i'll go with a pure "slice-of-life" au rewrite, just because it's easier to answer. so i'll reframe it like this:

how would kanata and keito meet, if they lived "normal lives". i'll still put kanata in his cult, but it's more of a madara/souma adjacent vibe, not "he is the living god and has been raised to be beyond human skills". it's just his religion, and he doesn't play a key role. they'd be mid/late-20s, because we love 30s ennui yaoi.

keito probably would've gone to university? okay. I have this non-idol au I made with a friend. he gets a good, high-paying job. it's not notable to him or his skills at all, it's just a wealthy business that's doing well. nondescript. he has no general satisfaction with his life besides his manga he does on the side and his partner: a beautiful gf, almost-fiance. nice dates, kissing on moonlit nights, fancy watches and coats. totally fumbles her, keito style. he quits his fancy job bc he lost her and decides he doesn't want to live an entirely miserable lifestyle.

so he just opens up a small independent manga circle. he moves out of a good apartment, and lives in a more shoddy one so he can make his nest egg last. he's gone from nicely prepped suits and watches to bedraggled office worker vibes. he's picked up smoking. he still wears slacks and a button up, but the sleeves are rolled up and his belt is the only thing that pulls the outfit together. floppy bangs in his face, a little sweaty from the muskiness of the apartment. he gets everything sorted out, rolling out a desk into the small living room. he sighs, hands on his hips. his socks are mismatched as he sits crisscrossed and works.

he hires like, one editor and a screentoner, one of which is... ISARA MAO, WOOOOOOOOOOO. mao is his primary editor and proofreader. he went to art school for photography, and he was just looking for a job. pay is eh, but it's right up his alley and the boss is nice. he'd like a raise though. cue another entrance SENGOKU SHINOBU WOOOOOOOOOOOO. shinobu is also involved, he worked at the same business as keito. shinobu sees keito leave the agency and leaves, one of those spontaneous "if I don't leave now, I never will, I'll be a coward all my life!!" scenes, y'know. huge life choice at the drop of a hat. AND THEN HE'S LIKE 'WHY DID I DO THIS IT DOES NOT PAY WELL' WHEN HE'S ACTUALLY THERE.

they have lots of slice of life comedy shenanigans. keito sees his ex, is in a funk the whole day.
shinobu: [was gonna ask for a raise]
shinobu: ......... maybe another time

ANYWAYS

for kanata, I always love him working at his aquarium. it just feels good, he has something that's his own. in this AU he begs his family not to sell it: he's going to make a good turnaround on it. they agree (he's never asked for anything up to that point), but he has to do it on his own. madara and souma, childhood friends, would probably work with him. kanata does most of the work as its curator: accounting, inventory, making itineraries. he's sort of forced to pull it all together even if he's bad at functioning with structure. this matters to him!! the fish need him!!

kanata doesn't have as many issues with monotony. he says hello to madara, he says hello to souma when they come into work. he says hello to the fish as the aquarium opens. he says hello to the kids and parents and couples and school trips that come by. thriving business is good business. they're schools of fish going about daily routine. what ISN'T routine is the guy sequestered in some of the aquarium hidey-holes where you can look up at the fish. a handful of schoolkids just crowd around it like ??? when is this guy gonna leave.

keito's there to take reference pictures for his doujin. ordinarily, it's mao's job, but keito was impatient and needed to get out of his flat. he's already a little depressed because it's a date scene, so at such a popular dating spot, he's just... funk mode. he does not want to be there. he' sitting in his hidey hole, watching sea turtles swim above him. the kids just stare.... and leave to find another viewing spot. kanata watches as they scatter, and then bends down to peek... and join him in there.

they don't make conversation-- keito does NOT talk to strangers. kanata notices he smells of smoke and depression. lol. he just keeps his thoughts to himself, pulls his knees up.

"... it is not "nice" to hog these spots."

"i was here first." an incredibly petulant thing for a man nearing 30 to say.

kanata sprays him with hand sanitizer.

"there are other people here, don't come smelling like this again" he looks up at the creatures with him, and points them out for him. end scene.

kawoo is very special to me. he's a little fox with little fox ears and a fox tail and wittle paws. he'd never hurt anyone, he's just a kawoo. his name is kawoo bc he howls so sad when he doesn't get wuv. he goes kawooooooo...

as someone who does not read much undead, this is the most profound thing I can say, but tbh "wittle fox kawoo who needs wuv" should be the most profound thing someone could say about him, bc it's true. in general, he gives good vibes, and whenever I see him he makes me smile.

in another world I'd have been a kaoruP. the alternate timeline, where I'd be like... 3A-P (I kinda like izumi too, even though I know like nothing about him + chiaki duh), and then be like, adokaoP (literally do not know not much about their dynamic). I passively enjoy soukao, so maybe a soukaoP if I wanted a kanakei-esque ship (very passive though, so I'd talk about them like 5% of the time). I appreciate kanakao too, and I like a hint of it now and again, like some lemon zest. so okay, I'd be a 3A, marine bio P. maybe even a kaoru yume.

for now i root him on from afar. I wuv him a lot.

good. approved.

generally, I take the kanakei approach with their lifestyle. kana leads the dynamic, more or less calls the shots, if keito does something he doesn't like kana gives him The Look and he gives it a second thought. if kana needs something, keito protests Once before setting down what he's doing to help. when it comes to physicality though, keikana all the way.

it's keito coming up from behind kana while he's working and placing his hands on his hips. leaning in, gently resting his lips against his ear. saying something inane about the task at hand, basking in the tension he's making with the unspokenness of it all. meanwhile, kanata's attracted to the audacity of it. how DARE keito think he can just do this, sneak PDA when he chastises about it, kiss him like they don't fight. he takes it as a testament to his own magnetism, and what he likes about keito is that despite the audacity, he pursues anyways, bc keito IS audacity.

he also knows that keito would only take as much as kana lets him have. there's a dichotomy between knowing he's in control of what's going to happen + keito's ability to lead with confidence. keito's holding kana because he WANTS kana. kana'd just look over his shoulder with a lidded gaze, placid and willing green eyes, and lean back just a bit to show keito he's fine with it: HE'S decided they can.

they always do little brushes of lips to start. they're not kisses. they just brush the very ends of their lips together, maybe keito's chapped lips catching onto kanata's. it doesn't count as kissing if they just do that! and then keito noses kanata's skin. down his cheek, to his jaw. muses internally how soft it is. and then kanata takes his cheek and pulls him in for a kiss, and that's when they make it chaste, then slow, then wet.

kanakei making out sloppily... good.

As a refresher, RYUSEITAI is one of Yumenosaki's oldest units. Chiaki's RYUSEITAI was formed in Meteor Impact when the delinquent RYUSEITAI members ditch Chiaki and Kanata after the Battle of the Sea God. AKATSUKI was formed after the events of Crossroad.

Souma's recruitment

Souma and Keito have known each other even before Crossroad: Souma's a trouble maker. Still, Keito sees his potential.

KEITO
If he were properly produced, he’d become an interesting idol, wouldn’t he?
Crossroad (citrinesea)

Souma is there to witness Keito perform at DEADMANZ Live.

SOUMA
Also… Hasumi-dono, who I deeply respect, looks to be standing on stage. I have never seen that personage sing before, so I’m quite interested.
His voice is clear, and yet solid and beautiful. Ah, it feels good to the ear.
Crossroad (citrinesea)

Kuro and Keito decide to form a unit together. When Souma catches wind of it, he pursues it relentlessly.

