CHAPTER 4

Review Corner

UnivHunterXD: Thank you for the kind words. It is a good start but you can expect more "Uh-oh" along the way ;P

Awashima Island,
Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture,
January 27

The ferry from the mainland docked at Awashima Pier, only a few hundred meters behind the majestic NYK Stella Polaris. The cruise ship was not that much larger than the ferry, but it had so much aura of grandeur that the passengers felt like riding on a tug boat in the presence of the Diamond Princess. The main mast looked as tall as Tokyo Tower, and true to be told, parts of the ship had been repainted in rainbow color, a blatant homage to the school idol sensation Aqours.

Yosetsu wasn't done admiring the ship when the other passengers started pushing him to get off the ferry. He grabbed his duffle bag and stepped off to the pier. Tourists from Awashima Marine Park had already jumped into the ferry, bumping him along their way. Yosetsu was close to let go of his litany of swearing, but he just didn't want to ruin the day. He simply turned around and walked toward the big ship.

He was half way toward Stella Polaris when Chika rushed toward him. She was already draped in dark blue costume, slated to perform.

"Oh you're a sight for sore eyes," Yosetsu threw himself at her and brushed his lips on hers, as if he was trying to suck those mikan-tasted sweetness into his mouth. Chika wasn't afraid to show her eagerness. She met his vigor halfway and wrapped her arms around his head like vines. The tongue battle lasted for a good measure until both of them had to stop for air.

"I miss you, I miss you, I miss you so much!" Chika squeezed Yosetsu as hard as she could. "Thank you for coming with me." Her hand fell inadvertently on his duffle bag, and she realized it was only half full. "Is this all you bring?"

"Why would I need a lot of clothes?" Yosetsu gave her a mischievous wink. "All I need is you!"

Chika stuck her tongue out at him. "Be nice, you perv! We're in the presence of Japan parliament member. They don't have to see a teenager running around with raging hormone."

"Aw, shucks!" Yosetsu fibbed. "I've waited a long time!"

"There is time for everything," Chika grabbed Yosetsu's hand and started towing him toward the ship. "For now, you have to see this ship. You haven't seen anything like this. I guarantee you, you'll be amazed at how great this thing is!"

"I can't wait to see our room," Yosetsu said, but Chika was too preoccupied to pay attention.

Chika dragged Yosetsu to the ramp, explained to the few guards on the ramp that he was her guest, then climbed the ramp with childlike gusto. It took a good effort for Yosetsu to keep up with her, but when they reached the main deck, he had a hard time to close his mouth. A giant promenade deck greeted them, vibrant with Aqours colors and trinkets.

"Holy crap, did they really customize this ship in your colors?" Yosetsu blinked a few times, making sure he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. "Look at the size of this thing!" Yosetsu walked from corner to corner to get a good feel of the size of the ship. "My goodness, I never realize that Aqours had reached such stardom!"

"I would love to believe it, but no, we are not that famous yet," Chika smiled sheepishly. She grabbed Yosetsu's hand and pulled him to meet Kanan, Mari, and Dia, who were conversing near a lifeboat. They were wearing costume similar to Chika's. "You remember Mari-chan? Her parents manage Awashima Hotel. They have inside connection that makes this cruise, and Aqours involvement in it, possible."

"Councilman Murakami is a regular customer of Awashima Hotel," Mari explained. "He is the one that arranged this cruise. He chartered Stella Polaris for the weekend and invited Aqours to perform in front of him and his guests. A great honor for Aqours."

"I bet," Yosetsu replied. "You guys work so hard for it, and now you get what you deserve. Speaking of Aqours, I look forward to meet the rest of you."

"You can find Maru-chan around the food," Dia chimed. "You-chan is sulking somewhere, probably in her room. Riko is playing piano at the mezzanine. Ruby and Yoshiko are taking pictures and videos for our virtual fans. Everything is online these days."

"We thought vlogging will increase our popularity," Chika added. "Alright, we're going to check on the food." She grabbed Yosetsu's hand and tugged it toward the dining cabin. "See you guys later."

The dining cabin was literally overflowed with food. Samples from all over Japan, and beyond, were spread out in dozens of tables. Bubbling soups and icy puddings laid side by side, competing for passenger's appetite with their animated colors and mouth-watering aroma. People hung out by the liquor table, talking and laughing with cocktail glasses in their hands.

