...
Love wo kanjiro
Love ni moero
Love wo shinjro
Love Is All, QUARTET NIGHT
I clap my hands lazily.
"Amazing, great, wonderful. Can I go now?" The members of Quartet Night straighten themselves up from their poses. Ranmaru flashes a glare in my direction, Camus narrows his eyes, Ai looks on blankly, and Reiji whines.
"Come on, Se-chan!" he says. "Show more of a reaction, will you?"
"I did. I said it was fine. Or did you want me to say it was bad?" Reiji frowns.
"I can't tell if you're telling the truth or not," he complains. "You should try being more sincere, Se-chan." I see myself sigh in the mirror of the practice room.
"You're the one who dragged me here, Reiji. If that's all, I'm going to leave."
"Wait! At least give us your opinion!"
"You want my opinion?" I deadpan. I couldn't control myself anymore, and words burst out of my mouth. "I don't like the arrangement of the instrumentals," I say bluntly. "It doesn't fit the lyrics. Right now it's kind of… creepy. I think whoever remixed this was trying to go for a mysterious tone. Personally, I wanted to get a more upbeat song that still gives you a kind of chill. Overall, the person who remixed this is an idiot," I concluded. Ranmaru frowns.
"Who remixed it?"
"Who knows? I would have done it myself, but the president didn't give me much time to turn the song in." I frown as well.
"Oh." Reiji drags the sound out, looking like he had just understood something. "So that's why you're in such a bad mood. You hate it when someone messes with your music." I try to resist the urge to blow up in his stupid smiling face. He flees to hide behind Ranmaru, who is not impressed.
"Ranran, Se-chan's being scary!" he cries out.
"Anyway, put that song on hold for now." I leave the room and start walking away.
"...She's going to go rearrange it, huh?" I hear Reiji's voice say in an audible whisper.
"Yeah," says Ranmaru.
"It's her song," Camus states.
Ai hums in agreement.
"We need to turn it in by this afternoon!" Reiji calls out.
I twitch.
"Shut up! That's not it!" I reach my room and slam the door shut.
Knock, knock. I ignore the sound and concentrate on the computer. Knock, knock, knock. The sound persistently continues. My hands fly faster on the keyboard and dart to the mouse. Finally, I press one last button, and a CD is ejected from a slot. Knock, Kno—
Reiji jumps back as I open the door violently.
"What is it?" I growl. He laughs nervously.
"Um… we came to see how you were doing? You've been holed up in your room for the last few hours and we got worried." I look behind him at the other three who look as if they were wasting their time. Reiji follows my gaze. "...Not that they'll admit it." I release a sigh and thrust the clear CD case into his hands.
"Here. That's what you came for, right?" The members of QUARTET NIGHT are suddenly interested and gather around the disc labeled in my messy handwriting.
Poison Kiss
SENA
"Thank you, Se-chan!" Reiji says cheerily.
"Right. Now go… away…" I trail off as a bout of dizziness comes over me, and brace myself against the doorway. Shoot. Must have looked at the computer screen for too long, is my last thought before I black out.
I wake up and see the familiar white ceiling of my room. I sit up and glance at the clock on my bedside table. It's only been a few minutes, I notice. Hearing voices in the kitchen connected to my room, I swing my legs over the bed and stand up before walking towards the entryway.
"Aw, Ranran!" Reiji. "You're so cute! Making lunch for Se-chan."
"Shut up. You're annoying." Ranmaru.
"I agree." Ai.
"Why do I have to be here?" Camus.
"She worked really hard on that song for us!" Reiji exclaims. "We should—"
I reach the entrance of the kitchen.
"Your voice is annoying, Reiji," I say. "Why are you still here?" Reiji wilts like a kicked puppy. He even sniffles.
"Se-chan~" I sigh again.
"Anyway, what is this?" The this I was referring to was QUARTET NIGHT. Camus is sitting on my couch with a teacup in hand. Where he got it was anyone's guess. I don't own any, that's for sure. Ai is lounging at the counter with Reiji while Ranmaru is wearing… an apron? And not just any apron. A frilly, pink one with white lace. I turn away quickly, my shoulders shaking and a hand slapped over my mouth.
"Hey," Ranmaru growls.
"Y-yeah?" I try to speak with a straight face.
