Experimentation Is Without Its Bouts Of Failure. Rather Than To Indicate Poor Execution, Lapses In Technical

Experimentation is without its bouts of failure. Rather than to indicate poor execution, lapses in technical adequacy may serve as a means to refinement and a redirection of the experiment's goals.

That is, if such redirection must lead Rui Kamishiro a couple years back into the past without any means for return.

It was unintentional, really. Rui was merely revisiting one of his previous inventions to use for their next show. Usually he'd opt to start from the scratch when it comes to creating special effects and devices for a creative approach. However, he'd decided that a revision of his inventions may yield an interesting outcome.

And interestingly so, tinkering with a time machine did.

Rui surveys the area that he was transported at and finds himself standing on a familiar street in the city with lines of houses surrounding him. It is a relief that he wasn't sent into another country due to the time reversal, that only lessens the amount of effort he needs to exert to go back.

Although...

Rui turns, expecting to see the same dome-shaped machine to greet him but instead he meets an open gate to a large mansion. Before his muddled, sleep-deprived mind can register the familiar structure of the front garden and entrance, the door opens, revealing a boy in his middle school uniform.

As one would expect to react to a stranger on their doorstep, the boy yelps, staggering a few steps back into the room in shock. "Y-You—!"

Sunset hair, vibrantly colored eyes and a loud, booming voice of a million decibels—it is without a doubt that Tsukasa Tenma is the boy standing there in front of him.

"Hello," he greets, still a bit dumbfounded from the fast pace of occurrences flashing by him in seconds. "I'm sorry for intruding you."

"Oh! W-Well, there's no need for apologies. I just wasn't mindful is all!" Unexpectedly, a rush of red flushes the star's cheeks. "May I help you?"

There's a couple of things to note. One is that Tsukasa clearly doesn't recognize him and two is that he's definitely, without a doubt in his brilliant mind much younger than his actual age.

Much shorter too, he thinks then giggles internally, but Tsukasa-kun has always been rather short.

At the back of his mind, Rui realizes that interacting with a Tsukasa-kun in the past may alter the timeline of their first meeting and possibly cause a time paradox and that he must find a way to evacuate quickly. It is a reasonable thought, one that should be heeded and listened to in caution but something within Rui's desires drives him to step closer to the flustered student and ruffle the strands of his hair.

He smiles, wearing that one particular smile that he knows Tsukasa maddens over. "There's a favor actually~ Promise you won't tell anyone? It's a bit of a personal matter."

"I-I—!" As expected, Tsukasa's blush intensifies and his eyes restlessly look back and forth at his face. He fidgets with the buttons of his shirt, mumbling, "Well, as long as I can help someone in need..."

Ahhh~ Tsukasa-kun is always so cute~ It's way too easy to tease him.

He chuckles lowly, "Then if I may ask—hm?"

Before he can question Tsukasa where the nearest hardware store was in their area (although he already knows, he was merely savoring the time to talk to the young star), the sounds of running footsteps resounds across the street accompanied by the screech of someone's yell slowly increasing in volume.

Then suddenly, something slams into him.

The impact was immediate and the effects instantaneous. One second, Rui Kamishiro is standing tall on his 180cm glory near Tsukasa and the next he is lying face down on the concrete ground, a schoolbag over his bruised head and a stream of blood gushing out from his grinning mouth. Tsukasa screams in worry, yelling out whether he's okay.

And then, a voice as loud and shrilling as Tsukasa's thunders the area. "Stay away from my brother, you creep!!!!"