It had been a long day for Camus, well, not that it was any different from the past few days. After work, he would either visit the hospital or buy sweets and pastries from a café he liked granted that the royal had ample time. Today was one of the days where he did both since his job finished early and as of the moment, Camus was found walking along the hallway of the Master Course dormitory. He expected to have his alone time since Cecil was still at work. Pie, tea, and a good novel sounded like a splendid idea although sinking his teeth into the slice of apple pie he bought had to wait since he still had to prepare his beverage. It was usually Cecil's job but the black-haired teen wasn't present right now.

Upon reaching his shared room with his kouhai, Camus wasted no time preparing the table. He contemplated on making tea from scratch but he was tired and ended up using the premade one. Once everything was set, the blond royal sat and read a book of his liking. He was about to take a bite out of the much awaited apple pie when someone knocked on the door. Camus groaned. Who could that possible be to ruin his moment? As far as he knew, everyone had jobs to attend to this evening but it seemed like not everyone was busy. With a huff, Camus told the person on the other side to enter and the blond was fairly surprised once he knew who it was.

"What do you need, Kurusu?" The tall male inquired. "This better be important."

"It is." Syo said in a serious manner.

Camus motioned the other to join him. Seconds of silence passed before Camus spoke.

"What brings you here?" The Count said and took a sip of his tea. He found it very unlikely for the other to engage in a conversation with him. "Well?"

"I have something to ask you." The shorter of the two began.

"Ask away."

"Who's Aine?"

That was unexpected. Of all questions, Camus did not see this one coming. Could the younger boy possibly mean the very person Camus was thinking?

The Count wanted to confirm. "Aine....Kisaragi?"

Syo nodded and instead of an answer, the violinist received a question.

"How did you know that name?" The icy Count asked.

"This morning, I was helping Otoya clean their room since Tokiya and Reiji-sempai weren't around. I was fixing Reiji-sempai's things when I stumbled across a photo album under the sofa. I picked it up and a photo fell. It was someone named Aine Kisaragi." Syo explained.

Camus raised a brow. "And what business do you have with him?"

"What is Ai's relation to that guy? Why does he look like him?" Syo continued.

"That is not your concern."

"Yes it is!" The violinist exclaimed. "I know who Ai really is! I don't know if the rest of you knew, but – "

"Mikaze is an android." Camus intervened. "Among Quartet Night, I am the only one who knows what Mikaze truly is, and Mikaze himself of course. How about Starish?"

"Just me, Natsuki, and Nanami." Syo replied.

"Good. It should stay that way." The Count began and sipped his tea. Such information should be kept quiet. God forbid that it would reach the unsuspecting others especially Reiji.

"Camus-sempai, you haven't answered my question yet." The shorter of the two commented.

"Aine Kisaragi...he used to be a brilliant idol. If anything, he was one of the best. And also, he is Kotobuki's bestfriend."

"What happened to him?" Syo asked.

"He tried to kill himself."

The fedora-lover was taken aback. "N-Nani!? Why??? Why would he do that!?"

"Who knows?"

"Well....did he?"

"His attempt failed although he did manage to get himself into a coma. Until now, he's not awake." Camus replied.

"It must've taken a toll on Reiji-sempai, huh?" The munchkin commented.

Damn right he was! Camus knew too well the sadness and guilt his fellow bandmate felt. No one else knew about the whole Aine situation except him therefore the royal involuntarily became Reiji's confidant. Plus, Camus knew something that Reiji didn't and for now, it was of upmost importance that this knowledge would not reach the brunet.

"Kurusu, can I trust you with something?" The royal began. The other seemed reliable enough and Ai was his sempai so the short male might as well know.

"Anything."

"You asked the relation of your senior to Kisaragi, correct? I shall tell you, provided that you must never tell a soul! This will remain between the two of us!" Camus boomed.

Syo nodded. "I'd take it with me to my grave."

"Very well. Mikaze is an android built to portray the perfect idol, however, that is not the entire reason why. He was designed by Kisaragi's uncle in order to awaken the other from his coma. From looks to voice, Mikaze is a perfect copy of Kisaragi and he is to live the slumbering idol's life."

Cue Syo's shock. "WHAT!?"

The Count glared at him. "Hush, fool! Keep your voice down!" Camus cleared his throat. "As I was saying, Mikaze was built in order to wake Kisaragi. Those two are connected in some way. Everything that Mikaze experienced bounces back to the other. Kisaragi's uncle hoped to show his nephew the wonders of being an idol and that life isn't such a hellhole through Mikaze. I couldn't exactly say if any progress was made though."

