Haruka was searching around worriedly. She hadn't seen Kuppuru for a few days now, since Shining Saotome finally allowed them to preform. As happy as she was for them, she couldn't help but worry about the small, fluffy cat. He hadn't come when she called for him and none of the boys had seen him. Come to think of it, he disappeared from the room some time during the performance...
Haruka checked every nook and cranny of the mansion for him, but he was no where to be found. They were leaving the mansion in about two weeks, right after the concert, so they had to find him by then or leave him behind. Haruka shivered at the thought. She kept looking around, searching for him. But as she moved around she grew weary and wished to abandon her hunt for the day.
Walking through the hallways, she felt the creaking wood under her feet. She couldn't help but think about what everyone had to go through to get where they were today. Most of them were out preparing or packing, moving their things in preparation. She had time to talk to them, and even thought they couldn't finally debut, there was still many more problems they would have to deal with sooner or later.
Masato mentioned that his father only allowed him to go to Saotome Academy for one year before he had to come home. They were a little worried that Masato's father wouldn't let Masato join the group, forcing him to be the heir to the company. But Masato assured them that he would convince him to let him work with the group and become an idol. Haruka trusted him enough to relax. She knew he could handle himself.
Ren had said that his brother hadn't cared either way. Since his brother was the one who put him in the school in the first place he was more than willing to let him go. In fact, he hurryed him out of their mansion, insisting that a working man could find a place to stay, forcing Masato to give up another spare room for the Casanova.
Natsuki, Syo, and Otoya had no problems with anything- they were already prepared to stay in another place after a debut.
Hayato had a long talk with his manager and boss. But after a while, they agreed to let him out of the contract as long a he finished his has few days. He too was staying at the Hijirikawa mansion and after a tactless comment from Otoya, mentioning that the entire group was practically living in the Mansion, Natsuki and Syo moved in. Masato was hesitant to let them in at first, but they promised to be good guests and Masato couldn't refuse them.
Everything seemed to finally be going well for them. There couldn't possibly be any problems at this rate. Masato would convince his father, the others were ready for a life of fame, Kuppuru would show up sooner or later, and they're futures were set in stone together.
Haruka turned the corner and came to a stop, hearing a voice raise up through the hallways, bellowing through the wooden walls.
"Your Tokiya!" Gasping, Haruka's previous fatigue dissipated and she began to sprint down the hallway. A wave of panic caused her heart to raise and her pulse rose by leaps and bounds.
"Please, keep your voice down!" Hissed a deeper voice. Haruka huffed and puffed, her slight blurry from twisting her head back and forth to hear where the voices were coming from. She bit her lip as she looked for them, peeking in through every door.
"But your Hayato!" Haruka stopped and turned around, finding that she had run past the room they were in by a few feet.
"Please keep quieter..." A voice hissed, trying to quiet the other.
"B-but this- this picture!" Haruka moved in front of the door, grasping the handle in her fingers and pulling it open slightly. Haruka's eyes widened as she caught sight of blue and red tuffs of hair. Pulling the door further open, she peaked her head in, staying at Otoya as he stared down Hayato. He had a picture tucked between his long fingers and had an unusual frown on his face. Hayato kept his head down, keeping his eyes away from Otoya's, keeping eye contact broken with the red head.
"Look, I know what this means-"
"You were lying!"
"I was not lying!" Hayato shot back, causing Otoya to take a step back and Haruka to flinch back from the door. "I never lied."
"B-but you said your name was Hayato-"
"Stage name. My stage name is Hayato. My real name is Tokiya Ichinose." Hayato explained, finally looking Otoya in the eyes.
"...But you said you were twins." Hayato looked down at the ground, glaring at his feet. "Then you did lie! You lied to us!..." Hayato looked away from the ground and to the window. She couldn't quite hear, but she thought he gave a whispered apology. "So?... You know the others hand, before meeting my and Nanami?" Otoya questioned.
"Yes, it's true, I did go to school with them..." Hayato answered, looking back at Otoya. "So then, Haya-... Tokiya," Otoya said, calling him by his real name. "You haven't told the others yet I'm guessing... bt are you going to tell them? You can't keep it a secret forever, the others will find out."
"Please don't tell them." Tokiya pleaded, looking up at Otoya with sad eyes. Otoya stiffened nervously at his request, gulping and taking a step back.
"W-what?! B-but, should you tell the others at one point? We can't be a true idol group if we keep secrets from each other! I mean, I don't want to lie to them. And I can't lie to Nanami, she loves Hayato!" Otoya said. Tokiya flinched at the mentioning of her name and looked down.
"Actually..." Tokiya started before Haruka pushed herself into the room.
"I already know." Haruka said, stepping into the room. Tokiya looked up surprised and Otoya spun around, eyes wide.
"N-Nanami?!... You knew?" He asked, eyes wide. Haruka nodded, a small smile on her face.
"Could you please not tell?" Haruka asked. Otoya gulped, a blush running across his cheeks.
"W-well, you can't keep it a secret forever..." Otoya mumbled, looking down.
"Don't get me wrong," Tokiya said, grabbing their attention once more. "I will tell then. I'm just... waiting for the right moment to speak." Tokiya admitted, nodding to them.
"...Well that's fine, I guess... But don't wait too long, it will only get worse the longer you take to spill." Otoya warned, crossing his arms, trying to keep his face straight but found himself pouting slightly.
"Arigato, Ittoki." Tokiya thanked, giving him a small smile.
"Don't thank me yet- take to long and I'll spill." Otoya warned, turning away from them and stomped his feet slightly.
"Consider me warned." Tokiya chuckled while Haruka giggled. Otoya whipped around, a blush covering his cheeks.
"Don't laugh- I'm serious, I'll spill!" Otoya whined, gritting his teeth. Haruka blushed and smiled, her head down slightly, still amused.
"We believe you." Tokiya said, holding up his hands while his face went straight again.
"Tokiya~" Otoya complained, causing Tokiya to roll his eyes. Haruka let out a quiet sigh of relief. Nothing really could pull them apart.