KEITO
In any case, Kanzaki, I have told you many times that Akatsuki is nothing like you imagine [...] You should thrive in another unit that suits your strengths: join one or make another.
SOUMA
No. A sword may not choose its wielder, but I want to become an idol under you, Hasumi-dono [...] Now come! Give me the entry test again!
Shinsengumi (kotofucious)

At Kuro's suggestion, Keito gives in and allows Souma into AKATSUKI.

KEITO
I understand your point, Kiryu. I see there is no other choice. It's true we are in need of help, and I do want to develop Kanzaki's talent.
[...] I accept your admission, Kanzaki. Welcome to AKATSUKI.
Shinsengumi (kotofucious)

Midori's recruitment

Midori accidentally entered the idol course.

MIDORI
[...] It was only by mistake that I took the idol course in the first place... Then I somehow managed to pass it, and in the end I had no choice but to go to this academy.
Climax (310mc)

Given his attitude, Midori's recruitment might seem surprisingly easy: he simply went with the flow.

MIDORI
As soon as I entered the school, Morisawa-senpai came to my classroom and said stuff like “Ossu! I’m Morisawa Chiaki, the captain of the Basketball club! And, starting today, you’re a member of said club! Nice to meet you!”
He forced me to join, and turning him down would be a pain and all…
And I thought maybe he’d stop chasing me to my classroom if I joined the Basketball club, so I felt relieved for a second…
But then he was like “Takamine, won’t you become a hero? You’ve got the qualities of a hero! There is no mistake, you’re meant to be!”
So I ended up joining Ryuseitai too…
Sparkly First Years (meatball124)

Shinobu's recruitment

Shinobu was recruited around the same time as Midori.

SHINOBU
(Taichou-dono invited me, asking if I wanted to become a hero.)
(Well, at first I got scared of how close Taichou-dono was to me and thoughtlessly ran away.)
(But he appeared wherever I went and invited me each time, so I ended up nodding and accepting his offer.)
(So, surprisingly enough, I quickly decided which unit I wanted to join.)
Sparkly First Years (meatball124)

Tetora's recruitment

As he did with Midori and Shinobu, Chiaki had his eyes on Tetora early on.

MIDORI
No, I don’t know… Huh…? Then, another unhappy first year is going to become your victim…?
Being a member of this stupid group is super pitiful…
CHIAKI
Don’t say that. There’s a kid called Nagumo Tetora in your class, right? I invited him, and now I’m waiting for him to respond.
My hero sensors detected him! If that kid joins us, Ryuseitai will officially have five members! I’m really happy, mmhmhmm ♪
Sparkly First Years (meatball124)

However, Tetora auditioned for AKATSUKI first. After his rejection, Kuro guided him to Chiaki.

KURO
A man among men is someone like Morisawa. Someone who draws close the weak, protects them, and loves them. Become like him, like a hero of justice who appears in stories... A cool guy.
TETORA
Is that why you introduced me to RYUSEITAI?
KURO
I don't mind if you think so. Morisawa instead of me: RYUSEITAI instead of AKATSUKI.
Four Beasts of Fistfighting (healingbonds)

CHIAKI
“Remember how I said there was a kid I’d invited to Ryuseitai? Nagumo-kun has officially contacted me, saying he would join! Thus, we’re finally five people!”
MIDORI
“Ah, poor thing… Nagumo-kun couldn’t escape Morisawa-senpai’s pushy invitations either… My condolences…”
Sparkly First Years (meatball124)

REFERENCES
(1) Crossroad, !-Era, (Full story translations): acarnivalofstars, reikeiP
(2) Climax, !-Era, 310mc
(3) Four Beasts of Fist-Fighting, !-Era, Enstars Wiki, healingbonds
(4) Shinsengumi, !-Era, kotofucious
(5) Sparkly First Years, !-Era, meatball124

As a Keito-is-Midori’s-AKATSUKI-senpai truther, thank you for giving me an excuse to talk about them.

Mizuhanome-sensei
When I first started getting into Enstars lore I was like “who the hell is Mizuhanome, where can I find more?”

“He would read me books, or tell me made up stories. I was always thrilled to hear them… He often drew me pictures, too. They are all my treasures.” (Eichi, Quarrel Festival)

Before attending Yumenosaki, Keito wanted to become a mangaka. Mizuhanome-sensei is the pen name Keito uses for his doujinshi. It’s Keito worst-kept secret, but he still attempts to keep it discreet for the sake of Akatsuki’s image (Philosopher's Guidance)

In !-era, Keito draws posters for events around campus and keeps up his manga as a hobby. He has an eye for graphic design and data visualization (Philosopher’s Guidance). He’s more familiar with traditional art than digital. (Philosopher’s Guidance, Scroll of the Elements). Anzu is his biggest fan, constantly letting his secret slip out to others. Her art style resembles Keito’s (Tea Party).

One known work of his is "Wonderland Alice VS. Looking Glass Alice" ("“A fairy tale of love and excitement…" - Eichi). It's unfinished, so Eichi entrusts Anzu to finish drawing the rest (Tea Party). Mizuhanome has written text-only fanfiction for a discontinued series (Biblio) and has a fanart book (Mission of the Spy).

Stories with mentions of Mizuhanome include:
Quarrel Festival (!), Tea Party (!), Comic World (!), Philosopher’s Guidance (!), Biblio (!), Scroll of the Elements (!), Mission of the Spy (!!), Yuzuru FS1 (!!), To Want Even the Help of the Emperor (Eichi) (!!). Souma also mentions him in Colorful Autumn (!).

Midori and Manga
Midori’s taste in manga is a little broader than his love for mascots (Manga Club, A Detour Encounter). He and Mao read American comics in A Normal Day (!).

Midori and Artists
Midori's behavior towards different artists in ES lies along a spectrum depending on how skillful the artist is and how close he is with them.

1) He quietly admires Keito’s art but is distant because of their unfamiliarity with each other (Scroll of the Elements)
2) He’s affectionate towards cute art styles (Shinobu, Souma, Kanata) (Shinobu FS2, Ninja Clan, Colorful Autumn)
3) He’s really affectionate and intense when it comes to cutesy surrealism– aka people who aren’t so good at drawing (Yuzuru, Tetora) (Yuzuru FS1, Colorful Autumn).

Anzu fluctuates between 2 and 3, depending on whether she draws normally or caters to Midori’s interests. Please read Colorful Autumn. I beg of you, it's hilarious.

Midori and Keito
In Scroll of Elements (!), Keito and Midori are the first to arrive at their gig. To ease the atmosphere, Keito uses Midori’s mascot merch as a reference for the pamphlets he’s drawing. When Keito takes the lead on their studies for the Manga Quiz in Manga Club (!!), he settles Midori’s nerves with encouragement and flatters his strengths afterward.

If it interests you, the stage play adaptation of Pirate Festival (Extra Stage ~Destruction × Road) retcons the lore of Captain Kidoairaku (the mascot Midori becomes infatuated with) so that Keito is its creator.

hi anon!

These write-ups take a while, so thank you for your patience! I always want to make sure I’m really thorough with them. I hope it's alright that most of my answers are going to be !-era: they're easier to access, and easier to list! The summaries will be vague so as to pique curiosity but not spoil too much.

Reading order really just depends on how you like being introduced to groups:

a) If you want to start with lore-heavy stories to see Akatsuki’s formation and development, I suggest working from fundamental readings downwards to the group stories.
b) If you prefer lighter, fun stories, then I suggest starting with the group stories, and working your way backwards to the fundamentals.

