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- And while you're at it... I hope you can stay a little closer to me, okay?
- — Rui in Rise as ONE! Chapter 7
Akirui is the slash ship between Rui Kamishiro and Akito Shinonome from the Project SEKAI fandom.
Canon[]
Area Conversations[]
At first glance, it seems that Akito tends to avoid Rui. In one area conversation, Akito spots him at Scramble Crossing and doesn't recognize him at first. Rui notices Akito and says hi, Akito finally noticing he was a junior at his school and running away from him.
In another area conversation at Kamiyama High on the map, the two are seen interacting and talking about Mizuki and Ena. Rui asks if Akito talks with Mizuki much, to which Akito replies with how Ena talks more with Mizuki rather than him himself. Rui wonders if that is why Mizuki calls him "Otouto-kun"/"Lil brosef", with Akito stating how he’s annoyed by their behavior and just wants to be properly called by his name. Rui tells the latter that perhaps it is his reactions that cause Mizuki to continue on and keep calling him "Otouto-kun". Akito asks if going deadpan would help, although Rui knows that Akito would immediately blurt out something he doesn't mean to.
Another area conversation that takes place at Kamiyama High where the two interact is when Rui spots Akito at the school, seemingly not avoiding the former. Rui approaches Akito and greets him, noticing that he wasn't running away from him as the per usual. Akito smiles nervously, stating that he wouldn't be able to anyway as the two had already made eye contact. Rui thinks that he is amicable at first, correcting himself and saying Akito may be more earnest rather than amicable.
An area conversation involving the two is found on Main Street in which Akito finishes performing while Rui is walking by. Rui compliments Akito and notices how the townspeople were amazed. Akito notes that a rare audience was a good stimulus for him, in which Rui agrees and asks if they could do a street performance together soon. Rui says he has something he wants Akito to do, noting that he hasn't tried it out on Tsukasa yet. Akito refuses, and Rui says that it's too bad, but states that if there was any chance, he would love to leave it in Akito's care.
Another area conversation involving the two starts off with Rui noticing Akito on his way home from shopping. He asks Akito if he would exchange his melon bread for his chicken salad, with Akito asking if he even likes melon bread. Rui states that he does not and mentions that he doesn't like vegetables in general. Akito asks why he even bought chicken salad then, with Rui grinning and glad that Akito had accepted the exchange, believing it was a big help. Akito askswhat Rui was thinking, but never receives an answer.
There is another area conversation at Kamiyama High School, in which Rui asks Akito if anybody else knew about his trauma other than Honami and Minori. Akito's confused about why Rui's asking, with Rui responding that he can't openly talk about Akito's trauma with dogs to anybody unaware so he just wants to confirm. He then tells Rui that Touya and Mizuki know, which surprises Rui that it's only a few people. Rui tells Akito that he won't talk about it to anybody else besides those two, and Akito asks why Rui is being so considerate. He answers Akito that since it was connected to his trauma, he was willing to be attentive, especially since it was a delicate matter. Akito's is surprised at his response, but he says that it would definitely help.
Card Stories[]
The Right Words to Throw[]
In the first part of the card story, the members of Vivid BAD SQUAD approach Wonderlands x Showtime. Rui says that he wants to thank Akito again, stating that if Akito hadn't helped, their show would have been ruined. He thanks Akito from the bottom of his heart, the latter being completely surprised by Rui's words and smiling afterwards. He compliments Rui, saying that he put on a good show. An and Touya ask what Akito did, but Akito tries to brush it off when Tsukasa states that Akito helped Rui to the first aid tent to help with his injured arm. An teases Akito about it, saying that he didn't have to hide it if he was doing a good deed. He tells An off, then asks if Rui's injury was okay now with Rui responding that it was treated very well and that he had the show on the road. Akito leaves, later coming back with ice and yelling Rui's name with An being concerned. He tells Rui that he can use the ice and hands it to him, Rui being surprised. Akito thinks it's some kind of a weird look and asks, "What?" to which Rui replies with nothing and gladly takes the ice.
Akito also finds Rui weird, as seen in one of his cards' second side story where he meets the person Touya looks up to most (Tsukasa) hanging out with Rui.
