Chapter 3: First Encounter.

Otonokizaka Highschool

"Ugh... I take it back. I wish it's night already." Ayase Eli grumbled as she lazily slumped on the table. She had gotten barely a wink of sleep last night since she couldn't take her mind off the idea of becoming idols with everyone all over again. She was supposed to be everyone's role model. Some role model she turned out to be...

"Eh? You didn't get any sleep, Eli? That's pretty unusual for you." Maki noted.

"Kukuku, even Elicchi gets this excited from time to time." Nozomi remarked.

"Uhm... you can still get some sleep; if you'd like, Eli-chan. Nakai-san isn't due to arrive for a few more hours at least." Said Hanayo as she worked on something with the club's computer.

Indeed, she is aware of the producer's estimated time of arrival but at this point, she was still too excited to even think about getting some sleep. Besides, one could never tell when he'd arrive. Based on her first impression of him, Motoharu Nakai is the type of person who'd arrive no later than an hour before an important meeting. And judging from the email Hanayo sent last night, the mysterious producer would be accompanied by some of his company's other staff members. It would be quite embarrassing to be seen in such a state when Motoharu and his colleagues arrive.

"Don't worry, Eli-chan! Rin-chan and Nico-chan were too excited so they're on lookout for when Nakai-san arrives, remember? We'll be sure to wake you up before they arrive here." Honoka said reassuringly.

"Alright... I guess I could really use a quick nap." Eli said absentmindedly. She could feel her eyes growing heavier by the second as the urge to sleep slowly took hold of her. If Honoka promised to save her from embarrassment by waking her up in the nick of time then she could afford to get some much needed shut eye.

However, hours passed by yet no one seemed to bother waking her up. She was just lightly asleep so a gentle nudge would have been enough to wake her right away. Still, she trusted Honoka's promise and continued to sleep. She couldn't argue since she badly needed every second of sleep she could get. In her half-asleep state, she discerned no changes in the usual noisy enthusiasm in the room. Then, she managed to notice a brief period unusually high level of excitement in the room which was followed by peaceful yet eerie silence. She was tempted to force herself to wake up right then and there but decided against it. She still clung to Honoka's promise and ruled out that everybody decided to keep quiet in consideration for her. How nice of them. Although if she had to take a guess, Umi probably had a hand on everyone's peculiar disciplined behavior. She'd have to make sure to thank her later.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

As the hands of the clock reverberated each passing second, Eli was starting to get suspicious of the tantalizingly peaceful silence in the room. It was so quiet that one could practically hear a pin drop. Even the sound of Hanayo typing on the keyboard had abruptly stopped when this enjoyable silence occurred.

She would continue to resist her curiosity until another embarrassing factor forced her to wake up from her light slumber.

~grrrrww~

"!"

The sound of the Russian girl's grumbling stomach finally cut through the tranquil silence that once reigned uncontested in the room. She woke up with a start and immediately inspected her surroundings. As she had suspected, the room was devoid of life... save for a guy she had not seen before casually reading a small pocketbook as he sat at the far end of the table. He gave her the impression of being a foreigner due to his characteristic sandy blond hair and lighter complexion. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt over a black vest, black pants and black pointed leather shoes. At any other circumstances, she would have found him rather handsome but the way he's casually reading as he sat near the only exit made Eli highly suspicious of him.

By the looks of things, he hasn't noticed her wake up yet so she'd have to speak to him first in order to know what's really going on.

"Who are you? What did you do to Honoka and the others?" She demanded. "If you do anything funny, I'm going to shout for help..." She warned.

Eli was also capable of defending herself, should the need arise since her grandmother insisted that she be trained in basic self-defense before coming to Japan. It didn't seem like he'd be a threat since he wasn't visibly armed and he didn't have the body of a weight lifter so he shouldn't be a problem. However, Eli decided that it was appropriate to hear him out first before resorting to violence.

His response confused her quite a bit since it involved him nonchalantly tossing a small metal flask at her without even taking his eyes off at the book he was reading.

She managed to caught the flask but hesitated to open it and find out its contents.

"[It seems to me that you're on the brink of starvation so it is best if we assess that problem first. Go on, open it. It's not poison. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so while you were asleep.]" The blond guy said while his eyes were still fixed on the book he was reading.

Hearing the blond guy speak surprised her quite a bit. She wasn't going to believe in his words just yet but what surprised her was the fact that he addressed her in fluent Russian.

"[Drink. It's just Kompot. Or would you rather have a soda?]" He asked.

(Tl Note: Kompot is a traditional Russian drink made by boiling fresh or dried fruit.)

She decided to just do as the blond guy says for now since it seemed he wasn't going to talk until she did so. Hesitantly, she opened the flask and curiously sniffed the contents. What welcomed her was the smell of brewed apples and other fruits she couldn't tell apart. Her stomach threatened to give another defiant growl so she decided to start chugging down the Kompot.

"[And by the way, you drool when you sleep.]" He added.

Hearing this while she was drinking made her instinctively spit out the Kompot in her mouth and start coughing as she choked on the drink left over in her throat.

"I... *cough* do... *cough* not!" She protested.

With a swift motion of his hands, he closed the book he was reading and placed it inside the pocket of his vest.

"[Would you like me to present some video evidence?]" He offered.

Realizing that the mysterious stranger had the audacity to film her while she was asleep immediately made Eli's face flush for a few moments before anger replaced her flustered state. What was he thinking filming her like that?

"What did you say? Why on earth would you film me while I was sleeping? Are you some sort of pervert?!" She exclaimed in outrage.

"[Relax. I had no ill intent when I filmed you. You just reminded me a lot of my idiot of a sister whenever she overworks. I wanted to show this to her but I guess it would be better if I were to delete it right now.]"

"Yes. Please do so." She said grudgingly.

After seing him delete the incriminating evidence of her drooling while she slept, Eli allowed herself to sigh in relief for a little bit. If the others saw that, her image would be destroyed

"[Now I'll ask you again, just who are you and where are my friends?]" Eli said menacingly in Russian.