As little extras, I’ve also included recommendations for each member, and stories that involve other units. I'll structure these topics like a choose-your-own-adventure, just to mix things up!

(Big disclaimer before we start– This list is not every story out there. I’m a Keito-P with a Ryuseitai bias, so I’m most familiar with their stories. Additionally, my biggest blindspots are AKATSUKI (Kuro) and Valkyrie and AKATSUKI and UNDEAD, so while they have good stories out there, I either haven’t read them or aren’t as familiar with them as I’d like to be.)

☆☆☆

Fundamental AKATSUKI reading
These are absolutely key to understanding AKATSUKI’s formation, development and current state. Be mindful of content warnings: these stories can get heavy.

Chronologically, this is their order (though Meteor Impact takes place over three years):

Crossroad (War-Era)
(UNDEAD + AKATSUKI)
Crossroad is the origin story of UNDEAD and AKATSUKI. It primarily covers the degradation of one relationship (Rei and Keito) and the construction of another (Keito and Kuro), as Keito tries to kick off his and Eichi's War.

Crossroad is getting an anime adaptation in November!

Meteor Impact (War-Era)
(RYUSEITAI + AKATSUKI)
Among many other things, Meteor Impact is the origin story for the creation of the student council (Keito and Chiaki), Akatsuki’s role in the war (Keito, Kuro, Souma), and the reason for Kanata’s entire subjugation + Battle of the Sea God (Akatsuki v. Kanata).

Shinsengumi
(MaM + AKATSUKI + Subaru, Hokuto, Eichi, Tsumugi)
AKATSUKI and MaM hold a joint live concert, with extras involved. This story is Kuro and Madara-heavy, and covers the fallout after the War, where Kuro considers AKATSUKI currently stands, and Madara’s schemes in present-day.

Quarrel Festival
(fine + AKATSUKI)
Eichi provokes Keito into facing off against fine: the penalty for loss– AKATSUKI’s disbandment. This is a critical story where AKATSUKI recontextualizes their role from a war-era artifact to a group that actively wants to pursue their dreams together.

Group Stories
These are more of your “feel-good”, slice-of-life stories. They contain lore, but they’re short, fun and easier to read.

The Spectacular Cinderella Show
(Wataru, Tomoya, Hokuto + AKATSUKI)
The Drama Club is putting on a show for the school festival, and AKATSUKI tag along as actors in their rendition of Cinderella: Kuro as the prince, and Souma and Keito as the evil stepsisters. Absolutely hilarious story.

Kabukimono
(Kanata + AKATSUKI)
Keito and Kuro are overworking themselves. With the help of Kanata, Souma tries to find a way to ease them of their burdens. Very sweet.

Hanafuda
(Shinobu + AKATSUKI)
When Shinobu and Souma discover a missing playing card in their Hanafuda set, Keito reveals a dark secret: the consequences of AKATSUKI’s prominence in the wartime-era. It’s an interesting story, and one of many where Keito reflects on the extent of their actions.

Cats and the Camelia Train
(Leo, Arashi, Nazuna + AKATSUKI)
Souma finds a stray cat and hides it. When Souma finds out it belongs to a local cat cafe, he takes initiative on hosting a live performance there. Super cute, and it has some interesting character interactions for AKATSUKI.

Underdoctor
Keito needs to fill out an interview about his free time, and realizes… he’s a boring person. Kuro and Souma run into him in the shopping district, and they spend the rest of the day together. Precious, and they all drink boba.

Hopefully that answers your initial question! Below are supplementary stories, in case any AKATSUKI member in particular catches your attention.

☆☆☆

If your favorite is Keito…

… And you want to see him acting as student council vice-president:
Flower Festival
(fine + AKATSUKI + Valkyrie)
The first time the new members of fine meet each other at the beginning of !-era! Keito is actually the one to facilitate their introduction and training, since Eichi is out of commission.

Daikagura
(Trickstar + AKATSUKI)
AKATSUKI and Trickstar hold a New Year’s Live together. It’s heavy on Keito’s role as vice president within the school, and what responsibilities he tends to have. Also very Keito/Mao heavy, as he rears him into the student council president role.

… And you want to know more about his relationship with Leo and Madara:
Concerto
(Eichi, Keito, Madara, Leo)
Leo returns from abroad, and Madara is in town to support him. Keito and Eichi run reminiscence and end up talking with both.

Robin Hood
(Leo, Tsukasa)
Leo tells the story of how Keito was not-so-by the rules when dealing with delinquents who set up camp in the archery hall.

… And you want to see him with kouhai:
Fresh Green Martial Artist
(Souma, Keito, Kuro, Tetora)
A good look at the extent Souma harasses Keito. Absolutely hilarious, had me on the floor the whole time. If you want to see Souma’s absolutely unbridled obnoxiousness, this is… so good.

Biblio
(Midori, Hajime, Keito and Tsumugi )
Keito and the others wait out a rainstorm in the library. This is a story made to soften up Keito’s impression to both Ra*bits and Ryuseitai juniors, as well as establish his relationship with Tsumugi.

Zodiac
(Midori, Keito, Subaru)
Midori finds a dog and… well… mistakes it for Chiaki. Keito makes a brief appearance.

Chinatown
(Sora, Keito, Tsumugi, Makoto)
Under the impression that he’s upset Sora, Keito gets to work in the kitchen to make his favorite dish: hot steamed buns. A personal favorite of mine.

… And you want to see him wet and shirtless:
Comic World
(Keito, Kanata, Kuro, Ritsu)
Kanata enlists Kuro to help him tie up Kaoru’s surfboards during a typhoon, and Keito comes along. At the same time, Keito is trying to pin down who is releasing manga based on him, Kanata and the war. It’s short, but gives good insight on post-war sentiments between Keito and Kanata. And I stress again… wet, shirtless Keito.

If your favorite is Kuro…

… And you want to see him with classmates:
The Wolf and Red Riding Hood
(Nazuna, Kuro, Shinobu, Souma)
Kuro helps Nazuna and the Broadcasting Committee prepare a play for preschoolers. He doesn’t anticipate getting roped into acting himself. Bonus points for Shinobu and Souma.

Opera
(AKATSUKI + Eichi, Wataru + Chiaki, Tetora + Leo)
Akatsuki puts on an opera, and others aim to be a part of it.

Gang
(Yuzuru, Ibara, Mika, Kuro, Chiaki)
When news of a terrorist goes around the school, Kuro gets tense. Great story for Chiaki and Kuro if you’re looking for a post-Meteor Impact read.

… And you want to see him with kouhai:
Tough Guy
Kuro needs help practicing for the filming of a school drama, and Chiaki takes the initiative to go and help alongside Midori and Tetora. They practice lines for a script… and flop terribly. It’s amazing, this story is hilarious.

Four Beasts of Fist Fighting
(Tetora, Kuro, Koga, Keito)
The thesis of this story: “everyone loves Kuro”. This story goes into how Tetora found RST post-Akatsuki rejection, the Dragon King Competition, and why the Student Council broke it up during the Main Story.

If your favorite is Souma…

… And you like Marine Bio Club:
Palace of the Ocean
(Souma, Adonis, Kanata, Kaoru)
Souma becomes enamored with a turtle he names Kamegorou, and spends the story taking good care of it.

Aquarium
(Kanata, Kaoru, Souma, Rei, Wataru, Madara)
When Kanata goes missing, his friends scramble to find him, including Souma.