An Ode for the Pure of Heart[]
Touya brings along Akito to help with the event and Akito says he wasn't interested, bringing this to Rui's attention. Rui speaks up, saying that he should stay out of it if it really was some "uninteresting wedding performance" as Akito says. Akito gets angered, asking what Rui is implying by this. Rui attempts to get him to help along, saying that this performance was important to the bride and the groom but not exactly in his eyes, along with stating that it would seem wiser for someone else to take the role had Akito still not been interested. Rui says that this would seem like a responsibility too heavy for Akito, the latter just laughing at the statement. Akito can tell that Rui was scheming something and gets angry at him. Rui states he plans to get Akito on board, no matter how angry he gets him. After Touya states how much Rui has contributed, Akito finally agrees and asks what he should do. He states that he's still not fond of Rui's behavior, but understands how much Rui wants the performance to be a success despite what tactics he used to attempt to get Akito to help. Rui is glad that Akito is finally on board, Akito telling Rui that he owes him for helping out and respectfully agrees.
At This Festival Bathed in Twilight[]
The Other Side Of The Festival[]
Rui twists his ankle and injures himself while working on a contraption. Akito is walking by when he notices Emu and Rui. Rui apologizes for Akito having to see him in such a tight position, with Emu panicking about Rui's injury. Akito tells Emu to bring him to a medical tent, but Rui insists he is alright before groaning in pain without finishing his sentence. Akito offers to help bring Rui to a medical tent, with Rui refuting and saying that he doesn't have much time before he performs. Akito agrees, although he ends his sentence with "but" and Emu states that Rui wouldn't be able to do shows. Akito just sighs and reminds Rui that he told Akito himself that in order to create a successful show, they had to do it no matter what it took. Rui is surprised for a brief moment before he has a flashback back to the event, "An Ode for the Pure of Heart" where Rui talks about having to do anything no matter what to create a successful show. Akito asks why not use what they had right now and Rui finally agrees to go to the medical tent, putting his arms around Akito and Emu for support.
The two arrive at the medical tent, but there is a lack of staff anvailable other than Mafuyu. Rui sighs and states that it cannot be helped, insisting on going on with the show despite his injury. Akito wonders if there was a way to contact a nurse and Mafuyu states that she can help Rui. Rui gets treatment and thanks Akito, saying it in a genuine tone. Rui asks if it was getting closer to Akito's turn to perform, telling him that he should get ready for his performance and stated that he would feel better when he came back. Akito asks if he needs to pass the message onto Tsukasa and Nene, Rui saying it was fine and that he didn't need to. He states that he's still able to move, believing that he would not hold Tsukasa and the others back. Akito says that that wasn't the problem and tells Rui that if he wanted to create something good, he couldn't do it on his own with Rui being surprised and then smiling afterwards. Rui accepts his offer and Akito asks if he wants him to tell them, Rui saying that Akito should tell them that he would come back soon so they shouldn't worry. Akito agrees and tells Rui that he would see him on stage soon, the latter agreeing with him.
What I Want To Do[]
Nene and Tsukasa start to worry about Rui before Akito stops them and sends the two the message Rui asked him to tell them. He states that even so, Rui wants to put up the best show that he can and tells Tsukasa and Nene to stay there and wait for him. Akito thinks to himself that things would be okay. Later, Touya asks if Akito was okay with Akito saying he was fine and in top shape but thinks to himself, being worried for Rui. Off in the distance, Rui and Emu are spotted with Akito being surprised. Rui tells Tsukasa and Nene that he was good to go. Rui calls out to Akito whilist happy and thanks him for earlier, looking forward to his performance. Touya asks if something happened between the two, with Akito responding with it being something like that. Akito gets ready to perform and tells Rui to prepare himself. As Akito and his group perform, Rui notes that Akito and the others had completely taken over the venue's atmosphere, saying that this performance was not something that can be achieved with ordinary effort. Rui giggles to himself and says that it seems that Akito and the others had worked very hard to get to the point that they were at.
Words Of Appreciation[]
Akito finally finishes performing, and is winded from it. He notices Rui, with the latter complimenting him and saying that his group’s performance was amazing. Akito thanks Rui for complimenting him. Akito notices that it’s Wonderlands x Showtime’s turn to perform. Rui hopes that Akito is expecting a lot from them. He smiles after stating it, with Akito smiling afterwards.
