Kuku was still up at eleven that night. The snow flurries blew outside her window adding to the cold in the unlit room. She was huddled in her blanket hugging her Aqours stuffies, zoning out every so often in between agonized musings of what had transpired that day in the clubroom.
From what she had gathered, Sumire-chan had tried to impose a schedule which the others thought too strict. She did not quite understand why they reacted like that over a notebook; she agreed with Sumire that the regimen was reasonable for an aspiring star.
And yet… did Sumire really have to dismiss the fun times as mere "play?"
What if she spoke up and became that voice to reconcile the two sides?
"…"
Why?
I'm so weak.
"…"
I chose this. I joined with Sumire-chan.
"…"
What's wrong with me?
But she had gone too far to go back; she came to Japan to be a school idol. If that means having to go on without Kanon and Chisato, well…
The first day she trained under Sumire she only had a short briefing on what songs to perform, and then Sumire picked a song for her to practice first. That same evening she was back in bed memorizing the lyrics and listening to the audio over and over.
Two days more have passed before an actual rehearsal came to pass. She spent much of the first hour taking her time to get the hang of the song, something which silently irked the more professional Yazawa. Soon enough…
"Oi."
"Ah—eh?"
"Where's your focus?"
Kuku caught herself. She was thinking about how Kanon would have pulled it off, she was such a good singer. "It's nothing. Let's do it again."
"Are you serious?"
She realized she needs to pay full attention to Sumire. "Let's go," she said calmly.
They went through the song one more time, and now Kuku was more focused. But the practice felt a little stiff, lacking spontaneity. She was closely following Sumire's script… and nothing else. Well, it's a pretty cool song, no doubt, but for somebody who have had cool music since childhood, this performance didn't quite add anything of value. The whole session felt vaguely like it was going in circles.
When Sumire called for a break, she noticed that Kuku was actually catching her breath. What? Was she already exhausted so soon? But there's still about two hours till five….
After enjoying an almond latte herself, and realizing she had unthinkingly extended the break by about half an hour, she approached Kuku and just told her to return on Tuesday.
OP Song
Bouken Type A, B, C!
Lyrics: Aki Hata
Composition and Arrangement: Tatsuya Kurauchi
.
#8. The Birth of an Idol Group
The night air was still chilly all over Tokyo, but the snow has ceased since yesterday. Distant birdsong punctuated the stillness of the city night. Even Shibuya can sometimes get muted in the winter if it's late enough.
"Feasting on the deeeeeeaaaaaaddddd…"
Coming from DarkAska over the radio, it was super-edgy and ultra-cool.
The playlist went on and on, and Aska was the best goth-emo artist this side of Tokyo.
"Feasting on the deeeeeeaaaaaaddddd…"
Coming from DarkAska over the radio, it was super-edgy and ultra-cool. Coming from Chisato Watanabe, it was somewhat like throwing up.
The playlist went on and on, and Aska was the best goth-emo artist this side of Tokyo.
"…"
Then why was she only hearing blaring chatter?
I'm not really cut out for edgy music, she reflected wryly. More importantly, singing along wasn't worth it if she was forcing herself.
She doffed her ear buds. This is no good. She is simply too bothered to go on a sound trip. She wasn't the kind of person who, like Kanon, can lose herself for hours if a song was good enough. Come to think, her buddy did tell her to learn to get lost in a good song if she was to become a school idol. But how was she to try be an idol if they haven't even gotten off the ground?
Bah, enough of this, Kanon herself is what I need right now. She grabbed her phone and dialed.
"¿Hola?" came the answer from the other end of the line.
"Eh?! What do you mean, 'hey?' "
"Huh? I was saying 'hello.' "
Oh… Really? "Whatevs."
Giggle. "Gomen. I forgot Spanish and Japanese can sound alike."
Sigh. "What are you doing right now?"
"Hm? Listening to μ's."
"Figures," she sighed. "You don't have a lot of variety in taste."
"Huah, let's forget about music for now. What's up?"
"What's up? Well… music. I mean, I think I want to talk about… that again."
Chisato raided the drawer for anything to eat. She dialed the thermostat to make herself a little more comfortable. "We're still a club, right? The clubroom's still there."
"I'll go ask Miss Matsuura if we can still keep it. You never know, we might get new members."
