A/N: Finishing this chapter took me longer than I expected. Having many characters in this story is really tiring, but this is for the sake of the ultimate harem dream that I wanted Haruka to have so I don't care if this will take me years to finish!
As always, thanks for following this story, and writing your reviews, guys! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own UtaPri and Free! Also, I don't own the songs and the English-translated lyrics of "Black or White" by Mamoru Miyano and original lyrics of "BE FREE (with music)" by nano. (Visit my profile to view the links of songs and credits for the translators and providers of lyrics.)
Chapter 5: Black or White? Be FREE with Music!
Just looking at Saeki's and Taira's faces (although they were wearing sunglasses and hats) made Haruka recall the annoying memories when he was still studying at Saotome Academy. There wasn't a single day when the chocolate-haired idol didn't flirt with him shamelessly or when the spiky-haired one didn't pester him to teach him how he could compose songs so fast. Ever since the duo had graduated, he obeyed every rule in school (and even agreed to not trespass on the indoor pool at night) for two months. He thought that he wouldn't see them ever again…
But here they were again, standing in front of him like predators inside the café.
"I'll leave now so take the table," said Haruka as he took his coat before taking his leave immediately.
However, Saeki grabbed his hand and yanked it backwards forcefully, causing him to lose his balance. When he was about to fall sideways, he suddenly felt Saeki's firm chest, preventing him to experience a painful tumble.
"How cold, Haruka," whispered Saeki enticingly and wrapped his arms around his waist. "Why are you going away from us after having a date with your lover?"
"He's not my lover…," he muttered bitterly. Rin only saw him as a close friend and rival.
"Oh… He is blind to your grandness, then. But don't fret, because my partner and I, the great Shindou Saeki, will take better care of you than he did."
"He's right," agreed Taira impassively and took a seat at the right side of the table. Then abruptly, he stole Haruka away from Saeki's arms with a pull of his hand. The ocean blue-eyed composer stumbled next to Taira on the couch and felt a possessive arm wrapping around his shoulders before being pulled closely. "But Nanase-kun is mine today."
"Hey, I'm the first one who saw him!" growled Saeki madly as he glared at his partner with a vicious aura, but Taira looked unaffected.
"But we played rock, paper, scissors to determine who will be his escort before approaching him, right?"
"Tch!" Saeki clicked his tongue in annoyance before sitting across them like a spoiled prince.
"Now, now, don't be angry. We had a fair-and-square deal, so don't act like you've been cheated, Saeki-kun," deadpanned Taira.
"Hey! I already told you two that I'll leave, so let me go!" the black-haired composer demanded loudly while he was trying to remove Taira's arm around him, but Taira held him more closely and tightly.
"No way. It's been awhile since we've last seen each other. I missed your music, Nanase-kun."
"Yeah, me, too. I also missed your music, Haruka…," mumbled Saeki with a troubled look, remembering a nasty memory that he couldn't erase from his mind. "With your exquisite composing skills, I thought you were going to choose me as your magnificent graduation audition partner back then…, but you chose that pathetic A-Class loser over me!"
"Makoto isn't a loser! You don't know how much hard work he'd done just to make it this far!" snapped Haruka right after Saeki insulted Makoto. There was no way he would let anybody else belittle the sacrifices his childhood friend had made just to help him. He didn't care if he would put a permanent dent on Saeki's handsome face with a punch. However, Taira was preventing him from punching the overconfident idol.
"That's why he's a loser! No matter how hard-working he is, he's just wasting his time since I'm still better than him!"
"You…!"
"Hey. Stop it, both of you-"
"Umm…" The voice of a scared waitress disrupted them. Saeki glared at her viciously, causing her to release a small squeak. Mustering a steady tone, she said, "Please keep your voices down, dear customers. You're disturbing the other customers…"
"Huh? So, what? Do you know who you are talking to?" replied Saeki haughtily, making the poor waitress to tremble and eye him with befuddlement since she couldn't recognize him.
"Eh? But…"
"Shin, how many times did I already tell you that that's not how to treat a lady?"
Recognizing that suave voice, Saeki didn't need to look at his former Master Course senior who calmed the waitress quickly by apologizing and assuring her that he would handle the rest.
"I'm no longer your kouhai, Jinguuji Ren, so stop lecturing me."
Wearing a pair of black shades, a grey scarf and a white leather coat above his dark clothes as his disguise, a smirking Ren approached their table confidently. "You're still bad-mannered, huh? That's why you got kicked out of the dorm, Shin. Try learning to be humble."
"Shut up!"
"So, Shindou is the reason why the two of them were gone from the Master Course…," thought Haruka after listening to them. However, it was no business of his. He just wanted to leave the café as soon as possible. Makoto might probably notice that he'd gone outside for too long. Staring at Ren, Haruka didn't know if he felt relieved that Ren came at the right time to help him get away from TempterS or if he felt more troubled that Ren might probably join with the flirty idols in making his day a terrible one.
When Ren caught his gaze, the orange-haired idol gave him a wink. "Hi there, Iruka-kun. I apologize if I'm late for our date today. Did you wait too long?"
Haruka's eyebrow twitched after hearing a big lie from Ren, but when he figured out Ren's escape plan, he decided to play along and tried to re-enact Rei's reply (when he and his friends went to the Squid Festival since Nagisa said that it was the perfect line if you were early on a date).
"No, I just got here."
Ren was surprised and blushed a bit for a moment with Haruka's reply. He never expected him to act seriously like that. It felt weird to him… yet it also made him a bit giddy for some reason.
"Iruka-kun is really interesting. I might get serious with him sooner or later if he continues surprising me like this…," he thought, showing a sweet smile. "Good boy."
"Huh? Are you two going out?" asked Taira passively with wide eyes.
"Yes." Ren grabbed Haruka's hand and pulled the composer away from the spiky-haired idol. "That's why I'll get him now and have a wonderful date with him today, Tane."
Haruka tightened his hold on Ren's hand and whispered irritatingly, "Thanks…, but I don't have any intention to have a date with you later, sempai."
"So cold…," Ren whispered back with a chuckle. "But I won't give up on the idea of having a proper date with you, Iruka-kun. I bet a date with you is going to be fun."
Haruka just glared at him with all his might.
When they were about to leave, Taira halted them. "Wait."
"Hmm? What's the problem, Tane?"
"We're the ones who have a date with him first, Jinguuji-san."
"I don't remember agreeing to have a date-"
Ren hushed Haruka by putting a finger near the composer's lips. He whispered, "Leave it to me," before facing Taira. "Eh~? Really? To me, it looks like you're bullying my poor kouhai."
"That's not true. Saeki-kun is the only one who likes to bully him."
Taira pointed his finger at his partner who responded angrily, "Hey!" but he just ignored him.
"I'm not a bad person. Right, Nanase-san?"
Haruka frowned. Ren took note of his expression amusingly.
"Looks like Iruka-kun is not convinced at all. Sorry, but we need to go-"
"Let's have a match!" shouted Saeki out of the blue, disrupting Ren's sentence.