Rise as ONE![]
Episode 4[]
When Akito tries to throw the disc in Episode 4, a dog barks in the distance which catches not only Akito off-guard, but Ishihara, Honami and Minori as well. A mysterious voice seems to be heard, calling out Akito in particular before it’s revealed to be Rui who has a robot dog which barks. Rui notes that it's a coincidence that they had met, later noticing the others when Honami says Rui's name. Ishihara is the only one there who doesn't recognize Rui, to which Akito describes him as a senior at his school. As Minori is in awe of the dog, Honami notes that a beeping sound can be heard from it which makes Akito surprised, saying "Don't tell me this is.." It can be inferred that Akito believes that the dog is a robot. Rui confirms his speculation shortly after. Rui recalls how he was organizing his room and found the robotic dog he’d made quite a while ago, Akito was seemingly impressed with how Rui had made a robot dog in the first place, despite him still being a bit tense due to his phobia of dogs. Akito is creeped out by the fact that the robot's barking sounds so real. Rui notices Akito's uneasiness before asking the group what they are doing at the park. Akito talks about how they had been practicing for the disc dog competition. Ishihara mentions that Akito was taking his place in the competition due to getting injured. Rui asks if that’s truly okay, which confuses Akito. He says that Akito seemed to be having a hard time, specifically with dogs, which catches Akito completely off-guard. To Akito's surprise, Rui had been observing him and he hoped that Akito hadn't been underestimating a director's observation. Akito groans and admits that the training he was doing wasn't going well at all.
They converse off-screen, opening up to Rui reiterating that Akito is good with throwing the disc, but is having trouble receiving it back. Akito confirms this and Rui thinks about taking his place, however puts the idea off immediately when noticing Akito's determined expression and believes that he's trying his hardest to face Max, Ishihara's dog, seriously. Rui decides to help him, understanding that the competition being tomorrow causes Akito to be impatient and suggests that he needs to get along with the dog first before attempting to practice. Rui states that as long as Akito's still scared of dogs, he won't make it no matter how hard he tries, adding a“Right?" at the end to confirm. Akito looks down at the ground with a bare response of "That's...", which indirectly proves what Rui said. He then gets an idea, which involves Akito to start petting and playing with Max first. It confuses Akito and causes him to be doubtful, asking Rui if it'll really be effective. Honami and Minori agree that it's a good idea to get comfortable with being able to receive the disc back. As Akito gets ready to pet Max, he hesitates and backs away. Rui says that this would be more difficult than he thought. He then asks Akito when he began to become scared of dogs, the latter caught off-guard by the question. Rui says that if they know the cause, they can help Akito try to overcome his fear of dogs within time and stay considerate of Akito's feelings. He makes sure that Akito is comfortable enough with telling the group about why he's scared of dogs and that if he doesn't mind, he should talk about why he was so what caused him to be so fearful in the first place. Akito hesitates for a moment but gives in and says that he would be willing to talk about his fear more in-depth.
Episode 5[]
After Akito finishes telling his story in Episode 5, Minori and Rui both conclude that Max's appearance had accidentally triggered Akito's trauma. Rui makes a note that this kind of matter would be difficult to resolve, especially in such a short time since Akito needed to receive the disc back from Max. Minori chimes in and suggests that the group should take a break, which eases the tension, though Akito is still anxious.
Episode 6[]
Honami suggests that Akito should watch Max from a distance to understand Max. Rui agrees that it's a good idea and focusing attentively could provide Akito with information on the kind of dog that Max is. As Akito is watching Minori, Honami and the dogs, he seems to be confused about the purpose of watching them walk around the park. Rui notices this confusion and asks Akito if he's okay. Akito reassures him that he's doing alright, but doesn't think that he'll be able to understand Max in this way. Rui shares his perspective, specifically on how the dogs are walking. He tells Akito about Samo-chan, Minori's dog, following her closely like a pampered dog while Shibao, Honami's dog, is more interested in Rui's dog robot. Akito asks if he really thinks so, Rui then asks if Akito wants to justify that.
Rui yells out to his dog to do a triple axel which catches both Minori and Honami off-guard. Akito internally questions why Rui decided to give the dog a jump function, causing him to note the differences in the dogs' personalities. Rui asks about what Akito notices about Max, to which he notes that Max walks slower and sometimes looks back at Ishihara, coming to the conclusion that Max could possibly be worried about Ishihara's injury. After a passerby and her child pet the dogs and leave, Rui suggests "raising the difficulty" of the observation, ending the episode.