"Alright, ask away. If you dare."
There was a silence at the other end of the line. For Kanon it wouldn't do to show her face at the chairwoman's desk after this fiasco, especially as the identified "leader" of the group. "I was about to ask you if it would be fine for us to perform as soon as next month," said Kanon changing the subject.
"It's awkward to perform as two after coming from four."
"So… Two months? A year?"
"Let's just fall back on aerobics again. I'm sure you won't be thrilled to sing in a while."
"Nuh-uh. I love singing."
"You can be stubborn sometimes, you know that?"
"Eheheh… Am I?"
"Masaka…"
"Aerobics might be a little weird after they saw us sing and dance on stage."
"It's not. A lot of them know me from junior high as a sports person." She scratched her head. "I guess it's you they'll have to get used to."
"Maybe I'll just drag you down if you go ahead."
"No-no! I'll coach you first, of course! Although, I think we'll take two weeks for a complete beginner like you to get the basics down properly." She hesitated for a bit. "You're… You're not that ready yet, are you?"
"I'm ready for anything if I could use my voice. Ehehe… In private, anyway. But I can do it with others if you sing with me, of course."
"Really now…"
"I told you. I love singing. If I can't sing, I'll sing along, if I still can't, I hum along or hum alone. I can't stop singing."
Love singing, huh? A worried look crossed Chisato's face. She took some pretzels out of the drawer and munched down. "Kanon—"
"It's a little late, Chi-chan. I want to keep talking about the club, so let's meet up at the food stands at lunch tomorrow, alright?"
Chisato raised an eyebrow but kept munching away. Groan. "You got it." Yawn.
Down at the courtyard Chisato was only having mochi sticks and her tummy was already rumbling. She didn't want to get udon until Kanon was here so they could lunch properly together.
"You're late," she said flatly, seeing her buddy run over to her.
She halted in front of her, panting. "I got held up by the English teacher at the corridor. Sorry."
After they were properly settled on a bench in the shade, they got down to finishing the udon. None of them spoke for a while to focus on the food, watching students stream in and out of the cafeteria in the distance. About halfway through the meal, however, Chisato was surprised to find her friend silent, not touching her meal anymore.
"Is something wrong, Kanon?"
She turned a sad gaze at Chisato and said, "You remember this place, right?"
"Eh?"
"We sat here. The three of us. We recorded ourselves."
Oh… So this was the place where Kuku had them introduce themselves to her friends in China. As soon as she realized it, the somber mood immediately transmitted itself. "Guhhhh!" said Chi-chan shaking her head. "Why must you bring up something sad? Let's finish lunch, at least! Grrrr." And she wolfed down what was left of meal to try and suppress the sadness.
A little later they were standing some way from the crepe stand with orange coolers. "I kinda wished I just performed by myself at the booth. There were enough people, and I'd be enough of a shameless spectacle.
"No, Chi-chan, I'm not sorry you pulled me in with you. So don't be. Every turn in the road we take, no matter how much trouble it brings, also leads to something new."
Chisato wanted to roll her eyes at Kanon sounding like a starry-eyed cliché again, regardless of how right she was, anyways. Instead, "Non-chi, let me tell you something. I said that because I think it's only fair for me to get my share of responsibility for everything that happened at the club. But I also believe we would have had none of this if we didn't run into Yazawa-san."
"That's fine, too, 'cause I don't blame Sumire-chan, either."
Uh, whut? "Come again?"
"If running into her is what caused all this, then that incident was also all that was needed for us to have been a group."
OK…? "So you're looking at the bright side? Again? Masaka… You really think you can always solve everything with the same line of thinking all the time?"
"Why not if it keeps working?"
"…"
"Don't underestimate me, Chi-chan. I got more smarts than you." Giggle.
She remembered that time she and Sumire were shamelessly (she didn't like to use the word on Kanon, but, sigh, there it was) manipulated to jointly train Kuu-chan. In the end, she just shrugged and went to the kiosk to order crepes for them both.
"One choco-banana for me. And a choco-strawberry." A hand landed on her shoulder. "Kanon, wait up, I'm thinking about which extra fillings I should pick." She turned around, and much to her shock, two of her classmates were right behind her. Kanon was pressed on both sides by other students.
