Focusing her face on the small, oval shaped mirror, the girl experimented with a variety of makeup, all displayed neatly on the table in front of her.
Three knocks on the door alerted her sense of concentration. "Come in!" She said cheerily.
The door creaked open, revealing a middle aged man. He looked more than pleased to see her.
The girl swung her swivel chair and faced the man with a delightful smile. "Oh, Masayoshi-san… hi."
"Hey…" the man greeted back, "…I just came in to say thanks for taking part as one of the… Angelic Knights on such short notice. Seriously, without your help, it would have been a disaster."
"No problem! It was pretty fun doing it!" The girl replied.
The man checked the time on his wristwatch. "We have just under forty minutes until it begins."
"Mmm-hmm." She said, trying out some eyeliner. "Not much longer to go."
"Thanks for your help, and sorry for the intrusion."
With that, the man bowed lowly before closing the door behind him.
…
Chapter Twenty - Toudai Talent Extravaganza!
…
Weaving through the crowds, Yue and Keitaro ran as fast as they could. Yue's watch showed that they only had five minutes left until the talent contest would finally commence. Fortunately Keitaro remembered most of the well known landmarks, so they arrived by the main campus with just enough time on their hands. Standing beside the entrance was a man towering over six foot tall, wearing a black suit and sunglasses. He reminded people of those bouncers you see patrolling around night clubs, making sure everyone was well behaved.
Come to think of it… where was everyone else? Knitting his eyebrows, Keitaro scouted around the vicinity but other than the guard, Yue and himself, there was not a soul intact.
Keitaro stuttered a greeting to the guard. "Um… h-hi. Excuse me? Is this where the talent contest is held?"
The guard preferred to let his actions speak louder than words, and pointed to a nearby sign which read 'Talent Contest'. Keitaro realised his idiocy.
"Spectators must wait half an hour before they are allowed entry." The security guard stated with a low, serious voice.
"Excuse me but I'm here to perform." Said Yue who raised a hand.
The guard looked down at Yue, noticing the witch costume she wore. He accepted her with a nod.
"Very well, get in."
"Wait! Ayase-san! What's going on? Are you taking part?!" Keitaro asked with confusion.
Yue turned around. "Yeah, the rehearsals start earlier than the actual event. I probably should have mentioned that to you."
"It would have helped." Keitaro thought. "Well… okay. Guess I'll see you in half an hour. Good luck!"
Yue posed a victory sign before allowing the guard to escort her inside.
-0-0-
By himself once more, Keitaro decided to kill some time by taking part in some of the nearby game stalls… but as he played them, he became infected by the virus known as 'worse luck ever'. He failed to hit a single coconut at the coconut shy, and was simply too inaccurate when it came to wielding the rifle he used for the duck shoot. At another stall, he played a game called 'Play your cards right'. Five cards were face down, and the first card was flipped upwards. From then on, Keitaro had to guess if the value would be higher or lower than the previous card… which was the queen of spades. Wisely he guessed lower, but to his utter dismay, the second card revealed to be the king of hearts. Groups of people began to walk away from him, lest they became infected with his terrible luck disease.
"All I managed to win was this yellow cat on a key-ring." He groaned to himself, dangling the mentioned gift on his finger, "and even that was just a consolation prize!"
Sagging his shoulders, Keitaro decided to check out some other places. Fortunately for him, not all of them were game stalls, some sold exotic food and drink, whereas others sold toys of various sizes, similar to what you would see in a mecha-anime show. Keitaro, however, seemed more focused on a small, open top store with the words 'Madam Mystique' placed hauntingly at the bottom. Behind this store sat a small old lady, dressed uniquely in purple and green robes. She carefully sipped a tiny cup of tea with both hands. It appeared that so far, not one person had even acknowledged this attraction, but that didn't seem to phase her calm demeanour.
Keitaro looked at the sign nearby, which read 'have your fortune told, 200 yen'.
"Might as well give this a try." He decided.
Stealing his nerve, Keitaro walked boldly to the store and sat on the seat opposite this mysterious lady, known as Madam Mystique. An old, but sturdy wooden table was placed between them. The moment he sat down, Mystique stretched out the palm of her hand. Keitaro wondered what she was doing, then quickly noticed she wanted payment, so he fumbled in his pockets and offered her a 200 yen coin.
With eyes shut, the old lady obtained a deck of tarot cards, split them down the middle, and shuffled both halves in an impressive display. She carefully placed one card face up, and two cards face down.
The card on the left revealed a picture of a heart on a sky-like background.
"The symbol of love..." The old lady stated in a clear voice. "…but… alas, the heart is upside-down, meaning… a harrowing tragedy has taken this love away from you."