… And you want to see him with kouhai:
Scroll of the Elements
(RYUSEITAI + AKATSUKI)
Souma takes initiative to help Shinobu execute his proposal for a joint live show as ninja and samurai. It’s a great story to see them in action together: they’re very close.

Summer Night Festival
(Ra*bits + AKATSUKI)
AKATSUKI and Ra*bits prepare for a joint live together. While Keito and Nazuna take one direction on their show, Hajime wants another. This one is Hajime and Souma-centric, and there’s good Nazuna/Keito content too.

Colorful Autumn
(Midori, Tetora, Kanata, Souma)
Tetora, Souma and Kanata help Midori paint signboards for his family’s grocer. There’s a lot of cute direct interactions with them here.

☆☆☆

Stories with other Units

UNDEAD
Decorate
AKATSUKI needs help learning how to be charming for their Chocolate Festival. UNDEAD steps in as their coaches. Bonus points for the return of Keito’s ‘bakyu~un’.

Athletics
UNDEAD and AKATSUKI participate in an athletic training variety show together. Great for Adonis/Souma, while Koga/Keito strike up a rivalry in the background.

Rabbits
Tanabata Festival
If you’ve seen the anime, this is the story it adapts. The best part is that AKATSUKI is way softer in the original version: The Rabbits juniors are astonished that Nazuna is so well-regarded, and AKATSUKI makes up for their actions in the main story.

Summer Night Festival

RYUSEITAI
Scroll of the Elements
Souma and Shinobu take the lead planning a joint live together, and RYUSEITAI and AKATSUKI follow suit. It’s a good foundation for where the two units stand with each other after the events of Meteor Impact.

Submarine
This is the only !!-era recommendation on this list, just because it came out recently. If Meteor Impact is pt.1, and Scroll of the Elements is pt. 2, this is pt. 3. Highly recommend, especially because of Souma’s war tactics in Okinawa.

Trickstar
Daikagura

Miscellaneous
These are so good, I can’t not include them.

Crash Course
(Shinobu, Yuta, Hajime, Tori, Keito, Wataru, Souma, Kanata)
Idols from different units pair up together to learn from each other. Souma and Kanata pair together… and Wataru and Keito pair up together. Absolutely delightful.

Diner Live
(Leo, Eichi, Kuro, Nazuna + Wataru, Izumi, Keito, Madara)
An even funnier read if you like Wataru/Keito and !-era shuffle units. In response to Knights Killers’ formation, Wataru conducts a shuffle unit of his own: Traumerei. Bonus points for Kuro acting like a kicked dog at the prospect of fighting against Keito.

☆☆☆

I hope this helps! They’re very simple descriptions compared to my RST + AKTK write-up, but this is more of a standard recommendation as opposed to dynamics needing explanation. Thank you for asking, anon!

(I should really make a large graphic about all the intersections AKATSUKI has, so a project for another day!)

you're not dumb anon! I just like to take any connection that tethers them together and run with it. I love Shinobun too!!

"Everyone here is appreciating the things I like. It makes me feel like I belong here." (Shinobu, to Midori and Nazuna, Chuunibyou)

Ninja Senpai
In Scrolls of the Elements, Shinobu brings up a potential gig for a joint live performance between Akatsuki and Ryuseitai. Chiaki leads the charge in convincing Keito to take it on and make it into a proposal. Keito does so and praises Shinobu for running the Ninja Association on his own.

“It seems you are sponsoring the Ninja Association or such, aren’t you? You are the master of your own house. Be more resolute. Isara was worried, you know. Although club activities are gatherings for hobbies, strive at it without reserve.” (Keito, Scroll of the Elements)

After the events of Scrolls, Keito grows interested in Shinobu as (a) a member of Broadcasting Committee (centralized information) and (b) a member of the Student Council. To keep tabs on Mao, Keito employs him as a secret emissary.

“At first, I asked Sengoku if he could do it, considering I’ve been getting him to keep me regularly updated on how the Student Council is doing, as I tend to worry about Isara as the president.” (Keito, Submarine)

In Submarine, Keito asks Shinobu to fulfill the same duty. However, Shinobu refers him to Chiaki instead: Chiaki's secret order makes it easier to be discreet.

"Alright, so… We began sharing information with Akatsuki after forming a common front. At first, I was the one who was asked to be the mediator, but this time around, Morisawa-dono was much more convenient for the role, so I requested that he do it in my stead.”
”Yup! I was Ninja-man, who went around Okinawa gathering information and passing it on to the right people!”
“Ninja-man! That’s so cool~” (Shinobu and Chiaki, Submarine)

“Sengoku seems to be happy to have a chance to act like a ninja, too! Thanks for playing with my junior, Hasumi.”
“I’m not playing with him… Though I do think I should reward Sengoku sooner or later for acting as my subordinate.”
“I recall him saying he’s simply returning the favor you did for him in Scroll of the Elements, so don’t worry about it.” (Chiaki and Keito, Submarine)

And Shinobu’s not the only lonely one of the three.

Midori: “Ahh, dammit…! You just had to mention you were bored…!”
Madara: “Ho ho. Chiaki-san, you said that? You couldn’t get yourself to mention it before. What made you change your mind?”
Chiaki: “Ah, no. I just happened to see them yesterday, that’s all. I ended up mentioning how bored I was, and Sengoku invited me to hang out. He also had free time for similar reasons as mine, so he was more than happy to spend time together. Hehe, looks like I was holding back more than necessary.” (Buddy)

It’s really cute that they both indulge him, and I just find it special Shinobu has senpai who look after him and empower his interests. Post-Submarine, I like to imagine Chiaki trails after them like "how are you doing, fellow ninja? (:" [seeking connection with his kouhai and companionship with the two of them].

"I've trained so much, but a lot of the jutsus still ended in failure... It's kind of depressing, but at least the Jutsu of Summoning I tried in the past was a success... "May I make friends", I said." (Shinobu, Chuunibyou)

(And if you're curious, here are some Dokisuta relationship charts)
(Shinobu's chart)
Keito -> Shinobu | Tasks him with keeping him up-to-date about the academy
Shinobu -> Keito | Easy to get along with
(Keito's chart)
Keito -> Shinobu | Cute junior
Shinobu -> Keito | Respects

Chiaki -> Shinobu | Reliable and energetic
Shinobu -> Chiaki | Respects and trusts him

Sources
Buddy (TL | 310mc)
Chuunibyou (TL | Bakemonoremy)
Scroll of Elements (TL | Looks after rainbows)
Submarine (TL | 310mc, verdantgrove)

Shinobu Dokisuta Relationship Chart | (TL | 310mc)
Keito Dokisuta Relationship Chart | (TL | maplelotus)* TL is a generous way to say it, ahaha, it was two lines.

Dear, anon

Thank you for activating the sleeper agent in me that is Kanakei. For a while there, I thought my hyperfixation was a fad. I see now that it was just hibernating. I wish I could answer your questions succinctly, but it’s just not possible, which is why this response took three days to put together.

The short answer to your question: Yes, I have—on Tumblr, I posted a mini, shambled-together version of a “hear me out” on them as a pairing. At first, I was just going to copy-paste that, but reading it now, it just doesn’t go into the depth it needs to make Kanakei make sense.

As for the long answer, the inner workings of my mind are an enigma, and for me to share my interests, you must see all of it in its frantic glory. I hope if anything, this response is the perfect comprehensive deep-dive text when you need something to read on a train ride.

