When Hoshitani was in the interview process during auditions, he was a bit depressed, so he went to the outdoor stage to perform a song that was stuck in his head. Only… no one else saw this nor was there a fifth person who showed up during the interview.
Sighing, he went to his assigned room, only to find out that he was rooming with Nayuki. Smiling, they both settle in, Hoshitani encouraging Nayuki to not give up until the results come back. Nayuki doubts a bit, which Hoshitani notices right away. 'Even if he tries to hide it, it's fine. It's normal,' is what Hoshitani thought at the time.
The next morning, when all the first years gathered at the bulletin board, Nayuki sees that he got in, but Hoshitani didn't. Hoshitani just smiles, "Congrats, Nayuki." Nayuki frowns, "But-" Hoshitani keeps smiling, "Don't worry about me. It's fine. I just have to work harder. I'll catch up before you know it!" Nayuki smiles, "O-OK!" Hoshitani nods, and they leave, preparing themselves for the next day.
When Nayuki was asleep though, Hoshitani thinks to himself, 'I know I said that, but…' he sighs, 'I'm an amateur, of course this would happen. What did I expect, a miracle?' He turns over, 'I just have to do my best to support Nayuki, and work harder. I need to catch up if I want to see him again. I… have to please everyone, to show that I belong here, to not be a burden. Even if I have to overwork myself and be alone for a while longer.' He closes his eyes as he tries to sleep, 'I just want to see him again, to be like him, and to dance like him. I want to be by his side.'
The next day, Hoshitani goes to his classes with Nayuki, then practices on his own when Nayuki went to his Star Team's first practice.
Even after Nayuki was supposed to be done with practice, Hoshitani still dances on his own on the outdoor stage. Suddenly, someone else notices and asks, "What are you doing?" Startled, Hoshitani stumbles but luckily doesn't fall over. The person comes over, his silver hair tied with a red ribbon catching Hoshitani's attention, "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
Hoshitani looks at the person in front of him, "No. It's fine." The person smiles, "Ah. Is that so? Well, what are you doing dancing out here all alone?" Hoshitani narrows his eyes a bit, "I just felt like dancing. What about you? What are you doing here?" The person seems a bit surprised then keeps smiling, "I come here to think and dance sometimes too."
Hoshitani nods blankly, "I better get going. My roommate will get worried." As Hoshitani walks off, the person asks, looking at him intensely with ruby eyes, "Ne, what's your name?" Hoshitani turns around, tilting his head. The person chuckles, "If we're going to share this stage, we might as well know each other's names. I'm Otori Itsuki."
Hoshitani turns back around, "Hoshitani Yuta," before he runs off. Otori watches him as Hoshitani disappears in the distance, 'His dancing…isn't bad, but there's something about it… that draws me in. I can't explain it.' Otori smiles as he leaves too, 'I guess I'll have to wait until our next meeting.'
When Hoshitani arrived back at his room, Nayuki was already making dinner. "Sorry I'm late. How was practice?" Hoshitani asks as he tries not think about the guy he met. Nayuki smiles, "Good. I met my teammates, and the Senpai that's going to coach us. We even did improv today."
Hoshitani smiles, interested, "Tell me what they're like." Nayuki says, "One of them is our classmate, Tengenji Kakeru. There's Tsukigami Kaito, and Kuga Shuu. They're good too. But, our coach, he's a bit eccentric." Hoshitani raises an eyebrow, "What's his name?" Nayuki answers, "Otori Itsuki." Hoshitani's eyes widened, 'HIM?'
"Eh? What's wrong, Hoshitani-kun?" Nayuki asks in concern. Snapping out of it, Hoshitani says, "I just met him." Nayuki's turn to be surprised, "Eh?!" Sighing, Hoshitani explains that he met him on the outdoor stage, and that apparently, he uses it too, so they have to share. Nayuki was shocked by this, then smells dinner burning, so he snaps out of it, taking care not to burn anything else. They don't talk about anything else for the rest of the night.
Again, when Nayuki was asleep, Hoshitani thought about Otori. 'I wonder… will he be a good coach? Simply speaking, I don't know what to make of him yet, but… I feel like he's a bit like me, in a sense. I don't know why, but I'm drawn to him.' Sighing, Hoshitani closes his eyes to get some sleep, 'Next time we meet… I'll ask him to teach me.'
And the story starts anew.
