DELPHINIUM ? PARADOX LIVE

AN HOUR BEFORE the labeled 'competitor mixer dinner' begins, you and the usual group finish getting dressed for the technically formal event. You don't bother looking too nice, just work on meeting the requirement for formal.

The twins each wear white button-ups and f/c ribbons around their collars. Nayuta has suspenders and his brother just wears an open black jacket. They fight to wake you up, and even after they keep an eye on you to make sure you won't doze off.

Your outfit comes in the form of a turtleneck with an f/c button-up sweater over it. The chunkiness of the buttons makes you happy, and you enjoy rubbing them between your fingers. Kanata ties his hair into a partial bun that brings out the cyan in his hair.

Overall, the three of you are satisfied waiting around the extra time it takes your friends down the hall to finish up. Dongha joins you not long after, wearing a dark blazer and white turtleneck beneath it.

The four of you squish onto the couch to watch shows, the Korean boy trying to anticipate what foods might be there. He stews quietly about the possibility he doesn't like what's served, shoving cheese sticks into Kanata's arms and asking him to tuck them away in the usual pockets.

The movie that plays isn't anything special, and soon the squashed pile diverts their attention to phones. In Nayuta's case, he finds entertainment in peering over Dongha's research and judging the boy when his eyebrows furrow at a dish. Although he explains the dish, it doesn't stop him from teasing the boy.

It seems like you frequently wait on B△E, the trio invested in their appearance to the point where it takes an hour to do something simple in your eyes. Dongha and Nayuta were guilty in that aspect, too, but knew better than to get a late start.

From what you heard from a certain someone, the three had decided to match to an extent with pinstripes. The boy describes the decision as ridiculous, and that they're lucky they're good-looking.

Twenty minutes before the event starts, your group finally begins to grow bored and restless. Rising to your feet, you move to grab your wallet off the counter. The others get the memo.

B△E might get annoyed with you later, but at least the four of you weren't as late as they were.

✦

THE VENUE FOR the fancy dinner isn't anything special. An underground bar, sure, but when Dongha heard formal he imagined something more along the lines of a banquet hall. But he remembers life is different now, and enjoys eyeing the large room.

In reality, it looks more like a potluck or family reunion. The underground bar had a buffet on tables against the back wall that doesn't seem to be open yet, a small stage set up, and four round tables with a varying number of seats. He assumes the rectangular table at the head near the stage is for Buraikan.

The bar to the left still operates, and when the four of you walk in there's a familiar figure behind it. He meets eyes with you.

"Oh." You nod at the male, who nods back. "Yohei's running the bar?"

Immediately, Kanata's head snaps over, eyeing the area for a certain flash of white. He doesn't find it but scans the room anyways. Yohei seems to be the only other person in the room that's a performer, as several workers bustle around placing name cards on plates. A male in a formal vest hovers awkwardly near the bar as well, and it makes you wonder who's actually supposed to be manning the bar.