Ren raised a brow. "Huh? A match?"
"Yeah! Let's have a match to determine who is worthy to be with Haruka today!"
The orange-haired idol glanced first at Haruka, who looked irritated yet curious as well, before replying to Saeki. "Interesting… What kind of match then?"
"Obviously, a 'singing' match with our composers as keyboardists! The owner of this shop, Kaito-san, has a small stage and owns some jazz instruments here since he loves jazz music. He hires musicians from time to time. Whenever Taira has free time, he's playing their keyboard here. We'll play one song and Kaito-san is the judge. It's us against Haruka and you, Jinguuji."
"So you'll leave me alone for the rest of the day if we win this match. Is that right?" questioned Haruka with determined eyes.
"Yeah, but even if it pains me to have a match against you, I won't hold back. Taira and I will definitely win this and have you for ourselves later, Haruka. Be prepared," declared Saeki confidently, causing Ren to grin in excitement.
"Oh, I'll make sure then that we'll win so I'll have a lovely date with Iruka-kun without any interruptions. We accept your challenge, Shin!"
"Hmm… Haru is taking too long in buying a few mackerels…" murmured Makoto to himself after he arranged his baggage for the reunion trip. Realizing that Haruka hadn't packed yet, he decided to help his friend in packing as he began to walk towards Haruka's cabinet.
"I might as well pack his clothes while he's gone."
While he put Haruka's folded clothes on the bed, he caught a glimpse of a small mp3 player under Haruka's pillow. Curiously, he picked it up and looked at the list of songs. He had never heard any of them. Also, he didn't know Haruka had this kind of device.
"I wonder when Haru bought this… I've always been with him so when did he-"
He paused when he recalled the events yesterday. Maybe one of their seniors gave this mp3 player to his friend as a token of gratitude since Haruka did save Tokiya… Still curious about the songs inside the small device, he put on the earphones and listened to 'Maji LOVE 1000%'. After listening to it for several seconds, he gasped with wide eyes.
"…! This is-!"
"Ren isn't replying back to my text messages… That's weird," said Otoya worriedly while Syo was releasing a loud yawn beside him as they entered the building of Shining Agency. After a tiring recording session of a variety show (about trendy fashion mixed with hilarious challenges like cross-dressing and such) at XYZ studio, they immediately left the studio without a minute of rest upon receiving an order from their president to come over to the office. The red-haired idol felt that something big and ominous was waiting for them. He already received a reply from Masato that he was on his way, but only Ren hadn't replied yet.
"Maybe he isn't finished with his work yet, Otoya," answered Syo with half-opened eyes.
"Oh, you might be right. By the way, are you really fine, Syo?"
"Hm? Why? Is there something wrong with me?"
"Yeah. You've been yawning all this time, you know."
"Ah… Satsuki was shouting all night, complaining about people who still offer him jobs even if he's not doing his part well as an idol… He was so loud and annoying, so I couldn't sleep properly last night…," the short idol explained tiredly. Honestly, he felt glad that they were still receiving offers and were working as idols even if they weren't STARISH anymore… But, the offers were lame and embarrassing, though. They were like nobodies who wanted attention as they did their work. He wouldn't lie that he felt grossed about what he was doing in every job he took after they became ordinary idols that weren't in any idol unit. They couldn't accept offers related to music for two years after Nanami Haruka died. Their president declined those offers, saying that it wasn't time for them yet. Hopefully Shining would finally let them take music-related jobs again when their new lowerclassmen would officially join them in the Master Course dorm next week.
"Good afternoon and good work today, Ittoki and Kurusu," greeted Masato when they met at the hallway in front of the president's office.
"Good afternoon and good work, too, Masa!" Otoya greeted back cheerfully. Syo also did the same.
"Hey there, Masato! Good work today, too! How's your work?"
"I managed to finish it in time. Jinguuji finished his early so I thought he was already here… Did you see him?"
"Nah, we didn't see him. Otoya sent many text messages to him but apparently, he hasn't replied yet."
"Is that so? I wonder what happened to him…"
"Maybe he already quitted," said Satsuki certainly as he arrived there with a smug smirk.
"Satsuki, you-!" growled Syo in hatred. He had enough of Satsuki's bad attitude. He wanted to punch the hell out of him. Unfortunately, Otoya held him back.
"Syo! This isn't the time to have a fight!"
"As usual, you lot haven't regained your lost brilliance since then."
Following the voice of a certain duke, they saw the current number one idol group, QUARTET NIGHT (which was on a par with Raging Entertainment's HEAVENS), walking towards them with an air of great charisma surrounding them.
Otoya gaped at them in surprise. "Rei-chan! Why are you here…?"
Reiji smiled and waved his hand excitedly at him. "Hello, Otoyan~! It seems like Shining-san has an important announcement to make, so here we are~!"
Ranmaru clicked his tongue loudly, catching everyone's attention. "Enough of this chitchatting, guys. I'd like to get this done and over with, so let's just enter the office and hear what the president has to say."
"I agree with Ranmaru. So, Syo, open the door," ordered Ai, making Syo a bit annoyed. Still, he followed Ai's order because it would be more meddlesome if his former mentor would start talking about disciplining him again. Upon opening the double doors, the scene they saw inside made them puzzled and surprised. Tokiya was crying… and was shaking hands with an unknown guy in white and black clothes.
"What's happening here…?" questioned Masato with wide eyes.
"Oh~!" Shining Saotome noticed that the long-awaited audience finally arrived, so he announced gleefully, "Welcome, gentlemen! I want all of you to meet the new replacement of Mister Ichinose in the idol group STARISH! Introduce yourself to your seniors, Mister Matsuoka!"
"Roger," answered Rin as he removed his hand from Tokiya's before facing the idols with a formal face. "Yo. The name's Matsuoka Rin. It's a pleasure to meet you guys."
The members of STARISH felt like they were struck by lightning while their minds were still trying to register the unexpected events that were thrown to them so suddenly.
"Matsuoka Rin…? Never heard of him before…," mumbled Camus seriously, wondering if his research of new aspiring idols was lacking.
"Matsuoka Rin… According to the data I found from the web, he's the son of the retired international idol, Fujiyama Kiyoko, a.k.a. 'Divine Diva'."
Ranmaru gasped uncharacteristically. "Whoa?! Seriously?!"
"Eh~? Ran-Ran, that's unusual of you to get surprised like that~! Do you know her?" questioned Reiji teasingly, elbowing his fellow mentor on the shoulder.
Despite Reiji teasing him, Ranmaru didn't budge at all and said with a serious face, "She's one of the idols that rock music lovers, like me, greatly admire."
Reiji blinked in astonishment. "She's that amazing…?"
"According to my data, Fujiyama Kiyoko loves post-rock music and had made a lot of post-rock songs that are still remembered and played by famous rock musicians these days. Famous examples are 'Adore' and 'Trigger'[1]," stated Ai, making Reiji's mouth agape.