It’s going to start out heavy, lore-wise, and then there’ll be lighter parts to it. I’ve labeled my different sections clearly, so if you want to skip certain parts, you can find what you like. Quotes are abbreviated for both your and my sanity, but I recommend reading the stories for yourself. I have sources listed at the end.

(There’s also a playlist for reading immersion. Like I said. The depths of my mind must be explored to the fullest.)

PLAYLIST | 21 min
[1] ITEM | Stray Kids
[2] W4V3 | A-muse Project
[3] Padam Padam | Kylie Minogue
[4] Dry Flower | SURL
[5] Cupid | FIFTY FIFTY
[6] Do It Like That | TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Jonas Brothers
[7] Beat Eater | Vivid BAD SQUAD

I. SETTING THE STAGE: DYNAMIC
To start off, for Kanakei to make sense in a canon-lens, there are two different dynamics that reflect them best, and two existing relationships that reflect them. In my original post, I said this:

kanakei is if two old gods had a vicious war with each other, and then spent millennia coming into contact, squabbling, holding conversation like an amicably divorced couple, having a brief flame, remembering why they are not a thing, repeat.

I want to supplement it with this:

kanakei is the most toxic sapphic relationship you’ve ever had. It’s the one in high school where the two of you were so codependent and turbulent, you committed unspeakable acts of psychological damage on each other. years later, you meet again as two different people who’ve spent years fighting your own issues. mature and in a better place, you agree to meet for coffee.

Ia. CANONICAL FOILS
Keito -> Rei.

(This is your sign to read Crossroads—or watch in November when it comes out)

“When I was young, I thought I was a special being. But there is always someone better. I must be ordinary, but… I refuse to spend my life looking down because of that.” (Keito, Meteor Impact)

Keito's self-esteem issues are abysmal. Even in !!-era, with Rei’s tests and insistences (see Succession Match) for Keito to see him as equals, he just doesn’t clear that hurdle. Very intense character development and self-esteem needs to be built for Keito to reciprocate what Rei wants him to.

On the other hand, Kanata is notable, because he is an attainable adversary. The entire point of Meteor Impact is that Keito is taking down a God himself-- it’s one more shot to redeem himself from the failure of DEADMANZ Live.

“I may still be inexperienced, but I can fight if I’m not alone. I could kill any God—so let’s show them the power of human beings.” (Keito, Meteor Impact)

Kanata reciprocates this subjugation with their foil…

Eichi -> Wataru.
Here, Keito is the grounder (Eichi) and Kanata is the grounded (Wataru). It's not completely identical, though. There’s a third element: Chiaki is the ground itself. When at Yumenosaki, Kanata feels the alienation from his pedestal intensify as he spends time walking among peers.

“One must rip their ears to hear God, and crush their eyeballs to see.”
“ahh, I have heard of it. It sounds very painful. but being kept at a distance in such a way… it truly makes me feel ‘Lonely’.” (Souma and Kanata, Meteor Impact)

Despite Keito’s more direct hand in Kanata’s subjugation, Kanata holds an unusual distinction between Eichi and Keito by his third year.

”I refuse to forgive him [Eichi], though~ because he made my ‘Friends’ suffer. It is not about what happened to me—the real problem is that he got ‘Involved’ with my ‘Friends’. on the other hand, the temple guy is surprisingly not that ‘Revolting’—”
“-- i will not listen to what he ‘Says’ ever again, though… by that, I mean his ‘Wishes’. It is all his fault that I could not stay as a god, after all. As frustrating as it is, I suppose I could also say it is thanks to him.” (Kanata to Chiaki, Meteor Impact, Epilogue)

And to him, the change is for the better. Chiaki was the one to teach Kanata what humanity really is—what it means to have dreams, not wishes, for oneself. When Keito is the one to throw Kanata from the sky, Chiaki is the one that catches him.

“‘Humans’ are so ‘Refined’ aren’t they? fufu, i say that despite being a ‘human’ too… no. i used to be a ‘God’ not too ‘Long Ago’. but now i’m a human. if i were still living in the sea today, i would probably still be granting people’s wishes without ever questioning it, forever at the bottom of the sea, until the day i die. Chiaki once said to me that living like that is painful, and that i had no freedom.”
"but ‘Now’, i can come ‘Outside’.” (Kanata, Toryumon)

He killed me, but I needed to be killed. Do we know what we’re dealing with here now?

Okay.

II. SHINKAI/HASUMI HISTORY
Other KeitoPs and KanataPs could give you better deep-dives on their respective religions, and how their behavior reflects their upbringings. Here, I’ll just go into the basics of their families’ histories with each other.

Shinkai land surrounds the local area, which includes the Hasumi temple. Because of this, the family has been in constant conflict with each other.

“hasumi… ahh, the ‘Temple’ people. we have always had trouble compromising with those people. after all, people from the ‘Temple’ believe in Buddha, and not God.” (Kanata, Meteor Impact)

“I’ve been thinking for a while now, but you call him by a strange name, don’t you?”
“I have had a connection with that temple from long back, after all~ god and buddha have always had a bad relationship since a loooong time ago.”
“Ahh, so that’s why you’re so harsh with Keito.” (Eichi and Kanata, Climax)

Keito’s family takes a stake in the Shinkai legend, too.

“… That reminds me—my parents were mumbling their words for once—But I could hear them saying something about the legend of this land… That the evil within the meteorite had amplified the negative emotions of the people […] Isn’t this unsettling haze swirling around us the very same thing…!? It’s also known as what once happened when a chieftain had persecuted Shinkai’s family—" (Keito, Meteor Impact)

(sidenote: love that they said all that and then just kinda let their son go do it anyway. they really said “well, we have another son”)

Kanata and Keito casually come back from an impressive amount of depressing events in Meteor Impact. Based on their history, the subjugation is only just a microcosm of Shinkai-Hasumi turf disputes.

Keito’s motives don’t have much to do with furthering his own family’s religion, as it is squashing the growing cult presence in Yumenosaki. His concern is Kanata’s influence and the Yaobikuni suffocating the school, an area he wants to cultivate influence from for the student council.

“We could leave them alone, but… they’re starting to grow much too large to ignore, and their bizarre and illogical movements make me uneasy. I don’t particularly like how it feels like the academy is being slowly taken over by an unknown group of people.” (Keito, Meteor Impact)

Interestingly enough, post-Meteor Impact, territorial disputes take place around the fountain, even if it’s just Keito maintaining school order.

“rogue, i have told you before not to come near the fountain. The ‘Running Grounds’ is your territory ‘Ground’, and the fountain is my ‘Territorial’ sea” (Kanata, to Madara, Sweet Halloween)

“When a member of the ‘Student Council’ finds me, too, I get scolded. I don’t want them to forbid me from going into the ‘Fountain’. [...] Souma, let’s run away. Quickly, quickly. If we dilly dally, the ‘Student Council’ person or ‘Teacher’ will find us.” (Kanata, Palace of the Ocean)

Wonder which student council member would forbid him.

“At any rate, get out of the river. It’s still early in the morning, but the guests are quickly increasing in number…” (Keito, Scroll of the Elements)

Kanata regains control from Keito in Submarine, taking back territorial ground when Keito is unable to command Souma.

