48G FanFic

All the available news sites are filled with headlines about what happened to the idol concert of the year. The Top Idol for two consecutive years, Saito Asuka, collapsed while preparing for her performance. She was immediately sent to the hospital to get treatment and it was found out that her high fever was caused by gastric ulcer. This led the team behind the concert to pick someone to replace Asuka on the stage.

“It is better to have someone perform and then explain the situation after the performance than to send the people away with worry after the absence of the Top Idol.” That was the explanation of the Chairman of the National Idol Board who faced the media to represent the whole committee of the concert.

The whole nation is worried about Asuka but after knowing that she is already receiving proper treatment and medication, they already had their hearts rest assured and just waiting for the return of everyone’s favorite idol. Asuka has already sent a hand-written letter to her fans to tell them that she is already doing fine and is very sorry that she wasn’t able to perform at the stage where everyone worked hard to put her on. She promised that she will take good care of herself in the future to be able to perform for them once she is out of the hospital.

But Asuka’s absence wasn’t the only thing that topped the news. The Cinderella girl that was given her spot that night blew up all search engines and general idol forums. Shingyoji Fumie, who just lost her way to her boyfriend that fateful night, is now facing the biggest change in her life.

There were positive comments about her, saying that she was really stunning and a sure fit as an idol. Her aura blew people’s mind away and she caught everyone’s eyes that night. It was as if she was performing alone on that stage without the new idol group from Kojima Haruna’s agency. Her presence was just that big.

Unbelievably, her dancing and singing that night were flawless. Her facial expression was top-notch as if she rehearsed the song before the performance. For a ponkotsu like her, it was a miracle that she managed to remember the steps once she stepped on the stage. She was really, really nervous and her mind was blank but as soon as she stepped on the stage, everything just changed as if she’s familiar of standing to a big stage like that.

But since Fumie’s performance was flawless, a lot of people started thinking that everything is scripted starting from Asuka’s sickness. They think that it is just the way of the National Idol Board to make noise since the war has just resumed. She has also made a lot of antis in just one night. She received the stage of the Top Idol just like that. It’s not only Asuka’s fans but the fans of the other idols didn’t like that she received that place without any effort.

Now that Fumie has stepped not just under an ordinary spotlight but to a very bright one, the whole country is after her. She knows that they are all digging information about her. She can’t just get out in public especially with her boyfriend, Fuyu.

“I don’t think this will do anything good for Fumie-tan and the King.”

Maki let out a deep sigh which somehow made the atmosphere heavier. She, Miyu and Yuma were also watching the concert that time but they were on a different place to give Fumie and Fuyu a time for a proper date. But, if they only knew that Fumie would lose her way towards Fuyu, they should’ve just went with them and kept her on their sight.

“Fumie, what are your plans now?” Miyu asked to her best friend, her face is a complete picture of worry. “Have you talked to Fuyu-senpai? You said you were taken home by your manager, right?”

The girl, whose face is almost everywhere, turned to Miyu while massaging her temple. She still hasn’t gotten enough sleep since the event that turned her life upside down.

“My phone broke during the concert. My dad will pick up a new phone for me today. I tried to talk contact him through the neuro-linker but it turns out that he hasn’t gotten a new one since Yurina-chan destroyed his linker.” Fumie rubbed her face with her palms. “I wanted to see him but I couldn’t get out of the house due to Kato-san’s advice. My mum also noticed that there were strange people going around our area so yeah…”

“If you want we can go and meet him during the break. We will go with you.” Maki suggested which her friends agreed with. Actually, she’s also worried about Fuyu since he isn’t answering calls or even replying to her messages. They didn’t even know if Fuyu came to school since the gate was being flocked by the press people.

“I want to see him right now.”

The three were surprised to hear that straight from Fumie’s mouth. They all turned to her only to see her distressed, flustered face. “I want to see him right now. I don’t think I can wait anymore.”

Fumie stood up and dashed towards the door. Her friends tried to stop her, giving her warnings that classes are about to start but it seemed like she wasn’t able to hear anything. They could feel how worried she is for her boyfriend.

She managed to get out but she was then seen walking backwards with the teacher intimidating her to go back inside. Fumie had no other choice but to return to the class but the teacher isn’t over with her yet.

“Are you going to leave the class after bringing such uproar to the school?” Instead of greeting the class, the teacher started throwing cold, insensitive words to Fumie. “This school is for the elites and the VIPs to have their privacy from the eyes of the public but here you are bringing a horde of press people in front of the school? There are even paparazzi roaming around and we couldn’t care less about this alarming situation.”

He shook his head in disappointment before booting his desk computer. He immediately went to open the automatic attendance checker software and then gave out a thwarting sigh.

“You better get out and talk to the media, Shingyoji-san. Don’t disturb other people’s privacy. I don’t know what kind of publicity stunt you are into but let this school be at rest.”

“W-Wait, Sensei! That was uncalled—“

Maki wasn’t able to finish her rant when Miyu pulled her and Fumie back to their seats. “It’s okay, girls. Calm down. Let’s just wait for our break to meet Fuyu-senpai.” she whispered to them. Having an experience with ‘scandals’, Miyu knows that the best way to deal with it is to be silent for the mean time. Doing unnecessary movements might make everything worse.

Fumie had no choice but to get back to her seat. She expected that Fuyu would come to her to check her out but it seems like Fuyu was also as surprised as her. Who wouldn’t be? He might be thinking that she invited her to the concert just to see her perform—a brutal way of dumping him.

Her head hung in frustration as she released a vexed sigh.

“Hoshi…”

   “WHAT on earth happened at that night?”The Chairman of the National Idol Board is up from his seat. All the producers, managers, teachers and high ranked staff members are present in the council room. They all couldn’t look at the angry chairperson who isn’t able to take his seat out of the happening controversy.

“Kojima-san.”

Haruna jerked to her seat after hearing her name being called. She met the stare of the chairperson and she knew right away that he is not in the best mood.

“Saito Asuka-san is in your label’s care, am I right?” The chairman asked.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Are you starving your idols? Just look at what happened to her. She got a really severe gastric ulcer and the main cause was she wasn’t eating properly. I thought Saito-san got into the best company after she was allegedly maltreated in her last label.”

“It wasn’t like that, Sir!”

Everybody turned to Hori who was sitting beside Haruna that time. His whole body is shivering but he has to protect the name of their company and their head producer.

“Talk.” The head of the council ordered.

Though stammering, Hori managed to explain their side; on how hard it was for Asuka to manage her time to the point of not being able to go to school for  the past months. He also explained that Asuka still has this trauma from her last agency resulting into mild anorexia. He and his company are giving their best to lift the trauma from the little girl.

After his explanation, the chairman went back to his seat and released a vexed sigh.

“The situation is out of our hand now.” He started. “I know you were all in a pinch that night seeing that whatever move you do would be an issue. I think we just have to do something to make the best story out of this situation.”

The huge panel behind the chairman suddenly turned on in just one press of a button. On the screen were pictures of the Top Idol, Saito Asuka and the Cinderella Idol, Shingyoji Fumie. Just looking at how things are going, Haruna already felt that everything will go against her plan for Fumie.

“As you all know, the rift between the countries involved in the war became more severe after the kidnappings that are happening. I hate to admit it but this controversy could be considered a miracle for us.” The chairman bit his lower lip due to the crippling guilt that he’s been trying to swallow. “Everyone’s attention is already in this story. We could use it to divert everyone’s attention from the war.”

B-But Chairman,” Haruna raised her hand. “Shingyoji-san didn’t pass the idol program of our agency which means she didn’t get absorbed.  Who would manage her if ever she agrees to continue being an idol?”

The chairman leaned back to his seat. “We have no choice but to let her current agency handle her.”

Anna-sensei’s face brightened up right after hearing that news. Togasaki only gawked at her.

“This might be risky but this would be another interesting side of the story. I also found out that Shingyoji-san’s father was an ex-military official. I believe a lot of families will look at her as an inspiration especially during this time.”

“So, all we need to do now is to convince her to continue being an idol, am I right?” Everyone turned to Anna-sensei. Togasaki couldn’t keep his poker face anymore.

“There’s no need to convince her.” The chairman answered which made everyone baffled. “The stage has already chosen her.”

LUNCH will soon be over but Fuyu has never moved from his seat. Right after he received a message from Maki that Fumie wants to see him at lunch he didn’t bother to drop by at the cafeteria but went straight to the meeting point which is the library.

He was waiting in anxiety and seeing that the clock will soon strike 1PM made his insides hurt. It wasn’t because of the hunger. In fact he doesn’t feel hungry at all but it’s the pain brought by all the negative feelings and thoughts he is suppressing inside.

Fuyu stood up from his seat. He could feel it that there’s no point of waiting. He has to go back to his class or else people would talk ill about them again and the one who would look bad would be Fumie. He has to do well at the very least. He has to protect her from further malicious comments.

He was about to go out when Maki, Miyu and Yuma suddenly popped up by the door. The three were all chasing for their breaths. They ran all the way from the second year tower straight to the library.

“King! It’s an emergency!” Maki shouted before putting her phone up in front of Fuyu’s face.

“W-What is it?” Fuyu looked at the phone and read what’s on the screen. “The Cinderella Idol’s Showroom?” Fuyu’s eyes widened when he realized what that is about. “F-Fumie!?”

“We were on our way to meet you, Senpai when the principal of the school suddenly came to meet Fumie-san. He came to our classroom himself.” Yuma immediately went to pull chairs for the two girls who seemed like they ran for their lives.

Fuyu followed them while holding Maki’s phone, still a bit shocked.

“A silver-haired guy was with the principal. At just one look I figured out who he was.” Miyu stated.

“K-Kato-san?” Fuyu’s fists balled. What is the real motive of that guy, seriously?

“The principal talked about how many complaints he has been receiving since morning from other students, their parents and talent agencies.” Miyu continued with her explanation. “It was him who contacted Fumie’s manager and asked him to just let the public hear about Fumie’s side of the story so the paparazzi would stop lurking around. Now they are going to do a Showroom broadcast to present Fumie to the public.”

“But why would he do that?” Fuyu growled. “They should’ve consulted it to Fumie’s parents first. They shouldn’t pressure Fumie like this!”

“That’s right, Senpai!” Even the cute Yuma is being seen with an angry expression today. “Fumie-san’s manager signaled us to go to you and tell you about the happenings but the principal, double quote, invited us to his office to eat lunch with our homeroom teacher. We told him that we are going to eat at the cafeteria but they insisted that we should eat with them. We ended up being confined at the office with our scary homeroom teacher.”

“H-How did you guys escape?” Fuyu examined his friends one more time and saw they have dirt all over their uniforms. “D-Did you jump from the window?”

“We did jump from the window.” Fuyu got more shocked with that answer from Miyu. “It’s crazy but we really went that extreme just to get to you.”

Maki raised her thumb up. “I shared them my zombie power that’s why they are not dead yet.”

“For the sake of this story we all know that we the window was only in first floor. It would be pathetic if we died on that jump!” Yuma shook his head.

“Do you know where they brought Fumie?” Fuyu asked.

“We lost track of her since we were basically kidnapped. But that Kato guy mouthed that we should go and trust him but I don’t know, Fuyu-senpai! I don’t know if we should really believe him!”

“I understand you, Mi—“

Fuyu lost his voice when he heard Kato’s voice coming not only from Maki’s phone but it is being broadcasted at the whole school. The guy is heard to be testing the sound level. Yuma immediately turned on the monitor in the library only to access Showroom.

Kato is being showed fixing the angle of his phone camera. It gives a feeling that it was an impromptu broadcast. There were no special equipment being used.

Just the sight of Kato Kenta made the comment section of the Showroom explode. The chairman of the National Idol Council was not wrong about his statement regarding Fumie’s handler. Everyone is being hit with a surprise after another. First was the abrupt broadcast and now the reveal of Fumie’s manager.

Kato stepped backwards only to reveal Fumie standing behind him. The girl couldn’t even look straight at the camera for three seconds. Her manager stood beside her and as if on cue, Kato greeted the audience and took ninety-degree bow. Fumie followed after him.

“As you all know, what happened last weekend took the whole country by surprise. Who would’ve thought that this is how things would turn out? Standing here beside me is the girl who served as the substitute of the Top Idol, Saito Asuka-san, who fell ill that night. It was never our intention to steal the spotlight that night and we never wished for Saito-san to be sick.”

“Coming from you…” Haruna bit her lower lip in dismay. She’s already back at her office and is watching the broadcast alongside with the whole idol world.

“Don’t you think we should go and interrupt the broadcast!?” Yuma asked while jogging into place. He couldn’t help but to be worried about the next things that are going to happen.

Fuyu just shook his head, surprising the three juniors. “No, we shouldn’t go. If we go now and interrupt it, it will be a bigger issue. Fumie will be put into more trouble if I suddenly just go there and present myself to the people.”

“We are very sorry for what happened to Saito-san but at the same time, I can’t deny that I am a bit happy to see Shingyoji-san perform on that stage. She didn’t manage to pass the idol-course she underwent to and it was really hard for her to accept that her dreams won’t be fulfilled anymore. But, that miraculous night gave her that one chance to step on stage. I’m very thankful that I somehow managed to see someone who trusted me after everything I got involved with had her shining moment on that fateful night. Again, I hope you all understand the situation Shingyoji-san got into.”

Kato took another bow. The comments sympathizing Kato flooded the comment section. There are still people who recognize his talent for discovering idols.

“After the idol course, I and Shingyoji-san have already parted ways since I don’t have the budget to push her to debut as an idol. We really thank all those fans of her that were supporting her throughout the whole process. I know you, guys, were happier than me after seeing her on that stage. We have checked your messages on her little fansite and we are so glad to see that you are all happy for her.”

Fumie vowed her head even lower. She didn’t know that her fans left messages for her since all she was thinking that time was about her and Fuyu. She felt a little ashamed that she didn’t even bother to open her fansite and respond to her fans. They may not be a lot but they have been supporting her for some time now.

“As one door of opportunity closed, another one opened for us. We know it very well that it was a chance that will never come again. But, due to circumstances, Shingyoji-san has decided not to pursue being an idol anymore…”

The whole world was shocked to that statement. Fuyu and the others couldn’t even talk and were just looking at each other, asking if they are hearing it straight from Kato Kenta with those stares. Even Haruna was dumbfounded and couldn’t decipher what’s going on Kato’s mind. Is he really going to give up that golden chance? He isn’t the type who lets go of opportunities.

Fumie was also surprised. She jerked a little on her place after hearing that. She didn’t make much movement to avoid getting attention but she was really surprised. Kato told her to just stand beside him and he will do all the talking. She didn’t know that he will drop something like this.

“It was an unforgettable evening and we couldn’t ask for more. I hope that you all remember Shingyoji-san not as someone who ‘stole’ the spotlight but as the perfect substitute for the rightful owner of the stage who wasn’t able to perform that n—“

Kato was already wrapping up the broadcast but there was a sudden flood of complaints. He stopped with his talking and started reading up the comments silently. Curious, Fumie rose her head to see what made Kato stopped and she marveled at how fast the comments appear and disappear.

“Is that all? Is this what this broadcast is for!???”

“You went all your way to present her and then say that you’re not going to push her debut?”

“IT’S A WASTE!!! Give her a chance to debut!!!! Don’t waste the chance!!!”

“Make her an official idol!!! Let Fumie-chan and Ashuu have their showdown once Ashuu recovers!”

“Are you telling us that the girl who performed the Top Idol’s song flawlessly will not debut!? Don’t be crazy, Kato Kenta!!!”

“W-Wait, everyone… I don’t think we deserve this kind of support… Shingyoji-san is just—“

Kato turned to Fumie who was looking really worried. There is a loud call from the people, a demand for her to be an idol.

“I-I don’t have the power to push her to debut.” Kato stammered and then continued reading the voice of the people. Majority of them are pushing Fumie to be an idol, telling them that they will be there to support her if she proves herself worthy of it.

Kato took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Everyone fell quiet but fingers don’t stay still. They are still typing messages even though they could see that Kato isn’t reading it.

After some while, Kato opened his eyes, looking as if he as arrived into a conclusion. He gave Fumie a nod, trying to tell her to just trust whatever he came up with.

“Three thousand people.”

 That line left everything baffled. That pause he made after saying that line pushed the hearts of the viewers to the verge of explosion.

“I am going to organize a handshake event for Shingyoji-san. The time and place, I will announce it online. Now, if three thousand people came to meet and support Shingyoji-san then I would give my utmost best to push her to debut.”

“Crazy! Is he really asking for three thousand people?”

“Even those girls who properly made a debut couldn’t even gather more than a hundred people at their first handshake event...”

“And now he is asking for not just a thousand but three thousand people.”

“He doesn’t really want her to debut.”

“He’s crazy!”

“Lol. But if they manage to collect three thousand people then wouldn’t that mean that the girl is really powerful?”

“If that amount of people came to meet her I just don’t know if she won’t be moved and be convinced to pursue. www

“LOLOL! EXCITING! I’M GOING!”

“That’s it!” Kato exclaimed with a smile on his face. “I will entrust Shingyoji-san’s fate in your hands.”

Maru took a deep breath. “We became friends since Nogibingo.”

That’s right. After that Nogibingo episode where Maru was pranked so hard to the point that she passed out, she and Asuka became friends, instantly getting the click since they are both halfbloods.

“So, is it that friendship?” Himura asked, raising his eyebrows up and down.

Maru smiled but it immediately faded. “No.”

“Still going strong with Shimazaki, eh?”

Shitara’s words somehow made Maru look at his way. The smile of the two comedians widened knowing that they hit something.

“Don’t try to deny it. We’ve been part of this industry longer than you and we’ve worked with lots of idols.” Shitara crossed his arms and leaned his back on the chair. “We’ve seen a lot of idols falling inlove with each other because of the strict rules about dating guys. They might deny it from the public but they could never hide it from the people they work with.”

“Who said I am going to deny it?” Maru asked back, looking back at Shitara with her signature stare. She could feel that the guy is trying to say something.

“Your eyes are really scary!” Himura gave Shitara a slap on his shoulder. “Her eyes are scary!” He repeated while laughing. It’s hard to know if he really meant what he said because he doesn’t look scared at all. The other guy slapped him back as revenge.

Maru just watched them as they do their short tsukumi-boke routine, she’s not letting her guard down. She’s sure they are up to something.

“You see, Tsun-kun…” Shitara leaned towards the table and placed his chin above his palm. “You know it very well. In order to stay strong in this industry, you need to make noise. That is how you made your way in… That is also the way to survive.”

The girl squinted a bit. “What are you trying to say, Shitara-san?”

“In this industry, you need constant changes… Something that people can talk about you. You have to be innovative and such.” Himura answered, stealing a macaroon from Maru’s snack plate. “Itadakimasu.”

“What we are trying to say is that, you cannot stay linked with Shimazaki the whole time. Well, I’m not saying that you break up with her but you can have other ships, you know? More ships will help you survive. Let them be linked to you and let the fans do their thing. Don’t deny anything.”

Maru can somehow see the point that the duo is making. When she was linked to a member of a K-Pop girl group, her name got into headlines not only in Korea but in other parts of the world. The involvement she had with them paved way for her comeback in the said country. She got invited for interviews and other TV guestings together with the said group.

At first she thought it was good for her job, she could also promote the idols of Japan. She was going back and forth from Japan to Korea and it felt like she became the bridge for both countries that don’t have really good history with each other. But as time goes by, she felt that she and Paruru are drifting from each other due to her lack of time for her. The management found it a waste but she decided to limit her activities outside of Japan to have more time with her girlfriend.

“You are basically saying that I should make a ship sail with someone from Nogizaka, right?”

“Sasuga, Tsun-kun! Really fast!” Himura commented, he was about to get another snack but Shitara swatted his hand.

“But the fans have already created the ships. The most popular one is the one I have with Asuka.” Maru stated, brushing her bangs up with her fingers. “There’s no need to make one.”

“But you keep on denying it. You don’t have to say anything like that and break the hearts of your fans!” Shitara started sounding frustrated since he could feel that Maru would just stay loyal with what she has with Paruru. “You have to give your fans more shipping material! They have to see you more together, spending happy times together!”

Maru sighed. “I really thank you for the advice that you are giving me. I know this work is the survival of the fittest. I agree that we really need to change at times to present something fresh to the people.” She placed her hands under the table and felt the ring that she is wearing in her left hand’s ring finger. She then looked back at them and smiled.

“But there are other things that are much valuable than surviving this field.”

The two comedians were startled by what she said but they both smiled soon after. It felt like a smile of defeat but also of amazement. They stood up from their seats, giving their bodies some stretch.

“This is just how I imagined your answer would be.” Shitara answered and walked towards the door. He ruffled Maru’s hair before finally going out. “See you in a while, Tsun-kun.”

Himura raised his hand for a high-five and Maru instinctively gave him what he wanted, asking herself what the high-touch is for after. “You’ve won our trust. Have a good time with the girls~”

The door’s clicking sound marked that it is already closed. The glasses girl was left confused; trying to figure out what was their visit for. Her brows furrowed even more when she arrived in a conclusion.

“Were they thinking that I came here to play with the girls’ hearts?” Her eyes widened in shock. Her heart started beating fast, remembering the damage that a famous magazine did to her after she was placed in the “The Women of Japan’s Most Desired Men.” She placed 5th at the ranking, being the only girl in a list that is supposedly only for men. (Note: Maru is the only girl in the Top 10, Oda Nana of Keyakizaka46 made it to top 25/100)

She was labeled as the ‘Perfect Partner’, ‘Stare that Melts’ and ‘The Hero You Would Like To Protect”. All her interactions with the female idols led her to land a spot on that list, completely destroying her feminine side… If ever there is any of it left…

“난 선수가 아닌데!” Maru puffed her cheeks and sighed. “BananaMan-san is such a father figure to them.”

Meanwhile, outside…

Shitara handed Himura five 10,000 yen bills. The okappa-haired comedian received the money with a huge smile on his face.

“Told you, she and Shimazaki are dating!”

Shitara rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right… I thought it was the Red Velvet girl…”

 THE NOGIZAKA girls are gathered in the studio to watch the clips of the encounter that they had with Maru. They have been with MMG at other shows but for some reason, the girl seems to avoid interacting with them. Most people speculate that it is because of the trauma she had with the Nogibingo episode because she still turns pale when someone talks about it.

But yeah, look at her agreeing to become an accomplice in a very, dark place like a haunted house. Well, it was Himura’s role to guide her but her new set of eyes are now comfortable in the dark. It’s just her mind is still caged into the idea that something bad will happen to her in dark places.

To convince her to do that and even made a proper appearance at NogiChuu is something that the fans have been talking about for the whole week after the Campaign Episode. Fans have started to wonder if ever there is something special going on between the Negative Idol and MMG. A lot of them have been waiting for this episode to air.

Ofcourse, they’ve been talking about the confession of Miona to Minami resulting into a lot of fanfics with Maru and Asuka being the cupids… with special relationship…

*The confession scene was subbed with confusing subtitles to lead people into wondering if that was a real confession or not. The whole staff and crew knew about its authenticity but they can’t just go out in public like that. They didn’t air the scene where they called each other as ‘girlfriend’.

The shoot with Maru happened right after the Haunted House shooting. They went to a ryokan, a Japanese-styled hotel, where the other members are resting. It’s a delayed treat for the success they had last year for winning the Japan Records Award and for the successful summer tour.

But they still had to work for a while because of Maru but they didn’t dislike the idea at all. They all welcomed her with warm smiles. And now that the editing is finally over, they can watch it now in the studio but Maru is nowhere to be seen.

The girl was given 15 minutes to visit the rooms of the members and interact with them. The mission of the girls is to make her comfortable with them so they can work more together in the future. It is like the episode that they had with Matsui Rena before. Each generation had to pick representatives but the first gen strongly disagreed. They all wanted to spend time with Maru.

Couldn’t do anything, the staff agreed with the request of the loud girls.

There was a short interview clip with Maru that was shown before everything started. She was asked about her expectations and what she would not like to happen.

“I just want to have a fun and relaxing time. I want to know them better.” She answered with full honesty. “I just don’t want to be pranked that’s all. I want this time to be more meaningful.”

Then the real deal started. Everyone on the studio braced their selves for they were told not to tell anyone of what happened during their time with Maru even to the other members. This is the first time that they will know what really happened.

The three representatives of the third generation were then shown. Ozono Momoko is seated in the middle of Yoda Yuki and Yamashita Mizuki. It is clearly seen that they are nervous but no one is as anxious as Momoko. Even if the two girls beside her tried to cheer her up, she couldn’t stop shivering for no reason at all.

“Ojamashimasu.” Right after Maru entered the room, Momoko stiffened. The two other girls were then caught in her anxiousness and froze just like her. Maru was surprised to see their stiff expressions, looking at the camera to ask for some explanation. The PD just asked her to sit on the seat allotted for her and then they were left alone.

“Man, this doesn’t look good at all.” They heard Maru whispered which brought laughs to those in the studio.

“No one even said welcome to her. Poor thing!” Shitara commented while shaking his head. “That’s not how you make someone comfortable.”

Three minutes have passed but no one from the girls started the talking. The monitoring staff has already started a deliberation whether they would send a senpai for help. As Maru is also aloof to those who she isn’t close with, she couldn’t do anything but to look around and wait for some miracle to happen. But knowing that the girls would be in trouble if nothing worth airing would happen in the remaining minutes, Maru took the first step.

“Uhm…” The girls jerked just by that, surprising Maru too. She caught her breath and continued. “I’m Hoshino Maru. It’s nice to meet you.”

“K-Konnichiwa, I-I’m Yoda Yuki…” Yoda tried to hold her nervousness. “I’m from the 3rd generation a-and I’m 18 years old.”

“I-I’m Yamashita Mizuki, also from the 3rd generation. I-I’ll be 19 this July…”

Maru gave out a smile which kind of brought light to the room. “Do we really have to say our ages? Maa, I’ll be 24 this year.”

And now that the two girls have introduced their selves, everyone turned to the girl in the middle who still had her eyes wide open. It feels like she’s not blinking at all. Momoko looked around, feeling the pressure the she has to introduce herself.

“I-I-I… I’m…” Momoko’s shaky voice became even more shaky. She tried to control herself but her eyes can’t hold it back. Tears started to well up from her eyes making everyone with her panic. Those in the monitor room are panicking as well, knowing that she may leave a bad reputation to Maru. Her fans would surely not like and might become Momoko’s anti. This would be bad for Momoko as she is considered one of the futures of the group.

“S-Seriously?” Maru started panicking as well. Did she do something wrong? Was it her scary eyes again?

“Tsun-kun is panicking!” Himura laughed while watching the discord. “She’s starting to question her existence. Look what you’ve done Momoko-chan!”

Momoko hid at the back of Yuki due to embarrassment. She didn’t mean to cry that time but the overwhelming presence of Maru just swept her away. It’s like her presence during the UZA performance was tripled since then. What on earth is she eating that her aura became like this?

Maru stood up from her seat and went around the table to go closer to Momoko. Yoda made way for her but Momoko buried her face to Zukki to avoid Maru. “Seriously, am I this scary?”

The glasses girl released a heavy sigh, she turned to Yoda to ask for a favor. “Yoda-san, can I pat your head?” she whispered, surprising the other girl. Yuki froze for a while but answered with a stiff nod.

“Thanks.” And without any hesitation, Maru placed her hand on top of Yoda’s head and started caressing it. “Ozono-san, look! I’m harmless! I won’t hurt you so please stop crying!”

Everyone in the studio rolled in laughter with what Maru did.

“What on earth is she doing!?” Shitara laughed so hard while hitting the table with his palm. “She is treating you like stray puppies that she needs to rescue. This girl is so innocent!”

“She’s like, ‘Come on, Momoko-chan, I won’t hurt you. Come here, good girl.’” Everyone laughed at Himura trying to imitate Maru. He even wore round glasses for it. But the girls’ reactions are hilarious. The girls strongly disagreed that Maru looked like that.

“She doesn’t look like that!” Wada Maya protested.

“Yeah! Hoshino-san looked like an animal tamer but you looked like a lolicon!” Noujo Ami commented which led into more laughter.

Himura’s eyes widened and shouted loudly, “OI! I’m the official, Onii-chan of this group! Have some respect!”

They continued watching the video to see what will be the conclusion of Maru’s meeting with the 3rd gen aces. The girl was then seen extending her hand to Yamashita who blushed furiously after getting pats on the head.

“See, Ozono-san… I’m not a bad person. Don’t be afraid…”

Seeing that she can trust Maru and there’s really nothing to be afraid, Momo-pup slowly calmed herself and looked at Maru. Mizuki gently pushed her off to have her greet the guest properly.

“I-I’m… I’m Ozono M-Momoko…” finally, she managed to introduce herself. “I’m also 18 years old.”

She gasped when she felt Maru’s hand on her head. She looked up to her and saw her cute smiling face. “See?” Maru heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s not really something to be scared about. Why were you even terrified of me?”

Momoko sobbed. She started to rub her head on Maru’s palm like a real puppy. And with that teary, puppy eyes, she called out to Maru. “Nii-chan—“

“Time’s up!”

The PD went inside only to see Maru frozen with her jaw hanging. Her pupils crawled up as well.

“PD-san! I guess we should call an ambulance!” Yoda shrieked in fear.

Even the end of the 3rd gen’s encounter with Maru didn’t fail to send the whole studio into laughter. The twitter verse was also filled with laughing emojis and memes of that meeting when the episode was aired. That variety-worthy incident somehow saved the third generation aces. Most of the fans understand that they would feel the same if ever they will be put into the same room with Maru as she is becoming more and more of a phenomenon.

The VTR continued with Maru being taken out from the room with two staffs supporting her. Before going to the next room, she was asked for a comment.

“I-I… I couldn’t believe that someone else other than Jurina would call me like that. I’m still shocked.” She answered while holding her chest. “Show me the next room so we could all rest.”

The next rooms didn’t really give Maru any comfort. After the tragic encounter with the 3rd gen girls, she went to a room where the members were comprised with Kawago Hina, Saito Yuiri, Nakada Kana, Noujo Ami, Higuchi Hina and Wada Maya. It was like riot. Maru was bombarded with questions concerning her preferences.

Things like, ‘Are you really asexual?’ ‘Have you tried dating seriously?’ ‘What kind of person do you like?’ and ‘If you are going to date someone among us, who would you choose?’ came out. But since it was busy, 15 minutes passed by so fast. Maru was escorted out with the girls waving goodbye to her.

The MC praised the girls for what they did. They brought out topics that the public would really like to know. It was also fun to watch how Wada tried to speak in Korean but miserably failed just like the usual. That group was fun to watch and the whole fifteen minutes Maru had with them are all broadcast worthy.

The next room was with the 2nd gen representatives. After seeing Suzuki Ayane sitting stiffly, Maru’s greeting changed into, “Suzuki-san, you are not going to cry too, are you?”

It was just okay with Shinuchi Mai and Watanabe Miria doing the talking. Maru thought the she would find Hori Miona in this room but the girl was in the next room together with Hoshino Minami. It seems like the management is pushing this ship to sail.

The two girls are already smiling at her when she went in. She looked around before going to her seat. “Where is Asuka?”

“Is that how you are going to greet us?” Minami puffed her cheeks. “That’s rude. Looking for someone who’s not here when there are other people present.”

Maru was taken aback. She didn’t know that the bubbly Hoshino Minami could act tsundere as well. She knew her as a sweet, perfect imouto character. Did she get it wrong? Was she like this when doing this thing with Matsui Rena or did she only have the confidence since Miona was with her?

“W-Well, sorry about that…” Maru stammered. Meanwhile in the studio, Minami was praised and teased at the same time for making Maru stutter. Minami flustered after seeing what she did. It was really embarrassing.

While talking with Maru, Miona casually slid something under the table. Maru looked at it but Miona gave her a light kick telling her not to be obvious. The glasses girl hid the note in her pocket and spent the remaining minutes with the lovebirds only to be cornered once more.

“Asuka didn’t mention to us even once that you guys are close. Are you guys going out in secret?” Hori suddenly asked, making Maru cough. To bluntly ask something like that with a poker face…

“Don’t deny anything.”

Shitara’s voice suddenly echoed inside Maru’s head. Seeing the faces of the two girls somehow made her curious of how they would react to play-safe answer. Maru’s playful side resurfaced as her lips curved up into a smirk.

“How about ask Asuka about that?”

Not only were the two surprised but everyone who was in the monitoring room gasped at that time. And those who were watching in the studio got their jaws dropped and of course the Twitter verse won’t be defeated with the reaction. They’ve given life to ‘How about ask Asuka about that?’ meme.

“I will just explain everything to Haruka when I get home. I know she won’t be angry since I’m only joking with these two.” That’s what Maru told herself but she didn’t manage to explain anything to Paruru until the next morning because of what happened to her in the next rooms.

“How long do you have the contacts of each other?” Minami asked, leaning forward. She’s still the perfect imouto for her. If she will be asked of the idol she wants to have as a younger sister, she wouldn’t think twice about answering Hoshino Minami. They have the same surname anyway. Deep inside her she was wishing that Ae-ri would act cute like this at times.

“Well… That’s not for me to answer.” Maru leaned back to have a good look of their reactions.

“Maru-sama, don’t tease us like that!”

Hearing Minami called her with –sama with matching puffy cheeks turned her ears bright red. She was thankful that her hair was covering it or else she would be vulnerable to the sharp eyes of those watching.

The two tried to corner her even more but Maru would be back to them with unclear answers. Somehow it felt like she was hinting that there is really something going on between her and Asuka. This is something that the producers of the show never expected to happen. They didn’t beg Maru for a fan service; she’s just doing it voluntarily.

Fifteen minutes have passed but the two wasn’t able to get any clear answer from Maru. She even teased them more before she went out.

“If Asuka doesn’t tell anything about it then I won’t be talking about it as well.”

And then she left, leaving the two more puzzled about her relationship with Asuka. She went out with a satisfied smile telling the staff how she played around with the two.

“She just said that she wouldn’t like to be pranked but she basically pranked us.” Minami complained cutely. If Maru is watching right now, she would sure giggle with how her dream imouto protested about the little prank that she did.

BananaMan just gave each other a meaningful look, knowing that Maru might’ve gotten influenced by their words when they talked to her before the taping.

The next room was real hell for Maru. Before she even opens the door, the door slid open from the inside and two pairs of arms pulled her inside. She first saw Takayama Kazumi and Wakatsuki Yumi dressed as guys. The two forced her to wear a wig and a yukata robe with Kazumi not forgetting to be polite. After that she was pushed to sit beside Ikuta Erika who was also dressed as a guy, greeting her with her sensational Ikuo pose. Beside her is the captain, Sakurai Reika, who is also wearing a wig.

“What on earth…” Maru looked at the people sitting at the opposite side of the table. Shiraishi Mai, Nishino Nanase, Matsumura Sayuri, Akimoto Manatsu and Eto Misa are sitting in front of them. They are all wearing the ryokan’s yukata robe.

“We are now complete!” Wakatsuki declared while hanging her arm on Maru’s neck. The glasses girl is still clueless of what’s happening.

“Kibou-san…” Shiraishi called her with the name Nogizaka46 has given to her in reference to their song ‘Kimi no Na wa Kibou’ (Your Name is Hope) “Welcome to our group date!”

“E-Eh!? G-Group date?” Maru looked around to find someone to help her but there was no one who would answer her plea. “What are you guys doing!?”

“We just thought that you would enjoy events like this.” Manatsu explained and then gave Maru her lethal weapon ‘Zukkyun’ which almost gave the girl cancer.

