happened a couple months ago.
"I want you to stay true to our idea," Venti continued. "And I'm sure you can be very useful to the band."
"Me?" Aether still didn't understand. How could he be useful?
"Yes, you," the brunet nodded. "If not for you and your fan account," Venti shook his head. "Who knows if Xiao would even be here now…"
"You know Xiao better than anyone else."
Aether froze at those words. He didn't know what to say. Was he glad? Confused? Saddened? Saddened that Xiao had so few close people who could help him?
"That's why you asked me to be your band's manager?"
"Yup," Venti nodded, smiling faintly. "I'm sure you can help them because right now… Ugh, just look at the state Xiao's in," the bard twirled his coffee cup in his fingers. "You know, he quit therapy two months ago."
The news made Aether flinch. So that's what it was. Of course, the blond had suspected, but hadn't known for sure.
"He needs help, not contracts."
Venti said it with such a serious face that Aether simply couldn't find words to respond. Apparently the ex-vocalist's plans were far more… ambitious and serious than the blond had assumed.
"Right now I want him to recover, otherwise this work will just… wear him out. Let him be mad at me, as long as he's healthy."
For the first time Aether heard Venti caring about someone other than himself. He was really doing all this for Xiao? For his health? Aether could've asked the obvious question: "Why not just ask him to take a break?" But the blond wouldn't—because he knew the answer. Xiao would never allow it. To make the band pause because he needed to fix his nerves? No, Alatus would never agree.
"That's why I left—to give them a break while Xiao rests and Kazuha looks for a new vocalist."
"But Kazuha…?" Aether remembered their "leader" cared deeply about the band's fate, and it felt wrong to dash his hopes like this.
"He'll be fine," the shadow of sadness lifted from Venti's face and he smiled again. "The main thing is finding me a good replacement," the guy winked at Aether. "And I already have an idea!"
"Uh…"
"Listen," Venti's voice grew a little serious again. "You have to help me. While Xiao recovers, try to keep an eye on him," the brunet spoke quieter. "As much as possible, okay? I know you can do it. You've been doing it for the past three years, right?" Venti's lips spread into a wide, satisfied smile, then he took his coffee again and downed a big gulp.
"Oh, and by the way," the brunet remembered something as he stood and pulled his windbreaker back on. "When's the next gig for the band 'FATUI'?"
Aether frowned again but flipped through his "schedule."
"A week from now. Why?"
"Know their vocalist?"
Aether tried to remember. Yeah, he definitely knew their drummer—the ginger-nosed Tartaglia who stuck his face everywhere. It was him who'd dragged Aether to Xiao's band's first show because he was into music himself and curious what made "Yaksa" concerts so hyped everyone in town went crazy. Well, that day he apparently found out firsthand.
As for the group "FATUI" or just "F" online—it was a small trio. Aether recalled they had a girl on keys, and the vocalist…
"Well, you know, he's short," Venti held his hand about level with his own head. Aether nodded immediately, remembering the face of that tiny dark-haired angry gremlin.
"Yeah, got it!"
"I want him to be 'ANEMO''s new vocalist!"
Aether completely lost it at Venti's declaration, and the guy just laughed, watching his colleague's reaction:
"Are you serious right now?"
"Yup!"