think Su underwent the most dramatic alteration in personality. This is probably going to lose me a
few readers, and would probably earn me flames if Su were a more popular character. All I'm saying
at this time is that Kaolla had to make a very important decision earlier in her life, and in this
timeline she did things differently than she did in the manga and anime.
Another point that I know someone will bring up if I don't explain here; I do not think Naru is
stupid. However, she's definitely not as smart as Keitaro thinks she is. In the original canon,
she had to work her butt off to become first in the class. In this story she did not have the
incentive to work so hard, and on top of that she spent a lot of time away from school due to being
an idol. In other words, she isn't nearly as bright or educated here as she is in canon.
This chapter also marks the beginning of the first two-parter in the fic's history. It couldn't be
helped... the scenario took a lot of setting up, and I like to update within a reasonable period of
time.
Cultural Notes
'Go home' club: Refers to students who have no after-school activities and simply go home after
classes end for the day.
Ayu: Ayumi Hamasaki, a very popular j-pop singer both in Japan and elsewhere. There are doubtlessly
better singers in Japan, but I don't know singers very well and Naru's knowledge of music leans
heavily toward modern pop anyway.
Conversion rate: For the purposes of this fic, 108.5 yen is the equivalent of 1 American dollar
because that is what the exchange rate was when I wrote it. A quick 'n' dirty method of converting
from yen to dollars is to chop off the last two zeros of the yen count. It'll be off a bit (especially
for larger numbers), but it's a half-decent estimate.
Disclaimer: The characters in this story, save for a few minor characters, are property of Ken Akamatsu
and are used without permission. Please do not sue me, I have no money.
HINATA GIRLS
Road to Stardom!
by TheArchimage
Motoko lounged in the living room of Hinata Inn, remote control in hand. She was wearing a dark gray
bathrobe and using a folded towel as a pillow. She idly flipped through the channels, grimacing as
Naru's face appeared on the screen. It was a news program, this one confirming that Naru had indeed
disappeared from work and that her current location was unknown. "Naru-san is going to have the police
looking for her at this rate..." she noted grimly as she changed the channel again.
"Motoko-san?" Naru called down from the upper balcony as she toweled her hair dry. "I'm done with
the bath."
Motoko craned her neck around to look at her. "Thank you. But why can't we use the hot spring? I
think it would be very relaxing, and we wouldn't have to take turns."
The brown-haired girl replied, "Grannie doesn't want us in there. I think she needs to have someone
take a look at it and make sure it's safe before she lets anyone in, or she might get sued."
Motoko somehow found that very strange. "By two girls that are sponging off her, one of whom can't
afford a lawyer and the other of which is in hiding? Unlikely. But if that's what the landlady
says, I guess it can't be helped." She looked back toward the television, pausing a moment before
turning it off. "Naru-san," she said. "I am not sure it was such a good idea to allow Maehara-san
to join the band."
The girl on the upper balcony tilted her head to the side. "Why not?"
Motoko explained, "Well, we can't exactly haul a grand piano around to every performance. Even I'm
not that strong."
"It's not just piano," Naru explained. "Skills like hers have other uses, too."
"Oh!" Motoko realized. "You mean, like creating synthesized sounds and then altering their pitch
with an electronic keyboard?"
Naru asked incredulously, "You know how to do that kind of stuff?"
"Um, no," Motoko said sheepishly, holding up her hands defensively. "I used to have a roommate that
knew all about that kind of thing... she was a foreigner, but very knowledgeable about electronics
and stuff like that."
That was enough to get Naru interested. She leaned forward on the banister, smiling. "I thought I
would have to talk to Mitsune about finding someone like that. This is so lucky! So... was she any
good at it?"
Motoko nodded. "Very. In my old band we had her manage the lights and special effects for one of
our shows, and the crowd loved it. It was our best popular performance. She does like pyrotechnics
a little too much, though. Route 5 decided not to use her past the one performance because our
singer used a lot of hairspray and... well..."
The mental image Naru came up with forced her to cringe. "I see. Well, I still think it's worth a
shot. I'll call Mitsune-san right now, and we can go tomorrow after you and Shinobu get out of
school."