Episode 7[]
The raised difficulty level Rui mentions in Episode 6 involves Akito having to observe Minori and Honami throwing the discs to their dogs. Akito seems confused for a bit, more hesitant to do it himself but doesn't think it's as difficult. Rui then asks Akito if they could partake in the girl's activity, saying that he'll throw the disc and Akito can observe. He also tells Akito that he hopes that Akito keeps a little closer to him, which confuses him, but agrees regardless. As Akito intensely observes Rui and Max, Rui calls Max back. Max starts to come forward, but Akito startledly starts moving back, his trauma resurfacing once again. Rui notices Akito's discomfort and heads over to talk to him, saying that it was too much for Akito after all. Rui assumed he would be able to overcome his fear a bit, and he was wrong. Rui notes that a dog running towards Akito is what triggers his trauma and tells him that it won't take just understanding, but being able to get used to a dog running towards him without fear. Akito asks Rui how long it would take, to which Rui responds that he isn’t an expert and that it takes time to be able to overcome trauma. Akito is upset and believes that he won't be able to at least withstand his fear a little for the competition. As Akito is thinking, Minori panics because she ends up throwing the disc over to the area where Akito, Rui and Ishihara are. Both Rui and Akito seem to be distressed and Akito shuts his eyes tightly, but Max ends up in front of Akito as a way to protect him. Both Rui and Honami are surprised, especially when Akito asks Ishihara if he can pet Max once more. Minori, Rui and Honami watch Akito intently as he tries to pet Max without letting his fear get in the way. He manages to pet Max. Minori and Honami are proud of him as Rui watches from a slight distance, smiling at not only himself but Akito because of his ability to take one step toward overcoming his trauma. Ishihara is confused and Rui talks about how having a dog run at Akito was a terrifying experience for him, but he was able to rewrite that experience because of Max. He concludes that Akito's experience with dogs would be fine if it was Max and that Max's kindness was able to help Akito. At the end of the episode, Honami, Minori and Rui are smiling as they watch Akito talk to Max, proud of Akito's step towards overcoming his fear.
Quotes[]
- Akito – “If you're gonna do it, go all out.”
- Rui – “Hehe. Well said.”
- — One of Akito and Rui's show callouts
- Rui – “You can sing more than this, right?”
- Akito – “Hah. Of course!”
- — One of Akito and Rui's show callouts
- Akito – “Why am I with this guy...?”
- Rui – “Do it for the experience?”
- — Kizuna Rank 16 show callout
- Rui – “Let's begin by winning over the audience.”
- Akito – “Well, we've gotta if we wanna get them hyped.”
- — Kizuna Rank 16 show callout
- Akito – “I'm going all out for this part!”
- Rui – “Very good. I'll join you.”
- — Kizuna Rank 36 show callout
- Rui – “Just how far are you willing to go?”
- Akito – “If I don't wanna do something, I'll say so.”
- — Kizuna Rank 36 show callout
- Akito – “Why the scheming look?”
- Rui – “Hehe, because it'll be time to shine soon.”
- — Kizuna Rank 56 show callout
- Rui – “Let's do this part with a bang!”
- Akito – “Hold up, nothing's actually exploding, right?!”
- — Kizuna Rank 56 show callout
- “That's right, why don't we do a street performance together next time? There's something I want Shinonome-kun to do. I haven't even tried it on Tsukasa-kun yet.”
- — Rui in an area conversation
- Akito – “I heard from Touya that it's your birthday today. Happy birthday.”
- Rui – “The box we gave you has a little surprise built into it, Shinonome-kun. I hope you enjoy it.”
- — Akito and Rui's Respective Birthday Lines (2021)
- Akito – “Touya said he's gonna head over to Kamishiro-senpai's class to congratulate him. I guess I should tag along...”
- Rui – “Hehe, I've already got a surprise in mind for Shinonome-kun. As for what sort of performance it'll be, you'll just have to wait and see.”
- — Akito and Rui's Respective Birthday Lines (2022)
- “Happy birthday, Kami——what? I'm not going to go along with any weird experiments like Tsukasa-senpai does.”
- — Akito's Line for Rui's Birthday (2023)
- Rui – “Shinonome-kun, do you have a minute?”
