Update, 19.02.16; I re-wrote it, because I love this au so much and I never was happy with how it turned out. But now I'm quite satisfied with it, I hope you also like it! I'm also thinking about writing more for it, but I'm not sure.

This story was originally uploaded on March 21, 2k15.

KagePro belongs to Jin.

Shintaro stared at the screen, and he didn't know how he exactly felt. Scared, nervous… wait, about what?

Right. Those losers.

He'd never trusted in anyone, that's a fact. Until he met Ayano.

She's an easy-going, annoyingly optimistic girl who often complains about her grades. A person Shintaro can confidently define as his absolute contrary. But this person, however, has somehow managed to get past his obnoxious first layer of awkwardness, and they became friends.

And there's just this small detail; she lives in the exact opposite part of the country.

He doesn't even remember when it got to that, but soon, he found himself chatting with her everyday.

Then, she introduced him to her friends, and they share things in common with Ayano. Because they're as dumb and... they, too had brought him to be tricked by his own emotions. If simpler words are needed; Haruka and Takane also became his friends.

And it happened the same thing; he started to talk with them everyday. On the group chat, or in private. But with his phone in hand and ignoring the sad everyday world he lives in, there's always one of the three usual contacts waiting for him to answer something.

It was something new to him… having friends. It's taxing, really.

Well, it's been two years, by now he has already accepted that they are his friends. And that he's actually glad to have them.

Ayano is a cheerful idiot, a little too enthusiastic about stories, especially if they involve some kind of hero with a red accessory. Takane is an obnoxious jerk, a girl who thinks that winning is everything, and gets crazy whenever someone (Shintaro) beats her at the violent game she's so good at. And Haruka is another cheerful idiot, but he's more of a big nerd than anything, one that draws quite good and for some reason knows a lot about dinosaurs, he also repeats 'I'm hungry' way too often.

Yes, they sound like the kind of people he'd despice, but by the moment he realizes that, Shintaro's already friends with them and is answering in the group chat that his favorite color is red, making Ayano go crazy. They're so stupid, sending emojies in some kind of emoji-war until his phone's screen freezes because of all the messages, only working again for him to read Haruka claiming victory. And despite being like that, it was strangely easy to talk to them.

Two years of friendship is quite a lot, but apparently, not enough to be completely open yet. Of them, he can only see their texts. He can just read them say they're doing fine, but he doesn't know what kind of things happen in their daily life, and it frightens Shintaro that he actually had no idea how the people, that he had somehow gotten attached to, live.

But then, without really thinking about it, he makes an angsty post, because that's the kind of thing he does when he's sad and not reviewing an anime. And Takane, the same girl who calls him a 'pathetic virgin hikiNEET' on daily basis, and argues with him with harsh words, sees it. She sees him talking to no one about being sad, she reads the post that's actually supposed to be ignored because really, no one's ever asked him 'what's wrong?' after reading those.

But she, Takane, does. She's incredibly gentle, and Shintaro almost thinks she's mistaking the chat with Haruka's. She isn't.

He's not even sure why she's so worried, and it only clicks that it's about that post when Ayano and Haruka also get online and are messaging him desperately, asking him if he's okay.

They offer to listen, so Shintaro, in his weakest moment, says every single thing going through his mind.

Ayano isn't interrupting him to talk about heroes, Takane isn't making fun of him for being pathetic, and Haruka isn't sending pictures of the silly drawings of dinosaurs he had made at some point of boredom.

They actually listened and talked to him. It sickens him to remember that moment of weakness, really. But it seemed like all those upsetting things unspoken from the previous two years were finally being said. Except that, they're being written, and sent.

Even if it's just talking over the internet, he feels loved by every new message, feeling that life isn't all that bad after all when there is always one of them typing on the chat group seconds after he sent his text. In two years of friendship they didn't talk about all the things they talked about that night.

The situations aren't pretty, though. Ayano's mother had died last summer, and Shintaro just knows she's crying as she's typing down on the computer how her family had been broken from then on. Takane lives in a big, lonely place because her parents had left her a long time ago, probably forgetting that they had a daughter in the first place, one they had left with no one but a woman stuck in a wheelchair, her grandmother. Haruka, repeating over and over he's sorry for not having told them about it, admitted that it's not only that he gets sick easily and often, but it's actually that he's got a quite severe illness, a deadly one that keeps him in a hospital.

Most of the nights, Shintaro falls asleep wondering if they're feeling sad.