Motoko shot her a look. "Um, tomorrow?"
A pause. "Is... that a problem?"
Motoko shook her head and smiled. "No, it is no problem at all. She left me the address she was
moving to, so please make the necessary arrangements with the others." She then picked up her towel
and stood. "I am long overdue for a bath, so if you'll excuse me..."
-Fourth Show-
The Terror of Expectation, Part 1
All the girls were walking down the street, taking up most of the sidewalk. It was a remarkably
nice day, with only a few wispy clouds hovering in the blue sky. Shinobu swung her school bag back
and forth energetically, smiling widely. "I've never been in the 'go home' club before," she gloated.
"It feels like I have so much more free time now!"
Mitsune rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed. "What a kid..."
The youngest girl heard this and turned around to pout, "I can't help it, I am a kid! Try and be a
little more understanding!"
Mitsune turned to Motoko, saying, "Still, I'm surprised Motoko knew a skilled technician. I guess
you really never know what connections people have."
Motoko glared at her out of the corner of her eyes. "Just say it," she dared. "You think I'm a
degenerate."
A lazy shrug revealed that she was not taking the threat seriously. "Well, you certainly look the
part," she answered. "But I didn't say anything like that. I'm just commenting that you really
can't tell what kind of people someone hangs out with." Motoko smoldered, but let the matter drop.
Naru remembered something just then. "Hey, Motoko... is this the roommate that left you in that
huge, empty place all alone?"
Motoko nodded. "It is. She offered no real explanation, only that she couldn't afford the rent
anymore. I wondered how she got money in the first place, but it's probably something similar to my
situation."
Naru blinked in confusion. "Situation?"
Motoko clarified, "I look much older than I actually am, right? If I say I am in high school, no
one will question it. It is the same with her; she looks and acts far older than she actually is.
Anyway, she was fired from her old job and had to move in to a cheaper place."
Naru nodded. "I see..."
Mitsune stopped, turning to her left. She pulled a piece of paper out and referenced it. "It says
this is the right address, but..."
Everyone understood what she meant. The building was a nightclub, and a fairly large one at that.
An empty sign hung outside, waiting for some performer to stick their name on it and give life to
the place. Two sets of double doors, covered with tacky decorations, served as the entrance. Just
above it, in neon lights that were currently off, was written the name of the establishment:
"Wonderland".
Naru winced. "How cheesy..."
Mitsune raised an eyebrow. "If you think it's cheesy, then it must be bad. More importantly, what
do we do now? The roommate must have given Motoko the wrong address. How are we supposed to find her
now?"
Shinobu craned her neck to the side. "It might still be the right place... look up there! There's
an outside balcony on this side, and a bunch of doors leading into the building. Maybe she's living
in one of those?
Mitsune shook her head. "No, that can't be. Those are just supply closets, if not an easy-access
door to the lights. You can't let people live in there, it's probably illegal."
Motoko was not so sure about that. "It wouldn't stop her..."
"We'll just have to see for ourselves," said Naru. "Come on!"
The balcony was extremely thin, forcing all of them to walk in single-file. It was made of rickety
wood, and creaked dangerously as the crew made their way across. Shinobu clung to Motoko with a
death grip, looking fearfully at the ground over the railing. "This doesn't seem safe..."
Naru knocked on one of the doors, listening after a moment. "Doesn't look like there's anyone in
this one either..."
Motoko's head waved back and forth, as if dazed, and her smiling face had a slight blush. Her voice
wavered in a sing-song tone as she replied, "Oh well... let's move on to the next one..."
"Don't get too close to her, Shinobu-chan," Mitsune warned. "That girl's kinda weird around kids..."
Shinobu released her grip experimentally, and Motoko instantly reverted back to her normal stoic
self as if nothing had happened. "See what I mean?"
Naru continued on to the next door, only vaguely aware of her band's conversation. "How about...
this one?"