"[Well, you were out cold and Kousaka-san explained that you hadn't got a wink of sleep last night so Motoharu decided to let you sleep for the time being and assigned me to watch over you. We just practically arrived so he should be getting ready to orient the others right now. As for who I am, the name's Sacha Orlenko. I'll leave it to Motoharu to tell you all about my job description. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ayase-san. ] " He explained.

"Wait... that family name. I'm certain it's a Russian one! So he really is Russian!" She thought. Initially, she thought this person was just one of Motoharu's staff who used the dialect out of consideration for her. Then again, upon closer inspection, he looked less Japanese and more like a Russian.

"[Wait... you know who I am?]" Eli didn't expect that the blond boy would know her name. Even if Motoharu had slightly briefed him about μ's, he wouldn't have addressed her like that unless he had been familiar with her for quite some time now.

"[Well... you could say that I am a fan of yours.]"

Wait... did she just saw Mr. Standoffish Guy blush a bit? It couldn't have been her imagination, right? And she recalled him saying that he's a fan... of her? Hearing him say that out of the blue somehow made her face flush uncontrollably which prompted her to turn her back from him altogether until she could calm down at least.

"[We should get moving right now if you want to arrive on time. Though if you're still sleepy, you're free to sleep once again.]"

"[And risk being filmed by you again? I'd rather not."] She said in an annoyed tone.

"[Suit yourself. At least drink some more Kompot. I don't have any sandwiches with me so that's all I could offer for now. ]"

She was about to refuse him once more when her stomach started to say otherwise with one defiant ~grrrrrlll~

"[Th... thanks... then I'll have some more.]" Eli said reluctantly before sipping more of the fruity drink. With her stomach being ungodly honest right now, she couldn't exactly refuse, could she? Besides... she found the Kompot to be quite delicious. Not too sweet but one could still taste the well thought out combination of fruits in the concoction.

"So... where exactly are my friends?" Eli asked inquisitively as she walked side by side with Sacha. Even though she knows Motoharu is someone she could trust, she still couldn't help but get worried about them. If Nozomi was with her right now, she'd probably tease her that it's her "motherly instincts kicking in".

"They should be in the auditorium at the moment. Don't worry. I'll just call Motoharu to get the coordinates of his location in the event that they moved to another location. Although I am sure Motoharu would inform me before going some place else. " He said in a reassuring manner.

"Why didn't you tell me you could speak Japanese? And that fluently!" Eli protested.

"I figured you'd prefer to converse in your native tongue. But I guess it would have been more convenient to use Japanese since that's what you're using often. My apologies."

Eli was slightly taken aback when she saw how sincerely apologetic Sacha was but that only lasted for no more than 3 seconds before his deadpan expression returned.

"Right... How about you? Are you comfortable speaking in Japanese?" She asked.

"Don't worry about me. It's true that I'd prefer to speak in Russian but it would be much more practical to speak in Japanese. "

"Thanks..."

The two of them reached the auditorium just in time for Motoharu's orientation. It seemed that the producer decided to let everyone have their lunch first before starting the briefing. Fortunately, Nozomi was thoughtful enough to save a tuna sandwich for her. She made a mental note to give Honoka a mouthful as she glared at her from her seat. The ginger-haired third year returned her gaze with an apologetic yet nervous smile.

"So, Elicchi. I couldn't help but notice that you came here walking together with that blond guy. By the looks of it he's around our age. And he's quite the handsome fellow too. Is he your type?" Nozomi said in a conspiring voice which made Eli blush almost instantaneously.

"Wh... what are you saying, Nozomi! That's completely preposterous! First of all, he only accompanied me here since I didn't know where you guys are! Secondly, he isn't my type!" She explained. However, she realized that she had practically screamed what she had said to Nozomi in a fit of panic and coupled by the structure of the auditorium, her words echoed numerous times in the room for all to hear.

"Ahem... may I have your attention, please." Motoharu said in a calm yet authoritative voice. "Thank you. Again, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for accepting my offer and giving us this opportunity to work with you. But before we can formally begin, I'd like to announce that your parents and guardians have given us their express written consent to allow you to pursue this path. So I would like to express my thanks to them as well for placing their trust in all of us and being very supportive of your dreams." Motoharu said as he gratefully addressed the girls' parents.

"That said, we have come to an agreement that your education is still a very important factor that should not be forsaken under any circumstances. Hence, I have asked the help of an old friend of mine to ensure that you do not fall behind on your academics. Everyone, please welcome Hideki Atsumoto-san." The young producer announced.

A gray haired guy with characteristic amethyst eyes stepped in the center of the stage and politely bowed at them. From the looks of it, he seems to be no older than Motoharu. Still, with his khaki safari vest and shorts, coupled by his brown boots, he looked more like a zookeeper than a tutor.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet all of you girls. As Motoharu had previously said, my name is Hideki Atsumoto but you can call me Hideki. My job, as your tutor is to make sure that you don't fall behind on your academics. As such, We've actually been to Ms. Ayase, Ms. Toujo and Ms. Yazawa's school earlier and we've also talked to Principal Minami in order for us to get an insight on your courses. This is so that I can integrate any lessons and exams I'll be giving you with your respective curriculum." He explained.

"Actually, that's the reason we arrived later than usual. So in behalf of my colleagues, I'd like to apologize to you all for the inconvenience I've caused." The gray haired safari guy said in an apologetic voice as he humbly bowed at the nine girls. Everyone was so shocked at his sudden change of demeanor from enthusiastic to gloomy that nobody knew how to react. Finally, Eli saw Kotori take the initiative of calming down Hideki and reassuring him that everything was fine.

Eli decided to back up Kotori with her efforts.

"Yeah. Don't worry about it. I got some much needed sleep because you guys didn't arrive on time." Eli agreed.

"To be honest, I've been a fan of you girls for quite some time now and all I could say is that I look forward to working with you all." Hideki chimed enthusiastically as he bowed down once more.