“Who said I would enjoy this!?” Maru tried to escape but she was heavily guarded by Takayama and Wakatsuki. “No please…”

Misa then placed a bottle of Iichiko Shochu on the table. She then went to mix it with melon liqueur and fresh lemon juice before shaking it well with ice. The liquor master of the group then poured the drink on a cocktail glass and finished everything by adding cherry on it.

Maiyan then pushed the glass in front of Maru. “Have some, Kibou-san.”

“N-No! Why are we drinking!?” Maru complained. “Are you guys really going to drink on a broadcast?”

Misa raised her hand. “Did that.” She responded monotonously.

“B-But—“

“This is a celebration, Kibou-kun!” Ikuta answered with her tsundere switch flipped on. “How can you celebrate without some liquor?”

“B-But Ikuta-san—“

“Ikuo-kun is right!” Sayuringo answered, grinning from ear to ear. “I also heard that people in your country drink together to have great camaraderie. It’s just the same thing here in Japan.”

“We are all on the age to drink so don’t worry.” Reika seconded, ordering her shochu cocktail from Misa.

“Captain!!!” Maru then turned to Nanase who was currently looking at her. “Jojo-san, help me…”

Nanase just tilted her head to the side and smiled. She took something she’s hiding at her back and then showed it to Maru. It is a pile of wooden chopsticks.

“Kibou-chan…” Nanase smiled at her. “Ousama Game~~Start~!”

Maru then turned pale.

After spending fifteen minutes in the hellish room, Maru came out looking tipsy. She never had the chance to be king. And as if the girls know which number she picked she was always commanded to do something. They tried to make her do absurd things such as ‘Kiss number 5’ which happened to be Manatsu. She couldn’t do most of the commands which means she has to take a glass down.

And there she goes, going to the next room staggering. Deep inside her head she is already convinced that she isn’t fated to be with Nogizaka. If she hangs out with them even more, she might end up crazy. Hanging out with the goofballs of the 48G has already done a lot to her mental health. She couldn’t afford twice of the craziness.

“This is the last room, right?” Maru asked the staff while squinting. She then turned to her manager who is obviously apologetic of the happenings. “You better be sure to take me home, Kato-san.”

Maru then slid the door open; her yukata robe is all over the place. Waiting for her in the room is the last person she’s going to spend 15 minutes with, the girl who convinced her to come to the show—Saito Asuka.

“You alone?” Maru asked, she felt nauseous after she smelt the booze when she talked. She never imagined that she would have that much liquor with Nogizaka. It has been a while since she had alcohol too that’s why she got drunk easily.

Asuka worriedly looked at her. She stood from her seat and assisted Maru to her place. A staff member went in and gave Maru a glass of cold water to drink.

“I’m sorry, Asuka. I’ve been through hell.” Maru took a gulp of the water. “I honestly thought that we were going to have some sincere talk about the future of the group but it became a party.”

Asuka snickered when she finally realized what happen. “I guess everyone was just really excited to hangout with you.”

Maru heavily shook her head. “If crying and torture are parts of being excited then you could convince me.

Asuka just snickered. “Anyway, thank you for coming with us today. You really helped us a lot.” The idol expressed her gratitude, trying her hardest not to laugh at Maru’s current state.

“Because you said it was a matter of life and death.” Maru then felt the note she got from Miona when her hand landed to the side of her pocket. She took it out and had a peek.

“Thank you for playing cupid for us. We hope you also find your pair. –Miona and Minami.”

Maru smiled and returned the note in her pocket. “I’ve already found her.”

“What are you murmuring over there?” Asuka asked. She has seen Maru getting drunk before and that wasn’t really a good memory for her. That time Maru declared to all idols present that she is inlove with Shimazaki Haruka and even emphasized that the former idol was hers only. That wasn’t a good scene to see especially if you have a crush on Maru.

Yes, the great negative idol, Saito Asuka, who always wonders about her existence and gets sad on how great her fans support her despite her imperfections, has a lingering two-year crush to Hoshino Maru.

Her admiration to the girl started in Nogibingo where she was picked to go with Maru at the dark room. She witnessed how scared Maru was back then, she was holding Asuka’s hand so tight but she made sure that Asuka won’t get hurt with her panicking. It was like she was protecting the idol from whatever is inside that dark room. With that, Asuka got her own experience of the idol protector. It might not be that known to the fans but she knows it well in her heart.

She was so worried when Maru got into an accident that she sneaked to the hospital with a disguise. She even cried in happiness after hearing the news that Maru has woken up from comatose. She was overjoyed when she was able to work with her for the first time after the accident that she messed up the whole recording but Maru was there to give her support. She wanted to be the one to support her as a senpai in the industry but she’s the only one that keeps receiving help.

She managed to be a little close to her but she knows that being a friend is the closest that she can get to her. Maru is inlove with one of the brightest idols of their generation. It is so obvious whenever they are seen together.

“I thought you would be with Hori-san and Hoshino-san but here you are alone in one room. Are you really that big of a loner?” Maru asked with a sneer.

Asuka blushed a little, embarrassed of what the drunken girl said. She couldn’t say that Miona and Minami talked to the director of the show to give her an alone time with Maru as if they were her managers. The two don’t know anything about how she sees Maru but they went on their way to do that. Was she getting obvious?

“You would prefer the same thing, don’t you?” Asuka asked back, trying to stop grinning.

“There are times that I prefer to be alone, but I have people who want to stay with me now.” Maru drank the remaining water and asked for more. “They are all busy people but they are all trying to spend time with me. With that I’m really happy.”

The glass of water arrived but Maru didn’t take notice of it. She got down to the table and comfortably placed her head on her stretched out right arm. “Koinu is really loud and annoying almost all the time but I just let her be. That’s how she shakes off her stress. GM always lectures me like a mother but I know that’s her way to show that she cares. Shakure King always tells me how annoying my face is but she loves rubbing her chin to me.”

During the broadcast, a tweet from Sayaka was sent saying, “Nandeyanen, kiddo! When did I rub my chin to you!?”

“Miyuki loves to cling on me so much. She harasses me and forces me to bath with her but she’s always there if I need to get something off my chest.”

And that time from Miyuki, “Waru-kun, let’s go bath together~ I’ll prepare a bubbly bath~ :*”

“And there is Haruppi-san who is still resting. I would really love to see her back to stage as soon as possible. She has one of the brightest smiles in this planet. I want the world to see that again.”

Maru crossed her arms and buried her face on it. “Then there is Sakura. She doesn’t have enough confidence with herself and is experiencing a lot of panic attacks lately. But when she’s with me, she makes sure that she shows me her child-like smile that I really like. She doesn’t want anyone to worry about her despite of all the stress and pressure that she’s under to. I want to support her all the way. She and Koinu…”

There’s a long pause from Maru. Asuka was about to reach out to her, worried that she might’ve already fallen asleep but she jerked when Maru suddenly spoke. Her heart skipped a beat.

“And of course, I won’t forget you, Asuka. You also gave me a name, didn’t you?”

Ah, yes. Asuka indeed gave Maru a name while they were on another show but since then she hasn’t used that to call her.

“How about try using that to call me? You only call me ‘Oi’.” Maru snickered while her eyes are closed. Asuka wasn’t able to say something for that moment. Her heart was beating so loudly that she couldn’t focus at all. Her mind was blank. She couldn’t think of a way to escape.

She took a deep breath and gathered courage. “H-Hika—“

“And of course, I would never forget about my Hime-sama!” Maru suddenly blurted out, she even raised her right fist as if she won something. “Every time that I’m with her is very precious. I don’t want to take any moment for granted. I want to treasure her for the rest of my… wait… I don’t know if I can consider this second but whatever… I want to treasure her for the rest of my second life.”

“I promise not to make her cry… I promise that I will always be her star… I promise to stay by her side no matter what… Even if I’m lacking, I will do everything to make her smile…”

The subtitle during this part was, “Maru-sama’s wedding vows(?)” This immediately trended in twitter with Paruru being tagged on it. Looks like everyone is already convinced that MaruParu isn’t just a ship but something way beyond. This wasn’t cut out since MaruParu has a huge horde of shippers. They found Maru’s innocent wedding vows really heart-warming.

Maru went quiet again. After everything that she heard, Asuka couldn’t bring herself to talk. How was she supposed to answer that anyway? Maru just started talking about her friends and ended up talking about the love of her life.

She went over to Maru’s side of the table and then faced the staff with a professional smile. “Maru-san has fallen asleep…” She looked at the timer to confirm the time. “Four minutes left.”

Maru’s manager entered the room and apologized that Maru fell asleep. The producers and the staff also apologized for what the girls of Nogizaka made her do but deep inside their variety souls, they were singing in triumph because they got a lot of good scenes.

Her manager was about to pick her up but Asuka suddenly had an idea for the remaining time. She asked to take pictures of the sleeping Maru and even drew on her face. Asuka giggled like a little kid. She made her look like the cat that she sculpted when she was in 5th grade and again took pictures of it.

She looked at the photos with satisfaction. She poked Maru’s nose and snickered, “This is why you must not fall asleep when you are with me, Hikaru.” (光; light, you know the reason why.)

  AKIMOTO YASUSHI was having another birthday dinner with one of his graduated kids. He had dinners with the first-ever general manager of the group and the rest of the original Kami 7. He doesn’t know how many birthday dinners he has went through. His birthday was long over but Maru and Paru still considered this dinner as a birthday celebration dinner. It’s hard to have so many daughters. This is the main reason why Aki-P is gaining weight.

“I’m glad that you are looking healthier now, Paruru.” Aki-P commented after swallowing his pasta. “I hope you get rid of that asthma totally.”

“Hoshi is taking care of me properly, Sensei.” Paruru smiled cutely and then looked at Maru. “She’s treasuring me so well during this second life of hers…”

Maru almost choked after that tease from Paruru. She turned to Paru with widened eyes.

“Ah, right…” Aki-P leaned back to his chair. “Maru has said her wedding vows in NogChuu.”

Maru was trying to save herself by drinking water but the next line from Aki-P made her spit it out. This may be called her third life now.

“W-W-What’s wrong with the two of you!?” Maru walked out with her face bright red. She went to the restroom to clean the mess she made on her clothes.

Aki-P and Paruru just laughed as they watch Maru stomp her feet on the way to the restroom. No matter how cool she might be in the eyes of others, she still has that strong tsundere side of her.

“Maru is really funny. She blushes furiously when it comes to you.” Aki-P commented. “You must be having a lot of good times teasing her.”

Haruka just answered with a smile. She doesn’t want to tell the Sensei that Maru has a side that only her have seen.

Aki-P placed his utensils back to the table and wiped the sides of his mouth. “That girl has tried a lot in her career. I want to discuss with you the next plan I have for her…”

“N-Next plan?” Paru straightened her back, a sign that she’s all ears to whatever Aki-P is going to say.

“I believe you’re a little jealous that you don’t have a lot of jobs with her. Maru is working with different idols but you can’t do it with her since you already graduated.”

Paru wasn’t able to say something. It’s true. Sometimes she feels regretful that she graduated right when Maru entered the spotlight.

“Even Milky is feeling the same thing. Of course, she told me that with her signature smile.”

The Producer crossed his arms and did his signature pose. “With that, I want Maru to have her drama debut.”

“D-Drama?” Paruru repeated.

“Yes. A drama that I will personally write. A drama with you and the other kids.”

A smile automatically flashed on Paruru’s face. “That sounds ama—“

“Also, it will be a drama with Saito Asuka.”

And for the love of God, her boys are twins. They couldn’t even sleep in different beds but now they were forced to be apart. They’ve been inseparable since birth but because of their parents’ selfishness, they had to face things on their own for the first time in their lives.

“Come here, sweetie…” Atsuko stretched her arm towards Fuyu. The little kid, dragging his favorite bunny stuff toy, slowly walked towards his mother’s arm and let her little body be wrapped by that warm embrace. Atsuko made him feel that he isn’t alone but her tears welled up even more.

“Okaa-san…” Fuyu called in a soft voice. “Have you used your magic? Have you already used that one wish?”

Atsuko wiped her tears and faced her eldest son. The little kid is pertaining to the favorite bedtime story that she tells the twins. The story says that all people are capable of doing magic but it can only be used once in a form of a wish. The twins believe that they have their own precious wish and they are keeping it in case of emergency.

“Why did you ask Fuu-chan?” Atsuko asked, combing the boy’s hair with her fingers.

“Because me and Natsu used our wish. We wished that the divorce won’t take place so that we could stay as one whole family.” Fuyu dropped his head down in embarrassment. “But our wish didn’t come true. Do you think we are not capable of using magic?”

Atsuko’s heart hurt even more to the fact that her sons ‘used’ their precious one wish just to save their relationship. She lifted Fuyu’s face and saw his misty eyes but the little boy is trying hard not to let his tears fall down.

“I guess the wish won’t take effect to something that would never be. I think me and Yuu-kun won’t be really happy if we stay together… I-I… I believe that’s the reason why it didn’t take effect.”

Fuyu took a deep breath. “I wonder if I used it in some other things…”

Atsuko shook her head. She forced a smile while wiping her tears. “Saa, Fuu-chan… Let me tell you something…” She made her son sit on the bed while she kneels on the floor, trying to bring her composure back.

“Do you know? Every life is a partial fulfillment of a wish itself.” This statement made the little Fuyu tilt his head to the side. He couldn’t understand the reason why his mum is bringing it up in times like this.

“What do you mean, Okaa-san?” He asked, looking straight to her mother’s eyes.

“You see, the feelings we have now, the way we decide, or even the dreams that we have are all influenced by our past lives. It’s all part of the wish that our past selves have wished.” Atsuko cupped her son’s face. “You know? For example, you… You got a very strong desire to meet someone, right?”

Fuyu’s heart jumped just at the thought of that person. “T-The girl with the scent?”

Atsuko nodded. “I believe that your past self really loved that girl too much that’s why you are feeling that way. That love was so strong that it managed to surpass death and time. And now, you are here to fulfill that wish of your past self to meet the girl of the scent and fall in love with her again.”

The boy’s eyes widened in excitement. “But Okaa-san, I’m already sure that I love her! Whenever I think of her, I just couldn’t stop the loud beating of my heart!”

Atsuko got surprised but then soon chuckled at the cute confession of this little man. How cute it is for him to say that he is sure about loving someone he hasn’t seen yet.

“See?” Atsuko’s smile fainted a bit. Her stare is travelling to the features of his son’s face as she gently caresses his face. “I… I also believe that Yuu-kun is also like that to Haruna-san. From the very start he knows that the woman for him was Haruna-san but because of circumstances, his heart broke and somehow ended up with me… What am I even doing talking about these things to you?”

Atsuko just smiled and released a breath. “What I mean is that, you don’t have to be angry to Otou-san for leaving us. His heart just wouldn’t stay still if he doesn’t end up with her. It would be harder for us to stay together.”

She then saw her son’s eyebrows crunched a bit. “Then why did he go to you if he loved Haruna-san from the very start? He should’ve remained true to his feelings.”

Atsuko faintly shook her head. “It may be that simple to say but when circumstances start to get bigger than your desire, people tend to succumb into their weakness. You will understand when you grow up more, Fuu-chan…”

“I don’t need to grow up to understand that he treated you like nothing. Okaa-san, you don’t deserve to be treated like that.”

Atsuko just smiled and pinched her little hero’s cheek. “Don’t worry, Fuu-chan… I will help you in finding the girl with the scent. When that time comes, I will make sure that you won’t make the same mistake as your Otou-san.”

Fuyu looked at his favorite bunny stuff toy with a frown. “I won’t be like him, right, Negai-san?”

Atsuko stood up, feeling a bit freshened up after letting her tears go. She messed up little Fuyu’s hair only to fix it again. “Do you want some hot chocolate, Fuu-chan?”

The boy’s face brightened up at the sound of his favorite drink. He hopped out from the bed and held his mother’s hand. “Make one cup for Negai-san, too!”

  “NEGAI-SAN, it has been a long time, isn’t it?”

Fuyu was looking at the stuff toy on the shelf. Yes, it has been a very long time but he made sure that Negai-san is being taken care of very well. It does look a bit thinner that its original size but it is still clean. It can’t be helped. When Natsu was taken away, it became his bedtime buddy for quite a long time.

Fuyu turned around and looked at the altar of his mother’s ashes. The beautiful smiling face of his mother in the portrait gives him assurance that his mother lived a happy life that she managed to give such a marvelous smile. It also gives him hope that she might be somewhere out there living her new life.

“Okaa-san…” he called as he went to his knees to give respect. “Don’t worry about me. I hope you can fulfill your wish wherever you are now. I’m halfway to fulfilling mine.”

He gave out a very wide smile that he was afraid of showing Atsuko before because his dimples remind her of his father. Nevertheless, Atsuko loved seeing his smile. It was one of her treasures and protecting it is that one thing that kept her going despite all the she went through.

“I finally understand what you said to me before… about the circumstances that made him commit those mistakes. I promise I will not lose to those circumstances.”

He stood up and took a  stretch. “Let’s get to work and finish early! Today is the day!”

  “I GUESS I arrived too early.”

Fumie gave her head a light scratch while looking at her watch. She’s already in front of Tokyo Dome, 40 minutes early than the time she set with Fuyu. She had to take her father to the doctor in the morning and their family had a scheduled family lunch so Fuyu decided to work in the morning.

Fumie invited him to join the lunch but the memory of the dinner he had with his girlfriend’s father is still fresh to his memories. He also said that it would be better that it would be a family time. There are things that they couldn’t discuss if someone like him is around but he promised to invite them to dinner one day.

The girl was a bit disappointed that her Hoshi declined the invitation but she realized it was necessary for him to not be around because all they talked about during lunch time is her upcoming date with Fuyu.

Her father doesn’t really show the support he has for the couple even though he thinks that having someone like Fuyu is a gift to Fumie. Through meeting the guy, Fumie started to have more friends. He was worried that she would be bullied like what happened to her overseas but Fumie adjusted really well and that is all thanks to Fuyu and the other kids.

He is open about the support when talking with his wife but when Fumie is around, he just couldn’t help but to frown. Seeing his lovely daughter being so giddy about a guy still gives a different feeling. His mood changed when the two women of his life started talking about Fuyu’s good points as if they haven’t seen it to any other guy before. The retired lieutenant colonel wanted to raise his hand and tell them that he has the same good points as well. Fumie and her mother couldn’t help but to laugh at the jealousy of the ex-soldier.

Since it is technically the first time that she and Fuyu are going out on a date, they discussed about the things that she should do and the things that she shouldn’t. Her mother strictly warned her not to fangirl so much to the point that she might forget that she’s on a date. Her mother knows her capacity as a wota very well.

Fumie promised that she would not let her inner wota takeover during the date. Even though it would be hard, she has to make sure that she won’t make anything that would be a major turn off. After that, her dad asked her about their plan after the concert.

“Nothing…” was the only answer she could give. She realized that they really didn’t set to do anything other than the concert. Then ideas just came flooding her mind. It would be nice to get some ramen for dinner and after that maybe they could take a night stroll while trying to stargaze. She felt like Fuyu would really love to do those things. It just feels like it without any particular reason why. She was trying to remember something that Yuma was claiming before but she just couldn’t recall it.

It hasn’t been long when she started to feel that she has to go to the rest room. She indeed had a lot of iced tea while they were discussing about the date. She couldn’t help but to be anxious about two things—how the date with her Hoshi would go and when would her father stop acting like a big tsundere. She felt that he would follow them throughout the whole date if only her mother didn’t take her dad home.

There are already a lot of people around the dome, the line was so long that she couldn’t wait to get in or else she’ll be done for. She can’t also go inside without Fuyu. She immediately crossed the street and went inside the Tokyo Dome Hotel. She just couldn’t explain the relief that she felt after getting inside the restroom in the first floor.

Fumie also took this time to fix her makeup. She doesn’t necessarily need to apply makeup but she wants to surprise her boyfriend a little. Her heart races everytime she imagines the face that Fuyu would make once he sees her on her carefully thought makeup and outfit. She made sure that Fuyu would be more into her.

She was surprised when she saw familiar faces when she went out. The mentors of the idol course that she failed are all in the lobby having some iced tea before the concert starts. She was immediately noticed by her dance teacher and she was given a warm greeting through a wave.

“Fumie-chan! It’s nice to see you here!” Anna-sensei greeted her as she gets closer. Fumie gave them a bow before moving nearer.

“I’m here to watch the concert.” Fumie answered with a smile. “I can’t wait to see the girls perform on stage.”

Anna-sensei produced a sad face and surprised the girl with a hug. “I’m glad you’re doing fine, my dear. You looked so devastated after the results came out. I’m glad you look healthy and seem to be eating well. I was really worried about you.”

“E-Eh?” Fumie stammered. She tried to ask help from the other mentors but they just gave her a smile in response.

“Just let her hug you, Fumie-chan.” Their fashion coach, Shinobu, said while faintly shaking her head. “Anna-sensei was really worried about you. There’s not a single gathering with her not saying your name.”

“R-Really?” Fumie was then released by her dance teacher who got teary eyes.

“It felt like I raised a child during that short period that you were under my care. You really improved a lot and with that I am very proud.” Anna-sensei wiped her tears and placed her hands to Fumie’s shoulders. “Please pursue being an idol. I believe you will be big! And when you get famous don’t become like some brat who after placing first in the elections consecutively just locks herself in her hotel room and only attends rehearsals once—“

“Shh! Anna!” Togasaki, the vocal trainer, immediately pulled the dance teacher away from Fumie. “You don’t have to say that. People might hear you!”

“E-Eh? What do you mean? Is Asuka-san alri—“

“Who did you come with anyway, Fumie-chan?” The vocal coach asked to change the topic. The girl was taken aback a little but a wonderful smile was painted on her lips.

“I came here with my bo—“

“Fumie-san! What’s taking you so long?”

The eyes of the teachers widened when they recognized who called their former student. Surprisingly not on his usual outfit, Kato Kenta came running towards them. He’s on a very casual light blue long-sleeve polo that’s paired with khaki pants. He brushed his silver hair up with his fingers before heaving a sigh. “Let’s get going, we’ll be late.”

The vocal coach had to lift up the jaws of his colleagues who were sent in a trance by the said guy. “Wake up, people.” He said monotonously.

“K-Kato-san!?” Fumie was startled to see her former manager. “What are you—“

“Fumie-chan, you know each other?” Anna-sensei asked, bewildered. “Y-You and K-Kato-san—“

Kato immediately shook his head and waved his hands to deny what the teachers’ hypothesis. “It’s not what you think, Sir and Madams.” He took a deep breath and smiled. “I am Fumie-san’s manager.”

The mentors’ jaws dropped once more but this time together with the vocal trainer.

“K-Kato Kenta is your manager? The Kato Kenta!?”

Kato scratched the back of his head before looking at his watch. “I’m sorry but we have to go now. The gates are already open and we have to fall in that very long line. I can’t afford to be late at this event! See you around, Senseis! Fumie-san, let’s go~”

The manager went on his way, cheerfully humming Asuka’s new song. Confused of what’s going on, Fumie gave her teachers a bow as a goodbye before going after the bleach-haired guy.

“Did you see that!?” Anna-sensei exclaimed. “I knew it! That girl is destined for stardom! She wouldn’t be picked by Kato Kenta if she isn’t a big idol material!”

“I couldn’t believe that Kato Kenta is back to discovering idols after all that controversy.” The fashion coordinator commented. “I mean, we all know that the case was dismissed in favor of him because it was proven that those who filed sexual harassment against him were lying but he has already gone bankrupt and everything. No one has trusted him even though he got his name clear of the issues.”

“I guess his gifted eyes can’t just stay still!” Anna-sensei’s display of amazement towards Kato Kenta doesn’t really please Togasaki.

“I don’t really trust him.” He bitterly said. “He may be cleared from the sexual assaults but we know how he treated the idols under him like things. Until now Asuka-san is still scarred because of that cyborg treatment. You should get worried about Fumie-san’s sake now that you learned that she is being managed by that person.”

“What if Asuka is just really being a brat?” Anna-sensei got back at him with a pout, her hands in akimbo.

The guy looked at her dead in the eyes and brushed her face with his palm. “Don’t be bitter just because she is aloof with you. She’s like that to everyone else. Try to understand the pressure that she’s in. Don’t be a kid, Anna-sensei.”

The dance mentor clicked her tongue and then took a sip of her iced tea while biting the straw.

On the other hand, Fumie was finally able to catch up on Kato Kenta who just casually handed her a Red Velvet Cake Crème Frappuccino Blended Crème in Trenta size. Fumie couldn’t even help but to be surprised on how huge it is.

“K-Kato-san—“

“My treat.” The guy smiled cheerfully, raising the Double Chocolaty Chip Crème Frappuccino Blended Crème in the same size. “This one is for Fuyu-kun. I saw him in front of the dome and I believe he is waiting for you. He is looking hella fine, dear lady! You shouldn’t let him wait or he will get flocked by vultures!”

“A-Arigatou gozaimasu…” Fumie blushed at the thought of her boyfriend. Fuyu has already arrived and is waiting for her. She has to hurry up and show him what she prepared.

“Fumie-san, you remember what you told me at the day of the announcement of the results, right?”

The girl’s eyebrows furrowed a bit. “What I said?”

The silver-haired guy smiled and shook his head a little. “It’s nothing. Now go to your boyfriend.”

He pointed at Fuyu who immediately noticed them through the scent. His pupils dilated right after seeing the beauty of his girlfriend. Kato is right. He looks so dazzling even though he is just wearing the white tunic collar shirt he didn’t know his father bought for him. He was about to smile at Fumie but the guy standing beside her girl made him squint a little.

“Kato—“ Before he could even say anything, Kato handed him the Frappuccino with a huge smile on his face. “Don’t worry, it’s not what you think it is. Enjoy your date, lovebirds~”

That’s all and Kato disappeared into the crowd. His disappearance is as quick as his sudden appearance. The couple just looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. And the reality that they are together now has finally sunk in. Starting feeling a bit bashful with one another, they averted their stares to another direction.

“L-Let’s go fall in line.” Fuyu stammered. He knows he has to say something about Fumie’s looks but this event being labeled as their first official date is making his heart shake. He is literally blown away.

Fumie took a glance of her boyfriend and noticed that he got his hair trimmed a little. His eyebrows are now a bit visible. The overall look is just really clean and refreshing. If Miyu is with her now, she’s sure that she would be slapped in the shoulder a thousand times due to the appearance of a ‘king’.

The girl smiled to herself, gaining confidence knowing that this guy is her boyfriend. He isn’t just good looking but he is also as pure as his name. Without any hesitation, she held his usually cold hand, surprising the guy who was still lost in which word he should use to describe Fumie.

Fuyu just gave her a smile, still a little awkward but the nerve between them is slowly disappearing. They immediately went to find their seats after buying some light sticks because attending a concert won’t be complete without it.

The concert started presenting the idols who also ranked in the prestigious list. There are also on-going concerts on different parts of the country and it is like a nationwide festival. It is like a thanksgiving festival for the fans who gave their all just to have their oshi in the ranks. It is a yearly event that is also being celebrated by the international wotas.

At first it was only Fumie who was enjoying the event but seeing how she is so into it, Fuyu slowly loosened up and started to enjoy the event. He isn’t really fond of idols because of many reasons but how could he stay still if his girl is really an industrious wota?

Everyone is enjoying outside but they aren’t aware of the commotion happening backstage…

The first six members of the Jyuuni Seiza had already performed their acceptance stage and the next girls are on standby. None of those girls are in Tokyo Dome. They are all scattered in different parts of the nation and having a simultaneous concert. The idol is shown on the huge screen in the stage while idols in the lower ranks will take the stage as backup dancers. The staff members are all looking tense because of the continuous flow of the event. They are against time because they are also in live broadcast. They can’t afford to waste a second so they are pressured to keep everything in accordance to what is rehearsed. They have to be in perfect synchronization. 

What’s pressuring them even more is Asuka just arrived backstage. She doesn’t seem to be in a very good condition with her paler-than-usual skin and dark circles under her eyes. She came with her manager, Hori, who is much more worried about the idol. He already told her to stay at the apartment or maybe go to the hospital because she’s in high fever but the girl insisted that she has to go to the concert and give back what her fans deserve.

The staff immediately went to her and took her to the dressing room to have her makeup done and be dressed in the costume specially tailored for the ‘Queen of the Idols’. Hori couldn’t calm himself as he was walking back and forth outside the said room. He has seen Asuka getting a bit sick before a concert starts because of her nerves but it is the first time that he has seen her this weak to the point that she looks like she is only dragging her feet in able to perform.

“T-This is bad… If something bad happens at Asuka-san at the stage it would be a big controversy but if she won’t make the performance it would mean the same thing. If ever she makes it but gives a lousy performance then it is still an issue!” He started to pull his hair as stress starts to fill him up. “What should I do!? I have to pull her out if she’s really sick! Her health is top priority into this!”

“Hori-san!” Anna-sensei hurried towards the said manager with a grumpy face. “I know that Asuka is hard to deal with but you have to be strong enough to convince her to go to rehearsals. She missed the dry-run and now the new idol group that would dance with her is clueless of what will happen on-stage. She should’ve practiced with her atleast once!”

Hori’s sweat glands started to work double-time after seeing the certain mentor. “I-I’m sorry, Sensei. Y-You know that it is really hard to put everything on Asuka-san’s schedule. She has been working day and night lately especially after she was announced as the Queen again. Magazine photoshoots and CM shoots are here and there—“

“Nonsense! The concert should be prioritized! All of those can be set aside for now but the concert will happen only once!”

Hori would like to defend Asuka even more. He liked to tell the teacher that in her little breaks she practices the song and the choreography to the point that she sacrifices her time for eating. He has seen all the hardworks of the idol and he can’t just let her be misunderstood by someone. He was about to talk back but the two of them twitched together with the other people in the hallway after hearing a thudding noise from the dressing room followed by the shrieks of the people inside.

The manager immediately crashed inside the room out of instinct. His eyes widened after he saw Asuka lying on the ground with her eyes closed, surrounded by people who are trying to make her stand up. The makeup artists are still trying to fix her appearance even though it is clearly seen that she’s in pain.

Hori couldn’t stand it anymore and made his way towards his talent. “Get out of the way!” he shouted. All the staff members surrounding the girl made way for him after hearing his angry voice. He gasped after holding Asuka. It felt like he almost burned his hand after touching her.

“Call for an ambulance! Asuka-san is in high fever!!!”

  “JUST LOOK AT THE LEFT…” Fumie repeated what Fuyu told her before she went inside the restroom. The huge-sized drink that Kato gave them has already taken a toll on their bladders. They had to immediately go to the restroom while  the MC part is on-going.

“Did I really turn left? Did Hoshi say that I should just look and not walk?” The girl held her head to somehow calm herself. She’s been walking for about five minutes or so but she still hasn’t seen Fuyu at all. She kept on looking back but there is no sign of her boyfriend as well. “Why am I being a ponkotsu during an event like this? I should get there before the performance of the top 3 starts.”

Her feet suddenly stopped moving when she got a brilliant idea. It would be easy if she could just call her Hoshi. So she immediately rummaged her pouch to look for her phone. She was about to dial his number when a horde of people suddenly came running towards her, ignoring the fact that she’s on the way. She dropped not only her phone but her open pouch as well, spilling all the things inside. She managed to stick herself to the wall to somehow lessen the damage but she could see that her phone is near to its grave.

“Oh no… This can’t be…” Fumie picked her phone that has its screen cracked because of the stampede. What’s more depressing is its touch functions totally stopped working. She could have another method to contact Fuyu if only she didn’t leave her neurolinker at home due to the reason that it would not look good with her outfit.

Fumie suddenly froze after realizing something. Her head tilted towards the direction of the people who just passed by. Somehow, she recognized the girl who was being carried on the back of a certain guy.

“A-Asuka-san—“

“Fumie-chan!”

She then turned to the owner of the voice and saw her teachers and some of the staff members from the idol course that she joined. She jerked when her phone suddenly rang and saw that Fuyu is calling but she couldn’t answer it because of the defective screen.

“F-Fumie-chan! I-I think we need your help!” said Anna-sensei which made everyone around startled.

“What on earth are you thinking, Nakasone Anna?” Togasaki growled. “Are you out of your mind? We should consult Kojima-san and the members of the council first!”

“We don’t have enough time, Togasaki-sensei! Kojima-san is doing the MC part with the graduates and all the other girls are already on standby! We can’t call them and suddenly destroy their formation!”

“But you are going to use a non-idol as a substitute for the top idol of this year? Are you serious!?”

“But we can’t call the other ranked girls to substitute for Asuka. They are all in other different cities! It is impossible! And you know that nobody knows about the choreography of the new song aside from the girls on the idol course!”

Togasaki was taken aback. The dance teacher has a point. They are on a deep pinch. Asuka never had an understudy. If this was only a group concert it would be reasonable to pick a substitute. It would be easy. But Asuka is a solo idol already and this is a new song confidentially taught to the idol wannabes. His head started hurting after concluding that no matter who they use as a substitute, the people will end up getting angry.

“Everyone, we don’t have any time left!” A staff came running towards them. “The MC part has already finished and the next performance already started. Exactly 13 minutes before Asuka-san’s performance!”

All of them fell quiet, looking at Togasaki who still couldn’t arrive with a decision. Fumie was still clueless of what’s happening. All she wanted to do that time is to be able to answer the call from Fuyu. But when she remembered that she could answer the call just by placing the phone by her ears, the call ended and she couldn’t redial it.

The next thing that she remembers is that her phone was suddenly snatched from her by their fashion teacher, Shinobu. She was pulled to stand up and was pushed to the makeup artists that took care of her during the course.

Everyone is still startled but Shinobu put her hands together to awaken them up.

“No time! The show must go on! We will explain everything after we get this concert done! Let’s go!”

  IT WAS ALREADY around 11 in the evening when Fuyu got home. The date has ended. It wasn’t everything that he was expecting at all. Everything felt like a dream. So unreal. 

He went to his mum’s room to give a report, dragging his feet. He just desperately needs someone to talk to at this time. All the confidence that he had in the morning… all of it vanished in thin air.

He switched on the lights and saw his beloved stuff toy on the ground. With his expression blank, he went to his knees and picked up the said plushie.

“N-Negai-san…” he called out, his voice a bit hoarse. He gulped as he could feel something blocking his throat. He closed his eyes, trying to get rid of the unnecessary ideas running around his mind. “I don’t know... I don’t know why but I suddenly felt afraid of tomorrow.”

-TBC-

“Your twin just got all the sweetness that there is when you guys were in the womb!” Suzumoto smiled widely but I just looked at her like she is the lowest person on earth. I know I don’t have any sweetness in my body. She doesn’t have to slap it straight to my face.

“Anyway…” I started as to change the topic. “What kind of help do you want from me, ex-manager of the basketball club?”

The girl just cutely smiled at me with her chin resting on her palms. “As you know, this club is here for me to prepare for college. I really want to be a psychologist but for now all I can do is to counsel with my own wisdom and with what I studied so far. The teachers decided that this club can continue to operate if we are able to counsel a minimum of ten students per month.”

I was nodding with her every sentence, trying to put every word inside my ear. She is talking very passionately in such a speed I had to concentrate.

“Since you are really famous because of being the captain of the basketball club that reached the nationals, I thought having you as our first client would attract students to come and visit this club!”

“Goodbye.”

I immediately stood up from my seat after that statement. I feel like I am being used again.

“STAHP!!!” Suzumoto appeared right in front of me in a flash. Chasing for her breath, she looked at me straight to the eye. “Where do you think you are going, Techi!?”

“Going back to practice.” I answered while picking my ear. “You are just going to use me, right?”

“W-W-WAIT!” Suzumoto pushed me back to the chair. I was surprised at her strength compared to her height. “It is not that I am using you! W-Well, there’s a part of it like that BUT…!”