"Here." I turn around to see that Ranmaru has taken his apron off and is holding out a bowl of curry and rice. He looks away pointedly and scratches his cheek.
"The song sounded… better." I reach out to take the plate with a small smirk.
"I see. I'm glad to hear that." I look down at the curry. "Your cooking looks as good as usual, Ran."
"Don't call me that."
"Hm, this reminds of the old days when we used to play together and the only thing you could make were cookies." I pout. "You let me call you Ran then." Ranmaru grunts, a slightly red tinge dusting across his nose.
"You two are so adorable!" Reiji cries out. We turn to him as one.
"You're too loud," we say in unison.
"Wah, you're so mean to your elders," he says. "And don't do that! Both of your gazes combined are really scary!"
"Could have fooled me," I say. Then, I smirk. "That's right, you're almost ten years older than me. You should start acting like it, oji-san." Reiji looks shocked and freezes, his mouth opening and closing uselessly. Oji-san, he mouths in disbelief. Feeling satisfied, I sit down on the couch next to Camus, the only available seat, and start eating the curry. It was delicious.
Haruka glances at the cover of the magazine curiously. Her friend had it tucked under her arm as she chattered about the Master Course.
"Tomo-chan, what is that?" she asks.
"Hm?" Tomochika says. "Oh! That's an exclusive on SENA." Haruka cocks her head to the side blankly.
"SENA?" Her friend looks at her disbelievingly.
"You don't know SENA?" she exclaims. "No way. Haruka, you're really behind the times, aren't you…" Haruka laughs sheepishly. Tomochika takes a deep breath.
"Okay, this." She jabs her finger at the magazine. "Is SENA." Haruka looks down at the cover. There is a person displayed on it with one eye closed, and the other opened, a shade of blue that looks a little familiar. Long blond hair with subtle pink highlights is messily tied back, and SENA's lips are curved into a slight smile, head turned to the side and glancing up at the camera. Multiple silver accessories decorated the person's ears. A cool beauty, is her first thought. But—
"Um… " Haruka tilts her head again. "Is SENA… a girl? Or a boy…"
"That's it!" Tomochika cries out. "That's the mystery! Both SENA's voice and appearance are androgynous, so no one knows the truth. And the agency won't release their gender either."
"Huh…"
"Some say that they're too pretty to be a guy. But others think they look too cool to be a girl. What do you think, Haruka?"
"Um, a girl… maybe?"
"Really? I thought it was a guy… Well, it's really hard to tell, I guess. Anyway, they got popular by releasing original songs through videos on the Internet. SENA joined the Shining Agency about a year ago."
"Oh, so they're our senpai?" Haruka says in surprise.
"Yup. SENA's part of the reason I chose to come to Saotome Gakuen. I really look up to them."
"Wow… That's amazing, Tomo-chan." Her friend turns the page. On one page, SENA seems to be looking out wistfully at something with their face propped up on one hand and their emotions unreadable. Their other eye is now open, revealing a color different from the left, a light green.
"They look really cool on this page," she observes.
The other page shows SENA sitting down and leaning against a tree, one arm slung over a knee and hair falling loose around their face as they tilt their head down.
"And kinda feminine on this one." Haruka still has question marks around her head.
"I can't tell which one SENA is at all~" she says. Tomo laughs.
"That's part of the reason why they're so popular. They attract both boys and girls as fans." She stuffs the magazine into her bag. "Anyway Haruka, don't you need to go greet your agency?" Realization strikes her.
"Ah! That's right."
"Come on, Se-chan!" I find myself being dragged by Reiji again.
"What now," I sigh. We're back in the same practice room again. Suddenly, the lights flicker, and there is a spotlight shining on the middle of the floor. With a dramatic flourish, Shining Saotome slowly floats to the ground. Where in the world did he even come from?!
