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Rinne blinked his eyes open. He was hungry, his feet hurt, and he was quite, quite lost.
Rinne lifted his hand up, shielding his face from the sun. A gust blew through, his outer robe billowing in the wind.
As far as he knows, he was chasing after a rabbit deeper and deeper into the woods, when suddenly he found himself surrounded by tall towering buildings and the bright lights of the city.
The loud racket of the streets were nothing like his secluded village, neon flickering lights blinding and a constant cacophony of sounds coming from all around him. It was honestly overwhelming, Rinne wincing as he ducked into an alleyway and slumped down to the ground, hands covering his ears and eyes closed shut.
"Now what do we have here~ Hello hello are you okay?"
Rinne opened his eyes to see an older man squatting down in front of him, unruly red hair held up by a headband and bright blue eyes that pierced through him, a grinning smile. He was wearing an orange button-up and a black tanktop.
Rinne blinked up at the stranger. He didn't recognize them, but they had the features that ran through his family. He's definitely sure he's never met this man, though. And they were wearing...city clothing...
Did he have any secret relatives that ran off? That could be it? Or just someone related that he's never met, since he was mostly stuck with his duties more than half of the time.
But why would they be wearing city people clothing?
Rinne shrunk in on himself. "Are you here to take me back? I...I don't wanna right now...please..."
"Hmm? Take you back? Ohh. Hell no, kyahaha!"
Rinne stared at the man, confused. Maybe he did run away and threw away the Amagi name?
"...Who are you? I've never seen you before."
"Hmm... You can just call me Pachinko Onii-san. I am way~ older than you." The man's eyes glinted with mischief. He reached out a hand, helping Rinne up. "It's a little overwhelming, isn't it? It's kind of beautiful too, all the same. The city really is incredible."
Rinne nodded. "Pachinko Onii-san, are you an Amagi? You have our red hair and bright blue eyes...but I've never seen you in my life."
The man grinned. "Hmm. Kinda. Let's just say my job today is to give little Rinne-kun his first tour of the city! Hey, the trick is to not be so alert. This isn't the forest, you aren't going to be jumped by a wild animal."
Rinne frowned. Rinne-kun? He wasn't used to that honorific, his family called him Rinne, everyone else called him Rinne-sama. He kinda liked the sound of it."Everything is so loud and bright..." Rinne flinched at the sound of a screech, followed by loud honking from nearby
"Ya gotta learn to focus, little Rinne-kun. Tune them out and only focus on what's important. Here, focus on my voice." The man hummed, his voice loud and clear.
Rinne nodded and slowly, he found it more bearable.
"Better?"
“Yes, thank you Pachinko Onii-san.” Rinne bowed his head.
“Aw geez, no need to be so polite. Aren’t you a monarch?”
Rinne looked away. Monarch this, monarch that. He was sick of it. All of it. He finally got a day to run around the forest that he loved, far from the endless responsibilities and villagers who held him in such high regard.
“Haha, just kidding. No need to make that face, little Rinne-kun. You’ll grow wrinkles and become too ugly~” The older man teased. “You’re free here. No responsibility. But treat me more like a good ol’ pal you’ve known all your life, no need to be so formal.”
Rinne opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a loud grumbling. His face burned, ears reddening.
“Are you hungry?” The man grinned at him.
Rinne nodded, embarrassed.
“Then come with me~ Luckily for me my wallet is full! Onii-san’s gonna treat you today. You’re gonna wish for more!”
Rinne followed the man out of the alleyway, down a street, and into a big colorful building. They sat down in a booth, a large and thick menu set in front of him. “Go ahead and order anything you want!” The older man laughed, leaning back in his seat.
Rinne carefully flipped through the large menu, marveling at the colorful array of different options. It was all novel, so bright and different than the more natural meals he was used to having at home.
“I…I don’t know.” His head spun, dizzy from all the choices he was presented with.
“Hmm. It is a lot. Then let me order some things I know you’ll like!” He gave Rinne a thumbs up and a toothy grin that Rinne honestly didn’t trust, but what choice did he have?
Rinne squinted. “How do you know what I like?”
“Se~cret. Pachinko Onii-san has a secret power that only works if its kept a secret. Just don’t worry, Little Rinne-kun~ Leave it all to your good Pachinko Onii-san!”
Rinne stared down at the dish that was ordered, a large yellow…thing? It reminded him of cooked eggs- It was on top of some seasoned acidic-smelling red rice.