She grabbed me in the shoulders and made me lean to the backrest by having her face near mine. I thought I would fall out of the chair for a second.

“I am just using this as an excuse to talk to you!” She said with a frustrated voice, her cheeks a little pink. “I know you are hiding something from me, from the whole team!”

“What on earth—“

“I can see it in your eyes, in your every movement! There is something that you are lost into!”

The way my body reacted that time surprised me more than Suzumoto’s words. My heart skipped a beat, I know my eyes went wide as well. It felt like I heard a voice inside my head saying that finally someone noticed!

“W-Wait, go back to your seat and calm down first.” I slowly pushed her off. Suzumoto just obediently went back to her place and stared at me. “You got me curious. Let me know what’s up on your sleeves.”

“Don’t even deny it, Techi!” She warned. “You may hide it from other people but I can clearly read every action you make. There is something bothering you for quite a long time now, isn’t there?”

I gave out another sigh. I just found myself fixing my seat so I could properly face her. Was I really hungry for someone to share this burden with?

“Suzumoto…” I called. “Promise me… No one would know about this other than you.”

Her eyes glittered. She eagerly nodded her head and raised her right hand to swear. “I promise! Everything that the client shares to the counselor is deemed confidential. Nothing will come out to the public!”

I took a deep breath and blew my bangs off. “Well then… Let me tell you something…”

  Received Message

From: Neru (22:16)

Yurina-chan, are you free tomorrow? Would you mind if you come and study with me? Let’s meet at the public library at 5PM. I’m sorry for the late notice.

 Sent Message

To: Basketball Team Group Chat (22:18)

I’m sorry team but I can only practice until 3PM tomorrow. I got some part time job duties. I hope you guys understand. I will make it up to you.

 To: Fukuoka-san (22:19)

Manager, I’m sorry I don’t think I can make it to tomorrow’s shift. I got stuck with basketball practice. We are preparing for the regionals anyway. I hope you can let me go just for this one. I promise I will work harder.

 To: Neru (22:21)

Sure, I’ll be there.

 Received Message

From: Neru (22:30)

Yay~ (^o^) See you tomorrow, Yurina-chan~

 After reading the last message, Techi threw her phone to her bed and she had to walk back and forth to shake off the cringe that she’s feeling. That was really not like her. She didn’t know what came in to her but just seeing Neru’s name on her phone’s screen would make her heart clench. It hurts but it feels nice at the same time.

The girl shook her head in frustration. “I should stop acting like my brother or I might end up like him.”

Wait, did she just notice that she is acting like her brother? Is she really saying that she liking this girl? “No, it isn’t like that. It will never be like that.” She refused to believe the whispers of her heart.

She picked her phone again just to check the replies of her team and her part-time job manager. They all gave positive responses. Techi just couldn’t believe that she lied to all those people so that she could just see Neru. She started feeling very pathetic.

At days like this, she would tend to stay up late and think of things that they can do at that little time that they are going to spend together. She’s not sure of the reason but she values the other girl a lot. She appreciates the time that she gives her and she gives importance even to the small things that Neru gives her.

After Techi’s brother applied to the army, she decided to transfer to the house their parents left for them. She believes that she has to take care of the house together with the memories of their family. Her brother had taken good care of it and she just can’t leave it like that now that he is away.

It is hard living alone. Her eyes opened to the situation that her brother faced while he was living there all by himself. It is hard to do the chores by yourself and it is definitely hell to manage your time with studies, club activities and part-time job. Her grandparents send monthly allowance but she just feel like it would be better if she could support herself.

Adjusting was really hard but it was all thanks to Neru that she had slowly coped up with the current environment. She can still remember what the girl said to her when she finished moving her things to the said house,

“I will always be here for you, Yurina-chan. I won’t make you feel alone.”

She can also remember how she heard a loud cursing inside her head the moment Neru said that. She would never forget that blinding smile. It made her feel warm. It made her glad knowing that there would be someone to stay with her.

Neru’s older brother went overseas to pursue his studies and she was left alone as well. Techi heard that Neru was homeschooled and doesn’t have a lot of friends so whenever she would ask for her company, Techi would not hesitate to push everything just to make time for her.

There are times that Neru would stay at her home which usually happens during weekends. Techi’s glad that Neru’s brother would give her the permission to stay with her. When she’s at Techi’s though, all she would do is order food and eat. She really loves seasoned chicken and could not get tired of eating it. After that she would sleep like a baby. She usually wakes up late and it is really hard to wake her up. She’s not the type who likes to spend the day outside; she would gladly stay indoors and talk about random stuffs.

It was like that for us but things changed when they got into high school. Neru stepped to highschool and her parents decided to enroll her to the same highschool as her brother’s where started making new friends…

16:06

It seems like the basketball team’s ace came too early. She rushed home right after the basketball practice to get some good shower. She can’t just go and meet her smelling like sweat. She made sure that she won’t be that obvious so she came wearing her tracksuit. She decided to get some snacks while waiting.

17:10

No matter how Techi stretched her neck, she still couldn’t see the expensive looking car that Neru usually rides when going out. She reached out for her phone but there isn’t any message from her. She then started to wonder if Neru forgot about the meeting.

“But she isn’t that type, I guess I should wait a little longer.”

17:45

Yurina couldn’t take it anymore and texted her. She’ll be going home and just do the laundry. That was her resolve but she chose to remain a few more minutes. After some while, she received a text message from Neru.

Received message

From: Neru (17:51)

I’m sorry, Yurina-chan. My school friends invited me to go to Harajuku. I totally forgot that we were supposed to meet today. I got a bit too excited when I got invited out. I’m really sorry.

“Seriously? Are you going to apologize through text? You were the one who invited me out. I even lied to my team and manager in order to meet you today. I made time for you and that’s what you are going to say after not turning up?”

Techi’s whole body just froze right after reading Neru’s message and her mind was rampaged by those thoughts. She felt her cheeks burning but she knows it is not that warm, nice feeling that she feels when she is with her. It’s irritation but… there’s nothing she can do but sigh.

She didn’t reply anymore. The ace believes she has the right to be mad about this happening so she’ll let her feel it. After that text, she didn’t send any more messages and there wasn’t any single call from Neru. She guessed that making her wait like a fool didn’t really bother the other girl.

Techi was mad. Usually she would just not care but to this person, it is different. It hurt a lot. She started to wander why she is so affected to the point that she wanted to curse. The fact is she actually cursed. A lot. She hasn’t been cursing so much because Neru pointed it out but she just couldn’t help but to curse that time. She even wanted to punch something. She looked like a fool waiting for nothing.

But yes, it is true that she got angry that time but she couldn’t stay angry for so long. In the end, she was the first one to send Neru a text, asking her about a random thing. She was afraid that everything would end if she doesn’t make a move. The girl replied to her with her usual way of texting like nothing happened.

Techi tried to be the one to invite. Since Neru plays the piano so well, she couldn’t invite her to play basketball with her. She’s afraid to injure her fingers while playing. So even if she is not fond with studying, she tried inviting her to study.

Same rendezvous. Neru agreed to meet her and she turned up but she didn’t say that there would be other people that would join them. She came with her classmates and all were taking her attention, asking questions here and there. In the end, Yurina felt out of place. She felt invisible the whole time that they were in the library to the point that she could go home without anyone noticing her.

She was invited to go to karaoke after that but fearing to completely turn into air, Yurina declined the invitation with a cold response but again Neru didn’t seem to mind. She was even smiling when she was waving her hand to Techi, going their separate ways. There was no trace that she was sorry to send Techi all alone.

But yet again, Yurina tried to be understanding. She convinced herself that Neru didn’t really had the chance to hang out with friends before that’s why she is just enjoying the company of other people. It doesn’t always have to be her. It doesn’t really matter.

“But why can’t it be only me? Am I not enough?”

This was the period where her mood swings couldn’t be explained. Her team mates even started tagging her as the ‘Devil of the Court’ since the practice sessions were like hell during those times. She would give them unreasonable, repetitive tasks and even call out to practice overtime. They were even surprised when they found out that their captain manages to work part time in that kind of schedule. Even though they think that they were being abused, they just followed her orders in respect of her dedication to practice. Her mood swings somehow paid off when the team managed to reach the nationals and her teammates were all saying that it was all because of her passion. They didn’t know that she was just pissed of a certain girl all along.

“I won’t make you feel alone, my ass! People should stop saying things that they would not do. Making other people expect for nothing is f*cking dirty.”

Her ‘close’ friendship with Neru started to fade that way. No more stay overs. No more studying outside. Even messages started to get cold. There are times that she gets curious of how the other girl is doing and decides to send her a message after a tough battle between her heart and mind. But in the end, she will get replies with short, soulless messages. She would love to throw her phone to the wall due to embarrassment but her sister would surely scold her if she does that.

She then promised herself that she won’t contact her ever again but since their brothers are close friends who happened to have little sisters who managed to befriend each other, there are times where they still meet. She is surprised that Neru would turn up despite the fact that she is cold towards her in chats. She would be there and treat Yurina like nothing happened. She’d smile and carry everything out the usual way.

“I guess this is how everything goes for her…”

Techi decided not to care. If Neru talks to her then she talks. If she gets invited out then she would go if and only if it doesn’t conflict with her schedule. She started to learn how to say ‘no’ if she has too.

She tried to be cold as well. She did it to see if Neru would notice it and started paying attention to her but she guesses she only hurt herself with what she did. Nothing happened. Nothing.

  “WHAT DO you think about it, Suzumoto?”

I was expecting for an immediate answer but Suzumoto stared at me for a while as if I’m the most pitiful otter in the galaxy. She leaned back to her seat and gave out a sigh.

“Don’t give a sigh as a response. It is time for you to tell me what’s wrong with me.”

Suzumoto just looked at me, her eyes a bit misty for some reason. I guess her eyes got tired after not blinking the whole time I was telling my story. She looked like she’s in a trance for a moment.

“Techi…” she called, her whole expression is so serious I suddenly felt more nervous. “You almost killed your teammates just to release your irritation of that one girl?”

I felt my back straightened and my throat drying up. “N-N-NO!” I waved my hands in disagreement. “It wasn’t intentional!”

“You lied to all of us that you were going to work but you just went to meet her?” Slowly but slowly, I could see her face changing like she is being enlightened or something.

“I-I’m sorry! You see, I just really wanted to spend time with her!”

“You lied to your store manager at the same time?” Suzumoto’s eyes are now on me. It feels like she is going to shower me with guilt.

“W-Well… Yeah, I go undertime every Saturday just to meet her…” I scratched my head as I answer, avoiding Suzumoto’s stare. I suddenly remember all the money that I could’ve earned if I spent it in working instead. Weekends pay is twice anyway.

“Most importantly…” I saw Suzumoto gulped before continuing with her statement. “You let her in your house for you-only-know how many times but you never let me in even though I volunteered to cook for you for you-also-know how many times!”

Now I felt like my life is really in danger. She did tell me that she wanted to come to my house and cook for me but I kept saying no to her. I’m dead.

“Techi…” she called in a now much calmer voice. “Do you remember what you told me when I asked if I could go to your house?”

“E-Eh?”

“Techi, do you remember? You said you can’t just let anyone to your home because that place is very special to you because of the memories that your family had there.” Suzumoto gave out a somehow faint smile. “But you let her in there because she is also special to you.”

I felt my jaw hung by itself after hearing those words. “What do you mean?”

“She’s not just special to you, Techi… The reason why you are so lost… I somehow could understand it… You might not believe what I am going to say because you don’t believe that such things last but this is just too obvious.”

“Cut the chase, Suzumoto.” My hands balled into fists. I got enough of all the thrills. “I need to get this fixed right away!”

“Techi, listen to me.” Suzumoto shook her head before looking straight to my eyes.

 “You’ve fallen inlove with her, my friend. And you’re in deep, deep trouble.”

 Song cue!

I FELT LIKE my whole world is rotating the other way around. I feel so dizzy and my eyes couldn’t stay in one place, I had to look around in order to keep my brain busy with processing other things but it doesn’t help at all.

The coach sent me home, telling me to get some rest or else I might fail the upcoming college entrance exams. My thoughts are lost and but not my feet. It led me to the store where I work but I was immediately sent home by manager. The reason—I look extremely pale.

“You’ve fallen inlove with her, my friend. And you’re in deep, deep trouble.”

No! There’s no way that I would be inlove! Love is just an infatuation, a temporary bliss. It is like a mental illness that will tell you that you can’t live without that certain someone when you lived your life perfectly fine even before that ‘fateful meeting.’

It doesn’t last. Never true. I’ve seen my brother fell in love so hard that he literally gave all his life for it but ended up being treated like a trash by the girl that supposedly ‘loves’ him as well.

‘F*ck. Suzumoto, you won’t have a future in that field. You better focus on cooking than trying to counsel other people. I’m not inlove with anyone!”

“Tell her about what you feel and it would release the burden from your chest. But you have to accept the fact that you are inlove with her…”

“D*mn it, Kuritaro! Just eat your f*cking chestnuts and stop loitering in my head!”

“Who is Kuritaro?”

Then the earth felt like it stopped spinning. How long has it been? When was the last time that I heard that voice?

I held my head up and recognized where my feet have brought me. I am already in the uphill street where our house is located. I almost passed by my house if only that voice didn’t wake me up from wondering.

Standing in front of the gate is Neru. She’s wearing her school’s uniform and is looking at me with a pout. For f*ck’s sake. Suddenly appearing in front of me like this.

“Hey~” she called. “I was asking who is Kuritaro and why is that person inside your head?”

“Why are you here?” I asked. I heard my voice and I know I sounded so cold.

“Answer me first.” She pouted even more but then smiled when she was not able to receive any answer from me. At that time, I literally didn’t know what to say. My mind was like a curse machine gun that time. “Why are you looking so tired, Yurina-chan? I told you not to abuse yourself with club activities and work. You don’t really lis—“

“Why are you here?”

I guess cutting her in mid-sentence surprised her. It was clearly written on her face. Her smile faded for a moment but she managed to return it quickly.

“Stay over~” she lifted up her bag to show it to me.

“Tell her! Tell her! You’re inlove with her!”

“D*mn Kuritaro!”

“Hey, stop cursing!”

“Tch!” I slapped myself and opened the gate. I wasn’t really inviting her in but she made her own way inside the house. I just ignored her and went to my room. I told her that I am going to shower first and she could go order her favorite seasoned chicken while I try to cool myself.

“You still remember my favorite~!” She interjected with a wide smile. Stupid. Ofcourse, I remember. But I bet you don’t even know what I like.

Taking a shower somehow helped me. I realized that I shouldn’t act like I am affected of all that she has done to me. Showing her how affected I am doesn’t really matter anyway. She doesn’t really care at all. She’s here right now just to kill time, just like always. She’s not really here for my company. I have to act mature.

The chicken already arrived when I went back to the living room. She’s already in her pajamas, eating the chicken alone while watching TV. See? She didn’t even wait for me.

“I became so hungry while waiting for you.” She cutely said, her lips tainted by the seasoning.

“Why didn’t you just eat with your friends?” is what I wanted to ask her but I ended up saying other things. “Just enjoy eating.”

So, it is Friday, eh? I stopped looking forward to it when she stopped this stay-over thing but here she is, coming over without any notice. I guess she thinks that she can just do whatever she likes.

The atmosphere between us remained tense until it is time for us to sleep. I wasn’t really in the mood to talk at all. My heart that time was really heavy. I hate what I was feeling.

“Yurina-chan, where are you going?” Neru called when I was about to get out of the room. “Are you seriously telling me that I should sleep here alone?”

I turned back to her and saw that cute pouting face again. “I’m really tired, Neru. I don’t think I am up for the chat. Good night. Sleep well.”

“B-But, Yurina-chan—“

I immediately shut the door close and walk-run towards my room. I let her use Manaka’s room and that should be enough for her. Manaka has kept her room clean but she hasn’t been visiting lately because of the upcoming entrance exam.

I was already under my blanket but Suzumoto’s voice still echoes inside my head. I could hear her annoying voice and it was preventing me from sleeping. Then I suddenly felt the other side of the bed sinking. I jerked up and saw Neru already halfway inside the blanket. She just smiled at me before securing her place to the bed.

“Why are you here?” I asked, massaging my forehead a bit.

“What kind of stay-over is it if we are not going to sleep in the same bed like usual?” She answered with another question, peeking at me from under the blanket.

I heard myself release a sigh. I threw myself back at the bed and forcefully close my eyes. Hoping that all of this is just a dream. That Neru would stop talking but ofcourse, all that I hope for never failed to disappoint me.

“Yurina-chan…” she called in a voice tainted with loneliness. “Didn’t you miss me?”

Stupid. Of course I missed you. A lot in fact. But you were the one who drew distance between us, didn’t you?

“I did.” I answered with composure. “If that is what you want to hear. Now, let me sleep.”

“Yurina-chan…” she called once more. “Do you hate me? Why are you treating me like this?”

Why? Are you seriously asking why?

“I don’t hate you. Can you we just go to sleep, Neru—“

“If you don’t hate me then hug me.”

F*ck. There she goes again with her cunning skills.

I turned around and gave her a hug but I didn’t open my eyes. I don’t want to see her face that would surely give me a smirk because of how I easily fell to her trap. My heart was telling me to open my eyes, but the walls my mind has made prevented me to. But, I am sure I heard a gasp.

“Yurina-chan…”

“Hm?” I tightened my hug to her to keep her from talking further. My chest felt like it is going to explode because of how my heart is beating.

“Yurina-chan…”

Please, Neru. Stop calling me with that tone.

“Yurina-chan… Would you please open your eyes and look at me?”

And guess what. Yeah, once again I just fell to her soothing voice. I opened my eyes and looked at her. For a moment she seemed surprise of what I did, she even looked down a bit before looking back at me with her playful face.

“What is it?” I asked, trying my best to be as calm as I could be.

“Well…” she started. “I just want to ask what your plans are for college.”

“College, huh?” To be honest, I don’t really know what to do. “The coach of Waseda University offered me a scholarship if I would join their basketball team. I accepted the offer but I still have to take the entrance exam for formality. I’ll be majoring in astronomy though.”

Neru chuckled at my statement. “Basketball and astronomy? What a combination!”

“At least it’s not as weird as your friend who is crazy about microscopic creatures.”

Her smile widened. “Are you taking astronomy because of your brother?”

I nodded and closed my eyes. “I just thought that I can pursue what he really wanted to pursue. I don’t really have anything I want to do so I am borrowing my brother’s dream.”

I suddenly felt her poke my cheek which made me open my eyes again. “Don’t sleep yet.”

“I can talk with my eyes closed.” I answered and then closed them again but Neru was persistent. She returned an embrace, surprising me bigtime. She just beamed at me when I looked at her.

“Yurina-chan… I’ll be going overseas to study.”

And with that, I couldn’t close my eyes anymore. I just looked at her. I know my eyebrows were in a deep knot that time, my face asking, ‘seriously, dude?’ She just gave out a faint smile and continued talking.

“I got accepted in the University of Cambridge. I decided to pursue medicine. For the first time in my life, I made an important decision for myself without being dictated by the will of my parents. I’ll be leaving right after the semester ends.”

Talk. Yurina, you need to talk!

“G-Good for you then…” I gulped. I just lost my d*mned composure.

“Aren’t you going to stop me?” she asked. Somehow her voice felt like she was asking a favor.

I want to. I don’t want you to go. But I know my words won’t matter.

“Why would I stop you?” I sighed. “You just said that it is the first major decision that you did in your life. I just have to support you with whatever you want to do. I know you would do well even in other countries.”

F*ck. I think my heart just failed that time. I managed to say something nice but I just feel hollow inside. It feels like there is a vacuum in my heart that is trying to consume the whole of me.

I gave her forehead a soft flick but she still said ouch and covered her forehead. “That hurt!” she then pouted and gave me a ‘soft’ slap in the shoulder. Well, that may be soft for her but not to me. This girl’s strength is just amazing.

“Why even bother asking me about it when even the date of your flight is already decided? Whatever I say won’t really matter, right?”

Neru looked at me straight to the eyes and with a faint smile she breathed out, “Tsundere.”

She then hugged me tighter, burying her face to my chest. “Don’t forget about me, okay?”

“You might be the one to forget about me as soon as you step in that land.”

She just chuckled and then stayed quiet for a while. I thought she has already fallen asleep. I also have gathered my thoughts and processed everything that I have heard that night. My feelings would stay with me and she would never know about it. Yes, at that exact moment, I admitted it to myself--Suzumoto is right.

For now, all I can do is to hug her and wish that this annoying feeling that I have for her would just fade away in the wind.

“Ne, Yurina-chan…”

“Hm?”

“I have a request.”

“What is it?”

“Can you tell me you love me even if it is a lie?”

What. The. Actual. F*ck.

“What’s with that request?”

“Just tell me you love me.”

“But why?”

“I’m going to leave soon. Aren’t you going to fulfill my requests?”

Just look at how spoiled she is. She’s asking me something unreasonable without even looking at me. She loves making fun of my emotions.

“Please, even if you don’t mean it… Tell me you love me.”

I shook my head in disbelief. I took a deep breath and gave in. She won’t know that I mean it anyway. She has given me the chance to say it without being busted. I caressed her hair and then placed my face on top of her head.

“I love you, Neru…”

I said it! I f*cking said it! I felt like all that I have been carrying has been lifted up. Suzumoto you’re a genius! I should go and make a shrine for you tomorrow!

I heard her chuckle once more, probably delighted that I really couldn’t say no to her requests no matter how absurd they are. Then, I felt her grasp to my shirt tighten. My heart stopped.

“I love you, too, Yurina-chan…”

  NERU waved goodbye to the short hair girl before finally going. They dropped Techi to her work before going back to her mansion. Her trustworthy butler was the one who picked her up just like the usual.

“How did it go, Ojou-sama?” Sebastian asked. “Did you manage to say what you want to say?”

Neru, whose thoughts were wandering, came back to her senses after her butler spoke. “Well, I guess I managed to say most of it.”

“Going overseas?”

“Yes. Told her that.”

“The engagement with Watanabe Risao-sama?”

Neru shook her head. “No…”

The butler just gave her a nod as a response. He guesses Neru can’t really be fully honest at all.

“Have you told her about the reason you made distance from her?”

Neru took time to ponder with her answer but then, after taking a deep breath, she spoke, “I think I managed to say that but I don’t think she would take it seriously. I said that in a manner that she would think I’m just making her do a muchaburi.”

“Is that so?”

Neru leaned her head to the window and closed her eyes, “I think it is better for Yurina-chan to think that I just passed by to mess with her… I think that would be the best for the both of us…”

 -END-

“For Fuyu-senpai’s sake, don’t believe these two, Haru-senpai!” Yuma couldn’t help it anymore so he stepped in the conversation. “Senpai is taking a leave from school because of his allergy. He will be back next week! Can’t you see that these two are secretly smiling?”

Haru turned to the two guys who were obviously trying to control their laughter but since Yuma already spoiled it they just let it all out. But, the president doesn’t seem pleased.

“Make sure you guys laugh hard and don’t even fart.” Haru shook his head in disappointment before going back to his food. The two just continued laughing, Aki was so close to tearing up while Natsu felt like his stomach is going to explode.

“Is it that funny?” Miyu asked while playing with her pasta, clearly not amused.

“Haru really panics a lot when it comes to Fuyu. You just saw the face this robot made after hearing the fake news.” Aki wiped his eyes before going back to eating but ended up laughing again. He spilled his food a little which didn’t surprise Miyu at all.

“There goes Mr. Underbite.” She just shook her head while smiling, finding that part of Aki really adorable.

“Haru looks so cool and composed but he actually loses his cool when it comes to Fuyu-nii. You should’ve written a fanfic about him and Fuyu-nii and not with Aki! Or maybe some sibling love affair with me!” The Summer Prince even giggled at the thought of being shipped with his brother making the other guys cringe. Natsu then slowly looked at Yuma who is innocently trying to open his bottle of soda. Natsu rolled his eyes. “Why am I being involved in a fanfic with you?”

Instead of answering, Yuma just looked at Natsu while struggling with his soda. Annoyed of the other guy’s suffering, Natsu grabbed the bottle from Yuma and opened it with ease. “Here!”

A drop of blood leaked from Miyu’s nose. In her eyes, Natsu was the tsundere while Yuma was the cute, little guy in distress. Such a perfect BL match. She’s not surprised that there would be people who started shipping them. Awestruck, she breathed, “Wow…”

The guys turned to her in a flash with doubting eyes. “Don’t tell me you are the one writing that fic, Miyu-chan?”

Miyu waved her hands in denial. “I didn’t! I already quit stuffs like that! I mean—I still read things like it but I stopped writing!”

Aki shook his head and pulled a tissue. He went to wipe the blood from Miyu’s face. “Your dirty thoughts are being revealed by your nosebleed, wipe it first.”

The distance between the two made the lady blushed, her heart started beating faster resulting in a heavier nosebleed. Aki couldn’t say anything but, “Oh my God.” before stuffing Miyu’s nose with tissue. Miyu would love to take that moment to faint but the SC president doesn’t seem to be in the mood to joke around.

“That Fuyu!” Haru hit the table with his hand, garnering a bit of attention from the other students around them. He released a sigh and tried to calm himself down. “He is not just wasting his talent, now he is wasting his time as well. Why is he making his life revolve in just one girl? And now that he is being blamed and taken for granted he’ll go away and sulk in a corner!? Exams are coming and there he goes pretending to be still sick even though he has a body that heals fast! I’m ashamed to be beaten by him!”

“Senpai!” Miyu called, pouting. “Brakes please! The girl involve is right here!”

That’s right. Fumie is also sitting with them but she can’t bring herself to speak. She was just listening to whatever the others are saying. She could feel that Natsu and Aki are feeling a bit awkward towards her. They were firing innuendos at her but she chose not to mind. Even with Haru’s frankness, she decided not to bat an eye.

“I’m surprised that you still choose to hang out with us right after what you did to Fuyu.” Haru stated while looking straight to Fumie. The girl had no other choice but to bow her head in shame. “I know you were disappointed of not making it but did you really have to blame everything to him? It was your choice to be in a relationship with him. Fuyu already gave up on you during the M.T. but then you went after him after realizing your feelings. You should’ve just let him go if you really wanted to pursue being an idol. You can’t blame Fuyu’s existence or even Kojima Haruna-san for the decision she made. It is the golden rule of the idol industry.”

“C-Calm down, Haru…” Aki pushed Haru a little. “I-I believe Fumie-chan was just shocked.”

Haru shook his head. “Well, I also believe that she doesn’t have to do that to Fuyu. She knows how deeply scarred he is. I wonder if you know how much he has been suffering during the time that you were on that course. But looking at it, no matter what the outcome of that idol course, Fuyu will end up being hurt.”

“Senpai—“

“It’s okay, Miyu.”

Everyone turned to Fumie who slowly lifted up her head. “Haru-senpai is correct. It was really foolish of me to blame Fuyu-senpai about what happened. I’ve realized how stupid and immature I was. I hurt the one who has been there for me for the whole time.”

The girl took a deep breath and tried to look at the faces of her friends one by one. Natsu still couldn’t look at her. She doesn’t even know if he is paying attention to whatever she is saying. No one in that table can look at her straight to the eye apart from Miyu and Haru.

“I know you all hate me for what I’ve done. I hate myself as well.” Her head dropped again as she could feel her eyes welling up with tears. Her voice started shaking but she tried her best to continue talking. “I-I… I hate myself for being so shallow. I deserve to be hated by Fuyu-senpai.”

Haru sighed. “So are you going to stay here and wait for him to come to you? Are you waiting for him to say sorry to you? I just want to tell you that it isn’t always the guys who have to swallow their prides just to fix a relationship. Girls have to do something as well.”

“Am I really hearing this from Haru?” Aki whispered to Natsu, couldn’t believe that Haru would say such things.

Natsu just shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe his fiancée is a pain in the ass.”

“Shut up, the two of you!” Haru hissed at the two but the two guys just made an ‘o’ with their fingers, gesturing that they hit the bull’s eye.

“T-That’s why I’m still here!” Fumie gathered courage just to say that. “I need your help… I want to say sorry… I want to tell him how I’m so disappointed of myself for hurting him. I want to tell him how it pains me to be—“

“Are you sure of what you are saying?” Haru cut her off. “You can continue pursuing being an idol if you totally break up with him. There are a lot of other agencies you can join. Are you sure that you want him back instead?”

Fumie was taken aback. Haru has a point. She could go and re-apply, pursue her dreams and be a star… but that encounter with Fuyu made her realize that she can’t lose him as well. She admits that during the time she was crying to Miyu, all she was thinking was how disappointing it was to fail the audition but after seeing those eyes of Fuyu and receiving such words from him for the first time she realized that Fuyu is more valuable than fame.

“I’m serious.” She finally said, her fists balling. “I’m really sorry for what happened. I just don’t know how I should face him again.”

“You were so sorry that it already took you three days to move? That’s interesting.” Natsu commented which was followed by awkward silence. He didn’t even look at Fumie. He said those words while playing with his food.

Judging the situation, Haru gave out another sigh. He could see that there is still a hint of hesitation with Fumie’s eyes but he also knows that getting her and Fuyu back together is the right thing to do. It would be bad if Fuyu would completely lose his light.

“I hope you are really sincere to what you are saying.” Haru then took his phone out and dialed something. “I want you all to remain quiet during this call.”

Fumie’s heart started to race even more when the call was picked up. She immediately knew who it was with just one “Hello.”

“Hoshizora Fuyu, where are you and what are you doing?” Haru asked monotonously. Fuyu looked at him dead in the eyes. He doesn’t seem sick anymore and is looking finer than ever.

“Hiding from hanashobus.” Fuyu answered with a sigh. “And on my lunch break from work. At school?”

“I thought you are hiding from hanashobus but there you are working instead of studying. Are you completely out of your mind?”

“From the very beginning you know that I’m already crazy.” His tired voice made everyone’s heart heavy. That statement doesn’t seem to be a joke at all. “I’ll be back to school next week I just really need to get a good break from everything.”

“What are you planning to do now?” Haru asked him with a meaningful stare.

Fuyu just looked back at him for a moment and sighed. “Well, I guess you have already heard of what happened. News in our school is always fast.”

Fumie bowed her head. She’s still ashamed of what she did. She’s ready to hear anything that Fuyu is going to say. If feeling the same pain that she made him feel would bring him back then she would swallow her pride and accept all the hurtful words he would say. Maybe it is Haru’s plan at the very beginning, He wants to let her feel what Fuyu felt.

“I’m just thinking of ways to apologize.”

Fumie suddenly raised her head up. She turned to Miyu to confirm what she heard. Even her friend seems surprised of what she heard but the guys didn’t seem like it at all. It felt like they were already expecting of that.

“Fumie was really hurt that time but instead of understanding her situation, I let my pride consume me. I don’t know if it was because the negative feeling just got piled up and there’s no other way to suppress it even more. I thought that I was also a man, I also get hurt. But that was so stupid of me.”

They heard another deep sigh from the guy followed by a short term of silence. He was looking at another direction as if thinking of what he is going to say. “I should’ve been more patient and understanding. She was disappointed of what happened and I could see that it was really my fault. If only I didn’t pursue her—”

“Aren’t you really stupid? Why are you thinking that it is your fault?” The knot on Haru’s forehead cannot be hidden by his bangs.

“I know Fumie hates me now but I still like to get another shot to get her back.”

Fumie’s eyes started to tear up. “S-Sen—“

“Shh…” Aki gestured at her to remain quiet and just listen to whatever Fuyu is saying.

“I’m still thinking of ways to say sorry but I’m really scared that she would end up our relationship. If that’s the case then there’s no other way but to give her up.”

“Why are you even thinking about it? Jusht give her up!”

Everyone was surprised when a voice of a girl was suddenly heard. Fuyu looked at Haruka who is actually sitting in front of him. The girl doesn’t seem amazed of whatever he is saying.

“Haruka…” Fuyu called out to the girl but Fumie reacted with that call. “Who taught you that you can butt into other people’s conversation?”

The short-haired girl puffed her cheeks before standing up. She marched to where Fuyu is and showed herself to the camera. Haru was a bit surprised as he watches Fuyu struggle in getting his phone away from the persistent girl.

“Fuyu-kun was so sick during the day of the announcement but he was patiently waiting for news coming straight from her girl—“

“Haruka, stop!” Fuyu tried to get his phone back but Haruka was fast to dodge him.

“Let me finish what I am shaying!” Haruka ran around the table, speaking and avoiding Fuyu at the same time. “You might not remember me but I am Fuyu-kun’s co-worker. He was staying in our house the night of the announcement because no one was going to take care of him if he goes back home. Even though he was sick he was only thinking of his girlfriend.”

“Haruka! Give me back my phone!”

“When we found out the result, he immediately went to her house and waited for her to find refuge in him. He wanted to let her know that he is always there for her but that girl doesn’t even pick up his calls. No replies to his messages! I guess she put her phone off!”

“Haruka, you don’t understand!”

“What do I don’t understand!? It is clear that you are being taken for granted and now you are the one who shupposed to apologize? You were sick but you chose to be near her. You waited for hours outside but no one came out! If it was winter that time then you could’ve froze to death!”

Haru just took a quick look at Fumie and her expression tells that what Haruka was saying is true. Because of her frustration and disappointment, she turned off her phone and locked herself up to her room. She only saw Fuyu’s messages when she went back home from school, the day of the fateful encounter in the library. That’s the only time she opened her phone again.

“It was my choice to stay out and wait for her! Now give me back my phone!” Fuyu tried but he failed once more. How could this girl be so quick?

“I’m not done yet!” Haruka shouted at him before facing the camera again. “He fell more sick but then he insisted going to school to see her but then he would hear all of it!? I’m tired of his idiotic acts just for one girl so please help him wake up!”

“HARUPPI!!!” Fuyu shouted, he’s getting angry.

Haruka’s face turned red. “I told you to never call me that name again! My name is Haruka!”

Fuyu took that chance to snatch the phone away and this time he succeeded. The short-haired girl just grumpily put her hands on her hips. “If you’re really a masochist then go and follow her like a dog!”

After that, she marched out of the dining area and went back to the store. Fuyu just shook his head, he was surprised that Haruka would talk like that all of a sudden. It wasn’t her nature to suddenly explode like a bomb.

“I’m sorry about that, Haru.” Fuyu sighed. “She’s been acting like that since I went back from school.”

“I agree with her. You’re really an idiot.”

Fuyu just smirked. “Well, I told you I am an idiot from the very start. And, I don’t mind being one if it is for Fumie.”

Haru felt his screen crawl. “That was really cringe-worthy. Do you need any help with anything?”

“I’m okay, Haru. You’ve got a lot of things to worry about. Don’t add me up. I’m really fine.”

“Alright. Contact me if you need any help.”

“Thank you, Haru.”

After that, Haru ended the call and looked back at the others. He was surprised to see Aki wiping Miyu’s nosebleed again. It seems that the girl’s imagination ran wild again at the end of their conversation.

“That Haruka girl surely likes Fuyu-senpai!” Miyu commented but she was immediately slapped in the forehead by Aki.

“And you are surely one naughty girl.” The vocalist sighed. Instead of getting angry, Miyu just gave him her signature gum smile which for him is a fatal move.

Haru reached for his utensils once more now that his job is over. “You heard it, Fumie-chan. That guy is still in love with you. The both of you are just waiting for each other to move. One of you should start moving” He then looked at the girl who is still clearly surprised of the outcome of the conversation. “In this case, I won’t mind if you are the one to make a move.”

“You witnessed it, Fumie-chan.” They all turned to Natsu who finally laid his eyes on Fumie. “It may seem that my brother will never turn his back to you but there are girls out there that are into him. If you keep on hurting and pushing him away, you don’t know what might happen.”