"Chi… Chi-chan… Help me…"
She broke through and pulled her buddy away from the crowd.
"What do you want with us? Let me guess. You're gonna pit us against Sumire Yazawa again, am I right? You have seen us perform on the same stage already. So… what's the score?"
"Actually," said Kanon sunnily, "we would appreciate it if you bring Yazawa-san with you again,"
"No. We only want you two now. Sing for us again."
"Urrrrgh," muttered Chisato. "Ahem! In case you didn't know, I've begun being active at the Track Club again."
"Quit the Track. Make an idol club again. Please!"
"Quit… That's a little overboard, don't you think?"
"Then be the Track Club's resident idol."
"That's even more outrageous!"
"Look here, if you don't return to being idols we will ask the Track Club to throw you out so you can focus on singing."
"What?!" She dusted herself. "Alright, let me be clear. I… I have no interest whatsoever in being an idol right now. OK? You got Yazawa-san and Ming-san, and she's Chinese. Those two will provide for all your pop music needs."
"We're fine with two different bands now. We promise, we won't compare you two anymore."
"We admit our defeat! Yazawa is the defender of the universe, she's your go-to celeb, not us!"
"Uhm…" corrected one of them, "it's 'galaxy,' not universe."
"G-Guardian of the galaxy, OK! Hahhhh. Really… Just leave me and Kanon-chan alone!"
"We gotta have all four of you even if you're split!"
Just then, seeing an opening, Kanon carefully inched behind Chisato while they were busy arguing with her. She took out of her pocket a limited-edition Sakura Surprise bread and threw it in a high arc over the throng. "Sakura-Pan!" yelled somebody, and the crowd promptly turned on itself. She quickly dragged Chisato away to make their escape.
"Quick! Let's go straight to the gate!"
"But I want the sakura bread!" whined Chi-chan.
"I'll get you a hundred of that in Omotesando next week!"
"There's nothing like winning your prize in battle. You should see my skills in playing hardball."
"Chi-chan?!" she yelled back.
The two didn't return for the afternoon classes, fearful that their classmates might harass them again at the end of the school day before they could even pack up. Speaking of packing up, they will have to fetch their stuff at the classroom, so they'll have to return shortly after everybody has gone home. For the meantime, they sat at a park bench, worrying. How were they supposed to explain their absence?
Chisato ruffled her hair in annoyance. "Ah! If only that showbiz kid didn't mess us up!"
None of them could speak for a moment as slumped down on the bench like a pair of hobos. "But we can't just pin all the blame on Yazawa," mused Kanon.
She sighed loudly in frustration. "So you're gonna say all of us has a share of responsibility in this? I think that's even less helpful."
"…"
"There's got to be one root to all this."
"I don't know, Chi-chan. But if Sumire-chan is that root that pulled us apart, then I guess she also has the power to bring us all back."
"Hey, I-I didn't mean it like that."
"Then decide, Chi-chan. Whose hands are steering our group? Yazawa's? Ours?"
Chisato stared at her for a moment wanting to answer back, but her mind was busy absorbing Kanon's words.
"Who of us should be making the moves to bring us back together?"
"…"
"You think we should give it a shot again?"
"What is?"
"Putting the group back together."
"Are you serious, Kanon?!"
"Uhm," she affirmed. "The way I see it, there are only two directions for us to take. Sumire-chan's and ours. Sumire-chan's direction, as we all know, is to disband the club."
"So therefore, our direction is…" She shook her head. "It's not that simple."
"It may be simple, but it's our direction. Remember that, Chi-chan."
No, she silently told her. Instead of openly saying it, she lay back and began to snooze. Kanon sighed and leaned against her buddy to nap with her, as well. How funny, she thought distantly, a pair of hobos in a park, escaping school. We're so pathetic, aren't we? And she dozed off.
スーパースターズ! GO!
They came back to their empty classroom at around half past four, got their things, and made their way out to the gate again. This time, much to their chagrin, there were waiting for them there girls they immediately recognized to be from Class A, only three, anyway, but the two buddies had hoped everybody had already gone home by now.
"Takami-san…" said one of them as they approached.
Kanon's face stiffened slightly. "Good evening. Are… Are you going to ask us to perform again?"
