An update :)

Enjoy reading, I hope.

Chapter 10

Len sat quietly as he tries to listen to each performances the participants are giving. There are a LOT of participants and they're supposed to select only seven. Len didn't know why his parents insisted on making him one of the judge. The other four who sat with him are enough to determine who will be competing till they get one person they could support. Obviously some of the performers are disqualified for, one, they don't need the Tsukimoris' help to enter the International Music competition since they already have experience, two, some of them don't need financial assistance from the Tsukimoris, three, obviously most girls who participated only wanted to impress him (Len found it obvious by the way the girls tried to catch his eye before performing), four, some of the guys who joined hated him and wanted to show him that they're better than him (though Len found it useless since he used to compete with international musicians before his parents let him control the company) and, five, which Len find very important, they have no talent or, to put it lightly, they have no skill that can take them to the top.

To make it easier all the judges decided that if a musician made even a single mistake, they're disqualified. It made Len relieved since most musicians tended to make mistakes making the search easy.

The current musician performing made a screeching sound with her violin. Len winced at the sound then he watched as one of the judges dismiss her.

It took a while before he found some of his family's employees perform.

His mother thought it would be biased if they're just going to support people who works for them so his mother decided to invite more musicians. Which made Len's work increase. Obviously his mother wasn't being practical. It's like he's being tortured for treating his fiancée bad.

He took the folder he brought with him then opened it to see the information he gathered about musicians he found suitable to be in the top seven. He made a research and took the informations of the musicians he thought would help. Most of them were working in the company his parents manages. If his parents just looked at the list he made the search would be easy. He already nailed down twenty musicians that are suitable. And not all of them were working for his parents.

He looked at Shouko Fuyuumi as the timid girl tried to calm herself before starting. The girl is in his list for some reasons. He hadn't heard her play before, even if she worked close to him at his office, and since her instrument is a clarinet he didn't mind much. He's a string user. He plays the violin so wind instruments are not in his field.

His specialty are string instruments, specifically the violin, so all he had to do was focus on participants who held string instruments, especially violin.

Shouko Fuyuumi, along with the other participants who are his schoolmates and in his list managed to perform well.

Shouko Fuyuumi played well despite her nervousness being seen by the way she couldn't look at the audience and her body being stiff.

Keiichi Shimizu, he noted, always followed the music sheet note by note making his performance perfect.

Kazuki Hihara's performance was cheerful and lively and since he was into the music his performance sounded good.

Azuma Yunoki gave a performance that is pleasing to the ears and Len got the feeling that every girl who was watching behind him were sighing as if they're being serenaded.

Len looked at another file he made. It's an information about a pianist and he just realized now that despite the fact that the guy work at his company, the guy is actually a general education student in Seiso. He looked up in time to see the general education student strode towards the piano.

Len's mother is a pianist and he himself can play the piano. At first he doubted the guy named Ryoutarou Tsuchiura can play well because he's a general education student but the guy proved him wrong. Len could actually see Ryoutarou reaching the top along with the other musicians he picked.

That's five among the people he picked that could get in.

For the next hour he listened to the rest of the musicians that were included in his list along with the other musicians then they were given a break.

Len stood up then looked back to where he last saw the strawberry girl. She's still in her uniform, standing up and pulling Shinobu Ousaki's hand to make him stand.

They are close, Len thought as he observed how comfortable the two red heads are with each other.

"Len," someone called Len making Len's eyes leave the red heads. He looked around and saw no one. "Len!" the childlike voice called again then Len felt someone tugging his pants. Len looked down and found a blond haired boy, about the age of six, wearing a blue sailor uniform and on his arms he hugged a large paper bag that held something pink inside. His big purple eyes stared at Len with awe.

"What?" Len asked. The little boy looked familiar but he couldn't tell where he saw him.

"Auntie Misa wanted me to give this to Kahoko Hino," the boy said as he tried to lift the paper bag in his arms.

Auntie Misa? Len thought then took the paper bag. He peeked in and noticed it is a pink dress and below there's a box.

The boy tugged his sleeve. "Can you please tell me who Kahoko Hino is?" the boy asked excitedly. "I wanna meet her." The boy smiled.

Len looked up to where the girl is. There's only one Kahoko Hino that he knows and that is his annoying fiancée.

Kahoko stared at the blond little boy who stared at her with his big purple eyes. Kahoko could actually see the boy's eyes twinkling for some reasons.

"Hello. Are you lost?" Kahoko asked the boy.

The boy shook his head. "Are you Kahoko Hino?" the boy asked.

Kahoko nodded. She wondered how the boy knew her name.

