A/N: My apologies on how short this chapter is, but it feels right to end it there so I hope you enjoy it anyway. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020!!!!

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"A secret idol?"

A high school girl looked at her friend's excited face in surprise. "Yeah, haven't you heard? A new idol from TakaPro is holding a live concert at a large outdoor venue next month." That friend showed her her phone with the advertisement on it.

"I6 is doing the opening act for him?!?" The girl's mouth dropped. "He must be a big deal! Wait..." She tilted her head in confusion. "It doesn't say who he is?"

"That's the point!" The friend beamed. "His identity remains a secret. We won't know until he makes his appearance on stage!" She seemed very excited.

"Whaaat? That's crazy!"

~~

"The whole city is talking about you, Riku-kun" Happy Banri set down two Karaage Chicken Bento boxes on the dining table at Riku's new house. The hungry boy almost ran out of the practice room when he heard the sound of the keys unlocking the door. He wasted no time sitting at the table and began to poke the rice with his chopsticks.

Then he froze on the spot.

Banri sat on the chair opposite Riku. He was about to open his Bento box when he saw the boy's body went still. "Riku-kun, is something wrong??" Banri sweatdropped. When is he going to get used to dealing with this emotionally-unpredictable boy?

"Manager" Riku stared at Banri's face. "Isn't it bad to use IDOLiSH6 to make a name for myself?"

Banri smiled. Even though the boy was unpredictable, he could be sure Riku had a nice nature. "Do not worry, Riku-kun. You are not the only one who benefits from this concert."

Banri continued to smile. Riku blinked twice and tilted his head in confusion.

"You will understand once you see I6 on stage. Now, shall we eat?"

~~

"What's the meaning of this, manager?" Of course, I6, including Iori, were shocked to hear they would be performing at a live concert, but as an opening act for an unknown rival. Their morning practice was once again interrupted by Tsumugi breaking the news.

"I have to say that's a pretty bold move for a newbie." Yamato voiced his opinion early this time.

"Yeah, it's risky." Mitsuki stopped drinking water and joined in. "Not so much for us, but for him."

"I agree," Sougo nodded with a serious look on his face. "Not to sound high and mighty, but our fans will buy tickets to support us. However, once we finish our performance, people could lose interest in the new idol if he fails to live up to their expectations."

"What is the president thinking?" Tsumugi muttered under her breath.

"This is war," Tamaki shouted, raising his right arm high in the air. "We're competing for the spotlight." He was so pumped he sent his jar of Ousama pudding in that hand flying, which landed on the floor, creating a whole mess. "NO MY OUSAMA PUDDING!!!"

"I'll buy you a new one for you to keep that fighting spirit, Yotsuba-san." Iori gave his high school friend a reserved smile.

"OH." Nagi, on the other hand, seemed sad. "I don't want to make an enemy within the agency..." He pressed his index fingers together repeatedly.

"Don't worry, Rokuya-san." Iori turned to Nagi and everyone else in the practice room, his face full of determination. "While I'd like to think of him as an enemy, you don't have to. I only ask for us to go against him like we did to TRIGGER and Kujou Riku at BLACK or WHITE."

"That's right." Mitsuki nodded in agreement. "That is our job, and our pride as an idol."

In the evening, IDOLiSH6 appeared on Mr Shimooka's live talk show. Of course, the famous MC did not waste a moment interviewing I6 about the hottest topic in the entertainment business right now. "Soo IDOLiSH6, do you know the true identity of the 'secret idol'?"

"You know what, we don't," Yamato answered. The audience went, "Ehhhh?"

"Oh my," Mr Shimooka said, making a wowed face. "Secret even to the idols in the same agency! Talk about mysterious. How do you feel about doing an opening act for Mr. secret?" He smiled.

"Fired up!" Tamaki shouted.

"We want to provide our fans with more than just an 'opening act'." Sougo elaborated on Tamaki's short speech.

"KYAAAAAA~!" The audience screamed for I6's fanservice, which was known in the show business as a subtle declaration of war.

~~

At Yaotome Productions, TRIGGER was called to Sousuke's office in the late night. Anesagi was already there, standing beside the president's desk. Sousuke turned his back to the idols, as usual.

"For Takanashi Productions to pull off something like that..." Anesagi asked with a frown on her face. "Do you think...?"

"Kujou Riku," The president said the name with a stern face, surprising TRIGGER members. "Takanashi is smart. By saying the agency has a 'secret solo idol', people are sure to talk about Kujou Riku."

"Old man, you mean..." Gaku spoke.

"Whether they have the boy or not, we do not know." Sousuke turned around. "What we do know is that the rumour has already begun to circulate."

"Wouldn't that hurt them more?" Tenn said, as a matter of fact. "Riku's fan base is extremely divided since his disappearance."

"That might be the case, but they are not just targeting his loyal fans," Anesagi explained while twirling her hair. "Think about it. I6 fans alone will already have half of the venue filled since it's not like they are performing only one song. They are doing five, which is considered a mini-live concert"

"The people who hope to see Riku-kun will buy tickets." Ryuu caught on and continued, striking a cool thinking pose. "Plus the people who buy tickets just for the thrill; it's a perfect marketing strategy."