Keitaro sighed as his eyes met the picture. "Sayo-san…"
Mystic briefly stared at her customer with cold, emotionless eyes. She then moved her hand over to flip the card in the middle. Beneath showed a picture of a sword wielding warrior, facing off against a furious giant on a hillside. The dark sky was combined with a large streak of lightning, altogether giving the card quite a dramatic effect.
"Is that… David and Goliath?" Keitaro asked suspiciously.
"Indeed." The lady replied. "This card represents a challenge greater than you have ever faced, though whether or not you succeed… is another matter entirely."
With two cards turned over, the lady carefully flipped over the third. Her eyes widened. The picture showed the grim reaper himself, menacingly holding a scythe smothered in fire. The background was completely black. Keitaro flinched when he stared into the grinning skeleton, almost falling backwards off his chair.
"D-D-Death?!" He quivered, feeling very light headed.
Mystique nodded. "Quite… this is… the reaper. How you managed to provoke the dark one is a question beneath questions. Although I regret saying this… the future ahead of you is quite bleak."
The old lady closed her eyes.
"You may now leave."
After bowing to Madam Mystic, Keitaro left the open store and continued to explore the festival. He felt like gravity was weighing heavily upon him.
He took a deep breath and sighed. "Surely that was all just a big misunderstanding… yeah… maybe she accidentally read someone else's future. Then again… she was right about the first card… but the grim reaper?… No… that cannot possibly be true…
…
…can it?"
Not concentrating where he was going, Keitaro stumbled into the back of a tall woman. He seemed to make a habit of bumping into people, and if her personality was anything like that brute Diamonji then he would be in serious trouble. Part of him considered running away before she even noticed… but being the gentleman in training, Keitaro decided to apologise and await his divine punishment.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you! It's not like I'm trying to hit on you or anything! Not that you're ugly! I wouldn't even dream to think you were ugly! It's just that…"
However, when he took a good look at her… he realised this woman wasn't a stranger at all.
Both of them stared eye to eye. They were both surprised and… delighted to see each other.
"Ma… Tatsumiya-san!" Keitaro said, grasping for the correct thing to say.
Mana removed her sunglasses, revealing her widened blue eyes.
"Kei… Urashima-san! You're here!" She replied, still surprised.
For a moment, the two of them looked as though they were going to embrace each other. However, when they realised what they were doing, Mana and Keitaro abruptly discontinued their silly little fantasy. With crimson faces, both looked away to one side, rubbing the backs of their necks whilst feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Keitaro managed to follow on from his awkward introduction. "It's… it's good to see you."
"Likewise." Mana softly replied.
"So…"
"…so…"
"…are you visiting the talent contest?" They both asked.
Mana promptly cleared her throat and nodded. "Sasaki-san has been rehearsing for quite a while now."
"I can't wait to see her in action!" Keitaro said, smiling. "Oh yeah, and Yue-chan has joined the contest as well!"
"Really?" Mana questioned, with a smile of her own. "Heh… that does not amaze me. Ayase-san is full of surprises."
"Ha ha… yeah…"
"So…"
"…shall we get going?"
"Yeah!"
"Okay!"
After the interesting string of conversation, Mana and Keitaro, side by side, walked their way back to the main campus, where there was now a long line of people waiting.
-0-0-
The assembly hall was almost packed out, and the few empty seats were rapidly filling up. Families, groups of teenagers and even a few elderly people were all talking amongst themselves, which overall, combined to form a rather pleasing atmosphere.
As Mana and Keitaro sidestepped their way through the people, the two of them were fortunate enough to find two seats unoccupied, both on the end of the same row.
"Excuse me, are these seats taken?" Keitaro asked the person next to him.
This stranger… certainly looked like an interesting character. He was six foot tall and had neck length black hair, which was pulled back with a beige headband. He wore a pair of oval shaped dark sunglasses as if they were attached to him. He also had on a sky blue, short sleeved shirt, a pair of grey jeans and black laced shoes. Age-wise, he looked around nineteen, and with his muscular physique, he didn't look like the sort of guy one would mess with.
When he was asked the question, the man looked at Keitaro a little suspiciously, but nodded regardless. There was definitely an eerie, quiet air around him.
Keitaro sat next to this reserved person, whilst Mana sat next to Keitaro. They were two rows behind the main stage. Keitaro smiled when he noticed Haitani and Shirai amongst the crowd, though they were quite a distance away. He kind of expected them to be around, and knowing those two, they would be selling their souls, just for the off chance that an exotic belly dancer would appear as one of the many performers in this contest.