"That's a lot to take in." Syo muttered. "Camus-sempai, how do you know all of these?"

Camus sighed. This was going to be a long night.

"Back when Quartet Night was newly formed, Kotobuki asked me to go with him to a house by the sea and that was when I knew all about Aine Kisaragi. Well, more than I should have."

~

"Myu-chan! Myu-chan!"

The idol in question turned to glare at the person who called him with such a childish nickname. The quartet had just finished practicing their dance steps and they were drained of their energy. At least that was what Camus thought until a certain loud brunet went prancing towards him. Camus swore that the eldest must be taking coffee for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for him to stay so annoyingly alive.

"What is it, you peasant?"

"Join me on an adventure?" The older male said with sparkles in his eyes.

Camus straight-out rejected him. "No."

"Aww...pretty please?"

"I do not engage with commoners like you."

"C'mon! It'll be fun!"

Camus huffed. "How about Kurosaki or Mikaze? Why don't you go bother them instead?"

"Ran-Ran went away right after practice and Ai-Ai said he had a photo shoot." Reiji explained and pleaded once more. "So pleeeaase go with me!"

Seeing that this could last the whole day, Camus had no choice but to concede with the other's request. Reiji seemed pretty damn persistent and any attempt on escaping the man was futile so the best and only option was to heed Reiji's favour and hope that it would be over soon.

"Fine! But do not expect for me to give in to your requests so easily in the future! It will be just this once, you commoner!" The earl boomed.

Reiji seemed overjoyed. "Yahoo!!! Let's go then!!!"

It was a long and quiet ride going to their destination. Well, quiet in the sense that Camus said not a word and muted Reiji's ramblings. It was too late for him to back out unless he dared getting out of the moving car. Camus mentally calculated his chances of survival should he resort to drastic measures and concluded that it would take some sort of miracle for him to escape unscathed! He would not risk his pristine appearance – he was an idol and a royal, not an action star, so he had to endure the trip. Besides, his bandmate seemed to have shut up.

Now was his chance to ask. "May I know where are you taking me?"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Reiji exclaimed and drove to the left. "We're visiting an old friend of mine!"

Camus frowned. "Is he just as loud and obnoxious as you?"

"Nope! He's completely different! In fact, he's a lot....quieter."

Camus glanced at his companion. Reiji's aura had changed into a gloomy one and his grey eyes held sadness which was a first for the Count to see. The brunet actually looked...depressed. The blond decided not to pry and looked at the passing sceneries instead. It felt strange to see someone who was usually cheerful to suddenly be the opposite. Reiji's constant buffoonery might actually be masking his true emotions.

After an hour or so, they finally arrived at a house by the sea. Reiji rang the doorbell and they were greeted by a man wearing glasses and a lab coat.

"Hiya professor!"

"Reiji! What a pleasant surprise! Is he your friend?"

The brunet nodded. "Yup! He's also my bandmate! Professor, this is Camus or Myu-chan as what I would like to call him. Myu-chan, meet the professor! He's the uncle of my good friend!"

"How do you do? It's nice to meet you, professor." The Count said politely, temporarily using his facade.

The older male beamed. "Likewise, Camus-san! Please come in!"

The two idols were invited inside and were now having biscuits and tea in the living room.

"It's good to see you enjoying your career, Reiji." The professor began.

Aforementioned male chuckled. "No use mopping over the bad stuff."

Throughout the conversation, Camus remained silent unless asked by the owner of the house. He was honestly intrigued by the eldest member of the band ever since the brunet had a sudden change of atmosphere. Come to think of it, Reiji never talked about his past despite being a huge blabbermouth. Camus hasn't seen the friend whose name Reiji didn't mentioned.

"By the way, is Camus-san aware of...you know?" The professor stated which caught the Count's attention.

Reiji sheepishly scratched his head. "Eh, no. I haven't told him yet."

The earl of Permafrost raised a brow. "What is it that I need to know?"

Reiji got up and motioned his bandmate to follow. Curious and slightly suspicious, Camus went with Reiji who led them to a room downstairs.

"What is the meaning of this, Kotobuki?" The Count demanded.

"You'll see."

Reiji opened the door and revealed a white room with machines and scientific paraphernalia. At the center was a neatly-made bed which Reiji approached with Camus following closely. The blond royal raised his brows upon seeing the figure lying on the bed.

"Mikaze?" The Count thought aloud.