"QUARTET NIGHT aaannd SENA," he prolongs the last syllable of my name as he talks. "You have submitted a wooondeerrrrful version of Poison Kiss. But I must see it with my own eyes." The spotlight now shines on Reiji, Ranmaru, Ai, and Camus. "Please show your neeeew sooonng, QUARTET NIGHT!" I hear the track I had just remixed start playing from the speakers. The members exchange glances, then begin their performance.
koe o kikasete…
kami o nabikase…
Ah… Lesson Of The Night
Slowly, slowly
yasashii hidarite
karamaru migite
ai no yukiba o
sagashite
tokei wa hora mienai furishite
tsuite koi yo ari no mama
mune ni mimi o atete mina yo
omae to no kyori ni kodou ga
Feeling, feeling, feeling
Ah…
kuruwasetai POISON KISS
Rocking hard, rocking Hard
torokete POISON KISS
More And More…And
towa ni POISON KISS
Ah… kokoro no mama
ataeyou POISON KISS
Love o kanjiro
Love ni moero
Love o shinjro
Love Is All, QUARTET NIGHT
Shining starts flying in the air again, suspended by wires.
"Veerry good," he says. "QUARTET NIGHT, you are assigned as STARISH's seniors."
"Wha—" Ranmaru starts.
"Sounds fun," Reiji says happily.
"I don't have time to look after peasants," states Camus.
Ai narrows his eyes and starts running through his data.
I can see where this is going, so I quickly try to make my escape by heading toward the door.
"SENA," Shining's voice booms, stopping me short. I turn around resignedly.
"...Yes?"
"You will be the composer of STARISH, Nanami Haruka's senpai." I nod dejectedly. "You will head to the main hall, where your charges await! Now then, farewell!" he cries out. The wires somehow pulls him out the window and into a waiting helicopter. His laugh fades into the distance. It is silent. Reiji quickly breaks it.
"Let's go guys!" he says excitedly. None of us share the same sentiment.
I lean against the wall, unseen by the other members of STARISH as I wait for QUARTET NIGHT to finish up their song. I observe the members, labeling them in my head.
A cheerful red head who seems to be the main mediator of the group. Ittoki Otoya. Seems nice enough.
A cool looking blue haired guy. Ichinose Tokiya. Used to be called Hayato.
Jinguuji Ren. One word: playboy.
Hijirikawa Masato. Stiff and traditional. Childhood friends with Jinguuji Ren.
Curly blond hair and a happy-go-lucky attitude. His personality does a 180 when he takes off his glasses. Shinomiya Natsuki.
Has a complex about his height and longs to be strong and "manly." Kurusu Syo.
Lastly, I turn to the lone girl.
Nanami Haruka. A talented composer with potential. All six boys wanted her to be their composer, so she formed the idea of making a group. Also the one I will be looking after. I observe them for a little more as Poison Kiss winds down to an end. Well that's no good, I think as I perceive the chemistry between all of them. Love is forbidden in the show business.
The last note of the song fades away. Camus had left while we headed to the hall, saying he had something to do, so it was only Reiji, Ranmaru, and Ai who remained. Almost my cue, I think as Tsukimiya Ringo and Hyuuga Ryuuya descend from the ceiling. I listen as they assign two people to each member of QUARTET NIGHT. But what about Camus? I wonder.
"Haru-chan, you'll be assigned to…"
"...Sena-chan," Ringo finishes. A person in the corner straightens up and steps out of the shadows, showing themselves to Haruka for the first time. Haruka gasps, remembering this person from the magazine Tomochika had showed her. A loose black hoodie is draped around their figure, hiding it's shape, and wire framed glasses are perched on their nose, half hiding heterochromatic eyes of green and blue. The person's golden hair messily cascades down their back to their waist, subtle pink highlights shining through.
"Yo," SENA greets. "You can just call me Sena, Haruka."
Haruka widened her eyes at how the person quickly referred to her informally without honorifics. Remembering her manners, she bowed. "I look forward to working with you, Sena-san."
I hear someone choke behind me. Oops. I didn't have a chance to tell him. Oh well. He knows now. I turn around.
"Hello, Syo." He points a finger at me and stutters.
"R-R-Rina?"
"It's nice to see you," I say. Suddenly realizing something, he snaps out of it and yells:
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Syo! Call me Nii-san!" There's silence. Then there's a synchronized shout from STARISH.
"WHAT?!" I ignore them.
"But you're the same height as me…"
"What does that have to do with anything?!" he sputters. "Besides, you call Kaoru Onii-san, and I'm the older twin!"
"But he's taller…"
"Like I said, what does that have to do with anything?!" Syo's face rapidly turns red, and I start to get worried he might combust. "And why didn't you tell me you'd be our senpai at the Master Course?" I shrug.