“i cannot leave people who ask to be ‘Saved’ to ‘Die’ without doing anything to ‘Help’ them—not because i am a ‘God’, but because i am a ‘Hero’. and because i was a ‘God’, i knew a ‘Way’ to get rid of the ‘Villains’. [...] —”
“[...] Indeed, this is certainly a ceremony of our religion. It is one that is necessary in order to destroy any “villain”. So you have held the ceremony correctly by moving me to action?”
“yes. everyone almost certainly doesn’t want to make me do ‘Godlike’ things, but… i can do it, so i did. i cannot just ‘Act’ like i don’t know a ‘Way’ to save everyone when i do.” (Souma and Kanata, Submarine)

III. CURRENT DAY
There’s so much to say about them now… God.

i. The road to hell is paved with good intentions
During Meteor Impact, Keito had always intended to handle things humanely, distancing Kanata (and Souma) from impact in key points of the story.

“I doubt Shinkai will show himself, meaning we’ll be able to safely end this with a win by default [...] I told them [Yaobikuni worshippers] to distance Shinkai from this performance… Everyone here has gone berserk, as if they really have had their negative emotions towards him amplified by evil… However, my true intention isn’t to needlessly hurt him.” (Keito, Meteor Impact)

The issue was underestimating the curse that came about…

“All of you students, allow me to ask: Why have you gone this berserk? [...] None of what the Five Eccentrics did mattered to you people; you were satisfied as long as you could take it easy in the school, weren’t you? That is why we had intended to stir a little bit of emotion within the apathy of the people in public. [...] That was all we had planned… so why are you howling with so much rage and malice?” (Keito, Meteor Impact)

… and Kanata and Chiaki’s entrance into The Battle of the Sea God.

”Shinkai—You [Chiaki], too!? Why!? Why must you interfere with my plans?! Why did you come here!? If you hadn’t shown up, we would have won by default! I would’ve been able to end this with as little sacrifice as possible”
”’Why’… because I wanted to, I think? Please ask the ‘Difficult’ questions to Chiaki! Because I ‘Don’t’ know! But I want to know, so! I will have the hero teach me!” (Keito and Kanata, Meteor Impact)

ii. Behavior with each other
In the present day, Kanata recognizes this, but continues to hold Keito accountable. He typically puts on a calm front for his juniors, but sobers up for serious conversations with Keito.

“Ahaha, you’re pretty soft yourself, Kei-chan.”
“Fufu, and yet that sort of person was able to be so ‘Cruel’ towards us… It is almost strange or rather it really was a sorrowful era, wasn’t it?” (Ritsu and Kanata, Comic World)

He gets a little catty, too.

“We aren’t so wishy-washy as to wait idly, hoping for a miracle to happen. We’re going to intervene in the war circulating in this region, and win every battle until we come out victorious in the qualifying rounds.”
“well, that is what you would expect from Akatsuki, I suppose” (Keito and Kanata, Submarine)

Keito is uptight as always, but takes the time to word himself clearly and carefully to Kanata in conversation.

“is it not like me to act this way? I do not know, myself. what do you think, ‘temple guy’?”
“Don’t ask me such a difficult question. “Like oneself” and “like a human” aren’t things you can calculate. They’re vague concepts. The majority of the world—in other words, oneself—will have to go through conflict after conflict until you find an answer that satisfies you.” (Kanata and Keito, Comic World)

Sometimes he’s swayed by Kanata’s carefree demeanor

“There was a ‘froggy’ and so I thought to make it a present for Shinobu~ That kid… likes froggies, so… ‘Ribbit, Ribbit’…~ On my birthday, he ‘Celebrated’ with everyone for me, right? I… want to ‘Return’ that. And so I am also full of motivation for the Scroll of the Elements, you know~”
“Hmph, then that’s fine. – No, it’s not fine. At any rate, get out of the river.” (Kanata and Keito, Scroll of the Elements)

iii. Ryuseitai and Akatsuki
The way their history looms over Ryuseitai and Akatsuki both entwines and distances their groups.

“I had no idea that Hasumi-senpai can be as persistent as Morisawa-senpai… We barely had anything to do with Akatsuki outside of Scroll of the Elements so…
“fufu. We have a bit of history between us and Akatsuki, after all. perhaps that made us ‘Avoid’ each other.” (Midori and Kanata, Submarine)

iv The Good Stuff
Still, even they have a routine. They act familiar with each other because they know each other’s families.

”The typhoon’s getting closer by the minute. You need to go home while you still can. As for us, we can stay in school overnight if it really gets bad. As long as we contact our homes beforehand, it should be fine. --… Except you, Shinkai. I assume there’d be a commotion if you didn’t go home soon.”
”yes, I think so~ they do not really ‘Like’ the idea of me sleeping ‘Away’ from home. It is already bad enough that I have been getting scolded for doing things that are “Not Like Me” lately.” (Keito and Kanata, Comic World)

“alright, okaaay~ time to set up the ‘Table’. Temple guy, you cannot eat ‘Meat’ or fish, right? This ‘Salad’ is for you~”
“My family isn’t that strict, actually. But sea grapes make me feel like we’re really in Okinawa, so I’m sort of happy to have some.” (Kanata and Keito, Submarine)

Keito teaches Kanata practical lessons.

“when I try to read a book in general, it gets soaked for some reason, so I could not read ‘Manga’ even if I wanted to. After all, ‘Books are ‘Impossible’ to read once they are wet, yes?”
“That’s because you’re always soaking wet for some reason. Don’t take it so far with your enigmatic acts […] and anyway, if you want to read books, then there’s plenty of different ways to do it. There’s waterproof books made for reading in the bathtub, and if you’re reading an e-book, you could always put a plastic cover over your device and read that way.” (Kanata and Keito, Comic World)

“[…] Shinkai-senpai, do you read manga…? I thought you said before that reading books wasn’t possible…?”
“Yes. However, I now know about e-books thanks to that ‘temple guy’. Because they are covered with a ‘Vinyl Pack’ I don’t have to ‘Worry’ about them even in ‘Water’~” (Midori and Kanata, Hot and Elegant Choco Fes)

Kanata teaches Keito to look inward.

”I suppose we see things in a different perspective, then. If we don’t learn from the past and its history, we’re doomed to repeat the same tragedy.”
even though both the ‘Characters’ involved and the ‘Script’ are different this time? You are looking ‘Down’ on ‘Human’ beings a little too much, temple guy.“
“…” (Keito and Kanata, Submarine)

They’re willing to work together when the occasion calls for it.

“Rather, the one I’m actually worried about is Akatsuki. Say, Shinkai-kun—Kanzaki-kun is in the same club as you, right? Do you know that he’s missing?”
“ah yes. I came here to ask about that actually. I thought the temple guy would know where souma is.” (Eichi and Kanata, Climax)

And despite their different approaches to life, they meet in the middle where it counts.

”you are a good person… [temple guy]”
”Compliments won’t get you anything from me. Things are just different from back then – I have enough flexibility now to take proportionate measures for each situation. […] I struggled and did everything I could to finally reach this point. All so I could have this much freedom. It wasn’t so that I could sit back and bask in my own power. It was all to become capable of accomplishing the things I wanted to do.”
“as living creatures, doing such things is “natural”. We were simply used as “prey” for such purposes. It is sorrowful, but that is how it “goes” it is natural “law”. But… if possible, please choose a much “kinder” method next time. Please settle the issue before any blood can be spilled—before anyone can die.”
“I’m working as hard as I can every day for that purpose.” (Kanata and Keito, Comic World)

.. And then there’s also this.

