#rmnitb

Yuki’s response was drowned out by the early morning traffic.  Houshou glanced blearily at the passing cars.  At least they weren’t honking yet.

Before any bad luck could befall him for his observation, Yuki and Houshou turned right and into an alleyway that had blessed little light.  It wasn’t long before they were ushering themselves in through a side door and greeted by their resident guitarist.  He sat on the stage, calmly strumming as he waited.

“Kyorin!”  Yuki’s greeting was too loud.  “Where’s Umito?”

“He said he’d be right back.”  

Houshou sighed quietly, mourning the loss of extra sleep.  But he was awake now, so he supposed he would just have to wait with everyone for Umito to return.  He glanced over at Yuki, who seemed annoyed but unsurprised.  Their drummer often got in trouble for being too late or showing up too early before popping off somewhere and showing up late anyways.

 “Honestly.  It’s like he doesn’t take rehearsal seriously.”

Houshou and Kyorin exchanged a look.  They both knew this particular gripe by heart.  Fortunately, both were spared from any further mutterings about drummers who slacked off when the front door burst open.

“Everyone!”

Three heads turned towards the front door, where they found two faces.  Umito grinned proudly as he silently showcased his prize, coffees for everyone, while standing behind Naoki, who had a rather worrisome expression of unbridled glee on his face.  Houshou wondered what their manager had in store for them this time.

“First off, everyone performed really well in that last concert.  Naara, those vocals were on-point.  Norio, you could be a bit louder with the bass.  Naka, Namae, perfect volume, but make sure you’re together.”  Houshou made a mental note to speak with their sound director about the sound issue.  “Now then, we’ve been working on our old hits and they’re fine, but audiences can get them all on CD now.  Those sales are through the roof, but concert attendance has been going down.”

“We’re not doing another street campaign, are we?” asked Kyorin, an air of hesitant wariness about him.  Houshou shuddered.  The last time they had done that, he’d been assaulted by so many people.  So many.  Naoki laughed.

“No, no.  Even better.  You’re going to release a new song!”

Four faces stared blankly at their expectant manager.  He seemed to have no idea what he was asking of them as he merely grinned any potential issues away.  “It’s perfect!  A song we don’t release on CD to encourage concert attendance!”

Houshou looked at his bandmates.  Umito’s grip on the coffee had gone slack.  Kyorin’s grip had tightened on his guitar.  Yuki was staring directly at Naoki, her mind already at work.  As expected. 

“How long do we have?”

“We want this done by the next concert.”

Houshou slipped.  Umito actually spilled a little bit of the coffee.  “But…  That’s tonight!”

“Exactly!  We’ve given you over 8 hours of preparation,” said Naoki, looking rather pleased with himself.  “I’ve heard the best songs are composed in a less amount of time, but we thought we’d give you time to practice.”

Houshou bit back the remark that bubbled to the surface.  There were a lot of people who went into making these executive decisions.  Their manager was just the messenger for these people.  A far too excited messenger.

“Well, I’ve got to get back.”  Naoki looked at each of them in turn.  “Good luck!”

With that, the man walked past Ubito and closed the door.  Houshou sighed.  Their fates were sealed.  Might as well get started.  He glanced at Ubito.

“Hey, Ubito?”

“Yeah?”

“Please tell me one of those coffees is iced.”

…/…/…/

They had been at this for two hours.  They had practiced all their other songs, decided that the new one would be a special encore, whatever it was, and were staying out of the way of the stage crew as they worked on their new song.  All of that had only taken an hour.

The quiet was a bit unnerving.  Houshou had started tapping his foot three minutes ago.

“I’m stuck!” complained Kyorin.  “I have almost no inspiration!”

“Almost?” wheedled Yuki, eyeing him suspiciously.  Kyorin looked back at Yuki before replying in a deadpan voice.

“Totoro to-to-ro!  Totoro To—”

Kyorin was interrupted by a pillow to the face.  Ubito didn’t even bother trying to look innocent.  “Copyright.”

Houshou didn’t know much about whatever they were talking about.  Instead, he was trying to scrounge up some inspiration himself.  He knew each of them had the musical talent to string something together that would sound nice, but making it consistent?  They needed some sort of plan.

“Houshou.”  The bassist looked up at Yuki, who was staring at him with intent eyes.  “You said earlier that you had to wake up too early for meditations, right?”

The man rose an eyebrow.  “You wanna write a rock song on meditating?  I’m not against it, but it seems a little…”

“I don’t wanna do a song on meditating,” complained Ubito.  Suddenly, he sat up straight.  A giant grin was on his face as his eyes pleaded with Houshou.  “Let’s do one on fighting bears!  That’s much more exciting!”

“Where did you guys even get the idea that monks fight bears?” The irritation swept through his system for a moment before letting itself out.

“Still, maybe we can use something like that,” said Kyorin, sounding the most hopeful since their manager had made his big announcement.  “Is there anything about monk life that’s rock-worthy?”