After a few minutes, the assembly hall slowly faded into a dim light, causing the ambience to fall gradually silent. Keitaro, as well as much of the audience, could not help but feel a tinge of excitement. Mana simply relaxed a little and smiled. It felt good to share his company again.
The bright red curtains were now drawn, which only served to increase the excitement further. A lone microphone on a stand was placed in the centre. Seconds later, a man dressed in a grey suit walked confidently onto the stage. He had short, greyish black hair, and stood fairly tall at five foot ten. Despite being in his mid fifties, he looked and acted like the modest gentleman, and his gentle voice perfectly matched his persona.
Only his voice, amplified from the microphone, echoed throughout the hall.
"Greetings, and welcome to our grand spectacle of the afternoon! I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has made the effort to arrive here, especially those who have travelled long journeys. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you."
Upon saying this produced a pleasant round of applause from the audience. Keitaro, however, nearly gasped out loud when he realised who the gentleman was.
"That's… Masayoshi Natome! He's the principal of Toudai!" He thought, remembering his appearance some years ago.
Waiting for the clapping of hands to fade away, the principal had a few other words to say.
"Remember, this is only a friendly contest, and keep in mind most of our performers have been rehearsing since this morning. Therefore, your support and respect are both highly appreciated."
A small grin appeared on Masayoshi's face. He knew his next string of words would literally bring the house down.
"Also… I have a very special guest in store for you this afternoon! Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, allow me to introduce to you… the number one internet idol in all of Japan… the one… the only… Chiu!"
Nearly everyone shot out of the seats, clearly amazed, beyond ecstatic. Despite all the main attractions in Toudai, this one easily surpassed them all. The principle turned to the left side and applauded with everyone else.
A few seconds later, a woman in her early twenties gracefully walked on the stage. She received a tremendous, roaring ovation when she greeted Masayoshi, giving him a delicate peck on the cheek before receiving the microphone. As he left the area, the principle silently prayed his wife wasn't in the audience.
Chiu was, without a shadow of a doubt, the most beautiful young lady ever to grace the planet. Her dazzling appearance alone was enough to make even the top supermodel look ordinary in comparison. The idol wore a purple, floral dress which finished two inches away from her knees, as well as having a slightly exposing v-neck, complementing her brilliant physique. On her feet were a pair of rather uncomfortable looking high heel shoes, though they proved to be no handicap when she walked with these on. In addition, her long, silky red hair was also dyed with thin streaks of lilac, and the tiny amount of makeup on her face made her look even more amazing, if that were possible.
At this moment, the audience were practically slaves, chanting her name like she was their goddess. The only ones who didn't probably never heard of the internet. Either that or they were just jealous.
Keitaro, unsurprisingly, was well and truly gob smacked. It appeared that the bombshell Masayoshi unleashed still had a lingering effect on the bewildered manager. His mouth was so largely agape that his throat was starting to dry up. All those images of Chiu on the webpage gave him goose bumps… and now there she was. In the flesh. In the soul.
The guy next to Keitaro, amazingly, stored the same attitude he had a few minutes ago. He still applauded like everyone else, but overall didn't show much enthusiasm. Come to think of it, Mana and quite a few people on that row didn't seem too interested either.
Immediately, a line of security guards appeared (seemingly out of thin air) below the stage, just in case any crazed Chiu fan wanted to greet the idol… personally.
Eventually, Chiu had placed the microphone near her mouth and spoke in a very excited and chirpy way.
"Hiya everybody! I just want to say it's great to see all my adorable Chiu fans in person! But this show is not about me, it's about all the young hopefuls who want to dazzle us with their wonderful talent! And like Masayoshi-kun said earlier, these guys have worked their little hearts out just to entertain you, so if I catch any of you being naughty then our friendly security guards will have to escort you out of the building!"
All the guards made a menacing glare, making a handful of people flinch in fear.
"Now! Without further ado, let me introduce to all of you… our very first competitor!"
Flipping a piece of paper open, Chiu carefully examined the top name on the list. "Yuna?! Isn't that Mosquito's friend?!"
"Er… ahem! Her name is Yuna, and her talent is called 'Bouncing Basketballs'! Let's hear it for Yuna-chan!"
-0-0-
Backstage, only a few of the competitors remained calm and ready. Everyone else ranged from a little nervous to absolutely terrified. Even in this area you can still hear the clapping of the audience very clearly.
Carrying a basket ball in each hand, and wearing a sporty looking outfit, Yuna took one deep breath before walking confidently to meet the spectators.
"Do your best!" Ako said softly.
"Yeah! Kick some ass Yuna-chan!" Makie added, not so softly.
With her friends cheering her on, Yuna couldn't help but smile a confident smile.