"Oh! I know those songs! I always heard them when I was still a young teen!"
"I never knew that my mom was so famous back then," thought Rin as he listened to their conversation. Because of her old job as an international idol, she managed to answer all of his childish demands like buying him cool clothes and giving him the chance to study abroad in order to reach his dream immediately as if it was nothing. Although he could only see his mom as a nagging parent (who just liked to watch young rock stars on TV right now back at home), he was the luckiest guy to have a mom like her and couldn't thank her enough for all of the unceasing support she'd done for him. She was really an amazing person.
Reiji's excitement disappeared when he realized something from the announcement. "But if this new kid will replace Toki, then…"
"Obviously, Ichinose is fired," concluded Camus passively.
"Eh?! No way!"
Suddenly, Otoya cried out with tightened fists. "I won't accept this!"
All of them stared at Otoya who looked at Shining Saotome with fire in his eyes.
"I thought you said that we'll wait for Tokiya to regain his voice before coming back to the music industry as STARISH! I still believe that Tokiya's voice will recover eventually! But if you're just going to replace Tokiya with someone else like that, then I would rather quit the group and wait for another year, two years… or even a decade for Tokiya to gain his voice back!"
"Otoya is right! We'll never accept a replacement of Tokiya!" declared Syo unfalteringly.
Masato joined them. "I apologize if we're sounding like rebels right now, President, but I agree with my friends and fellow STARISH members! STARISH won't be the same without Ichinose!"
"Otoya…! Syo…! Masato…!" Tokiya's eyes widened up after hearing their words. He felt touched.
"You guys…," muttered Rin with amazement. Watching them protecting their friend and fellow idol, who didn't have a voice to defend himself as a singer, like that, the burgundy-haired guy remembered his friends who looked everywhere for him when he was almost on the brink of committing suicide after being removed from the relay team of the Samezuka Swimming Club. He knew perfectly well how it felt when you didn't have anywhere else to go once you failed the expectations that were given to you and gave up the dream that you wanted to achieve. And yet your friends would still look for you and protect you… and would even give you a chance to retrieve your broken dream and self with their unwavering support…
Moved deeply by the strong friendship of the idols with one another, Rin stepped forward and faced them with an earnest expression on his face. "Then I'll do my best as Ichinose Tokiya's replacement, so worry no more, seniors!"
Perceiving it as an understatement to Tokiya from an overconfident rookie, Syo growled madly, "Stop acting like you're good enough to replace our friend, you newbie! Because of you, his dream as an idol and as our fellow STARISH member is over! You don't know how hard he worked in order to be a part of STARISH as Ichinose Tokiya back then! Also, he's been with us for years, so don't expect that it's just easy to become like him!"
"I know!" admitted Rin with a desperate look. "I know that I'll never become like him! I'm not Ichinose Tokiya, after all! Plus, I'm still a newbie here so when it comes to skills and experience, he's way more better than me… but still, let me help you guys shine again on the stage until Ichinose-san comes back with a fully-recovered voice! I don't have any intention to replace him permanently, so please let me be of help to you, guys!"
Syo's anger turned into bewilderment instantly after hearing his last sentence. "Eh…? Not permanently…? But I thought that you'll take Tokiya's position for good…"
"Hm?" Shining's sunglasses gleamed as he noticed that Rin made a sudden change to their agreement, so he voiced out his concern. "That's not in our agreement, Mister Matsuoka, but are you sure that you're just going to replace Mister Ichinose temporarily?"
Rin agreed without thinking twice. "Yes."
"Even if you'll no longer be an idol here once Mister Ichinose regains his voice?"
"Yes. After all, I still have an unachieved dream out there."
Otoya gaped at him after hearing how earnest he was. "You…"
"There's no need for you to be a replacement, brat," interrupted Satsuki as he moved towards Shining's desk. With an effortless punch, he broke the desk into two. All of the idols became alarmed after he did that.
"Satsuki, how dare you do that in front of our boss?!"
Satsuki ignored Syo and just continued to stare at Shining with a frown. "Enough of this already, President. Stop Natsuki's misery now by disbanding STARISH once and for all."
"I can't do that, Mister Shinomiya," answered Shining clearly, causing Satsuki to grit his teeth in frustration.
"Is that how you treat Natsuki after giving his all in this stupid farce of a job?! Screw you, geezer!"
"Then let me ask you, Mister Shinomiya, why are you still here if this is stupid for you? You're in control of your own body right now, yes? You can resign now if you want," the president said without looking away from him.
Satsuki froze. Feeling unsure of himself and his other half's feelings on this matter, he clicked his tongue before stomping out of the office.
"What the heck is that all about…?" wondered Rin in confusion.
Shining clapped his hands twice to get their attention once again. "Well then, let's get back to our last topic now, shall we~?"
Everyone agreed with a nod.
"Well, after Mister Matsuoka and the other gentlemen said all of those passionate things earlier, I've decided…"
Almost all of the idols gulped in anticipation as they waited for Shining's decision. After a few dramatic seconds of waiting, their president concluded, "…to replace Mister Ichinose with Mister Matsuoka in STARISH temporarily and to let Mister Ichinose stay here in Shining Agency."
Every idol released a sigh of relief.
Otoya beamed, "Really?!"
"Yes, BUT I'll give him a different task until he recovers his voice! Is that all right with you, Mister Ichinose?"
Managing to hold onto his dream with the help of his friends and Rin, Tokiya nodded his head gladly.
His three fellow idols bowed gratefully to Shining. "Thanks, President!"
Shining laughed. "You're welcome~!"
"And thanks to you, too, newbie!" said Syo as he extended his hand to Rin who didn't expect to be accepted with a friendly handshake.
With a smile, Rin shook his hand. "No problem… umm…"
"I'm Kurusu Syo. Just call me 'Syo-senpai', newbie!"
"Then, just call me 'Rin', Syo-senpai."
Masato approached him with an extended hand. "We'll be counting on you from now on, Matsuoka."
Rin shook his hand, as well. "Yes… ahh…"
"I'm Hijirikawa Masato. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too, Hijirikawa-senpai."
After shaking hands with Masato, Rin almost got a heart attack when Otoya grabbed both of his hands all of a sudden and shook them gratefully. "Thanks for helping us, Rin! I'll never forget what you've said and have done for Tokiya earlier! Definitely!"
"Okay… umm, you are…?"
"I'm Ittoki Otoya! Nice to meet you! Just call me Otoya!"
"Sure, but I'll just call you Otoya-senpai since you're my senior…"
Loudly, Shining cleared his throat, calling everyone's attention. "Well, since we've already solved what we should do about Mister Ichinose, let me show you what Mister Matsuoka is capable of doing as Tokiya's replacement in order to lessen your doubts now!"
The president stood up and looked at Syo.
"Mister Kurusu, choose any song, and Mister Matsuoka will sing and will dance to the beat of your chosen song perfectly until the very end of it while I play its music video without the voice of its singer behind him."