All three of them nodded earnestly. Tch, she thought, and she knew Chisato felt the same way. There's no easy way out of this. "I'm afraid we'll be postponing club activities till next school year…" She suddenly flashed a bright smile. "But don't worry, we'll be in back in top form by then, so look forward to it! Uhm!"
"Next year?!" another girl said in a frightened tone.
The smile began to crack. "Y-Yeah…"
"But why? Is it really that bad?"
Kanon felt the awkwardness grow. "We need some space… is all."
"No, you don't. You don't have to get Yazawa-san back if she really don't want to anymore."
"What matters to us is to see you guys sing again. Even just the two of you. Please!"
Kanon and Chisato looked at each other worriedly. It was Chi-chan who spoke up. "Guys, um, it's not like we can just put up a live again as if nothing happened. We just lost exactly half our membership; of course it will have an effect."
A hurt look immediately arose on the girl's face. "You actually think we don't know that? That we weren't also affected by what happened to you?"
They were caught off guard. "W-Wait," said Kanon, "you really mean you…? I-I mean…" She could only bow in the end. "We're so, so sorry if it bothered you, too." She straightened up with a guts pose. "But you need not worry about us, we'll definitely pull through!"
"Takami-san."
"Heh—?"
"There's only five of us here. I hope you don't mind our being honest now."
The two buddies could only stare at the girls. What could it be this time?
"There are a handful of people who need your music right now. N-Nothing too dramatic or out of the ordinary, but… suffice it to say their lives are quite a bit less fun than most of us."
"…"
"Yours is the only club so far to exude that kind of spirit that can uplift everybody."
Kanon's lips set in a flat line. So you're being honest now? Well, I guess I'll have to, also. "I'm really sorry. I hate to say this, but I don't think Chi-chan and I can solve all of your problems."
"Your singing will go a long, long way!" the girl insisted. "Please! We're begging you now! Onegai!"
"…"
She glanced at Chisato one last time, and then to them. Beyond them, she saw the sunset set the tops of trees ablaze. The outlines of the crows flying away were never so sharp.
"We… we'll think about it."
Uncle Kiyoshi had been ruminating over what Eri had told him about the talk with Sumire. He couldn't help but smile a little, although the minor worry that he was having since last week only got a bit larger as the New Year loomed closer. It will be decidedly worse if they wanted his house to host the festivities… hopefully they won't.
He picked up another newspaper, going into the inner pages to try and see if there was anything useful. Last month he saw in the obituary the name of the owner of a leading vendo manufacturer in the Nagoya area. The old man did not seem to have designated a successor. I wonder if I could insert myself somewhere in there…
The phone rang. The one connected to the clan's own main line.
He hoisted himself up from the couch and went over to the phone. It's definitely Akio. The clan head. "Kiyoshi desu."
"Ah, Kiyoshi, you sound better now. Not having any more colds, I see."
He smiled. "Your herbal worked wonders, sir. I want to have a whole box of that."
Laugh. "We don't just give it out, my boy. Our own access to the source of those leaves is privileged."
"You're really amazing."
"You must come here two days before the New Year. Sleep here. The north wing of my house had just been renovated. It will hold everyone."
"That's good to hear."
"Everyone should be present. I want to ascertain the number of our progeny in person."
"…"
"Will there be a problem?"
Tch. He was caught. That moment's hesitation will be enough for Akio to latch onto Sumire. It was not that important in the general scheme of the Yazawa clan—his family was not the one in the clan's radar most of the time—but a well-known trivia about his household was that Sumire was with him.
Akio cut to the chase. "Is your girl still interested in the Yazawa heritage?"
Uncle scratched his forehead thoughtfully. "I don't bother myself too much with what a high schooler thinks."
"Hmmmm."
"You know she'll come around when she gets a little older."
"Hmmph…"
"You still have Sachiko and Mayumi. They're of age. I hear a distant relative of the Imperial household is interested in Mayumi."
"Now that's putting ourselves a little too far in. We can only make our family connections so complicated. But it is flattering. A good sign the Yazawa name is in a good enough light."
"We can let Sumire be. She seems out to make a name for herself."
"You know there's only one name for us, and that is Yazawa."
"…"
"Welp, just keep an eye from time to time. It won't do to let your girl get too carried away."