“You tumbled down… the wind is ‘Strong', so you ‘Have’ to be careful, okay~? Shall I help you with a “pain, pain, go away?” [TL note: Saying itaino itaino tondeke is what parents usually say to their kids who got hurt, typically while patting the injury or kissing it.]
“… I do not need that. How incorrigible.” (Kanata and Keito, Comic World)

IV. WOULD THEY ENDGAME IN CANON?
Probably not, but not without trying. Keito and Kanata’s main issue is communication—and it’s mostly on Keito. They’re both stubborn, but Kanata does try. As Keito expresses in Comic World, he never intends to resort to wartime brutality again as long as he has his power.

“... For every victory, we can loot all the SSL$ that belonged to our opponents.”
“Yes… that is why everyone was repeatedly performing live battles; it was to make a ‘Quick’ profit in ss-l-dollars.”
“Yeah, especially since you could turn the tables if you manage to overpower the strong ones who’re making a lot of money. That sounds nice on paper, but personally, I’m not fond of the idea– it feels as though it encourages people to crush and kill each other.” (Keito and Kanata, Submarine)

And then Keito can’t help himself.

”Hmph. A war that gets bogged down like that is the worst kind of war. That’s exactly why in The War era we sought speed and wanted short term battles […]”
”please do not mention ‘Old’ stories of the ‘War’ days at every opportunity you get. They are ‘Stories’ that do not make anyone ‘Happy’.” (Keito and Kanata, Submarine)

Keito lives with his mind in the past: he wants to prove he's adapted to prevent what he’s done from ever happening again. Kanata aims for the future: he doesn't like hearing about the War and wants to move on.

“What ‘will pass’ is more important than ‘what has passed’, you know~” (Kanata, to Souma, Scroll of the Elements)

It’s just a gap they’ve yet to fill with each other. Until they can hold a conversation without Keito bringing up the war, the most they’ll ever be is an occasional fling.

What would you want to see from them in the future?
Kanata wants to modernize his religion.

“once I ‘Graduate’ and have enough ‘Free’ time, I’ll ‘Cooperate’ with Him [Madara]—and ‘Remodel’ our religion into something that matches this ‘Generation’. It will be hard because the ‘Religion’ has been going on for a long, long time. It may take some ‘Time’, but I’ll take ‘Responsibility’.” (Kanata, Meteor Impact)

Ideally (during RST Kanata Climax, perhaps), when it comes time to dismantle the aspects he doesn’t like about the cult, he calls upon the professional Shinkai-cult killer (alongside Madara). After a quick negotiation where Kanata allows his family’s temple autonomy, Keito helps Kanata, and when Kanata tells him it’s time to stop, he obliges. He’s atoned for the War by helping usher in a Kanata's new ideal.

Meteor Impact was about Kanata granting Keito’s wish and giving him control. Scrolls was about Kanata denying Keito the right to wish and control him. Submarine was about Kanata regaining control from Keito (via Souma). This future event would be about Keito granting Kanata’s wish under Kanata’s control as repayment.

Slice of life Kanakei content would be good too, and I probably wouldn’t have to hold my breath for that.

How do you ship them?
Several different ways.

For a more canon compliant interpretation, there’s intrigue. Kanata steals lingering glances from Keito: Keito’s eyes stern, Kanata’s lucid. Their affairs are always abrupt, unplanned and explosive. It only takes Keito to start talking about their past for Kanata to get sick of it, and Kanata’s eccentric habits remind Keito how annoying he finds him. Repeat, the next time they meet eyes.

Fanon, they’re the epitome of “She’s Barbie, He’s just Ken”. Keito is Kanata’s grouchy handbag, worn on his arm and compliant to whatever he asks for. When Kanata needs help at the aquarium? Keito grumbles and pushes boxes on a cart because he’s too weak to lift them. When Kanata wants to get a parfait? Keito lectures just about everything he does while he enjoys the treat, and then pays after. Keito snaps at Kanata’s fingers, and Kanata throws him in the fountain, but they end up at each other’s side with Kanata’s fingers furled in Keito’s hair as he pouts and cleans his glasses.

They’re an affair on a stormy afternoon when the rain smells acrid and fresh. They lie together in silence, because if Keito uses his mouth for anything other than kisses, Kanata will kick him out of bed. They’ll never be capable of maintaining anything serious, and they know that, and that’s okay.

Sources
Climax (TL | 310mc)
Comic World (TL | 310mc)
Hot and Elegant Choco Fes (TL | aoi/mikarashis)
Meteor Impact (TL | 310mc)
Palace of the Ocean (TL | Riitranslates)
Scroll of Elements (TL | Looks after rainbows)
Submarine (TL | 310mc, verdantgrove)
Sweet Halloween (TL | 310mc)
Toryumon (TL | mint/3adisastergays)

A) THANK YOU I'M OBSESSED WITH THEM I'M HAPPY MY RAMBLES ARE SOMEWHAT COHERENT they all mean so much to me, they’re so colorful and fun and tragic and… they are so special… not biased (biased) but they are the best, and the fact that they have such long, extensive lore is so fun. Each story has so much to unpack, and reveals more of past stories. I’m obsessed.
B) I'M HAPPY YOU ASKED! I have a place to put this now.

So this’ll be long, but I prefer to infodump about each one because I like being thorough (and for reference next time I forget where a line comes from). I think it’s important to be able to source stories, so hopefully it inspires you to check out the full ones for yourselves! Most of these can be found on the wiki or by the translator 310mc. If you’re looking for RST stories and content, I highly recommend their blog ( https://310mc.github.io/ ), seriously, it’s a library of alexandria, incredibly accessible in its formatting and Akatsuki makes enough appearances in RST stories that you can get a lot of good Akatsuki content from them as well.

Sections are divided by RST members, and subsections are Akatsuki members. I’ll give a sort of spoiler-free summary, and then the characters each story is relevant to. I also have an accompanying graphic that I’ll post. It’ll make this look a lot more organized.

☆☆☆

Ryuseitai x Akatsuki
If you want a comprehensive look at Ryuseitai and Akatsuki as a whole, Meteor Impact, Scroll of the Elements, and Submarine are must-reads. They’re way longer than the individual character story recommendations below, but they are mandatory if you want to understand both units.

In short, Meteor Impact is the origin story for pre-war Ryuseitai (Madara and Chiaki), the student council (Keito and Chiaki), Akatsuki’s role in the war (Keito, Kuro, Souma), and the reason for Kanata’s entire subjugation + Battle of the Sea God (Akatsuki v. Kanata). It also covers Kanzaki-Shinkai relations (Souma and Kanata) and why Kuro has a heavy hand in RST Live Shows (Kuro and Chiaki). The war-era part of this story ends with Chiaki and Kanata being what’s left of RST, until the 1st years (Noritama) come in the spring.

The story spans all three years of Yumenosaki !-era. There are highly sensitive themes and it’s a very heavy read, so be mindful of the disclaimers before you give it a look.

Scroll of the Elements takes place in !-era, autumn. This is a big story for AKTK+RST post-Meteor Impact (timeline-wise), as they perform at a local tourist spot. I’ll go into some detail below when we get to what this means for some individual characters, but it’s a great story for Souma and Shinobu, and there are notable moments for Souma and RST, and Keito and Midori. It’s more slice of life-adjacent than Meteor Impact is, so it’s a lighter read!

Submarine takes place in !!-era, during the SS Arc. It recently came out on EN (woo!). This is AKTK+RST’s third major story together, and it pulls together elements from both Meteor Impact and Scrolls. Akatsuki and Ryuseitai travel to Okinawa during the SS Tournament, and face war on the island with local idols. Because of secret orders, Akatsuki is led by Souma and Ryuseitai is led (indirectly) by Kanata. This is a good story for Souma and Kanata, Keito and Noritama (especially Shinobu), Souma and Noritama, and Chiaki and Kuro.