"No...although I thought he was Ai-Ai when I first saw the kid." Reiji began. "Myu-chan, this is the friend I was talking about."

"What's his name?"

"Aine. Aine Kisaragi."

"What happened to him?"

"He tried to kill himself." Reiji replied. "He failed though and fell into a coma instead."

Camus observed the sleeping male. It was like he was just looking at the youngest member of the band but according to Reiji, this was a guy named Aine.

"He was...such an amazing person. I...I don't understand why he would...why he would do such a thing." The brunet continued, his voice starting to crack. "But I guess it's my fault...I couldn't be there for him when he needed me most."

Reiji went on with his mumblings. He temporarily forgot the presence of Camus, who was quite speechless at the sight he just witnessed. Although it was not his business, the Count couldn't help but wonder who on earth was Aine and what was he like?

"You might want to leave him be, Camus-san."

If he weren't so composed, Camus might have jumped out of fright when the professor suddenly appeared beside him. The Count must be so caught up with his thoughts that he did not notice the other man enter the room. Without further ado, the duo left Reiji alone with the sleeping cyanette and went back to the living room.

"Aine was Reiji's bestfriend. They've been through a lot together back when they were still students of Saotome Gakuen." The professor explained as he poured his guest a cup of tea. "Actually, they were four in a group but Reiji was closest to Aine."

"I see. If you don't mind me asking, why did your nephew commit such act?"

"I wish I had an answer to give. Aine never said anything nor have I asked. It was too late for me to realize...if I had to guess, it could be that he lost reason continuing his career. The stress was taking a toll on Aine – that I noticed, but I never knew how affected he was. I'm a horrible relative for not knowing...I was terrified when I saw him falling deep into the ocean. Even if I did manage to save him from drowning himself, I couldn't help but think what I could have done to prevent this from happening." The professor said regretfully. "I understand how Reiji felt although the boy got it worse."

The earl of Permafrost took a sip of his tea. "Please do tell."

"Aine tried to call Reiji for help but the boy was busy with his audition. News got out and everyone blamed Reiji for what happened to my nephew. The media tarnished his image and even his friends thought badly of him. Only a few people took his side, myself included. You might think that I should be angry at him, but it wasn't his fault. Those were dark days for Reiji. I'm surprised he got back into singing! It had always been his dream to sing together with Aine but given the events that took place, he stopped with the songs and settled for other idol work instead. Until now, he still blames himself for what happened to Aine."

With nothing to say, Camus finished his warm beverage. He never gave a single fuck about his brown-haired companion – Camus honestly thought of Reiji as nothing more than an irritant to his day – until the Count learned of what the other had undergone. It clearly left a negative impact on Reiji's life yet the brunet chose to be an annoying ball of sunshine. When he thought about it, Camus wondered if Reiji ever got tired of being so optimistic all the time. After all that happened to him, Reiji couldn't possibly just move on with his life – his comatose bestfriend served as constant reminder of what he had done, or rather, what he hadn't.

"To the public eye, Reiji looks like he's got no problems. It's what he does as an idol. I hope he goes back to the way he was before." The professor exclaimed and turned to face Camus. "You're his friend, right? Please look after him."

'Friend...?'

Due to his training and status in Permafrost, Camus wasn't so accustomed to engaging with commoners, let alone be friends with one. The royal was never very friendly anyway since his job was to be the queen's knight; friendship was the last of his priorities.

...

Or was it? He understood the importance of building rapport as an idol hence his two-facedness but to have a meaningful connection with a person he could actually depend on...was it even possible?

...

That sounded like a ridiculous idea. Camus had no need for personal relationships!

Nevertheless, the Count forced a smile. "Of course."

The duo bid the professor goodbye and went back to the dormitory. Camus' treatment towards Reiji hasn't changed – he was still the ice cold royal that he had always been – which was fine with the older male, but what the brunet didn't know was that Camus had secretly researched about Aine. During his free time, the tall blond would either access the net or use periodicals to gain any information on the cyanette. He saw videos of Aine and the earl was quite impressed with the other's performance as an idol. The cyan-haired male was indeed brilliant and the epitome of idol perfection hence it only intrigued Camus even more. Why would someone who has it all try to take away his life?

Furthermore, the longer he searched, the more he noticed the similarities of Aine with his fellow bandmate Ai. From voice to looks, they were identical. Camus wondered if those two were related by any chance.

'Perhaps Kisaragi's uncle has an answer.' Camus thought. 'It wouldn't hurt to ask.'

The blond royal closed the laptop he was using and checked the time. He sighed and went to bed.