All of the idols shouted "WHAT?!" except Ai, Camus, Tokiya (who just looked shocked) and Rin (who looked prepared and calm).
"That's insane, Shining-san! Ai-Ai is the only one I know who can do that impossible task, but to give that task to a rookie-"
Rin interrupted Reiji resolutely. "I will do it. If I can't do this after a year of Spartan training with someone crazy and without fulfilling my promise to the one I admire, then coming here will be meaningless."
"Eh…? But Rin-Rin[2]…"
"Please don't call me that," groaned Rin with an embarrassed face.
"You sure have guts, Rin!" A grinning Syo looked at Rin straight in the eyes. "If you're so determined to prove yourself to us…, perform 'BLACK OR WHITE' by TempterS!"
The tapping against the microphone resounded inside the Sea Dolphin Café, catching every customer's attention. All of them glanced at the small stage where Saeki and Taira were. Still wearing their disguises, Saeki tested the microphone with various clicks of his tongue before greeting the audience under the spotlight. "Good afternoon, dear customers of Sea Dolphin Café! Today, the owner of this esteemed café agreed to host a special event – a singing match between two passionate singers with their partners as keyboardists!"
The customers roared with excitement after the announcement was made. While Saeki was explaining the rules and the judging criteria of the match, Ren listened to the proud idol at the backstage with an amused look. "Talk about major personality change. He really is a trained idol to be able to hide his true dark colors like that."
"I agree…," said Haruka with an unreadable expression on his face. Ren's amused mood suddenly turned into a serious one when he saw Haruka's hands shaking a bit.
"Are you nervous, Iruka-kun?"
"No…"
"Don't lie. A composer, who has a complete trust with his partner, wouldn't have trembling hands."
Haruka put his hands immediately behind his back. However Ren managed to hold the left one. The black-haired composer glared at him with wavering eyes. "Let go of my hand."
"No."
"Let it go…!"
"Not until you tell me your worries right now as my partner."
"…" Haruka bit his lower lip in hesitation before he finally relented. "…Makoto."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Makoto? Are you talking about Tacchi?"
He nodded. "Yes. He is always my partner back then when I was still studying at Saotome Academy. Even now, he's still my partner."
"So, you're not comfortable having a new partner?"
"Yes…," he admitted sulkily, making Ren chuckle.
"If that's the case, I'll make sure then that you'll be comfortable enough with me as your new partner, even though it's a shame that I'm not your first."
Haruka glanced at him, feeling a bit comforted by his words. "Sempai…"
"But being your second one doesn't sound bad at all. I promise that I'll be gentle with you."
Slowly, the orange-haired idol caressed his head as if he was a precious glass sculpture that could break anytime with one wrong move. With a blushing face, Haruka slapped Ren's hand away with his free hand. "Stop that. You are making me feel more cautious when you're near me, sempai."
Ren laughed. "Still grumpy~! Then, is holding your hand the only reassurance allowed to strengthen our new bond as partners?"
As Haruka imagined the warmth that he was feeling right now would disappear instantly from his hand, he felt nervous again, causing his hands to quiver for a second. At that moment when Ren felt him squeezing his hand, the older idol smiled at him with mellow eyes and squeezed his cold hand back reassuringly.
"Everything will be fine, Iruka-kun. I'm here to help you if something goes wrong. Just trust me and yourself. Also, have more confidence with your skills as a composer."
"But… I only know one song of yours, sempai. Can I really play it well if I heard it only once…?"
Knowing that Haruka hadn't probably heard any of his songs yet, Ren stared at the composer with wide eyes. He was planning to sing a very common folk song so Haruka wouldn't have any problem playing the keyboard later, but he never thought that Haruka knew one of his songs. "You… What is the title of the song?"
"A Devil's Kiss is more Intense than Flames."
Upon hearing the title of the song, Ren froze. That song wasn't released to the public since it was still incomplete. Before Nanami died, she only gave him the piano-arranged music. He recalled that he immediately made lyrics for it and recorded his singing with the music so she could listen to it on her birthday, but it didn't reach her two years ago after that accident... How did Haruka manage to hear that song?
"Where did you-?"
Abruptly, the cheers of the audience became louder outside, distracting both of them from their talk, after Saeki finally announced that Taira and he were the first pair to perform onstage.
"And without further ado, please enjoy our performance – BLACK OR WHITE by TempterS~!"
After Syo chose the song, Shining Saotome pulled out a long remote control from his coat and began pushing its buttons furiously until a water-like holographic screen (which was large enough to fit the four corners of the whole office) showed up behind Rin, who was standing at the center of the room with a concentrated expression on his face.
"Why does this feel like… déjà vu?" mumbled Syo when he saw the holographic screen.
Realizing that he remembered it vaguely, Reiji chuckled and tried to refresh his memory. "Don't you recall the time when we, your seniors, appeared suddenly in front of you after Shining showed you our music video of 'Poison Kiss' on your first day?"
"Ah, I remember now!" the short idol cried out and then looked at Ai with a red face as he mumbled, "I also recall that moment when he put his ear close to my chest… I thought I was going to die from a heart attack!"
Noticing Syo's attention on him, Ai tilted his head to the right quizzically and asked, "Why are you looking at me, Syo?"
"N-Nothing!"
Ai blinked emotionlessly as he watched Syo hiding behind Otoya. "Is that so?"
"Mikaze, can you check Matsuoka's overall capabilities as an idol with your body scanner right now?" asked Camus beside him.
"Yes."
Ai's eyes glowed as he performed a thorough body scan on Rin by staring at the burgundy-haired idol's whole body, from head to toe. The data results popped inside his head within five seconds. There was a big 50% blinking in front of him that others couldn't see.
"The total percentage of his overall capabilities right now as an idol is 50%."
"50%?" Camus snorted. "I'm beginning to question now whether our president's decision of choosing him as Ichinose's replacement is just out of desperation in saving STARISH or out of pity for him."
"Or maybe this kid has a hidden talent that Shining-san has already witnessed," added Reiji, observing how composed Rin was despite the hard trial that Shining had set up for him. "Let's see what you can do, Rin-Rin."
As the title of the chosen song appeared on the screen, the burgundy-haired idol imitated the starting pose of Shindou Saeki at the beginning of the music video – eyes closed, body bent a bit low, head lowered down, right hand touching the bowler hat on his head (to prevent it from falling down), left hand resting on his hips, and right leg moved forward a bit. When the first beat of the song had finally started, he began to tap his right foot on the floor and to move his head up-and-down repeatedly, according to the tempo of the song. After a few beats, he started to sing.
"I know you think it's never enough
As if to search you here and there, I'm feelin' you up
Tell me what you're thinkin' bout"
As soon as they heard him sing, they realized quickly why he was chosen as Tokiya's replacement.
"His singing voice… sounds so similar to Tokiya's!" the red-haired idol thought with a surprised expression on his face. "I can't believe that there are people who have the same voice as someone else…"
Then Rin began to dance on sync with Saeki, who was onscreen, as if he was the chocolate-haired idol's reflection. With Michael Jackson-like dance moves, he continued singing.