"Well, at least we managed to calm him down." Eli mused as she sighed in relief.

"Alright. Now your security is also very important to us as I have already stressed when I had a talk with Principal Minami the last time I came here. So, we spared no penny in hiring the best agent from one of the leading security firms in the country, the Vasilisa Security Agency. He used to serve in the Russian army's special forces, the Spetsnaz and now he'll be co-leading the security detail that would accompany us for the duration of the tour. Everyone, I'm pleased to introduce to you Sacha Orlenko-san."

Upon hearing the blonde guy's name being called, Eli turned her attention to Sacha, who had nonchalantly pocketed the book he was reading and calmly made his way to the stage. Earlier, she had thought that Sacha Orlenko was just a regular, if not a bit peculiar, fellow Russian. That's why her jaw practically dropped when she heard Motoharu Nakai say he was an Ex-Spetsnaz operative and he'll be leading their security team. As a result, her interest in him skyrocketed . Of course, her close friend, Nozomi Tojo, noticed this.

"You say you aren't interested in him but your eyes are practically glued to Sacha-kun. You aren't being honest at all, Elicchi." Nozomi whispered to Eli in a mischievous voice.

"Waaah! Stop teasing me, Nozomi! It's true. I'm not interested in him at all!" She retorted.

"Kukuku, then why are you blushing so much?"

Realizing that she was indeed beet red, Eli couldn't help but cover her face in embarrassment. However, after she had relatively calmed down, she was embarrassed once again when she saw everyone looking at her curiously.

"Eli-chan, are you alright? Your face is kinda red. Don't tell me you got a fever?" Honoka said in a worried voice.

"Eli, you know you can take it easy, right. You can take a nap. This is just the orientation, after all." Umi added.

"Hey, you guys are wrong. This is just a misunderstanding! I don't have a fever." As if to prove her point, Eli performed several jumping jacks. "See? I'm completely fine!"

"Hmm... perhaps you should take her to the infirmary, Sacha. Ms. Ayase seems to be under the weather." Motoharu instructed as he looked worryingly at Eli.

Sacha was about to comply when Eli clearly voiced out her opinion, albeit at the top of her lungs...

"NOOOOOOOOOO! I'M FINE! I don't need to go to the infirmary!" She exclaimed.

"Then why is your face a deeper shade of red than Nishikino-san's hair? In my years of combat experience, I know full well how deadly a seemingly "normal fever" is. Lost a few good men over the years due to them putting off something like that as a simple fever." Sacha commented. "Or perhaps you are just against my company that much? Not that I care at all what you think of me but at the end of the day, if I could not protect you from a "simple fever" then I'd be a failure as a bodyguard."

Eli was stunned by the latter part of what Sacha had said. It seems that her behavior around him led to him misunderstanding that she disliked being with him to that degree. Although he was commendable for still prioritizing his duty and responsibility first despite that misconception. She needed to clear that misunderstanding between her and Sacha but now wasn't the time.

"Alright. It seems that you are indeed fine. However, try to get some rest. We will have another orientation when we go to the agency anyway, so it's alright if you take a nap during this one." Motoharu suggested, to which Eli could only nod weakly in response. She was ashamed for causing such a misunderstanding not only between him and her fellow countryman but also for making everyone worry due to the way she acted. It seems she's becoming less and less of a reliable senior now.

"It's alright to take it easy every once in a while, Elicchi. We just finished a bunch of exams a few days ago, right? And I know how much that stressed you out so try to relax little by little from now on." Nozomi said to her best friend in a calm and gentle voice. "I know! How we get some parfaits later, my treat." She chimed.

Eli could only smile wryly in response to her best friend's efforts to cheer her up. In most cases, going out to eat parfait with Nozomi would cheer her up instantly but after what had happened earlier, she felt that wasn't enough to regain her enthusiasm.

When she saw Sacha going back to the stage, Eli decided to focus her attention to what he'll be saying. After all, she had already interrupted his introduction before it even started and they already had gotten off with a bad start.

As Sacha stood before them on-stage, Eli could only describe the blonde guy as professional. If he were indeed a former Spetsnaz operative, then his demeanor came as no surprise for her since they must have literally beat that trait into him when he was just an initiate. Or at least that's how she envisioned it.

"Good afternoon to everyone, my name is Sacha Orlenko. As Motoharu had said earlier, I shall be co-leading the security detail that would accompany you every second of every hour of every day during your tour. I assure you that I have the appropriate credentials for the position assigned to me. It is indeed true that I had once undergone training to become a Spetsnaz operative when I was 8 years old. The training lasted for 4 years and I have served for 5 years in said organization before resigning and becoming a bodyguard at the Vasilisa Security Agency. Of all the staff Motoharu Nakai hired, I may be the one who's most unfamiliar about your group but rest assure that as long as I and the rest of my team draw breath, no harm shall ever come to you."

As expected, a round of applause was given to the blonde guy after he had delivered his speech and due to the way he carried himself on stage. Although it was unexpected when Umi suddenly raised her hand to ask Sacha a question.

"Where exactly are your other team members and when will we meet them?" She asked inquisitively.

"As of the moment, my team has not yet finished making the necessary preparations needed to make sure we could protect you to our utmost ability. Meanwhile, it seems the Kikugawa Security Firm's operatives are also in the same boat and the one who'll be leading them, Kyoshiro Higurashi, is at the Agency. From what Motoharu had told me, you are scheduled to meet all of the staff members next week upon visiting our headquarters back at Akihabara."

Umi merely nodded in response to what Sacha had said while the latter gestured to everyone if they had any further questions.

This time, it was Hanayo's turn to ask a question.

"Umm... Or..len..ko-san..."

"You may refer to me on a first-name basis, Koizumi-san."

"Alright... Sacha-san, then could you please call me by my first name as well? Umm... I would just like to ask if our security team would only be... comprised of males." She asked in a meek tone.