“It’s called an omurice. You gotta eat it before it gets cold, or else it won’t taste as good~”
Rinne carefully took a bite, chewing. His eyes widened, his mouth drooling as he scarfed down the rest of the dish.
It was heavenly! It melted on his tongue, and made him crave more! Rinne doesn’t even notice how fast he gets through the dish, the older man just watching him with a smug look.
“So~ Do you trust your Onii-san now?”
Rinne nodded eagerly, setting the cleaned plate down. “Yes! Do you…have any more suggestions? There’s nothing like that back at home…”
“Kyahaha~ Of course! Just follow me, Little Rinne-kun~” He got up, walking towards the door.
Rinne stumbled after him, running out the door with him. “D-don’t you have to pay?”
“Hmm? You haven’t noticed?”
Rinne frowned. “Huh?”
The man laughed, pulling him along. “Nevermind~ Don’t worry, Pachinko Onii-san has it covered. Little Rinne-kun’s only job is to enjoy the city! C’mon, the crepes here are the best!”
-
Rinne followed after the older man, licking the rest of the sweet treat he was introduced to off of his lips. “What’s next?”
“Hmm. Let’s go to the pachinko!”
Rinne was confused. “The...pachinko? Pachinko is an actual thing? Not just your name?”
The older man winked. “Yep! It’s one of the most fun things in life. Little Rinne-kun, would you call yourself a gambler?”
“Gambler…?”
“What about a risk taker?”
Rinne looked down at his feet. Was he? A risk taker?
What risks could he take, being caged by his duties? Responsibility? Everyone’s expectations?
Wouldn’t risks put others in danger? What kind of leader does that?
“Woah, that's a scary face. Little Rinne-kun, you’re supposed to relax. No worrying, just have fun with me~” The older man poked Rinne’s face. “Life’s too short to be spent following the rules. Come on, smile!” He grinned, turning to gesture at a large building with bright flashing lights.
Rinne squinted at some signs. “Pachinko Onii-san, those signs say only older people can enter.”
“Ignore them~ We’ll be fine!” The man grabbed his hand, pulling him in.
Rinne’s eyes widened, the bright lights and loud sounds of the machines echoing as he was pulled deeper and deeper into the unfamiliar territory. He nervously passed by all the older people, but thankfully, no one batted an eye at him.
Even if there were rules in the city, maybe not everyone followed them. Was that what the man was telling him earlier? Is that how city-dwellers live?
They stopped in front of a large machine with two buttons and one screen. “This looks simple enough! Say, Little Rinne-kun, why don’t you give it a try?”
Rinne stared up at the machine, confused. “Why?”
“Because it’s fun! All you gotta do is guess which color will show up, and push that button~”
Rinne watched him slam down on the red button, the screen suddenly showing red. A jingle played, and coins dropped down from a small slot. “See!”
Rinne frowned. “That doesn’t sound fun. You can still lose.” He watched the man slam on the red button again, the screen showing red once more, accompanied by the jingle and more coins.
“It’s not all about winning, Little Rinne-kun. Wouldn’t winning all the time be a boring life, anyways?”
Rinne narrowed his eyes. “But then the only other option is losing. Isn’t that bad?”
The man smiled brightly. “There’s more to life than winning and losing. Just because you win doesn’t mean you can’t lose. And just because you lose, doesn’t mean you can’t win. It’s less about the outcome, and more the experience.”
Rinne was utterly confused. “The experience?”
“Take it from your older Pachinko Onii-san, who’s lost so much. Life goes on. Even if you think you’ve hit rock bottom.” He smiled softly, weirdly out of character from the loud personality Rinne had seen the entire time. “You’ve just got to pick yourself back up, and keep going. Keep betting, and one day, you’ll win big~ The greatest gamble ever~”
Rinne tilted his head. “I’m still not following you. What if you keep losing?”
“Kyahaha~ Then you fight against your fate. You work to win everything back, you don’t let that be the end of your tale.”
Rinne pointed at the machine. “But how does that work for this machine? It’s just an option between being right and being wrong. Your logic doesn’t make sense.”