"Say you want me baby girl
If I may outstretch this hand that won't let go of you
Is it YES or NO is itBLACK OR WHITE?
Can I get my hopes up YES OR NO? I can't tell
What should we do after this?
If I may reach out to your lips
Is it YES or NO is it BLACK OR WHITE?
Can I get my hopes up YES OR NO?I can't tell"
Ever since the song had started, the customers in the café were already dancing and singing along merrily as if they were under the spell of Taira's keyboard playing. While dancing and toying with the microphone stand lazily, Saeki sang the first verse of the song flirtatiously without glancing away from Haruka, who was watching the performance at the backstage.
"Oh, because it's the straightforward you who I can't throw away
Kinda tired, your strategy of swaying back and forth
Is a seesaw game-like balance
My heart swaying and floating in the air
I've also had that feeling before
Feeling like something is precious
But it looks like it's already time for the countdown
My heart beating fast for the first time
Pulsating so loud you might hear it"
Suddenly, the ocean blue-eyed composer got pulled into the tempters' realm as he continued to get drowned by Taira's music and Saeki's voice. Sitting on a silky bed, he felt delightful shivers running down his spine as four hands behind him began to caress his body, causing him to moan for more.
"I know you think it's never enough
My hesitant fingertips
As if to search you here and there, are feelin' you up
Tell me what you're thinkin' bout
As I thought, you want more
I'm ready for you right now"
Saeki and Taira extended each of their hands in front of Haruka. Taking both of their hands, the composer was embraced by the idols and received hot kisses all over his body from them.
"Say you want me baby girl
If I may outstretch this hand that won't let go of you
Is it YES or NO is itBLACK OR WHITE?
Can I get my hopes up YES OR NO? I can't tell
What should we do after this?
If I may reach out to your lips
Is it YES or NO is it BLACK OR WHITE?
Can I get my hopes up YES OR NO? I can't tell"
When Saeki noticed that Haruka was finally starting to become affected by their tempting song, he grinned triumphantly and sent a seductive wink and a flying kiss to the dazed composer. Ren saw him doing it and became competitive. He wouldn't lose when it came to flirting!
"Stop making such a lewd face, Iruka-kun~," purred Ren softly, waking a flushed Haruka from the fantasy he had been pulled into, as Ren hugged him from behind and bit his ear gently with his teeth.
"Ahh…!"
"!"
For Ren, it was only meant as a small teasing to the composer, but after hearing such a sexy moan from his partner, the orange-haired idol's weak self-restraint had shut down completely. Quickly, he dragged Haruka into the nearest changing room so no one could see them and began licking his ear feverishly.
"Ahh~! Stop…!"
At that moment, Ren didn't care anymore if Haruka was a guy.
According to Rin's Spartan instructor, great concentration and keen observation were needed in order to copy someone else's dance moves.
"First, use your concentration in following the dancer's movements as if you're a mirror. It's fine if you are lagging from the start, but don't forget to observe the dance pattern of the dancer! Observation is the necessary skill to catch up with the dancer's speed and movements. Remember that every dance has a basic pattern and every song has a fixed tempo. If you finally determined its pattern and tempo, you're invincible!"
Those words of his instructor echoed inside his head as he continued to copy Saeki's dance moves skillfully. It was his first time seeing the music video of TempterS. If he could keep up with the dancer now without difficulties, then he was doing great! However when it comes to singing…
"Are you an idiot?! Of course, there's no way you can determine the song lyrics if you're trying to sing it for the first time! Listen, songs are made by individuals so they're as unique as us! If you want to sing along or to lip-sync, then try to listen first to the song many times and memorize the lyrics until you can sing it with an empty head!"
Rin felt like vomiting as he remembered the days when he needed to memorize ten songs perfectly before he could eat a proper meal. If he recalled correctly, he listened to 'BLACK OR WHITE' a hundred times now already so there was no way he would ever forget a single line in the lyrics! And finally, the last important thing when you were performing was…
"Emotion – it's the most essential ingredient in every action we do as a performer. In performing arts, a performance without any emotion in it is the worst thing to show to the audience. You'll just be a laughingstock on the stage. If you want the audience to acknowledge you, show your emotions in every movement you make!"
With passion and confidence, he continued to move his body to the beat of the song and sang.
"Saying it's love is a bit too fast
Saying it's affection is a bit too stiff
So which one of these is the truth to your real self?"
"I know you think it's never enough
If you touched me, I'm sure you'd feel it
As if to search you here and there, I'm feelin' you up
Tell me what you're thinkin' bout
If you wish for it, I'll show you more
I'm ready for you right now"
"Say you want me baby girl
If I may outstretch this hand that won't let go of you
Is it YES or NO is itBLACK OR WHITE?
Can I get my hopes up YES OR NO?I can't tell
What should we do after this?
If I may reach out to your lips
Is itYES or NO is itBLACK OR WHITE?
Can I get my hopes up YES OR NO? I can't tell"
"I know you think it's never enough…
I know you think it's never enough…
I know you think it's never enough…
I know you think it's never enough…"
With unbelieving eyes, the idols just stared at Rin while Shining was shouting, "BRAVO!" merrily after the song had ended. Even though Rin was still a rookie, his passion and confidence as an idol were already like a pro's. There was no question now why Shining had chosen him as Tokiya's replacement. Together with him, reviving STARISH right away would be possible!
Trying to break free from Ren's arms, Haruka breathed with a helpless face. "Sempai…, stop…," as Ren assaulted his exposed neck with wet kisses inside the cramped dressing room. The performance of TempterS was going to be over soon so Haruka was trying to bring Ren back to his senses, but to no avail, he still couldn't stop Ren's lust.
Ren released a hot breath against his neck before whispering, "It's your fault for looking so defenseless earlier. Don't forget that there is also a devil beside you."
Hungrily, he trailed kisses down Haruka's neck. The black-haired composer felt terrified yet unusually aroused as Ren began caressing his body with warm hands. After several strokes on his chest, Ren's hands started to glide lower and lower until they were already on his shivering hips. Confused by the unknown urges that he was suddenly feeling within him, Haruka couldn't help but cry. He didn't know what to do while letting a man, whom he was only beginning to trust, had his way with him without trying to explain these things to him.
"Stop…! Please, Jinguuji-sempai…!"
As Ren felt the tears dripping on his hands, his sky blue irises shrank in terror. Slowly, he let go of Haruka, who slumped on the ground, when he finally regained some of his rationality. He felt ashamed of himself when he realized that he already did something horrible to Haruka without his consent. Plus, they were in a café and would perform right after TempterS's performance, so this wasn't the right time and place to let his desire overtake him. He was here to help the composer win the match and get out of here with him.
Kneeling down, Ren faced a crying Haruka guiltily. He already stained Haruka's trust in him, and maybe he might not be forgiven anymore by Haruka, but still, he wanted to be with this person. Haruka really reminded him of Nanami so he wanted to help him so badly. He couldn't afford to lose someone special again!