That look on Natsu’s eyes clearly tells that he has seen something like that happen in front of his eyes. He is clearly telling her that it would be hard to fix something that is so broken.

With that, Fumie decided to go to Fuyu’s work place after school. She also told them that she would like to handle everything by herself so they don’t really need to go and watch over her. She will make sure that before the day ends, they’ll be back together.

After they finished eating, Haru immediately excused himself for he has to go to the Student Council Room before the afternoon classes start. But he hasn’t gone far when he heard someone calling his name. He turned around and saw that it was Fumie, chasing for her breath.

“Is there something that matters?” Haru asked, raising his glasses that keep on sliding on his nose bridge. “Why are you in a hurry?”

“I just…” Fumie took a deep breath and looked straight to her senior’s eyes. “I just want to say thank you for what you’ve done. Now I have the courage to go and meet Fuyu-senpai.”

Haru just eyed the girl for a moment which made Fumie a bit uneasy. “How about drop the senpai title? Just call him by his name. He is your boyfriend anyway.”

“B-But everyone is—“

“Since everyone calls him like that, it doesn’t feel special?”

Fumie’s eyes widened in amazement. How could Haru knew exactly what was on her mind?

Haru raised his pointing finger as if he just had a brilliant idea. “If you want to make everything more special, how about give him a nickname that only you can use?”

“A-A nickname?” Fumie repeated.

“When we were in first year, there was this guy with the same first name as Fuyu. That guy prefers to be called with his name so there was no other choice but to call Fuyu with his last name and because it was too long, people tend to shorten it but he disliked it a lot.  He just couldn’t accept being called by others with that name…”

Haru was taken aback when he saw the look on Fumie’s face. The girl, as if possessed by the spirit of ponkotsu, is just looking at him, obviously couldn’t follow his story. Haru shook his head and sighed.

“Anyway, that guy migrated so Fuyu got all the rights to his name. It’s up to you to figure this thing out.”

That’s all and Haru went back on his way. Fumie thawed, still not getting what Haru was inferring but she managed to thank him again. “Thank you, Haru-senpai! I will make sure to take care of Fuyu.”

Haru turned back and smiled meaningfully.

 “Make sure about it or I’ll be the one taking Fuyu from you.”

   THE BELL of the muffin store rang as the door opened. Fuyu was currently busy cleaning the shelves and is deep in his thoughts. He isn’t really in the mood to entertain more customers so without looking, he said,

“We are out of stocks now and are about to close. Please come back tomorrow.”

But, he didn’t hear any reply or the bell ringing once more so out of curiosity, he turned to the customer and his eyes widened in shock.

“F-Fumie?” he called after he finally got his voice back. He was so shocked that he lost his grip to the rag that he was holding.

Fumie jerked right after their eyes met. She immediately lowered her stare to avoid more eye contact. “I-I’m sorry, Senpai… Did I startle you?” she asked while fidgeting with her fingers.

“H-How come I couldn’t sm—“ Fuyu shook his head as if it is his way of shaking the anxiety that is starting to cover his heart. “W-What brought you here?”

The girl then tried to hydrate her dry throat before speaking. “B-By any chance, d-do you have the time to talk? Let me treat you into something…”

Fuyu then felt a drop of sweat rolled down from his forehead. He really couldn’t calm his heart. He looked at the watch and saw that there is still around thirty minutes before he can get out from work. “I-I’m sorry, Fumie. My duty is not yet—“

“Go ahead, Fuyu-kun”

Their attentions transferred to Haruka who just got out from the kitchen, carrying washed trays on her hands. She placed them on a shelf before giving a faint bow to Fumie, not looking to the other girl at all. Fumie returned her a bow of courteousness.

“I will tell ‘Tou-shan that you really have to go… I will take care of the rest.”  

There was awkward silence between the three of them. Haruka gave out a sigh, getting irritated of the situation. She turned to Fuyu with a stare that is clearly telling him to leave.

The guy came back to his senses and started moving. He excused himself so he could quickly change his clothes. This left the two girls in a more awkward tension.

Fumie observed the other girl who is busy organizing the shelves. Her face is on a frown which doesn’t really suit her cute face. As far as she could remember, Haruka is a very cheerful person. The way she smiles is contagious. But seeing her like this today somehow gives Fumie a more troubled heart. What if what Miyu said was true?

“T-Thank you for letting Fuyu-senpai go…” Yeah, for now the right thing to do is to thank her for the favor that she’s doing for them.

The other girl slowly turned to her, the knot of her eyebrows gradually disappearing. It seems like she is the type that couldn’t keep a frown for a long time. Haruka took a deep breath.

“I’m not in the right place to say anything about your relationship but I only have one request…”

Haruka looked at Fumie in the eyes. This action took Fumie aback but she managed not to cut the connection of their stares.

“A lot of people cares for Fuyu-kun so don’t take him for granted…” Now her eyes turned even more serious. That stare itself tells that she should be taken seriously. “Don’t take him for granted…” she repeated. “There are people who would be more than willing to take him from you.”

  GALAXY by Bolbbalgan4 would be a nice BGM. ;)

TWO THREATS in just one day. Fumie who is sitting at the swing tried to calm herself as Haru and Haruka’s words keep on echoing on her mind. It is like a track in endless loop. She was threatened about Fuyu being taken away from her. She could understand that a girl like Haruka might say things like that but for her Haru-senpai to say such things is a little bit off.

“Are all people with the ‘Haru’ character on their names like that?” She sighed.

Not long after, Fuyu arrived with two cans of his favorite chocolate drink in his hands. Fumie planned to treat him but Fuyu insisted that he would be the one buying something. And since they couldn’t go in public restaurants for reasons, they just settled with something simple.

“I’m sorry for taking long…” Fuyu opened one of the cans and handed it to Fumie which the girl gladly received. This is so unlikely of the first time that Fuyu bought her the same drink. She declined it and even lied that she doesn’t like chocolates.

The guy then sat on the swing next to her and opened his own can. He still looks tensed which is very new of him. He is usually composed. He might get shocked at times but he could quickly get himself together. Fumie couldn’t help to wonder why.

“Fumie…” Fuyu called which made Fumie’s heart skip a beat. She missed this voice calling her name. “I’m really sorry for what happened.”

Fumie jerked from her place and waved her hands. “N-No Senpai! I should be the one saying—“

“I’m sorry. I should’ve understood your feelings that time. My emotions took over and I’m really ashamed of that—“

“No, Senpai!” Fumie’s voice raised leaving Fuyu speechless. “I should be the one apologizing. I left you hanging at the day of the announcement and I even let you stood out there waiting for me. It is my fault that your fever worsened. It is my side that is lacking. You did so much for me!”

“F-Fumie…”

“I talked with my parents and they were also disappointed of what I did to you, of what I made you feel. And I realized how horrible I was to think that it was your fault that I failed the selection.” Fumie smiled bitterly remembering how it was unfair of her to do such things. She turned to Fuyu and as if on cue, the tears that she has been suppressing started pouring.

“Right after that encounter in the library, I couldn’t even get myself to sleep. It was the first time that you looked at me like that. I know you were so hurt but I couldn’t get myself to talk to you because I know I was the one that made you feel that pain. I thought that I don’t really deserve to be loved by you.”

“No, Fumie… Don’t cry…”

“I forgot that I chose you over becoming an idol. I forgot that I have given up the dream just to be with you. I’m really sorry for forgetting the fact that I am also inlove with you. Along the way my focus got diverted to the dream not knowing the risk that I am taking. I’m really sorry…”

Fuyu stood up from the swing only to kneel down in front of Fumie. He is already panicking, not knowing how to stop the girl from crying. He cupped her beautiful face and wiped her tears with his thumbs. “D-Don’t cry… I’m alright… I can handle anything just for you.”

“Don’t say such things… It makes me more guilty…”

Fuyu couldn’t stop himself from grinning. He could feel that Fumie’s sincerity and that drives his heart crazy. After all the pain, this kind of ending is all he ever wanted. Fumie freed herself from Fuyu’s grasp and went to take something out from her bag. It is two concert tickets.

“S-Senpai! Please go out on a date with me!”

“D-Date!?” Fuyu’s ears ringed in excitement. Did he hear her correctly? Is she really inviting him on a date? But she declined all his invitations for a public date before.

“These tickets are for the Jyuni Seiza concert. It was given to all of us who didn’t make it to the selection. Please, Senpai! I want to watch the concert with you. I’m an idol otaku before being an idol aspirant. My wota blood is calling me to watch this.”

Fuyu then burst into laughter to the point that he lost his balance and fell flat on the ground. Fumie was surprised but seeing her lover laughing made her want to laugh as well. She might not get why Fuyu is laughing but for the guy, that cute confession of being an idol otaku was just really adorably cute.

The guy stood up and with a wide smile on his face, stretched his hand to Fumie inviting her to stand up. “Let’s go home. It’s getting dark and I don’t want people to think that I am making you cry.”

Fumie smiled back at him, and with a nod, she reached out for his hand and didn’t let him go.

They are already in that uphill street where their houses are located when the wind starts to be a bit chilly. They are just talking about random stuffs but their faces are glittering in happiness. Hand in hand they walk, their souls rejoicing for being back together.

After telling a funny story about Natsu, the two just became quiet as if enjoying the silence they have in each other’s company or probably loving how their hearts resonate to the joy there is just by being together.

Fumie secretly looked at Fuyu but she marveled at the next scene that she saw. With his hair gently dancing with the wind and with the galaxy as his background, Fuyu just looks so breath-taking. She doesn’t know why but the whole sight itself is just so nostalgic; it is bringing butterflies to her stomach.

That smile on his face is something she wants to protect. Just like Kojima Haruna said, it feels like a smile of thousands won’t match the happiness this guy’s smile gives. There is a part of her that says Fuyu is her treasure, the only person who could make her feel this way.

Her cheeks started to feel warm as she keeps looking at the guy and without any thought, her mouth opened on its own, her voice escaped without her permission.

“Hoshi…”

The wind suddenly blew hard that Fuyu had to cover Fumie from the dust it took. When Fumie opened up her eyes, she saw a very surprised Fuyu with his eyes getting teary. He was just looking at her with those orbs of him that seem to pass through her soul.

“Y-You called?” Fuyu asked, his voice a bit shaky.

Startled, Fumie answered with a nod and once more she called, “Hoshi—“

The girl gasped when the next thing that she remembers is Fuyu burying his face to her shoulder. She is inside a tight but gentle hug and the warmth of Fuyu’s breath on her neck is making her weak. “S-Senpai… will it be okay if I call you with that name?”

Fuyu answered with a nod while remaining on that position. 

“Is there something wrong?” Fumie asked, she doesn’t know if she should return a hug or not.

“Nothing… I’m just glad that it is back…” Fuyu answered, inhaling a good amount of the girl’s scent.

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” Fuyu wiped his eyes first before facing Fumie again. “You can call me with that name since it sounds special. I won’t let anyone call me with that name other than you, Hime-sama.”

   “SO I HEARD that you didn’t let Fuyu’s girlfriend in.”

Yuu took a sip of the hot chocolate that Haruna made for him. His eyebrows crunched up a little which Haruna immediately noticed. She smiled faintly to herself, knowing that she failed once more in remaking the taste that Yuu used to like. The lady sat beside her husband who was watching the TV that time. The couch in the living room is their favorite place in the whole house.

“I believe that it would be the best for her.” She leaned on Yuu’s shoulder and took a good intake of her husband’s scent. Yuu has been shooting a movie in Niigata for a week and now that he is on break, Haruna couldn’t help but to cave in. She just missed him so much. “You know where I am getting this decision, right?”

Yuu raised his arm and placed his hand on Haruna’s head. He started giving his wife some good head massage. “I understand you. I know how hard it was but… what if that girl doesn’t really l—“

“Don’t you still believe that they are meant for each other?” Haruna pouted. “Fuyu-kun has been searching for the girl with the scent since he was a child and that purpose didn’t change. It is fate that has put them together.”

Yuu looked at his wife and sighed. How could she be this extremely cute even if she has aged already? It feels like she’s still on her prime as an idol. “But your eyes were on her during the beginning of the course, right? You even said that there is someone who was oozing with idol material.”

“We can’t help it. I had to do it.” A memory then flashed in Haruna’s mind. There was this one time that she arrived in the company and was parking her car when she saw Fumie getting out of a heavily tinted car. She thought that it was Fumie’s father or a relative so she didn’t really pay attention but she was surprised to see who the driver was.

For a moment, the driver got out of the car to check his front tire. With that gray hair and black suit, from the way the guy stands, she already recognized who it was.

“I literally saved her.” Haruna murmured to herself.

“Are you saying something?” Yuu asked. He had to let go of Haruna to reach for his cup of hot chocolate in the table.

“Saa, Yuu-kun… Do you remember Asuka-chan’s state when she transferred to my agency?”

Yuu’s brows rose with the sudden question. “Asuka-chan? How is she doing anyway?”

“I can say that she’s doing better now but she hasn’t completely recovered. She still has problems with eating. I think that is the area where she was deeply scarred. But overall I can say that she’s doing really fine now.”

“She was so manipulated.” Yuu commented after taking a sip. “I’m glad that she’s doing well.”

“It was more like she was brainwashed.” Haruna took a deep breath, remembering Asuka’s horrible state during her transfer. She couldn’t open up herself to other idols thinking that they are all rivals. She’s so secluded, even Haruna got a hard time to open her up and made her comfortable. The girl was so frantic about her weight and grows anxious whenever she ‘eats too much’. She’s getting panic attacks with little choreography mistakes, thinking that she would be punished. It just shows how poor she was managed by her former company.

“Yuu-kun… What if I tell you that I saved Fu—“

“Otou-san!!!” Momoko came suddenly, running down the stairs. “Otou-san, Fuyu-nii-sama wore the shirt that you bought for him! Look, Manaka-chan sent me a picture of it.”

“R-Really?” Yuu immediately stood up from his seat and looked at the picture of Fuyu. As he expected the shirt would fit his son perfectly. He bought matching shirts for him and Natsu like he usually did when they were younger. But ofcourse, he couldn’t say that he was the one who bought so he asked Momoko to give it in his behalf and told her to say that she was the one who bought it. A smile curved up from his lips. “Natsu would be surprised if they happened to wear it at the same occasion.”

Seeing the smile on his husband’s face, Haruna heaved a sigh of relief.

“It seems like everything is fine now.” She told herself. “There’s no need to bring up that guy’s name anymore.”

  A CIGARETTE was lighted up as Kato Kenta stepped out of their company’s building. He looked up at the building and smirked.

“It was all my effort that you came into existence but I couldn’t even call you mine.”

He removed his glasses to give it some cleaning but what happened inside the office of his uncle keeps on flashing back to his mind. His face may not show it but the way he wipes his glasses is a proof that he is indeed angry.

His uncle belittled him. Once again. It didn’t satisfy him to insult him privately, he made fun of Kato in front of all the other employees. Saying that Kato’s time is already over, that his eyes for idols have already betrayed him. His uncle even said that he was a made up genius, that people overrated him because he was young.

“The girl that would overthrow Saito Asuka? Are you kidding me? She didn’t even pass a simple idol course! Don’t make me laugh!”

Kato stopped from cleaning his glasses as his hands balled in anger. He could feel his body shaking as his emotion fills him up.

“Just wait and see…” He exhaled the smoke from the cigarette to calm himself down. “I’ll prove to the whole world that Kato Kenta’s eyes doesn’t fail… I never failed and never will.”

“I want to be the princess that would make the prince with cold eyes smile! I want to be his happiness and then marry him!”

“Fuu-chan is really cute here. She was so into the role of being a princess.” The mother pointed at her daughter with love-struck eyes. “Look at the tiara she was wearing. She said that it was the proof that she is a princess even though her brother just got it from who-knows-where.”

“When you sent me that video, I couldn’t help but to smile in our barracks. Everything was so dark everytime I get deployed for mission but seeing my little angel wiped all the fear and anxiety.” The father sighed and continued watching. His smile widened for he knows exactly what is going to happen next.

Fumie’s brother, Hayato, came into the frame and gave his little sister a pat on her head. Since their father was a soldier, it took some time for Fumie to be born, having her eight years younger than her brother. Hayato, who was then 12 years old, was asked by the little Fumie.

“Nii-chan, what do you want to be when you grow up?” The little girl clung to her brother and the guy sat down to level with her.

“I want to make music!” Hayato answered with a huge smile on his face. “I believe music can change people’s lives. It is a weapon where you can win without even shedding blood.”

“Hayato was really passionate about music, wasn’t he?” The wife commented, the sight of her one and only son still tightens her heart. “He was the one who originally wanted to be an idol.”

“I want to be an idol and perform on a big stage. I want to bring smile to people’s faces through my music. I want to bring comfort to them and cease arguments. With that, Papa would be able to stay home and be with us. He can play with us the whole day!”

Little Fumie was looking so amazed at her brother. “Teach me to sing, Nii-chan! I want Papa to stay with us, too!”

Hayato gave Fumie a smile and then started teaching her some nursery rhyme. The video is still not finished but the retired colonel already leaned back to his seat. Just the thought of his son makes him feel suffocated.

“If only Hayato passed one of the auditions he took, he would have an excuse to be exempted from the military service.” The wife stated as she turns her phone’s screen off. “It would be nice if he could’ve lived his dream.”

Since the world is getting more and more dangerous, Japan has also implied lottery system with their military service. After highschool, boys are then summoned for the lottery. If someone doesn’t have any physical problems or severe medical history then he is entitled to draw lots--red card means compulsory service while black means exemption.

Hayato unluckily drew red. If he managed to became an idol then he would be immediately be excused since idols are being used by the government to divert the attention of the people and to put them at ease. But he didn’t make it instead he got a red card for military.

With all the frustrations building up on him and the criticisms that he faced, Hayato thought that probably he is destined to be a soldier and not a singer so he ended up continuing the service until he became a full-pledged soldier. Fumie was so against it, leaving them into an argument before Hayato’s first deployment.

After his death, Fumie’s desire to be an idol grew stronger. She felt like she has to fulfill the dream that his brother couldn’t fulfill and has abandoned.

“Now is Fuu-chan’s final assessment day, right?” The ex-soldier breathed out, scratching his chin with his metal hand.

“Do you think she will make it?” The wife asked with a worried voice.

The father took a deep breath. “If I were to choose I would just like her to stay with Fuyu-kun. I don’t mind them having a family in an early age to be honest. This world is so success-driven to the point that people forget what’s more important. People marry late, some don’t even want to have kids. Everyone is so focused on the things that they can decorate their names with but doesn’t care about who they could be with when they grow old.

It’s not bad to dream and to strive for success. But sometimes I ask myself, will it really matter whether I succeed or not? All things will pass away eventually, only memories remain. And that’s what I wanted for Fuu-chan to enjoy. No stress, no pressure. Just happiness.”

Fumie’s mother released a sigh. She’s on the same side as her husband. She reached for his hand and held it tight. “Let’s just pray for the best for Fuu-chan…”

The husband just answered with a nod.

  KATO couldn’t stay still at all. It has been six hours since Fumie went inside the building but there is still no news from the girl. There wasn’t even a single chat coming from her and it makes him worry. He wanted to go and cheer her as her manager but his current status would cause a misunderstanding for the girl. The panel might notice the potential in her because she was discovered by the Kato Kenta himself or might dislike her due to the same reason.

Fumie understands his situation so she promised that she will give an update whenever there is a chance but there’s none at all. He is sure that the selection is already over since there are girls who were part of the course that came out. Most of them are crying, probably because they were not able to make it.

“Don’t tell me Fumie-san passed it and is now being oriented by Kojima Haruna!?” Kato nibbled his thumbnail. For a moment he is happy about that idea but the hardships that Fumie might face for being an idol with a secret boyfriend would be a stress. “If only she didn’t get a boyfriend…”

Kato is already attracting attention so he went back to his heavily tainted car. He tried to calm himself and stop himself from sending a text to Fumie since he really can’t bear the suspense.

“I still believe that Fumie is born to be an idol. I never got it wrong!” The manager almost burry his face to the stirring wheel while looking at everyone who is getting out of the building, hoping that Fumie would come out soon to put an end to the thrill.

He almost jumped from his seat when he finally saw the girl coming out. He went out of the car to meet her but they immediately met eyes. Fumie just gave him a faint smile and that was enough to make him stop and wait for her to reach the car. His heart became even heavier.

“I’m sorry for not giving updates, Kato-san. My whole body was trembling I couldn’t even use the neuro-linker properly.” That was Fumie’s greeting after the six terrible hours of waiting that her manager did. He noticed the shaking of her voice and how she fidgets with her fingers and he couldn’t help but shook his head weakly.

“It’s alright, Fumie-san… Get in the car first.” The manager opened the car door for his talent. He could feel that the girl is still trembling. It seems like the adrenaline hasn’t completely died yet. Kato went to the driver’s seat as fast as he could, preparing himself to whatever the girl will say as if six hours of waiting wasn’t enough for preparation. Fumie just gave him a faint smile.

Fumie took a deep breath, looking up the car ceiling. “I-I… I’m sorry, Kato-san…” she turned to her manager and tears just started to fall. “I am your very first failure.”

  “NO NEWS YET?”

Haruka sat in front of the low dining table, placing Japanese Apricots on the said table. Sitting in front of her is Fuyu, his bangs tied up. A huge cooling pad plastered on his forehead. He is also wearing a surgical mask.

“T-Thank—CHOO!” Fuyu sneezed even before finishing his sentence. He immediately apologized to Haruka but the girl just laughed at him.

“Don’t worry about it, Fuyu-kun. That ish caused by your allergy anyway. I won’t catch it.” The girl reached for an apricot and took a bite. “I thought your allergy with pollination is already healed but here you go getting a fever after being exposed to a bunch of Hanashobu (Japanese Iris).”

“I thought I’ll be fine, too… but yeah… as you can see…”

Fuyu was exposed to hanashobu when he was in Maki’s mansion, particularly at the orchard. The flowers were not in full bloom yet but they got Fuyu big time. It wasn’t an immediate reaction though. He felt dizzy when he was already home after giving a voice message to Fumie. But he is sure that it was the hanashobu that got him. It’s the only flower that gives him fever.

Even though he is running with fever, the guy still went to work to make up from his leave yesterday. His boss was worried about him but he insisted to work. He managed to make it through the whole day but his fever rose up even more after the shift ended. Feeling guilty, he was forced to stay by his boss to their house to look after him since no one would do that for him. Yurina and Manaka already went back to their grandparents’ house to prepare for their exam.

They are just casually watching the news when the advertisements started airing. The CM for the upcoming Jyuni Seiza concert aired and it seems to be bigger than last year’s event. The idols will be scattered to each of Japan’s primary cities. The event will also be attended with the idols who didn’t rank as well as those who have already graduated. It will be the exact definition of an idol festival.

But there was another announcement right after the usual CM that is being aired for the past couple of months. Kojima Haruna’s produced idols will also be having their debut stage during the concert and that was announced by the legendary idol herself. She encouraged everyone to support the girls that underwent intensive training and strict screening. She said that this batch of idols would open a new era of idols.

“Maa…” Haruka took another bite of the fruit. “I wonder if Shingyoji-shan passed. The CM ish already out but we still haven’t heard anything from her. Ishn’t it her duty to tell you what happened? Are you guysh really dating?”

Fuyu just stayed quiet while taking a peek of his phone. It’s already evening but there is still no message from Fumie. He was thinking of being the first one to start the conversation but since the girl isn’t sending messages even though there is something that she should tell him, Fuyu concluded that Fumie doesn’t want to talk with him.

“Should I go to her house?” Fuyu bowed his head with his two hands catching it. “I want to see her but it is evident that she doesn’t want to see me. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“You are shick, for the muffin’s shake (sake). She should be the one coming for you.” Haruka couldn’t help but to shake her head at the hopeless state of the guy she knew to be very cold. Who would’ve thought that this cool person that is being admired by a lot of girls is acting like this just because of one girl?

“How about ask your other friends? Maybe they already heard the newsh.” She was about to take another bite when she realized something. “Why do I keep on eating thish!? ‘Kaa-shan peeled thish for you!”

“Ask my friends, huh?” Fuyu sighed.

This time, Haruka gave out a nod as she crosses her arms. “It would be bad to find out that they knew it firsht before you, right?”

There was silence between the two of them after that. Fuyu still had his head down while Haruka was just looking at him blankly; thinking of what she can do to cheer him up even just a little bit.

“Is there something in your school like a group chat or shomething like an online bulletin board?” She took her phone and placed it in fron of Fuyu. “We got this site in our school where students post about their love confessions anonymously. This is called Hikaeme, I love you! There must shomething shimilar to this in your school shince you are from that prestigious school!”

Then, as if lightning stroke on Fuyu, his back straightened up, his cool pad almost fell off from his forehead. He grabbed his phone and visited the site that he isn’t a frequent visitor of but a frequent topic.

Haruka ran to his side and viewed the page together with Fuyu. Both of their eyes widened…

  SHINGYOJI FUMIE FELL SHORT!

That was headline of the latest news of NHG’s gossip page that has already been viewed for more than a thousand times. It seems like the whole school is waiting for the result not only because she’s the only candidate from NHG but also because they all know that she’s in a relationship with one of the Shiki.

“According to the insider report, Shingyoji Fumie-san made several mistakes with her performance and she seemed like she was in a deep thought during the dance performance. But there was a time when she got back to her game and properly sang the song she prepared even though her voice was a little shaky.

She managed to earn the hearts of the panel and it seemed like the staff members were also rooting for her despite the errors in the choreography. The dance teacher was seen comforting her after the results were announced.

Sixteen girls were picked through a pointing system but Shingyoji-san fell short in the ranking, officially landing at the 17th spot.

Note: This result hasn’t been posted anywhere even at Shingyoji-san’s forum so please don’t let it leak to the public or we will get sued by Kojima Haruna-san’s agency. Beware folks!

 Comments rained the said article as expected. There are students who felt bad about the news but there are those who said that what happened is well-deserved since someone in a relationship is not allowed to be an idol. A lot of them stressed out the choice that she would have to make if ever she passed the audition.

Of course there are those Fuyu fan girls that said that it is about time for her to get back to Fuyu since the guy has been suffering due to her absence and the anxiety of her being taken away by the idol world. They said that it would be enough for her to be a model like her friends and serve as the campus couple with her boyfriend.

The whole school was expecting that she would come to school with Fuyu by her side but they were all surprised that she came alone. She’s smiling to everyone she meet eyes with that was so unlike of her.

Her class was also gossiping about her when she entered the classroom and everyone froze for a moment. Fumie was expecting such a reaction so she just smiled and greeted them a good morning before going to her seat.

Miyu and Maki immediately stood up from their seats, looking worriedly at Fumie. It seems like the stress of the course made her lose some pounds. Fumie just smiled at them before saying, “Why are looking at me like that? I’m okay, don’t worry.” followed by an inevitably forced laughter.

She sat to her seat and booted her desk’s computer, preparing herself for the upcoming class. “I would be really thankful if someone would send me a copy of the notes.”

Her cheerful act doesn’t really convince the two girls. Even Yuma who is secretly watching her is feeling the weight of her shoulders. She is clearly disappointed about the result.

They wanted to ask her about Fuyu but even the power of the chuunibyou didn’t give enough courage to ask anything. They just let Fumie be, waiting for her to open up by herself.

The class started with the tight air caused by the presence of Fumie. Everyone seems wary of her. They all remembered the self-introduction she did at her first day in the school.

“My dream is to be an idol. I hope that one day I could stand up on stage with everyone’s support. It has always been my dream and I will do my best to fulfill it!”

She said it with full determination and it was evident that she’s really passionate about it but then first semester happened. They all understand the confusion she is in now.

Class went on like usual. It is the period to prepare for the term test anyway so students are studying harder around this time of the term. It was already third period when Miyu suddenly heard some sniffing. She tried to locate it and she found out that it is just the person in front of her—Fumie!

She just started crying while a lecture is on-going! Being the first ones to notice it, Miyu, Maki and Yuma panicked, mouthing strategies with each other. Miyu couldn’t handle it anymore so she stood up from her seat, taking everyone’s attention.

“S-Sensei! F-Fumie got her eyes irritated because of her lenses. I need to take her at the clinic!”

All heads turned to Fumie and saw that the girl is rubbing her eyes. The teacher worriedly looked at his student. “A-Alright. Bring her to the nurse’s office quickly! It would be bad if her eyes gets some infection.”

“T-Thank you, Sensei!” Miyu turned to Maki and Yuma to give them a nod, telling them that she’ll take care of everything. “Let’s go, Fumie!” After that, Miyu took Fumie by the hand and dragged her out of the classroom.

“W-Watanabe-san! Don’t run in the hallway!” the teacher shouted.

“Sensei, it is an emergency!” Maki shouted back.

After some time of running, the two arrived in the library where it would be the safest. Miyu knows that the rest room wouldn’t be a good choice since people might come and overhear them. The nurse will surely be in the clinic so they won’t be able to talk properly so in the end she chose their usual place.

Class is on-going so even the others who usually go there won’t be there. Miyu closed the door and dragged Fumie in between the shelves.

“Why are you suddenly crying like that!? You were pretending to be okay when you arrived but then you’re going to burst into tears!? You are making us worry!”

Fumie cried even more. It seems like she has been preventing herself from crying. She didn’t even show to her parents that she is sad about the result and managed to smile to them when she got home yesterday. Everything just overflowed when she got in class with everyone talking about her, hearing things that hurt her even more.

Miyu shook her head and pulled Fumie into a hug. “Calm down, Fumie…” She rubbed her back but Fumie couldn’t stop crying.

“I-I… I just can’t understand anything, Miyu… Why is it like this?” Fumie cried in frustration.

Miyu pushed her a little and wiped the tears from her face. “Tell me what happened… You didn’t say anything to anyone again, did you?”

“I don’t understand… I just don’t…” Fumie took a deep breath and tried to handle her tears.

“Do you want me to call Fuyu-senpai for you—“

“No, I don’t want to see him!”

Miyu stiffened with what she heard. “Did you hear what you just said, Fumie?”

Fumie gave out a nod; her tears are still falling nonstop. “After the announcement of the result… I was called by Haruna-san to her office. She told me that she purposely didn’t give me a good score. She said that it would be better for me to stay at Fuyu-senpai’s side. She believes that it would be the best for me, to avoid having the same regrets that she had. But why!? All the other panelists… but then she…”

“F-Fumie…”

“Why…? I gave it my all… I made mistakes in the dance part because I was thinking of him being with Asuka-san. I was thinking about him the night before the assessment day as well! But now what? I couldn’t fulfill my dream all because of him! As long as I am with him, I feel like I won’t be able to reach anything!”

“W-Wait, Fumie… Calm down… There must be a misunderstanding—“

“Kato-san trusted me… He believed in me but then I failed him… I failed my brother’s dream all because it is better for me to be with him?” Fumie looked up at Miyu, her eyes already swollen. “I just don’t understand… Why is it that I couldn’t dream if I am with him? Am I greedy to hope of becoming an idol while dating him?”

Miyu is still on panic mode. It is the first time that Fumie broke down like this in front of her but she knows that she isn’t supposed to say things like that. She knows that it is not Fuyu’s will for Fumie to be hurt like this. This isn’t how it is supposed to be!

“F-Fumie, listen… Senpai worries a lot about you. He is always thinking about what’s good for you. No one is at fault here. Don’t think that it is his fault—“

“If he didn’t come in my life then probably I completed the course without absents and passed it! It is his—“

“Hoshizora-kun!!!”

The two suddenly froze when they heard that name. They turned to the door and saw Kuramochi-sensei, the school nurse peeping by the door. The nurse noticed them and entered.

“Hey, isn’t it class hours? Why are you girls here?” The nurse asked, taking a good look with their faces. “Anyway, have you seen Hoshizora-kun? I just left him in the clinic to pick up some delivered medicines but he isn’t there when I arrived. That guy is running in fever because of severe allergy and he is supposed to be resting in the clinic!”

“S-Senpai is sick?” Fumie stammered.

“Yes! It’s a yearly thing. He suffers the whole spring and the final wave would be at the start of summer. I wonder what he was thinking going around without a mask, He was so confident that his allergy was completely gone!”

The nurse examined the whole place. “Haven’t you seen him here? I’m sure he would be here because the smell of the books comforts him. Does he really think that he can hide from me? I’ve been looking for him every spring for six years already! Let me go and find out!”

Kuramochi-sense started marching to survey the in-betweens of the shelves. Fumie’s heart started to beat terribly fast but then it felt like it stopped when Kuramochi-sensei stopped in front of the fifth shelf from where they are standing. She was shaking her head out of irritation.

“What are you thinking—huh? Are you telling me to stay quiet!? No! Let’s go back to the clinic! You need to get treated! The medicine General Togawa sent has already arrived!” Kuramochi-sensei continued pulling until finally, Hoshizora Fuyu came out. His face covered with a surgical mask.

Fuyu turned to where Fumie is and their eyes instantly met. The pain that is being reflected by his eyes is overwhelming and the girl is aware that it isn’t because of the allergy. He was there all along… The whole time that she’s letting her feelings out he was there. He could hear everything… He heard it...  All the blame…

That one-second meeting of their eyes felt like eternity to Fumie. She would never forget the look in his eyes. Fuyu immediately bowed his head, covering his eyes with his hair.

“I don’t want to see him!”

This painful sentence that she carelessly just said echoed in her mind. Is it the reason why Fuyu is hiding his face from her? But yeah, it is late. She won’t be able to pull back the words that she just let out.

“Let’s go, Fuyu-kun. The medicine that the General sent is sure effective! You’ll be alright in no time!” Kuramochi-sensei started to guide Fuyu’s way. The guy just weakly followed the nurse, still with his head facing the ground.

“F-Fuyu-senpai…” Fumie tried to call him as he was coming their way but Fuyu acted like he didn’t hear anything and just went through.

“Fuyu-senpai!” Fumie called out again. “I-I… This is—“

“Stop…” Fuyu stopped but didn’t take even a peek of her. “A while ago you were just so disgusted to say my name so please stop calling me for now…” He turned to their way and gave out ninety-degree bow. “I’m really sorry for what happened.”

That’s all and Fuyu and the nurse stepped out of the library, leaving Fumie behind. Miyu was shocked as well. She was trying to hide Fumie from the public eye so she took her at the library but who would have thought that Fuyu would be there?

Fumie fell to her knees as the look on Fuyu’s face flashed back. All she could do was to stare at the door absent-mindedly. If there is one thing that she is sure now is she just didn’t lose the opportunity of being an idol…

 She also lost Fuyu… She lost it both… And now she is left with nothing…

-TBC-

Sae immediately flexed his biceps after that impromptu cue from Miyu. “That guy has some guts to take advantage of my wife!”

Yuma shrank at his seat; his eyes began to tear up again. “My head was really aching that time but your father made my head more painful. I wasn’t taking advantage of anyone.”

“You shouldn’t have hit him, Dad!” Maki scowled at her father. Yuma’s face somehow lightened up after that statement from Maki but everything crumbled at the next words. “I should be the one hitting him! I know my mother is hot but you can’t pursue someone who is a lot older than you!”

“It is not like that!!!” Yuma protested.

“Uncle Sae, Yuma-san is blushing.”

“Momoko-chan!!!”

The table was then filled with laughter. It was a really wonderful scenario for Maki. Her family is complete at the dining table together with her friends. If there is something that she could ask for it would be for Fumie and Asuka to join this feast. It might be a bit complicated for the two of them but she honestly thinks that it would be more fun if they were also present.

“Well, you can add Agoki and Haruhan…” she thought to herself and then chuckled. She then noticed another unusual thing. “What is with that hairstyle, Natsu?”

