Chapter Five: Contract Killer

As I approached the café where I was to meet Hashimoto, I thought back on my brief conversation with him the day prior; even though I hadn't known him for very long, it hadn't been difficult to detect the tension in his voice when he'd requested this meeting. The sound of an anxious person was pretty universal, after all.

I adjusted my tie, relieving myself of the extra pressure on my throat as I entered the relative warmth of the café; Fall was still on its way out, and I needed to remember to start wearing my overcoat. I gave a friendly wave to a waitress who approached me before gesturing to the older man seated at one of the many booths. Her nod and smile told me that she understood, and she moved to help another customer.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Hashimoto greeted; his voice sounded just as anxious as when we'd spoken yesterday, and I noticed a few beads of sweat on his brow as I took my seat across from him.

"No problem," I replied, feeling some sympathetic tension. "What can I do for you?"

He looked around before speaking again. "I asked you to meet me outside of Hikarizaka as well as Tokyo for a reason, and that reason is…" He looked around again before leaning forward and lowered his voice. "Someone has illegally modified our contract."

Red flags went up, but I simply made note of them for the time being as I leaned forward as well. "'Our contract'? As in, the one between the…my group and…your company?" I opted to keep the names a secret, just in case.

He nodded with a grunt. "To be honest, we have had this problem several times in the past, but it has not happened in so long that we thought the perpetrator had quit not too long ago."

"So…what did they change?"

He sighed heavily, causing me to dread what would come out of his mouth. "They…changed the clause that would allow your group to have romantic relationships."

My heart sank. "And…our signatures are still on there and everything?"

He nodded solemnly. "I do not know how this could have happened. I'm terribly sorry, Okazaki-san." I heard him sigh again as my eyes lost focus. "On behalf of my company I have a request to make, but I make it with…reservations."

My gaze snapped back up to his. "A request? What kind of request?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it as though he'd changed his mind as to what he wanted to say. "We…can re-do your contract, of course, but as long as whoever did this is not found and brought to justice, he or she will be free to do it again."

Even I could see where this was going. "So you want Rie and me to honor the altered contract while you try to find the culprit?"

He nodded with an apologetic expression. "I've talked to Daisuke – you remember him, right? – and we decided to pretend that I've quit to start my own idol company, one that will allow idols to have relationships. We're hoping that whoever's doing this will try to infiltrate this fake company and at least help us narrow down who it may be."

"And you're sure that Daisuke-san isn't part of this…problem?"

"As close to one-hundred percent as I will allow myself," he replied confidently. "He and I have worked together for nearly two decades, and have been friends almost as long. I have every good reason to trust him." He smiled sympathetically. "I can certainly understand your caution, though."

"I appreciate that." My eyes lost focus as I tried to imagine acting as though Rie wasn't my girlfriend; we'd been through so much together since literally running into each other in the hallway what seemed like a lifetime ago.

My musings were interrupted by a touch to my arm, and I looked up to find Hashimoto's hand resting on it; a bold move, considering how little we knew each other. "I know that I'm asking a lot of you; you two have been together for a year and have made many wonderful memories, I'm sure, but my company would be indebted to you – to the both of you – were you to help us find this…this saboteur."

It was my turn to sigh heavily as I scratched my head. "I…guess I could talk to Rie about it. How long could you wait for a decision?"

"The sooner the better," he replied with a hint of a smile; he was probably grateful that I was even considering it. "But tomorrow would be ideal."

I felt my mouth twitch as I thought about the possible ramifications of my decision. One question bothered me, though. "Why would anyone alter a contract in such a specific way, though? It seems like if it was one of your competitors, they'd just have their…their agent change the company or something like that."

"We thought of that as well, and that's what we're hoping to find out once we catch this agent." He removed his hand from my arm only to blow me away when he bowed, his forehead coming into contact with the table with a light thud. "Please help us, Okazaki-san; we want to be a company for 'free' idols, and I ask you because I believe that you are more than trustworthy."

"Ack! Please don't bow to me!" I protested. Once he had raised his head again I chuckled awkwardly. "S-Sorry about that; I'm not used to being treated like this." I took a couple of deep breaths to calm my nerves as I regarded the older man; things must have been pretty bad for his company – his family, I remembered – to approach a new contractor with such a request. "I'll talk to Rie about this," I promised. "But understand that if she won't agree to this, then I can't go through with it. I really do want to help you, but she – not to mention the others – have to come first in my life."