Hearty laugh. "And Mayumi is still our princess. Really, you don't want her to be an actual princess? How can you not appreciate such a refined woman?"
"You actually believe she can be a princess?" Laugh. "Leave her for someone who could give us more useful results. Say, a company boss or a university head. Or make her an ambassador."
With that, Kiyoshi had managed to shift the spotlight away from himself.
It was half-past six in the morning.
The sun had already risen for some time and was touching everything in the park, lending crisp outlines to the greenery. But there were few people as of yet, and elsewhere in the park there was only the sound of woodland birds and a few crickets. With the cool, dew-kissed air, one could believe she was lost in some mountain trail if she closed her eyes. A few bird calls blended into the wind.
This morning was a little different. Just a little. The students trooped to the campus under the cherry trees, and on time as always, and conversation was still humming all over school.
But there was very noticeable drop in volume. Everybody huddled around groups of two or three. Not that they were talking in whispers or anything, quite a few were smiling as they chatted, but the usual noise was not there. At best, the situation can be described as business-as-usual, only with a huge wet blanket thrown over the whole place.
Kanon had to check her own temperature a few times in class to make sure she wasn't sick.
Chisato had been mum the whole morning, surmising that if nobody wanted to talk, then it's about something best left unsaid. But what on earth could make practically the entire campus silent?
Was somebody at the top admin mad?
Could it be Miss Matsuura?
Is there going to be a fire or earthquake drill, perhaps?
Furthermore, Kanon noticed that her classmates, as soon as they were isolated into their separate seats, seemed a bit more tense than usual, unusually stiff and recited their textbooks in an uneasy near-monotone. Just what in the world is going on?
She found a chance to bring up the strange atmosphere at lunch, when only a few scattered pairs of classmates were left in their classroom, and she and Chi-chan were by themselves at the window.
"You see, Non-chi," began Chisato apprehensively, "there's this fella in Class A…"
The hooded figure sat forlornly on the bench in the clinic's backroom, bandages covering all of her forearm. Not having brought any jacket, expecting her attempt to go as planned, she refused to go back home, especially as she will have to take the train…
Kanon's eyes widened, and her body was instantly sapped of its strength where she sat. W… Why…?
What, then, of those who had their family cars? Would they possibly be discovered outside of their families?
She had also angrily resisted the attempts of the school nurse to bring her before their homeroom teacher—who wasn't so sure what to do with her, either.
Ren opened the door softly entering the room where the victim was staying. Their homeroom teacher stood up and met her. "Matsuura-san," she said with a look of concern, asking her to leave for now.
"It's alright," said Ren. "I just want to see her."
The teacher reluctantly let her in and she approached the girl, who was listless and wearing an oversized jacket, which she had pulled tightly around herself. Ren sat down to her level and gazed into her stricken face.
"Yamada-san?"
The girl refused to reply, and Ren reached out to touch the jacket-covered back. She began rubbing that back tenderly. As soon as she felt the body relax, she sat next to the girl and took her into her arms, where she melted in tears. The teacher stood by, also giving in.
The glum mood over the school continued for two more days. This is not good, reflected Kanon taking her school shoes for outdoor ones at the lockers. Most especially not at the very first year of a brand-new school.
"Kanon," said Chisato joining her. "Let's drop by the Plaza. I don't have work today."
"Aren't you joining Tanya-chan and the others?"
She took hold of Kanon's arm with both hands. "In times like these, it's you I need," she said weakly. She pulled her along. "Come on."
As they were walking down a longer but more isolated route home, Kanon halted in her tracks. "What?! You can't be a serious!"
Chisato nodded. There's a school in Kanagawa. It will be a long train ride, but… I don't like the atmosphere in here anymore."
"It's only one incident, you… it doesn't mean the whole school is bad."
"That's what you think. I don't know about the others. It certainly isn't the case with me."
"…"
She took her friend's hands. "Kanon. Come with me. We'll start anew. I know we'll be coming up against established clubs there, but being a club here is no good."
"When are we moving?" she asked quietly.
"Next term."
"What?! You aren't even finishing the year? What will Miss Matsuura say?"
"I'm sorry, I can't force myself to stay!"
"Even just this year?"
Chisato's face fell. She had hoped Kanon would readily agree, as she had been the most outwardly affected. But it seems she has misread her. She didn't want to move into another school on her own, not in a place where there were exactly zero old acquaintances.