-0-0-
Chiu's assumptions were dead accurate. Hiding her real opinions of Makie's friend, Chiu clapped along with the audience when the athletic girl appeared on stage. She wore her favourite basketball outfit; a yellow vest with matching shorts.
"Wow! I can't believe Chiu is here!" Yuna wondered. "I… I mean wow! Just wow! She looks so awesome!"
Suddenly… silence. The air of tension struck Yuna, but she was determined to get through the end. Looking at the audience would only further increase her nervousness, so Yuna quickly concentrated on her task at hand.
Yuna began by bouncing the basket ball on her right hand, whilst holding the left one high above the air. So far there was not a whisper from the crowd, but little did they know that Yuna's talent had only just begun. She then proceeded to dribble both balls at the same time, and only then did they realise her skill was starting to shine. Next she cross-weaved the balls for a total of ten seconds, and then, miraculously, she flipped one of the balls in mid air… and bounced the airborne object on her head, whilst still dribbling with the other ball. She finally rounded off the performance by spinning both balls on her index fingers, earning a very loud cheer from the audience.
She smiled broadly, absolutely delighted that everything went so smoothly.
As Yuna bowed and walked off stage, Chiu re-entered the spotlight whilst applauding the sports girl for a performance well done.
"Okay, that was good." Were the thoughts of Chisame. "I never knew someone like her could have that kind of talent."
"Let's give it up for Yuna-chan!" Chiu chirped, wonderfully ecstatic, unlike her inner ego. "What an amazing first performance! Now for contender number two… oh… wait a moment… this next one is a double act! Ladies and gentleman I present to you… the duo of Tenma and Yakumo! Let's hear it for Tenma-chan and Yakumo-chan everybody!"
Again, the sound of applause filled the hall, but this time the sound was halted somewhat when a short girl called Tenma appeared, who had dressed herself ridiculously in a jesters outfit. Without regret, Tenma burst into the area, waving hello in about ten random languages.
In a split second, the supposedly 'silent' guy next to Keitaro rose to his feet and cheered the petit lady for all he was worth. This rapid change of personality had completely imploded the manager's eardrums.
"GO TEMNA-CHAN!" The man with sunglasses bellowed out. "YOUR CUTENESS AND CHILD LIKE INNOCENCE WILL FOREVER GRACE THE CLOUDS OF GOD! I, HARIMA, WILL ALWAYS HAVE YOUR FULL SUPPORT AND ADMIRATION!"
Keitaro nervously stared at the floor. "Oh man… this guy is scary…"
Shortly afterwards another girl had entered the show… somewhat reluctantly. She too wore a jesters outfit, though she didn't seem half as enthusiastic, rather… she looked incredibly timid. Her name was Yakumo, and she was the taller, yet younger sister of Tenma.
Next to the guy known as Harima, a young man called Hanai also rose up from his seat. He had on a white shirt and blue slacks. Face-wise he looked a little like Keitaro, but more serious looking, plus his body was quite well built, like Harima. On his head was a pair of Keitaro-sized rectangular glasses.
"GO YAKUMO-CHAN!" He cheered along with Harima. "YOUR GRACE AND DIVINE BEAUTY WILL FOREVER SUPPORT THE STARS OF NEPTUNE! I, HANAI, WILL ALWAYS ACKNOWLEDGE YOU AS THE NYMPH OF NIGHT AND DAY!"
Next to Hanai, a busty looking girl with short blue hair smeared a hand over her face, feeling downright humiliated. Her name was Mikoto and she wore a sporty looking vest and matching shorts. All of these three people seated together had to be long time friends, or at the very least, mere acquaintances. There was no doubt some kind of relation between the two girls on stage as well.
"Are you ready to laugh?!" Tenma raised a fist in the air and shouted.
"HELL YEAH! I'M READY!" Harima shouted back, keeping in mind he was the only person to reply.
The second act consisted of a duo performance by Tenma and Yakumo. The original plot was for Tenma to tell a string of jokes, and every time Tenma would pull off the 'punch line', Yakumo would play on the drums to amplify the hilarity of the gag. Unfortunately there were two minor problems. First problem was that neither Tenma or Yakumo could afford to buy drums, so as a substitute Yakumo was carrying… a tambourine. As for the second problem…
"Hey everyone! Why did the fox cross the road? Because he was trying to eat the chicken!"
…Temna's jokes were nothing short of terrible.
"Because he was trying to eat the chicken!" Tenma shouted again, still without a response. "Oh… I guess you heard that one… Yakumo! You're supposed to play the tambourine remember?!"
