goldenboysanada:

“H-hello, Miss Kujikawa.”

ofloversinsummer:

“Hmm…?”

Tilting her head with a curious expression, the girl smiled politely. “Hey there— I don’t think I’ve met you before.” Guess he must be a fan, she thought to herself while extending a hand towards him. “Rise Kujikawa, though it appears you know that already. And who might you be?”

goldenboysanada:

Akihiko stared at the hand extended to him, not knowing what to do with it. He wondered if it was normal to shake hands with a girl you stopped in the middle of a department store. Not just any girl, but a teen idol at that. He normally didn’t chase after pop stars, retired or not, but he promised Minako that he’d get her Rise’s autograph in case he ran into her in Inaba. After some thought, he nervously took it, deciding that it was the polite thing to do. This was one of the times he said a silent ‘thank you’ to the black gloves he donned, for it prevented Rise from knowing how sweaty his palms were at that very moment.

“Akihiko Sanada.” After shaking her hand, he tore his eyes off the superstar, debating the best way to approach this situation. “Can…” Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he chose to stare past Rise’s shoulders and said, “Can I have your autograph, please?”

ofloversinsummer:

As she noted his hesitation, her smile widened in effort to make this a friendly encounter. Even though she was a celebrity, she was still a sixteen year-old girl and she certainly didn’t want fame to get in the way of making some friends. Her ex-manager would’ve called it ‘careless’ — she preferred to think of it as trying to be… well, normal.

“It’s nice to meet you, Sanada-san,” she said cheerfully as she shook his hand when he finally reciprocated her notion. “An autograph?” Should’ve expected that… “Sure! Let’s see…” Releasing his hand, she peered down and started rummaging through her rather large and expensive-looking purse. “I know I’ve got a pen in here somewhere… Messy, messy— I should really clean this thing out more often!” Finally locating a ball-point pen in one of the many pockets of her bag — and inwardly scolding herself for not being more prepared for such instances — she pulled it out and grinned at him. “Anything in particular you’d like me to sign?” She didn’t exactly make a habit of carrying around her own albums or pictures while shopping for the holidays, so she hoped the older boy had something appropriate on his person — she didn’t want to disappoint him, after all.

goldenboysanada:

As Rise searched her bag for her pen, Akihiko slapped a hand to his forehead. He realized that he had nothing to let her sign. For a while, he was uncharacteristically miffed at Minako for forgetting to give him a CD or even just a piece of stationary.

“I’m really very sorry, Miss Kujikawa.” He looked away from Rise and began to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. “I believe that I have nothing for you to sign…” Akihiko hastily scanned the mall for a store he could visit in order to buy something appropriate for her to sign. “If you don’t mind, I’ll be dropping by that store over there.” He gestured towards a music store a few meters away from them.

ofloversinsummer:

“Haa, we’re both pretty unprepared, huh?” she giggled at his reply. “And just ‘Rise’ is fine, really. Formalities are so boring, don’t you think? And I can call you ‘Akihiko,’ if that makes you more comfortable.”

Glancing over to the store he’d indicated, she nodded with a smile. “Good idea! I’ll join you— if that’s okay? There’s actually a Stereopony CD that I’ve been wanting to pick up.” It was a mild stretch of the truth — she’d come to the mall to buy gifts for her friends and family, but it couldn’t hurt to pick up one little thing for herself, right? It seemed rude to just let him wander off and bring her something to sign, as if she were some sort of princess to which he had to cater. She’d have none of that, even given the reason for their little detour. Keeping the pen in her hand, she pulled the strap of her purse further onto her shoulder and began to head towards the music store with him, provided the notion didn’t seem to bother him.

goldenboysanada:

“Err… Sure thing, Rise.” He smiled awkwardly at her. He normally didn’t allow people to call him by something as intimate as his first name, but he thought that it might be something normal for idols. She was probably going to forget they met, anyway, so might as well indulge her.

“Let’s go.” He started walking towards the store, checking every now and then if Rise was following him.