"Maybe… Maybe things will get better," Kanon continued. "Who knows? But we must give our school a chance. This is our home. I won't throw my home just like that."
"Kanon…"
"We have made memories here."
Chisato's face went hard. "Memories… Memories I'd probably rather forget." She took Kanon's shoulders. "You're all the memory I need, Kanon. We've been together longer than I have been with anyone else in this school. Let's keep it that way. OK?"
"Chisato!" yelled a voice far behind them. "Kanon!"
They turned in surprise to see Kuku—Kuku?—running up to them, calling out to them.
"Kanon-chan!" she said as her pace quickened, nearing them, like a desperately hungry man closing in on his meal. She crashed into her in a fierce hug, making Kanon gasp loudly. "Kanon," wept Kuku in her breast. "Kanon…!"
Kanon reluctantly embraced the girl, not quite ready to see her at all. But she let her empty the tears into her bosom, and soon enough, she softened up to her. "Ku… Kuu-chan…" she said tenderly, still not quite believing she could say that name again. "It's alright. We're here."
Chisato looked down sadly. "So, I guess you were also affected, Kuku-chan."
Kanon nodded. She lovingly kissed her forehead and rubbed her hair. "It's alright. That's my girl."
Kuku drew back and wiped her face with the back of her hand. Kanon offered her a hanky, which she took very gladly. "It's like I just woke up from a long nightmare," sobbed Kuku. "I missed you so."
"Kuu-chan…"
"I… I thank you. Thank you. Thank you for still being around."
"What are you talking about? Of course we're always here. Did… Did you really think we will refuse to see you just because you—Oh! Where's Sumire-chan? Is it just you?"
"Forget Sumire-chan. It's not the same without you guys. It's just not the same!"
"Don't say that, Kuu-chan. You got to keep working with her."
Kuku shook her head strongly. "No! I can't! It's been ages. Even if it's just a week without you, it is forever to me! I can't separate myself ever again. Please let me stay!" And she began to dissolve into tears again.
"Moh," she sighed. "If only that attempt didn't crop up." She held her by the arms. "Kuu-chan. You are strong. You'll make it. If only we didn't have this excess sadness, I'm sure you would have stayed with Sumire. I just know it."
"Hypocrite! Don't say you just 'know' things. You do not 'know' what I feel. You don't!"
Kanon chuckled uneasily. "If you want, you can stay with us over the weekend before you go back—"
Kuku's right hand grabbed her by the collar. "If you tell me to go back one more time," she said through the tears, "I'll let you have it, Kanon-chan."
Uh, what—? "S-Sumire-chan will be mad at you if you left her alone."
"I don't care! I missed you guys. I miss you!"
"What will I say if she comes for you?!"
Suddenly, Chisato placed a hand on Kanon's shoulder. "Let her come," she said quietly. To Kanon's great surprise, her eyes were just as silently fiery as Kuku's. What is she to do now? Now is not the right time to be ganged-up on…
The three of them treated themselves to a nearby ramen shop afterwards.
The emotional weather has somewhat cleared the following day at school, the noise level was noticeably up although it wasn't the same as before; there were still gaps of silence here and there. But everything had a calmer air.
Kanon wasn't around yet at eight o' clock. She had called Chisato to go on ahead to class as she had to urgently finish a number of homework that had piled up, some of which were overdue.
"Really now," chided Chi-chan over the phone, "you're in high school, girl! I'm not walking with you ever again if you repeat that performance."
And she had no plans to. By about eighty-twenty she was running down the now-empty walk under the leafless cherry trees. She brought only the workload she had managed to complete in time. The white of her heavy breathing trailed her all the way.
She hurriedly changed into her indoor shoes, dragged on one shoe for a bit, tied it correctly, and then continued running.
Eep! she thought as she dashed down the hallway. We're having a visiting faculty for our Homeroom. Albright-sensei... is it? And she had taught at a university in the States! This is so embarrassing. The illustrious teacher had been here only a week, and all she knew about this wayward student was her tardiness. Gah!
Wha! Albright herself was already at the door before her. And… She's waiting for her. She was actually waiting on her! Curse you, Kanon, why did you have to shove the spotlight onto yourself?!