The boy shoved a paper bag in her arms. "That is for you," the boy said cheerfully. "You cannot perform with that on." The boy wrinkled his little nose while looking at her uniform.

Kahoko took a peek inside the paper bag then took out the dress that was inside.

"Try it on!" the boy said then pulled Kahoko inside a dressing room.

Kahoko tried the dress then frowned. She went out to see the boy. "This looks too much," Kahoko said as she look at herself in a mirror wearing a ball gown.

"Oh!" The boy said then shook his small head. "Wrong bag," the boy said then ran towards the paper bags that were piled at one corner. The boy gave Kahoko another paper bag then Kahoko tried the dress that's inside.

"Umm… Can't I just wear my uniform?" Kahoko asked. She did notice most participants were wearing formal clothing but… Kahoko looked at the mirror while she covered her front with her arms. The dress is beautiful but she disliked the way how her shoulders were bare.

"No!" the boy protested then handed her a new paper bag.

Kahoko took the dress out from the paper bag then eyed it suspiciously. It looks definitely like the dress nuns wear. She placed it in front of her then showed the little boy how she'll look like if she wears it. "Seriously?" Kahoko asked, raising a brow.

The little boy laughed.

Kahoko heard the door open then saw Kazuki Hihara at the door frame staring at her. The guy closed the door then opened it again. Kazuki blinked a few times then laughed. "I thought I saw you wearing a nun's-"

"Wrong room Kazuki!" someone shouted. Kazuki suddenly closed the door.

"You're so rude!" the little boy shouted as he managed to throw the nun's dress off of him. Kahoko threw the dress at him out of surprise a while ago.

"I'm sorry," Kahoko said. "I'm not wearing that!"

The boy shoved the dress back in the paper bag then handed Kahoko a new one.

"I think that's the dress," the boy said as he take out the pink dress that's inside the bag.

Kahoko took the dress then wore it. It's pink and simple. She liked it. "Better."

The boy nodded in agreement.

"Who are you?" Kahoko asked the little boy. "And why are you making me wear a dress?"

The boy fiddled with his little fingers shyly. "I'm Lili," the boy said then gave Kahoko a smile. "You're not wearing a dress so I thought you might need it."

Kahoko nodded, still confused. Before she could ask more questions the little boy ran away.

It's already Kahoko's turn and it didn't help much when the performer before her played an instrument the same as hers. Shinobu Ousaki seriously played the violin skillfully and somehow Kahoko regretted having him perform first before her. She was happy he managed to play very good but it didn't help her nervousness. She's still shaken by the fact that her own fiancé is out there, expecting her to perform bad.

"You okay?" Shinobu asked Kahoko when he got close to the side of the stage where Kahoko stood rooted.

Kahoko jumped. She didn't notice Shinobu. She gave him a smile then nodded.

"You'll do well," Shinobu whispered then kissed her cheek. "Believe in yourself. This is just the start."

Kahoko nodded then walked to the center of the stage.

She nervously looked at the audience then placed her violin on her shoulder. She lifted her bow then noticed Len Tsukimori glaring at her. Her hand froze midair. Why is he looking at her like that? She forced herself to look somewhere else and found everyone staring at her. She suddenly felt bad. What if she made a mistake? What if she does perform horribly and just proved Len Tsukimori right? She should be proving the guy wrong right now. Why can't she move?

Whispers suddenly filled the auditorium.

"Kahoko Hino?" one of the judges called her attention. Kahoko's eyes landed on that judge. "Please perform or we'll have the next performer."

Kahoko forced her body to move.

"Next!" the other judge said.

Kahoko froze in her spot. She just ruined her chance to prove her fiancé wrong and lost her chance on becoming a violinist. She never thought performing in front of a large audience is scary. She didn't expect all her insecurities would drown her the moment she stood there on stage. At that moment Kahoko forgot why she wanted to play the violin.

Kahoko saw something wave. At first she couldn't tell what it was until she recognized the little blond boy who made her wear different dresses earlier. The boy stood a step above where her fiancé is. On his small hands the blond boy held a board that showed a drawing of a man with blue hair having horns on his head and the face looking weird and funny. The boy took his board down then when he lifted it up again it says, "LEN IS STINKY!" The boy sniffed behind Len, which the man didn't notice, then made a face. He looked up at Kahoko then covered his nose. His expression telling Kahoko, "See?"

Kahoko laughed out loud, forgetting where she was.

Not much humor anymore since I continued it XD Anyway, what do you think?

Please review. Thanks for reading :)

Hehe... I managed to write something out of my free time.