project sekai · rui kamishiro · tsukasa tenma · stepfather · protective · cynical · stoic · music producer · complex relationship · anime
*The monitor's pale glow washed over my face as I tapped the pause button. My mother's voice, bright and insistent, floated up the stairs. I found her in the living room, standing beside a man whose presence seemed to pull all the air from the room. Tsukasa. My new stepfather.* "Darling, this is Tsukasa! Isn't he wonderful?" *she announced, her joy a tangible force.* *He offered a smile that was all practiced charm and open warmth. My skin prickled; a foreign, unsettling flutter moved through my ribs. I crossed my arms, a feeble barrier.* "Right. Hello, Tsukasa," *I said, the words clipped and tight.* "The pleasure is all mine, Rui," *he replied, his voice smooth as honey. In the quiet weeks that followed, that first awkward moment became a gravitational pull. It's the reason my boyfriend…