"A completely reasonable question, Hanayo-san. Truth of the matter is, while my team would mostly be comprised of males, we'll have a couple of highly-skilled female operatives as well. Though I am unsure about Kyoshiro's teammates. Still, I'll trust that the Kikugawa Security Firm would be considerate enough to send female agents as part of their security team as well." Sacha explained in a stern voice.

Eli decided to ask him a question to prove she was interested in what he said earlier.

"I've been meaning to ask? Why hire two Security Agencies? Wouldn't it be more convenient if you just stuck to one?" was what Eli said with a quizzical look on her face.

Her argument was logical. It would be far more convenient to have a single security agency operating than to have two. That way, there wouldn't be any clash of opinions on how to operate which would consequently lead to a smooth operation.

"I am uncertain about that myself, Ayase-san. Perhaps you can answer that question, Motoharu?"

All eyes turned to the black haired producer who didn't seem startled one bit after the spotlight had been suddenly directed towards him.

"Well, as Ayase-san had said, it is certainly far more convenient to hire only one security agency, specially in order to avoid any clash of opinions. However, I must say that there are no absolute laws that dictate how a security team should operate. I hired both the Vasilisa and Kikugawa Security Agencies due to how differently they operate. That way, despite any possible clash of opinions, if there was a situation that one group couldn't handle, then the other group might have a chance of resolving that situation." Motoharu explained enthusiastically.

Sacha cut-in after Motoharu's explanation, as if to add to what he had already said.

"That's not the only reason, is it? I heard you explicitly requested for agents that are close to the girls' age. I assume that by doing so, you hope to foster a sense of ease and comfort between the security group and the clients we are supposed to protect." The blond Russian said in a suspicious voice.

"Precisely. You really are quite the perceptive one, Sacha. It is as he said. You girls would have an easier time adjusting and warming up to the security team if most of them are close to your age. I don't want your relationship with them to be strictly professional. I'd also like it if you can befriend them as well. I believe that would play a key role in motivating you to protect he girls more due to the bond you'll share with them."

"I see. Quite a clever tactic, Motoharu." Sacha said grudgingly. "But that comes with a problem in itself. If you wanted to hire agents that are close to the girls' age, then you can't expect them to have the same level of skill as me and probably Kyoshiro. There might be a handful of exceptions but you can't expect all of them to be highly skilled. The older veterans would have greater skill sets and experience, after all." He retorted.

"Well then, it's your job to train them to the point that they could match a veteran, Sacha. We'll have a lot of time for that before the tour starts."

"Heh... I'd say that's practically impossible but you're probably the third most stubborn person I met. Understood, I'll talk to Kyoshiro regarding that matter." the blond Russian let out a sigh of exasperation before turning his attention to a fellow blonde.

"Does that answer your question, Ayase-san?"

"Uhh... yeah. Thanks." Eli said meekly.

She didn't witness a simple argument between coworkers. What she saw was more of a clash of ideals between the innovative Motoharu and the practical Sacha.

Turning towards Nozomi, she noted that her eyes were quite fixated on their eccentric producer. Suddenly, this gave her the idea to get back at the purple-haired girl for all that teasing earlier.

"What's this? Aren't you a little bit too interested in Motoharu-kun, Nozomi? Your eyes are practically glued to him!" Eli teased.

"Well, it does concern all of us a lot, so I figured I'd listen intently, Elicchi." Nozomi casually responded.

However, Eli wasn't just about to back down yet. It was a rare opportunity for her to be given the chance to tease Nozomi and she wasn't about to let it go to waste.

"So Motoharu-kun really is your type of guy, eh? Nozomi." Eli said with an impish grin on her face.

Seeing her best friend blush profusely was an even rarer sight for Eli since she was usually in the receiving end of these discussions. Well, she figured that if Nozomi was going to pair her up with that standoffish guy, Sacha Orlenko, she'd do the same by pairing her with someone whom she thinks would sync well with her best friend. Between the aloof Sacha, the emotional Hideki, and the perpetually calm Motoharu, she believes that the latter would serve as the best partner for Nozomi.

"Well, I can't say for sure. We've barely gotten to know him and his staff after all..." Nozomi explained as she shuffled her deck of cards. "Though I do find him interesting..."

She picked one and smiled at the result before showing "The Lovers" card excitedly to Eli. "And the cards seem to think that we're a perfect match."

"Harasho" was Eli's astonished response to Nozomi's enthusiasm.

"Well I think we've covered everything we wanted to discuss with you for now. We'll be heading to the Agency a few days from now where you'll be preparing to perform your first live after you disbanded one year ago." Motoharu announced.

"Wait, what?!" Maki shouted in an astonished voice.

Everyone else also seems to be quite surprised by this turn of events as evidenced by the anxious murmuring of the girls.

"You're gonna have a mini-concert next week at the agency." Motoharu clarified while maintaining his composure.

"But isn't that too sudden? We haven't performed in a year so at least give us enough time to practice." Umi protested.

"Unfortunately, that is all the time I can give you. The idol industry is quite a cruel world. If you haven't performed nor released any new songs in a year, chances are, people may have already forgotten about you. That's how fast things change. Don't get me wrong, you're a talented group of girls. However, you're not the only talented group of girls in Japan. If we wait any longer, people may forget about you entirely." He explained in a calm yet stern voice.

"It may be painful to hear it but he makes a valid point. A year may not seem like a long time but it's an eternity in the music industry." Maki explained.

"No way..." Kotori muttered.

"Our fans couldn't have forgotten about us that fast, right?" Nico said in a desperate voice.

The once enthusiastic mood in the room was suddenly replaced by a gloomy atmosphere. Motoharu regretted mentioning such heartbreaking news to the girls but he knew it had to be said sooner or later. In this case, the earlier they know about this fact, the faster they can accept it, move on and overcome this challenge presented to them.

"I'm not usually the optimistic kind of person but didn't you win that idol competition, Love Live, was it? So shouldn't you still have a considerable number of fans out there?" Sacha's voice cut in like a sharp knife that sliced away the despair permeating in the auditorium.

Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard his words and Motoharu gave him a thankful nod.

"That's true. Since μ's won Love Live last year they should still have a larger fan base compared to other idol groups who are just starting from scratch. Your more hard core fans wouldn't forget you so easily. Two years ago, your group sent shock waves in the idol industry and winning Love Live shook it to its very core. This time, we just have to remind all of Japan about μ's." Motoharu said on a more positive note and the entire room exploded in cheer.

"That's right! It's impossible that everyone has already forgotten about the greatest idol, Yazawa Nico! And in case they did, I just need to remind them about how truly great I am! Nico Nico Nii~" Nico shouted.

"That's the spirit Nico-chan! I'll make sure to give it all I got again-nya!" Rin said in a determined voice.

"I can't wait to get back to practicing. It's been so long after all. It feels like it's been forever since the last time we practiced." Honoka chimed enthusiastically.

"Yeah. I'm really excited too, Honoka-chan. Having everyone together again is wonderful!" Kotori agreed in a sing-song voice.

"But, since the two of you are both members of the student council now, you shouldn't neglect your duties as well. In fact, I'll make sure you don't neglect it." Umi cut in, quickly dampening the mood of Otonokizaka High's Student Council President.

"No fair, Umi-chan. We were just getting excited too." Honoka complained in a tired voice.

The sight of everyone laughing together was enough to prompt Eli to smile as well. This was what she wanted to last for a long long time... everyone laughing and having fun together. If it wasn't for Motoharu Nakai's offer, she doubted that they'd have a chance to spend more time with each other any time soon.

"Well, with that said, you should start practicing and making a plan soon. You only have a few days to practice after all. Also, we'll be heading to the Agency the day after tomorrow. There, you'll be given a tour of the place you're going to work for the rest of the year and you're going to formally sign a contract with us. You'll also get the chance to meet the other heads of the various departments of the agency as well as the rest of the staff. I made sure to schedule it this weekend to ensure that it wouldn't affect your studies. Remember that you are to continue attending your regular classes until the day of your performance in the agency. That is all."

After responding with an enthusiastic "Yes!", the girls immediately started planning among themselves about the songs they'd like to perform and how they're going to practice.

Meanwhile, Motoharu, Sacha, and Hideki took their leave, to avoid disturbing the girls' serious planning.

Akihabara, Tokyo

1900 Hours

Sacha Orlenko was back en route to the Agency after meeting up with his sister. Needless to say, Natasha spent their supposedly peaceful family dinner together asking him about the person he was assigned to protect, Ayase Eli, how their first meeting went and teasing him about it to top it off.

Strangely enough, he didn't feel as fatigued as before whenever he had to endure Natasha's constant jesting. In fact, it felt refreshing to see her beaming as she excitedly talked about how great Ayase Eli was. Apparently she had stayed up some nights watching μ's concerts just to do some research on her and she quickly became a fan. Though the cause of her excitement was obviously her viewing the half-russian, half-japanese idol as a potential romantic partner for her uptight, younger brother.

"It feels like a long time since I saw her that happy. I guess idols really can make people happy." Sacha mused.

"Of course, that's one of the reasons I was motivated to enter this industry in the first place." Motoharu's familiar voice said to him, which visibly startled Sacha.

It had appeared that he had arrived without knowing at the agency as he was deep in thought.

"I can see what that meant now. My sister recently became a big fan of Ayase-san and I hadn't seen her that happy in such a long time. She couldn't help but tease me about her though. Looks like she's thinks of her as a potential romantic interest for me." Sacha replied.

He also detected a presence behind him this time, and based on this person's ki, he identified him as the mischievous Kyoshiro Higurashi.

"Ohh? But in the end, do YOU see her as such, Sacha-ku- Whoa!"

Kyoshiro had to perform a back flip to avoid a roundhouse kick from Sacha but it had appeared that gesture only amused the blue haired bodyguard instead.

"I'll take that as a yes... It's fine, right, Motoharu? Or are you gonna forbid relationships between co-workers." Kyoshiro asked inquisitively.

"I'm not going to outright forbid it but make sure you'd still do your job properly should you engage in a romantic relationship with a coworker." Motoharu replied.

"Fufufu. With that said, you can now safely go after Ayase-san now, right, Sacha-ku- Geh!"

His teasing ended abruptly when he felt a bullet graze his cheek. When he looked at the direction the bullet came from, he saw Sacha holding a suppressed pistol and was glaring at him with killing intent.

"Sorry, my finger slipped." the blonde said nonchalantly.

"That's obviously not the case!"

"Now now, I didn't call you here to see you bickering with each other. Let's head to the meeting room, shall we. Everyone's already waiting for us."

The two men set aside their differences momentarily and obediently followed their employer to the elevator.

"But still, you really can't take a damn joke huh, Sacha-kun?" Kyoshiro mused.

"I'm used to my older sister teasing me all of the time but that doesn't mean I'll allow anybody else to act overly familiar with me specially someone whom I haven't gotten to know that well yet." Sacha replied.

"Ohh, then does that imply you'd allow me to tease you without you shooting me once we've gotten to know each other, comrade?"

"We'll see, and don't call me comrade." Sacha replied in an indifferent voice.

After arriving at the meeting room, they were greeted by the other heads of staff who seem to have been waiting for the three of them to arrive for quite some time now. Some of them, like the chef, Katsuhiro Ritu and the Fitness Instructor and Dietitian, Goto Haruko seemed to have spent the time chatting with each other. The tutor, Atsumoto Hideki, seemed to be engrossed in work as he diligently reviewed his notes.

Then there's Miyamoto Kenji who simply looked bored out of his mind and Yamanaka Kozue who seemed quite nervous being left to his own devices.

"Guh... finally. I thought for sure I was going to die of boredom." Kenji said in an exasperated voice upon our seeing our arrival.

"This time, I was the one at fault for being tardy. I didn't expect my dinner with my older sister to have taken so long." Sacha said in an apologetic voice.