As Naru knocked on the door it slowly creaked open. It must not have been closed properly, she
reasoned. The room was little better than a walk-in closet. The floor was almost completely
covered in multi-colored wires running in one direction or another, as if someone had shredded a
rainbow and made spaghetti out of it. A wooden bar hung along the right side of the room, just above
head level. The far end of the room was taken up by two large speakers connected to electric
equipment. A girl was sitting in front of this equipment with her back towards Naru, wearing large
headphones and sitting on an orange crate. Other than said crate there was no furniture in the room.
"Motoko-san," Naru whispered. "Is that...?"
Motoko nodded, whispering in return, "Yes, no doubt about it. She's my old roommate."
The girl noticed that there was suddenly more light in the room and craned her neck to look over her
shoulder. She was darkly tanned, with a small red dot in the middle of her forehead. Her hair was
straw-blonde and completely out of control, sticking in almost every direction at once. Naru would
have guessed that the two of them were the same age, but she remembered Motoko saying that this girl
looked older than she was. The girl reached behind her head to pull her earphones down around her
neck, revealing multiple silver studs on each ear. "Y'are?" she asked brusquely.
Naru stepped forward, not put off by her distant attitude. She was getting better at this! "Good
morning! My name is Naru. I'm putting together a band, and your old roommate suggested I look you
up."
"Who?" the girl asked as she hit a few buttons on the equipment without looking. She tilted her
head to the side, then nodded as she got a glimpse of the girl in a gakuran. "Oh, hey Motoko.
Didn't expect you to be hanging out with a bunch like this. You going straight on me?"
Motoko returned a thin smile. "Hardly. I'm skipping detention to be here."
Naru shot a look back at her. "Motoko-san, are you serious? You should have said something last
night!"
Motoko shrugged. "It was my choice to come. Don't worry about it."
The blonde haired girl laughed out loud, removing the cord from her headphones as she did so.
"That's just so like you! Should have figured you'd never change, Motoko-chan!"
Motoko's eyebrow twitched. "I told you a thousand times..."
"Yeah, yeah." The girl swiveled around to face them, sitting on the crate cross-legged. She was
still wearing the headphones around her neck, although there was no longer a cord on them. "I guess
if Motoko likes you, you're okay. Name's Kaolla Su. I wasn't really paying attention when you were
introducing yourself, so would you mind running it past me again?"
Naru took a deep breath and repeated, "I'm Naru, and I'm trying to put together a band. I think we
could really use your skills!"
Kaolla tilted her head to the side. "Naru, is it? Hold on a second." She turned back toward her
equipment, rifling through a stack of compact discs on top of one of the units. After a moment she
came out with one and held it up, comparing the image on the disc with Naru's face. "Well, hot
damn," she said with only a hint of surprise. "Naru Narusegawa, in the flesh. You're a news item,
you know that?"
Naru's smile became a little more strained. "Um, like I said, I really think we could use someone
like you. So..."
"I'll have to pass," Kaolla said as tossed the disc to the side. "I'm busy enough as it is.
Besides, I've heard your stuff on the radio." Her eyes narrowed as she finished, "You kinda suck."
Naru smile died instantly. She balled her hands into fists as she screamed, "What did you say! If
you were a real musician, you should have been able to tell that it's the songs that were crap! Ayu
herself couldn't have made them sound good!"
"Of course I knew that," Su smirked. "But even if it's the truth, it takes a poor artist to blame
her songs."
"Irritating little..."
Motoko put her hand on Naru's shoulder. "Calm down. She lives to get on people's nerves." She
then looked to Su and said, "And what do you mean, 'too busy'? If this is all your current job gets
you for living space, it can't be that demanding."
"That's where you're wrong, Motoko. Look... the truth is, I'm kinda in trouble."
Shinobu blinked. "Trouble? Like what?"
Kaolla sucked in air between her teeth as she confessed, "I got hired to manage the lights for a
show, but the equipment wasn't secured properly and fell. Luckily no one got hurt, but all the stuff
got busted. Since I was supposed to be managing it, I have to pay back what broke even though it
wasn't my fault."
Motoko asked, "How much do you owe?"
She bit her lip and looked away. After a brief pause she revealed, "... One million yen."
