A/N: I previously wrote a story called Little Woman, which featured some dark themes. For those of you who prefer something more light-hearted, you might find this story more to your taste.

Ratings may change over time. I am still undecided on the details of the plot for this story, but I hope you enjoy this opening chapter nonetheless. :)


CHAPTER 1

"What is your ideal type?"

It was a trite question asked by many interviewers in the hopes of stirring some public interest. Sasuke was no stranger to such personal questions, having debuted in a co-ed group called Team 7 a few years ago.

Their manager Kakashi told them to be careful about what they said in response to such questions, as it could possibly be used as ammunition against them by media outlets.

"Keep it generic," Kakashi advised. "Drop small details for a personal touch, but don't say anything too scandalous."

All three members of Team 7 were listening intently, although Sasuke was by far the least interested in the lecture on conduct. He propped up his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands, angling his head to the side to peer out of the window.

In no time, he was called out by Kakashi, who waved a hand in front of his face to redirect his attention to him. "Sasuke, this lesson is the most important one for you. What was the last thing I said?"

"Keep things general. Add a personal touch to help the fans create more vivid fantasies," Sasuke recited monotonously.

Kakashi looked slightly abashed at that. "I didn't say the last thing, but it may well be possible… Anyway, I would advise against thinking about such things. There will inevitably be a large spectrum of fans so try not to think about the worst of them."

"What is your ideal type though, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke turned around to face his energetic pink-haired groupmate. For a large part of his trainee days, he prayed that he would not end up debuting in the same group as this overbearing girl. Yet, the universe appeared to have a very special plan for him, which was how he found himself contractually bound to the two idiots next to him today. They were musically talented in their own ways, which was how they earned a spot on the debut team, but that did not mean they automatically became enjoyable to be around. Sasuke much preferred a tranquil solitude, which Sakura in particular was very committed to shattering.

"It's none of your business," he replied curtly.

Sakura pouted at the harsh dismissal, which prompted Naruto to intervene on her behalf. "Hey, teme! Will it hurt to be a bit nicer to Sakura-chan? We're all going to be stuck with each other for the next five years."

Kakashi decided to chime in here. "Sasuke, Naruto has a point. You should at least try to get along with your groupmates when you are off-camera. It'll make everyone's lives easier."

"Hn. Fine." Sasuke turned to regard Sakura, who immediately broke out into a smile when their eyes met. It seemed rather contrived to Sasuke, but he decided not to speak his mind on this matter. With a shake of his head, he said, "I'm still not going to tell you what kind of girls I like. If you are lucky enough you will find out in time."

Well, at least that was some progress. Sakura and Naruto shared a glance with Kakashi, and they silently exhaled in relief to know that Team 7 was not about to flop before they even reached their debut stage.


Years had passed since Team 7 seated themselves in the white-walled room with Kakashi for a talk on idols' conduct. Their relationship improved over time, and much to the joy of their fans, the group became more open to providing fanservice. This was by far Sasuke's least favourite part of being an idol, but he did his best to participate in the fanservice anyway since it appeared to be an effective marketing tactic.

However, he could not stop himself from cringing every time he saw #NaruSasu on Twitter, and he would cringe even more when he saw #SasuSaku. If he had any say in the matter, #NaruSaku should have been the most popular ship by virtue of comprising two annoying idiots. They were a match made in heaven.

However, while #NaruSaku was also a fairly popular ship, the public seemed to fancy including him because of his good looks. The flattery quickly lost its appeal, and Sasuke found himself getting increasingly frustrated by having to cater to both #NaruSasu and #SasuSaku fans, but he tried to placate himself with the thought that both Naruto and Sakura were going through the same ordeal.

Sasuke's idol life was filled with multiple bumps on the road, but there was nothing that he could not conquer. He was committed to dancing, and to a lesser extent rapping, but four years had passed and he was keen on trying out his hand in acting. To his immense gratitude, Kakashi managed to secure him a lead role in an upcoming romance drama. However, much to his displeasure, he knew that he had to start engaging with the public to earn their support. That necessarily involved catering to their whims and fancies.

And that was how Sasuke ended up doing more Instagram lives to interact with his fans. Most of the time he would simply eat in front of the camera and tell his fans about his day. It was something so mundane, but his fans ate it all up hungrily, since they were usually starved of exclusive content from him. Naruto and Sakura were, in the simplest terms, hard-carrying the group when it came to Team 7's online presence. Sasuke had been complacent in comparison, so his fans were not about to complain when he decided to put in more effort in this regard.

He leaned forward to scan through the comments that were flooding his screen. Most of them were comments with heart-shape emojis and variations of love confessions to him – which he readily ignored – but there were a few asking him genuine questions about his life.