"Hm... If that's the case then make sure to not do it again. I've been waiting for a couple of hours now." Kenji responded.

"You're also at fault, Kenji. Had you arrived on time instead of two hours before the designated starting time of the meeting then you wouldn't have to wait that long for us." Motoharu added.

"Tch... Guess my tendency to be overly punctual backfired on me this time. But calling an emergency meeting out of the blue was really surprising, Motoharu. I thought you were the type of person that plans ahead to avoid having to call upon emergency meetings." Said Kenji.

"Yeah, I've also been curious what's so important that we needed to stop all our preparations to make time for this meeting." Kozue said in a soft voice that could have been mistaken for muttering.

"Well, first let's all be seated, shall we?"

After everyone was seated properly in their comfortable black leather swivel chairs, the black haired producer cleared his throat before speaking.

"I somehow forgot to discuss a few things with you all during our general assembly. First of all... and this may come as a surprise to you... our agency doesn't have an official name yet."

"EHHHH!" Kozue shouted reflexively. Though once he realized what he had done, he was quick to return to his natural, barely noticeable state.

"You've gotta be kidding me, Motoharu. We're just about a stone's throw away from holding our first concert and yet we still don't have an official name?" Kenji exclaimed.

"Miyamoto-san, I don't think that's a proper way to use that idiomatic expression..." Hideki pointed out. "Still, this is quite indeed a pressing concern. I thought for sure you'll be using your name like Nakai Pro or something since you're basically our boss."

"I'm not really a narcissist enough to do something like that. Still, you guys should already be aware that I am the type of person that likes to involve the entire group when making big company decisions such as this one. This is the agency's name we're talking about so naturally every head of staff should be present to hear about the agency's name " Motoharu explained calmly.

"Yeah we appreciate your effort to be transparent and involve us in big company affairs but I hope you don't make a habit out of this. As the one running everything here and all, there are decisions you, yourself have to make." Haruko retorted.

"Actually, I may be the one tasked to supervise the operations of this Agency but technically, I am not your boss."

Motoharu dropped that bombshell in front of everyone in such a casual manner, it felt like it was some sort of sick joke. In fact, everyone seemed to have been visibly taken aback by this revelation and couldn't decide how to react to that news. Only a number of people, namely Sacha and Kyoshiro managed to keep their cool as if they already knew this was a possibility.

"You've got to be kidding me, Motoharu. You mean to tell me you've been ordering us around when you actually do not own this company?!" Kenji asked quizzically.

"Yeah, it seems a bit strange for you to take the leadership position if you do not have the qualifications yourself." Haruko added.

"Now, now. At least let him explain himself." Ritu said in a soft voice.

"As you all know by now, I have an impressive record as a freelance producer. Still, no matter how talented I am, I couldn't possibly afford to build an impressive facility such as this one."

As the producer explained himself to the group, Sacha had already pieced together the situation.

"So, long story short, some affluent person helped you out financially in order for you to afford building this facility." Sacha mused.

"Sharp as ever, I see. Well that's actually the truth. This person who became this agency's sponsor is technically your real boss. What sets him apart from other guys out there with deep pockets is he's actually rather passionate about school idols. However, since he invested a rather large amount on our agency, he wishes his identity to remain a secret to everyone until he, himself, decides to reveal it to us. For now, we shall refer to him as Sponsor-san. He actually has a few words for us."

"Huh? He's here? But I thought you said he wants to hide his identity?!" Kyoshiro said in a confused voice.

Motoharu fished out a remote control device and clicked it as he aimed it at the far end of the room where a section of the wall opened up to reveal a large flat screen TV. Displayed on the screen was a dimly lit room where a silhouette of a seated man was staring back at them.

Sacha noted how expertly hidden the man's features were since he couldn't quite point out any significant features that could help him identify their mysterious benefactor. If he had to make a guess, he's quite certain that he'll be using a device to alter his voice.

"Of course, I won't talk to you guys in person... at least not just yet, Higurashi Kyoshiro-kun. Although by now I am quite familiar with some of you already as I have been observing you all from the shadows. As Nakai Motoharu-kun had said, I am the person who funded this agency from the beginning. So technically, I am your boss and Motoharu-kun is just someone I appointed as a representative in my stead. Of course he'll also carry out his job as a producer." The person on the other side of the screen said in a deep voice, undoubtedly caused by voice alteration technology.

Kozue, who had done a splendid job passively hiding his presence from most of the people in the room timidly raised his hand to ask their shady patron a question.

"Um... excuse me, Sponsor-san? May I ask a question?" Kozue asked in a barely audible voice.

"Sponsor-san, huh? Getting called by that name would take some getting used to but anyways, you may ask away, Yamanaka Kozue."

"Well... I am curious how you got so fond of idols so much that you'd be willing to invest such a large sum of money in this project." Kozue said as firmly and loudly as he could without stuttering.

Motoharu gave him a thumbs up while mouthing the words "Good Job!' for his accomplishment.

"Ah... it does really sound strange for someone like me to get fond of idols in general. You would think that businessmen such as myself would only be interested in furthering the growth of their respective companies, businesses, and trades. But that isn't solely the case for me. You see, I have recently discovered my fondness for school idols back when μ's first joined Love Live. I have watched their struggles, failures, and triumphs and deep in my heart, I wanted to support them as much as I could. Of course, since they were still school idols at the time, all I could possibly do to show my support was to cheer on them either while watching them from the television screen in my office or personally when I went through the trouble of donning a disguise just to watch them perform in person during the finals of Love Live. Watching them give their all in what might have been their final performance only solidified my conviction to help them keep doing what they love even after the third years graduate. That is why I proposed this project to Motoharu-kun. I've known that he also supports μ's and even wants to become their producer in order to make them shine even brighter than when they were still school idols. " was Sponsor-kun's response.

Even though he was using a voice altering program, the entire staff seemed to have felt how sincere the mysterious benefactor's intentions were. Although Sacha may not have been a hundred percent sure if the man on the screen was indeed perpetuating this just to help the girls, he had to admit that he would have also been quite convinced, had he not spent all these years working in the dark side of society.