When he reached the store, he opened the door, gesturing for her to go in ahead of him. “Ladies first?”

ofloversinsummer:

His hesitance to call her by her first name only added to her amusement. He really did seem rather uncomfortable, and she kept trying to think of ways to make their interaction more casual. Following along with him towards the store, she grinned as he opened the door for her. “Such a gentleman,” she chimed happily as she stepped through, pausing briefly as her gaze was instantly drawn towards the back of the store. There in the corner was an entire section with posters, albums and magazines boldly showcasing her image, and she felt that familiar knot in her stomach.

Why are people still buying all this stuff? At least he won’t have any problems finding something for me to sign, I guess…

“I’ll, uh, meet you at the register, okay?” she murmured quietly, lowering her sunglasses from where they rested on her head to secure them over her eyes as she moved towards an aisle that didn’t have her face plastered all over it. 

goldenboysanada:

Akihiko felt slightly uncomfortable when he entered the store after Rise. Seeing her face plastered along one side of the shop’s wall was unsettling, made worse by the fact that the real deal was right next to him. He could’ve sworn that Rise’s face darkened for a second upon seeing the posters, but it was possible that he imagined it. Her expression remained neutral the next time he glanced at her, showing no sign that she was bothered by the sight.

He nodded as she ducked into one of aisles, pointedly averting her gaze from the corner which displayed her records as she donned her sunglasses. At that moment, he felt guilty for bringing her into the music store. Although he was no pop star, he had his share of experiences of seeing pictures of himself posted in public, so he understood how uncomfortable the current situation might’ve been for Rise.

Well, no sense thinking about it so much, he thought, seeing that they were already inside the store and that it would be strange right now if they backed out. He moved to the aisle containing Rise paraphernalia. For a while, he just stared blankly at all the items in display, as he had no idea what Minako already had among those items. Sighing, he decided on a magazine which had a fully-clothed Rise on it, thinking it was appropriate for the situation he was going to use it for.

He headed for the counter and paid for the item, eyeing Rise concernedly all the while. As promised, he idled by the register, waiting for her to finish her shopping.

ofloversinsummer:

Locating the CD she sought proved not to be a difficult task, as it was a new release and the band was relatively popular given their many theme songs for numerous TV shows. Still, the girl took a moment to peruse the shelves, not wanting to rush her companion. Even upon sensing pairs of eyes on her from the other customers, she attempted to stroll throughout the store as casually as any other teenager would. The sunglasses weren’t the best means of obscuring her face entirely, but she’d discovered that a lack of eye contact was usually enough to keep onlookers and fans at bay in public places.

Just act normal… If you make a scene, they’ll be all over you.

Finally making her way to the register as she glimpsed Akihiko paying for his item, she flashed the older boy a smile before setting the CD on the counter. After laying down money in silence, she began idly fiddling with the keychains and assorted small items on the counter as the music store employee rather blatantly stared at her in the midst of his process of placing her CD in a bag. Luckily for her, he didn’t bring attention to her or try to strike up a conversation (though it was apparent he would’ve liked to), and only when he handed her the bagged item did she let out a light sigh of relief while turning towards the door.

“Got what you needed?” she asked Akihiko cheerfully as she opened the door with what might have been a little too much enthusiasm. But the openness of the mall was far more inviting than an enclosed store proudly displaying pieces of her forsaken career for all to see — with her right in the middle of it. Securing her pen in her free hand once more, she walked a short distance from their exit and turned to him with a smile.

goldenboysanada:

Akihiko smiled back at Rise as she spoke. “Yes, I’m done.” He moved out of his spot by the counter and followed her out of the shop. He was relieved to see that she seemed chipper anyhow after leaving the record store. However, there was something slightly off about her voice, as it sounded quite strained. Her smile didn’t reach all the way up, although anyone who wasn’t observing her intently would probably think that she was having the time of her life.

Was Rise annoyed at him for making her accompany him to the record store? He wouldn’t blame her if he felt that way. It was quite stupid of him not to bring anything for her to write on, after all.

Seeing the pen in her hand, he smiled awkwardly as he took the magazine out of the plastic bag. With some difficulty, he managed to rip out the plastic that covered it, taking care not to ruin the item as he did it.

“Could you address it to Minako Arisato?” He handed the item to Rise. “Thanks.”