"I understand," he said with an emphatic nod, much to my relief. "I have a wife and children, and they mean the world to me." He grinned sheepishly. "In fact, I'm part of the reason that we have the relationship policy that we do; I do not believe that love should be denied due to one's career path."

My chest swelled at his words as I adjusted my necktie in response to a sudden tightening of my throat. "I'll talk to Rie today and give you an answer by end-of-day tomorrow," I managed. "Do you want me to call you? Or do you want to meet like this again?"

"You can call me, but please answer only 'yes' or 'no'; do you understand?" he asked with a meaningful look.

"As in, 'Yes, I'll help you' or 'No, I won't'?" I wanted to be absolutely sure that we were on the same proverbial page.

"Correct."

His request seemed reasonable, so I nodded. "I'll do that."

"Then I will hope for a positive response," he said as he rose to his feet; I quickly followed suit and matched his bow. "Thank you for your time, Okazaki-san; I hope that you have a pleasant day."

"You too, Hashimoto-san," I replied as we both straightened.

I put my feet on auto-pilot and pondered my situation as I left the café and headed to the train station. It still seemed odd to me that someone would change the contract in such a specific way, but since Hashimoto didn't have the answer I tucked that particular question away.

As I boarded the train, I thought about what I would say to my love when I saw her later, and then my eyebrows flew up as I realized that I would need o talk to all of the girls – not just Rie – because the situation would affect them as well. "Great," I sighed. "Oh, well; as far as I know, none of the others are dating right now, so it might not be an issue."

In any case, I had come across a greater issue; how the situation with the Angels could affect the freedoms of future idols. If I told Hashimoto 'no' he would certainly understand, but that would leave future idols vulnerable to becoming victims of this 'saboteur'. And, like Hashimoto had alluded to, letting the perpetrator get away with it – however temporarily – would give them a greater chance to catch him…or her. "Ugh, the best answers aren't always the easiest ones, are they?" I grumbled to myself as I massaged my temples with my fingertips. "Well, all I can do is present them the facts and get their answer." Satisfied that I had performed all of the mental gymnastics that I could, I leaned back in my seat and shut my eyes for the rest of the trip.

I hid a yawn behind my hand as I approached the gates to Hikarizaka High School; I had stopped to purchase a can of soda on the way from the station to the school and was still waiting for the caffeine to kick in. I would normally have purchased coffee, but I didn't want to kiss my girl with coffee breath.

"Are you okay, Okazaki?" Himura asked when I stopped by the office to check in. "You look exhausted."

"I've been better," I admitted. "And I appreciate your concern, but it's not something I'm at liberty to discuss. My apologies."

"Business, then?" she asked, more a statement than a question as her eyes reflected worry. "Then I'm sorry for asking. I really do hope things work out okay for you, though." She gazed at me with a sympathetic smile for a moment before seeming to catch herself. "Oh! You're checked in!" she giggled. "Sorry about that. I hope your day gets better."

"It should, thanks," I said with what must have been a tired-looking smile as I headed toward the office door. "I'll be seeing Rie shortly, after a-" I cut myself off as I remembered the situation I was in. "Um, thanks. Have a pleasant afternoon."

I noticed a puzzled look on her face as I headed out the door, so I gave her a small wave before making my way across the courtyard to the old school building. I headed up the familiar stairs and down the familiar hall to the familiar Chorus Club room, where I smiled as I heard familiar voices singing a very familiar tune:

*"Blue Moon,
You saw me standing alone,
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own…"*

I entered the room to find Yukio's group wowing the rest of the Chorus Club with one of their favorite songs. As usual, a crowd consisting of mostly girls had gathered around the group and were either sitting, kneeling, or laying on their stomachs with their chins resting on their hands. Pretty typical.

I felt a gentle pressure on my arm and smiled down at the angelic face of my sweetheart. "Hey, beautiful," I murmured just loudly enough for only her to hear.

"Hey," she greeted as she snuggled into my arm.

We watched and basked in each other's presence as the Lords of Doo-Wop sang the rest of one of their favorite songs, and then we joined the rest of the club in cheering for our flagship doo-wop group.

"Boss T!" Yukio greeted after the Lords had finished their song.

"Yu," I greeted as we bumped fists. "Sounding great, as always."

"Heh heh, thanks." He turned to some newly-familiar faces. "You guys want a turn?"