Even the cruelest of tyrants and dictators twist, bend and sweeten their words to convince the masses that their intentions are pure and good and they know what's best for them. Hence, the best thing Sacha could do for now was giving the mysterious businessman the benefit of the doubt instead of outright labeling him as a threat.

"I hope that answers your question, Kozue-kun. Now, old friend, I believe we were in the middle of coming up of announcing the name for the agency, correct?" The man on the screen addressed their intrepid leader with much familiarity.

"Right, we were just about to head there anyways. Though instead of telling them outright myself, I figured you should do the honors since you were the one who came up with that name and you own this agency to begin with. " Motoharu responded with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

At first, Sacha thought that their benefactor indirectly contacted Motoharu but judging by how familiar the two seem with each other, there's a possibility that Motoharu has met this guy in person. It is also possible that their age is close to one another. With that in mind, it's easier running down a list of potential affluent businessmen that fits what limited description of the sponsor they have.

"Very well then. Ahem." After clearing his throat while getting everyone, Sponsor-san began his explanation.

"As most of you are aware by now, μ's name was derived from the Muses of Greek Mythology. Like how there are Nine Muses, there are also nine members of μ's which made their idol unit name quite fitting. So, sticking to Greek Mythology motif of μ's, I decided to aptly name our agency as Atlas Productions." Sponsor-san explained.

Kenji immediately raised his hand to ask a question. It was evident on his face that he wasn't to keen on the name their boss decided.

"With all due respect, Sponsor-san, if we are to name our agency according to characters from Greek Mythology, wouldn't a figure related to music be more appropriate than someone that has no association to it whatsoever? Apollo, for example, would be fitting with him being a Greek god of music alongside the Muses." Kenji retorted in a surprisingly polite tone. It seems even he was intimidated by their silhouette of a sponsor for him to act with that amount of respect.

"I... have to agree with Miyamoto-san. It does seem better to associate our agency to a god of music if we are to go for a greek mythology motif. But... that's just my opinion though!" Kozue said as he fidgeted in his seat.

"Ahh. I do understand your concerns, however, what you're saying would be more appropriate for a recording company rather than an Idol Agency. Our goal as an agency isn't to produce music but to support the idols under our care. Just as the Titan Atlas bore the weight of the sky on his shoulders, we will carry their burdens, dreams, ambitions, triumphs, tribulations, and hopes on our shoulders when we finally start working together next week. That is the reason why I chose this name for our Agency." Sponsor-kun replied in a passion-filled voice.

His heartfelt speech immediately silenced all doubts of the other heads of staff about the agency's new name. In fact, some members of the staff, particularly Hideki couldn't help but get a bit teary-eyed while Haruko started outright bawling after hearing the sponsor's speech.

"Ehehe... it appears that we already have everyone's full support. With the Agency's name decided, I hereby order each head of staff to dedicate this entire week into completing preparations for our first live concert next week. Kozue and Kenji, I want the two of you to work together to speed up our technical preparations.

"I... I'll do my best, Motoharu!" Kozue stated with a rare glint of fiery determination in his eyes.

"Hmph... I always do my best, so you shouldn't worry about the technical aspect of the event Motoharu" Kenji, on the other hand, was teeming with his usual confidence.

"Haruko and Ritu, I want you to prepare the menu and facilate our various restaurants. Since the concert's going to be held at night, I want our restaurants to be ready to cater to any hungry fans we may have. "

"Gotcha!" Ritu said with a salute while beaming.

"I understand." was Haruko's serious response.

"Hideki, I advice that you start preparing lesson plans for each of the girls."

"I'm on it!" Hideki answered enthusiastically as always.

"Lastly, I want to beef up security just in time for the event so Kyoshiro and Sacha, I'd very much appreciate it if you could get your respective teams ready by that time."

"Easy peasy, Motoharu" Kyoshiro stated in a whimsical voice.

"Consider it done." Sacha declared matter-of-factly on the other hand, a stark contrast to how Kyoshiro responded.

"Sponsor-san, do you have anything more to say to us before we conclude tonight's gathering?" asked the producer.

"All I could say is if do your best in every task Motoharu-kun gave you and the success of the concert would be pretty much guaranteed. I wish you the best of luck and know that I shall be looking forward to the performance this weekend. A pleasant night to all of you." After uttering those words, the live broadcast coming from their benefactor was instantly cut-off and the flat screen TV immediately returned to its original, hidden position.

"Well you heard him. He expects a lot from us for the upcoming concert so I urge everyone to do their best even though... no... specially so since this is the first live we would hold as an agency and the first live μ's would perform as idols instead of school idols. And with that, I hereby adjourn this emergency meeting. Starting tomorrow, you are to start performing each of the individual tasks I gave you. Use the remaining time tonight to get some ample rest. Trust me, you'll need all the rest you can get for what's to come this week." Motoharu said finally before dismissing everyone.

On his way out of the building, Sacha felt someone tug at him gently from behind. Judging from this person's presence, it should have been that certain co-worker that was the polar opposite of him both in personality and work etiquette.

"Since we're both on our way out, mind if I tag along with you for a bit, Sacha-kun? C'mon, I'll even give you some canned coffee for the trouble." Kyoshiro asked in an upbeat tune before lightly tossing a can of black coffee one would usually acquire from a vending machine to Sacha. The latter caught it effortlessly in response and opened it immediately.

Although he would have preferred to immediately start getting in contact with headquarters to send him some agents he had in mind, the blond-haired, Russian secret agent decided to humor him for a while.

"Even if I refuse, you'd still tag along so what's the point." Sacha said before sipping on his coffee

"Oh! We've only known each other recently yet you already know me that much, huh?" Kyoshiro replied with an impish grin on his face.

"So, I'm guessing you want something from me, otherwise, you wouldn't have tagged along with me so forcefully like that." Sacha said as he eyed Kyoshiro suspiciously while they walked.