Natsu fixed his glasses and gulped what he was chewing before he gave an answer to the curious zombie. He straightened his back and said, “I heard that Uncle Sae likes my character Eiji so much that’s why I am here as Eiji for today.”

The girls’ jaw dropped in disbelief and confusion. The way Natsu spoke was really like his character in the drama where he is the lead actor. The problem is that the role is an awkward high school boy who is not interested to anything else but studying and lacks socializing skills which is too far from his original personality. He is gaining a lot of popularity for magnificently executing that role despite the huge contrast with him.

“Can you please stop reading a book while eating?” Yurina said with disappointed on her tone.

Natsu turned to her for a moment and then went back to the book. “I was born to study so I will also study while eating. Feeding my brain and my stomach at the same time is like hitting two birds with one stone.”

Yurina rolled her eyes. “For your information, the book is upside down.”

The guy then noticed that the book is indeed inverted but he tried to remain composed. “I-It’s some sort of eye training. I want my eyes to be able to read inverted things.”

“Ha-ha. Stupid.” Yurina monotonously stated, unamazed of the foolishness of her brother.

“That’s right, Natsu-kun! I really like people with passion! People who know the reason why they were born and hold that reason like it is their life! People who have firm resolution in their life are admirable. They won’t be shaken by other people’s words!” Sae smiled widely at the young man.

“So, Uncle Sae is emphasizing the passion of your character, not the character himself.” Manaka sighed and shook her head in synchronization with Yurina. And together they said the magic word, “Baka.”

Everyone was almost finished eating when a maid suddenly came in and went to whisper something to Sae. The General produced a wide smile before suddenly standing from his seat forgetting about his injury. He almost fell but his wife was quick enough to support him.

“Darling!” Yuki called out to him. Her voice was raised but you can sense how worried she is at her tone. “What are you even thinking moving like that?”

“I’m sorry, Darling. I just got excited. Gori and Mario just arrived and we are going to play golf!”

“Golf?” the wife repeated. “How can you play at that state?”

Sae just smiled and patted his wife’s head. “Don’t worry. I didn’t become a general for nothing. It’s been a long while since I am able to play with them. I don’t want to miss the chance!”

Fuyu noticed how Yuma’s head was bowed down the whole time the couple was talking. He knows well Yuma’s connection in his past life and probably not being able to be with the person his soul loves in this life time is the punishment for his sins.

“Kids!” Sae called out their attention with his extreme cheerfulness. Who would’ve thought that this guy has been though a lot of battlefields? “I’m going to play with the uncles! You can just stay here and play to your heart’s content. I’ll be back once we all got tired. See you later!”

“See you later, kids. Have fun playing, Maki-chan.” That’s all and Yuki went to assist her husband in going out.

Maki watched her parents went out with a smile on her face. It is really nice to see them together. She could feel that her mother suddenly felt better after seeing the general. It feels like they get strength from each other.

“Let’s go play at the arcade room!” Maki surprised everyone with her high tone. “We will not stop until the gates of the underworld open and release Cerberus to eat Manaka-chan!”

Little Manaka was shocked at that statement. She looked around and pointed at herself. She started shivering. “E-Eat me!?”

“Hey, chuunibyou! Don’t scare my sister!”

Maki sneered at the protective Yurina. “How about call me Maki-nee-tan and I will stop!”

Yurina’s face turned bit red. She could never say something that cringey. “I will never call you like that! Get treated!”

“Ha-ha-ha!” Maki gave out an annoying laughter. “I have to tell you something, Yurina-chan. I’m the King’s original younger sister so don’t be shy about calling me Nee-tan~~”

“Original?” Yurina’s fists balled. “Original, you say? Come here, you little—“

Maki tucked her tongue out and started running. The short-tempered Yurina immediately went after her. With the ruckus the two is making, the study-freak, Eiji, stood from his seat.

“Can you please be quiet? I am studying—“

“Natsu-kun~!” Natsu forgot the next words he is going to say when Maki peeped from the door with a beautiful, innocent smile on her face. “I like the original you better so stop acting like somebody you are not!”

That’s all and she ran towards the arcade room, away from the vicious beast named Yurina.

Natsu who froze on his place started to ruin his perfectly combed hair and styled it back to the original messy hairdo he has. He removed his fake glasses while murmuring, “I don’t know anymore…” with his cheeks tainted with pink. He couldn’t even control the grin in his face.

After taking a deep breath, he just ran after the two. “Don’t leave me behind! I’m the original younger sibling!!!”

“Natsu-kun is so obvious.” Miyu snickered. “Let’s go to the arcade room as well, Manaka-chan, Momoko-chan.”

The younger girls nodded and followed their beautiful onee-chan. Fuyu and Yuma went out of the dining room last. Yuma was a bit anxious about facing Fuyu but the older guy just placed his hand on Yuma’s head. This action made Yuma wanted to cry but Fuyu strictly warned him not to.

“F-Fuyu-senpai…” Yuma stammered. “I don’t know if I can consider myself lucky of knowing about my past life. I kind of feeling regretful after the rush of memories…”

Fuyu just messed up his hair. “Don’t think about it anymore. Just remember that you were also a well-loved legendary idol back then. I gave you the name Nezumi as your model name so Nezumi can live a new life in this time. Free of hatred and revenge. Free from the ghosts of the past.”

“B-But… If it wasn’t about me—“

“You are not that Nezumi now…” Fuyu looked at him at the side of his eyes. “You are Yuma. Just live. Forget about the past. Do what you think is best.”

“Fuyu-senpai…” Again, his eyes became teary but Fuyu was quick to flick him in the forehead. He then showed him his fist.

“If you want to cry then I’ll give you enough reason to cry…”

Yuma gasped but Fuyu just smiled faintly. “I’m only kidding. Let’s just have fun like nothing happened!”

“A-Alright…” Yuma followed Fuyu, now in a more peaceful state. He is convinced that Fuyu’s face won’t let anyone know whether he is joking or not.

“But he smiles like a child when he talks to Fumie-san...” 

 EVERYONE WAS having fun playing when a maid suddenly entered the arcade room. She immediately went to where Maki is happily playing ‘JU$T D@NCE!’ with the others. For a moment, Maki looked a bit annoyed thinking that she would be told to tone everything down but her face lightened up right after the maid delivered the message.

“Saito Asuka-sama has arrived. She is currently talking with the General at the lobby. Should we lead her here or should the mistress welcome her personally?”

“I will go meet her!” Maki started jogging in her place then turned to where Fuyu is. The guy was so immersed to his game that he didn’t hear about the news of Asuka’s arrival. Maki immediately ran towards him and stole his gun. “King! Asuka-chan arrived!”

Fuyu still couldn’t process that. He is still shocked about the interruption of his game. “Huh?”

“Let’s go and meet her at the lobby!”

Maki grabbed Fuyu by the arm and as if the girl was trained by Piccolo, she was able to drag Fuyu all the way out of the arcade room. All the other guys just looked at them until they disappeared from their sight.

“Asuka-chan came?” Miyu blurted out after the maid went out. “It’s nice that she made it but I don’t know what I should feel about this.”

“Why?” Momoko asked with marble-like eyes. “Is there something wrong?”

“It’s none of your business, Momoko!” Natsu brushed his palm on Momoko’s face. “Just go on and play with Manaka-chan!”

Momoko rolled her eyes and tucked her tongue out. “Meanie!” she shouted before going to Manaka. Natsu on the other hand, turned to Miyu and assured her that she doesn’t need to worry for the sake of Fumie. They all know that Fuyu’s feelings are unchangeable.

They all went back to playing aside from Yurina who is just staring at the door. The tsundere gave out an exasperated sigh. “Be careful with my Nii-san’s heart, fools...”

  “THIS TURNED out a bit weird, isn’t it?”

Asuka chuckled while looking at Fuyu who is harvesting some peach. Out of nowhere, the General just asked them to go the orchard to get some fruits. It was a very suspicious request, so fishy to the point of the General ordering other stuffs to Maki who really wanted to join the two in harvesting.

“It isn’t.” Fuyu coldly answered as he hands Asuka a ripe peach. “What makes you think that it is weird?”

Asuka bowed her head to hide her faint smile. What does she expect from this guy anyway? She shook her head to get as if shaking the awkward feeling. The last time they saw each other was when she confessed her feelings but then  claimed that everything was just a prank. Just thinking about it makes her heart race. She thought that she won’t be able to face Fuyu anymore but here they are harvesting, alone in the orchard, just the two of them.

“How was work?” Fuyu, who just finished filling up the basket, turned to Asuka. This action made the girl’s heart beat faster but this idol is used to covering up her feelings by putting up a poker face. Somehow she could manage not to be obvious.

“Well, I—“ Asuka couldn’t manage to talk because of the sudden blow of the wind. As if the weather is making fun of her current situation, her hair was blown and it covered her whole face making her look like a legendary Japanese ghost character.

She wanted to shout at the wind for making her look horrible in front of the guy that she likes but the next thing she remembers is her giving thanks to that sudden blow.

While she was struggling to keep her hair away from her face, Fuyu’s hands suddenly appeared in front of her. He went to fix her hair by brushing it to the back of her head through her fingers and finally tying it in a not so perfect ponytail. It appeared like she was caged inside Fuyu’s arms for a moment because the guy did it while standing in front of her.

“There.” Fuyu gave out a thrift smile. “That’s better.”

Surprised, Asuka had to snap herself back to reality, finding it hard to say a word. “H-How come you have something like that?”

“The hair tie?” Fuyu clarified. “Well, there are times that I need to tie my fringe at work. I always carry at least one.”

“I-I see…”

Fuyu started walking and Asuka just followed him. “You know, I don’t think that you’re eating properly.” Fuyu took a peek of the idol before releasing a sigh. “Something’s not right. You always told me before about eating properly but here you are, obviously not maintaining your health.”

Asuka snickered. “I’m just trying to watch my weight since I became first this year as well. The nationwide concert of the Jyuni Seiza is soon. I’ll stand there as the top 1 so it is a lot of pressure.”

“You were saying that while giggling. You’re making it sound so easy.” Fuyu sighed. “I’m glad you made it today. I’m not sure if it is a good idea to play with Maki instead of resting but I hope you have fun. You’re still a high schooler after all. I’m sorry that Uncle Sae immediately ordered you to get some peaches instead of playing with Maki.”

“He won’t be assigned as a General if he is not good in giving orders.” Asuka looked up at the guy. The sight of his back is really wonderful. They knew each other since they were small. Who would’ve thought that the kid she was playing with before would grow up to be a fine, young man like this? “How about you, Fuyu-kun? Is everything going well?”

There was a long silence from the lad. Did she ask something that she shouldn’t ask? She was just basically asking how he is!

“Everything is alright.” Before even Asuka dig her mind for something to break the awkward atmosphere Fuyu gave her an answer. “I somehow feel like everyone has become kind towards me. Natsu is now allowed to call me Onii to his heart’s content. I can also see my other sister, Momoko, without any problem. Yurina and Manaka are now allowed to stay with me during weekends. That’s something that I can’t help but to be thankful of.”

“That’s good to know.” Asuka smiled to herself. That is indeed some good news. Knowing how Fuyu suffered from being set apart from his siblings, she knows that he is truly happy about the sudden progress with their relationship.

The two continued walking in silence until they reach the mansion. From afar they could already see Maki at the patio who was obviously waiting for them. The chuunibyou waved to them cheerfully.

“Fuyu-kun, you see…” Asuka clung unto Fuyu’s shirt which made the guy stop.

“What is it?” Fuyu asked a bit surprised.

“Do you remember that I said that I’m willing to give everything up for you?”

“H-Huh?” And as if on cue, a memory of their trip in South Korea entered his mind. The part that they were on a group race with Manaki. The moment where Asuka said that she likes him but ended up being a dokkiri. “T-The dokkiri?”

The idol cutely shook her head. “What if I tell you that it isn’t part of the dokkiri?”

Fuyu’s eyebrows twitched. “What do you mean?”

Again, Asuka just chuckled. “If Shingyoji-san became an idol, I won’t be nice to her just because she is the girlfriend of a friend. I will not let her beat me… Atleast not with that…”

“W-Wait Asuka… I don’t—“

“King! Asuka! What’s taking you so long!? Everyone is waiting for you upstairs!” Maki couldn’t help it. She went to pick them out from where they were talking. “Let’s go, Asuka-chan! Natsu-kun is very annoying today! We should go and piss him up! Miyu-tan, the twins and Momo-cry are here as well! It will be a lot of fun! Let’s go!”

With that, Maki dragged Asuka inside the mansion. The idol just gave Fuyu a meaningful smile before going with her bestfriend. Fuyu was left wondering.

“Why is Asuka such a difficult puzzle?” he sighed and then went in.

Not so far away, Sae, Mario and Michael were watching the scene through binoculars. They were following Fuyu and Asuka secretly to see if there is something suspicious between the two. Their whole life they thought the two would end up being with each other since they are childhood friends and seem to like each other during their middle school years. Sae even thought that Asuka would be Maki’s greatest rival for Fuyu’s heart.

“But it turned out to be a random girl with a specific scent!” Sae signed in dismay.

“Do you really want Fuyu-kun for Maki-chan?” Mario asked. “Until now?”

“Do you even have to ask about it?” Michael shook his head. “All this time he is imagining Fuyu-kun as his son-in-law.”

“Well you see, Fuyu-kun is like the ideal guy for my daughter~” Sae continued whining. “He could control her being a delusional and he has the skills of a military guy as well. He is very reliable!”

“But you witnessed it, didn’t you? Fuyu-kun is loyal to Fumie-chan. Even the great Saito Asuka couldn’t fish him with her charm. That guy is true to his resolve. He knows what he was born for and that is to be with Fumie-chan!” Mario stated with passion.

“So stop whining and move on! You can never have him as your son-in-law!” Michael flicked Sae on the forehead making the General yelp. “Act according to your title. What would your subordinates if they saw you like this?”

Sae rubbed his forehead and pushed AkiGori in revenge. He lied on the grass and looked at the clear blue sky and with a sigh, he said with a low voice.

“I hope my daughter falls to someone who would love her the same way as Fuyu-kun loves the girl with the scent.”

  KATO KENTA was surprised at the girl who entered his car. He was supposed to pick up Fumie from the dance lessons but it somehow feels like that he picked up another girl. He is sure that it was Fumie but the girl is unbelievably smiling. It is the first time she went out smiling like this since the training begun.

“What happened today, Fumie-san? You seem to be in a very good mood!” Kato commented as he started steering.

“I just fell happy, Kato-san!” Fumie exclaimed. The sudden raise on her tone surprised Kato once more. Who would’ve thought that she could let out that high voice? “Anna-sensei praised me today. She said that I am one of the trainees who improved a lot with dancing. I feel really accomplished!”

“Ohh…” Kato just nodded. His reaction made the girl curious.

“Is there anything wrong, Kato-san?” Fumie asked while trying to find her phone in her bag.

The manager shook his head with his lips pressed tightly. “Far from what I expected, you seem to be enjoying the course. I thought you are going to say that you’re happy because tomorrow is the last day, which means you can go back to your normal life and to the arms of Fuyu-kun.”

Fumie was suddenly taken aback. She almost forgot about it. “W-Well I… I’m just glad that Sensei mentioned my improvement. With that I am satisfied.”

Kato doesn’t seem convinced with what the girl said. He knows that she is quite the competitive type from the beginning. She had her eyes set to becoming an idol from the very beginning that she started practicing right after signing the contract.

“I know that I won’t be chosen. I’ve been absent for a long time while everyone is steadily progressing but I did my best during that short time given to me. I don’t want any regrets. I did what Fuyu-kun said to me.”

Kato shrugged his shoulders. “You say so.”

Finally, Fumie found her phone and saw that there are a lot of messages from her friends but she first opened the messages from Fuyu.

“Fumie, how are you doing? Had lunch? I’m having a good time here at Maki’s so don’t worry about me. They served us a lot of foods.”

There is even a voice message from her boyfriend. She first excused herself from Kato before plugging her earphones.

“Tomorrow is the performance day, right? I know I won’t be able to see you today so I’m sending a voice message. I’m honestly hoping for the best for you. I know it is your dream so I won’t mind waiting if you debut as an idol. So as I always tell you, don’t worry about me and give it your best shot. I believe in you.”

Her heart tightened once more. She could hear Fuyu’s heart behind those words. She could feel that there is also a part of him that doesn’t want her to be an idol but he is swallowing everything for her happiness. She has a very understanding boyfriend but why does it feel like a… burden?

She shook her head and opened the message from Maki. The chuunibyou sent a video of the whole gang while eating some fruits and sweets after playing in the arcade. Her eyes widened right after she saw the current number one idol of the country. She didn’t think that Asuka was also going.

What made her feeling worse is that she is sitting opposite to Fuyu. The guy was on his usual cold expression but she could see how happy Ashu is. She’s a huge fan of the girl so she knows how she usually smiles. That smile she just gave Fuyu when the guy handed her some peeled peaches is something that she doesn’t show the public.

“Ohh, it seems like they are having fun~”

Fumie jerked when Kato suddenly commented. She didn’t notice that he is also looking at the video while they are caught in a red light.

“It feels so nice to be young without worries in life. You can hang out with your friends and be crazy all day~” Kato leaned back to his seat and sighed then stepped on the gas as the light changed. “But you got some elite group of friends, Fumie-san! You got the top idol, Saito Asuka and the eccentric model, Togawa Maki. And there’s Watanabe Miyu who’s rising on popularity after being on the cover of several fashion magazines!”

Kato looked at Fumie and he couldn’t help but to laugh at the reaction of the girl. “Don’t look at me like I am a creep. I’m a person of the entertainment world! I always stay update of who is making a buzz. But yeah, I didn’t know that a guy like Fuyu would associate with these elite people. So he is still hanging out with Asuka-san, huh? I heard that he doesn’t like stepping on the spotlight but look at him being so close to the young actor, Matsui Natsu! They look like they are brothers!”

“Well… they are brothers in the first place…”

Kato stiffened at that information. He looked once again to Fumie who is now staring blankly outside. Her mind is still filled of the thought of Fuyu being with Asuka.

Kato gave out an awkward laugh. “What are you talking about? Are you telling me that Matui Yuu—“

“He is Fuyu-kun’s father. Natsu-kun and Fuyu-kun are twins…”

Kato was so shocked that he accidentally kicked the brake. It almost caused an accident, the cars behind him started to angrily hoot on him. Fumie was surprised too. She turned so pale not because of the sudden stop but because of realizing that she gave out something that she shouldn’t have.

The manager took the chance to park his car and say sorry to the angry drivers while trying to cool his self. He remembered that Natsu is Yuu’s child on his first wife but he wasn’t expecting that there would be another one.

“FUMIE-SAN!” He called on top of his voice when he got back at the car. “Do you realize what you just did!? You said something that you should not!”

“I-I-I’m... P-Please don’t tell anyone about it, Kato-san…” Fumie panicked but it is too late. She just spilled a whole family’s secret.

“You better be careful with that secret! If that comes out in public the whole image of the Matsui Family will be destroyed. They are considered as the Royal Family of the entertainment industry and you are saying that the great Matsui Yuu abandoned one of his children!? The whole country would flock on them!”

Kato tried to calm himself down by taking deep breaths. “I won’t dig up for more. I know that it is a very sensitive secret and I promise that I won’t tell anyone. I don’t want your relation with Fuyu-kun to be destroyed by that secret. Fumie-san, you didn’t tell it to anybody else, did you?”

Fumie frantically waved her hands. “I-I-I didn’t! I-I was out of m-my mind a while ago!”

Kato heaved a sigh of relief. “Kojima Haruna-san is one of my favorite idols and as a wota, I won’t let her perfect family be stained! The secret is safe with me but, mou~ Seriously, Fumie-chan! You need to be really careful!”

“I-I’m really, really sorry…” Fumie couldn’t bow her head even more but she’s a little relieved that it was Kato and not anybody else. “I promise I’ll be careful.”

Kato sighed once more. “Anyway, let’s go back to your home. Tomorrow is the final day, you better get some good rest.”

Fumie gave out a nod and then Kato started driving again.

  THE CONFERENCE room of Haruna’s agency is still well-lit even though it is already late. The staff and crew of the idol course are all gathered to give their ratings to the idol aspirants. They are giving out an assessment of how the girls progress throughout the whole training course and this will be added to their final score after tomorrow’s performance.

They are all there to evaluate everyone’s idol material. How they grew and how they shone during tough times. Of course, as the CEO of the agency, Haruna is seated in the middle chair complete with square glasses.

In the table, hologram pictures of the aspirants are being shown and they are ought to give their evaluation one by one. When Fumie’s picture was shown, there was silence from everyone and contagious nods.

“I believe this girl has it. I can’t even describe it.” The teacher for the fashion class gave out his comment with a sigh. He is the one responsible for identifying who has the most charm among the candidates. “There is this charm of her that makes me want to cheer for her.”

“I have to agree with what you said.” Anna-sensei of the dance department seconded. “She came back to training after getting an injury and it was really tough to catch up with the other girls but the determination in her eyes is admirable. Even if she couldn’t do it, she made sure that she’s giving it her all.”

“But I heard stories about her not being injured from the other girls. There are girls who claimed that they saw her going out with Watanabe Miyu during the time that she is supposed to be injured.” That was the statement of the head of the vocals department. “She is the only candidate from NHG so we couldn’t really confirm it. Well, we did receive a medical certificate from her agency.”

“What if it is just a rumor made to bring her down?” One of the staffs commented. “I can say that Shingyoji-san is a very amazing person. It feels like she is really out there to be an idol.”

“Well…” Anna-sense turned to the CEO who seems to be deep in her thoughts. All heads followed. 

“What do you think of her, Kojima-san?”

-TBC-

“Then how come that I still can’t defeat you? How do you keep on getting stronger!?”

Sakura’s frustration echoed at the rooftop. Salt just looked at her for a moment and then turned to the guy who is standing in front of the school gate. She suddenly felt worried about the wound on her lips. The guy might get turned off after seeing it.

Salt gave out another sigh. Why is she even worrying about it? It’s not like of her to be worried about how others would look at her. She stood upright and turned back to her Vice President.

“I have to get stronger, Sakura.” Salt declared. “I have to free someone from his current situation… For now, this is all my seriousness…”

  “WHAT THE F— Sakura! What the hell are you doing!?”

Hiroki held his chest as he was shocked when Sakura suddenly appeared on that corner of the street. He just went to drop Salt after fooling around in the arcade as always. He felt like all the shio ramen that he ate with his girl rose up from his stomach up to his throat after getting surprised.

“Why are you suddenly appearing like that!? You almost gave me a heart attack.” Hiroki fixed his stance and whispered, “How come I didn’t even feel your presence?”

“I want to ask you a question.” Sakura started, hiding her face with her hair because it is still swollen after the previous fight.

“You can just ask me through SNS. I gave you my LINE—“

“I want to ask you personally!”

Hiroki, feeling like nothing will happen if he kept on talking, blew his fringe. “What is it, little Maji-chan?”

Sakura balled her fists and met Hiroki’s wonderful eyes. “What does it cost to free you?”

The guy’s eyebrows rose a bit. “Free me?” He then sneered as if he understood what the girl was talking about. He slowly shook his head and then brushed his hair backwards.

“My death.”

 ***

PAIN welcomed Sakura as she departs from sleep. The back of her head is aching and her vision is hazy. She rolled over to her back and looked at the ceiling, trying to recognize where she is. This is definitely not her room. This is not somewhere she had slept before.

“Where on earth am I?”

The girl tried to stand up, borrowing some balance from the bed. She looked around the room with her eyes on squint as her head stings with each move. In a drawer top she saw some framed pictures of what seem to be a happy family. Someone who looks like Antonio and another one who looks like Coby together with a boy who has that familiar set of eyes.

“H-Hiroki-san!”

As if all her energy came back to her body after recognizing who was in the picture, Sakura immediately went to find the door. She tried to open it up but it was locked from the outside. With a loud shout, Sakura kicked the door open, destroying even the lock that prevented her freedom.

The scene that welcomed her out horrified her the most. She couldn’t even close her eyes. Her stomach reacted first as it started to bring everything up back to her mouth. The foul smell coming from the dead bodies upset her stomach. Trembling in fear, she went back to the room and let it all out.

“T-This can’t be…” Sakura wiped her mouth. “Hiroki-san…”

Avoiding the stink by covering her nose with her sleeves, Sakura came out of the room to see if ever Hiroki is around. There were about eight bodies on the floor and she couldn’t exactly say if any of them is alive due to the amount of blood that was shed.

None of them was Hiroki and her heart almost jumped of its place after realizing the fact that the guy may still be alive. But then she saw blood trails that seemed like they were painted onto the floor. The blood started from the living room up to the courtyard where it stopped on a place where there are markings of wheels.

Hiroki may still be alive but he’s terribly injured and that is for sure. Knowing that the dispatch team of the Yakuza might come anytime soon to clean the bodies, Sakura hurriedly went back the room where she was locked.

She immediately opened up a drawer and her memory served her right. Hiroki took two guns from that drawer and her eyes widened at the sight of more pistols. Not knowing which one to pick, she grabbed an army bag lying around and took guns and ammo with her.

It is just four in the morning and teenagers like her are not allowed to be out at this hour so Sakura hurriedly went to school to find refuge. She almost dropped the bag when she found all the queens present in the room with more familiar faces.

“Why are you all here?” Sakura asked as she placed the bag aside. “At this time?”

“You are not the only one searching for the truth, Sakura.” Otabe answered, her eyes have noticeable dark arcs under them. “Salt is our president.”

Sakura then turned to the two top of their rival school. “And the two of you?”

Coby was about to talk back after getting pissed with Sakura’s smug treatment but Antonio halted her with her uninjured arm. She had no choice but to stand behind her president.

“Salt saved me so I am deeply indebted to her. I also want to seek justice for her.”

Sakura smirked. “It’s because you were weak that you needed her help. If you didn’t get caught—“

“Really, you!!!” Coby was about to attack but again Antonio stopped her. “Hiroki-san was the one tasked to save Antonio that night and Salt only stepped in. Don’t insult our leader in front of me!”

“Calm down, Coby. Let me handle this.” Antonio turned back to Sakura, successfully maintaining her cool. “To tell you the truth, the gang that we encountered that night would never be able to lay their hand on Salt or to even to me… ever again.”

Sakura’s eyebrows crunched. “What do you mean?”

“They saw who was with us that night. They saw that Hiroki-san was there and was ready to kill them without mercy. People in this business are all aware of the killing machine from the Yamamoto Clan.”

That’s true. Sakura clearly remembers. If it wasn’t about Salt stopping Hiroki then all those guys who did Antonio wrong would be long buried in the ground or worse they would be thrown away to the river only to be discovered when their bodies are all swollen.

“Technically, Salt gave them another chance in life. They won’t be going after her even if their prides were crushed by her. Killing her would make them the lowest.” Antonio’s explanation went on, leaving Sakura startled.

“T-Then who would…” Sakura stammered. “Who would have the intent to kill her?”

“I’ve done an investigation and I didn’t know that I would find the answer without going that far.” Antonio felt warm on her free hand. She then turned to her side only to see Coby holding her hand. She gave the girl a nod as a sign of being thankful for being there for her.

“Salt’s death is of revenge but not to her but to Hiroki-san…”

Sakura’s eyes widened even more. “W-What the—“

She was silenced when Antonio suddenly turned to Salt’s abandoned throne then went back at her with a sharper stare.

“The one who killed her is an alumna of this school.”

  AFTER FINDING out the truth of Salt’s murder, Rappapa and the two-top of Gekioko immediately went to move to somehow help Hiroki. They are all armed with the guns that Sakura obtained from the guy’s house. Now they are all rooting for the fact that Antonio is the daughter of the boss, hoping that the Oyabun would listen to her.

Everything was carefully plotted by Antonio’s father. He didn’t like the fact that Hiroki has been disobeying his orders to the point of lying to him that he killed all his targets when in reality is he just threatened them but let them go without any detached limbs at all. He hates that the one he raised to be the most ruthless dispatcher would wag his tail to a high school girl.

His anger couldn’t be contained after the one that he has set to be his heir, despite having lots of daughters of his own blood, decided to leave the path that he has prepared for him. The Oyabun has found the best way to punish Hiroki. He found the right person to brainwash and he knew exactly who to take away from Hiroki’s life.

“He’s a crazy geezer.” Sakura couldn’t help but to grit her teeth after hearing the whole story from Antonio. The girl was able to find the truth after one of her late sister’s loyal man confessed what the Oyabun has been up to.

“He is planning to dispose Hiroki. He has found a new toy and he will use the new toy to kill him. I know that Hiroki is your personal bodyguard but please don’t involve yourself with this. The Oyabun has lost it. He might get his hands to you as well.”

That was what Antonio was told to but the girl is as stubborn as her sister. If there is something that she could do then she would be more than willing to do it for the sake of Hiroki. He might be the worst person in the planet through his own eyes but Antonio knows all the hardships that he faced due to his inevitable state. She knew all the nights that Hiroki would come back to report his successful dispatch with those soulless eyes.

Hiroki might have found a way to hide his struggles through smiling but Antonio is not insensitive to not notice how much he is suffering. Someone like him never deserved to be treated like a tool.

It is half past five when they went out of the school building. Their hearts are all ready to whatever the result of this rescue mission may be. They know that there would be no help coming from the police since they are technically under that big Yakuza clan. This would be all their seriousness and they are willing to use a gun to prove it to the adults.

Their hasty feet were then halted when Sakura suddenly stopped. They all looked to where the girl’s eyes are focused only to see another familiar person leaning on the wall of the school gate.

“Center-san…” Sakura breathed out the name of the person. She doesn’t seem surprised that she would see her at this time.

“Hello, Sakura!” Center greeted with her usual smile. “Hello, current Rappapa plus two extras.”

“Center-san…” Sakura took a deep breath, maintaining the distance between them and the former Majijo top. “Why didn’t you tell me? You knew all along—“

“There’s no need for me to tell you. All you guys need to do is to entrust this thing to adults since—“ But no one listened to Center’s words. The group started walking pass her, finally stepping out of the school grounds. “H-Hey, guys! Where are you all going?”

“We are going to save Hiroki-san.” Sakura answered without looking back.

“Sakura, wait!”

As the persistency of Center started to irk her, the officiating top of Majijo turned to her senpai only to be shocked that she is already pointing a gun to her.

“Don’t go.” Center commanded, now with a more serious face. She was trying to maintain her cool but the atmosphere clearly says that these kids won’t listen to any word that she’s going to say without threat. “I said leave it to us adults. Hiroki-nii told me not to let your seriousness meddle with the situation.”

“Hiroki-san said that?” The other girl asked with a knot on her forehead. “Both of you already know who killed Salt-san and you didn’t really tell us?”

“Hiroki-nii confessed everything to me. He told me to take care of all of you in case you do anything that will endanger your lives. He also promised to solve everything and come—“

“Center.”

The two fell quiet when Otabe stepped forward and called not just Center’s attention but everyone’s right after saying the girl’s name.

“You are pointing a gun to us while talking about protecting us. I quite don’t get the point.”

The other girl was taken aback. Otabe was the one who received the Rappapa presidency from Maeda before so she is technically Center’s senior. This girl has her reason for purposely getting held back and Center knows that reason very well.

“Salt is the top that I established myself.” Otabe continued. “If you are telling me not to do anything after her getting murdered by a graduate of this school, I don’t think I will be able to stay silent. Salt was our top. The top has saved the school many times even though she was bored of being in the throne. We couldn’t save her when she was the one in need of help but atleast we could deliver her justice.”

“There’s no need to point the gun to us, Center-san.” Sakura stepped back in the conversation. “You know very well who the enemy here is. It’s either you come and fight with us or just wait here until we get the justice that Salt-san deserves.”

Center tightened her grip to the gun but the energy faded soon. Her arm limped as she bowed her head in surrender. With this, Sakura went near her and extender her hand towards the former top of their school. “Let’s go, Center-san.”

Still with lots of hesitations, Center reached out for Sakura’s hand.

  HIROKI spit out blood for nobody knows how many times it was. He was given another powerful body blow, he is sure that he broke some of ribs after that knee to his stomach. The right side of his face is bathing with blood as a sharp knife traveled from his eyebrow down to his cheek.

“How long do those kids willing to make you wait?” The Oyabun sighed in boredom and disappointment. He called one of his men and told the guy to turn his back to him. The man did what was ordered to him only for his back to be turned into an ash tray. Shouting in pain, the Oyabun kicked him off back to his place.

“I thought they would be here as soon as they heard that you’re abducted. How long are they going to prolong your suffering?” The boss looked at his heir but Hiroki’s state disgusted him. The son that he always wanted turned out to be a rebel and is now filled with blood and couldn’t even free himself from those ropes tying his arms up.

“Look at you, Hiroki. If you only listened to me we won’t come into an end like this. I thought killing your parents would be enough trauma to you but there you go giving your heart to a girl…” The knot on his forehead couldn’t be flattened as he is thinking deeply. “You wanted her to be killed, didn’t you—“

“NO!” Hiroki shouted with the remaining energy he has left. He tried to raise his head and looked at the cruel boss with his functioning eye.

“Tch.” The Oyabun rolled his eyes. “How dare you look at me like that? Do you want me to completely blind you down?” He pulled the butterfly knife that he used to Hiroki earlier and let him feel its tip on his neck.

He is already in the verge of being killed but Hiroki continued glaring to the boss. He knows too well that he is going to be disposed. His eagle eye was blinded already. The boss doesn’t need him anymore.

The boss then pulled the knife back and pocketed it. “Let’s just wait for those kids before I finish you up. They should witness how I take the likes of you who don’t listen to my words.”

“They won’t be coming!” The helpless guy shouted back once again. “I told Jurina not to let them come. You can just kill me. Don’t drag the kids into this mess!”

The Oyabun just laughed at him before spitting right on his face. “I didn’t drag them. You dragged them here. You know how dangerous your existence is and you dared to befriend with those highschool girls. This is all your fault!”

The old man ordered his men to give him more sake and as if frightened mice, they all went to give him a cup as soon as possible. The boss is going to kill his favourite pawn, they aren’t safe at all.

“And to add to your misery, I won’t be the one to end your life.” With a huge sneer on his face, he called out someone from upstairs that has been watching them since the beginning of the torture. Sounds of boots can be heard from the stairs, pulling everyone’s attention to that place.

Hiroki’s eye widened after recognizing who it was. Wearing the same black hoodie she was wearing the night she killed Salt, Nezumi showed herself while chewing a gum. She looked down at Hiroki with a poker face.

“M-Mayu…” Hiroki stammered.

The Oyabun found his reaction hilarious that he couldn’t help but to laugh. “She’ll be the one who will take your life, Hiroki. The same person who killed your girlfriend, say your greetings to Nezumi.”

“M-Mayu! Don’t do this!” Hiroki shouted.

“Are you begging for your life already?” Nezumi asked while playing with the gun that she used to kill Salt. “I thought it would be hard to have you plead for your life. What a bore.”

“You’re wrong!” Hiroki tried to free himself but his exhausted body just won’t follow his will. “Don’t taint your hands even more! If you do you will end up just like me—“

“Shut up!” Nezumi kneeled to his level only to give him a slap on his bloody face. She then pulled him by the hair and made him look at her. “Do you remember the politician that you mercilessly killed long ago? He is my father!”

Hiroki’s head flew to the other side right after another slap. “He was already starting to change but you killed him! You took the chance for us to be a happy family!” She continued to hit him while spilling everything that’s in her chest. “No wonder you were so good to me! You treated me and Center so well but it was all pretension. If I didn’t find out about it you would keep a secret to your grave, right!? And you will keep making a fool out of me, right!?”