Several jaws dropped in unison. "Are you serious!"
Shinobu cried, "That's more than I've ever seen in my life!"
"You see? I know you don't have that much kicking around, so you might as well give up. Looks like
I'll be here for a whole lot longer."
"Now hold on a minute!" Naru said. "So you're being forced to work here?"
Kaolla shrugged. "Nothing stopping me from leaving. But if I don't want the manager of the place
to call the cops, I've got to pay off the debt somehow."
"Alright, next question. Motoko-san told me you looked older than you are... are you old enough to
be working?"
The straw-haired girl stared at her for a long moment. "Not like it's any of your business," she
said curtly. "But I'm fourteen."
Naru crossed her arms. "What they're doing is more illegal than what you did..."
Kaolla was starting to lose her temper. "And if the cops get called in, I'm going to be in more
trouble than him!" She sighed as she looked at the ground. "... I'm an illegal alien. I'll get
shipped back to my home country if the wrong people find out I'm living here. And I don't wanna go
back there... if I go back now, everything will be a giant mess."
Motoko shook her head. "It looks like you're stuck, then."
Naru exploded, "Like heck she is! We can't just leave her here, that's child labor! Motoko-san,
she was your roommate, right? Don't you care what happens to her?"
"Of course I do!" Motoko shouted back. "But what do you expect me to do? I don't have huge piles
of cash just lying around. The only way I know to get that much money is through methods I'd rather
not use and you'd rather not know about."
"Maybe you can't help her," Naru fumed. "But I sure as hell can. Su-chan! Bring me to the owner
of this dump. I want to talk to him now! Right now!"
The tanned girl looked at her for a moment, then sighed. "It's not going to do any good, you know...
but fine. Gimme a minute." She stretched her legs before dismounting from the orange crate.
"Follow me."
As the girls fell in step behind her, Mitsune nudged Naru in the side, "Oh, I get it. You're just
gonna use your idol millions to bust her out of this. A million yen sounds like a lot for normal
people, but for you it's a drop in the bucket."
Naru shook her head as she explained, "Actually, it's all in trust funds and protected bank
accounts... I can't touch a single yen until I turn 20."
Shinobu laughed nervously. "Then, what did you have in mind...?"
Naru smiled. "What else can I do? I guess... I'm just gonna have to sing."
The owner was a small, thin man named Ryuji Hayashi. He wore a white suit that was kept pristinely
clean, and an unlit cigar hung from his mouth. He seemed about to light up, but blew out his match
when he saw the girls approaching. Only Naru entered the room; when the others tried to follow her,
she turned and stopped them. "You guys wait out here, and don't make a sound. I'll deal with this
myself."
Motoko shook her head. "I cannot allow that. She was my roommate at one time, I have to do my part
to help."
Mitsune agreed, "Besides, are you sure you can handle this by yourself?"
Naru refused. "I've got to learn to do these things on my own, right? Just leave it to me!"
"There she goes again," Mitsune lamented. She knew better than to get in Naru's way when she was
like this. "All right Naru, this one's your show. Just don't screw it up, okay?"
Naru nodded. "Just leave it to me!" She closed the office door behind her, and almost instantly
the rest of the girls put their ears to the door to eavesdrop.
Shinobu asked, "Is she always like that?"
Mitsune sighed. "Girl, you have no idea..." She then directed her attention to the conversation on
the other side of the door.
As Naru approached his oaken desk Hayashi gestured toward a chair. While his own throne was a
leather recliner, the guest chairs were simple swiveling office chairs. "Sit down," he said in a
gravelly tone. "Take a load off. Tell me what's on your mind."
Naru refused the seat, preferring to stand. "Kaolla Su-san. I want you to let her go."
Hayashi removed the cigar from his mouth, placing it on the table. He did this very deliberately,
pronouncing the stillness of the air. "No can do," he said finally. "That girl owes me a lot of
money. I have no intention of letting her off the hook, no matter who asks me."
"I know that. I'm not saying to do it for free... you let me sing on your stage, and all the
proceeds from it will go off to paying Su's debt."