"Sorry, Iruka-kun… I'm so sorry," he apologized sincerely as he wiped the tears away from Haruka's eyes with his thumbs. While cupping the composer's warm cheeks, he rested his head against Haruka's as he swore to him, "I'll never do that again so don't cry anymore… I'm willing to do anything in order to atone for what I've done wrong… So, please be your usual grumpy self again, Iruka-kun…!"
"…Anything?" the composer murmured weakly, giving him some hope.
"Yeah…! Anything you want!"
"…"
When he felt Haruka holding his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, Ren never knew that that simple gesture could make his heart swell so much in relief.
"Thank goodness…," he thought gladly as he tried to hold back his tears of joy.
As soon as the song of TempterS had finally come to an end and the cheers of the crowd had become louder, Haruka stopped crying and stood up weakly before speaking in a soft tone. "Then I'll take up your offer now, sempai…"
Ren nodded willingly. "Okay, I understand. What is it that you want now?"
With a quivering voice, the composer pointed the bulge in his pants with a desperate look. "I-I don't know how to deal with this…"
Ren froze. "Eh…?"
"When you were touching me earlier, I really freaked out because I don't know what's happening with my body…, so can you help me fix this, sempai?" said Haruka directly.
Ren felt his blood rushing up to his head after learning how innocent the composer was. He'd done a really bad thing! "You… You've never touched your manhood before to relieve yourself?"
"Huh? Why? Is it required for men to do that daily?"
Ren palmed his face. He didn't know where to start or how to explain things to the young composer. If he let this kind of conversation continue, he might lose control of himself again. And having an erection, too, of all times, was already making his resolve waver!
"We'll just talk about that later, Iruka-kun. For the meantime, just try to hide that with this."
Swiftly, he grabbed Haruka's coat and tied it around the composer's waist. He made sure that it was hanging sideways to cover the bulge. He also did the same to himself with his own coat. Hopefully their erections would calm down during their performance. After they went out of the small dressing room, he recalled suddenly the song that they would perform.
"By the way, how did you know one of my songs, Iruka-kun?"
"One of your songs…? Ah, Ichinose-sempai gave me his mp3 player yesterday and I just happened to listen to a song of yours before I went to sleep last night," the composer explained while recalling how beautiful the song was even though the music arrangement wasn't complete.
After hearing Haruka's answer, Ren did recall that Tokiya had a habit of saving their songs in his mp3 player.
"He gave it to Iruka-kun, huh?" he thought, stifling a chuckle. He'd never dreamed that Tokiya also developed quickly a soft spot for Haruka. Well, Haruka did save him from drowning and all yesterday. But, he had no intention of giving up Haruka to his fellow idol or to anyone else that will make a move on the ocean blue-eyed boy.
"And that's it for our performance as the first competing pair, ladies and gentlemen~! Let's call now the next and last competing pair this afternoon! Come up to the stage now, you two!"
When they heard that it was their turn to perform, he outstretched his hand to his partner with a confident smirk. "Let's go now and win this match, Iruka-kun!"
Taking his hand hesitantly, Haruka nodded with slight uncertainty. "Yes."
"Nagisa-kun, we should've notified Haruka-san and Makoto-san about our visit before barging inside their apartment!" complained Rei while Nagisa and he were standing in front of the door of Haruka and Makoto's apartment.
"Come on, Rei-chan~! There's no time for formalities like that! We should just surprise them right away that we've managed to get accepted to the Master Course~! I bet their eyes will fall out once they heard our good news!" said Nagisa, opening the door excitedly.
"But…!"
"Sorry for intruding~!" beamed Nagisa as he entered the apartment, ignoring Rei's complaints.
"Ah! This isn't beautiful at all! We're just like trespassers right now, aren't we?!" shouted Rei out of frustration as he followed Nagisa inside the apartment.
"Stop minding the small stuff, Rei-chan, or else you'll get wrinkles in no time!"
"That's not beautiful, too…," he moaned as he imagined himself having wrinkles.
"Mako-chan~! Haru-chan~! Where are you~?" the fluffy-haired boy asked loudly as he searched for his friends at every corner until he found Makoto, sitting on the bed while having a serene expression on his face. "Mako-chan…?"
When Rei also spotted Makoto like that, he showed a confused look. "What happened to Makoto-san…?"
"It looks like he's listening happily to something with… this!" said Nagisa as he picked the small device on Makoto's lap. After Nagisa pushed the pause button and removed the earphones from Makoto's ears, Makoto opened his eyes lazily as if he had just woken up from a long dream.
"Eh…? What happened…?" he mumbled drowsily while massaging his temple. When he saw Nagisa and Rei standing in front of him, his eyes bulged with surprise. "Nagisa! Rei! What are you two doing here? And how did you manage to enter here?!"
"The door is open, so we entered~!" replied Nagisa before sticking out his tongue cutely.
Makoto gasped in terror. "Open…?! But that's-!"
Abruptly, he recalled that Haruka left so he didn't lock the door. "By the way, is Haru already here?"
Rei and Nagisa stared at each other for a second before shaking their heads to him.
"No. We didn't see him, Makoto-san."
Makoto felt panicked. Looking at the wall clock nervously, he discovered that Haruka had been gone for two hours now. There was no way buying mackerels would take Haruka for an hour or so!
"I'll look for Haru, so stay here for the meantime, guys!" he cried out as he grabbed a coat on the top of his baggage and wore it before rushing out of the apartment in a jiffy.
"Eh?! Mako-chan, wait!"
Nagisa threw the mp3 player to Rei as he tried to stop Makoto, but he couldn't keep up with Makoto's long strides. As he exited the apartment, he could no longer see any sign of Makoto.
"Mako-chan…," he murmured sadly, not knowing what was happening.
"Nagisa-kun! I know now the reason why Makoto looked so happy when he was listening to this thing!" shouted Rei as he ran towards him with an excited look.
"What is it, Rei-chan?" he asked without energy.
"Listen to this song! Here!"
Upon plugging one of the earphones to Nagisa's left ear and letting him hear the song from the mp3 player for a moment, Rei anticipated the big sparkles on Nagisa's pink eyes.
"Whoa~! It's STARISH!"
Haruka didn't know that standing in front of the keyboard could be nerve-wracking if you didn't remember the notes of a certain song precisely after hearing it only once. It felt like not memorizing the whole lyrics of the song at all if ever he was a singer. This kind of tense situation… made him want to run away. But, how? He was already on the stage. And his body wouldn't move. He couldn't escape now!
"Iruka-kun, are you okay?"
After hearing Ren's worried voice, he realized suddenly that his hands were shaking horribly.
"I-I'm okay…," he stuttered, trying to act fine, so Ren could focus on his part as a singer.
"But you're trembling!" whispered Ren almost angrily.
"I already told you that I'm okay-"
"KAITO~! I'M BACK~!"
A tomboyish shout, coming from the entrance, caught all of the attention of the people inside the café.