Houshou hummed.  Sure, there were lots of things they could make exciting.  Other rock groups did it to stuff like the Bible all the time.  “The problem is that they wouldn’t be able to hear any of it.  No one might be able to identify with monk life.”

“What, do they think we’re not good enough for them?” asked Ubito indignantly.  Houshou shook his head.

“Nah.  Music’s just distracting.  They don’t let any of it up there at all.  It’s why I left.”

Ubito continued to grumble about the unfairness of it all, but Houshou paid him little mind.  Instead, he focused on Yuki, who was beginning to bear a devious smirk.  He knew that expression when he saw it.  Kyorin saw it, too.

“You’ve got an idea?”

She looked at her band members, her confidence shining through.  Oh, she had an idea all right.

…/…/…/

Thread Topic:  Secret Concert Song

NFan1987:  omigosh, i <<33 that new song!

Naaralover74:  ‘why am I not good enough for you?’??  who else relates??

Jamingw/Naka:  So relatable!! Why won’t he notice me???

…/…/…/

The band scanned through yet another fan forum, watching the chaos unfold in the threads.  The reaction to the night previous was strong and still going, which meant they would probably get a visit from a visibly pleased Naoki any moment now.  For now, though, they amused themselves with the comments.

“How many of them do you think are going to figure out that it’s about monks not being able to listen to music?” asked Yuki.  Her voice was a mixture of amusement and pride.

“I don’t think anyone will.  They’re all talking about crushes and upperclassmen that won’t notice them.”  Houshou was just glad they’d managed to get something to paper and that the audience seemed to like it.

“Well, at least we managed to get something out there,” said Kyorin.  The relief in his voice was something Houshou could relate to.

“Yeah, this calls for a celebration!”  Classic Ubito.  “Houshou, think you’ll teach us how to fight bears now?”

Moment shattered.  The bassist huffed.  “We do not fight bears.”

“Oh, come on.  Please??”

Yasuhara grins, a dangerous glint appearing in his eyes. He saunters in and sits on the ottoman, setting down the pizza boxes on the coffee table. “Oh … Is that jealousy I hear, Masako dearest?” She thinks she’s being discreet about it, but it’s obvious she’s pining for that Takeshi boy. Since February, a little birdie, who’s not very good at keeping secrets (Mai), told him (and everyone else).

“Shut the f–”

“AHHH!”

“John, what the h–”

“AAAAHHHHH!”

“John’s right, children! No swearing in Mommy and Daddy’s house!” Yasuhara intervenes, before John’s yelling goes up a notch–he’s done it before and he can do it again. We can’t have Mommy go on a rampage on a special day like this. “But keep it down a bit, huh John? We have to keep this secret,” whispers Yasuhara, pointing to the pizza.

“Why though?” The lilting voice comes from behind him, and Yasuhara jumps in surprise. With his line of work in the ghost hunting business, you’d think he won’t get scared easy, right? Wrong.

“Dammit Mai, I told you not to sneak up on Daddy like that!” Here’s another child who’s going to get a scolding.

Mai scowls. “Why the hell–” Ayako leans forward to cover John’s mouth– “do you keep calling yourself that?!”

“It was a special condition Mommy agreed to when I made my first donation as JSPR’s patron,” he explained–for the eighteenth time (yes, he’s been keeping count). He doesn’t understand why they keep forgetting. “Besides, I know you all like it.” He waggles his eyebrows.

“NO WE DON’T!” Everyone exclaims in unison. Though Yasuhara notices how John stutters.

He rolls his eyes and brushes them off. He can read minds–he knows they like it. He turns back to the boxes and arranges them on the table, making sure to set the Capricciosa–Mommy’s fave–in the middle. “Be a dear and call Lin for me, Mai. We’ve got some preparing to do before Mommy wakes up,” he says, then as he realizes something he tilts his head slightly to one side. “He is asleep, right?

"He’s gonna kill you if he hears you call him that,” Mai warns, trying to sound menacing, though her shoulders shake at the effort to keep her laughter at bay. “And yeah. Fell asleep right away when I slipped him chamomile instead of the usual darjeeling.”

“Good job, my daughter. With that, you’re now my second favorite child.”

“I’ve always been you’re second favorite!” Mai reminds from across the room, already on her way to fetch Lin.

Ayako clucks her tongue, the sound bringing Yasuhara’s attention back to the remaining three seated here at the reception area. “I still don’t know what all this is for this time,” she says. “This is like, what, the third time you’re celebrating something this month? And I bet it’s gonna be as stupid as dedicating a party to Masako’s uncle’s frog’s first birthday two months ago.”

“Oh I’m sure you’re just upset you didn’t get to meet Froggo the frog that day, Ayako,” Yasuhara sympathizes. He’s never met Froggo either. “And we’re celebrating a much grander event this time.”

“What is it?” John asks patiently, albeit hints of curiosity seeps through his tone.

“Mommy got–”

“Naru got a haircut,” a deadpan voice interjects. It was Lin.

“Ahh! You stole my thunder!” Yasuhara pouts.

