Chapter 11
Time passed. The work on the album intensified so that they'd be able to keep the planned release date. All five band members spent long hours practising and recording and having photo shoots for the cover and the booklet. And there were interviews scheduled with what felt like every big music magazine in South East Asia and for radio stations and TV shows... And Shuusei had to take part in more of that stuff than he wanted to.
Of course they had several small concerts from time to time and Kase was already planning the release tour through Asia.
The relationship between the band and their manager stayed chilly. The private visits had distanced them even more. One day when they returned to their practice room from a small lunch break they found the boss of their agency sitting on an armchair.
They were surprised but greeted the man, a guy with long light reddish brown hair and a scar on his cheek.
"Good that you're all here," the man, Giou Takashiro nodded towards them. Ria got herself a guest chair before she started to prepare coffee and tea while the others sat down on the other armchairs. Tsukumo got the box with cookies which Shuusei had brought yesterday with best regards from his flatmate which he offered to their boss – after clearing the table from any work-related stuff.
"Pardon the mess, you may know the release of the new album is close and we're busy."
Takashiro shook his head. "Don't worry. I'm not here to control you. I know you work very assiduously."
"Then what leads you here?" Sairi asked curiously.
"I have received your complaint about your manager's behaviour. Thank you Otona-san." He accepted the cup of tea he was offered.
"And? What do you think?" It was again Sairi who spoke as always.
"I've already talked to Kase-san about the matter. He said he did the visits to get to know you better. He was more under the impression that you wanted to bully him out."
Shuusei exchanged a look with Touko.
"I totally support everything that strengthens the relationship between a band and their manager and I will not tolerate one party harassing the other," Takashiro continued and raised a hand when he saw the band wanted to immediately protest. "So I am here to listen to your version of his visits. What had happened that led to you complaining about him?" He looked at Ria.
"I think I was the first he visited. He was still friendly even though he was much too curious. He wanted to be led through my flat and asked a few too many questions about potential visitors and about my guy friends."
"Well he wanted to make sure you stick to your contract. I don't think it's too problematic." Takashiro mused.
Ria shrugged. "I didn't like the way he asked. As if he expected me to hide a secret lover – who doesn't exist. He was just too curious but not completely unfriendly."
"I see, so where did it escalate?"
Shuusei gulped. "When he visited me after Ria-san," he said. He felt nervous and tried not to play with the zipper of the sweater jacket he wore.
"Ah, yeah he said you kicked him out and threatened to call the police?"
Shuusei nodded. "He showed the same curiosity he had with Ria-san. And he got already agitated when I denied him his wish to look into every room of my flat and then disrespected it. And after he assumed any kind of sexual relationship between my flatmate and me in an incredibly rude way I asked him to leave."
"You have a flatmate?" Even the boss seemed to know that Shuusei was not the most social person.
"I do... A childhood friend of mine who has nowhere else to go, so I give him a place to live." That was enough information, right? And it gave away said flatmate's gender so that it really should be no problem.
"I see. May I ask how exactly it happened?" Takashiro asked so that Shuusei had to recall the details of Kase's visit.
Takashiro nodded again when Shuusei had finished.
"I am really interested in a good relationship with our manager, but I want to be respected as a person as well." And Kase didn't show any respect for him.
"And he doesn't?" Takashiro asked.
"No," Touko barged in. "He doesn't even recognize Shuusei's work although half of the music of the new album is from his hands. He has his problems with Shuusei only concentrating on the creative work and staying out of many other activities. Sometimes I have the feeling he talks to a child when he addresses Shuusei."
"What does your contract say?" Takashiro asked Shuusei. "It's strongly expected from the idols to participate in other activities as well."
"It says I have to participate in music-related stuff but I don't have to take model or acting jobs." He got up and took a folder from a shelf to show Takashiro the contract.
"Oh, why is it like this?"
"I asked to include it when I first started to work for this agency. I'm not comfortable doing the other stuff and I have enough work to do since we do all the creative work ourselves."
Takashiro nodded again. "Okay." He didn't seem to like Shuusei's explanation but he accepted it. And the contract was not the topic anyways.
"So he was curious and you didn't want to give away too much personal information and when he asked you about your relationship with your flatmate you threw him out?"
"It wasn't that he asked about our relationship, it was the way he assumed it. It was simply rude."
"What did he say?"
"He asked us in a very disgusted voice whether we were 'engaging in sodomy'," Shuusei quoted Kase.
Takashiro raised an eyebrow. Apparantly Kase had not told him that detail.
"That were really his words?" Tsukumo asked after Takashiro had left. Not without taking a few of Hotsuma's cookies with him.
Takashiro had shown sympathy with the band but he couldn't give them a new manager as they had requested. There was simply no one else who could do the job without changing another idol group's manager as well and he didn't want to do it right now.