Like Kanata and Keito say, this is a different story with different characters than Meteor Impact: it reconstructs AKTK+RST’s relationship going forward

☆☆☆

OKAY, are you still with me? Here are individual character dynamics. Obviously some (Kanasou, Tetokuro) will have more than others (Chisou, Tetokei), but my priority on picking these ones are (a) shorter (b) lighter (c) tell, don’t show (sometimes it’s just easier when the story TELLS you what you need to know about characters). I’ll include extra story recommendations if you want to jump off into individual dynamics, but these are just my personal favorite tasty little reads.

I tried to avoid doubling up on this list, but at the same time, it’s helpful knocking out more than one pairing with different stories. Hopefully there’s enough variety to make up for it!

☆☆☆

CHIAKI

Keito | Crossroads (Chaos, Ch. 4/6/7)
Combined with Meteor Impact, Crossroads is a good exploration of 2nd-years Chiaki and Keito. Keito grows an intrigue with Chiaki (specifically, the difference between his actions and his timid personality).

Keito and Chiaki tend to favor bigger stories for interactions, so if you’re looking for more, (War Era) Meteor Impact, (!-era) Scrolls and (!!-era) Submarine is where you’ll find it.

Kuro | Tough Guy
God. This is a fun story. Please read this story.
Kuro needs help practicing for the filming of a school drama, and Chiaki takes the initiative to go and help! Alongside Tetora and Midori, this is Chiaki’s repayment to Kuro for all that he’s done for them. Chiaki, Kuro, Midori and Tetora practice lines for a script… and flop terribly. It’s amazing, this story is hilarious. Bonus points for Midori and Kuro’s first meeting as well.

These two have a lot of history together, so Meteor Impact is a good story for how they met and how their relationship developed. Gang is another good one for them.

Souma | Scroll of the Elements
Souma and Chiaki don’t have much facetime together, but do interact a lot during Scrolls, when Souma heads the effort in getting Shinobu’s proposal through Keito. They think highly of each other – highlighted in Submarine!

KANATA

Kuro and Keito | Comic World
Read. Comic World. Kanata enlists Kuro to help him tie up Kaoru’s surfboards during a typhoon, and Keito comes along. At the same time, Keito is trying to pin down who is releasing manga based on him, Kanata and the war. This story is incredibly key to understanding Kanata’s feelings about the War. It also illustrates his and Keito’s different philosophies on how they plan to move forward from it: the same path, but different methods. Kuro and Kanata have good scenes throughout the story and into the epilogue.

Also, shirtless, wet Keito.

Souma | Palace of the Ocean
Souma and Kanata are very entwined– childhood acquaintances, doomed roles to each other, etc. There’s a handful of stories that you could read to understand them in their full context. Here, I’ll recommend Palace of the Ocean. Souma becomes enamored with a turtle and spends the story taking good care of it. The last few chapters set a good baseline for Kanata and Souma’s interactions: if you read Submarine and were confused as to why Kanata is so comfortable terrorizing Souma, this is a good answer.

For extra RST+AKTK goodness, read Crash Course, a faux unit swap story. It’s a close second to my recommendation list, and you get to see AKTK!Kanata and RST!Souma. Colorful Autumn is good for their slice of life dynamic too.

TETORA

Keito | Opera
Akatsuki puts on an opera, and Tetora jumps at the opportunity to be a part of it. At the same time, he grapples with his intimidation of Keito after having been rejected from Akatsuki. This story has a big breakthrough for the preparation of that tension, as Keito and Tetora tentatively prod around each other more personally.

Submarine has a few good moments that continue these reparations.

Kuro | Four Beasts of Fistfighting
Okay. This story transformed me for real.

If you’re looking for a deep dive on Akatsuki lore and Tetora’s involvement in all of it, it’s here. What Supervillain!Tetora was to Chiaki is what Four Beasts!Tetora is to Kuro. This is the precedent to elevating Tetora’s senpai-worship/Kuro’s mentorship relationship. If you want to understand Tetora and Kuro at an atomic level, this is your story.

Besides that, it goes into how Tetora found RST post-Akatsuki rejection, the Dragon King Festival, and even why the Student Council broke it up during the Main Story.

Souma | Colorful Autumn
Precious story. Tetora, Souma and Kanata help Midori paint signboards for his family’s grocer! Tetora mentions having had Souma’s cooking before, and expresses the desire to get to know Souma better at the end of the story.

Submarine is very Noritama and Souma heavy, and Kanata’s FS2 story also have them gathered with Kanata in AOUMI aquarium.

MIDORI
Keito | Biblio
Midori, Hajime, Keito and Tsumugi are trapped in the school during a typhoon! (Keito, what is with you and being the harbinger of typhoons?). This is another story to made to soften up Keito’s impression to both Ra*bits and Ryuseitai juniors.

Midori and Keito have a lot of good moments scattered across stories: a whole chapter in Scrolls, moments in Submarine before the epilogue, and the Manga Club Scout story. They’re in Ring, and Hinata’s Practice to be a Little Brother! (!!-era) story too.

Kuro | The Crimson’s Pure Heart Idol Story
This is actually a short idol story (!-era), but it’s very precious. Kuro seeks out Midori for help learning about mascots, and Midori happily obliges.

Tough Guy is very foundational for Kuro and Midori. Consider Crimson’s Pure Heart a post-Tough Guy snack if you want more of them.

Souma | Colorful Autumn
Tetora, Souma and Kanata help Midori paint signboards for his family’s grocer! (deja vu). There’s a lot of cute direct interactions with them here– Midori is affectionate with everyone in the story, and Souma being one of them… so good.

Midori has a fixation on the lack of relationship between him in Souma in Submarine.

SHINOBU

Keito | Scroll of the Elements
THIS STORY IS SO IMPORTANT TO THEM, hence its inclusion here, as opposed to a shorter story. As Shinobu tries to put together a proposal for a joint live, Keito greenlights it and maneuvers it to be a sponsored event by the Ninja Association in order to promote it. He encourages Shinobu to have pride in his club. This story establishes a strong relationship between them. After graduation, Keito enlists Shinobu as his spy for the student council to keep an eye on Mao. Chiaki and Keito discuss it further in Submarine.

Keito also appears in Tsukasa’s FS1 Story
Kuro | The Wolf and Red Riding Hood
Kuro helps the Broadcasting Committee put on a play for a local school. It’s also just a great story for seeing Shinobu’s role in Broadcasting Committee. Bonus points for Shinobu and Souma. Kuro spends the story looking at their relationship fondly– happy to see Souma have a kouhai.

Souma | Tsukasa’s The Way We Are Idol Stor
As roommates (!!-era), Souma and Shinobu have great slice-of-life stories together. This, with Tsukasa’s FS1 are very light reads.

These two have a very close relationship. Scroll of the Elements is an important foundational work for them (!-era)-- given it’s their center event. The Wolf and Red Riding Hood pairs them as well.

☆☆☆

AND THAT’S THE LIST!

HUGE DISCLAIMER, these are not all-encompassing. For combinations like Tetora and Kuro, Chiaki and Kuro, Souma and Kanata, Souma and Shinobu etc. they have tons more stories out there. Hopefully these just set you on your way to finding them!

Most of these are !-era, obviously, just because they’re most accessible. I’m sure there are a lot of !!-era content that have RST + AKTK combinations. If anyone has any further recommendations for any of these dynamics, feel free to send them here! The more stories the better!