She stopped to catch her breath right in front of the lady. She was gorgeous. Moh, what a personality to embarrass oneself before! "Madam!" she wailed handing out her homework with both hands and bowing. "I-I'm so sorry! Please accept this! I'm so sorry!"
Albright smiled fondly at her. "You must have been affected, huh?"
She looked at the woman. "Eh…?"
Albright took the papers and smiled. "You're wanted at the Director's office."
Hiiiii! Punishment. It's punishment for turning in her papers late, but, hold on. Is a lapse in academics now a grave enough offense? "Looks like I'll have to skip lunch," she lamented. "I deserve this."
"No, you may leave right away."
"Heh?! But you must have been waiting for me. The class won't start unless I'm in."
"Nuh-uh. Watanabe-san already went away."
What?! "Madam, you told me to recite the school motto today. I forgot half of it, right?"
"No, Takami," smiled Albright. "You can go on ahead."
"But Madam, I also haven't given you the report for yesterday. A-And for last Friday."
"You can just drop it off at the faculty room tomorrow."
She began to look worried. "What will my classmates say if they hear I submitted my work late twice already?"
The teacher smiled even more warmly. "I'm sure they will complain… later. But I'm doubly sure they will be very, very grateful to you if you go now."
"…"
"Apparently you have a very important job to do."
"…"
"Well, I suppose neither of us would pooh-pooh Miss Matsuura now, shall we?"
Once again, Kanon stood outside the director's office, gazing apprehensively at the huge door. Heh, knocking should be easier this time around, but… She raised her hand to knock, her third try, but couldn't bring herself to. Ah! What's the matter with you, Kanon?! she chided herself. Must she take it a step at a time, knock softly first, and then a bit louder… and louder?
Maybe it's time to turn back now, I'll just say I did come but nobody was around. But… But what about Chi-chan?
"Wha—!"
The hand that suddenly appeared through the door yanked her in, and the room swallowed her in one gulp, as a particularly hungry frog would a grasshopper.
Kanon was about to protest loudly but Chisato placed a finger on her lips with a Shhhh! Much to her surprise, Kuku was also there… and… Sumire? They both stood before Matsuura's desk as they would in a courtroom, and Chisato led her to their place next to the two. A trial of sorts. So this is where Sumire will sue (the same thing she threatened to do to the TV company) Chisato and me for seducing Kuku away from her. Very well, then. At that moment, Kanon felt an uncharacteristic confidence, even cockiness in facing down Yazawa. If she makes Kuku cry again, she thought, I'll take her on and take anything she'll throw at me.
Ren spoke up.
"It had come way earlier than I had feared."
"…"
What is going on? What is she talking about? Wait a sec. Did Miss Matsuura just bring up the suicide attempt? But why to us? Did she think one of us might lose it next, having heard of the breakup of their club?
"I had such high hopes in you four, you know that?"
Sumire's face went grave. "So you really thought you're some kind of investor in our idol group. Good. Let these girls hear it. We're nothing more than Matsuura's cash founts."
Kanon only sighed. It was no great revelation. She knew Matsuura seemed to have a kind of fixation on their group; she also thought at least once they were going to be used as a sales pitch for enrolling more students next year, something that was a noticeable trend in Tokyo after UTX pulled it off, and especially after Otonokizaka.
"You think I'd bend to you every single time," she continued, "just because you let me sing at the auditorium once?"
Ren smiled weakly. "Honestly, yes. I am an investor in your group." She stood up, and for that moment she seemed uncannily taller than usual. "But even if I weren't, even if you were a club just for your own sake, why did you fall apart so quickly?"
Everybody held their breath in spite of themselves. They can sense that Miss Matsuura was already getting into beast mode.
"I was walking around campus, and everybody were saying the same thing. They want you. All of you. Well, some told me it's alright if only one or two of you went on with idoling, but I don't believe it.
"I know them.
"I know how this place breathes. Its blood runs through my veins. Its heart beats in time with mine. There's no mistake. If only two of you sang again, it will not have the same impact as when you all stood onstage that day."
"…"
"You have already stepped on stage. You have already captured their hearts. Now, if anything happens to any of them again, I will hold you responsible, due to neglect."
"Matte," said Kanon. "You're blackmailing us, aren't you, Madam? Whatever happened to our club is our own affair. They weren't involved. They don't have to."