When Nezumi was finally over with her rage, Hiroki slowly looked up to her. With his sight slowly blurring because of blood loss, he tried his best to stay awake and talk.

“I guess whatever I say to you now won’t get to you since you were fed with wrong information…” Hiroki coughed blood and spat it out before taking a deep breath. “But I was put in a place where I had no other choice but to kill him or else that person out there would kill my parents… I-It was his will to kill your father since he backed out to their agreement. It was n-never my will to kill your father… n-never my will to kill anybody…”

“LIES!” Nezumi stood up and pointed the gun straight to Hiroki’s head.

“Believe me, Mayu… L-Like me… You are just being used here…”

“SHUT THE F*CK UP!”

A loud gunshot was heard after that shout from Nezumi. For a moment Hiroki thought that he would be already sent to the afterlife but what he saw after he opened his eye was another thing. It was a shocked picture of Nezumi whose mouth opened up to call a name. “C-Center…?”

In panic, Hiroki turned to where Nezumi is looking at. Everything that he is scared for just happened. Everyone fell for the trap. “What the hell are you girls doing here!? Jurina!!! What the actual f*ck!! I told you to use the gun to keep them at school!!”

His heart tightened even more when he saw that Antonio and Coby also came. He started struggling to free himself even though he knows it would be useless. “F*CK!!!”

The Oyabun started laughing manically again. He is even more pleased when he saw his daughter among the visitors. “So you also came as expected! You coming here is the only thing I expected from you so welcome to your grave, daughter!”

His men who have been guarding up the warehouse from the outside all came inside. Without further thought, the girls were then surrounded by the Yakuza.

“You are really going crazy! Don’t ever try them!” Hiroki growled but the boss just laughed at him.

“Are you really sure of that, Father?” Antonio answered back with a question. “Have you thought of how we came here so easily? Your men have already turned their backs on you. They are on our si—“

Antonio was supposed to say that they are already on their side but the men, including the guy who told him about the whole happening, pulled out their guns and pointed it at them. Antonio’s eyes widened at the betrayal, looking at the guy whom she thought they could trust.

“I-I’m sorry, Sayaka-san… I’m sorry Hiroki-kun…” That was all he could say. He couldn’t even meet Antonio’s eyes.

The old man laughed so hard as if he is so entertained of the happenings. Everything is going according to his plan. He asked Nezumi to step aside for a moment before he pulled out his butterfly knife and slashed the rope that has been holding Hiroki for quite a long while now.

Hiroki fell face-first to the ground. He tried to stand up but he couldn’t even feel his legs at all.

“DAMN IT!” Hiroki shouted. “Don’t ever touch them! If you want to kill me then just finish me already! Leave the girls alone!!!”

“You won’t be able to do anything, son! I’ll give you the most painful death.” The old man sneered and then stood up. “Get them. Do whatever you want to them. Follow your pleasure. Make sure you all kill them after!”

Then the rumble started. As the order says, they have to keep the girls alive and make them suffer in front of Hiroki. The tortured guy couldn’t do anything but to struggle from his own weak body. He could already feel the warm fluid flowing from his eyes due to anxiety.

The boss sat back to his chair, laughing at the on-going fight happening before his very eyes. It feels like everything is on top of his hand and he likes it very much. He was amazed that the girls have been dominating his men in hand to hand combat but it soon bored him and made him so disappointed to his troop.

He pulled out his gun and chanted eeny, meeny, mini, moe before he pulled the trigger. The next thing after the terrifying gunshot was the picture of Yoga’s body hitting the ground. Everybody froze on the spot.

“Y-Yoga!” Magic cried out and ran towards the said girl. Yoga was already lifeless when Magic lifted her up to her arms. The bullet went straight to her chest. “YOU, F*CKER!!!”

Magic was about to pull her gun but another shot was heard which made her lie lifeless beside Yoga. It was another shot straight to the heart.

“NO!!!” Hiroki wept bitterly after seeing two other girls being killed in front of him. “STOP IT!”

“Woo! I guess my skills haven’t diminished even if I got older. I can still get my target with ease!” The boss looked at the faces of the shocked girls one by one and he can’t help but to be amused at the fear that is slowly being painted at those young faces. “It’s getting pretty boring. I couldn’t believe that my men are this weak in terms of close combat. Now, who should I send to hell next?”

He then slowly pointed his gun to the next person he decided to kill. “How about you go next, daughter?” And without further ado, he pulled out the trigger as if he is not going to fire it at his own flesh and blood. Antonio was sure that it was the end of her but then she saw a figure covered her, shielding her from the sure death from that one bullet. It was Coby.

Antonio fell with Coby falling down in her arms. It is as if her father calculated that Coby would shield her since it was another sure hit in the chest. Antonio froze in shock.

Otabe, knowing that she got the chance, pulled out the gun Sakura handed her and fired at the boss. She managed to hit him but only on the arm that was holding the gun. As the boss shrieked in pain, few of his men pointed their guns to the remaining Rappapa heavenly queen and shot her to her death.

Everything happened too fast. Before Sakura knew it, there were only the three of them left. She looked at her fallen comrades with mouth wide open, she couldn’t process the fact that they all died under her leadership.

“F*CKING B*TCH! That’s what you get for firing at me, fool.” The old man looked at his injured arm that is overflowing with blood. “I lost my dominant arm. Now, Nezumi…”

Nezumi flinched to where she is standing. She too was aghast of what just happened. She felt cold sweat ran down her spine as her name was called.

“It is your turn to use your gun again. Now kill the girl who has been staying under your bestfriend’s wing.”

Nezumi and Sakura’s stares met after that order. Nezumi quickly cut the connection of their gaze and turned back to the old man. “B-But, you said that killing Salt would be enough! And you said that you would not really hurt them but just use them to torment Hiro—“

“Did you really believe in the words of a Yakuza leader?” The old man sneered at her and picked up his gun with his other hand. He then pointed the gun to Center.

“H-Hey! You said you would not hurt Center!” Nezumi stammered. “This is not what we talked about!”

“Go and kill her or I will kill your friend. You’ve been watching them for quite a while now, don’t you? Your bestfriend who has been so attached to you was just stolen by that girl. You’ve killed somebody else before so why not kill this one?” His devilish smile widened. “What’s hindering you?”

Center was about to pull her gun but more guns were pointed to her by the other Yakuza men. She couldn’t do anything but to stare at Nezumi.

“Kill her or lose your friend, you choose.”

“S-Sakura…” Everybody turned to Hiroki whose eyes already lost hope. “This is why I told you not to be serious at all things. T-There are things that you better not care about. T-This is r-reality. There are times t-that it is better not to face it and not be serious at all…”

“H-Hiroki-san… I-I—“

“It’s too late, Sakura... And you, Nezumi… you trusted the wrong person… I-I’m really sorry f-for killing your father… It was really never my intention t-to kill him. Now that you are in the same position as I was in that time, I believe you can understand the situation now.”

“Oh, shut the f*ck up, dumbass! Let’s finish this because I need treatment now. Nezumi, kill that girl then kill Hiroki or else I will shoot your friend to her death.”

“Nezumi…” Center called out to her lover with a faint smile on her face. “Don’t dirty your hands even more. It’s okay. I won’t regret dying like this. I’m sorry for not being able to take care of you properly.”

Nezumi’s face crumbled. She couldn’t understand how and when everything turned out like this. She only wanted revenge for her father. “Center! What the hell are you talking about—“

Another gunshot was heard which caused everyone’s heart to skipped a beat. It came from the boss, he gave a warning shot to Nezumi but it didn’t hit anyone but the ceiling. “I’m going to count. Kill the Sakura girl or I will send your friend ahead. Five.”

“W-Wait! This isn’t right!!!”

“Four.”

Nezumi’s stare goes back and forth to Center and Sakura. She tightened the grip to her gun as the pressure continued to boil her up.

“Three.”

The men cleared the way. They all stepped aside. Even the ones who are holding Sakura and Center got a good distance from the targets though they are not letting anyone go.

“Two.”

Nezumi closed her eyes. Who would’ve thought that revenge would bring her into this situation? She killed Salt with her whole body trembling and she is sure that Hiroki saw her horrified expression that time. She knew that he saw how much she was aghast of her own crime that’s why he didn’t pursue her even though he clearly saw her killed Salt. There’s nothing more but regret to consume her now.

“One!”

BANG!!! BANG!!!

Nezumi pulled out the trigger only once but why were there two gunshots heard? She opened her eyes and everything looked blurry. She immediately turned to Center’s way and she couldn’t thank the heavens less after seeing that she is alive. But what is with that worried look on her face?

Parallel to her vision, she noticed another girl who was holding a gun. She turned to that direction and noticed that it was Antonio. While holding Coby’s body on her injured arm, she fired her gun with the other. The secret lessons she had with Hiroki somehow paid off.

Hiroki dispatches people with a headshot believing that it won’t be painful. It is to give his targets a quick death and that is what Antonio learned from him.

Nezumi, still nauseous, turned to where Antonio’s gun was pointing. It turned out that she killed the evil man with just one shot straight to the centre of his forehead. His body was thrown backwards because of the shot, his eyes rolled in white.

“HIROKI-SAN!!!”

“HIROKI-NII!!!”

With everything moving in slow motion, Nezumi turned to Sakura. The girl managed to survive the bullet she fired on her. She’s alive. She just fell down and managed to dodged—wait, what?

With blood spilling like crazy from the left side of his temple, Hiroki laid lifeless on Sakura. He was the one who pushed Sakura away and took the bullet that Nezumi fired. Nezumi saw how denial and grief painted over the face of the younger girl. Her clothes are tainted with blood but she didn’t care. She hugged Hiroki as reality started to sink deep into her.

He is dead. He is now… free.

“Hiroki-san!” Sakura called out the guy’s name as tears started to burst from her tear ducts. She’s crying like the time her father left their family to run away from his debts. Maybe she is crying even harder.

“Hiroki-nii!” Center knelt to Hiroki’s side and held his hand. He used his remaining strength to protect Sakura. He was already tortured and heavily wounded but still his will overcame the weakness of his body. He managed to make it right in time, receiving the bullet straight to his left temple with it being stuck right in the centre of his head.

Center started crying and the sight of her tears placed an awful amount of weight to Nezumi’s heart. Her whole body felt weak that she almost dropped her gun but she got her grip back and placed the gun by her temple.

“I-I…” she stammered. “I-I’m really sorry…”

Center and Sakura noticed her but—

  “NEZUMI-SAN!!!”

Maki woke up from her slumber, her face wet with tears. She immediately wiped her face, fearing that the others might see her and make fun of her crying in her sleep.

“What’s up with that weird dream? It felt so realistic!” she stated as she held her chest. She’s still on the paintball uniform. This made her remember that she was playing guns with her friends a while ago. “Was that the cause of that gun-filled dream?”

“Maki.”

The girl shrieked when she heard the cold calling from non-other that the Prince of Winter that is sitting at the solo sofa in front of her.

“King! How long have you been there!?” She blushed furiously.

Fuyu just shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t think that you are a big fan of Yuma. You were shouting his stage name even in your sleep.”

“W-Wait! That’s not it!!!”

Fuyu just shook his head and stood up. “Let’s go, lunch is ready. Everyone is waiting for you. Go and change. The dining table is surprisingly filled with people today.”

The smile on Fuyu’s face somehow lightened up the gloomy room. Maki immediately stood up and gave out a salute. “Aye, Sir!”

She then ran towards Fuyu, forgetting the horrible dream that she just saw. Forgetting the past that they once lived in.

-END-

Magic went on with her rampage only to stop when Otabe’s cup of green tea made a sound when she placed it back to the table. The two other queens turned to the said right hand of Salt.

“I would appreciate if you would calm down, Magic.” Otabe calmly said but the intensity was enough to silence the raging Magic. The girl gritted her teeth before going back to her seat. She still couldn’t keep the anger within her.

“Our president is murdered and the police abandoned the case. I believe that the Yakuza has something to do with this. They are holding the police in their necks.” Magic stated, now in a calmer manner though her whole body is still shaking in anger. “Where the hell is that stupid boyfriend of hers!? He didn’t even attend Salt’s funeral.”

“Hiroki-san… I heard he is running around town drowning his self with liquor.” Yoga stated as her stare shifted to their Vice President, Sakura who is standing in front of Salt’s abandoned throne.

“That sucker! I have a feeling that he has something to do with what happened—“

“You’re wrong.”

The other queens then turned to Sakura’s way. They noticed how her face crumpled for a moment as memories of her confrontation with Hiroki last night flashed on her mind.

He found the guy so drunk beating up street yankees that didn’t recognize who he was. Hiroki was so close to picking up his gun if only Sakura didn’t arrive and stop him.

“Hiroki-san, no more killing…”

Sakura could never describe the shock on Hiroki’s face when he recognized her. It felt like he was showered with cold water driving the spirit of alcohol away from him.

He immediately shoved Sakura’s hand away and went on his way. The street yankees, with all their remaining strength and regret of messing with the wrong person, flee with their bodies without any hole on it. Sakura tried to call out to him but Hiroki didn’t even care to turn to her. He went on with his way, staggering.

“Are you not going to face this thing like a man should!?” Sakura shouted. “You are Salt’s lover! Are you telling me that you are not going to seek justice for her!? She was murdered and are you saying that you aren’t going to do anything but just get drunk every night!?”

That statement somehow made Hiroki stopped. He slowly turned to Sakura but he couldn’t meet her eyes. Sakura, on the other hand, was taken aback after seeing how the guy is suppressing his tears from falling. His eyes are all swollen, probably due to non-stop crying since Salt’s assassination.

“S-Sakura…” Hiroki called out in a hoarse voice. He tried to make eye contact but he couldn’t keep it going. “If you value your life… n-never associate yourself with me again.”

“What the—“

“From now on, pretend that you don’t know me.”

“But, Salt-san—“

“This is my punishment, Sakura… I should’ve never pursued Haruka…” Hiroki turned his back to Sakura as he could no longer keep his tears.

“All the people I give my heart to… They end up being dead so get away from me and live your life—“

“For Salt-san’s sake, stop blabbering like that!” Sakura shouted with her fists balled. “We have to find the one who killed her!!!”

“Sakura…” Hiroki called out to her again. “I also killed people… A lot of them… Stop being serious and enjoy your life like a normal high school student should do. Forget about Haruka’s case.”

That’s all and Hiroki left. Sakura wanted to call him back but she was so stunned of the words that she heard from the guy. He asked her to forget about seeking justice. No, it was more like he commanded her to go back to her normal life after the biggest wall in her life was killed without her being able to relieve Salt’s boredom.

“Majisuka?” Sakura gritted to herself. Hiroki didn’t even take another look at her. Remembering everything that happened awakened the seriousness inside of her. To someone like her, there is nothing but seriousness in this world.

“What are you talking about, Sakura?” Yoga asked. “Are you denying the fact that Hiroki-san is the number one suspect here?”

Sakura turned to them with her eyes filled with seriousness. “Hiroki-san could never kill Salt-san. He was sincere about liking her.”

“How can you be so sure—“

“I agree with Sakura.”

Magic’s question was cut when Otabe finally broke her silence. “Hiroki-san is indeed in love with Salt.”

Magic’s shoulders dropped as if all the energy in her body was vacuumed out. “What the… Even you, Otabe?”

“I met Hiroki-san last night in the streets and he is a complete picture of grief. He lost his light. He was ready to kill just for fun. At Salt-san’s death, his whole world also crumbled.” Sakura’s explanation might seem flowery but the other girls understood. They are aware of how persistent the guy was in pursuing Salt. He was always there for her even though Salt treated him coldly.

Even though Salt never really acknowledged him as her boyfriend, never even told him that she likes him as well, Hiroki didn’t go away even if he could easily jump to another girl. He was known to be a ruthless criminal but that picture of him never showed whenever he was with Salt. He fell head over heels for her to the point that he was ready to disobey the orders of his oyabun to comply with Salt’s wishes. And all the students in Majisuka Gakuen saw it that they didn’t even disapproved the fact that their president is dating with a Yakuza hitman.

“I believe he feels responsible for her death.” Sakura continued. “He thinks that the weight of his sin finally took a toll on him that’s why he couldn’t do anything about what happened. But…”

Sakura looked back at the chair that only the strongest fighter of Majisuka Gakuen can sit. “I will not just let it end this way. If Hiroki-san doesn’t want to do something, then I’ll be the one seeking justice for Salt-san.”

“Sakura…” Magic called out as if hope sprung out of her heart.

“I already have someone in mind.” She then went to get a huge piece of cloth which turned out to be a huge logo of the school. And with one sway, she covered Salt’s throne with it as a sign that the former master of it was undefeatable, that no one is worthy to sit at it anymore.

“I will find the one who killed you, Salt-san.”

  GASPS were heard at the Kango-ka headquarters of Gekioko Koko as Coby sent Zakoboss in her knees after giving her a body shot. All the other members stepped backward in fear that the big sadist of their top would turn to them and hit them with a beautiful smile on her face.

“Did you hear what you just said, Zakoboss?” Coby asked the girl who was bending in pain, raising up her chin to make her look at her face. The smile on Coby’s face doesn’t really match the strength that she gave in that one punch. “Are you really suggesting that we should dethrone Majijo now that Salt is dead?”

“B-But…” Everyone turned to the direction of KY who seemed to be hesitating of what she is going to say. “But i-isn’t it a good opportunity to get into the to—“

She was not able to finish her sentence when Coby immediately gave her a slap right on her cheek. The other students beside KY immediately went away from her.

“Have you all lost your dignities as yankees? You want to overthrow them now that their top is gone?” Coby, with that alluring smile on her face, caressed KY’s other cheek before raising her palm to give her another slap. “Do you think we are that low—“

“Coby. Enough.”

Coby’s palm stopped in mid-air after hearing Antonio’s frail voice. Their top hasn’t completely recovered from the attack of the rival clan last time. She still got bruises and her right arm is still on a sling band. Now, all of their attention is on her.

“It’s enough. We’ve been doing weird plays before so we can’t help that the others are thinking like that.” Antonio stood up from her seat and looked at her army’s faces one by one.

“I know that you all have been waiting for the day that we can take the teppen but getting it in this way is really unacceptable. As you all know, Salt saved me the other day. She also saved Coby once. If it wasn’t because of her, I don’t know where I would be at in this time. I can say that I am alive now if it is not because of her.”

After hearing Antonio’s statement, Coby couldn’t help but to clench her fists in secret. Her heart is tightening much more that what she thinks. Having Antonio talked so admiringly of Salt hurts her and she couldn’t deny that fact.

“Let us wait for Majijo to settle their inner affairs. Let’s wait for the new successor to rise on the top before finally challenging them into a fight. If you all understand my reason, you may all go now.”

The other girls started leaving one by one until the President and the Vice President are the only ones left in the room. There was an awkward silence between them until Antonio broke it.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Coby. There was no point of hitting them up.” The President said while looking at the window. Coby knows that her thoughts are somewhere else.

“You’re getting too soft, Antonio.” The Vice President answered back. “Is that what being saved by Salt has done to you? Even before she was murdered all you ever think about is her.”

Antonio heaved a sigh as she weakly shook her head. “I’m going to get some fresh air.”

That’s all and the leader of the Kango-ka left, leaving her vice president behind. After hearing the sound of the door closing, Coby couldn’t help but to bite her lower lip, her gaze became even sharper.

“Salt…”

  “WHAT DO we have here?”

The leader of the rival gang of the Yamamoto-gumi smiled menacingly after recognizing the uniform of the girl that bravely blocked her way. It was raining really hard and everything is so dark but the leader couldn’t even take off his sunglasses. He only raised it up a bit to make sure that he is seeing the right uniform.

“What can I do for you, yankee-chan?” He asked, raising up his chin to intimidate the girl under the black umbrella.

“Why don’t you remove your glasses and face me like a real man should? Are you still embarrassed to show your face to the neighbourhood after getting beaten by a highschool girl?”

Sakura’s provoking led the underlings to the point of attacking her but the leader stopped them. It is noticeable that he got pissed off due to the wrinkles on his forehead but he is still trying to keep his cool.

“You see, Yankee-chan… I was a little drank that night that I was not able to give my all. Stop acting like you know everything.” He was pointing at Sakura’s forehead while saying those things, giving her a push in the end of it. He gave Sakura a piercing stare but the girl isn’t the type to back off in this kind of contest.

Seeing that look on the girl’s eyes, the leader rolled his eyes before signalling to his underlings that they should go. He even intentionally bumped Sakura just to say that he isn’t afraid of her.

Sakura, who has been trying to contain her anger from the very moment she saw the leader’s face, isn’t contented with just a staring contest. She came here to seek justice and she won’t let it end here.

“Are you that embarrassed to the point that you killed her?”

The leader’s steps were put into a halt as he slowly turned to Sakura with a frightening face. He removed his glasses and gave it to one of his underlings. It seems like Sakura has flipped his switch.

“What did you—“

“Oh well, what do we have here? Sorry for being late!”

The growling of the Yakuza leader was stopped when someone wearing a hoodie came and arched her arms around Sakura. Even the girl herself was surprised especially when she recognized who it was.

“C-Center-san!?” the girl exclaimed followed by Center giving her a wink.

“Did you wait for so long? I couldn’t find an umbrella in my house. I ended up wearing a hoodie. Let’s go a—“ Center noticed the gangsters and greeted them. “Oh, Jinyama-san! What a coincidence to see you here!”

“Aha! Aren’t you Center?” The face of the leader brightened up. “I didn’t recognize you for a moment because of your clothes. Can’t wait for your next battle in the ring!”

Center gave out a perfectly-acted laugh. “Thanks! Please cheer for me for the next match as well!” The senior then turned to her junior with a meaningful look. “Let’s go.”

“Is that girl your protégé?” The leader suddenly asked.

Center took a deep breath, rolling her eyes that they still couldn’t go. She turned back to them and answered. “No, haha. She’s my girlfriend!”

Everyone’s eyes widened after hearing what she just said. Despite the gloominess of the atmosphere, the pink blushes on Sakura’s cheeks are clearly noticeable.

“S-Senpai!!!”

The leader cracked an awkward laugh. “I see, I see. I guess the shady girl already left you even though you were so into her. Good riddance!”

He then gave Center a heavy pat on her shoulder and whispered. “But you see, better handle that little girl well. She might get her tongue cut.”

Center answered the challenging tone of the leader with her signature smirk. “I might chop the head off of the one who would cut her tongue.” After that, she smiled like she didn’t give a threat at all. “I’ll be going ahead Jinyama-san! See you!”

That’s all and the two left with Center almost dragging Sakura. The leader just gawk at them as they go.

After securing that they are already out of sight of the Yakuza, Center pinned Sakura to the wall which surprised her junior, making her drop the umbrella that she is holding. She tried to escape but as expected of the former top of Majijo, she got overpowered.

“What the hell are you thinking? Why would you go and face a Yakuza leader like that!?”

The frustration on Center’s face almost took Sakura aback but her serious expression immediately went back on her face. “I have a feeling that he is the one who killed Salt-san! He is the number one suspect in this murder!”

“Do you have any proof!?”

“Salt-san single-handedly overthrew his gang. I know he would be furious!”

“That’s not enough proof!”

“THEN WHAT SHOULD I DO!?” Tears started rolling down Sakura’s eyes which startled Center. This is the first time that she saw Sakura cry in frustration. Center was not able to say a word as Sakura breaks down in tears.

“T-Tell me what I should do, Center-san…” The girl tried to wipe her tears away but it kept on coming. “All this time, I’ve given everything I have just to defeat Salt-san… to give her the amusement that she is longing for… But now what!? Are you really telling me that the one I am aiming for all this time is just going to disappear like this!? Are you serious!!?”

“Sakura…” Center slowly pulled Sakura to her arms and gave her an assuring hug. This made the other girl cry harder. A yankee crying is a proof that she really lost something that she treated as her life.

Center understands. She kind of felt the same thing. First is when Maeda had to step out of the throne without a proper match because of the crimes she did in the streets. Center was not able to beat the former president up but then she became the top. She can still remember how that feeling makes her want to vomit.

Next is when Nezumi left her after all the years of being together. The girl left her without a word. She knows that Nezumi has been undergoing some circumstances but she never even imagined that she would left her and threw her like a trash as if they didn’t have anything between them. She didn’t even know how she managed to get out of the mud of depression.

Center shook her head. What is she even thinking? She knows exactly how she managed to cope up. That’s when a bruised kitted came to her and asked for her help, telling her that she wants to reach the top.

She thought that it was a good idea. She might not be able to reach the top with her own hands but if someone that she trained personally would successfully climbed up the stairs then it would feel like the same thing as her defeating everyone.

Center swore that she would help her get what she needs. She trained her almost everyday but the training led her into another thing, to an emotion that she didn’t think she would ever feel again.

“S-Sakura…” she called out in a faint voice, her cheeks burning. “A-Actually I—“

“I’m going to find the one who killed, Salt-san! I will take the top and then I will take Hiroki-san as my man!”

Center felt like something blocked her throat for a moment. She isn’t sure if she’s going to be happy that she avoided being embarrassed or will grieve because of that indirect rejection. She knew it already… long before… that Sakura has feelings for Hiroki as well.

Sakura went to calm herself and faced Center with those swollen eyes. “I swear I will bring light to this case even if I have to use a gun!“

Then the girl left, running in full speed, not caring about the heavy rain anymore. Center looked up in the sky and let the rain fell over her face. She let the rain soak her, wishing that it could wash away the heaviness of her heart.

She bowed down and felt something that is strapped on one of her thighs. She sighed.

“A gun, huh?”

  OTABE was left in the headquarters as the other queens all left to investigate. She volunteered to stay just in case that rebel students try to climb up the stairs. She’ll be the one to handle them.

But no one has the courage to climb the stairs. The last challenger was Sakura and after her no one dared to challenge Rappapa again. Everyone saw how undefeatable Salt was. She was really of a different calibre and Otabe knows it well. She has seen a lot in the history of the school. She was there during Maeda’s time. It took a long while before they found someone with almost the same strength as her.

Who would have thought that the monster with a clean record would only be taken out by a gun?

“Salt…” Otabe unconsciously called as she was blankly staring at Salt’s throne. “You left a huge hole on Rappapa… Seriously?”

She stood up and took a stretch and then went near the throne. She could still imagine Salt’s bored expression while sitting on that chair, playing with those metal balls that she always have in her hands. Then Salt would look back at her and ask, “How long should I sit in this boring place?”

During those times, Otabe had nothing to answer her. She would just smile at her and tell her that they should wait for someone strong. That person would surely come. Then there goes the transfer student from Hakata. Otabe would never forget how she first saw excitement on Salt’s face but that didn’t last. The President fell into a huge disappointment.

That excitement came back when she started going out with a well-known thug. Every time that she spent with him felt like she’s always challenged. She didn’t get bored for once.

“Salt… I hope you have told Hiroki-san what you truly feel… How silly of you to hide it for a long time…” Her fists balled as everything about Salt’s case is blurry. “Just wait… We will bring you justice…”

  “WHAT ARE you doing here?”

Sakura wasn’t fazed by that angry look on Hiroki’s face. She wasn’t sure that Hiroki would be home but luckily the guy is staying at that abandoned traditional Japanese style home for some reason. He might be in a severe hangover of last night’s drinking.

“Did your parents teach you to use umbrella when it is raining?” Hiroki asked as he brushes his bed hair up. He could feel his head stinging but there’s also this feeling of déjà vu that he couldn’t explain.

“I need you to come and help me to find Salt’s murderer—“

Hiroki tried to close the door but Sakura was fast enough to keep it open. She pushed her way inside and knocked the dizzy Hiroki on the floor then Sakura went to pin him.

“Sakura are you cra—“

“I know you know who killed her!”

“I don’t know!” Hiroki gritted, freeing himself from Sakura’s grip. He immediately stood up and turned his back to Sakura. He went inside the house, trying to get rid of the girl but Sakura is persistent as hell.

“You were there when she was shot, right!? I know you saw who murdered her!”

“I didn’t see it!”

“You saw it!”

“I told you I didn’t see it!”

“You know who did it, don’t you!? You are well-aware of that person that you can’t even pursue whoever it was!!!”

Hiroki stopped walking after hearing that statement from Sakura. His whole body is trembling and Sakura is well-aware of that fact. The fact that what she said took him aback just proves that he really knows the identity of Salt’s killer.

“I don’t know…” Hiroki sighed as his fists gave way. “I said I don’t know so just leave me be… Please… Sakura…”

“Hiroki-san…” Sakura stared at that heavy back of the guy for a moment before trying to close the distance between them. Hesitatingly, she went to hold onto his shirt. She wanted to give him a hug but she ended up leaning his forehead to Hiroki’s back. “Are you really going to stay silent like this?”

“Sakura…”

Hiroki was suddenly alerted when he heard a couple of cars stopping somewhere near the house. Sakura might not be able to hear anything but his trained reflexes aren’t telling him lies. He went to face Sakura, surprising the girl by dragging her by the hand towards a bedroom.

Dumbfounded, Sakura was not able to do anything but just let herself be dragged. Hiroki pushed her inside towards the bed. The guy went on to pull one of the drawers where he pulled two guns out. He then turned back to Sakura and gave her a reassuring pat on her head.

“H-Hiroki-san!”

“Stay here. Whatever you may hear, just stay here and don’t ever make a sound.”

“W-Wait, Hiroki-san! Where are you going!?”

The guy gave out a sigh. Knowing how strong this girl is, she could open the door even if he locked it from the outside. But he doesn’t have any choice, there’s no time to think for another way. He gave out a faint smile.

“I’m sorry, Sakura. But I guess I’ll be going to where Haruka is…”

“W-Wait wh—“

Sakura was not able to finish her sentence as light suddenly escaped her vision. Darkness gradually surrounded her after receiving a blow on the back of her head. She immediately fell to the ground and the last thing she remembers was the sight of Hiroki’s feet and the door closing followed by shouts that she wasn’t able to comprehend at all.

Then she lost her consciousness…

Even the gunshots weren’t able to wake her up at all…

TBC

“Hiroki-san!” Sakura called out unto him. “I know how strong Salt-san is but guns—“

ARRRRRRGH!

That awful cry from the enemy made Sakura turn to where the battle is happening. She just saw that the gun is already in the floor while Salt is twisting the arm of the Yakuza leader.

“See?” Hiroki asked and then freed Sakura. He put off his cigarette by stepping on it and then slapped his cards presenting a full house. “I won again. Time to give me your lunch money.” Hiroki innocently smiled.

Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed. What would she give him when she survives eating free food from a Majijo OG called Minami? “How come you can remain calm like that? Your girlfriend is in danger!”

Hiroki chuckled which made Sakura more pissed. “You are talking about Salt being in danger? Come on, do you remember how she badly kicked your ass?”

Sakura blushed at the embarrassment brought by those words. The fact that she only landed one punch and had her face hit the ground countless times during her match with Salt will never let her pride to rest.

“But that was a fair fight!” Sakura looked back at the happening battle and she was shocked even more. She twisted Hiroki’s head just to make him see what’s going on. Hiroki almost lost his life.

“Look! The boss already got his sword!”

Hiroki ruffled his hair; getting tired of Sakura’s futile worrying. He grabbed his pistol armed with a silencer and locked the Yakuza boss as his target.

“Are you seriously firing at them!?” Sakura complained even more. “What if you hit Salt-san!?”

“Urusai, urusai!” Hiroki rolled his eyes. “Don’t you know who I am?”

Hiroki focused on his target. The boss was swaying his sword all over the place and it is a little bit hard to lock him down. But yeah, he is Hiroki. He is the best hitman there is in the history of Yamamoto-gumi.

He knows his girl might get angry at him if he steps in her fight but he is really getting annoyed with Sakura’s ramblings.

“Gotcha.” Hiroki pulled his trigger and the sword flipped off from the hand of the Yakuza boss.

Salt was surprised to what happened. She immediately turned at the direction of Hiroki and Sakura. There she found Hiroki playing with his gun while Sakura had her jaw dropped. How on earth did he manage to hit just the blade of the sword!?

Salt scowled at her boyfriend for interfering with her fight. She was having a little fun teasing the Yakuza boss because he couldn’t slash her off.

“Gomen.” Hiroki mouthed followed with a wink.

“Tch.” Salt, now furious, sent her enemy to a deep sleep after a combo of kicks and punches. She then turned to Antonio and freed the kidnapped girl with the sword the boss dropped.

Antonio was kidnapped by their rival Yakuza group just for fun and to satisfy the flesh. She was caught off guard after fighting with some people from Yabakune and was easily taken away.

“Salt...” she called after being freed from being tied. “Why did you help me?”

Knowing that they are from rival schools, it was really surprising that Salt saved her from the hands of the enemy.

“I am bored...” said Salt which is not really surprising. “I’m bored so I get the task Hiroki was entrusted with.”

“Hiroki-san?” Antonio hurriedly looked for Hiroki and the guy just waved at her with his gun. She also noticed Sakura standing beside the guy.

“Why is Sakura also here?” Antonio bowed her head due to embarrassment. “This is really frustrating. If only I wasn’t tired after my fight with Yabakune.”

“That girl was asking me to fight her again but I said I was in a rescue mission.” Salt answered, disregarding Antonio’s shame. “Also, she’s not entertaining me enough anymore. She isn’t getting stronger at all.”

Antonio looked at Salt’s unamused face. “Are you really that bored?”

There was silence before the Rappapa president answered. “I don’t even know what my life is for.”

“You still don’t know even after having Hiroki-san as your boyfriend?”

Salt remained silent after that question from Antonio. She knows the story of the two. Hiroki is the adoptive son of her older sister and he became the marksman of their group despite the opposition of his adoptive parents. He was a crazy player until he met Salt. It seems that the guy has fallen head over heels to the Rappapa president to the point that he stopped killing people just because of Salt requested for it.

But, the question here is if Salt feels the same way.

“Why are you two taking so long?” Hiroki asked, looking so bored. “Get out of here already and I will clean this mess.”

“W-What do you mean, Hiroki-san!?” Sakura asked, panicking.

Hiroki looked at her with bored eyes, put his gun against his head and acted like he is firing it to himself. “Bang~”

After that he went to the direction of the unconscious Yakuza people. Before he could even go there, Salt halted him by holding him by his arm. He turned to his girlfriend with an innocent face.

“Why?” he asked innocently. “If I let them go they will just bother us in the future. They can’t afford to be beaten by a high school girl like you.”

Salt firmly shook her head. “Let them be. They won’t stand a chance if they come back to me.”

“But Haruka, these guys are yakuza. You don’t know what they are willing to do just to get their prides back.”

Hiroki is saying this because he knows what is really happening inside. There might be good ones but there are those higher ups that don’t bother about blood relationship in order to expand their territory. There are those who are willing to execute their own child just to get whatever they want.

“But you’re part of a Yakuza clan as well, Hiroki.” Her hand slid down the guys arm and then held his hand. “I can handle them. Don’t worry. They will be my toys just to relieve my boredom.”

Hiroki heaved a sigh. “But, Haruka—“

He felt Salt pressed his hands. She’s looking at him straight to his eyes.

“No more killing, Hiroki.”

Hiroki rolled his eyes and pocketed his gun. “Alright, alright. I’m just thinking about you.” He rose up his hands as a sign of surrender.

“I can handle them anytime all by myself.” Salt reassured him.

“At least rely on your boyfriend.”

Salt just sneered at him while looking at his frustrated face. “There’s no need.”

  “YOU ARE being so serious, Sakura. There’s no need to worry that much about those two.”

Center put off her boxing gloves and placed it neatly at the nearest table. Those are the precious gloves given to her by a remarkable senpai. She made her way towards Sakura who is lying on a bench, wearing her ever frustrated face.

“I hate it that they are being so carefree because they are too strong.” Sakura murmured. She remembered how Salt single-handedly destroyed that Yakuza troupe. They were armed but she took their consciousness like she was battling with low-level highschool yankees.