At the very least, now they're capable of talking without holding back because 'right, they don't know about this' is no longer an issue. They can actually be honest, so that's why Haruka complains so often about the little amount of food they give him at the hospital, or why Takane always curses about having to help her granny in the shower, or why Ayano keeps talking about that crazy father of hers that won't stop mourning over his long-gone wife.

Those things made them strengthen their relationship, though, because despite all of it they're there for each other. Shintaro cares about them, if they're doing fine, or simply about the things that they like or dislike. And it isn't that he believes that they, too, share those feelings. He knows they do.

He has people he cares about. And they also care about him. So, in reality, life isn't that terrible. Not if there are people by your side to complain with, right?

But now? Now's kind of a different story. Now, he was sitting in front of his computer, running his jittery fingers through his hair as he re-read the last conversation in the group chat.

His eyes catch on the last part of the long and stupid conversation about ice-cream flavors.

Red Hero: wait shintaro!

Red Hero: hold on a second don't go yeeet

Red Hero: i want to say something! (^～^)

SADBOY7: what is it now?

EnE: u better dont start talking about heroes again

EnE: 'cause you just go on and on with those

EnE: and then we'll have to kick u out of the chat

Konoha: hahahaha

Konoha: I think ayano's stories are cool though! ( ´ ∀ ` )

Red Hero: of course they are!

Red Hero: oh, but that's not what i was going to say!

Red Hero: do you guys have webcam capabilities?

Red Hero: and if you do, do you have skype accounts?

EnE: um what

Konoha: eh?

SADBOY7: ?

Red Hero: those reactions aren't really nice （；へ：）

Red Hero: it's been a while since we are friends but we've never seen each other's faces!

Red Hero: how is that possible? it's so sad （；へ：）

Konoha: you're right (」・ω・)」

Konoha: I'd like to see you guys!

Red Hero: ヽ(;^o^ヽ)

EnE: well

EnE: yeah its ok i guess

EnE: tbh i wanna see that my friends arent just those texts

SADBOY7: you discovered my secret

SADBOY7: i'm actually a robot

EnE: i said my friends

EnE: not you lol

SADBOY7: fuck off

Red Hero: oh

Red Hero: …is it a bad idea?

Konoha: noo o(；△；)o

EnE: no wait its cool

EnE: idk u guys but ill be on skype tomorrow if thats the case?

EnE: at five?

Konoha: yay! I'll be there too ヽ(^◇^*)/

Red Hero: really?

Red Hero: yay!

Red Hero: shintaro?

SADBOY7: ok

Red Hero: /hugs and kisses you all/ can't wait!

It's 4:56 p.m.

Shintaro knew how he was feeling. He was anxious.

He was glad to talk to the only people he could bring himself to call his friends, but at the same time, he was worried. He wasn't the best conversationalist, and Momo and his mom were probably the only ones he had actually spoken to.

Receiving a message, his computer beeped and he quickly pulled up the contact screen. He had just been added to a group chat by Ayano, and Shintaro saw that Takane and Haruka were already there. The group was called 'Cool Gang' and as an icon, it had a picture of a little kitten dressed as Superman. Probably Ayano's was one to blame.

The seconds go by, none of them say anything, nor click the 'video call' button. Shintaro just stares at the screen, waiting for something.

Tateyama: hi?

Well.

Kokonose: Hi! ヾ( ^▽^ )ノ

Enomoto: here

Tateyama: shintaro?

Kisaragi: .

Enomoto: really

Enomoto: a dot

Kisaragi: yes

Kokonose: don't start you guys (;*△*;)

Kisaragi: what? i didn't do anything

Kisaragi: she started it

Enomoto: oh god youre literally 5 years old

Enomoto: now all of us are going to see that

He was about to type a totally smart and amazing come back to her, but the sound of Skype's dumb dial tone begun to ring through his earphones. Finally, Ayano was the one who called.

Shintaro swallowed a little, as a stupid concern of if he even looked decent tormented him. He also realized with an inane sense of anxiety that he, actually, had no idea how they even looked like. They haven't sent him any photos, and they don't really take selfies in the first place, and if they do, they definitely hasn't posted them online.

He really didn't know what to expect, and by sudden he felt embarrassed. He got even more flustered when he noticed that he was the only one left, and that all three of them were already in video call. He took a big breath before clicking the green button, and closed his eyes as he internally panicked.

All at once, the stupid ringing stopped, as Skype did its job. The screen was taken up with three pixelated figures that were quickly growing clearer. He could see them better if his eyes were completely open, and at the second thought of that they could see him with his eyes closed, being dumb, he opened them.

