Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. This one is a bit shorter, just because we're about to get up to the big finale of this "arc", if you will.
Enjoy! :)
"And now, we will announce our winners for the second round!"
Gumi and Miku stood on either side of me, each of them squeezing my hands so hard they felt numb. Standing next to us was Kokone and her band, looking equally hopeful. Teto was next, beaming in her stunningly white dress to match her equally elegant performance. And, of course, Len and TR stood on the opposite side of the announcer.
I thought we had done pretty well, but Kokone, despite her horrible attitude, had done amazing. Doubt fogged up my thoughts.
TR and Merge duel it out in the final round. TR wins.
If I hadn't been on stage, I would have scowled at the thought of Everett's gambling. What if the whole thing was rigged? What was the point of winning if we didn't actually win?
I almost hoped we wouldn't, just to spite him. Just to make him lose that ridiculous amount of money. Just to piss him off and hopefully keep him away from me.
The announcer said a few more words, enchanting the crowd with his excited voice, before stopping in front of us and Kokone. I heard Gumi suck in a breath next to me.
The crowd fell into near silence. His eyes flickered back and forth between us, building the suspense.
Just fucking do it already, I thought.
His eyes stopped on us. "Merge," he said, calmly.
The girls perked up.
"I hope you have another song prepared, because you're going to-"
His next words were drowned out by the screaming that filled the room. I smiled, despite still feeling a bit uneasy, as Gumi and Miku latched onto my shoulders in joy and cheered with the rest of the room. They pulled me forward, closer to the front of the stage. Just as the crew had instructed us.
"But we're not done yet!" The announcer continued, holding his free hand up in the air while the other held his microphone. "Who will Merge face off against in the final round? Let's find out…"
He walked away from us, towards the other side of the stage where Teto and TR stood.
Teto shot a nervous smile towards the boys, who returned it. I glanced at Kokone, surprised at the civility between the two opposing teams. Kokone's eyes were glued to the floor. Each time she had looked at me before, she looked like she wanted to strangle me. I couldn't help but pity her at her loss, however.
"Teto. Tokyo Revival," the announcer said, looking between the two of them. "You both gave amazing performances tonight," he commented.
Teto grinned, holding her hands together in front of her chest. Out of all of us, she was the only one who stood alone on stage. It didn't seem to faze her one bit.
The announcer sighed. "But only one of you can win. And the votes are in."
He paused. The room fell into silence once more.
"And the winner is…"
I was more invested in this competition than my own, I realized. Teto was so sweet, my relationship with Len was weirdly complicated, and the tension between the two competitors was nonexistent.
"Tokyo Revival!"
I might have imagined it, but it seemed the crowd was much louder as the group of boys stepped forward. Teto didn't hang her head in shame like Kokone, instead smiling at them as they walked forward. As the audience cheered, her and Kokone were directed off of the stage. We stood even with the boys now, and I was pleased that Miku and Gumi's enthusiasm didn't seem to have diminished at all by our next opponent.
In fact, I think they were relishing in it.
"Oh, wow!" The announcer said, standing between us and looking out to the still-cheering fans. "What a tense matchup!" He paused once more, adding to the dramatic effect, and I couldn't help but think that he must have been doing this a very long time. He was certainly good at it.
"And we have a special announcement!" He continued. Only then did the crowd hush once more. "For the final round, we are doing something a bit different." He spoke slowly, pulling everyone in the room to the edge of their seat with his voice.
I looked over at him. In the background, TR looked towards us in confusion as well.
"What?" Miku asked me under her breath.
Gumi smacked her on the arm behind me, where the cameras wouldn't see.
"Each group is going to pick one member to perform in the final round," he continued. "And the chosen members are going to be performing together. A duet!"
I raised my eyebrows. I hadn't expected them to do their research on us so thoroughly, but it felt to me like the producers knew exactly how tense relations were between their groups. And they were ready to milk it for views.
And it seemed to be working.
It took longer this time to settle the crowd down, or maybe the announcer was just letting them continue longer than normal. He had finished talking. He was just feeding off of their excitement at this point.
"Until next week!" he concluded, turning his back to the audience and throwing a hand in the air. That was our signal to leave the stage, and I caught it a moment too late. Gumi and Miku tugged me towards stage right, waving to the crowd.
Luckily for me, the girls had grown tired of partying. The excitement of success never seemed to decrease, but our celebration was instead spent passing around a bottle of wine in the living room of our suite while Grey's Anatomy played in the background.
"So," Luka said, curled up in a ball on the couch. Her fidgeted with the hem of her pajama pants. "Who wants to do the last round?"
The room fell silent.
"Well," Gumi said, from her place on the floor. "We know they're going to pick the blonde one."
"Why?" I asked.
Miku rolled her eyes at me. She sat next to Gumi on the floor. "He's their lead singer," she answered. "Obviously."
"It's so dumb," I told them. "They're just feeding off of us for ratings."
"Of course they are," Luka agreed. "Why else would we go on their show? We need the attention, too."
"But… I don't know. It's like they're… taking advantage of us." I wanted to tell them about what I'd overheard earlier in the day, but I didn't trust myself to not accidentally mention Len. Plus, if they found out Len stayed behind like I had...
"I think we should go with it," Miku said. "Playing along isn't going to hurt anyone. And if we hype this up, both us and the show get to benefit from it. I don't see the problem."
"Well, in that case, Rin should do it."
My eyes shot to Gumi. Miku nodded.
"What?" Gumi asked me, defensive. "You were the one who did that cover of his song. People already know there's something going on there."
My heart skipped a beat, and for a split second I wondered if they had caught on to my elusiveness the past few days. But if they did, no one said anything.
"Yeah," Luka agreed. "It should be you."
"It just feels so manipulative," I blurted out, unsure of what else to say.
Miku furrowed her brow. "What does?"
"...Making such a big deal out of hating them."
"How is it manipulative?" She argued. "We do hate them."
To this, I could do nothing but nod.
Luka looked back and forth between us. "So, are you doing it? Should I let them know?"
"Why do you need to let them know?" I asked.
"Because you'll be performing with him," she answered. "You're going to have to go to practice. With him."
"Ah, shit," Miku cursed. "I didn't even think about that."
"We'll go with you!" Gumi promised. "That guy gives me the creeps. They all do. We won't leave you alone with them."
I glanced towards the kitchen. It was getting much too late for my liking.
"Thanks, guys," I said, pulling my face into a tired smile. With that, I stood from the couch. "Who wants the bed tonight?"
Gumi threw her hand up in the air. "Me!"