“Wellll~ It’s not about the machine. I just wanted to introduce you to the thrill of gambling! And while you’re right, you’re also wrong. There are ways to rig it. And at the simplest form, all gambling is like this! A correct option, and a not correct option. Your rates may be widely different from fifty-fifty, but it;s all fundamentally the same. You’ll understand when you’re older, now no more wise words! Onii-san wants to see you try!” He waved a hand over the buttons. “So, Little Rinne-kun, what will your choice be? The red button, or the blue button?”
Rinne stared hard. Since the man chose red both times and won…maybe he should choose red too?
Rinne cautiously pushed down on the blue button. The screen flashed blue, a jingle and coins clattering down. His eyes lit up, the dopamine rush from being correct flowing through his veins.
“Hmm. Interesting, and I was thinking it’d be the red one. Can you keep the streak up?” The man challenged, grinning.
Rinne felt something fire up in him. He carefully pressed the blue button again.
The screen flashed blue, another jingle, more coins.
“Hmm. Now we’re two-for-two. Can you surpass ol’ Pachinko Onii-san here~”
Rinne concentrated. It was two reds, then two blues. Then…
It should be red! He eagerly slammed down on the red button, awaiting his victory.
The screen flashed blue.
“Aww, too bad. Better luck next time~” The man laughed, patting him on the head.
Rinne shook the man’s hand off, glaring. This couldn’t be over. He was certain he had it, and he knows his luck is pretty good.
And besides, he was already fired up. He was going to win. How hard could guessing correctly three times in a row be?
-
Rinne doesn’t know how long they spent in the pachinko, but by the time he finally beat the older man (who proceeded to score higher than him, of which they went back and forth until Rinne won at a whopping ten in a row), the sun was setting, the sky a soft orange.
And as much fun exploring the city he was always kept far from, warned away from, as much fun as it was, he had a longing to return back to his simple life.
Not for his duties, but knowing that his mother would go looking for him soon if he stayed out longer. Someone would notice that the heir was missing, and others would get in trouble because of him. But also...something else that he did notice.
“So? How’s the city? Did you enjoy Pachinko Onii-san’s tour?”
Rinne sniffed. “In all honesty, all you did was take me to eat and teach me about gambling. What kind of tour was that?”
“You brat- I specifically curated this tour for you! You better show some respect for your…Your Pachinko Onii-san!” He sighed, scratching behind his neck. “But Little Rinne-kun, the city really is amazing. There’s still so much more to see, people to meet.”
Rinne nodded, bowing quickly. “I know, but even just this taste…It was really fun. But Onii-san, this is a dream, right?”
“Oh? And I thought you’d never notice~ Guess you’re as sharp as I remember.”
Rinne smiled sadly. “I don’t know who you are…Or why we met…But thank you for letting me have just a small taste of the city.”
Rinne looked to his side, seeing the wide forest slowly swallowing up the bright lights of the metropolis. “But as much as I wish I could experience more for myself, I don’t belong here. I’m the future leader of the Amagi village. I have a duty to perform. I can’t take risks, I can’t live my life freely.”
“But you can still dream, right?”
“Huh?”
The man grinned at him. He grabbed Rinne’s hand, running in one direction. “Just one more thing. Even a caged bird can dream. And a cage can always be opened.”
Rinne blinked, and found himself standing at the foot of a large stage. The man stood in front of him, on the stage, dressed in a weird houndstooth yellow and red accented suit with a bee gem. He pointed down at Rinne, smiling brightly. “One day, you’ll fly free. And not as a bird, but as a bee. You’ll chase after a dream, you’ll fall from the sky, but you must never stop chasing it.”
Rinne’s eyes widened. “And even if you do feel like you’ve lost everything, there will be others there to drag you back up, even with broken wings. Broken wings can always be mended, and you too can shine as bright as a star.” The man twirled, a microphone dropping into his hand.
Rinne’s eyes sparkled. It was breathtaking, the man really was shining.
"Someone to love, someone to tease, someone to care for. Old family, new friends. So much is waiting for you, kyahah~ So never give up!"
A gust of wind blew through, and Rinne felt himself being pulled back towards the woods. The trees encroached quickly, the city all but swallowed up.
“Onii-san! What…What’s your name?” Rinne cried out, as he tried to fight the wind, his robes billowing in the wind, his headband coming undone and flying off.
The man grinned down at him, smiling as bright as the stars in the sky. He stuck a peace sign out, his red hair wild and unruly. Sharp bright blue eyes and a toothy grin, a fiery and wild personality that didn't let anything stop him.
“My name is Amagi Rinne, and I am an idol!”