"Do you diet a lot?" he read out. "Hm. Save for comeback seasons, I don't tend to count my calories. I believe it is most important to prioritise eating clean and exercising."

Sasuke began to scroll through the comments mindlessly to read out random questions and answer them. Apparently this was considered excellent fanservice, and while he knew that he owed his acting gig to Kakashi, this was not going to stop him from demanding a day-off from the older man. Begone, Naruto and Sakura; Uchiha Sasuke was going to be the new king of fanservice in Team 7.

"Why do you always wear black in your Insta lives? Because I like it."

"How was your day? Good. I went to the gym before heading for dance practice. Stay tuned for a new video that we will soon release on our channel."

"How are you so handsome? Thank you. I just have good genes."

"Celebrity that is your ideal type?" The gears in Sasuke's brain came to a screeching halt the moment he read that question out loud. It was something he most certainly should not have brought attention to, and yet he had made an honest mistake in doing so. His hesitation seemed to have cued another series of intrusive questions.

"Is SasuSaku real?"

"What are your thoughts on Ino?"

"Are you gay?"

In the past, Sasuke would respond to the ideal type question in the most generic sense possible: "I like girls who are kind and quiet." Over the years, he expanded on that description slightly by adding that he preferred girls with long hair. However, he was never asked about which celebrity was his ideal type, merely who his celebrity crush was. For the latter, he always name-dropped male artists like Gaara before steering the conversation away from the "crush" part of the question to discuss the named artist's musicality.

Suffice to say, Sasuke was in a pinch now as he had not prepared an answer for this specific question. He had the easy choice of ignoring it and starting a monologue on some other mundane topic – perhaps on what he ate yesterday – but something within him was resisting that idea. It would make him boring if he did not answer the question after reading it out, wouldn't it? He figured that he would be safe as long as he chose his answer carefully.

"Hm, that is an interesting question," he lied smoothly to buy himself time to think.

His first thought was that he should not choose any female celebrity who had at some point shown interest in him, as that could potentially stir up dating rumours – or worse, invite those females to contact him privately to actualise those dating rumours.

His second thought was that he should choose a female celebrity that was relatively low-profile, so that he would escape any prospective inquisition from hosts that wanted to stir up drama between two popular celebrities.

His third thought was that he should select a female celebrity that he was definitely not in contact with, and was unlikely to be in the foreseeable future, so that no opportunities for dating rumours would surface. If they were not even going to appear in the same frame, any dating rumours that arose were bound to die a swift death.

It did not take him long to think of one person that fit all three criteria. Without further hesitation, he said, "Hyuuga Hinata." The live chat began to explode with exclamations and other comments.

"Why her? Hmm… She has a nice voice for ballads. I listen to some of her songs before I sleep. By the way, I heard from an insider that she is preparing a new album which will be released by the end of the year. If you have not heard Hinata's music, I think you should check it out."

At the end of the Instagram live, Sasuke jumped up and pumped his fist into the air triumphantly. Not only had he selected a good person to use as an answer to the daunting question, he had also promoted his own labelmate's album which was bonus publicity for their entire label. Now the viewers were going to start tweeting about how kind he was to give a shoutout to his younger, less famous colleague.

Things could only go up from here.


Well, apparently Sasuke thought wrong.

A few days later, he found himself sitting in front of their dormitory's television with Naruto and Sakura one evening while eating salmon donburi. Sakura was, as usual, chomping on her bland-looking salad, and Naruto was pigging out on his favourite instant noodles. There was no particular reason as to why Team 7 decided to switch on the television that night, but they did it anyway because Naruto randomly suggested it and neither of the other two had any protests.

Out of pure coincidence, the channel that they switched to was screening their labelmate Hinata's performance. She had not released an album since her solo debut two years ago, but her voice attracted enough attention from producers, which led to her singing the soundtracks of many dramas over the past two years. Not many paid attention to how she looked like because she did not debut in an idol group, not to mention that she generally kept a low profile online, but Sasuke almost had his breath stolen from how beautiful she was on screen – almost being the key word. Uchiha Sasuke was not a simp.

He remembered her as the painfully shy bluenette during their trainee days who sported an unusual pixie haircut. The other female trainees seemed more vain in comparison, as they always seemed to spend a lot more effort putting on make-up and wearing flashy clothes – possibly to impress him, if the seductive looks they gave him were any indication. On the other hand, Hinata was always wearing an oversized t-shirt and a loose pair of drawstring pants. If Sasuke were to guess, she was probably hoping to avoid attracting any attention from the male trainees.

The most that she did was to tie a knot on her t-shirt in the middle of dance practice to air her midriff when she felt her temperature rising from the gruelling training. Unfortunately, Sasuke could not really remember what she looked like in that particular get-up back then.