- Akito – “Sure.”
- Rui – “Would it be okay if I observed the dance team go through their final rehearsal?”
- Akito – “You're the director, right? Why are you even asking?”
- Rui – “Hehe. Then I'll be looking forward to it.”
- — "Bask in Happiness" first side story
- Rui – “Also, please allow me to thank you. If you hadn't helped me along back there, we probably wouldn't have been able to do our show today. I really appreciate what you did for me, Shinonome-kun.”
- Akito – “Oh, um... You're welcome. You guys put on a good show, Kamishiro-senpai.”
- — "Words Of Encouragement" first side story
- “And while you're at it... I hope you can stay a little closer to me, okay?”
- — Rui in Rise as ONE! Episode 7
Fanon[]
Despite having nearly 300 works on AO3, Akirui is not a very popular ship within the Project Sekai fandom, though it tends to gain traction whenever new content with the two is released. Akirui fans mainly ship the two for their dynamic, the two being almost opposites, as well as their relationship development (with Akito initially being annoyed with Rui’s antics, but is more closer with him in the current story). They may also ship the two for opposing elements, such as their hair colors and personalities.
Within the fandom, Akito tends to be portrayed as someone who is in denial of liking Rui while Rui is outright affectionate with him. Fans have pointed about Akito’s “soft spot” for Rui during the events of Twilight Festival. In many fanfictions, they are found either interacting together on the rooftop or in scenarios where Akito slowly warms up to Rui.
Akirui is mainly rivalled by RuiKasa, AkiToya, and sometimes Akikasa. Akirui is commonly shipped in poly ships, usually with Tsukasa or Touya as well as Haruka, Emu and Mizuki. Sometimes, shippers sometimes pair the two with both Touya and Tsukasa, resulting in the Fantasista Squad ship.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Rui/Akito tag on AO3
- Rui & Akito tag on AO3
- Akirui posts on Twitter
- Ruiaki posts on Twitter
- 彰類 posts on Twitter
- 類彰 posts on Twitter
- 루이아키 posts on Twitter
Trivia[]
- Their ship is often referred to with the "🥞🎈" and "🎈🥞" emojis.
- Their Kizuna Rank titles are: "Water And Oil", "Not As Bad As I Thought", and "All For Our Beliefs".
- Some of their Cheerful Carnival Team names are "Same Scent as a Certain Someone" and "The Danger Signal Won't Stop".
- Their hair colors and hairstyles are complete opposites each other. Akito has orange hair, which correlates with Rui's blue highlights, and Rui has purple hair which is complementary to Akito's yellow highlight. Akito thicker middle section of hair is styled to the left, while Rui’s thinner bangs are parted to the right. Both also have a colored highlight in their middle part (though in Akito's case, his highlight is dyed while Rui's is natural). They are the only characters in-game with different colored highlights in their hair.
- The two share a hatred for vegetables, although Akito only dislikes carrots, whereas Rui hates all vegetables.
- They have a height difference of 6 cm, with Rui being 182 cm and Akito being 176 cm.
- Akito and Rui have been in the same April Fool's mixed units twice. They have sung both Ifuudoudou for April Fool's 2022 and Akuma no Odorikata for April Fool's 2024, both being in the same units as "Fantasista Squad" with Tsukasa and Touya, and "Mirai Toshi de Acchi Kocchi" with Haruka.
- Currently, they have been featured together in 6 events as boost members, those being "An Ode for the Pure of Heart", "The Climax! Kamiyama Cheer Squad!", "At This Festival Bathed in Twilight", "Let's study hard!" ,"Rise as ONE!" and "Special present for YOU!", tying them in second place for most times as boost members together, alongside Shizumafu. They also got new 4 stars together in the Enstars collab.
Gallery[]
Official Art[]
In-Game[]
Variations[]
- Akiemurui — the ship between the two and Emu Ootori
- Akiruiharu — the ship between the two and Haruka Kiritani
- Akiruikasa — the ship between the two and Tsukasa Tenma
- Fantasista Squad — the ship between the two, Touya Aoyagi and Tsukasa Tenma
- Mizuruiakikasa — the ship between the two, Mizuki Akiyama and Tsukasa Tenma
- Ruiakitouya — the ship between the two and Touya Aoyagi