"Huh? Oh… oh right." Yakumo stuttered. She hit the tambourine twice with the palm of her hand. A large part of her wanted to crawl into a small hole and die. Come to think of it, so did most of the audience.
"This is bad…" Harima thought. "Tenma-chan is making a fool of herself! I Have to do something!"
"Okay what do you get if you cross a banana, a carrot, an apple, a pear and an onion?" Tenma asked the crowd.
Silence was the reply.
"You get the worlds worst fruit salad!" She answered, thus allowing Yakumo to play the tambourine again.
Immediately, Harima stood up and laughed in the most mechanical way anyone could laugh.
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
Noticing that nobody else was laughing, the sunglasses guy emitted an angry, glowing red aura, which intimidated everyone, especially those close by. At once, everyone else followed suit, all nervously laughing, lest they be crushed by Harima's rage.
"This guy is very scary." Keitaro corrected himself.
Hanai wiped away a tear. "Yakumo plays the tambourine like an angel!"
-0-0-
One by one, the young individuals performed their very best to be recognised. Some indeed had natural talent, whilst others, though they tried hard, didn't quite make it to the mark. Meanwhile, Chiu began to feel a little tired and her legs started to ache since she had to stand through all of the performances.
"Only a few more to go." She said to herself, looking at the lower end of the list. "Okay everyone! We're now down to the last three, so without further ado let me…"
All of a sudden, a young man amongst the audience stood straight up. He walked confidently towards the centre of the stage, earning many confused whispers and stares. The guards blocked his path, but somehow, he managed to persuade them all to step aside. Chiu gazed at the man with a very worried stare. Two metres away from her was the guy she despised, Kentaro Sakata. He wore an extremely expensive black suit, the sort of clothing that demanded nothing but serious business.
He coughed politely before speaking through a microphone of his own. "Apologises for the sudden intrusion madam. My name is Kentaro Sakata, and I am the assistant manager of the game company, Star Rock Enterprises. We want you to work for us full time, which will include promoting our latest title due in a couple of weeks. Of course all expenses will be paid for, and the salary will be… generous."
"You prick." Was her short summary of him. "The audience want to watch me and the performers, not some jerk in a suit. What the hell are you doing?"
More than half the audience were booing the suit on stage, making the overall mood quite unfriendly. This did not phase Kentaro for a second. For him, it was simply water on a duck's back.
"Really? Well that does sound tempting. I'll just phone my manager." Chiu wondered aloud.
"Take all the time you need dear." Kentaro replied.
The crowd gasped in shock when Chiu completely left the vicinity. There was no way their beloved internet idol could leave them hanging to dry. Ready to rub salt on their wounds, Kentaro had the nerve to address everyone beneath him.
"I do hope you all have the heart to forgive me." He apologised, ever so falsely. "But I believe this girl has more talent then all of you lot put together… and I totally understand her. Why would she waste this talent just to entertain a bunch of pointless fan boys?"
Admiring the sound of his own voice, Kentaro continued to harass the public, degrading them to no end. Fortunately, he didn't realise that Chiu had returned on stage, and was stealthily stalking her prey with a large bucket filled with cold tomato soup.
In the space of a second, the bucket was tipped upside down. Every single drop had drenched him to the bone. His suit was completely ruined and his hair looked even worse for wear. From the audience was a loud sound of laughter followed by a stream of cheering.
"I'm sorry honey, but Chiu doesn't like working with stubborn businessmen who only care about money. Chiu is here for the fans, and the fans only!" Chiu stated, stating her true emotions with a beautiful eye smile. "Security guards, would you be so kind as to remove this gentleman from the area? Thank you so much!"
Kentaro growled through gritted teeth. He had never felt so humiliated in all his life, his sense of dignity vanished. He muttered some curse words, but the two guards carrying him paid no attention to his threats. Ungracefully, they hurled the soaked Sakata back outside, where he promptly lifted himself back up and angrily left the area.
-0-0-
After the unexpected commotion, the stage was promptly mopped up by a few staff members, thus allowing the contest to continue. A few people actually believed the whole businessman arriving encounter was nothing more than a mere act. Regardless, they still enjoyed the show, much like everyone else.
"Sorry for the setback everyone!" Chiu called out, back in her usual spotlight. "Now for our next participant… let's hear it for…"
Chiu concentrated hard on the list, her eyes fixated on a certain, familiar name. "YUE?!"
"…uh let's hear it for… 'The Super, Omega, Cool Wizard Yue'…" Chiu finished with a puzzled voice.