"Hmph" Gaku was not convinced. "Even if the sales are successful this time, if the guy cannot live up to the audience's expectations, he is going to struggle." Tenn and Ryuu nodded along to that fact.

"I expect you three to keep doing your best, retain the business friendship with IDOLiSH6, and one more thing." Anesagi crossed her arms and turned to look at the youngest. "Tenn, if your twin brother appears as Nanase, the best way to handle it is to tell our fans the truth. Are you okay with that?"

Tenn nodded without hesitation. He even let a reserved smile appear on his face. "Certainly, Anesagi-san."

~~

The next morning, every member of TRIGGER had a day off, so each decided to have their own quiet day. Gaku decided to take a stroll around the park which had a large fountain in the middle. It was pretty crowded that day. Gaku must have had a special power or something. He walked around with only a pair of black sunglasses on and no one recognised him.

Winter meant no flowers. It would re-energise Gaku more to see them but it could not be helped. Bushes and tree branches without green leaves would have to do. Shops were open and children were playing as usual, making the cold winter seem like summer.

There was a path covered with tall trees which Gaku loved because it felt a little more isolated despite the fact that quite a few people were walking around the area. There was only one bench situated in the middle of the path where Gaku wanted to sit down for a while. However, a person was already sitting on it, or more like he was sleeping while sitting.

Gaku was about to walk past when he took a good look at the sleeping stranger. The young boy had familiar red hair, though with a long ponytail. He was wearing a very thick, long, light grey coat and trousers as red as his hair. Gaku was sure he knew the boy.

"Nanase?"

When Riku did not respond, Gaku walked forward to cup the boy's face, very gently nudging it. "Oi. Nanase, wake up." Gaku kept his voice down so they would not attract unnecessary attention.

A second later, Riku started to open his eyes and blinked. "Tenn-nii?" He muttered sleepily.

Gaku frowned. "Do I seem like a brat to you?"

That woke Riku up in an instant. "Wah! Yaot- cough cough cough!"

"Whoa, calm down!" Gaku watched as Riku took an inhaler out of his coat pocket and brought it to his mouth. "What are you doing sleeping out here in the cold?"

"Mhmm, I wanted to get some fresh air, but I fell asleep?" Riku answered with his blank eyes. He did not sound too sure. "I couldn't sleep much last night. It was hard to breathe."

Gaku placed his hand on his forehead. He felt a headache coming on. "Shouldn't you see a doctor then?"

"This is *huff* normal." Riku explained that his condition tends to worsen during the winter. He had regular checkups with his doctor. What he did not say was that his body was in the process of adjusting to an idol life once again.

Gaku felt he could not leave the boy on his own, so he took out his car keys and jingled them to attract Riku's attention. "I'll take you somewhere warm." However, Riku did not move an inch. Instead, he stared at Gaku's face and said...

"Yaotome-san, I don't know what to give Iori for his birthday."

~~

"Tenn-nii, what's this?"

Riku looked curiously at the tall, clear plastic cup in his hand. It was filled with extra sweet jasmine green tea and black tapioca balls at the bottom.

"Hm? You've never had bubble tea, Riku?" Tenn asked while enjoying his black bubble tea with milk. Gaku opted for the traditional hot green tea.

As for what happened, Gaku took Riku to the tea specialist cafe nearby. He called Tenn over to help brainstorm the idea of Izumi Iori's birthday gift. The TRIGGER leader was not sure why he was helping. He felt he could not leave the boy behind or something bad would happen.

Before we move on to the brainstorming part, Riku seemed to be enjoying his bubble tea, using his large straw to trap each ball in the bottom before drawing it up and chewing it. "I've never seen Nanase so happy..." Gaku was in awe. Riku had a small, cute smile while drinking it. Even Tenn was caught blushing from watching his little brother.

"Mhmm, I like it," Riku said without thinking much, unaware of Tenn and Gaku's shocked faces.

Gaku, did Riku just...? Tenn moved his metal chair closer to Gaku, leaned his body towards the taller man and whispered.

Gaku whispered back, Nanase has feelings??? which earned him a hard stomp on his left foot. Gaku swore Tenn was beaming like a very proud mother.

"Ah!" All of a sudden, Riku stopped drinking. The cup was forcefully placed on the table. He had a horror look on his face. "I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!!" He turned to bow his head endlessly to Tenn and Gaku. Tenn's smile dropped when he saw Riku's body trembling. "Riku?? What's the matter? You didn't do anything wrong."

"But I-I-" Riku was about to cry. "Father's going to punish me." Immediately, Tenn hugged Riku's body tightly. "I'm not supposed to-"

"Shhh, shhh," Tenn cut Riku off while rubbing the boy's back. "No, Riku, no one is going to hurt you. No one. Gaku and I were overjoyed to see you smile."

It took a while for Riku to calm down. Once he did, he went back to drinking his bubble tea, though he only had a blank expression on his face.

This time, Tenn was the one who was ready to cry.

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So strawberry donut is too standard for Riku i gave him bubble tea oh what life XD

Theres a reason I ended this chapter here so ehehe until the next one~! Comments and votes are greatly appreciated!! <3

My twitter is kenarkrsun feel free to dm me ^^ We can talk ainana~

Oh btw to those who are also reading DiMENSIONS, im struggling with it so im sorry it'll take a long while ><