It was past midnight already.

Next day came and Camus immediately went to the professor's house right after practice. He wasn't so concerned about Reiji or transportation since Camus called a limo service and Reiji was to appear as a special guest on a show ergo the brunet had no chance of visiting the professor today.

The Count arrived at his destination and rang the doorbell. He expected for the older man to answer therefore it served as a shock when the door was opened by his bandmate.

"Mikaze?"

Aforementioned teen looked at him blankly. "Ah, Camus...according to my data, you are here to see the professor."

"Yes. Where is he?"

"He is currently working. He will only take 10 minutes though. Please, come in."

The two idols sat at the living room. Camus had to admit that he never really had a conversation with Ai unless it involved idol work. Deciding to break the silence, Camus spoke.

"What brought you here, Mikaze? Do you know the man?"

The cyanette nodded. "Yes. I go here every other day or when I'm not busy."

'Does that mean he and Kotobuki had already met? And does he know of Kisaragi?' The Count thought but before he could ask, the professor entered the scene.

"Camus-san? This is a surprise! Do you need anything?" The older man exclaimed.

"I have a question in mind and I believe that only you can answer it." Camus replied.

"Is that so? Then ask away!" The professor began.

"Before I do, I would like to know why Mikaze is here. Does he know about your nephew, Aine?"

Suddenly, a strange noise vibrated around the area. Camus quirked an eyebrow and discovered that the sound was coming from his bandmate who looked frozen on his seat.

What happened next was a bit too bizarre for Camus to witness.

Ai's cyan eyes went wide and showed a honeycomb pattern before it was replaced by a series of numbers and symbols. It looked like codes one could see in a computer or any device that was malfunctioning.

The professor sighed. "Ai, shut down."

"Command received. Preparing to shut down." The cyanette said robotically. "Shutting down."

The machine-like noise then disappeared just as Ai closed his eyes.

There was a moment of silence before the professor spoke.

"I suppose I have no choice but to let you in a little secret." He began.

"I suppose you have to."

The older man chuckled. "I'm guessing your question would be why Ai looks like Aine, am I correct?"

Camus nodded his head. "Yes. Tell me all that I need to know."

It was a long conversation. The professor explained that Ai was in fact an A.I and he was built in order to awaken Aine. The two cyanettes were connected thus everything Ai felt and saw was experienced by Aine. The older male also added that Ai seemed to go haywire every time he was near the ocean which was understandable considering Aine's circumstance.

"It's the least I can do." The professor began. "I couldn't save my nephew from falling into the state he's in, but I could try to wake him up. I want him to know how wonderful life is and how great it was to be an idol. Aine loved singing. One of the reasons why I designed Ai to look like him so it would feel like Aine himself was the one singing the songs. I believe that Ai can wake up my nephew....someday."

"I see. Is Kotobuki aware of this?" The Count asked.

"Heavens no! It would ruin him if he did! He won't be able to handle this yet." The professor exclaimed. "I will have to reboot Ai. Camus-san, promise me that no one will ever know about what happened today, most especially Reiji."

...

"Of course, professor. You have my word."

~

Camus looked at his plate and noticed the uneaten slice of apple pie. He should have finished it a long time ago yet this unexpected turn of events enabled him to do so. His companion seemed to be lost for words, which was understandable especially with such sudden and sensitive information. Syo's sempai was involved and even though he and Ai argued a lot, the short male still respected the other and to some degree, cared for the cyanette.

"Anything else you'd like to know, Kurusu?" Camus began thus bringing his junior back to his senses.

"Camus-sempai, you said that Ai was built to wake up Aine, right?" The violinist asked.

"Yes. What about it?"

"Well, I was thinking what would happen if this Aine guy would wake up? Will...will Ai be taken away?"

...

"I wonder the same thing." Camus replied.

The room was dead silent and Syo planned to leave until his cellphone rang.

"Excuse me." The short blond said before answering the caller. "Hello?"

It was Haruka and she sounded frantic.

"Syo-kun! Mikaze-sempai is – !"

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According to the game reviews I've read, Camus is aware of Ai's true nature and he knows about Aine as well. Camus and the professor supposedly do not know each other, or at least that was what Reiji thought.

Hello dear readers! Here is by far the longest chapter I've ever written! I apologize if Camus seems OOC but he is essential in the story especially since he knows about Aine.

Anyway, thank you so much for your continuous support, my dear readers! I wasn't able to reply to all your comments/reviews but rest assure that I'm glad to have read them :) Until the next chapter!