After another round of applause, Yue slowly walked onto the stage, dressed in her dark witch costume and pointy hat. Her presence alone emitted many 'kawaii' comments, probably thinking she was about ten years old. Also three members of staff appeared on stage, two holding a small round table, whilst the other carried a wooden stall to sit on. When the preparations were complete, the audience noticed a large wide screen television that had appeared, hovering just above the stage itself. The screen showed Yue, magnified so everyone could properly see what she was doing.
"Greetings one and all." Yue introduced everyone. "I am the Super, Omega, Cool Wizard Yue, here to entertain you all with my vast magic and superiority."
So speaking, Yue slowly pulled out four miniature toy rabbits from her sleeve. She placed them on the table, in which the toys then bounced around freely off stage and into the audience, earning even more cute comments. At this moment, every middle aged woman wanted to adopt her.
"That's hardly magic!" Chisame protested in thought. "They were probably up her sleeve all along!"
From her other sleeve, Yue produced a deck of playing cards. "Chiu, would you be so kind as to lend me your assistance?" She asked the idol.
Chiu's mouth hung dry. So far, no participants had asked her for help.
"Um, s-sure!" Chiu replied, feeling a little nervous.
"Can you shuffle these cards for me please?"
"No problem!"
Though she remained standing in front of the audience, Yue's eyes watched Chiu as the idol shuffled the deck… somewhat amateurishly.
"You're not very good at shuffling are you Chiu?" Quipped the blunette.
Chiu made an eye smile when she heard the audience laughing at her expense, friendly laughter of course. "I guess not." She replied with a quivering laugh. "You are pushing your luck, lady."
"Now… the card on the top of the deck is… the jack of hearts." Yue declared.
Chiu plucked the top card, and to her surprise, it was in fact the jack of hearts, the proof literally on the palm of her hand.
"She… she's right!" Chiu said, holding the mentioned card in the air.
The people cheered with amazement, wondering how on earth she did that.
"Next… is the four of clubs…"
And again, the four of clubs was raised, just as Yue predicted.
"Next… is the ace of spades."
Time and time again, Yue was spot on, thus making the audience even more amazed.
"Now assistant Chiu, can you please reshuffle the deck?" Yue asked. "…oh and try to shuffle them properly this time…"
Chiu inwardly growled as she shuffled the deck again, seriously wanting to impale Yue's neck with a blunt spear.
"Okay, now draw three cards from the top, and two cards from the bottom… and place the selected cards face down on the table." Yue added, watching Chiu, who was doing what she was told. "Now… when I flip them over… the face up cards will reveal… a royal flush."
The audience gasped. The odds of even having all the same suit was exceptionally low, but this seemed nigh on impossible! However… Yue was true to her word. On the widescreen television showed the perfect royal flush, from the ten running to the ace.
Accepting the cheers in her stride, Yue was ready for her final trick. Two new items on the table were prepared; a small rubber ball and a simple plastic cup.
"For my next trick I need a volunteer from the audience." She stated flatly.
There was a few surprised whispers, before a selection of them raised their hands, some more eagerly than others. In the end, Yue decided to pick Taishi from the front row… and yes it was the same deranged Taishi who earlier posed as the psycho riddle guard. Of course, Taishi practically reeked of entertainment and melodrama, so he would make the perfect volunteer.
With both of them now seated at opposite ends, Yue placed the cup directly on top of the ball.
"By using a special trick, I will acquire the ball without moving the cup, nor the table." Yue said, staring at Taishi.
"An interesting trick." Taishi mused, a sceptic look in his eye. "But why do you require my assistance?"
"Merely to witness this act up close." Answered Yue. "However…"
Taishi glanced upwards and looked at Yue. "However…?"
"There is… another trick to the task. To let you in on a secret… the ball… has already gone."
"Wh-what?! But that's impossible!" Taishi said, gasping beforehand.
"If you don't believe me… see for yourself…"
Taishi was drenched in sweat, his face a beet red and his gnawing teeth visibly showing. "I can't see any switches or hidden devices… ah but hidden devices would be hidden so there is no way I would spot them… unless they are visibly hidden… ah but that doesn't make any sense! Nothing is visibly hidden, or hidden visibly… unless… wait! What the hell am I thinking?! It… it has to be a bluff! It MUST be a bluff!"
After his tank wreck of thought, Taishi quickly plucked the cup away from the table. Sure enough, the ball was still there.
"AH HA!" Taishi shouted, standing up and pointing at the ball like it was gold. "IT WAS A BLUFF ALL ALONG!"
And, just as quickly, Yue plucked away the ball, not missing a single beat. "…and that is how you take the ball without touching the cup, or the table. As you can see… magic is fun, but simple trickery is more entertaining. Thank you for watching my performance."
Taishi merely grinned as the audience gave Yue a hefty round of applause. "Beneath such a small girl lies a soul with immense cunning! Truly you are amazing, my petit lady!"