However, on hindsight, he recalled that she was an abysmal dancer when it came to hip-hop choreographies as she was too gentle and lacking in confidence, but her flexibility was quite commendable. He remembered seeing her perform a contemporary dance during one of their monthly evaluations, and was thoroughly impressed by her finesse. He inferred that she must have had experience in ballet when she was younger, but he never got to confirm his suspicion as his pride made him avoid reaching out to her. She did not reach out to him either, but back then when he was incessantly harassed by the other female trainees, her avoidance of him was something much appreciated.

Now, four years after his debut, he had the honour of watching this elusive artist from their company sing her heart out on an intricately designed stage. Consistent with Hinata's style, she was not dressed in any flashy clothes, but merely a long white dress with glittery accessories to match. Her make-up was also done in a manner that emphasised on the softness of her eyes and cheeks. Sasuke would never admit it out loud, but Hinata looked like an angel.

When the heartrending performance ended, Naruto was the first to break out into a loud applause. "Woah, I knew that Hinata-chan was talented but I never thought she was that good!"

Sakura joined in on the applause and said, "Hinata-chan has always been skilled in the higher register. It makes me wonder why she wasn't added to the debut line-up with us."

Naruto let out a contemplative noise. "Yeah, now that you mention it… She was not bad at dancing too, wasn't she? I would have been happy to have her with us."

"Maybe she was, but she chose not to do it."

Naruto and Sakura turned around to gawk at Sasuke. "But why?" they chorused.

Sasuke shrugged. "This industry is pretty toxic. I can see why she would choose not to be an idol and pursue a solo singing career instead."

Sakura let out a sigh. "You're right… Hinata-chan has always been very shy. Maybe it's because of the clothes they make us wear. I'm fine with the short skirts, but it doesn't seem like Hinata-chan's thing. We have to diet a lot too or people will fat-shame us."

Sasuke and Naruto took a moment to solemnly ruminate over the idol industry's double standards between males and females. Sakura must not have had it easy all this time. As if to emphasise a point, the pinkette brought a spoonful of lettuce to her mouth and crunched down on it loudly. In the end the trio settled for watching the rest of the television program in silence.

After the pre-recorded performance, the camera panned to Hinata sitting down next to a popular host, Jiraiya. The old man was a controversial figure for having written and published erotic novels when he was younger, but he was known to be friendly and easygoing as a show host in the entertainment industry.

"That was a wonderful performance, Hinata-san. How long did it take you to learn how to sing?"

Hinata bowed to him politely at his casual praise, and her cheeks turned rosy the moment she heard the audience's supportive applause. "T-Thank you. I have been singing since I was young."

"Ah, did you receive professional training back then or were you a bathroom singer?"

She let out a sheepish laugh. "I was a bathroom singer… My younger sister used to complain, because back in our old house I shared the toilet with her, and I would spend almost an hour singing in the shower."

"That sounds like a wonderful childhood memory, Hinata-san. Do you think your bathroom singing gave you an edge during your audition to enter Konoha?"

"A-Ah, I dare not go so far as to say that… I am sure all my colleagues have had their own unique experiences that gave them the skill and courage to do well in the audition."

Jiraiya let out an appreciative noise, and the audience began to clap again. Hinata lowered her head shyly at the attention she was receiving. "That is very kind of you to say. Speaking of your colleagues, are you aware that you were mentioned by one of them recently?"

Sasuke felt his heart rate accelerate. There was no way Jiraiya was going to bring up his Instagram live on this public interview, was he? He peered over from his spot and to his dismay he saw that Naruto and Sakura were watching the interview intently.

Hinata blinked at the host innocently. Her eyes were large and round like pearls. "No, I am afraid I'm not."

Jiraiya chuckled good-naturedly and raised a hand to the screen behind them. "Take a look at the footage."

To Sasuke's unbridled horror, he saw himself on the big screen, sitting in the comfort of his room wearing a black dress shirt that was only half-buttoned with a silver chain necklace dangling from his neck. Naruto and Sakura whipped their heads around to gawk at him, but Sasuke refused to acknowledge them. This was something that could possibly destroy his career as an idol, so he waited with bated breath for the moment to pass.

"Celebrity that is your ideal type? Hm, that is an interesting question… Hyuuga Hinata."

The crowd went wild when they heard his response. Hinata covered her mouth in shock, but even from the side it was obvious that she was blushing.

"Why her? Hmm… She has a nice voice for ballads. I listen to some of her songs before I sleep. By the way, I heard from an insider that she is preparing a new album which will be released by the end of the year. If you have not heard Hinata's music, I think you should check it out."

Naruto and Sakura both stood up and began to yell. "What the hell, Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura bellowed.