"That was what he said and why I had to make clear he's not welcome in my home."
"Wow... Even if you were gay that's not how you ask," Ria exclaimed. "You had every right to kick his ass!"
Shuusei shrugged and finished his tea. He didn't know what to say, so he just continued with the stuff he had been doing before they had left for lunch.
The following weeks were filled with finishing the recording of the songs and planning of the release tour. Kase seemed to pull himself together so Takashiro had had a serious talk with him.
Nevertheless the time was very demanding and so Shuusei had to deal with a very worried flatmate who had discovered an opened pack of caffeine pills next to Shuusei's sleeping pills. Shuusei had to promise to take good care of himself and to take a break when he needed it. But what should he do? The work had to be done! No one had any free time and all of them were only home to sleep and one meal a day.
It happened during the week before the release, they were just practising some sort of choreography for the songs they'd perform on the tour when Shuusei's phone announced a text message. When he looked at the screen during the next short break he noticed it was from Hotsuma: "Sorry, I'll not be home tonight to cook for you. Perhaps I've got a job at least for the next two and a half months. Details later at home."
A happy grin appeared on Shuusei's face when he replied. "Congratulations! Take your time. That's more important than preparing my meals. I'll get something on my way home."
"Good news?" Touko asked when Shuusei put the phone aside.
"Hotsuma may have found a job. I don't know where, yet. He sounded like he'd stay there already today to prove his abilities."
"Oh that's great for him!" Ria cheered. "You need to tell us everything tomorrow!"
Shuusei nodded. His friends regularly asked about Hotsuma and they had given Shuusei several addresses where his friend could try to land a job.
But then they continued with their practise. Shuusei hoped they'd be finished by tomorrow. Unlike many other idol groups they didn't have complicated choreographies simply because four of five band members were playing their instruments but some songs demanded a bit of organized movements.
Later at home Shuusei waited for Hotsuma's return. He had gotten his guitar and played on it just for fun to pass the time.
It was almost midnight when Hotsuma came home.
"Huh? I thought you'd be already asleep," he greeted Shuusei who put the guitar aside.
"What? Not before you tell me where you've been today and what your job's about. I'm dying from curiosity!" Really, what did this guy think? No matter how busy Shuusei was, he would always be interested in Hotsuma's life and relinquish some hours of restless sleep.
"It's about cooking," Hotsuma said and dropped onto the armchair.
"That's good. And what else?"
"You remember the restaurant we used to go to on our birthdays as kids?" Hotsuma asked.
"There?" Shuusei asked excitedly and looked at his friend curiously eager to get more details. He hadn't been there in a long time but he had loved the family-like atmosphere of the restaurant. The owner and his wife had always been so kind to them and the food had been good.
Hotsuma nodded.
"But why only for two months?" Shuusei asked. "I remember Fujita-san liking you very much and always calling you her little gold-boy"
"They may be closing soon. Fujita-san's husband's too old for the hard work in the kitchen and somehow after he retired they lost too many guests. She was reluctant to let me at least prepare something for her, but when I convinced her she liked it. She wanted to keep it open for the next two and a half months and then close it unless she finds someone who could bring them new customers. She's also not the youngest anymore," Hotsuma explained.
"So..." Shuusei looked at Hotsuma. "It's your task to get them new customers with your cooking?" That was great!
"I hope I can do it. I mean... I'm no professional chef!"
"But you're great at cooking. Perhaps that's exactly what they need: Fresh ideas from someone who's not familiar with the conventional way of cooking. And when I look at it nothing can go wrong. If you succeed the shop can survive many more years and you can work there for a long time but if it should fail the worst thing is that you have to go on looking for another job. If Fujita-san is really preparing to close the restaurant she would not have any risks." That was a great chance for Hotsuma. Shuusei would support it.
"May I already make a reservation for our release party next week Saturday? Five people?"
"What?" Hotsuma asked.
"We'll release a new album next week, already forgotten? And we usually celebrate by going out to eat. I guess everyone wants to have some food prepared by you."
"Shuusei..."
"Have faith in yourself. You can do it!" Shuusei smiled at Hotsuma. He was so happy for him. And he hoped they could succeed. A small restaurant was a place he could imagine his friend; a place where people could look behind a person's appearance. "I mean... you could try to be creative in the kitchen, right?"
Hotsuma nodded. "Fujita-san wants me to prepare a few meals for her to try tomorrow and which she may add to the menu. She encouraged me to use my European experiences."
"That's fantastic! Hotsuma, I'm so happy for you!" Shuusei smiled as happily as he hadn't in many weeks; although he knew in the back of his mind that in case it succeeded Hotsuma would start to look for an own place to live. And somehow Shuusei really didn't like the thought of being alone again.
