Forgotten Melody
Chapter 10: Carousel
"I wonder why they called us to the lounge?" asked Kirari, walking down the hallways with Seiji.
"A meeting, maybe?"
"About?"
"Who knows."
Seiji opened the door for Kirari and held the door for Fubuki and Hiroto, who were holding hands.
"Okay, I have work for the four of you," Chairman Muranishi said, finishing his cup of tea as he stood up.
"The day after tomorrow is Fantasy Land Amusement Park's 10th year anniversary and they asked us to send our top four idols to perform," he explained.
"You're going to arrive there early in the morning to prepare and the performance is at noon, then for the rest of the day, you are allowed to have your free time, but you must wear a disguise. Any questions?"
"Umm, Chairman Muranishi, I've only been here for almost three weeks. Why will I perform?" Kirari asked in confusion.
"Didn't you see the Oricon Charts yesterday?" Kumoi-san asked, picking up a magazine.
"No. I was too busy from the photo shoot. Why?" Kirari asked, having no clue once again.
Kirari's manager showed her the Oricon Charts Top 10 List from the magazine and Kirari's comeback song, 'I Miss You', was Top 2 for Fubuki was on Top 1 and SHIPS was on Top 3.
"Wow! I can't believe my new song became famous in just one week," Kirari exclaimed, a big smile glowing on her face.
"Of course," Chairman Muranishi agreed with satisfaction.
"Now, you four must spend today and tomorrow practicing your performances," he continued, walking out of the lounge with Kumoi-san.
"Do you want to rehearse with me, Seiji-kun?" Kirari friendly invited Seiji, her face blushing.
"Alri—"
"Sorry, but SHIPS has to rehearse as a group," Hiroto interrupted, his fist clenched.
"Oh. I'm sorry," Kirari said, her smile turning upside down.
"Let's go, Seiji," Hiroto said, walking out of the room in frustration.
"I'll see you later, Seiji-kun," Kirari said, smiling awkwardly.
"We'll go out for lunch, okay, Kirari-chan?"
"Okay."
Kirari felt better due to Seiji's lunch invitation and the friendly smile that cheered her back on.
"You and Seiji are a cute couple, right, Kirari?" Fubuki said, watching Seiji and Hiroto walk away.
"Huh? Oh, really?" Kirari asked in surprise.
"Yeah. I mean, Seiji's really nice and sweet. He's the perfect boyfriend for you, don't you think?"
"I," Kirari said, her head looking down.
"I-I'll think about it!" she blurted out, running away as her face started turning bright red.
Fubuki smirked as she watched Kirari run away in embarrassment.
When Kirari got back to her rehearsal room, she shut the door and locked it, her heart beating faster and her face turned red and warm.
"Why?" Kirari asked herself.
"Why is it that when we talk about Seiji-kun…m-my heart throbs so fast," Kirari said, sitting down on the floor.
"What do I do?" she asked herself out loud, her voice echoing inside the room.
"So, are you going to sing your new song for the performance?" Seiji asked as they drove through town to find a place to eat.
"Yeah. At first I thought it would be a bad idea since there'd be a lot of kids there, but I remembered that the amusement park would be full of couples, so my song should set off a good mood for any couple out there," Kirari said with full confidence.
"That's good," Seiji smiled in relief.
After he found out that Kirari stayed at Hiroto's house due to collapsing over stress, Seiji had been looking out for Kirari to make sure that she never stresses out over small matters again.
"What about SHIPS, Seiji-kun?" Kirari asked, looking at him.
"Oh, we're singing our new song, too."
"Isn't it Tokyo FriendSHIPs?"
"Yeah. It's about two really good friends that will support each other no matter what happens."
"Did you and Kazama-kun write that?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"It seems like you and Kazama-kun would write something like that."
Seiji shared a laugh with Kirari for just a brief second. Suddenly, Seiji realized something strange.
"Why do you call Hiroto-kun, 'Kazama-kun'?", Seiji asked, stopping at a red light.
"Well, he doesn't remember me…at all. So, might as well start from the beginning," Kirari frowned as she looked out the window.
Seiji sighed, seeing Kirari's sad face. He didn't want to see her smile fade away so easily, so he returned it by telling her that he's taking her to a crepe store. Kirari was so happy to hear it that she smiled for the rest of the time they were together. Her smile got even wider after eating the delicious crepes. Seiji was happy to see her smile again, hoping it would always stay that way.
The next day, the four idols came along with their managers at 8:30 in the morning to the private room reserved for them to prepare for their mini-concert. Kirari shared a dressing room with Fubuki and SHIPS had their separate dressing room.