In response, Kyoshiro gasped as if he was genuinely hurt by Sacha's words.

"We're friends, right, Sacha-kun? Couldn't two friends just walk home together without one thinking the other person has an ulterior motive?"

"Point taken. So what is your ulterior motive?" Sacha asked inquisitively.

"Ugeh! By saying that, you not only denied that we're friends but you also suspect that I still have an ulterior motive!" Kyoshiro exclaimed. "Well, I guess you caught on to me real quick, huh? I just wanted to know if we were on the same boat about something." The blue haired bodyguard finally admitted.

"And that is?" Sacha asked nonchalantly before taking another sip of his coffee.

"Do you see any of the girls as possible romantic interest?" Kyoshiro asked in a serious voice.

Hearing the blue haired guy ask that out of the blue made Sacha spit out his drink all of a sudden.

"Why would you ask something like that all of a sudden?!" The blond demanded as he unholstered his firearm.

"Hmm... I'd take that as a yes then. And please don't point that gun at me!" Kyoshiro pleaded as he raised his arms in surrender. "If that's the case then we really are on the same boat after all." He added.

"How so. Know that I haven't said yes to anything you've said."

"You see, I've been hopelessly in love with Sonoda Umi-san ever since I first watched μ's performance while I was doing a background check on the idol group. I ended up watching every recorded performance of μ's because of her. To be honest, I was a bit jealous of you a while ago since you got to see every one of them in person." Kyoshiro admitted bashfully. "So how about you, Sacha-kun? Judging from your reaction earlier, there must have been one girl that piqued your interest."

"I can't hide anything from you, can I? I might as well admit that I'm a bit interested in Ayase Eli-san." Sacha admitted.

"I knew you were interested in her! She's pretty great too. To be honest, she's my second pick, next to Sonoda-san." Kyoshiro mused in an excited manner.

"So now that you know who I've got my eye on, I'm curious why you suddenly got interested in my preferences all of a sudden."

"Because I'd like to remind you that we were hired to protect all of those girls and not just one of them. Even though we may develop feelings for one of them, the safety of every member of μ's is still our number one priority." Kyoshiro said in a surprisingly stern voice that caught Sacha completely off-guard.

"Wha..."

"That was just a friendly reminder since you seem to be the type of guy who'll prioritize those he values first before the greater good."

There was no trace of the carefree Kyoshiro Higurashi in the blue haired boy's voice as it seemed that an entirely different entity took hold of him.

It was at that moment that Sacha knew the Kyoshiro before him right now was the guy's true personality and what he shows everyone else is nothing more than a mask that hides his true self. Witnessing this change of attitude also made the blond realize why Higurashi Kyoshiro would have been aptly ranked as a 4-Digit Agent, one of the most elite operatives of a government's defense organization, if the blue haired boy had been tied with the Japanese Ministry of Defense, "Ichigaya".

"Then again, I shouldn't be that surprised about him considering that almost every member of his family are monsters in their own right... Though seeing that I know one of his siblings, who used to be one of my brothers-in-arms back when we were young, could Higurashi Kyoshiro already be familiar with me? I should exercise more caution from now on. Even if he is a comrade in protecting the girls, my mission might be compromised if he finds out who I truly am." Sacha thought.

"I'll... keep that in mind. And I certainly hope that you practice what you preach too." Sacha replied, trying to keep up with the same intensity as Kyoshiro and standing his ground.

"Great. And you don't have to worry one bit about me. Well, I'll be going home now. Long week ahead of us. As Motoharu-kun had said, we'll need all the rest we could get. Be sure to have a pleasant evening, Sacha-kun."

His voice returned to the usual enthusiastic and upbeat tune everyone had gotten accustomed to but after seeing Kyoshiro's true personality, such a voice would only seem fake to Sacha from now on.

"I guess I shouldn't have underestimated him. If he really is Kikugawa's best bodyguard then he had rightfully earned that title. On the other hand, it does assure me quite a bit of his competence. Having him as an ally would ensure this mission would go a lot smoother. I should start making preparations as well first thing tomorrow." Sacha noted as he trudged towards one of the safe houses he was using in Akihabara.

He was unsure at first whether or not his coworkers would be up to par to make the project a success particularly because of how easy-going Kyoshiro had been up until now. However, after seeing what should have been his co-chief of security's true personality, he was a bit more sure that Motoharu Nakai's dream and vision for the girls would come true.

The thought put an elusive smile on the Russian's face for a change. If he could help these girls while still accomplishing his original objective, then his visit to this country would be all the more worth it this time around.

-

Author's Notes

Gahhh! I did it again. And this time, it took longer to produce this Chapter than the previous chapter T_T The combination of academics, writer's block and lack of inspiration really affected my writing so it took longer than usual to write Chapter 3. On the other hand, this chapter must have been the longest chapter I have ever written in any fanfic I made with a total of over 9800 words. I would like to apologize again to my readers and followers for the long delay and I hope you stick with me for the rest of the ride.

I've thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter specially since the two main protagonists of the story, Eli and Sacha, finally get to meet each other for the first time! And though they may have started with the wrong foot, their relationship would only progress from here on out. We also got a glimpse of the mysterious Sponsor-san who turned out to be the Financier of the Agency and technically the true boss of our respective heads of staff. And speaking of the agency, the Agency's name was finally decided upon on this chapter. And towards the end, we also get a glimpse of Kyoshiro's true personality, revealing that he really isn't always the carefree and comedic character everyone knows him to be.

In the next chapter, μ's will finally be having their first live after disbanding one year ago when the previous third years graduated. Though along with it, they'll face the challenge of spreading their name all over again after such a long they be able to make a successful comeback? Also, what of the enemy that's after Ayase Eli's life. Will they finally make their presence a bit more known in the next chapter?

I'm afraid you'll have to find out in the next chapter.

Now it's time to put down my pen and have a quick break before working on the next installment.

I hope we'll see each other again in the next chapter!