Maiko had been absolutely beside herself when Itsuki and his companions presented her with a beautiful cake decorated after the covers of the three volumes of her "My Complex" series. Each of them had received a near suffocating hug from her before they followed her to her private pool deck behind her home. Touma whistled as he glanced around.
"Wow, Maiko, this is beautiful," he said with a grin. "Thanks again for inviting us over."
"It's my pleasure!" She replied. "All right, everyone. Have fun! There's snacks and drinks over at the bar." She pulled off her cover-up, leaving her in a bikini that didn't leave much to the imagination. Touma removed his shirt and immediately performed a cannonball into the pool, and Mamori followed soon after.
"Shame Ellie couldn't make it in sooner," Kiria said as she and Tsubasa stripped down to their bathing suits and chose to more tactfully wade in.
"Yeah. I can't wait to see her," Tsubasa replied. "Maiko, is your pool heated? It's so warm!"
"Wasn't me," Touma said with a grin, and Tsubasa smiled at him.
"Yes, it is," Maiko replied. "I like swimming at night, so I decided it was worth the investment." She glanced up as Yashiro approached the steps into the pool. "Goodness, Yashiro! Would it kill you to spend a little more time in the sun?"
"Maybe," he said with entirely too straight of a face. It was true enough. None of the group were all that dark, but Yashiro was starkly pale compared to the rest of them, and it was even more apparent when he wasn't wearing a suit and gloves.
Itsuki smiled as he sat down in a chair next to the pool wearing his swim trunks and a T-shirt to watch the others have their fun. Touma quickly made a game with Mamori of picking her up and throwing her back into the water, earning a bright fit of laughter each time. Sometimes it was easy to forget she was only twelve years old. She had seen so much, way more than most adults five times her age, and was so successful as a singer and actress. Kiria, Tsubasa, Ayaha, and Maiko were chatting about this and that at Fortuna, about Barry's tour overseas, about Ayaha's comeback as an idol, and about Maiko's quick rise back to the top of the modeling world. Yashiro had claimed an inflatable raft and was lounging on it, giving Touma a completely empty scowl every time he caught the splash from Mamori's launch.
Itsuki's heart warmed with pride as he watched them all. He realized not only were they incredibly successful as Fortuna Entertainment, but that he was lucky to have such friends supporting him. He was glad to stay in the background, helping them along on their paths of fame.
"Itsuki!" Maiko called, rousing him from his thoughts. "We won't bite! Why don't you join us?"
"No, thank you," he said, shaking his head slightly. "I don't really feel up to swimming."
"Come on, man!" Touma chimed in. "Water feels great! Have some fun for once." He heaved himself up out of the pool and gave Itsuki a curt look.
"Really, I'm fine," Itsuki insisted.
"I thought you liked swimming," Tsubasa said as she looked up curiously at him. "You did when we were kids."
"I don't really feel up to it. But don't let me ruin your fun!"
"And we're not gonna let you NOT have fun," Touma said with a devious grin. "Take a break, Itsuki! You've earned it!"
"Gah!" With that, Touma grabbed Itsuki around his waist and hoisted him up, and despite Itsuki's verbal and physical protests, he quickly leapt into the pool. Itsuki came up sputtering and glared at his friend.
"Damn it, Touma!" He snapped, furious. "What in hell is wrong with you?!" Touma stared at him, stunned into silence like everyone else around them. "I didn't bring another shirt!" Itsuki went on without stopping to consider it. "This'll take forever to dry off!"
"Wait," Touma blinked. "That's all? Why are you so pissed? Just take it off and hang it up to dry. What's the big deal?" The anger on Itsuki's face faded, and he let out a soft sigh.
"Don't worry about it," he mumbled, then turned to his other friends. "Forgive me for that outburst. I guess I'm just irritable from being so tired. I'm sorry for losing my temper."
"No harm done," Maiko said with a smile masking her pity. "Are you okay, Itsuki?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "Just tired, as I said. I've been busy and haven't been sleeping much." He turned back to his redhead friend. "I'm really sorry, Touma."
"Don't worry about it," he replied, waving it off. "Just take care of yourself, you know? And if it's that big a deal, you can borrow my shirt."
"Heaven knows Touma will take any opportunity to strut around," Kiria teased, and Touma shot a look over at her. He grinned and stretched, locking his hands behind his head.
"Yeah? What's wrong with that? It'd be a shame to hide these guns!" Kiria snickered and shook her head.
"With the fan club of ladies he has, it's hard to argue," Maiko giggled and clapped her hands. "Well, Itsuki, now that you're soaking wet, you might as well enjoy yourself!" Itsuki smiled at her and nodded, then immediately launched himself at Touma and knocked him underwater again. Touma came back up half-sputtering, half-laughing.
"What was that for, man?!" he demanded with a wide grin.