On the other hand, Naruto was chortling in amusement. "Who would have thought?! You even said that you listen to her songs before you sleep! That's so cuuuute, Sasuke-chan!"

Sasuke grabbed the nearest cushion and tossed it straight at Naruto. It hit him squarely in the face. "Shut up, usuratonkachi! I don't actually listen to her songs. I just had to think of something to say."

When the thunderous applause died down, Jiraiya turned his attention back to Hinata and gave her a cheshire cat-like grin. "It seems that Uchiha Sasuke from Team 7 has named you as his ideal type. What do you have to say to that?"

All three pairs of eyes immediately turned back to the television screen to listen to Hinata's answer.

"I…" She clutched onto the microphone with trembling hands, looking visibly nervous. "I am very honoured…"

Jiraiya did not appear like he was going to let this slide, so he probed, "This has come as a surprise to many of Uchiha-san's fans, because he has never named any female celebrity as his ideal type before. Have you ever interacted with him in Konoha?"

Hinata's eyes shifted to the side as she began to think. A few seconds later, she brought the microphone to her lips and replied, "I might have. I trained with Sasuke-san many years ago, but we did not speak much. Nowadays I just greet him when we see each other in the office building and take the lift up together. We d-don't really talk…"

Sasuke nodded in approval at her response and sighed in relief. That was very tactful of her. Maybe this incident could be laid to rest here.

"I see. You must have left a strong impression in the lift then, seeing as Uchiha-san remembered you."

"Fuck you Jiraiya," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

Hinata grew flustered again. "I dare not say so…"

Jiraiya leaned forward in his seat and gave her a playful smirk. "Now, I am sure our audience here is very curious about one thing, so I shall ask you something that must be on everyone's mind right now: is Uchiha-san your ideal type too?"

The crowd began to roar, causing the blush on Hinata's face to deepen into a shade of crimson. When the applause died down, Hinata raised the microphone to her quivering lips. "I…I am very sorry, but Sasuke-san is not my type…"

Sasuke could not even process his own embarrassment from the blatant rejection, as Naruto's wicked cackle echoed loudly throughout the living room. Sakura shook her head in amusement. The blonde jabbed a finger in his direction and continued to laugh while clutching onto his stomach. Sasuke gave him the middle finger and exhaled slowly to calm himself. This was a good thing, right? At least there would be no dating rumours between them. However, Sasuke could not for the life of him understand why he was feeling bitter.

At this moment, an edited picture of him and Hinata within a heart-shape appeared on the screen before a large crack materialised in the middle, sending Naruto into another bout of uncontrollable laughter. Sasuke's ears began to burn from the sheer embarrassment.

"That is such a pity. Do you have another celebrity that fits your ideal type then?"

Hinata smiled and did not hesitate to answer, "Naruto-kun from Team 7."

Jiraiya made a surprised noise. "Ah, my boy Naruto. He is a funny one. Maybe you could send a message to Naruto?"

At this moment the camera closed up on Hinata. She giggled cutely at first, but after composing herself she looked straight at the camera and said, "N-Naruto-kun, I hope you are doing well. I heard that Team 7's schedules are becoming more packed, so please take care of your health. I am a big fan."

"Awww!" Naruto cooed. "Hinata-chan is so sweet! Did you hear that teme?" Sasuke rolled his eyes so hard that he could almost see into the next dimension. He did not deign to grace his excited friend with a response.

"Do you have anything to say to his groupmate Uchiha-san?" Jiraiya asked.

Hinata's smile cracked for a second, but she immediately schooled her features into a neutral expression. "H-Hello Sasuke-san, I am sorry about what I said. I hope you take care of yourself too. All the best for your future endeavours!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes again and moved to leave. Naruto continued to laugh at his expense, and it was beginning to annoy him.

"Don't get jealous, teme! Most of the girls still like you more, so let me have the limelight for once!" Naruto shouted from the living room.

Sasuke ignored the blonde and shut the door to his bedroom behind him. In a fit of petty jealousy, he kicked his revolving chair and watched it glide across the room. How dare Hinata humiliate him like this? It was already upsetting enough that she did not reciprocate, but she just had to go one step further and choose his own groupmate over him as her ideal type. He was sure that he was a class above Naruto when it came to looks – he was the group's visual for a reason!

He whipped out his phone and clicked onto the Twitter app. He knew at the back of his mind that this was a terrible idea, but having self-restraint was never his forte. As he expected, there were already memes floating about portraying him as a lovelorn fool. Someone had even photoshopped his face, Naruto's and Hinata's onto the distracted boyfriend meme, captioning #SasuHina.

Sasuke let out an agonised groan and threw his phone onto the bed. Hyuuga Hinata was going to pay for this.