"Yes, senpai!" Souta replied, and he quickly accepted the microphone from the other lead singer as the rest of his group each claimed a microphone. I couldn't help but notice the huge smile on Hanzo's face as he handed his over to Reiko's younger brother. "Go get 'em, Jiro!" he bellowed with his typical enthusiasm.

"Yes, senpai." The difference in the basses' personalities was interesting; while Hanzo was outgoing and gregarious to almost an extreme degree, Jiro nearly made up for it in how reserved he was.

Souta's group lined up and tested the microphones. "Hey, sensei? Before we start, I'd like to tell you our group's name…if that's okay."

"Sure," I said, pleasantly surprised by the revelation, and even more pleased to see Sora with them; instead of hiding under a Hikarizaka jacket, though, he wore his own school's uniform. Good for him. "Let's hear it."

The boys smiled at each other before their lead singer replied. "We've decided on 'Friends for Life'."

I mulled over the idea. "It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue," I said as diplomatically as I could, "but it's ultimately up to the four of you whether it'll work out or not."

"We'll do our best!" he replied, and I had to smile as they exchanged nods and claps on the back with each other. "Is it cool if we do our new song now?"

"Hold on a moment, please," I said before quickly directing my attention to my girl. "I'll need to talk with the five of you as soon as possible."

Understandably, her normally serene expression shifted to one of worry. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes and no," I replied as honestly as I could. "I just wanted to get it on your radar for now."

She studied me for a moment. "We'll talk after their song."

"Sounds good," I replied, then looked back to where Souta's group had been waiting. "Thanks for your patience, gentlemen; go ahead."

They exchanged smiles before Souta nodded over at Sora, who then began to play a bouncy tune, similar to but not quite like their first song. As was the case with their first song, the other club members started to clap along to the beat.

The boys' mikes went up, and:

*"She was standing in the crowd
all alone and lookin' pretty
listening to the music that we played
She walked up and whispered
I leaned down and listened
to the request that she made"*

My jaw hit the floor when Jiro sang 'Do you know?', and I looked over at my girl with wide-eyed shock, only to find her with the same expression. How does he do that? I mouthed.

She simply giggled as she gave my arm a squeeze, and we watched the Friends for Life as they finished what I assumed was another Statler Brothers song.

After Souta and his group finished, the rest of the Chorus Club roared their approval, scrambling to their feet to applaud and cheer. I smiled as Sora blushed under the many claps to the back he received from his fellow 'Friends'.

"That was very well done!" I shouted over the din as the guys bowed repeatedly; I then waited until things had settled down before continuing. "Well done, gentlemen; your enunciation is much better than the last time."

"Thank you, sensei," Souta said, sounding a little out-of-breath. "We worked really hard on our 'R's and 'L's."

"And it sounds like it paid off," I replied, then turned to Rie. "Any thoughts, Club President?"

"I can't think of anything to add. I am glad, though, that things worked out for you, Haku-san," she added, addressing the guitarist. "Welcome to the Chorus Club."

"Yeah, welcome to the Chorus Club, Haku-san!" someone shouted, and I couldn't help but chuckle as the rest of the club chimed in, causing the guitarist in question to blush crimson once again.

Taking the opportunity, I leaned down to my girl. "Is now okay?"

Fortunately, she had become proficient at lip-reading as well. "I'll get the others."

I jerked a thumb toward the exit before heading out into the hallway to wait. A minute or so later Rie exited, followed closely by the others. "I left Yukio in charge," she told me.

I nodded in acknowledgment before gesturing toward the far end of the hallway. "Let's go to the library," I suggested. "We'll need the quiet for this."

"Is everything okay, Nii-san?" Amane asked, and I noticed that her concerned expression was shared by the other girls.

"Yes and no," I replied, unintentionally repeating my reply to Rie's earlier question. "I'll explain when we get there."

The girls murmured quietly amongst themselves as they followed me down the hallway to the library, where we quickly claimed a table. "So…what's going on, chief?" Reiko asked.

I sighed, giving myself one last chance to gather my thoughts. "I had a meeting with Hashimoto-san earlier today," I started. "Apparently, his company has been having problems with someone illegally modifying their contracts." I then nodded at their collective gasp. "Yeah, that was my reaction as well."

"What exactly did they change?" Amane asked.

Knowing where the conversation would eventually go caused me to pause, however briefly. "They were changing the part regarding idols and relationships."