"Kirari," Fubuki called out, placing the magazine she was reading down.
"What?" Kirari asked.
"Are you alright?" Fubuki asked, looking at Kirari's face.
"Huh? O-oh, yeah. I'm fine," Kirari awkwardly smiled.
Fubuki knew she was lying for she can see Kirari's face had gone pale and her voice was a little coarse. She could also see Kirari's forehead was drenched in sweat when the heater was barely even warm enough to make them sweat.
"Here, take this," Fubuki stood up, giving Kirari a piece of mint candy.
"What is it?"
"It helps you calm down. Are you still nervous?"
"Y-yeah, sort of."
"Kirari, if you really are sick, don't perform. It's supposed to be colder today than yesterday. Take some medicine or just go to the hospital, okay?"
"No."
Fubuki was surprised to hear Kirari's refusal.
"Why not?"
"No matter what happens, don't take me to the hospital. Okay, Fubuki-chan," Kirari begged, her eyes shimmering.
"W-why?"
"Promise?" Kirari insisted.
"Okay, but I won't hold responsibility if you get sicker than you already are," Fubuki said, sitting back down.
"Thank you, Fubuki-chan," Kirari smiled in relief.
"And now, brought to you by Fantasy Land Amusement Park…please welcome, SHIPS, Fubuki Todou, and the returned idol, Kirari Tsukishima!" the host announced, pumping up the crowd.
The four idols sang a song altogether before they broke up into their own performances. The first to perform were Seiji and Hiroto, giving Fubuki some time to check on Kirari.
"How are you feeling?" Fubuki asked, checking on Kirari.
"I'm okay," Kirari said, her face still pale.
"You're good at faking, aren't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"The crowd didn't notice your sickness. Are you sure you'll be able to perform?"
Kirari nodded, wiping her sweat away. Fubuki was surprised that she was still sweating even if the winter's cold temperature was making her body shiver. It was finally Fubuki's turn to perform, but before she went onstage, she asked Seiji to look over Kirari. Without asking for any more questions, Seiji did what he was told, but Kirari didn't let him touch her.
Kirari took a deep breath after Fubuki finished up her performance with a loud applause from the audience. She patted her face and grabbed the microphone from Fubuki.
Kirari greeted them with a fake smile, the whole crowd convinced. After waiting for them to quiet down for her heartfelt song, she started singing her new song while her heart thumped faster and stronger inside her chest.
"I probably feel sick for I'm stressed over this," Kirari thought.
She decided to give it her all so that her sickness can go away. Her performance had a stronger impact than expected, even making some of her fans cry from the sad mood of the song. Kirari received an even bigger applause than Fubuki, making her feel a little better.
The three other idols joined her and said their goodbyes to the audience. They quickly went back to their dressing rooms as soon as they finished waving goodbye.
"Stay here and rest, Kirari," Fubuki said, putting on her disguise for her free time at the park.
"No, I can't."
"Yes, you can. You look worse, Kirari."
"No! I can't, Fubuki-chan! I have a date with Seiji-kun," Kirari protested, putting on a scarf and a woven bonnet.
Hearing about Kirari's date with Seiji, Fubuki's worried face showed a quick smirk that Kirari didn't notice.
"Just be careful!" Fubuki scolded, storming out the door.
Kirari followed behind meeting Seiji at the carousel.
"Do you want to get on here first?" Seiji asked with a friendly smile.
"Yeah, since we're here already, then might as well go now," Kirari agreed, smiling back.
Kirari got on one of the horses while Seiji stood beside her to assist her.
"Wow! This is so fun! I feel like a kid again!"
"Right!" Seiji agreed.
The two shared another laugh together, enjoying the bright, spinning carousel. They could see everyone as the ride spun around in a moderate speed while the horses slowly moved up and down. While spinning around and seeing the different rides and stalls, Kirari and Seiji planned on where they would go next after the ride was over.
Before the ride was over, the carousel spun one last time. Kirari, who was starting to feel better because of Seiji, was suddenly surprised of what she saw in front of her, sending her whole body into shock and pain.
Fubuki and Hiroto were kissing each other.
On the lips.
When Kirari saw this, it felt like time slowed down just for her to see everything that was going on. She could see Fubuki's pink, glossy lips on Hiroto as they shared a passionate kiss.
"Hiroto-kun and Fubuki…are…kissing?" Kirari thought, her blue eyes wide open, showing the reflection of the kissing couple and all the emotions she was feeling inside.
"They…kissed."