Ren shook her head. "No, Takami-san. We are connected. We are all affected. Since that is already so, let us make the most of it."
Kuku spoke up. "Madam. If you are our investor, will you also share our responsibility for the students? Or will you also run away with our money?"
It was a rather uncivil question. But none of them were shocked. Ren was the first to take her gloves off. "My mother lost a lot of money just purchasing the land we're standing on. She does not hope to recover that money in two, five, even ten years' time. What ignoramus would want to buy prime Tokyo real estate—with cash?"
They gasped softly.
"And what of the taxes? And maintenance?"
Ren smiled again, now with a hint of sadness. "We have wealthy relatives and friends. My own family has a passive income. We do not seek to earn any more. But nonetheless me and my mother still work hard for this school. We work harder, in fact, than if we had hired a director to handle this place for us. Therefore…"
"I cannot allow any shadow to be cast on the legacy of this school."
"…"
"What about you? Will you?
"When you're the only people who were known to have rallied the whole campus?"
She left her place behind the oaken desk and stood right in front of them all. And then, much to their surprise, she handed out to them a small but beautifully embroidered envelope. "You know I will do everything—everything—to protect what my mother had worked hard for."
Everything? Exactly what was Matsuura prepared to do for the sake of the school? Kanon took the envelope as the others looked over her shoulder. Inside was a glossy card on which a word was written in Ren's fine handwriting.
Riviera
They quickly looked up and were startled to find Matsuura smiling tenderly at them all. Wait… So this means…?
"It is an Italian word which means, 'a coast.' A shore where land and sea meet, a water's edge that connects different worlds, and brings together all people."
Before they could even let the name sink in, Ren stepped forward and gathered all of them in her arms. Only then, all bundled together like that, did they realize with a smile—it was their name. Their real name. Only in that embrace could all of them accept the five of them being Riviera as a warm, tangible reality.
(ROLL CREDITS)
At the end of the school day Ren called the entire student body over the P.A. to a special event at the auditorium. The place was not that huge; it was soon jampacked and the aisles were crowded with standing room only. Ren first thought of the gymnasium, but then decided her speech will be carried more powerfully in a closed space. The stage itself was wide, though. It created a sense of distance between them and the audience.
Seeing the host crowding in from every corner and all over reminded Kanon of a gladiatorial match. A place where the people will judge them with cheers or boos and thumbs pointed up or down. It was a frightening prospect, but also a great honor.
I remember that day….
After a what seemed to be ten or fifteen minutes of waiting and low murmurs from the audience, the lights suddenly turned on the five of them, and Kanon had to squint, and she thought the crowd will cheer, but she saw Ren raise her hands to the light, stilling the crowd and rendering the place silent.
"Minna," she said in a surprisingly powerful voice. Or was it just because her voice was the only sound in the auditorium right now? "I can't believe I'll openly say this to you, but I can't help myself now.
"I love you."
"…"
"I love you. You are not just students to me. You are my life. Please believe me… everyone!
"I pledged to bring you the moon and the stars, just to see you smile again. Here they are. Here they are now! My gift of undying passion to everyone!"
Ren then held Kanon's and Kuku's hands in hers, to their mild surprise. Sumire and Chisato, taking the cue, reluctantly held hands with Kanon and Kuku, respectively, but as soon as they did, they absorbed a reassurance from the firm grip from those same hands, who in turn got their confidence from Ren's steadfast hold.
The crowd of students murmured again amongst themselves like the low rumblings of a restless sea. Ren's commanding tone quickly hushed that sea.
"Minna! We are here. We are not going anywhere!"
Silence. And then… A new muffled roar began to swell in the audience. Ren saw it coming. And she provoked that wave to crash in full force when she said:
"We are here! We are Riviera!"
The noise from the audience quickly grew into a huge flood and overflowed onto the stage. It was no concert cheering; it was more of an outpouring of joyous tears. The five of them were washed away. But they needed it. To be washed. To be cleansed. So they could face the world as newly-reborn beings.
It is true that every person who is born, is born with a name.
Insert ED Song
Dreamin' Go! Go!
Lyrics: Aki Hata; Composition and Arrangement:
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Next Time! #9. Go! Riviera!