Chiu joined in with the clapping. "That girl… she's just something else."
-0-0-
Only two participants remained backstage. Watching everybody perform before them had slowly deteriorated their self esteem.
Makie swallowed a lump in her throat. A tiny drop of sweat graced over her cheek, finally falling from her chin. She wore a pink ballerina outfit, complimented with white tights and pink plimsolls. Two long ribbons were carefully wrapped around her wrists. One was bright red, the other one bright yellow. She also had a light shade of makeup, and her lips were enhanced with sparkling glitter, just like the gloss her mother uses.
Ako firmly held her electric guitar. She opted for a more casual wardrobe, choosing a pale yellow t-shirt, blue jeans and black shoes. Though she looked pretty, Ako couldn't help but worry constantly to herself.
"M-Makie-chan…" Ako quivered, using her guitar for support. "…is t-there anything on my face?"
"Yeah…" Makie replied with a grin. "Eyes… nose… a mouth…"
"I'm being serious!"
"Relax! From what I've heard, you'll be fine! Seriously, I never knew you could play so well."
Upon hearing her called out name, Makie gave her friend a light hug before making her way to the stage.
"You'll be fine." Makie reassured.
Ako stared at the ground, hearing the footsteps of her friend fade away. Her feet remained rooted to the floor as she took many short breaths of much needed air.
"I… can't do this." She whispered to herself. "I can't do this."
-0-0-
Despite the many eyes staring at her, Makie bravely walked on stage. Chisame nearly fell over in surprise when she noticed it was the very same girl whose hobby involved harassing the net idol to no end. Chisame eventually realised that even mosquitoes had another side to them. Her altered appearance already caused a few cheers from the younger male audience, especially Haitani and Shirai who instantly recognised her as the cute, playful one of Hinata-Sou. With a solemn face, Makie briefly looked at all the people watching her, returning the favour so to speak.
"…"
She gasped so loudly, it almost felt as though her soul escaped from her body. Despite every occupied seat, Makie could see him, clearly as day. A part of her wanted to scream out 'SENPAI!', but of course realised that wouldn't exactly sit well with the crowd.
Makie heard the faint music of violins and other string based instruments, thus signalling her big moment. At once she sprang to life, dancing with perfect elegancy as the ribbons twirled in an way most people would think unendurable. There was one moment when she made a slight error of movement, but Makie concealed this so well that nobody spotted the mistake at all. If she wasn't so busy, Makie would have noticed Keitaro's facial expression. Needless to say… it was priceless.
"Urashima-san."
Keitaro glazed over to the side, noticing Mana was whispering to him.
"What is it?"
"Your mouth."
"Huh? … oh."
Feeling embarrassed that a segment of mouth drool dripped off his chin, Keitaro reached for a tissue before wiping away the fluid. Even as he did this, his eyes still remained focused on this dancing butterfly.
…
Just as the music was about to finish, Makie pranced her away to the centre. One foot was firmly on the ground, whilst her upper body bowed lowly to her mid-section. She steadily spun faster and faster, not missing a beat, not missing a step. In fact, her movement was so fast, the twin ribbons began to formulate a circle, the two colours combining into a brilliant orange.
As the music stopped, so did Makie. She took a quick bow and exited post haste off the stage. The applause… was simply deafening, and well deserved.
"That… that was incredible!" Chiu said in disbelief, allowing even the Chisame inside her to speak aloud. "Everyone… let's hear it for Makie-chan!"
-0-0-
…
…
Ako stood alone, her fear being her only companion.
She had been friends with Makie and Yuna for so long, but secretly, she envied them. Envied their ability to talk to guys without stuttering, envied the way they could loudly voice their opinions. How she wished for a tenth of their confidence.
Part of her wanted to die when Chiu announced her name.
Reluctantly, Ako carried herself onto the main stage.
Already her knees buckled over from the vast waves of tension she accumulated with each and every step she took. She stood there, a mere inch away from the microphone. Panic overwhelmed her when a screech of distorted noise ran through the air. Realising she was a little too close, Ako took one small step back and addressed herself as best as she could.
She prayed for an interference. Any kind of interference. She would even welcome an alien invasion, so long as the attention diverted away from her.
"H-h-hi… I'm… g-going to play a song… which… which is called 'One of us.'"
Even saying those few words was a marathon in itself. She cleared her throat and, even though she was utterly terrified, proceeded to play the guitar.
For the first eight seconds she started off okay, but a rogue thought made her strike a wrong chord. There was no way she could conceal her obvious mistake. She had to start again.