"That was for grabbing me!" Itsuki replied with a smile of his own. Touma eyed him as his grin became a challenging smile.
"Oh, you're in for it now! Flame systems, power up!" Contrary to his words, he delivered a hearty splash to Itsuki, catching Mamori behind him on his follow-through.
"Fire and water don't mix all that well," Tsubasa pointed out from her place safely at the other end of the pool with Maiko, Kiria, and Ayaha. Yashiro was currently trying to paddle his raft away from the commotion, not getting very far with his attempts to remain almost motionless.
"This kind of behavior hardly suits a well-known actor or our agency president," he remarked, earning a playful glare from Touma.
"Oh, let them have their fun," Maiko told him.
"Come on, Mamori!" Touma beckoned, circling around Itsuki toward her. "Let's get 'im together!"
"No way!" Mamori squealed and retreated toward Itsuki. "I'm on Itsuki's team!" Itsuki laughed as she hid behind him, treading water just slightly to keep herself up.
"That's right, Touma," he said, arching an eyebrow. "All right, Mamori, go get him!" Mamori splashed Touma, who yelped and immediately retaliated, effectively showering both her and Itsuki.
"Those boys," Maiko sighed lightly as she and the other spectators watched their splash battle. "I used to worry a lot about Mamori having to grow up a little too fast under the pressures of stardom, but they really do try to make sure she can still be a child."
"She's lucky to have them," Kiria agreed. "We all are. Even without the whole Mirage incident, we all have our roles to play together. We offer support, and losing anyone just throws everything else off." She smiled. "It really does make me realize how glad I am that Ellie is coming back. It's not the same without her."
"Especially without her and Touma butting heads all the time," Ayaha agreed, earning several giggles.
"About that, Tsubasa," Maiko said as she turned to the young idol. "Are you excited to be shooting the Maho movie with her?"
"Of course!" Tsubasa nodded. "It may not be nearly as big as Arrow of Destiny, but I really am looking forward to working with her again. I've missed her too! And she has to tell me all about working in Hollywood."
"I wonder if she and Tarachino will start up Horror Hunter Angel again once Arrow wraps up," Kiria mused. "I know a lot of people are looking forward to a new season."
"You'll just have to ask her when you see her," Ayaha said. "Goodness knows Director Tarachino has a lot on his plate. Arrow may be almost done, but working on a Maho movie along with any other projects he might have is a lot to deal with."
"I'm sure he'll handle it all just fine," Maiko said. "He always does. And you know he won't rest until everything is absolutely perfect."
"Okay, okay!" Touma's plead caught their attention, and they found him backed up against the wall of the pool. "I give up! I surrender! You win!" Despite his loss, he was grinning as much as ever, and Itsuki and Mamori shared a laugh. "Sheesh," he shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll never figure out how someone so small puts up so big of a fight."
"I won't let anyone keep me down!" Mamori replied with a triumphant smile.
"All right, all of you," Maiko called and clapped her hands. "Settle down. Let's go dig into that cake!"
"Yeah!" Tsubasa agreed with a bit too much excitement, and the others voiced their agreement with a bit more reservation. They got out of the pool in various fashions, some using the steps while others simply pulled themselves out at the sides. They grabbed towels and Touma tossed an extra shirt from his bag toward Itsuki, who caught it and nodded his thanks.
"Okay, guys, let me go get a knife," Maiko said and started for the back door.
"Maiko!" She turned around at Itsuki's beckoning. "Let me go grab it for you. You're our hostess and you've done plenty enough already for us." Maiko smiled and shook her head.
"All right, thank you. There's a knife holder on the counter in the kitchen." He nodded and went inside with Touma's shirt in tow. He made his way to the kitchen and ducked into a corner. He checked to make sure no one else had come in, then peeled off his soaked shirt and quickly pulled Touma's on. With a slight sense of relief, he took a knife from the holder and returned to the others at the pool side, and he set his shirt out to dry.
"All right!" Maiko smiled warmly as she took the knife from him. "Everyone… I know I've said it before, but I can't help it. I want to thank you all for everything you've done. And Itsuki, I can't tell you how proud I am of you for what you've done at Fortuna. You're all young, but you're destined for greatness!" With that, she went to the bar and started cutting the cake. "But right now, this cake is destined to be eaten. It looks delicious!" With that, the Fortuna family gathered around the bar for cake and drinks, and Itsuki smiled as he listened to everyone's chatter. It warmed his heart to see everyone so happy, so care free, just enjoying each other's company. He took the plate Maiko handed him and took a seat nearby, and Tsubasa sat down next to him.
"I really am looking forward to our trip," she said with a smile, and he nodded.
"Me too. I've got a couple of meetings during the day, so we'll take a train in the evening."
"Okay." She reached over and rested her hand on his arm. "You get some rest, Itsuki, okay? You look exhausted."
"I will," he assured her with a smile. "But for now, let's just enjoy the evening."