On the other side of the door, the girls gasped. "Say what!" Shinobu shouted, slapping a hand over
her mouth to keep Naru and Hayashi from hearing her.
"That must be what she meant when she said she'd sing," Mitsune said. "I wonder if it'll go the way
she plans, though..."
"That's fine," Hayashi responded to Naru's offer. "The performance fee is one hundred thousand yen."
Motoko's jaw dropped. "What! That's twice the usual rate in this area! He's trying to gyp her!
I'm going to-"
Mitsune shot a look at her. "Naru told us to stay out of it," she said. Privately, though, she was
very worried... was it really a good idea to let Naru go off on her own time and again? She was going
to get taken for a ride, and it looked like it would happen sooner rather than later. "Let's just
trust her for a little while longer..."
Naru blinked. "Performance... fee?"
"You don't know anything, do you?" Hayashi sighed as he explained, "Because letting one performer
go on stage means not being able to have anyone else up there, you have to pay for the privilege of
being able to perform. That's the performance fee. Any sales from the tickets go to paying off
the fee first. If you don't cover the fee you don't earn anything, but any sales you make over the
fee is profit. This way it's the artist that's under pressure to perform, not the establishment
that's under pressure to find a good artist. Get it?"
Naru "oh"ed in response, blinking. She never knew that... the business side of things was always
taken care of by her manager Kentaro. She had no idea how to do any of this stuff. Guess that
blowhard actually did do something after all. "I don't have the money for that," Naru admitted.
"But I'll be able to make up the difference for sure. I'll sing every night, until I earn as much
money as it takes to get Kaolla-san out of here."
Hayashi smirked. "So you're willing to risk going into debt yourself to clear her debt?
Interesting spirit... tell you what, she's more trouble than she's worth, so let's make a game out
of this. I'll charge you twice the usual fee to play for one night..."
Motoko's brow furrowed, and flames began to dance in her eyes. "You mean four times, you bastard,"
she seethed through clenched teeth.
He continued, "... and if you manage to break even, I'll cancel her whole debt. That means you only
have to earn about 200,000 yen, instead of a million. Given this generosity, you can't hold it
against me if I keep all of the profit..."
Naru nodded. She didn't really need the money, she just wanted Su.
"BUT!" He grinned as he revealed his sinister scheme, "If you fail to cover your costs, you'll join
her in working for me. Not only will I make you cover whatever you failed to get, I'll add her debt
on top of yours!"
Naru recoiled. "So... if we don't get anyone at all, that would mean that not only will Su still
owe the million yen, but my own debt to you will be 1,200,000 yen!"
Shinobu covered her mouth with her hands. "That's so dirty!"
Motoko was gripping the doorframe so hard her knuckles were turning white. It was taking every ounce
of her willpower to keep herself in check, and she mumbled, "You son of a..." under her breath.
'Back off, Naru,' Kitsune tried to warn her telepathically. 'This is too hot! There are other
sound technicians that we won't have to go through this for. You just got your freedom... you can't
risk losing it again so soon! Not to a place like this!'
"And if you lose I won't have you singing... a face like yours is too cute to waste by being so far
away from the customers. But I bet lots of people would come to see such a cute waitress. You'll
be waiting tables for me until you pay off every penny!"
Naru's eyebrow twitched. Her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched as she fumed, "So you'll just use
my face? My looks? Is that all you think I'm good for?"
Mitsune winced. 'Crap, he found her weak spot!'
This was not lost on Hayashi, either. He grinned widely as he said, "Of course! Girls like you have
probably never worked a day in your life... you coast by on your good looks and nothing else! But
after you lose this bet, you'll see how cruel life can be!"
Naru pounded her fist on the desk, grinning sadistically. "In your dreams! You've got yourself a
deal, mister! Don't come crying to me when you've lost!"
The owner pulled out a sheet of paper, doubtlessly a contract. Did he have this set up from the
beginning? "Sign here," he commanded, which caused Naru to shrink back. "What's the matter?" he
taunted. "Getting cold feet?"