Her second attempted fared just as worse. This time she made an error almost before she begun.
Quiet murmurs were heard in front of her. Some of the crowd were disappointed, whilst others were getting a little grouchy, especially since they sat through many other participants. Chiu felt the need to warn anybody who got angry, but luckily, nothing had escalated into anything serious.
Tears threatened to escape from her eyes. She just wanted to run away, never be seen again…
… …
"Come on Ako-chan! You can do it!"
Releasing her tears, Ako looked straight ahead with a gasp. Not caring what anyone else would think, Keitaro Urashima stood up and shouted at the girl for all he was worth.
"Kei…Keitaro-san?" Ako whispered, instantly remembering the guy back at Hinata-Sou. "But… why?!"
Mana too followed Keitaro's sudden action, loudly cheering her on…
…even the guy next to Keitaro, Harima, roared out words of encouragement… as did Hanai, Mikoto and a few others who felt moved by the man starting the whole thing off. Words of praise from so few people… yet to Ako… it felt like a world of support…
…
As the cheers eventually died down… Ako found herself playing the guitar like she acquired a new set of hands. This newfound confidence had struck Ako in a way she never thought possible… but here she was… playing solo in front of a live audience. Everything was silent, except for her beautiful harmony which echoed throughout the assembly hall.
She parted her lips… and began to sing her most cherished song…
…
If God had a name… what would will it be,
And would you call it to his face,
If you were faced with him in all his glory,
What would you ask if you had just one question…?
…
A smile crept upon Ako's lips. She closed her eyes and began to let the music take control of her imagination…
…
And yeah… yeah… God is great,
… yeah… yeah… God is good,
…yeah… yeah… yeah, yeah, yeah
…
…and then her voice sung as loudly as she could muster… still retaining its beauty… still retaining its charm…
…
What if God was one of us … … ?
Just a slob like one of us … … ?
Just a stranger on a bus,
Trying to make his way home… …
…
Mana had a broad smile etched across her face, whilst Keitaro, also smiling, was happily drumming his fingers on the side of his arm.
Beneath the sunglasses, Harima was trying to hold back all of his emotions, but in the end his eyes resembled two tiny waterfalls trickling down his face.
Hanai was even more emotional than Harima. He practically covered his face and sobbed uncontrollably. Mikoto rolled her eyes, and gently consoled her friend by tapping him on the shoulder.
"It's… it's beautiful!" Hanai admitted between sobs. "…but it still doesn't compare to the might of Yakumo's tambourine!"
With growing confidence, Ako proceeded to sing the second verse…
…
If God had a face… what would he look like,
And would you want to see,
If seeing meant that you would have to believe,
In things like in heaven and in Jesus and the saints, and all the prophets,
And yeah… yeah… God is great,
yeah… yeah… God is good,
Yeah… yeah… yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
What if God was one of us … … ?
Just a slob like one of us … … ?
Just a stranger on a bus,
Trying to make his way home…
He's trying to make his way home…
Back up to heaven all alone…
Nobody calling on the phone…
Except for the pope maybe in Rome.
…
From outside the main campus, people had stopped whatever they were doing. Ako and her dazzling guitar solo was loud enough to reach them all.
Beneath the brilliant sunshine in the sky, the people paid no attention other than the sound of this glorious music.
…
And yeah… yeah… God is great,
Yeah… yeah… God is good,
Yeah… yeah… yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
What if God was one of us … … ?
Just a slob like one of us … … ?
Just a stranger on a bus,
Trying to make his way home…
Just trying to make his way home…
Like a holy rolling stone…
Back up to heaven all alone…
Just trying to make his way home… … …
…
Nobody calling on the phone…
Except for the pope maybe in Rome.
…
…
…
…
It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.
Ako steadily looked at the audience…
…and then…
…a roaring applause instantly replaced the silence. Everyone rose to their feet, clapping until their hands were sore. Cheers and screams were soon followed afterwards. Some whistled until their lungs would burst. The noise was thunderous. Tremendous. Utterly surreal… and even after prolonged periods of time… it still would not end! All of this… for her. A little shy girl named Ako.
She couldn't hold in her emotions any longer. She cried continuously… tears of joy which pattered onto the stage.
Chiu stood there, smiling, truly captivated by Ako's delightful song. "I think we found a winner here…"
With a quick thank you, Ako, carrying her guitar, stormed off from the stage. Never had one girl felt so much joy.
…
…
Author: Hanai, Harima, Mikoto, Tenma and Yakumo are all characters from the anime School Rumble. Masayoshi is an original character. The song at the end is called 'One of Us' by Joan Osborne.
Okay, I haven't much else to say except I hope you enjoyed the chapter.