"Who's that…? Her voice seems familiar…'" murmured one of the customers curiously as he stared at the short yet slender female foreigner, who had shaggy chestnut hair, a pair of black sunglasses, a fair complexion and punk-style clothes, marching towards the tanned owner of the café with a goofy grin on her face.
"Long time no see! How have you been?" she added, her Japanese a bit rough to the ears.
"Stop shouting like that, Andy! You'll ruin the performance – and hey, that's the cool sunglasses I've bought last year! So, you're the one who stole it!" complained Matsushita Kaito, who had shoulder-length dark blue hair and brown eyes, as he removed the sunglasses from her face, revealing her deep violet eyes.
Upon hearing her name and seeing her whole face, all of the people (except Kaito) froze in shock.
A geek-looking guy managed to speak despite the overwhelming emotion he was feeling upon realizing that he was seeing an international idol in the flesh. "A-A-Andy?! As in the great Andy Ibara who won the 'Best Solo Artist of the Year' Award at the annual International Pop Music Festival for three straight years now?!"
The tomboy struck a pose as she put a hand on her hips while raising up her other hand into the air. "Yup! I'm Andy Ibara, ready to rock your world~!"
After confirming her identity, the whole café was in chaos as people began to push themselves towards her just to get pictures, handshakes and autographs from her. Kaito palmed his face at the ensuing scene, blaming himself that he shouldn't have removed the sunglasses from her.
"What is an international pop star from Australia doing here…?" mumbled Ren as he watched her making her way onto the small stage while avoiding her fans. As soon as she reached the stage, she looked at Ren with a tired face.
"Did I disrupt your performance, boy?" she asked.
"No. We're just about to start when you appeared, Miss Andy. Do not worry about us," answered Ren courteously, causing her to smile excitedly.
"Good! Then can I perform first?"
"Eh?"
She joined her hands together as she begged, "Please! Just this once! I need, no…, I must do something to quell Kaito's anger! I already caused too much damage to his beloved café! I'll do a special performance now to pay him back!"
"Is that so…? Okay, you can perform first, Miss Andy. Ladies first, right?"
"Yes! Thanks, boy! I'll treat you later, okay?"
"Ah, no need! Thank you for the offer, though."
"Don't be shy! Then can I also borrow your keyboardist there?"
Haruka's eyes widened up when she took notice of him. His hands shook more.
"Ah, you mean Iruka-kun?" Ren glanced worriedly at his partner, who was still nervous. "I think he's still not yet comfortable playing the keyboard in front of many people, so… would you like me to call another keyboardist for you?
"No, thanks." Andy's eyes became sharper as she noticed Haruka's apparent nervousness. "Is this his first time onstage?"
"Yes."
"I see…"
After understanding Haruka's situation, she approached the black-haired composer and held his trembling hands with hers. Many fans got jealous when they saw that, including Ren.
"Try to take a deep breath, Iruka-kun," she advised. "You might collapse here if you don't calm down. You don't want to trouble your partner, do you?"
At the corner of his eye, Haruka tried to glance at Ren discreetly, but Ren was already looking at him so they stared at each other for awhile. Locking eyes with his partner, Haruka realized that aside from worry in Ren's eyes, there was also something that was burning there… something that pushed him to have faith in himself.
"Everything will be fine, Iruka-kun. I'm here to help you if something goes wrong. Just trust me and yourself. Also, have more confidence with your skills as a composer."
Recalling Ren's words back then when the idol held his hand at the backstage, his eyes widened up in self-realization.
"He believes in me…!" he thought, taking hold of himself finally. Just like what Andy had told him, he took a deep breath and then exhaled. He repeated it a few times until the nervousness disappeared slowly within him.
Andy smiled when she saw that his hands were not shivering anymore. "Feeling better?"
"Yes. Thank you for helping me," he said gratefully with a small smile.
"You're welcome. Well, since you've just recovered from your nervousness, I'll perform by myself."
He blinked. "Eh? By yourself?"
"Yeah. I may not look like it, but I'm pretty good as a keyboardist," she declared proudly with folded arms. However, she sighed all of a sudden.
"I might mess up a bit, though, since I haven't played it for awhile now, but oh well! I'll just do some trick or something! So just sit back, relax and enjoy my free performance, Iruka-kun!"
After being returned to the backstage forcefully, Haruka just followed her suggestion and took a seat near the stage. He pouted slightly when he forgot to tell her that his name wasn't 'Iruka-kun'. Out of nowhere, Ren sat beside him and took hold of his hand quickly.
"Sempai, why are you holding my hand again?"
"For reassurance," the idol answered, squeezing Haruka's hand. "If there's something I learned today after being with you, then it would be the fact that you're trying too hard all by yourself, Iruka-kun. You need someone who'll remind you that you're not alone anymore."
"Sempai…"
Even though it was nice knowing that there was someone here for him, Haruka couldn't help feeling that being alone was already a part of him. In everything he did – may it be swimming, composing, cooking and living – he has always been alone despite the fact that there were people around him. After all, he was the only one who must finish it all by himself in the end of the day. If there was a thing that was stressing him out, it would be the expectations thrown to him. If only people would stop expecting great things, maybe life would be much easier to bear. However life wasn't fair. Expectations were made so people would continue to evolve into more superior beings. But he didn't want that. He felt constricted by those things… All he wanted was… to be free on how he would grow… to do more amazing things by his own will, not because of others' wills!
As a composer, how could he be free now?
Abruptly, the lights became dim as Andy began playing the keyboard skillfully. The serene sounds were already luring Haruka into another world – a boundless blue sky. Then he felt himself floating there when Andy started to sing about the freedom he'd been searching for as the sounds became more alive and the lights became bright again behind her on the stage.
"Even in the middle of nowhere,
If you want to, you get out somewhere
Listen, listen to my voice.
Sing a song and the heavenly notes
May be falling with the seed of hope
Let you, let you rejoice."
"Everyday,
Through thick walls, over broad rivers,
Music always gets it over and reaches out to you.
Remember it,
For bad grief, for deep sorrow,
Little melodies will give the greatest cure, it's true."
"So try it out,
Whenever you are, we can sing a harmony.
Wherever you are, we can play a symphony.
Once you find your own part in tune, now
We are hand in hand.
Imagination joining and takes you to high flight,
Can't you just feel it?
Yes, you'll be free, so free to be, no limit,
Be free with music!"
"(Break free from chains you've been falling in
Get back the dreams you have given in
Don't stop yourself from believing in
All the possibilities you're living in)"
While Andy was repeating the last verse, the people around her began to jump and sing along with her wildly. Listening closely, Haruka felt like he already heard this song several times… Maybe when he was still a student back at Saotome Academy? Anyway, something was off… He did remember that the song was supposed to be… less energetic. Plus, the song was too fast…
His eyes widened up when he figured something out. "Did she intentionally change the tempo of the song?! But, why?"