Naru swallowed, then shook her head with a smirk. "N-No. I'll sign."
Mitsune slapped herself in the forehead. "Naru, you idiot..."
Shinobu tapped Mitsune's shoulder. "How do you think he'll react when he sees Naru's name on the
contract? Do you think he'll make the connection?"
Mitsune had to think about that for a second. Then she grinned widely. 'Of course... if we tell
people that the pop idol Naru Narusegawa will be singing here, we'll have the place packed in no
time. Phew, that was a close one. I was worried for a second... I guess she's not as stupid as I
thought.'
Naru picked up the pen and signed quickly. The owner picked up the agreement and scanned her
signature. He then gave her a strange look. "Tohru Honda? Is that really your name?"
Naru shrugged apologetically. "I get that a lot. My parents weren't very imaginative..."
Mitsune made a face. "Eh?"
The owner sighed. "... Okay, fine. Your concert is tomorrow night, Honda-san. Hope you can fetch
quite a crowd... or in two days, you'll be waiting tables with a smile."
Mitsune threw up her hands in exasperation. "I give up. She's insane. Certifiably, clinically
insane."
Shinobu cringed. "Um... Naru-san's in trouble, isn't she...?"
"YOU DUMBASS!"
Naru rubbed her ears. "Ow! You don't have to be so loud..." Everyone was standing just outside
the front entrance of Wonderland, most of them looking at Naru with equal parts anger and pity.
Mitsune continued, "If I don't yell this loud you won't get the point. You've really stepped in it
now, Naru! Do you have any idea how much trouble you've gotten yourself into? How the heck are you
gonna sell 200,000 yen worth of tickets in a day!"
"It's not that hard. The tickets are 1,300 apiece, so we only have to sell..." Naru paused and
scrunched up her face, counting on her fingers.
After a few moments, Mitsune sighed loudly. "One hundred fifty four, Naru. One hundred fifty four
tickets."
Naru shot her a terrified look. "What? That many!"
"That's basic math!" Mitsune shouted. "How can you not know that?"
Motoko blinked. "Even so, to do it as fast as you Mitsune-san..."
Shinobu nodded, "That's pretty impressive..."
Naru lowered her head, pursing her lips. "I've never been good at schoolwork. I have to work twice
as hard as everyone else just to keep up... so I never really bothered. It's not like I'm stupid..."
"But you are stupid!" Mitsune sighed. "Not only do you not know what you're getting into, but you
insisted on doing this the hardest way possible! Why did you give him a fake name? If you used your
real one, you'd have no problem filling the place up!"
Naru yelled back with force, "That's exactly why I didn't!"
Mitsune was taken aback by the ferocity of Naru's retort. "Say what?"
Naru took a deep breath to calm herself down. Then she explained, "I know it wouldn't be any trouble
at all to get lots of people to come by saying, 'Naru Narusegawa is going to be singing there'. But
I started this band to get away from that! That would be just clinging to my old life. Grandma
Hina told me that I have to give up those privileges, that fame, if I want to start a real band. If
I use my fame to get out of this, it's like telling myself I won't succeed before I even try!"
Mitsune scratched the back of her head as she commented, "You're saying your pride won't allow it,
huh? Alright, but we could have gone up with you, you know. You don't have to take all of the risk
by yourself."
"I kept you guys from going with me because I want you to listen, too. I've been going around
talking you all into joining this band, but I haven't proven that I'm worthy to stand next to you
guys yet! If you're up next to me you won't be able to hear me... you won't be able to judge for
yourselves whether or not I'm good enough.
"I'll pay off the whole fee with just my talent and guts. If I can't do that, I'll never be a
success!" She winked as she finished, "So just consider this my audition!"
Motoko sighed, crossing her arms. "I admire your spirit, but over a hundred and fifty tickets, in
one day, to a no-name performer's debut... it's simply not possible! My old band, Route 5, wasn't
able to sell even fifty tickets, and we had a week to advertise. You're too reckless, Naru!"
"Maybe so," Naru smirked. "But this is the best chance we have of freeing Kaolla-san. It's a risk
I have to take!"