Center chuckled at the showcase of frustration. “You just can’t accept the fact that you can’t beat Salt no matter how many times you tried, right?”

She saw Sakura clenched her fists, a sign that her hunch is indeed correct. Center saw everything that happened in Majijo. It always amazes her whenever there are girls aiming to reach the top. It always reminds her of her own adventures towards it and the partner she was with.

One of the most remarkable fights that she has seen was probably the fight between the indestructible monster of the current Rappapa and the transfer student from Hakata. For a while she thought that Sakura could be the next Maeda because she reflected the same eyes as the legendary destroyer. She thought that finally someone would be able to kick the bored monster out of the throne but Sakura fell short. She fell so short, watching her lying on the floor almost the whole fight was so disappointing.

And here she is now, well Sakura is well-respected in school as the current Vice President but the fact that she couldn’t dethrone Salt affected her pride to the core. She’s been training under Center’s guidance. The senpai somehow wanted to see to how much more the girl would be able to grow. She’s been improving a lot. She might stand a chance’ is what Center always thinks but as Sakura progresses Salt is also having her game up without even giving much effort.

This is what frustrates Sakura even more. She feels like she has been chasing after the wind— something that she will never be able to catch no matter how fast she runs. What’s worse is that Salt ended up getting a boyfriend to ease her boredom. All that Sakura wants is to be the one to remove that from her. She wanted to see Salt flash a frustrated face because of being defeated by her so that she could erase from her memory how Salt terribly looked disappointed when she failed to entertain her during their first bout.

A sigh came out of Sakura. “Tell me, Center-san... What should I do to beat Salt-san?”

Center gave out a weak smile. She stopped trying to dry her hair damped with sweat from the training and then focused more on Sakura.

“How about seduce her boyfriend?”

Sakura’s eyes shut opened as she jolted up from lying. She turned to Center with her jaw hanging. “Are you serious!?”

Center crossed her arms. “Well, if you manage to rob Hiroki-nii away from her then you will win in the best-girlfriend field.”

“That’s not the type of victory I am longing for!” Sakura answered back, almost shouting.

The senpai just laughed. “But you like Hiroki-nii, right? Beware of that man. Rumor is that Hirokii-nii is also a monster.”

“He is a monster because he has killed a lot of people already, right?”

“No, no, no, dear kouhai.” Center eagerly shook her head. “I know that he kills without any hint of mercy from those dead eyes but what made him a monster is that he is...” She invited Sakura to come closer which the other girl did without thinking. She whispered the words she wanted to say.

“He can make anyone groan in bed—”

Sakura immediately covered her mouth as her cheeks burn in embarrassment. Center just looked at her with a wide grin on her face.

“He is a notorious monster in bed.” She casually said.

“B-But Hiroki-san is just in high—”

“Who told you that? He may look really young but he is already in his late 20’s.”

Sakura’s jaw dropped even more. What the hell is Center talking about?

“Rumors are he maintains that youthful face after taking someone else’s lives.”

Sakura remained quiet, contemplating about everything that she heard. She was just looking at Center as if she can’t fully grasp the situation.

“What’s with that look?” Center asked.

“I-I can’t believe that Hiroki-san is like that.”

“You wanna confirm it?”

Sakura blushed even heavier after that tempting suggestion of Center. “N-No way! I’m not into those kind of things! All I want to do now is to defeat Salt-san and reach the top!”

“I told you, you can also defeat her in some other ways.”

“No way!!!” Sakura angrily protested. “I’m not even interested to Hiroki-san as a man even the slightest bit!”

Center sneered. The sight of the flustered Sakura is making her excited. She likes the way this badass girl turns red. She looks so innocent and pure it makes her want to stain her. The sadist inside Center believes that a stained Sakura would entertain her more.

“Is it the other way around?” Center teasingly asked as she moves closer to Sakura. This action alerted the other girl. Sakura tried to avert her but if she moves further she will fall off the bench.

Center pressed her face near to the other girl’s. Sakura kept on trying to stay away from her but Center is like a snake that followed her wherever she is facing, trying to lock eyes with her.

Sakura gasped when she felt Center’s palm on her thigh. It was really warm and then she felt it crawling upwards.

“C-Center-san...!”

“By any chance...” Center caressed Sakura’s face with her free hand. “Do you have the hots for Salt?”

Sakura’s eyes widened even more. Her mouth opened but there is no voice coming out. She waved her hands to gesture something but she panicked too much that she fell off the bench. The girl immediately stood up and faced the sneering Center.

“I-I-I don’t l-l-look at Salt-san that way!” Sakura stammered so badly. “F-For me she’s like a wall that I should crush or else I will never be able to move forward!”

Sakura was dumbfounded when Center started laughing so hard. The senpai was even clapping as if she was really entertained.

“Don’t take it so seriously, Sakura! I was just joking!” Center laughed even more while holding her stomach. “Why do you always have to be this serious?”

“Why are you all saying that to me!?” Sakura asked back. “Salt-san, Hiroki-san and then you...”

Center tried to get her composure back and then looked at Sakura straight to her eyes.

“You will bore people even more if you are always serious.”

“There’s nothing in this life but seriousness!”

Center scoffed. This girl doesn’t really listen to her.

“If Nezumi heard that she would die laughing at your seriousness antics.” Center smiled faintly at the memory of her special friend.

“Nezumi-san, huh?” Sakura fell quiet after hearing Nezumi’s name. The one who conquered the top with Center but suddenly vanished. “Do you have any news about her?”

Center shook her head followed by a sigh. “I hope she’s doing well.”

At the sight of that lonely Center, Sakura sighed as well.

   SALT couldn’t contain her frustration anymore as she lost against Hiroki for who knows how many times it is. She threw the console straight to Hiroki’s face that stopped the guy from his manic laughing.

The arcade staff member that is guarding them almost peed his pants since Salt is starting to lose her temper yet again. She has destroyed a lot of game machines starting from consoles up to the monitor screen and the gaming center won’t be able to keep up with the repair costs if this keeps going.

They tried to confront the couple a few times but there are two reasons that kept them hiding under the sheets. First, the girl is the leader of the notorious all-girls school for Yankees that has been running for generations and no one was able to dethrone her. Second, the guy is a well-known Yakuza member and not just a member but he is considered a high-ranker for being the dispatcher. No one was able to pull themselves together and confront the two.

Hiroki shouted in pain with what Salt did to him. He immediately checked his nose to see if it didn’t get crooked. He has been taking care of his face so meticulously due to the influence of his adoptive mother and the said face has broken a lot of hearts of all genders.

“Haruka~” he whined, sounding like his adoptive mother. “Don’t be a sore loser for once. If you can’t beat me then stop challeng—OUCH!”

He wasn’t able to continue when Salt stepped on his foot. The girl stepped even harder after seeing the pained expression on the guy’s face. “Someday, I will really kick your ass in this game.”

“O-OUCH!” Hiroki shouted and lost balance making him fall towards Salt’s direction. Surprised, Salt tried to step backward but Hiroki was quick to catch her by wrapping his arm around her waist. Their faces are near each other with Salt being baffled at the face Hiroki is showing him. It is the guy’s usual playful look.

Indeed, he was faking being hurt with what Salt did to him earlier. His body and pain doesn’t really exchange words so they would never understand each other. The two has ceased talking a long time ago.

“Baka.” Salt glared at him. “Let me go.”

Hiroki pulled her closer to him making her gasp. The sound Salt made brushed shades of pink on her cheeks. She got embarrassed after hearing her own voice.

“Let you go?” Hiroki asked with a sneer. “Your hands are telling another story.”

Salt looked at her hands which instead of pushing the guy away are grabbing into the Hiroki’s shirt like they are pulling him closer. The girl, agitated of the continuous teasing, gave Hiroki a blow to his stomach to free herself.

Hiroki did react to the punch she gave but she knows that all those reactions are just part of his instinct. It’s an impulse of the body but there isn’t really any pain that he could feel.

“I wonder when you will stop hitting me. Will I be a battered husband in the future?” The guy scratched his head while smiling foolishly to himself but then Salt’s heavy stare caught his attention. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Instead of answering, Salt started walking towards the exit, bumping Hiroki along the way.

“Hey! What’s that for, Haruka?” Hiroki asked with a confused face.

Salt stopped and then turned to her boyfriend. She doesn’t know why but she feels like he made her wait for a very long time. Whenever she looks at that face of him, she could feel something in her heart that she couldn’t explain. It feels like she has longed to see that face but there is this bit of hatred for making her wait for so long.

She doesn’t know where she gets this feeling from but her heart aches whenever this guy comes into sight. She wants to give him a hug. It’s the first time in her life that she wanted to hug someone but she just couldn’t do it. ‘Playing easy was never her game’ she thought in the beginning but after getting beaten in an FPS game duel, she agreed to be his girlfriend as punishment.

“I’m really going to let you remember the feeling of pain.” Salt stated with a very serious face before turning back to her way out.

Hiroki’s eyebrows raised but he then smiled soon after. “Please don’t. I had enough of it.” He whispered to himself before following Haruka.

“Anyway, Antonio told me to say thanks to you. Seems like you got a new fan.”

They were already in the streets when Hiroki started talking again. He tends to always make the atmosphere light whenever he feels it is time to do so. He just couldn’t stand a serious air. Sometimes he thinks it is funny that he turned out this way when he was just a very innocent kid calling a woman his Otou-san and scaring people with the way he stares at them. When did his personality change anyway?

Ahh… Yes, it was the time when his adoptive parents were executed by the head of the Yakuza clan himself. It was the time they breathe their last, witnessing everything with his own eyes. How can a father just erase his own flesh and blood just like that after one disagreement?

Oh, and that was the time Hiroki took his first kill. He was forced to fire his gun to completely end someone’s life for the very first time. Both of his parents were already bleeding that time and he was given a choice to keep them alive by killing the politician that betrayed the Yakuza or let his hands remain clean but let his parents die.

Of course, due to shock and the love he had for his parents, he killed the politician, firing his gun straight to the guy’s head. His parents witnessed him killed someone and he could remember the strong feeling of letting them down. Hiroki did what he was instructed to but his parents were still slaughtered.

Trauma caused him to be a mindless puppet of the Oyabun, discarding anyone that threatens the boss’ business. He doesn’t know how many he has already killed. He might be acting all cheerful but when it comes to killing, he won’t be someone you would wish to mess with.

“Tell her not to feel indebted. I had fun that night.” Salt answered him coldly, not even turning to him.

Hiroki laughed awkwardly. He is now the attender of the boss’ other daughter but to another woman. The Oyabun has an obsession of naming all his daughter’s with the name Sayaka which is a bit creepy and weird at the same time.

“Anyway, tell Sakura that she has to pay me. She lost to me in poker last time.”

Salt scoffed. “Sakura, huh?”

“What? Did she do something again?” Hiroki pried.

“Nothing. She’s making me bored like hell.”

“Don’t be too hard on her. She’s doing her best just to entertain you. She must really admire you.”

Salt sighed. “Admire, huh?”

“She’s serious in everything she does. Sometimes her seriousness is scary. I hope she can loosen up even a little bit and start considering people her friends.” Hiroki smiled. “Be a good older sister to her, Haruka-chan!”

“Shut up.” Salt tried to act tough but a faint smile peeked on her lips.

Hiroki watched Salt as she walks. He wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his life with her. If only he can get out of the hands of the Oyabun. Salt may have told him to stop the killings but he can’t say no to whatever is ordered for him to do. He’s afraid that Salt may get targeted as well just like what happened to his folks. He would never want to see her suffer the same fate. He still executes the orders but this time he lets them live but tell them to fake their deaths.

“Haruka…” he called out, the tone of his voice changed making the girl stop and turn to him.

“That face…” Salt pointed out the change in his facial expression.

“Haruka…” he called out once again. “Tell me, have I made you like me now?”

Salt smiled at that question. How many times would he even ask about that? She has agreed to be labelled his girlfriend. Isn’t that enough? “Maa… You entertain me so I’m keeping you in my company.”

Well, people just can’t be honest at times. Even though the answer is simply yes they tend to go on a detour.

Quite disappointed, Hiroki just smiled. “Maa…”

He stood still and watch Salt cross the railway. Her house is on the other side of the road while Hiroki has to get back since his house is on the other direction. Salt didn’t even say goodbye. It’s always like this. They go on their separate ways as if nothing happens, as if they are not a couple.

The train passes by and together with the noise it makes, Hiroki released a sigh.

“Well I guess even the strongest Yankee would never love a criminal like me.”

Smiling as if it is the only thing to console himself, Hiroki started walking back. He doesn’t deserve any of this anyway. On the other hand, Salt froze on her way while climbing the hill. She looked back but only saw the passing train.

“Should I tell him?” She asked herself, her heart started beating fast. She shook her head to wake herself up.“I should tell him!”

The train completely passed and she saw Hiroki walking with his head down. Her heart couldn’t handle it anymore so she gave in.

“Hiroki!”

For the first time in her life she let her voice out like that. The guy looked back and was startled to see Salt running towards him with a smile on her face. Did the train put some magic on her? Why did she suddenly turn into a puppy?

“H-Haruka?” He called, couldn’t believe what he is seeing.

“Hiroki! I have something to tell you!” Salt tried to run but the gate of the railway hasn’t opened up yet. Out of frustration, she gathered air around her and tried to shout. “Hiroki!!! The truth is I—“

Hiroki’s shout echoed on the whole area after three gunshots were heard. He watched Salt as she fell on the ground, her eyes wide open but lifeless. Hiroki trembled upon seeing his beloved girl struggling to get air, bleeding terribly.

He ran towards her. He tumbled a few times for his knees were badly shaking. He tried to save her but there is nothing he could do for she’s already dead when he picked him up in his arms.

Hiroki wept. For the first time in forever he felt this excruciating pain of losing someone he holds dearly. He wept. Bitterly.

He looked up on the hill where the gunshots came from. There he saw someone wearing a hoodie and his core shook after recognizing who it was.

Maki reached for her radio and put it in front of her mouth. “Good job, Yankee. Stay well-hidden. Foxtrot will get you if you mindlessly go for a haunt!”

“Roger that, Zulu!” Her transmitter was cut off for a moment but it went back soon after. “What’s up with these weird code names anyway? This is too cring—“

“Shut up and do your job, Yankee! Do well if you don’t want to lose—“

Maki heard another gunshot but what’s more scary was the shout she heard from her radio.

“What the— Yankee, no way!!!”

Maki gritted at the loss of another companion. It shouldn’t be this way. She just can’t let all her friends die in this battlefield. On the other hand, she has to protect the Prince, November, with all her might. She can’t just accept defeat like this.

“Foxtrot, I know that it will be hell to fight you.” The Zombie raised her gun and cocked it. She miserably failed halfway though but she didn’t care about that like she always does with all her cringey mistakes. “I have dealt with hell long ago and I don’t mind going back there just to protect Prince November!”

She was about to take another peek outside when she felt a tap on her back making her shriek with no voice coming out of her as a hand immediately covered her mouth. The Zombie struggled to free herself but all her strength faded out when she found out who it was.

“Prince!” She almost shouted after being turned around by November. His beautiful, blonde hair can be seen straying off of his helmet. He gestured Maki to keep everything down. “What are you doing here? I thought I told you to hide properly!”

“I just can’t hide and watch everyone of you dying before my very eyes!” The Prince clenched his fists as he remembers all their comrades who already lost their lives at this dreaded battle. “I’m going to fight as well! It’s only the two of us left, Maki!”

Maki, hearing her real name being called by the Prince, was taken aback. She felt her heart quake stronger as the stare of the Prince go deeper into her whole. The Prince removed his goggles to take a better look of the beautiful soldier in front of her. He then went to caress her face as gently as he could.

“Maki, before we even get killed… Can I get my second k—“

Maki immediately turned her face to another direction. She picked up her gun which she dropped when she got surprised by the Prince’s arrival. “I can’t do that, my Prince. I am your soldier and I am here to protect you.”

“You guys are going to be so dead.”

November kicked the dropped walkie-talkie farther before annoyingly whispered. “Dead people don’t talk anymore, Yankee.”

The Prince turned back to his precious soldier who is all ready to face the battlefield again. His face went back to his actor face. “Maki… at the very least give me the second—“

“Prince…” Maki called with a serious face. “It is not that we are going to die in here. It’s not that I’m going to let you die in this battle!”

The Prince slapped his forehead. His words are not getting through the girl at all. Well, just like what Foxtrot always says, he has to get with everything that Maki is putting up. He wore back his goggles. He knows how sharp Foxtrot is as a shooter but he didn’t know that it is at this level. He can’t let his handsome face be damaged.

“Hellooo~ Is there any enemy here~~?”

The two were alerted at the sudden appearance of India who isn’t even holding her gun upright. She is carelessly roaming around calling for the enemies.

“I’m going to capture her and have her as our hostage.” The Prince stood up from where he is hiding but Maki hurriedly stopped him.

“Don’t go anywhere, Prince! It is obviously a trap!”

“Don’t worry, Maki. It will be alright.” The Prince gave her a tap on her shoulder before leaving the container van where they were hiding. She tried to go after him but the next scene shocked her core.

Several gunshots were heard and the Prince slowly fell down to the ground. He turned to Maki’s way before his body finally hit the ground. With his face tainted with red fluid he whispered, “Nii-san… You shot me in the body like four times but how dare you shoot me in my handsome face?”

The Prince fell on his back, breathing heavily as he looks at his red paint-tainted uniform. The Zombie then shouted in anguish and shot India to her leg making the girl shout in pain.

“If this gives me a bruise, I might not be able to forgive you, Maki-chan! I have a photoshoot tomorrow morning!” The eliminated India marched away while puffing her cheeks like a cute puffer fish.

Maki ran towards the Prince, risking her life, knowing that Foxtrot might get her head at any moment. She even dropped her weapon and grabbed the weak hand of the guy.

“Prince, hang on! I’m going to bring you back to the camp!” Maki shouted, her eyes welling with tears. “You can’t die in here! I promised to protect you!”

The Prince coughed a few times, a silly smile pasted on his face. “I’m sorry, Maki. It was my fault for being careless.”

“No! Don’t talk anymore! You’ll make your injuries worse!”

“What on earth is happening with the two of them?” Yurina, who got the codename Yankee, asked someone who is heavily camouflaged with dried weeds and leaves. The guy isn’t moving and is keeping his eye to his rifle scope. Sitting beside him is Yuma, who is called Uniform in the battlefield; the first one to be eliminated. His uniform is still stained by the red paint they use as bullets.

Yurina sat beside Yuma who is busy munching popcorns. “Eat some, Yurina-chan.”

The girl shook her head in disbelief but she then removed her gloves and took some popcorn. “It’s amazing how you could prepare popcorn that fast, Yuma-san.”

“I got eliminated first so I got plenty of time. I knew that this will happen!” Yuma took another handful of popcorn and shove it to his mouth. His eyes are fixed to the current drama happening between Maki and Natsu. “Look at how realistic their acting can be!”

Yurina rolled her eyes. “It’s just a couple of chuunibyous! How on earth did this paintball game turn into a dramatic scenario?” She took more popcorn and turned to the sniper beside them. “Do you want some, Nii-san?”

“Maki…” Natsu, codename: Prince November, slowly reached out to caress Maki’s cheek. He tried to wipe her tears away with the little energy left in him. “I’m sorry for not being able t-to protect you… I-In my next l-life I promise that we will win this war—“

“Shhh! Stop saying that! You’re not going to die!” Maki held tightly on to the arm that is caressing her face. “I can ask my father to revive you back! He can heal you! You don’t have to worry!”

“I’m sure Fuyu-senpai hit Natsu-senpai in the head.” Yuma munched more snack.

“I’m sure he did. If this is real bullet probably he is already in hell.” Yurina did the same.

“Well, they are in their own world again.”

The two shrieked when Miyu suddenly appeared beside Yuma, getting popcorn from Yuma’s box. The fisher just smiled at them and gave them a V sign.

“When did you even get there!?” Yurina asked loudly, trying to hide how terrified she was.

“Yeah! You almost killed us!” Yuma seconded.

“Who got killed?”

They shouted in surprise once again, spilling a lot of popcorn to the ground. This time it is because of Momoko who is already sitting beside Yurina. Momoko just laughed at the pale face of Yurina before clinging to the other girl’s arm. “You eliminated me, Yurina-chan! Do you really have to shoot me in the face?”

“Shut up! You got an annoying face that’s why I made sure to hit you in the face!”

“SHHH!” Miyu silenced the cat and the mouse. “The movie is still on-going.”

“I wonder how Maki-san can cry that fast.” Yuma wondered, taking a glimpse of the statue-like Fuyu as if he is directly asking him the question.

“Maki is using eye-drops.” Fuyu answered in a monotonous voice.

“Wow! You can see even that, Fuyu-nii-sama?” Momoko marveled while wiping the paint off of her face by rubbing her cheeks to Yurina’s uniform. The other girl couldn’t help but to cringe.

“M-Maki…” Natsu called out once again, now with a weaker voice. “I-I’m going now… B-But… Before I go, c-could you give me the second kiss?”

Blood rushed up the Perfect Zombie’s face. Her beloved prince is fading away right before her very eyes. “D-Don’t die, Prince! I will give you all the remaining kisses I can give if you only live!”

Natsu coughed badly and his breathing started to falter bit by bit. “I don’t have any more time, Maki… Take this as a command from your prince… The last command.” His hand caressing Maki’s face fell down limply. “Give me the second kiss…”

“P-Prince…” Maki called out to the dying Natsu. She took a deep breath, clenching her fists. She slowly lowers down her face towards Natsu, their face growing closer with every second. Natsu started to shake in excitement. This is the first time after a long while that his heart feels like exploding. He has starred with a long of cute actresses but Maki is really out of his league. The girl never fails to surprise him every time.

Was it because he fell in love with her since they were young? At a young age he already knew that his heart was captured by the peculiar girl who doesn’t play with dolls but with zombie stuff toys. Or was it because he wants to be like his brother who has a girl in his mind? Was it just an influence? At times it can be a little confusing but for Natsu, he is sure that no one makes him blush like Maki does.

Their lips are about to touch when a gunshot was heard. Those who were watching flinched in their places as the popcorn is being shared in the middle of them. All of their attentions are fixed to the happening scene. Yuma and Momoko even got their jaws hanging at the turn out of the events.

Maki slowly turned to her back where she saw Alpha pointing the gun to her of which the nose is still smoking. Little Manaka is trembling a little; the whole game somehow traumatized her. She doesn’t really like violence but there she goes, she just fired one paintball to Maki’s back.

Seeing the blood on her uniform, Maki dropped to the ground as well, secretly winking at Manaka for the magnificent save.

“I’m sorry, Prince. It seems like I will go to heaven with you…” Maki slowly shut her eyes down and the credits started rolling.

“What on earth is happening?” Manaka asked herself as she got stuck in the thick awkward air.

Natsu, who still hasn’t died despite the headshot taken from Fuyu, couldn’t help but to be disappointed. His dying face suddenly crumpled, looking all grumpy. He rose up to a sit, kicking the leaves around him as a tantrum. “Why is the ending like this!? I was so close!!!”

The disappointed prince of summer turned to his youngest sister. “Mana-chan, it is your fault!”

Manaka was taken aback after seeing that scary face of Natsu. She tried to run away but her legs gave her away as she hit the ground butt first. Natsu was about to catch her but Fuyu showered his brother with more paintballs. The angry kiss maniac fell to his feet while crying—now due to real physical pain.

“Fuyu-nii…” He sobbed as he saw his brother coming near him. The statue finally went out of his hiding place. His stare is cold, his whole aura is freezing. It’s as if he would bring winter in every place he would step on. “Fuyu-nii, spare me…”

Fuyu shook his head and flicked Natsu’s forehead. That flick was more painful than the shot of the paintball making Natsu almost bite his tongue. “That is not how you get a kiss, dumbass. That’s a very desperate move.”

That’s all and Fuyu went to Manaka to help her stand. The youngest immediately hugged her better brother and buried her face to his arms to hide from her scary brother. On the other hand, Maki didn’t stand up from where she was lying. The gang just discovered that she has really fallen asleep and sleeping soundly on that pile of leaves.

“Maki-nee-chan!” Manaka came to the girl’s aid, worried that it was because of her shot that Maki got injured or something. “Are you okay, Nee-chan?”

“She’s alright. She just needs some sleep.” Fuyu made his way towards the sleeping girl. He hung one of her arms around his nape and carried her like a princess. The movement he made didn’t even wake up the chuunibyou. “She wasn’t able to sleep well last night because of what happened to her father. Her eyebags are for real this time. Maybe the dramatic scene she had with Natsu reminded her of her worries about Uncle Sae.”

What Fuyu said is right. Maki couldn’t sleep well thinking about her father but she didn’t cancel their meeting because she believes it is important as well. 

“You mean she wasn’t faking her tears?” Miyu asked.

“I was joking back then.”

The others looked at each other as if they are thinking the same thing. With that poker face, he doesn’t seem the type that would crack a joke at random moments.

Fuyu wiped the tears from Maki’s face and then started walking back towards the mansion. Natsu immediately caught up to him and said, “Fuyu-nii, at least let me carry Maki.”

The older twin looked at Natsu with his lazy eyes but then continued walking like he didn’t hear a thing. Natsu called out to him but Fuyu just answered, “You’re not going to steal a kiss, are you? I told you that isn’t how you get a kiss.”

“Fuyu-nii~!” Natsu whined but then continued to follow his brother.

The others just shrugged their shoulders and followed the twins.

  GENERAL TOGAWA’s laughter echoes at the whole room after seeing the horrible state of Natsu. His uniform was filled with different colors of paint as is someone showered him with pints of it. Fuyu just carefully placed Maki to the sofa while the other girls already went to wash themselves.

Natsu looked grumpily at the General. “This isn’t a laughing matter, Uncle Sae!”

Sae laughed even harder at that grumpy puppy face. “You are really no match to your brother when it comes to target shooting.”

“Natsu wasn’t serious that’s why.” Fuyu butted in their conversation while making sure that Maki is in a comfortable position. “He was playing while playing.”

“Well, what would you expect from someone who had it easy from the very start?”

Yuma flinched after hearing that statement. The whole room was suddenly filled with awkwardness. He also noticed the change in the expression of the twins. Sae’s tone was indeed challenging and sarcastic.

“You don’t know how hard it was for me…” Natsu whispered but it was audible enough for the other guys to hear.

Sae scoffed. “Hard? Tell me about how easy you got my precious daughter’s first kiss.” His face suddenly turned like a drunken ojii-san who can’t help but to laugh at the accused Natsu whose face immediately turned beet red from embarrassment.

“H-H-How did you even know about that!?” Natsu shouted back, stammering.

The General tried to conceal how broken his heart as a father with loud, forced laughter. “It was in her diary for almost one month! How will you explain this, huh!?”

“Y-You read her diary!? That’s her private property!”

The two continued shouting with each other but the sleeping Zombie is deep in her sleep. It is as if her ears are locked for that moment. Fuyu just shook his head and moved towards the door.

“Let’s go, Yuma. Their argument won’t be finished anytime soon. Let’s wash up.”

“H-Hai!”

They sneakily left the room while Yuma kept on looking back at the two guys. For a moment he thought that there was greater friction between them. Well, probably it was just his imagination.

After some while, the two finally calmed down, both are catching their breaths.

“You’re old for this kind of things, Uncle Sae. You can’t win against me!” Natsu wiped the sweat from his forehead but he couldn’t wipe away the grin of victory from his face.

“What are you talking about, young’in?” Sae smirked. He slowly straightened his back to relieve the tension.

“Just look at you. You are a respected general but you got injured after tripping on your own foot. You even broke your leg and your eyebrow had to be stitched. Admit it, you’re old already!”

Sae was taken aback at that attack of the pup. It was true that he got an injury after tripping to his own foot but his age wasn’t the reason. He was really tired that time after officiating the training of the new soldiers  and he got a few drinks after it. While he was on his way home, he lost his balance while climbing the stairs of their barracks where he took a painful landing and additional broken leg.

It wasn’t really that bad for him since he could take a leave for some while and spend time with his family while healing the broken bone. He finally got an excuse to come out of the base even for a little time. Though it is a bit of a blow to his pride, he would accept it just to be with his family. But Maki just won’t believe his story and insists that he got his injuries from a battle.

“Why do you keep on insisting that I’m already old?” Sae lowered down his voice, tired of talking with the barking machine.

Natsu sneered as he crossed his arms. “Since you are already old, isn’t it about time for you to give Maki into marriage?”

“Marriage?” Sae repeated. “Are you hearing what you are saying? Maki is just in high school!”

Natsu didn’t say anything but he kept on flipping his bangs as if telling Sae that he is pertaining to himself as Maki’s marriage partner. The General was not pleased at all.

“Stop dreaming, Natsu-kun. It’s too early to think about that.” The General cleared his throat.

“Why, Uncle Sae? Don’t you like to have a handsome son-in-law like me?” Natsu proudly asked; his shoulders are getting higher than his head.

“To be honest, Natsu-kun, if there is someone I like my daughter to end up with, it will never be you.”

The Prince of Summer suddenly froze at that statement. He turned to Sae with his eyes wide open. “E-Eh?”

Sae looked straight to his eyes and the intensity of his stare was a bit hard to withstand. If Natsu is straightforward then Sae is more than it. 

“To be frank, I want ---- in my family.”

Natsu already had a feeling about this before but hearing that name straight from the father of the one he likes was a total discord to his system. That was when Natsu’s world completely stopped.

  “WHAT ARE you looking at?”

Yuma immediately averted his eyes after that cold question from Fuyu. The guy isn’t really in a good mood since the last time that he saw Fumie was when the girl surprised him in the shop. After that she wasn’t able to come and meet him due to the tight schedule of the training. She gets home really late and has to get back to the training center at an early time. They don’t really have the time even for a chat. He could feel how tired Fumie is everytime they talk. He misses her so much that it gives a huge weight to his heart.

“N-Nothing!” Yuma stuttered. It isn’t like he was looking at Fuyu’s well-built body. He’s sure that the other guy’s abs is well-sculpted but Yuma was really looking at the birthmark on the other guy’s forehead. “I just think that you really have an interesting birthmark.”

Since his hair was messed up when he removed his shirt, Fuyu’s birthmark is out in the open.

“This?” Fuyu pointed at his reddish mark that travels straight from the left side of his forehead and stops perfectly at the center.

“You see, I told you before that birthmark can be indications of how someone died in the past. But looking at how it looks, it is hard to guess how someone could get a wound like that.”

“Well…” Fuyu looked at the mirror and then brushed his hair up to get a closer look at his mark. For a long time this was just an unsightly birthmark for him but things got clearer when memories of his past life filled him before. He couldn’t remember most of it but the answer to that weird looking birthmark stayed in his memory.

“Anyway, Yuma…” Fuyu called out to Yuma who was struggling to wear his shirt off as his head was somewhat stuck. Fuyu sighed and helped him break free. “Don’t you really remember anything about your past life?”

The younger guy cutely shook his head. “Not a single bit. I can see and guess the case of other people’s past life but I only see myself whenever I look in the mirror. There is no light at all. Sometimes I think that I may have been an evil person in the past.”

“Do you really want to know about it?”

“Yes!” Yuma raised his fist. “I’m dead serious about this! I’m dying of curiosity of why I am here linking the past to the present just to be your aide. I want to know who I was in your past life. I want to know my connection to you guys!”

Fuyu slowly nodded. “I understand.”

Yuma tilted his head out of curiosity. When did Fuyu have the interest about him? “Do you know anything, Fuyu-senpai?”

Yuma threw that question but Fuyu didn’t answer it instead he gave Yuma a task to fulfill.

“After washing up, you should go to the kitchen to help with the preparation. I know that there are maids who could do that for us but it is better for us to help. I heard Maki’s mother is helping with the cooking so we should go help her as well as visitors. I’ll ask Yurina and Manaka to do the same.”

“Hai~” Yuma answered, a bit disappointed that his senpai didn’t care about his question.

Fuyu is finally done changing and his coconut hairstyle is already back to its glory. There wasn’t really much to clean to him since he didn’t get hit even once. It’s just that he covered himself with leaves to hide his self perfectly.

“I’ll be heading out first,” said Fuyu but before going, he gave Yuma a pat to his head making the younger guy curious but embarrassed at the same time. “I’ve forgiven you.”

That’s all and Fuyu went out leaving Yuma confused but then an idea came to his mind.

“What on earth!? He hasn’t forgiven me about my first encounter with Fumie-san?! For that long!?”

Yuma just shook his head as he continually murmur. He couldn’t believe that Fuyu takes a long time before forgiving someone. He went straight to the kitchen while being guided by the map Maki shared to them through their drive.

Miyu and the Takahashi twins are already there and he could hear them laughing. He could hear another voice of a woman and the thought of Maki’s mother immediately entered his mind. The guy happily skipped towards the others, excited to greet Maki’s mother. Somehow, that voice sounds really familiar to him, making his heart flutter just with those sound waves.

“Yuma-nii-san!” Manaka immediately gave him a wave with a big smile on her face. “Come here! Aunt Yuki has really funny stories about Fuyu-nii-san and Natsu-nii-san!”

The lady whose long black hair is in a half ponytail turned to Yuma and gave the guy a warm smile. “Oh, are you Yuma-kun? I have heard stories about you from Maki-chan. Come here and…”

The next words didn’t enter Yuma’s system anymore as he froze after his eyes landed on Maki’s mother. For a moment there was a bright, blinding light that flashed before his very eyes but he couldn’t close them. The next thing he remembered was the unbearable pain in his head and there it goes--

the rush of memories.

Yuu’s jaw dropped as he watched his son left the dining table like nothing happened. He was about to call him back for some scolding but Haruna stopped him by holding his hand together with a weak shaking of her head.

And with that halting from the love of his life, he just let it slide for a while until they finished eating. Momoko went up to her room after receiving a sign from her mother that she should go.

“What on earth is wrong with that guy?” Yuu asked, still can’t believe what just happened. He and Haruna are now seated in the living room watching a music show where Saito Asuka is currently performing together with the other members of that Jyuni Seiza.

Haruna took a deep breath. She reached out for her phone and called out a recently opened page. “Natsu-kun didn’t tell me anything but I have a feeling that this is the reason.”

She then showed her phone to her husband whose wrinkles on his forehead deepened even more. His eyes widened after reading the headline. He took the phone from Haruna’s hands and continued to read the whole article by himself. His agitated face somehow turned into a worried one. He couldn’t even stop scrolling even at the comment’s section.

“The girl suddenly turned up at the dance practice earlier. I was even surprised myself. I thought that she quit the whole thing for good.” Haruna rested her back to the sofa and turned her eyes to the TV screen. “I believe Natsu-kun is worried about his brother.”

“Did these two break up?” Yuu asked while still reading the comments.

“I don’t really know. Apparently there were people who already noticed them being awkward with each other for the past few days.” The former idol let out a sigh.

Yuu returned the phone to his wife and then leaned to the back rest as well. Haruna held his hand and then leaned on her husband’s shoulder. “Fuyu will be alright, right?” He asked as he caresses Haruna’s cheek; his voice tainted with worry.

“I hope he is.” The lady buried her face to her husband’s shoulder and inhaled a good amount of his scent. “I will look at the happenings… Let me see what I can do. You should do something as well.”

Yuu’s head suddenly dropped followed by a sigh. “You know that Fuyu hates me. I will only make things worse if I suddenly appear in his life.”

