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“I wanna watch that new high school drama!”
“Well, I wanna watch a baseball movie!”
“You always wanna watch baseball, Kumon!”
“SHUT UP ALREADY!” Yuki raised his voice over the bickering in the living room. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I think I have a solution. Let’s watch High School Musical .”
Taichi’s eyes widened. “You’re a genius, Yuki-chan!!”
Kumon stared at his green-haired troupemate. “Doesn’t sound like a sports movie.”
“Nah, fam, it’s about basketball! And theatre! And high school! And the soundtrack is full of bops…to the top!” Kazunari exclaimed with a smile, holding a hand out for Yuki to high-five him for that pun. Yuki reluctantly decided he couldn’t leave him hanging for that one and met Kazunari’s extended palm with his own. Kazunari continued, “Not only that, but there’s an epic baseball dance number in HSM2, the most iconic summer romance of 2007!”
Azami started to stand up. “Romance? I’m out.”
Muku tugged on Azami’s sleeve. “It’s perfectly appropriate, Azami, just stay for the movie.”
Sitting back down, Azami responded, “I don’t know if I trust your definition of that, you shojo-manga addict. But I guess if there’s music, I’ll try it.”
“Alright, then.” Somehow no one could say no to Muku, not even Chikage or Sakyo, had they been there.
Without further ado, Yuki clicked “play.”
——
The dorm’s front door opened and the new arrival called out, “I’m home!”
As they made their way towards the lounge, the sight of bright orange hair confirmed that it was Tenma. With one glance at the TV, he asked “Watching High School Musical?”
“Why on Earth have you, of all people, seen High School Musical?” Yuki couldn’t believe what he was hearing, much less that Tenma recognized the movie from a two-second look at the screen.
Tenma scoffed. “I could ask you the same thing. Thought you were too jaded to appreciate the Disney Channel, not to mention I’m sure you have strong opinions about the 2000s fashion choices.”
“I have two older sisters, why does everyone constantly forget that?”
“I remembered! I just….. Wasn’t thinking about it,” he answered with all the indignance reserved for the accusations of his lack of skill with directions. “Anyway, to answer your question, they wanted my dad to voice the coach in the Japanese dub, so I watched it with him. I was curious about what sort of movies American kids like anyway. Gotta say though, ‘ What the heck are those two doin’ in a tree?’ just hits different in English.” Tenma said with a shrug.
“Iconic cinema,” Kazunari agreed.
“Thank you. Anyway, I like it alright but I think that Sharpay girl got kind of screwed over. Like, these two came out of nowhere, not even interested in acting and now she has to compete with them?”
Silence fell over the lounge, save for the squeaking of shoes on the basketball court in the movie.
Yuki was the first to break that silence.
“Oh my GOD, you’re more of a hack than I thought.”
Tenma’s comment actually warranted a response from Masumi as well. “You need to take that back before I tell your boyfriend.” The last time Masumi had looked this deadly serious was when someone had insulted Izumi’s curry.
“Read the room, Tenten,” Kazunari gently poked Tenma’s arm.
But of course, clueless Tenma had control of the braincell. “What does Sakuya have to do with this?”
“Can I help you out here?”
“Please,” he begged, “Tsuzuru, why is everyone looking at me like that?”
Tsuzuru gave Tenma his best ‘ I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed’ stare, and spoke, “You told a room full of actors who joined this company with little to no experience that you feel sympathetic towards the spotlight-hogging diva over the teenagers who decided to try something new and outside of their comfort zone and ending up finding a passion for it.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
“I’ll shut up now.”
“That might be wise.”
——
As the credits rolled, Azami let out a sigh that sounded more like that of a middle-aged man bearing the weight of the world than the teenager he was. Or you know, Tsuzuru.
“They didn’t kiss at the end, thank GOD!”
“Guess we gotta watch the second one now, right fam?” Kazunari was already making grabby hands at the remote on the coffee table.
“And watch them kiss? No! You guys can live in sin all you want, leave me out of it!”
“But the baseball scene–” Muku tried to reason with him.
“NO!”
Meanwhile, Tsuzuru looked up from his laptop. “Okay, can I just say that High School Musical 2 makes a LOT of unnecessary choices?”
“I could argue the entire franchise does, Villager C, but go on.”
“So Sharpay seems to act more out of malice sometimes, but in that one it's just sheer stupidity. She gets Troy a job and then keeps trying to hit on him AT SAID JOB. One, he’s taken! She knows this! Additionally, he literally NEEDS the money, so please stop doing things that could get him fired. Let him get those sweet, sweet rich people tips.”
“That is not where my mind went when I watched this at eight years old.”
That response only served to fuel Tsuzuru’s fire. “AND she doesn’t need to keep chasing after Troy! She could probably have her pick of dudes that don’t hate her! Like, ”Tsuzuru flailed his hands around as he tried to explain himself. “That baker guy was RIGHT THERE! I mean, that would be like, if I rejected Fushimi-san to chase after Banri. ”
Yuki raised an eyebrow while Kazunari butted in, “Are you saying you’re Sharpay, Tsuzuroon? Hard disagree.”
“No,” Tsuzuru groaned. Meanwhile, Taichi piped up, “Wait, what’s wrong with Troy? Or Ban-chan for that matter?”
“Okay, okay, let me explain myself before someone texts Banri and I get a fist in my face. Ultimately Troy and Banri are a lot alike. Decent guys, perfectly respectable crushes, HOWEVER, both are clearly far more interested in someone else to be worth pursuing. And I personally respect the efforts of a man hoping to perfect the crème brûlée.”
“Oh my God, just ask Mom out already,” Yuki grumbled.
Masumi yelled “THANK YOU!” and removed the pillow he had placed over his face at some point during this conversation. “This is what I have to live with.”
Meanwhile, Kumon was as clueless as ever. “Wait, One-length has a crush?? Who is it??”
“Obviously it’s J-”
“--Jaaaaaaaapanese pop sensation Hatsune Miku, duh! Right, Masumi?” Tsuzuru’s eyes were pleading with his roommate, saying I can’t do this Masumi, please, not here, not now, as he tilted his head in the direction of Azami and Muku.
That answer seemed good enough for Kumon though, as he nodded. “He does play a lot of rhythm games. Makes sense.”
Masumi stood up from the couch, saying nothing with his words, but his face screaming ‘
I hate this house.’