"What does that mean?" Reiko asked. "And remember; I'm an idiot, so make the answer simple, okay?"

"Right…" I chuckled, then rubbed my hands together in thought. "Well, basically it means that the contracts were changed to forbid…" I winced, remembering Reiko's request. "It would mean that the idols wouldn't be allowed to be in romantic relationships."

"Well, that sucks," my baritone humphed.

"But since it was done illegally, couldn't they just change it back?" Amane asked with a perplexed expression.

"Yes, and from what Hashimoto-san told me they've done it before," I said. "The problem is that it's been happening for at least the last few years, if I understood correctly."

"Wait a minute…" Rie said, and I noticed that her eyes were slightly watery. "Did someone do that to…to our contract?"

I nodded solemnly. "Yeah."

My heart broke a little as my girl's lower lip started to tremble. "T-Tomoya, does that mean-"

"But you said that H-man can change it back, right?" Reiko interrupted; behind her, Amane laid a hand on my girl's shoulder. "They've done it before, so they can do it again and you and the boss don't have to break up."

I sighed heavily; this was going to be the hard part. "He can, yes, but he has requested that we honor the illegal contract while the company works on finding the culprit. Or culprits."

All five girls looked at me with incredulous expressions. "Tomoya, you can't be serious!" Rie blurted out. "What about us?"

"Wait, please; hear me out," I said while raising my hands defensively. "I really don't want to do it, but they've been having this problem for a long time and we're in a perfect position to pull it off since you're not established yet, and-"

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Tomoya?" Nao chimed in, uncharacteristically interrupting me as Kana nodded emphatically. "That would mean that you and Rie would have to act as though…as though…"

"Tomoya, are you okay?" Rie suddenly asked, and I knew exactly why; tears had started to fill my own eyes at the very thought of not being able to hold my love.

"No. No, I'm not," I admitted as I blotted my eyes with my sleeve. "But when I think of those who have come before us who have potentially gone through hell because of this bastard…" I looked away, unable to meet my girls' collective gaze. "…it pisses me off to no end. Not to mention that if we don't help, then whoever it is will be able to keep doing it to others in the future."

"Tomoya…" Rie breathed.

I forced my gaze back to theirs. "I initially told Hashimoto that I would talk to Rie about this since this would affect our relationship, but then I realized that it would affect all five of you; that's why we're having this conversation."

"So we could say 'no'?" Kana asked.

I leaned forward to rest my elbows on the table and folded my hands, and my expression must have been intense because the girls actually leaned back just noticeably, even Reiko. "Let me make one thing clear; if any of you have a problem with this idea, then my answer to Hashimoto will be 'no'. Even though I'm in a relationship with Rie, all five of you are very important to me, so your thoughts and feelings matter greatly to me. Do you understand?"

Five pairs of wide eyes stared back at me, and all of the girls pressed their hands to their chests. "Holy hell, Tomoya…" Reiko breathed. "You actually made my heart skip a beat, there. Sorry, Rie."

"M-Mine, too," Kana admitted, surprising me.

"Same here," Amane chuckled awkwardly. "And I'm sorry, too."

"Tomoya?" I looked to Rie, who immediately held my gaze. "Could the girls and I talk for a few minutes?"

I didn't even need to consider her request. "I'll wait outside." Without waiting for a reply I got to my feet and left the library to cool my heels. I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall next to the door, letting my head roll back to rest against it. The coolness of the wall helped me to focus, and as I waited I reviewed what I had told the girls to see if there was anything that I had missed. Satisfied that I had told them everything that I knew, I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing to help calm my overworked and overwhelmed brain.

A few minutes later I heard the library door slid open, and Rie emerged. "Tomoya, we've come to a decision."

I took a deep breath and followed my girl through the door to find out their reply to Hashimoto's request.

All of us were noticeably tired as we headed down the hill, away from the school. "I don't think I've ever had to make a decision that…heavy before," Nao remarked as she plodded along. "That was pretty emotional."

"Yeah…" Amane grunted as she stretched her arms over her head. "Hey, Nii-san; would you carry me?"

I chuckled, and I heard Rie giggle from my arm. "I'm kinda preoccupied right now," I told her. "Sorry."

"That's okay; you can make it up to me later," she replied with a smirk.

We arrived at the intersection where we would typically go our separate ways for the day. "See you later," I said to the girls minus Rie, who would be walking with me. "And thanks for your help with Hashimoto."

