Chapter Text
I'd like to think we've all heard, "In a room full of people, who would choose you?" Or something along those lines.
Well you see, is there, anyone to pick Tsukasa out of everyone?
In the hypothetical case, that as an example, Saki, was in a room full of everyone she knew, would she pick Tsukasa?
The answer might look like a yes, but in the sad reality it's been, she wouldn't.
This all roots from the menu dialog of Tsukasa of new years eve, 2021.
"It sounded like Saki's spending her New Year's with Ichika and company. It is somewhat lonely, but I couldn't be happier for her as her brother."
Information obtained from the Project Sekai fandom.
We all know just how close Tenma siblings are, and it easily shows in events like;
"First Star (Stella) After the rain" "Musical Twilight Parade Twilight Parade" "Doll Festival at the Tenma's" "Never Give Up Cooking!" And even in "In the Stage of Dazzling Lights" As Tsukasa thought of her in order to get his role, and Saki was there to see and mentally praise the way he advanced.
However, despite the siblings being considered a close relationship, until now they've shown not to be emotionally the closest. As they both do not let their sibling see them vulnerable. Saki wouldn't let Tsukasa know how upset she was in the hospital. Tsukasa lied to Saki in his side card story "In Tearful Eyes, An Immortal Bird" from the event "The Phoenix in the Distant Sky" about him skipping his meals for his method acting.
Overall, Saki has shown to be more keen to open up to her bandmates than her brother, and would more likely subconsciously choose them over him.
Tsukasa has issues with self steem, and is a neglected child. Continuing to follow tendencies brought by mentioned psychological harm. Nowadays, what you can observe of his character, is the need to be a "star" and, the centre of attention and of the stage. He subconsciously needs the attention, had he been actually prioritised by someone dear in his life, maybe he wouldn't have forgotten the root of his true feelings in the first place.
Tsukasa's true feelings. To make people smile, born from a show he saw one day.
Tsukasa's personality revolves around the people around him. Without anyone around, there isn't really anyone to impress, to make smile, to be obnoxious and laugh with, now is there?
He's been emotionally alone for presumably his elementary and middle school years, as the Tenma parents haven't made themselves appear in the far limited throwbacks, flashbacks, we get of Tsukasa's childhood and middle school years. From which we can comfortably assume were busy elsewhere. Tsukasa is a glass child, I've covered that in the past chapter, and it's because of the emotional neglect that he currently has the need to be seen.
One more thing i'd like to cover, is the fact he's never made the effort to be emotionally close to anybody, at all. In each of his focus, starting in "Wonder Magical Showtime" all the way to "Catch the Criminal?! The Tales of Detective Tenma", we've seen at least one thought of his that he's proved to be self--invalidating, specially in his third focus event in which we see his thoughts, "acknowledging" he would never become a "star" the way he thought he would.
And never has he ever, told anyone those thoughts. Outright. In his fifth event, he does speak up to his mentor Kijima, however, as he does so, he deliberately attempts to downplay them with his body language. And before that, we only see him spaking up about minor inconveniences of his, and everything else, he brushes off not only to others, but to himself. Not daring to acknowledge it's not fine, as he doesn't see it as an issue.
The deep feelings of dissatisfaction he shows of his own portrayals, is saddening. Taking into consideration what I've covered by now, he doesn't feel like a priority, not even to himself. He claims "a star must always be in best shape to bring the best shows", by my words and memory, yet he doesn't seem to care much about himself outside of seeing his body as a vessel to achieve what he needs. More seen on his fifth focus and partially on his third.
The events making me say this are, chronologically, in his third focus, going into the same, far harder, routine the Phoenix Stage troupe regularly do, and jump to the conclusion he needs to "reach their level". After that, in the desperate need to prove to himself only he's getting closer to his goal, he decides to practice a method acting activity, which consists of going through starving himself of food and surviving off of water for three days just like his character "Rio" did, in order to feel closer to him and connect in order to play out his character, and continue with the routine while lacking proper nutrients. Still attempting to achieve, mimicking their ways of exercising in a more used-to matter.
In the fifth event, he is keen on going to the limits of his body in order to play out his character, which has physical abilities he currently does not have, trying to get those abilities by exercising his body first. In one of the tries, he attempted doing a split with no known of previous warm-up, and getting stuck in place after he tried pushing his body harder after it wasn't able to do so with ease. Claiming he could, and ending up having to ask Saki for help, whom he didn't call out for, but rather came on her own. In the same event, it's the event in which the point stands the most, as he later on gets heavily frustrated at not being able to ask of his body as much as his body yearns for. The whole purpose of the event and the lesson he learns. Throughout the whole event, there are the most times concentrated of him overexerting his body as much as he quite literally, physically can.
In the same event, he is actively feeling "useless" by his own words, for not being able to catch a thief when he had "the chance" to, but failed to do so because of his body's capabilities being limited at that time. It wasn't until his coach, tutor, Kijima spoke to him on a one-on-one, heart-to-heart conversation that he gave himself slightly more comprehension.
Until now, as the story progresses, my guess for the next Tsukasa focused event would be something along the lines of wishing to be like a character. Though that is only a guess, and honestly a wish. Aside from that, the most realistic one would lurk around the same place as learning to depend on others, be it in show, or in his day to day. Probably a mix of both.