"I just found out a few minutes ago." He gapes at me, speechless.
Someone suddenly glomps me from behind, and I stumble from the extra weight.
"Ri-chan!" I hear Natsuki's voice say. I free myself of his arms and take a step back.
"Natsu," I say. "It's been a while." I reach out and swipe his glasses. "Hello Satsuki." I see his eyes begin to darken and quickly thrust the glasses back on his face. I turn to the members of STARISH. Now that I think of it, I should properly greet the unit my brother's in, right? I consider it for a moment, then bow to the group. "Thank you for taking care of my brother." They look stunned, and the redhead starts waving his hands frantically.
"Ah, no, you don't have to do that." I straighten up, but continue.
"Sorry if he's caused you any trouble." Syo has turned red again.
"He's a little on the short side, so he's a bit touchy about it—"
"I'm not short! And I don't want to be told that by you!"
"—And he kinda gets angry easily so I'm sure it must have bothered you some—"
"Rina!"
"—Oh, and he's also has a phobia of heights—"
"I'm over that!"
"Well anyway, I'm glad he seems to be doing well." Having said my piece I shuffle over to QUARTET NIGHT and whisper to them.
"So this means they're going to be living with us right?" Ai nods.
"And Haruka's going to be in my room?" Another nod.
"Hm… so I suppose that means they'll find out sooner or later…" I walk back over to STARISH and Haruka.
"Well, I guess I'll reintroduce myself and tell you everything then." Reiji reaches out.
"Wait, Se-chan. Is that okay?" I shrug.
"If the agency has any complaints, it's Shining's fault for sticking me with them." I turn to the members of STARISH. "I'm Kurusu Serina, also known as SENA. Syo is my older brother." I think to myself to see if I've missed anything. "Oh, and I'm a girl. I'd appreciate if you kept that a secret."
3… 2… 1…
"EHHHH?!"
Uta no Prince-Sama is a ridiculous anime. This is going to be a ridiculous story. But why not? It popped into my head and I wrote/typed it out. I have no idea where this is going as of yet. Let me know what you think.
The following are the random things that I thought of while I was writing this.
"You want my opinion?" I deadpan. "Well, first off, the arrangement of this sucks. I mean come on! I go through all this effort to create good melodies and harmonies and this guy who comes along and remixes it ruins it all!" I am literally spitting fire as Reiji tries to calm me down. "Overall, the person who remixed this. Is. An. Enormous. Idiot!"
I slam the door open and start storming down the hall.
"Se-chan, where are you going?"
"Nobody messes with my music!" I yell.
I hear someone choke behind me. Oops. I didn't have a chance to tell him. Oh well. He knows now. I turn around.
"Hello, Syo." He points a finger at me and stutters.
"R-R-Rina?"
"It's nice to see you," I say. Suddenly realizing something, he snaps out of it and yells:
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Syo! Call me Nii-san!" There's silence. Then there's a synchronized shout from STARISH.
"WHAT?!" I ignore them.
"But you're the same height as me…"
"What does that have to do with anything?!" he sputters. "Besides, you call Kaoru Onii-san, and I'm the older twin!" He sinks to the floor, depressed. "Both of you… Even Kaoru calls me Syo-chan… Do neither of you see me as an older brother?! Is it because I'm short?! Is that it?!" STARISH seems to be at a loss. Well except one.
"Now, now." Natsuki pats Syo's head. "Syo-chan is really cute, right?"
"DON'T TREAT ME LIKE A CHILD! AND I'M NOT CUTE, DAMMIT!"
"If the agency has any complaints, it's Shining's fault for sticking me with them." I turn to the members of STARISH. "I'm Kurusu Serina; my stage name is SENA. Syo is my older brother." I think to myself to see if I've missed anything. "Oh, and I'm a girl. I'd appreciate if you kept that a secret."
3...2...1…
saa Let's Song
yume wo utaou (Let's Shout!)
sora ni utaou (Let's Go!)
Hajikeru monogatari ni shichaimashou
mirai no chizu wo (Yes Yes) kimi to egakou
kono REBORYUUSHON (We Are)
Ikimashou (ST RISH)
ai wo Change The Star
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