"One of the best things about cruise ship is the food," Chika chirped as they moved to the closest table. "We have food from different countries. This part here is traditional Japan. That one is from other parts of Asia. Curry, Pad Thai, Pek Cam Kee, Kung Pao, Gudeg Jogja… but be careful, some of them are hot. A little bit further ahead is Central American. Jamaican, Mexican, Carribean… the Carribean flying fish is pretty awesome. Then we have western food. Bratwurst, andouillette, lutefisk, lamb gyro… oh, wait until you get the chocolate. Hmmm… chocolate! Imported straight from Belgium. Or is it Norway? I don't know, I don't remember."

"They imported food from Norway?" Yosetsu scratched his head.

"Not only food, but soap and toiletries. Norway is the place to get things for bath or spa, especially when there's big summer blowout." Chika grabbed a mikan, peeled it in one fluid motion, and started shoving the slices into her mouth. "Now, are you hungry? Where do you want to start?"

"I am hungry, but I don't know where to start," Yosetsu observed the myriad of food on the table. "So many choices. I guess maybe the Carribean."

"If you're open for suggestion, I'd start with the French," a slender man with spiky red hair approached the two. "They have those Les Poissons, the little fish prepared in the classic technique. First you pound the fish flat with a mallet, then you slash through the skin and give the belly a slice, then you rub some salt in. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. I know because I learnt that from a French chef at school."

Yosetsu knew he met the guy once, but he couldn't remember where or when. He would've brushed him off if not because of Hanamaru coming with him. She held a plate with probably 5 different food in it.

"Soma is correct, zura!" she chimed with her mouth half full. "French fish is the best, zura!"

"Soma?" Yosetsu started to collect bits and pieces about the guy. "You came to UA Cultural Festival, didn't you?"

"Yes, that's where I met Maru-chan," the guy called Soma replied with a bow. "We kept in touch after that. Then Maru-chan gets an invitation to go on a cruise, and she invites me because she knows the food will be fantastic. And it is! Everything is inspirational. I don't know about you, but I think food is poetry in motion."

"Soma goes to a culinary institute, zura," Hanamaru grabbed a couple more dishes from the table, even though her plate was not yet empty. "He is an aspiring chef, zura."

"She is a sweetheart, isn't she?" Soma leaned toward Yosetsu.

"Yes she is," Yosetsu replied halfheartedly. "Well, I hope you enjoy the cruise and the food."

"Oh yes, we will!" Soma nodded and turned to get another plate. "Same to you."

Yosetsu waited until Soma and Hanamaru walked to another food station, then turned to Chika. "You never told me Hanamaru had a boyfriend?"

"She said he was not her boyfriend," Chika replied while taking another mikan. "She said he was inviting him just for the food."

"Yeah, right! I bet food is not the only thing he eats."

Chika shot a dirty look at Yosetsu. "If you're not pulling yourself together, you're not getting any of that from me!"

"I'm sorry, I just miss you so much," Yosetsu tried to give Chika a hug.

"I told you, I'm here to perform," Chika brushed away Yosetsu's advance. "If you make a scene, people will not take Aqours seriously again. I know you want to have fun, and I want to have fun too, but there's time and place for that. Please?"

"Yeah, alright, I'll behave," Yosetsu painfully let go of Chika. "I'll be on my best behavior, for you."

"Thank you, Babe, I love you," Chika caressed Yosetsu's cheek. "Alright, now let's get those Les Poissons."

The couple started making their way to the French table when You and Riko came from the other direction. It was easy to see that You was not enjoying the festivity. Her eyes sunk deep into her skull, and her cheek twitched from grounding her teeth. Riko was talking to her in an uplifting fashion, trying to make her friend les miserable, but it was clear she didn't do a good job.

"Watanabe-san, Sakurauchi-san, konnichiwa," Yosetsu bowed a little, trying to be polite.

"Awase-san, konnichiwa," You replied without expression.

"You-chan is upset because Harisu-junsa can't make it to the cruise," Riko explained.

"Harisu-san is not coming? What a bummer," Yosetsu offered some kind of condolences.

"Yeah, well, that's the life of a policeman," You sighed exasperatedly. "Apparently I am not on top of his priority, second to catching criminals. I'm sure you understand since you're in the same line of work with him."

"Well uh… I'm not ready for that kind of work yet," Yosetsu smiled awkwardly. He didn't know what to do in this situation, so he looked at Chika. "I'm sure we can find activities to make you feel better. Isn't that right, Chika-chan?"

"Yes! This cruise is too precious to be spent grousing and sulking," Chika grabbed You's shoulder and turned her around toward the French food station. "We just got a tip from a reliable source that the French fishy is fabulous. We're on our way to get there. Why don't you join us?"

"I'm not hungry," You replied apathetically.

"You will be after a few bites," Riko added while pushing You gently. "I promise you, you'll feel much better after eating exquisite food. We'll never get this kind of food if we're not on the cruise, so let's take the most of it."