Feeling like there was something that he was about to grasp in Andy's fast-paced performance, Haruka continued to let himself be immersed into the world that Andy was creating with her song.
"Surely we are under the same air.
If you want to, you get keys to share.
Open, open your blind mind. (Yeah!)
Sing a song in the bluish sky,
Melodies will show you how to fly.
Let me, let me remind you."
"Everyday,
On high clouds, across borders,
Music always gets it over and reaches out to you.
Remember it,
For sad tears, for tomorrow,
Little melodies will give the greatest cure, it's true."
"So try it out,
Whenever you are, we can sing a harmony.
Wherever you are, we can play a symphony.
Once you find your own part in tune, now
We are hand in hand.
Imagination joining and takes you to high flight.
Can't you just feel it?
Yes, you'll be free, so free to be, no limit,
Be free with music!"
"Feel the world inside of you.
No more loneliness, we'll never get
Heal the world. You know you can."
"(Break free from chains you've been falling in
Get back the dreams you have given in
Don't stop yourself from believing in
All the possibilities you're living in)"
"Whenever you are, you can lose the gravity.
Wherever you are, you can stay in unity.
Once you find music all around you,
We are hand in hand.
Imagination that joins us and leads you to the light,
Can't you just see it?
Yes, you'll be free, so free to be, no limit,
Just be yourself."
"Whenever you are, we can sing a harmony.
Wherever you are, we can play a symphony.
Once you find your own part in tune, now
We are hand in hand.
Imagination that joins us and takes you to high flight,
Can't you just feel it?
Yes, you'll be free, so free to be, no limit,
Be free with music!"
When the song ended, the crowd applauded and cried for an encore loudly to Andy, who was grinning like a kid that had a lot of fun. As for Haruka, it felt like he really joined hands with all of the audience inside the cafe and as they took flight together inside Andy's imagination, they experienced the true miracle of music through her energetic song. Also, he understood now why she played it differently… She wasn't the composer of the song. That's the reason why he couldn't recognize the song at first, yet she still played it as if she was the one who created it.
All along, the freedom that Haruka had been seeking as a composer was just right in front of him… It was music! And with music, he was free to play what kind of song he wanted people to hear! He thought music was already fixed… something that must be followed perfectly in order to play a song without any loose sound once it was created. But he was mistaken and Andy proved it to him just now! Music was something a composer could control by his own will, like a canvas where he could paint anything to create colorful images that he wanted people to see. If he needed to play a song that was made by someone else, then he just needed to alter its arrangement and play it freely like what he wanted to as if it was his own! Just like what Andy had done on the stage!
"Sempai!" he called out to his partner with enthusiasm, causing Ren to stare at him with bewilderment.
"Ah…? What is with the sudden energy, Iruka-kun?"
"Sing! Let me hear your song again with your voice!"
Ren gaped at him. "Huh?"
"I'll try altering the music arrangement of your song inside my head as soon as possible, so I need your cooperation, sempai!" explained Haruka, determined to play a song, which was made by someone else and was only heard once, for the first time as a composer.
OMAKE
After hearing Shining's announcement and introducing themselves to Rin, QUARTET NIGHT relaxed for awhile at the living room of the Master Course dorm before going back to their unfinished work as idols. Ranmaru pondered about his idol having a son.
"I've never thought that Kiyoko-sama has a son… Well, she did mention back then that she got herself a husband during an interview, so having a son is only natural…," mumbled Ranmaru absentmindedly as he sank himself onto the sofa.
"Kiyoko-sama…?" Reiji repeated the name with a sweat-drop as he stared at his fellow idol. She was really being worshipped by rock music lovers… Wondering what she looked like, he recalled Rin's pointy teeth. "By the way, did you notice how pointy Rin-Rin's teeth are? Does his mom have pointy teeth, too, Ran-Ran?"
"No."
"According to the results of his body scan earlier, Rin's teeth are as pointy as a shark's," informed Ai while reading the latest idol magazine.
Reiji shivered after hearing how pointy they were. "Whoa~! Scary! I'm beginning to wonder now how the heck he got those dangerous teeth! Is his father a shark?!"
Suddenly, Ranmaru's eyes widened up after recalling something. "Ah! I remember now why Kiyoko-sama decided to get married with that ordinary guy!"
"Huh? She married a commoner…? Why then?" asked Camus, surprising the other QUARTET NIGHT members.
"Myu-chan, don't tell me you're also a fan of-"
"Not a chance," he denied quickly and drank his tea with a slightly flushed face. "Despite her title as 'Divine Diva', I don't have any whatsoever interest on her. She's just an ordinary woman now after retiring as an idol."
"Pfft…! Yeah, right." Reiji snickered. Abruptly, he earned a painful jab on the stomach from Camus's silver scepter. "Aw! That hurts, Myu-chan~!"
"My bad."
"That doesn't sound apologetic at all! Anyway, why did she decide to marry that common guy, Ran-Ran?"
Ranmaru answered nonchalantly, "Because she found his lover's pointy teeth really charming and didn't want him to get snatched away by another girl."
"Eh?! No way! Then Rin-Rin got his pointy teeth from his dad?!" laughed Reiji in disbelief.
Then they heard Camus's teacup fell on the floor.
"….."
There was a long silence among them until Ai spoke up.
"According to my observation, you're really a fan of hers, too, Camus. But, it's too bad that she fancies guys with pointy teeth."
"Shut up, Mikaze," the duke grumbled while avoiding eye contact with his fellow idols.
A/N: That's it for chapter 5! I enjoyed writing the appearance of QUARTET NIGHT~! I even made an omake because their way of conversing with one another is so amusing! And Tokiya isn't fired yet! I don't have the heart to cast him away. o(T_T)o
And out of desperation for some yaoi action, I let Ren have his way with Haruka a little… Just a little, and I'm satisfied. I'll show an innocent Haruka many more BL scenes that he has yet to see (and experience) in the near future. I'll need to build up the trust he needed first, though. (*^w^*)
I also introduced another OC here named Andy Ibara. She's actually half-Australian and half-Japanese who grew up in Australia. She always visits Japan when she has free time, but she's having a hard time learning Japanese so her way of speaking Japanese is still rough. Wanna guess what is her role in this story?
As Haruka finally found that there is great freedom with what he's doing as a composer, will he be able to pull off the song that he wanted to perform with Ren? Look forward to the next chapter, dear readers!
Reviews and suggestions are greatly appreciated~! See you next time~! ^^
Some Additional Info:
[1] 'Adore' and 'Trigger' are insert songs from the anime, 'Charlotte'. The songs are performed by ZHIEND, a fictional band from the said anime. After seeing Sala Shane, the vocalist of ZHIEND, her looks are exactly what I've imagined when I made Rin's mom, so when I pondered about what songs did Kiyoko sing as an idol in this chapter, I instantly wrote the titles of these two songs.
[2] Rin really dislikes the nickname, Rin-Rin, even to the point of making it as one of his reasons for transferring to Iwatobi Elementary School (according to the light novel, 'High Speed!').