Her husband is acting tough but Haruna clearly heard the longing and fear in his voice. She knows well why Yuu ended up treating Fuyu a little harsh. It’s because of his eyes. Whenever Yuu sees Fuyu, he is always reminded of Atsuko since Fuyu got his mother’s eyes. But compared to Atsuko’s, Fuyu’s eyes always seem so cold. It’s as if Atsuko is looking at him with disgust, mad about the fate that she suffered in his hands. She could’ve been a big idol if only he didn’t take her.

Whenever Fuyu looks at him he feels haunted—reminded of the sin that he has done. He used another girl to forget another girl and ruined her life in the process. He knows that he should atleast do something for his sons but he just can’t look at Fuyu the same way he looks at Natsu. His conscience doesn’t stop bugging him but he is trying at the very least by supporting Fuyu’s studies and other expenses but it is late. Fuyu has grown to hate him. His fear and conscience engraved a miserable picture of him in Fuyu’s mind.

“I’m going to contact Rio and Michael. Fuyu trusts them.” He was about to reach out for his phone but Haruna stopped him by holding his hand.

“No.” She firmly said when Yuu turned his way. “How about you do it yourself this time? Don’t drive your son to other people. You are his father.”

“I know but—“

“You’ve heard of Sae-kun’s plan for him, didn’t you? If you don’t move Fuyu-kun and Natsu-kun might—“

Haruna was silenced when Yuu stood up, his phone in his hand. “I’m sorry, Honey.” He gave Haruna a kiss on the forehead. “I’m going to give Rio a call. Excuse me for a moment.”

The lady watched her husband made his way towards the garden. She sank in the sofa due to disappointment. She turned her focus back on the television and noticed that the performance is already over and the top 12 girls are being interviewed at the moment.

“Why is my Yuu like this?” She sank lower to her seat. Asuka is being interviewed and her thoughts traveled back in time. That time when Asuka was still a beginner and was still not able to handle her emotions and the pressure of being an idol.

“I don’t want to leave Fuyu-kun… I promised I will stay by his side… Why do I have to leave him?”

Those were the words of the lass when she was confronted by her manager before she even transferred to Haruna’s agency. The legendary idol witnessed all the commotion in the fire exit where she was taking a break. Asuka was crying a lot that time. She was a complete picture of frustration.

“Asuka-chan…” she called out in silence. “What will you do if you get to know this?”

  MAKI just finished showering when she heard a notification from her phone. Curious of who will message her at that time, she immediately picked up her phone while still wiping her hair with her towel. Her eyes widened in surprise after seeing the username. She jumped to her bed, lying flat in her stomach.

Summer Prince AKA Perfect Zombie’s First Kiss

“Maki are you up?” Natsu asked followed by a puppy emoticon.

The chuunibyou panicked a little at the surprise chat of the Summer Prince. For a moment she didn’t know what to do until her hand automatically went to slap her face to calm herself down. She went to sit up and picked up her phone which she dropped in the process of panicking.

“Oh, Prince of the Summer Breeze! What can I do for you? What brought you into my magnificent chat room?” was what she wrote but she was biting her fingernails while waiting for the guy’s reply. How long has it been since the last time Natsu talked to her on Line? Chatting with him again made her a little excited.

“I think I’m not so perfect when it comes to this prince! I should ask my father for advice!”

One moment she is sure to get repair from the Great Scientist, the next moment she jumped in surprise of her own notification tone. It was heart stopping but she doesn’t dislike the feeling. She immediately opened the message.

“What do you think I should do to cheer up, Fuyu-nii-san?” Natsu replied with a sad puppy emoji. “He told me earlier about everything… The reason why Fumie-chan had to go back to the course… He said he understands her but it is obvious that he is hurting inside. I don’t like to see that kind of face from him again…”

Maki bit her lips. Natsu’s love for his brother is really something. It always makes Maki envy them. Sometimes she wishes the Great Scientist created another zombie to be her playmate for life but she guesses the Great Scientist grew tired of all the experiments and stopped when he finally created the perfect one. That’s why Maki swore that she would protect the twins with everything that she got. They are her precious brothers.

“Everything will be alright, Natsu. Let’s trust Fumie-tan. I believe she can’t just give up the King. Don’t you remember that they were the past’s—“

Maki suddenly stopped with whatever she was typing. “What was I going to say again? The past’s what? Mah, whatever.” Shrugging her shoulders, she deleted the last sentence and sent the message.

“I’d be really mad if Fumie-chan passed the course and then continued with it. She knows well that she is the happiness of my brother.”

“You should try to understand my minion, Fumie-tan, as well. It is her dream to be an idol.”

“Can’t she just treat Fuyu-nii as her happiness as well? Fuyu-nii is going to break really bad if she pursues her dream. You knew well what happened when he and Asuka-chan stopped seeing each other because of the damned idol life.”

Maki sighed. She remembers well the aftermath of their separation. Fuyu thought that everyone is being taken from him one by one so to save himself from the trauma, he was the one who started distancing himself from them. His visits to Maki’s manor became seldom, he would only come if he was called by General Togawa. He stopped smiling. It was only when he found the girl of the scent when he started laughing again.

She knows that it is unfair to Fumie’s side. She believes that Natsu somehow thinks the same way but they just can’t help but to worry about the other guy. Fuyu has experienced enough heartache. Adding more to it might end up completely destroying him. And they aren’t talking about anyone here; they are talking about the girl that he has been searching for all of his life.

“Don’t exhaust yourself in worrying, Prince of Summer! Everything will be alright!”

That is what Maki replied but deep inside she worries about the future as well. She can’t fully assure Natsu that everything will go in accordance of everyone’s happiness.

“Maki… If you don’t mind, can we use your house again? Let’s play this weekend. I’ll ask Fuyu-nii to get an off from his work and I will bring Yurina and Manaka as well. I know it is like hell for him to wait for the outcome of Fumie-chan’s career. Let’s entertain him even for a little bit.”

Maki’s eyes twinkled at what she read. The idea of Yurina and Manaka coming made her excited. It was like a dream for her to play with the other twins. Ideas came flooding her playful mind.

“I will prepare my castle for your return, Prince of Summer!” she sent with an amazing amount of smileys. She soon received a reply from Natsu that made her heart quake.

“Thank you, Maki. Anyway, when will I get my second kiss? I’ve been waiting for it since forever!”

The girl’s cheeks burnt that you can fry an egg on it. She stood on top of her bed, took a deep breath and pressed the record button of the said messaging application.

“IDIOT!!!”

Her voice echoed throughout the whole mansion.

  THE WHOLE practice session is playing back in Fumie’s mind as she is on her way back home. She is riding Kato’s car, she was surprised to see him waiting by the subway entrance. The guy said that he came to pick her up and told her not to worry because he is just trying to avoid being seen by the management of Kojima Haruna’s agency that’s why he waited somewhere else. They might give Fumie a plus point if they find out that Kato Kenta is the one managing her.

The guy also said that he wants to help her that he would start to act more like a manager to her hence the free ride. He’ll be going to pick her up from home and send her home as well. As long as the course is going, he will be managing Fumie’s schedule.

The whole session was like hell for Fumie since she was at lost at the formation and everything. She couldn’t follow the routine at all even though she was giving her best to learn as fast as possible. The thought of it being a good way for her to be out of the contest came into her head but the feeling of failing without even trying is something that she can’t accept at all.

The girl massaged her temple as she has been thinking the whole day. She couldn’t erase Fuyu from her mind at all. She wanted to message him during breaks but she has to be careful or else someone might see her chatting with a guy. She wanted to give him a call right after she went out of the building but with terrible luck, her phone is already dead when she went back to it. Fuyu hasn’t bought a new neuro linker as well since Yurina destroyed it.

“Fumie-san…” she was suddenly dragged out from her thoughts at that call from Kato. “For the meantime you have to be careful. Since the selection is coming up, the tabloids are making their way to the lives of the hopefuls. Be careful in meeting Fuyu-kun.”

Great! The girl released a sigh as her heart was once again filled with disappointment. Just when she thought she could drop by to see Fuyu came the warning to be careful of paparazzi. She just hopes that no one took a picture of them when they go to school and going back home. They were always walking hand in hand back then. But who is she to worry about that? She wasn’t that big of a name in the first place, no one would be interested to get a photo of her dating. There isn’t anything to worry about the gossip page of NHG since they didn’t put up any of those photos and the site is highly secured.

Kato, noticing the disappointment at Fumie’s face, gave out a snicker to lift up the atmosphere. “You have to bear with it for the meantime, Fumie-san. It would be harder for you to meet if you debut as an idol so whatever the outcome of the competition, I want you to consider what you think would be best for you.”

The lass weakly nodded and then turned her attention to the view outside the car. “I want to see Fuyu-kun…” She blurted out of desperation.

The manager smiled faintly. “I understand what you feel but it is best to be careful for now. It is for the both of you as well. After all of this then you can go back to your normal life again.”

“But I also want to be an idol…”

Silence followed that weak confession from the girl. They were caught in a red light by the intersection. Kato took this time to make a confession as well.

“You see, Fumie-san… The first time I saw you I really thought that you got what it takes to be an idol. It was like I found hope in my miserable life once again. You were on an amusement park with your parents and then you got lost. For someone of your age, getting lost was a really funny thing but you made it so cute to the point that I can get a heart attack from the cuteness.”

Fumie scratched her head, “Kato-san… That’s a little bit…”

“You were waiting for them in front of the carousel since you were so embarrassed to go to the information desk to ask for help. You were waiting there like a princess eagerly looking forward to meet her prince. The whole amusement park was busy and the carousel lights were all sparkly but you still managed to shine brightly among the crowd. That was really amazing.”

The manager smiled remembering the first time she saw Fumie.

“I know I might sound creepy but I was looking at you the whole time you were waiting to be found by your parents. How on earth can the presence of a single girl silence the festive howls of an amusement park? I was pondering about that and hope lighted up on me for the first time in a long while. I thought that I found the next big thing that will sweep the whole Japan in awe.”

The lights turned green and Kato stepped to the gas even before the cars behind him started honking. He then continued with his story after taking that break.

“I was so happy to find out that you want to become an idol as well. I thought that I finally found my break again. The thought of bringing an idol that can beat Asuka who was of my discovery as well is like breaking a world-record that I set myself.”

Fumie gave out an awkward laughter. “M-Me? B-Beating Ashuu? You must be kidding, Kato-san. I can’t even dance properly.”

The guy answered with another laugh. He couldn’t say that Asuka couldn’t even skip when she started training but she turned out to be a very amazing idol.

“I mean it, Fumie-san. What I am trying to say is that all this time I believe you were born to be an idol.” Kato flashed a smile that was somehow tainted with disappointment. “But yeah, the hope I was holding on to fell in love with a guy which is a taboo in the world of idols. That’s it.”

Fumie clenched her fists. It isn’t like Fuyu became a bad influence to her. The fact is he is helping her with studies and everything. “I-I… I believe Fuyu-kun and I are somewhat meant for each. I believe that something led us to meet.”

The girl jerked when she heard laughter from the one driving. Somehow that laugh irritated her.

“But you just said earlier that you want to be an idol.” Kato said in a tone that’s a bit challenging. “You see, in this developed world, no one is seeking for love anymore. The love game is just for high school students. Once you step out to the adult world you will realize that there are more important things and love is something imaginary.”

Feeling the heavy stare from his talent, Kato took a look at Fumie and the girl’s surprised reaction kind of make him wanted to snicker.

“I’m sorry. Did I say too much? I’m sorry for corrupting an innocent kid’s ideals.” He rolled the stirring wheel to the left, straying from the original route to Fumie’s house but the girl didn’t notice it since her sense of direction is nowhere to be found.

“But I think if what you said that the two of you are destined for each other is true you’ll end up being together no matter what. You guys are still young. You can spend time to improve yourselves, get a career and live your single life to the fullest before getting married. I still believe to what I told you earlier, Fumie-san. You were born to be an idol. When I first saw you, you even reminded me of…”

Kato’s voice trailed off. His expression changed as he couldn’t figure out what he was going to say next. He took another look at Fumie, trying to figure out something.

“When I first saw you I thought you have a striking resemblance with someone but looking at you now it feels like you are you… I mean… I couldn’t think of anyone who looks like you anymore…”

The manager shrugged his shoulders. His face brightened up when their destination came into sight. He stopped the car which made Fumie surprised. He reached out for his wallet and handed her his check card. “Can you buy me something from that store?”

“Eh?” Fumie looked outside and her heart almost jumped off of its place. She turned back to Kato with teary eyes. “Kato-san~”

“Go on.” He gestured for her to go with a smile on his face. “I’m really starving and I’m craving for some muffins at the same time.”

Fumie gave him a nod. She excitedly unfastened her seat belt and opened the door. “Thank you so much, Kato-san!”

“No worries, take your time.”

Fumie went out and went straight to the muffin store. It was about time for the store to close and the good-looking male worker was already seen cleaning the shelves. There were no other customers that time which made it a really good time for a visit.

Kato saw how surprise drew out of Fuyu’s face when he saw who entered the store. He almost dropped the tray that he was holding but Fumie was fast enough to catch the tray with him. Fuyu placed the tray on a shelf and turned to Fumie. He still couldn’t believe that she came.

“What are you doing here?” Kato read the other guy’s lips. He couldn’t read what Fumie said since she is facing the other direction but he saw that she pointed at his car. She even waved at his way. Fuyu gave a bow as a greeting. Kato wanted to laugh at his startled face.

Since his car is heavily tinted, he lowered his window and stuck his arm out to wave. He then gestured for them to continue talking to each other. Then a smile drew out of Fuyu’s lips, giving another bow but this time as a sign of gratefulness.

The two continued talking and came to the point where Fuyu was about to pat Fumie’s head but stopped midway. It was his way of saying, “You’ve worked hard. You’ve done well.” but his hand automatically stopped, thinking that it might be wrong to do it especially Kato can see them.

What happened next somehow surprised the two guys. Fumie lowered her head as if asking Fuyu to go on and pat her head.

“Oh gosh! That was just too cute!” Kato squealed inside his car. Even Fuyu was left blushing by that gesture. He took a look at Kato’s way before finally giving Fumie her desired pat.

The girl was so pleased. She felt like all the stress that has been building up the whole day suddenly vanished at this one gentle gesture of her boyfriend. Filled with happiness, she initiated a hug, putting herself to the safest place that she could think of. Fuyu returned the hug, jailing the girl in his lean arms. When Kato just told Fumie to be careful earlier...

“Don’t worry about me. Just do your best so you won’t have any regrets. I can wait no matter how long it is.”

Sometimes he is really amazed at how good he is at lip reading. He was even able to read that long line from Fuyu. Kato took a deep breath. Somehow, watching the two makes him all stuffy and wants to smoke.

“I hope there are still muffins left for me.”

  MAKI WAS busy preparing her castle as the attendees have already their confirmed their appearance. Natsu and his clingy sister, Momoko, will be coming. Yurina and Manaka agreed to come as well. Sadly, Aki is still doing the promotions with their album so he couldn’t come but promised that he would come if the schedule loosens up. Miyu confirmed her attendance since she’s free the whole day. It could be a perfect chance for the Miyu and Aki to hang out but careers stood between them once again.

The busy president of the Student Council passed the invitation since he has to tour his fiancée to their buildings around the metro. Despite the business, he entrusted Fuyu to Maki telling the girl to do everything to keep him occupied. Of course Maki answered with a salute.

Of course the main guy would be coming together with their favorite boy, Yuma, who said he won’t be coming but immediately changed his mind when Fuyu said that Maki got a grand mansion.

She just finished checking the ingredients for the feast that their chef is going to prepare for tomorrow. She made sure that it won’t be a disappointing basket of sandwich like before. The Perfect Zombie wants to destroy everyone’s diet especially Miyu’s. She’s also up to feed Yuma a lot since she likes the expression at his face whenever he sees good food. He’s like an excited child in a tour of a candy factory.

“Everything is set!” she exclaimed while looking proudly at her preparations. She was about to send another message to that one person who hasn’t confirmed her attendance when she heard her mother calling out to her.

She knows that her mother tend to over react at things but she couldn’t help but to worry. Her mother sounded so excited but terrified at the same time so she rushed down the entrance of their mansion while running like a ninja, thinking that it will make her the fastest girl on earth. She slid down the staircase and tumbled down before reaching the ground ending up with the superhero landing.

“What can I do for you, your majesty—“

Her jaw dropped right after she lifted up her head. She saw her mother on the arms of a man and that guy is none other than the Great Scientist, smiling at her, proud of his daughter’s perfect superhero landing.

“Hello, my princess. Daddy’s home~” General Togawa greeted his daughter with a huge smile on his face. His left eyebrow taped with a bandage. It still looks swollen.

Maki slowly stood up. “W-What happened to your face, Dad—“

The girl got even more shocked when she saw that her father is only standing upright through the help of a crutch, his right leg covered in bandage as well.

“N-No way…”

Since Fuyu and Asuka quite had a friendship back then, Fuyu went to see Asuka’s lives and guestings to the point that he has been getting a lot of attention because of him being a head turner. If he knows that the performance would mean a lot to Asuka, he would be there to support even if Asuka’s mother had already forbidden them to meet, even if Asuka doesn’t know that he’s watching in the audience.

But due to the attention that Fuyu was gaining, Asuka’s fans somehow got a bad impression of him to the point that they wanted him to be banned from going to her shows. As Asuka’s handler, Kato confronted the high school freshman Fuyu who was still trying to move on from his parents’ death.

A stumbling block. No, rather a huge boulder hindering success. Kato made sure that he properly shoved those words to Fuyu’s face leaving the scarred boy without any choice but to completely leave Asuka even he is just supporting in the shadows. He stopped going to her lives and did his best not to care about the girl anymore. At the same year, Asuka made her debut at the prestigious Jyuni Seiza (12 Zodiacs), landing in the 7th spot, which is a very big thing for a first timer in the list.

The said list is an annual event of which the fans all over the world have the power to vote for the girls they believe should be called the best of the bests. All idols are ranked regardless of how long they have been in the industry, their agencies, or even their own will. It’s a compulsory participation. You will only be out once you graduate. No one cares about your emotional status as well.

Saito Asuka is one of the living proofs of how genius Kato Kenta is. Her success as a rookie brought more glitter to the name of Kato Kenta. He is a true man of talent, success, dignity and pride. Name it all. His looks isn’t lacking as well since he can surely invite a girl out without even revealing his identity. He was a complete package but…

The whole Shingyoji household and Fuyu were all dumbfounded while they look down at this respectable guy doing a full dogeza in front of them. Kato is down to his knees, his forehead touching the floor. “Please! Let me have Fumie-san back to the contest.”

“K-Kato-san…” Fumie’s father scratched his head. “My daughter has already chosen. She is also going out with Fuyu-kun here. It will be bad if—“

“It’s okay! I will let them continue their relationship!” Kato bowed even further as if trying to bury his face in the floor. “Just let her get back to the contest. I will take responsibility of everything!”

Frustration can be traced from the voice of the guy. He is pleading like his life is at stake. Fumie’s father shook his head and grabbed Kato by his shoulder to make him stand up. “Let’s talk properly.” He said in a manly voice before putting the guy back to his seat.

They are all in the living room with Fuyu and Fumie sitting at the long couch together with the girl’s parents while Kato was made to sit on the solo sofa placed in front of them. The scary-looking manager suddenly turned into an abandoned-looking pup while he sniffs to get a hold of his tears.

“Look Kato-san, we don’t see the reason why we are talking about it.” Fumie’s father started after clearing his throat. “My daughter has already chosen not to become an idol. I know that there is a contract that she signed but can we do anything about it?”

“It’s sad to say that there’s nothing we can do.” Kato released a sigh. “You see, if you don’t abide with the contract, my uncle would just leech money out from you. He would certainly bring this to the court just to get money from you.”

Since Kato started in the industry at a really young age, he had to ask help from his uncle to support his agency financially. His uncle only approved of supporting him if he would name him as his business partner. When he got really, really famous, envy came crawling to his uncle and made all sorts of things to get him down to dust. He desired everything that Kato is gaining with the guy’s own abilities.

He got into a scandal with one of his employees which was set up by his uncle. There were trainees who were blackmailed to file a sexual harassment case against him which defamed him. Since he was dragged down and couldn’t find any way to prove his innocence, he became a slave of his uncle who, which in eyes of the people, is kind enough to still accept him back in the company but this time as a lowly manager.

Kato flew overseas to wait for the issue against him to die down. He has spent almost all of his earnings to pay for the damage to all the trainees who complained about him. His share of the company was also lessened to 10%. His uncle’s plan backfired at him because the company lost the trust of sponsors and the media itself. He then started pressuring Kato to discover more idols and that is when he accidentally met Fumie.

“I don’t want you to be a victim of his greed so please just finish the course. I heard that you are a respected veteran, Sir. I don’t want your name to be tainted by this.”

Fumie’s fists balled after hearing that. She just can’t let her father’s name be dragged into this.

Kato then reached for his suitcase and pulled out a paper. “Here is the hard copy of the contract that Fumie-san signed. Since this girl is underage, do you remember that I also had the both you sign the contract so the contents of it are properly read by an adult?”

Fumie’s parents were taken aback. It’s true that they also signed the contract because Fumie was really into becoming an idol that time. All they wanted is to support her in her dreams but they didn’t know it will end up this way.

“Since my stupid uncle doesn’t see any potential from Fumie-san, he wrote an unbelievable condition in section III of the contract. You can go and read it, Sir.”

The head of the family turned the pages and read the said section. “To prove her worth, the applicant has to participate in Kojima Haruna’s search for new idols which will be chosen from different agencies all over the country. If the applicant is not chosen, all the support coming from the agency will be stopped and her idol journey will be put in an end.”

Fuyu’s eyes widened. A smile of relief was then seen on his face. “Does that mean Fumie only has to purposely fail the course and—“

That smile immediately faded right after he turned to his girlfriend. The look on her face clearly says that she doesn’t want to fail the selection without any fight. “I got myself excited for nothing.”

“That’s right, Fuyu-kun. But she has to do the selection performance. She has to appear at that day and perform. If she fails then the 8-year contract with our agency will be nulled.”

“But…” Finally, Fumie’s mother found her chance to say something. “What if she passes the selection? What will happen to her and Fuyu-kun?”

Kato nodded once but that doesn’t mean that he is saying yes. He then turned to Fumie and gave the girl a meaningful stare which Fumie immediately averted by bowing her head.

“That is for Fumie-san to decide.” Kato finally answered. “It would be up to her to choose on that point. If she passes the selection but chooses to keep Fuyu-kun then I will do my best not to let their relationship be publicized. They could continue their relationship and I promise to protect them with all my might.”

To Fuyu, hearing those words from Kato who drove him away from Asuka was really absurd. He can clearly remember how he talked to him as if he would destroy Asuka’s bright future by supporting her from the shadows but here is the same guy promising that he would protect whatever he and Fumie have. He can’t completely believe it but Kato’s eyes show determination and sincerity.

The lad wanted to smile. It was good news for him nevertheless. They can continue their relationship while Fumie can pursue her dream. A bit risky they might say but he is willing to do anything just to keep whatever they have. But, looking at Fumie feels like something is lashing his heart. She looks like she is ready to give him up any time soon.

“Go on, Fumie.”

Fumie’s head automatically rose and turned to Fuyu’s way. Fuyu’s perfectly deceitful smile was the first thing she saw. “B-But, Fuyu—“

“It’s okay. I know it is really your dream to become an idol so go back to the course and don’t think about me. Get back there and fight for your dream.” Fuyu even tried to make his eyes smile with him to make his act more believable. “I will be fine. For someone who doesn’t have a dream like me, it makes me want to dream just by watching people with something they pursue. You don’t have to worry if you pass as well. I will always be waiting for you and I will support you all the way so all you have to do is give your best to it. I will be waiting.”

Fumie’s heart clutched at those words. How can this guy be this understanding? Even her parents are in awe with those heavy words that the lad just said. “But—“

“As expected from Fuyu-kun!” Kato put his hands together to show how pleased he is at that answer from Fuyu. “I knew that you would understand this better than anyone else! So is everything settled now?”

Fumie looked at Fuyu once more but the lad still has that faint smile while looking at another direction. She bit her lips as she took a deep breath. “All I have to do is to fail the selection performance, right?”

The smile on Kato’s face widened. “Yes.”

Her parents are worried about what will happen from that point onwards but they can’t do anything since Fumie is bound by the contract which has both of their signs as well. The conversation with Kato then ended with the agreement that Fumie will continue the course and join the selection performance.

Kato then volunteered to drop Fuyu to NHG since he is the reason why he is late. He will also personally file Fumie’s leave from the school for the following days.

While Fumie is taking her time to talk with her parents privately, the two guys went outside to wait. Kato took this time to light up a cigarette to reduce stress. He noticed Fuyu looking at him so he stretched out his hand to him. “Do you want one?” he asked pertaining to the pack of cigarettes in his hand.

“No thanks. I don’t smoke and I am still underage.” Fuyu coldly answered. He then heard the other guy laughed a bit.

“You grew up so much. I mean, you gained more centimeters, didn’t you? Your body looks really fine as hell. I won’t doubt it if more girls are flocking over you now.”

“You changed so much as well.” Fuyu retorted. “I didn’t remember that you are the type of person that will kneel in front of someone.”

The older guy just weakly shook his head and exhaled the smoke. “Life of an adult is tough, young one. I am left with no other choice and everyone whom I discovered turned their backs on me. Cleaning your name from false accusations is not an easy task.”

Kato took another lung-full of dirty air before he continued talking. “Fumie-san is the first person to trust me after I get covered in mud. Somehow I want to do my best for her to be able to reach her dreams but since she has you now, I wouldn’t mind to protect the both of you. I can’t believe that she fell for you… out of all the people.”

“What are you meaning to say?” Fuyu asked, his voice growled a little.

“Well, I mean you and Asuka were just like this before, am I right?”

“Tch.” Fuyu rolled his eyes. “How many times should I tell you that I was just supporting her as her friend that time? People’s eyes are always full of malice.”

The other guy smirked and stepped on the remains of his finished cigarette. “That’s true.”

And as if on cue, Fumie came out of the house looking a bit distressed. Then they set off towards NeoHorikoshi Gakuen. There was a tense air surrounding them while they were inside the car. It was too silent even the couple isn’t talking to each other.

It is still too early but Fuyu can feel the fatigue in his heart. His day started with a nightmare and now he is watching how his girlfriend is slowly being taken away from him. How is he even supposed to react to this? He wanted to reach out for Fumie’s hand but he is afraid that she will shake him off once again.

Shinoda-sensei was startled to see Kato Kenta filing a leave for Fumie. He filed the leave together with the girl who just stood quietly behind him. She was asked by the teacher is she is sure to whatever she is doing but she is left with no other but ‘yes’.

After filing the request, they went back to the car where they found Fuyu waiting for them. He hasn’t entered the school building yet. He waited so he could see Fumie off.

“Message me when you get home, okay?” He said with another deceitful smile. “Don’t tire yourself too much.”

“S-Senpai—“

The lady was silenced when she felt Fuyu’s palm on top of her head. “Don’t worry about me. Just do what you think is best for you. I don’t want you to have any regrets. Follow your heart, Fumie.”

He saw how Fumie bit her lips to stop herself from crying. She looked up to him with those teary eyes as if asking Fuyu is she could hug him. The boy smiled faintly and opened his arms for his girl. Fumie slowly closed the distance between them and embraced Fuyu, her tears finally started falling.

Fuyu felt his heart tightened so much after feeling Fumie in between his arms. He was hesitating to return the hug at first but he ended up embracing her tightly but as gently as he could. The possibility of not being able to hug the girl for a long time entered his mind and this clutched his poor heart.

“See you later. Have fun, okay?” Fuyu wiped the tears from Fumie’s eyes while trying his best not to cry himself. The girl gave him an affirmative nod, controlling her sobs.

“I’ll be back… Please wait for me.” Fumie’s shaky voice added up to the pain in Fuyu’s heart but he still managed to set her off with a smile. Their moment was interrupted when they heard the car’s door opened.

“Let’s go, Fumie-san.” Kato said with the usual smile on his face.

Left with no choice but to separate, the two said their goodbyes to each other. Kato gave Fuyu a tap on his shoulder and whispered, ‘Don’t worry, kid. I got your back.’ before leaving.

The car has left for a good ten minutes but Fuyu hasn’t moved to where he is standing. He is having the urge to pray but about what? For Fumie to fail the course even if it is obvious that she wants to be selected or for her to pass it but have their relationship at risk?

A sigh came out from Fuyu… A very deep one…

 “What should I even wish for?”

  NATSU was out of breath when he reached the cafeteria. He was supposed to be in a break for today since his shoot for his new drama ended around 7am and he wasn’t able to get enough sleep. Due to his healthy, functioning digestive system, he had to wake up after getting only three hours of snoring. With his eyes half-opened, he casually visited the gossip page of NHG while sitting at the throne of glory. There he found the news of Fumie filing a leave from school to resume her training to be an idol.

His eyes suddenly opened widely as his bomb also splashed to the cold waters. There was even a picture of Fuyu taken after Fumie left. His brother looked really, really sad so he went straight to the showers and prepared to go to school.

He was reading the comments while he was on his way to the school. Everyone was wondering what happened between the couple and theories started springing out of nowhere. There were people who said that they have noticed how Fumie is allegedly distancing herself from the lad. They usually go to school while holding hands but they haven’t been doing that recently. They could also observe the awkwardness between the two.

“I guess she just got carried away. Hoshizora-san gave up on her already during the trip, right?”

“Back then maybe she realized that she is going to miss one of the hottest guys in the campus so she changed her mind and went after him.”

“I heard she was also having hard times in her dance lessons. Maybe she already thought of giving up that time so she just went to Fuyu-kun.”

“But then she changed her mind again? What kind of girl is she? She had the guy’s hope up. Now she is going back to her idol journey dumping Hoshizora who is obviously so in love with her. Sucks!”

“Well, we knew it from the start. It’s either Shingyoji dated him out of pity or to get more attention. I mean Hoshizora is one of the Shiki. He is Hoshizora f*cking Fuyu. She would really get a lot of attention.”

“Seems like everything is just a tale for Hoshizora-san.”

“We still don’t know what happened. Let’s not assume things.”

And more comments flood the said entry at the gossip page. Natsu could only grit his teeth, couldn’t really calm himself. What on earth just happened between the two? Why is Fumie off to be an idol again?

“Natsu! I thought you’re on your day off?”

Natsu’s jaw dropped after seeing his brother on their usual table, his mouth was full when he greeted his brother and what’s more chilling is he was smiling at Natsu from ear to ear.

“Come, come! I guess you haven’t eaten anything for lunch. Go get your food quickly and take a seat!”

“King! Stop talking while your mouth is full! Act like a King!” Maki, the main source of cringe, is also cringing of the energetic Fuyu. His happy act doesn’t really suit him.

“H-Hai!” Natsu stuttered and quickly went to the server to get his portion. He then ran back, spilling a bit of his miso soup on the way. He was finally settled on his seat when he noticed that everyone is gathered on that one table.

“You should go home after eating, Natsu! Look at those dark arcs under your eyes. You will disappoint your fan girls!” Fuyu cheerfully commented before getting another mouthful of his food. “Thish ish really delicious!”

“Can you please stop acting like that? You are seriously making my skin crawl.” Haru shook his head in disgust. He wasn’t lying about his goosebumps though.

“Come on, Haru! Why are you so serious?” Fuyu bumped him with his shoulder which made the president jerk. He seriously looked disgusted of Fuyu.

“The King is being possessed by a deceitful spirit!” Maki stood up from her seat with her fist up. “I will take care of you and prepare an exorcising ritual! Help me on this, Yuma!”

Yuma twitched after hearing his name. He was scared that Maki would bring out that he is Getters Yuma. He couldn’t afford to reveal his other identity to the whole school. “E-Eh!? Why me?”

Everyone froze when Fuyu started laughing. Everyone pertains to all the people that are currently in the cafeteria. Hoshizora Fuyu is giggling like a child. Has he gone mad already?

“Stop it, Fuyu! You are making us more worried about you!” Aki shouted at the other guy which made him stop laughing. Fuyu calmed down and his laughter ended with a deep sigh.

“If I don’t act like I am fine, they will not stop talking badly about Fumie. I don’t want her to be judged.” Fuyu tried to smile but he showed off a very bitter one. “I seriously don’t know what to wish for.”

The others fell silent at another sight of a helpless Fuyu. The guy wiped the sides of his lips before standing up. “I’m going to the gym to work out.” He stated, now back to his usual composed demeanor. The others just let him go. They know that he will just either play basketball or run laps. They already know that talking with him wouldn’t do anything. They just saw how he made an effort to look fine just because of one girl and that is something that they never thought the notorious Hoshizora Fuyu, who rejected girls without batting an eye, is capable of.

“Did you know anything about Fumie’s status at the course, Miyu-tan?” Maki turned to Miyu who was just silently watching them. Her heart is being pinched by the fact that Fuyu is hurt. It feels like she is having motherly affections towards the lad.

“All I heard from Fumie back then is that she always got called on during dance classes and her singing isn’t exceptional as well. But she was really into it. I’ve known her for so long and she is really an idol otaku to the point that she wants to be one of them.” Miyu bowed her head, getting anxious with all the attention on her.

“I know that the one who scouted her is Kato Kenta and I have warned her about him due to the scandal that he got involved with but she said that she wanted to trust him. She thought that she could never miss the chance s-so… yeah…”

Miyu somehow got a feeling that there is something wrong with Fumie the last few days. She is often absent minded in class and she has caught her watching what seems to be a dance practice video many times. She was unsure of what it is so she just didn’t mind. 

“That Kato Kenta will really get a piece of me once we meet again!” Maki hit the table with her fist. “He already took Ashu from the King before and now he is going to take Fumie-tan!? That guy!!!”

“C-Calm down, Maki-chan.” Miyu bit her lips. “Fumie has been absent from the course for a long time. I don’t think that she can pass…” The girl’s voice trailed off when she realized what she was saying. “My gosh… I feel horrible for some reason…”

“I don’t get it…”

Their attentions transferred to the Summer Prince who is yet to touch his plate. There goes the agitated look on the pup’s face again. Maki looked at him with a troubled face.

“I really don’t get it!!!” Natsu left everyone else and followed his brother while calling out to him. He might be feeling betrayed by Fumie. He has a lot questions running inside of his head right now.

Haru released a sigh to get everyone’s attention.

“Let’s just let it be for now... They all need time to think...”

  “WHAT are you doing here?”

Kojima Haruna’s jaw dropped when she saw who just came inside the dance studio. All the other girls were surprised as well but it seemed like they have been all expecting for that person to come back.

Shingyoji Fumie took a bow right after she closed the door. Kato didn’t come inside since his identity as Fumie’s manager is a secret. The girl is there to face everyone on her own. The girls she is close with welcomed her back while the others didn’t seem to mind her.

“Is your injury okay now, Shingyoji?” Anna-sensei, the dance instructor, asked her with a smile on her face. The lassie answered with a nod. Kato told her that he made injury an excuse for her sudden absence. “I’m glad you’re back. Let’s go back to practice!”

Since the selection day is getting nearer, Haruna has been coming to the practices to personally see the progress of the girls but she never thought that she would see Fumie in the studio ever again. And what’s up with the injury story? Why is it that she didn’t know anything about it?

The legendary idol met eyes with the girl. Fumie just gave her a polite bow without any expression on her face before joining the others into their practice. The dance instructor told her to stretch first before everything else. Haruna couldn’t believe what she’s seeing. The thought of Fuyu immediately entered her mind; her hand automatically reached out to her nuero-linker and visited the NHG gossip page.

Her eyes widened in surprise after seeing the pictures posted and the following updates about Fuyu. When she thought everything was going out well.

“Are you really serious, Fumie-chan?”

-TBC-

Sorry for the late update. Happy New Year to all of you~! :)