Lin only sighs in return, sitting down beside Masako. Yasuhara notices it’s the farthest seat away from him.

“A haircut. Are you kidding me?” Ayako asks, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

“A trim, really,” Lin says, but it goes through one ear and out the other with Yasu.

“Well Bousan sounded excited about it so I thought it was a cause for celebration,” Yasuhara snickers.

“I sent you a text. How did you manage to pull out ‘excited’ from that?” Takigawa snorts, trying to sound detached. Yasuhara knows better–those shifting eyes say it all.

“Well enough chit-chat, kiddies,” Yasuhara says, raising both hands to clap once. “We’ve got lots and lots of preparation before we wake mommy up for his surprise celebration!”

Mai groans. “Am I gonna be the gopher again?” she asks no one in particular, already knowing the answer to her own question. The silence that follows confirms her supicions. “Okay. Fine. What am I supposed to do.”

“First,” Yasuhara brings up one finger slowly–for suspense. “Turn off the lights.”

Mai sighs heavily, as if the action would take a great deal out of her energy. She does it nonetheless. As darkness envelops them, a hush falls upon the room.

“Now what?”

“Wake Mommy up.”

Everyone gasps–including Lin.

“You know what happened when it was Bousan’s turn last week! Anything but that Daddy!” Mai pleads.

“Alas, the task falls unto you, child. John took the fall for you last time, remember?”

From the other side of the room, John very audibly chokes.

“B-bousan,” Mai utters weakly. “It was your idea to give him chamomile. Please. You do the honors.”

“Goodbye, everyone,” Takigawa says, the sound of him standing audible from across the table. “See you all next Monday. Tell me all the details of Mai’s murde–GAH!” An ungraceful yelp accompanied by the loud thud of Takigawa’s fall–music to Yasuhara’s ears. Mai must’ve tripped him on his way to the front door.

Masako’s soft giggle was the start of it all. Then Lin follows, and now everyone’s doubled over laughing, trying and failing to catch their breath.

“I’VE SAID IT TIME AND AGAIN–” the CEO’s door slams open. “THIS IS NOT A CAFÈ!”

“Oops,” Ayako whispers. “Now you’ve done it,” she blames, as if she isn’t the one who cackled the loudest just a second ago.

“Psst, Mai,” Yasuhara hissed. “Let there be light!”

Yasuhara hears footsteps approaching them slowly as Mai scampers towards the light switch. One small accident later–it was inevitable that she’d trip on something on the way–the lights come on, temporarily blinding everyone in the room.

“Surprise~!” Yasuhara croons, arms open to welcome the celebrant, signature shit-eating grin already in place.

Mommy Naru, with crumpled clothes and bags under his eyes, glares hard and cold at all the occupants of the room. But it isn’t as intimidating as the usual. Although it masks his new haircut–which is the very thing they’re celebrating right now by the way–everyone thought his bedhead made him adorable.

“This is not a damn cafè,” Naru repeated, the nearly unnoticable pout on his lips making him look more petulant than intimidating. “There’s one downstairs?? Why do you people insist on loitering here?”

“The ambiance downstairs just doesn’t sit well with me.” John shrugs.

“Yeah, and the curtains are abysmal. They make me want to throw up,” says Ayako.

“There’s one spirit that keeps bothering me there,” Masako adds.

Before Naru could interrupt, Mai chirps in. “The barista keeps hitting on me, so I can’t really hang out downstairs.”

That seems to have shut him up.

Naru closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. He sighs deeply, just he always does when he scolds them for being noisy. “Just keep it down. I’m trying to work–because this is an office and that’s what people do here,” he says, though it lacks the usual bite to his usual condescending tone.

“Yup. Office is for work,” Takigawa says with his eyes locked on Naru’s bedhead, hiding a smirk behind a hand. John turns around to camouflage his mirth.

“Come now, Mo-Boss,” Yasuhara snickers, catching himself before he makes the mistake. It wouldn’t do well to sour Mommy’s mood further. “Today’s celebration is dedicated to you! We can’t have the guest of honor leave right away!”

Naru ignored him.

“We have Pizza Capriccioso~”

Naru halts in the midst of turning his doorknob. He then slowly closes the door and heads straight back here at the reception area. He sits at his usual seat at the head of the table, crossing his leg and delicately placing his hands on his knee. He does this all while maintaining a stolid expression, plus his bedhead.

“… Where is it?”

Using his lips, Yasuhara points to the pizza box in the middle. Mai takes the initiative to open it, and the pizza’s mouthwatering scent instantly permeates the air around them. About three stomachs grumble right then and there.

But, as everyone reaches for a slice simultaneously, Naru suddenly stands up and walks away. Just ups and leaves. He doesn’t even retreat back to his cave. No, he goes straight out the front door.

“Um. What the hell?”

“Ah,” Mai says, pointing to the pizza. “Yasu, was this Capriccioso customized?”

“Yeah, I told Takeshi to remove the olives. Why?”

-:-:-:-:-

“Mommy noooooo! Please come back! I made a horrible mistake!!”