The cameras were adjusted, and he hoped that his own was, too. Because he really didn't want to look all pixelated or frozen. Shintaro saw and analyzed the three of them in one second, before they could even say something.

Haruka's the first one he sees. Well, he guesses it's him, because it's not really hard to see if he's literally the only boy out of the three faces shown on the screen. Plus, there's a kind of tell-tale white background. His hair going into millions of directions, it was probably messier than Shintaro's own. A small, shy smile placed on his face, his eyes are looking down, and Shintaro can see the boy playing with the strings hanging from his green hoodie.

Then, he saw one of the girls. A girl who definitely had to be Takane. Her hair was tied up into messy twintails (really though, do those kids even brush their hair?) and she was resting her head on one of her hands, looking rather uninterested. Unlike Haruka, she doesn't really look shy, or maybe that's just the bad quality that prevents Shintaro from seeing her well. And... he did not just think that the obnoxious Takane is cute, didn't he?

Oh, but looking at Ayano, he totally forgets about it. Ayano's smile was big, and it's definitely the brightest and prettiest smile he's ever seen. Shintaro could have sworn that when he connected, her smile grew. He kind of wants to ask why she's wearing a scarf, because it's summer. But, that's just her. She's weird. Her hair's tied up into a ponytail, and she has two red hairclips holding a part of her bangs, and she's just so, so pretty. She is abnormally cute. Probably even more than his 2D wifes...

Then, breaking the silence that seemed to have no end, Takane is indeed the first one to speak. "So, you guys aren't robots," she says, in a much more amiable voice than Shintaro expected. "That's good to know."

Haruka and Ayano both start chuckling, and people should not be allowed to chuckle that cutely. How was it even possible...?

"It's a relief, isn't it?" Shintaro internally melts when he hears Ayano's voice, and he just wishes he could see her rosy lips in real life.

No one say anything again, so after this new silence, Takane talks once again, in an attempt of filling it somehow.

"I have no idea what to say."

She's just so practical.

"Way to make it awkward," Shintaro can't help himself answering to her, but he thanks god for not making his voice go all squeaky.

"Whaaat? Shintaro, you sound deeper than I thought!" Ayano laughs again, and he feels himself heat up by hearing his own name with her sweet tone of voice.

"Huh, so he wasn't a five years old after all," Takane covers her mouth as she yawns, and it looks like she's about to say something else, but she doesn't. Ayano sees her chance to start talking again.

"Haruka? You haven't said anything yet!" she says, and Shintaro noticed Takane jump a little, suddenly looking interested in what was on her screen. She's just so obvious, and Haruka is now snickering, and on Shintaro's screen she's suddenly smiling after a frozen second of his computer. He wonders if those two even try to hide their not-so-platonic feelings for each other.

In response, Haruka just smiles, a light blush coloring his cheeks as he covers his sheepish grin with his sleeve. "…Ah, hi?"

"Hi!" Ayano waves enthusiastically, and at the thought of the girl waving at a screen like an idiot, Shintaro feels like laughing. But he doesn't, because he had to play it cool, right?

After that, there was even more silence, and he just kept himself busy by adjusting shades or sounds, so he's at least doing something that's not stare at them like an idiot, but as he did that, Ayano spoke up.

"Okay, well," she begins, as she tucks a strand of hair that her ponytail didn't reach behind her ear. "It's nice to know that you guys are actually people," the girl chuckles, and the two other idiots laugh along. Shintaro just listened to her words without changing his expression. "And this is kinda awkward, haha, we'll probably be silent for a few more minutes… but… um… well, I love you guys!"

He almost choked with his own saliva, mentally calling her all the rude names he could think of, because that means he'll have to say back, out loud, something as embarrassing as that. But before he could stop himself, his lips were curved into a smile, despite his own thoughts, he isn't upset at all. He hears Haruka and Takane replying that they love her, each other, and Shintaro himself too.

His mind feels so fresh, and so clear. Maybe, two years ago, when he was an angsty guy sitting in his bedroom by his own, he wouldn't have ever smiled like this, even if he tried (especially since everytime he intends a smile he ends up looking like a haunting ghost.) But today, he's smiling, and in a genuine way too, so it doesn't really matter if he's technically still an angsty guy sitting in his bedroom, because now, he isn't by his own.

The words come out by themselves, though he knew he actually wanted to say them anyway. He'll deal with the embarrassment later.

"I love you guys, too."