Mitsune shook her head. "You sure can be energetic when it's convenient for you..."
Shinobu pumped her fists as she offered, "If you don't want us to help you on stage, we still have
to do something! We've only got until tomorrow night, so let us help in any way we can!"
Mitsune nodded. "That's right. You'd better spend your time practicing and leave advertising up to
us."
Motoko agreed, "I have work tonight, so I'll spread the word around the club about your performance."
Mitsune cocked her eyebrow at this. "Promoting a rival establishment? You could get fired for that,
you know."
"If I want to be serious about the band, I would have had to quit anyway. I get free room and board
at that inn, so it's not like I need the money."
Mitsune sighed. "Free room and board, huh? Lucky you. Anyway, I'll hit my usual haunts and see
what kind of word-of-mouth I can get going. Maybe I'll say a prayer or two as well."
Shinobu joined in, "I'll tell all my friends about it. Maybe if I get a big rumor started I can get
the whole school to go!"
"Why are you doing this?"
The group turned to look behind them. Su was standing at the entrance, glowering at Naru. "Why are
you getting involved in things that don't concern you?"
Naru replied, "I can't just leave you here. You deserve better than to work under a creep like that."
"I never said I'd join your band, you know. You're just a stranger to me. No matter what you do, I
won't accept that I owe you anything."
Mitsune shouted back, "You ungrateful snot, Naru's risking a hell of lot for-"
"Mitsune-san, stop it." Naru held out a hand and looked back at her. "It's all right." She turned
to Kaolla with a serious expression, saying, "I'm not going to insist you join our band after we
free you. If I did that, I'd be no better than the jerk you're working for. I'm not going to make
you feel guilty about it either; if you want to strike out on your again, that's fine. I didn't do
this because I wanted you in our band. I'm doing this because I know what it's like to be a captive.
I can't let someone live and work in a place they hate without doing anything about it. I don't
like seeing people suffer the same why I did... that's all."
For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then a single snicker broke that silence as Kaolla
covered her mouth with her hand. "Suffer like you did? Don't be so full of yourself. Eh, whatever.
If you think you can free me, go ahead and try. If you want, you can come back tonight and watch me.
You never know, Naru-san... you might pick up a few tips you can use for afterward."
"Like hell I'll be a waitress!" Naru shouted back. "Just you wait! I'll have this whole place packed
tomorrow night!"
"You keep telling yourself that, Naru-san," Kaolla said as she turned her back and waved behind her.
"It'll be nice working with you."
Naru shook her head. Man, what was that girl's problem...?
"... Naru-san," Motoko said suddenly. "I know Kaolla is disrespectful and... perhaps a little too
cynical for her own good. But I wanted to say... I agree with you. People should be allowed to be
free. I... really appreciate what you're doing for her, even if she doesn't."
Naru smiled back. "Of course! I'm not doing this to get a thank you out of her."
"Now that that's settled," Mitsune said. "We've got a lot of work to do. There's no time to lose,
so let's get started. Meet everyone back here tomorrow, same time!"
"Right!" came the resounding chorus. The girls split up and went their separate ways, leaving Naru
alone in front of the club.
She turned and looked at the sign in front of Wonderland, feeling a strange sort of satisfaction
upon reading the words "New Artist Tomorrow Night!" written there. Tomorrow night, she would stand
up on stage as a singer for the first time. She would show everyone the dream she had worked so hard
on. The cheers wouldn't be for granted... they would be because she had given the audience a
wonderful performance.
... If she COULD give a wonderful performance.
It suddenly felt like a fist closed over her chest for a moment, stealing her breath away. She put
a hand to her chest and took several deep breaths, but she still felt her heart tighten and her
pulse quicken. A nameless fear worked its way into her body, freezing her solid.
She hadn't noticed before, but she was shaking now. She continued to shiver as she asked herself,
"What... what is this...?" She tasted metal in her mouth, and her stomach twitched. Her knees
weakened, and she needed to put a hand on the wall in order to remain standing. She swallowed hard
before saying to herself, "I'm... I'm going to be okay... right?"
To be continued...