"You're welcome, chief," Reiko said as she and Kana headed down the same road. "Hope things work out okay."

"Thanks." Rie and I gave Nao and Amane a wave before turning to head to her ho-

"Hey, uh, Nii-san?"

I blinked and turned back to find Amane right behind us. "What's up?"

Another pause. "I'm…gonna be absent from club for a while."

"How come?"

"Oh, does this have to do with-?" Rie started to say but quickly silenced herself with a hand.

Amane glance between the two of us before she spoke again. "Rie? Could I talk with Nii-san alone for a minute?"

"Um, sure." Rie released my arm and pointed to the next streetlight along the street we would be taking. "I'll wait over there."

Once my girl had left, Amane's expression fell, turning to one of sadness. "I'm sorry, Nii-san; I found out last night that my grandma – my mom's mom – died yesterday. She's had cancer for a while, and it finally…" She shuddered as she quickly brought the back of her hand to her face. "I've…I've been holding it in all day…"

My heart went out to the poor girl; I wanted to hold her but wasn't sure how Rie would react. "Oh, no Amane; I'm so sorry. Are… How are you holding up?"

"Better than I thought I would," she choked, but cleared her throat. "Anyway, I need a couple of days to pull myself together."

"Hey, take all the time you need," I told her as I rested a hand on her trembling shoulder. "Do the other girls know?"

"Yeah," she croaked before clearing her throat again. "Anyway, thanks."

"You're welcome." I briefly regarded the distraught girl. "Would you like Rie and me to walk you home? Or maybe just Rie?"

"I'll be fine, but thanks," she replied with a wave of her hand. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to bring the mood down."

"No, this is important," I insisted. "Listen; if you need someone to talk to, don't hesitate to call me or one of the others. Okay?"

"O-Okay," she croaked again. "Thanks. Well…good night." I watched with a heavy heart as she started for home, looking a little smaller than before.

Once my 'imouto' was far enough away I trudged over to my girl. "She told you about her grandma, right?" she asked as we started on our way again.

"Yeah, poor thing," I murmured, still feeling a pang of sympathy. Another thought brought me to a stop. "Rie, would you be okay with me visiting her family?"

She gave me a puzzled look. "You have her address?"

I gave her a puzzled look in return. "Well, yeah; I have all of your addresses, remember?"

"Oh, yeah!" she giggled. "Sorry, I forgot." She gazed up at me, smile firmly in place. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"What do you mean?"

She giggled, her body weight gently pulling on my arms as she twisted from side to side. "You really care about all of us. I mean, I know you care about me, of course, but to hear that you care about Amane and Nao, and even Reiko and Kana…" She sighed happily. "I'm so glad that I ran into you in the hallway when I did."

I smiled as I thought back to what, in hindsight, I realized was what would be the first chapter in our lives together. "Me too. And I'm glad that you weren't hurt by our meeting."

She giggled again, the loveliness of its melody calling out to me. "I think Amane would love it if you'd visit her. I think her family would be grateful, too. You've never met any of our parents, have you? Other than mine, I mean."

"True." I allowed myself to mull over my idea further. "Well, I guess I'll be making a phone call when I get home. Other than the one to Hashimoto, that is."

Her smile broadened and her eyes twinkled as she drew closer to me. "I love you so much," she whispered just as our lips touched.

I sat in a chair and glared at the phone resting on the end table. The poor thing hadn't done anything wrong; I was just feeling anxious about the phone call that I would soon be making.

I picked up the handset and dialed the number to Hashimoto's office.

"This is Hashimoto."

"Hello Hashimoto-san; this is Okazaki."

"Ah, Okazaki-san! You're calling a lot sooner than I expected!"

"Yes, sir." I felt my jaw tighten. "I have an answer for you, and the answer is 'yes'."

I heard a gasp from the other end of the line. "U-Understood. Thank you; thank you so much. We will begin first thing in the morning."

"Understood. Did you need anything else from me?"

"That will be all for now, thank you. We will be in touch shortly." A brief but noticeable pause. "I can't tell you how much this means to us. Have a pleasant evening, Okazaki-san."

"To you as well." I ended the call, placed the handset back in its cradle, and grabbed a box of facial tissues to cry my eyes out. I only hoped that GGI would find the culprit, and quickly; I really didn't know how long Rie or I would be able to hold out.