You was hesitant but at Riko's and Chika's insistent she went to get food with them. As Soma pointed out earlier, the French fish was quite a dish to the point Yosetsu and the girls made multiple trips to the table.

"You know, this does put me in a better mood," You licked her fingers as she finished up her third plate. "Who gave you the tip?"

"The guy that came with Maru-chan," Chika put the last piece of fish on her plate into her mouth. "Soma-san, the name. He's a student of a culinary academy. He said he knew all these stuffs, and he was correct on all accounts."

"Maru-chan had better not eat too much, or she won't be able to sing and dance," Riko wiped her mouth with a napkin. "We're scheduled to perform in a few minutes." She checked her phone. "Fifteen minutes."

"We'd better get out of here or all of you won't be able to sing and dance," Yosetsu tuned in. It was almost surreal, watching those slender girls trying to shove in as much food as they could into their stomach. He couldn't blame them. The food was fantastic. "We can always return after your performance."

"Yeah, good idea," Chika put down her plate, but took a slight detour to take yet another mikan from the fruit table. "Sorry, can't help it," she said with reddish face. "This is so good!"

"Fine, just make sure you hit the bathroom before the show," Yosetsu said and coaxed Chika to get out of the food cabin. On the main deck, people started to congregate, knowing that the ship was about to depart and the show was about to begin. You and Riko proceeded to the bow section, and Yosetsu and Chika were not too far behind, but Yoshiko and Ruby intercepted them, shoving the camcorder right onto their faces.

"Here we have Aqours' front lady with the number-one fan from UA High School!" Yoshiko talked to the camera. "What do you think about the experience so far?"

"Very excited to be here, as Chika-chan can confirm," Yosetsu played along. "The ship is wonderful, food is great, but I'm most excited of Aqours performance. A cruise ship is the perfect place to release new songs."

"There you have it, fans! Aqours new songs will be the highlight of this cruise, and a lot of passengers are looking forward to it!" Yoshiko turned the camera toward herself. "This is Fallen Angel Yohane reporting from the launching of Stella Polaris and the release of Aqours new songs. Stay tuned, and please like and subscribe!" She turned off the camcorder and handed in the memory card to Ruby, who quickly put it into a card reader attached to her phone.

"Real time vlogging? That's awesome," Yosetsu flashed a smile at Chika.

"A lot of artists do this to promote their music," Chika smiled back, "We thought it could attract more fans, and keep Yoshiko busy."

"Yohane!" Yoshiko quickly turned into her Yohane persona. "The Fallen Angel Yohane will put curse on every Aqours vlog in youtube so everyone who sees them will fall into spell and vote for Aqours on Love Live Festival!"

"That's kind of cheating," Yosetsu jested.

"If it works," Chika picked it up with her own. "If it's all in Yoshiko's head, all is fair."

"May I have your attention please," a man in white uniform spoke from the center of the deck. "I am the captain of NYK Stella Polaris. I hope everybody have a good time. We are 5 minutes from departure, and I am pleased to invite Aqours to sing the farewell party. Aqours, you have the stage."

"Here! Take video!" Yoshiko shoved the camcorder at Yosetsu. "It's a point and shoot camcorder. Nothing fancy. Just aim, click, and let it roll."

"Alright," Yosetsu grabbed the camcorder and put it to work. "Fans, this is the moment we all have been waiting for. Aqours with their newest song…"

"Fantastic Departure!" Chika winked at the camera. "What a perfect score to start our journey. I hope you all like it!"

Chika took the center as the remaining members of Aqours congregated around her. The passengers onboard dispersed to give the girls enough room to move around. The heavy techno music blared from the PA, and Chika started the song while looking straight into the camera:

Attention Please!
Let's Ride On!

The music rolled on, and Yosetsu switched the focus to whoever got the solo part, making sure everybody had equal spotlight. As the girls sang chorus, he zoomed out to get everybody on the screen. The upbeat techno music energized the crowd, turning it into clapping, cheering, whooping, dancing frenzy.

Feeding on the crowd's enthusiastic reaction, the 9 girls sang and danced to their hearts' content, pouring their emotions through the music

Daiji na mirai sugoi mirai o matterun da (itsumo itsumo!)
Waraun da egao ni nareba
Sonna toki iruka ga tonde bokura mo tonde
Kujira ni notte shimaun da (sou da sou da!)
Shougeki no bouken arienai koto mo ooru okkee
Sore ga bokura sa!

The song ramped up to the final chorus, and just as the music ended, the ship blew its horn. The passengers cheered for Aqours then congregated on the port side to wave to the people on land. The ship slowly moved away from the pier before 'steaming' toward the open water.