TITLE: Boku no Koe A Tale of Complexities
PART: Four
MAIN PAIRINGS: Sanada Genichirou x Kajimoto Takahisa and Atobe Keigo x Tezuka Kunimitsu.
SIDE PAIRINGS: Kamio Akira x Ibu Shinji, Ohtori Choutarou x Shishido Ryo, Implied Hiyoshi Wakashi x Taki Haginosuke,
GENRE: Yaoi (Alternate Universe/ Humour/ Angst / Romance)
DISCLAIMERS: All the series I'm referring to in this fic, as well as all the brand names and real-life studios, do not belong to me… only this twisted story does.
NOTE #1: Blah or Blah is for emphasis. /Blah/ is for conversations over the phone or flashbacks (if any). /Blah/ is for the conscience or whatever inner voice there is talking. Blah is for thoughts or random Japanese words. Some of these words are footnoted at the end of every page (I'm beginning to understand the need for footnotes in fiction. Thank you dear friend, you know who you are. XD).
NOTE #2: This is inspired by Youka Nitta's manga "Boku no Koe", hence the title, but the story is not quite the same. Special Thanks to DelusionalLady for opening this topic up while we were chatting over the phone the other day. I just have to remind you guys that this is an alternate universe fic. I am not using the characters' seiyuu, but I'm using them, as themselves dubbing other stuff (i.e. Tezuka being the seiyuu of Brad Crawford in Weiss Kreuz, etc.), and Tennis no Oujisama does exist in this world though the characters, instead of the regular names we know, are named after the real seiyuu. I'm twisted, I know. XD I'm just reminding you these to avoid confusion, should you read this fic. And yes, their ages are different here too. XD
NOTE #3: There are records corresponding to the schools in Tennis no Oujisama. They are:
Kooun Limited
BHI (Black Horse Inc.)
Teikoku Songen
MG (Masterpieces Group)
Yuushousha Studios
PT Unlimited (Polar Talents Unlimited)
Hashira Kin
Everything will be explained as the story goes on.
NOTE #4: These are mostly from the point of views of the uke; so don't be mad that the seme do not have as much screen time.
DEDICATION: This is dedicated to all of you guys who have had this fancy eating your brains for a long while now. We have to wonder after all, how is it working as a seiyuu? I personally have seen a friend of mine work as a 'dubber' locally, and I guess, most of the stuff here is based from what I have observed as well as based from the info I have collected over the years.
DAIYONBU: INSHOU
(Fourth Part: Impression)
"Nya!" Kikumaru complained, placing both hands behind his head in a gesture of surrender. "I can't believe your energy Tezuka! For someone so quiet, your voice is so powerful! I can't even compare!"
"Ah, of course, this is The Tezuka Kunimitsu, and you are but a mere mortal!" Momoshiro laughed, slapping Kikumaru on the back so hard that it made him wince.
"Well, you are The Momoshiro Takeshi too, you know, so you shouldn't be saying that to your number one competitor in this company." Inui butted in, eyes scanning his notes. He was a new manager, and he was now taking care of both Momoshiro (His manager quit on him) and the relatively new blood, Kaidoh. Tezuka eyed him thoughtfully. He must be careful of the guy; he seemed deadly – in a manager-y sort of way.
"But they are still friends, both of them." Fuji said casually after taking a sip of his warm lemonade. "So cut poor Takeshi-kun some slack." His eyes were showing, and their blue depths seemed to unnerve Inui for a moment, making him rearrange his glasses on his nose quietly.
Tezuka sniffed. "Everyone has his strengths. There's no use comparing." He said quietly, turning away from them and walking purposefully out of the lounge area.
"Tezuka-san, we have a meeting with Ryuuzaki-san in a few minutes!" Echizen, another newcomer called out, his eyes not straying away from petting his cat.
Tezuka did not even spare him a glance.
He continued, shutting the door soundly behind him in answer.
X o X o X
Mukahi's eyes were glazed as they gazed far off to the darkened horizon. He was nervous about this. He was going to strike off on his own after what he was about to do, and frankly, he knew the road wouldn't be easy. However, given the circumstances, he believed that it would be better for him if he were to get out rather than be buried under the unjust running of his workplace.
Footsteps echoed in the long narrow hallway, and he immediately snapped to attention, only to relax as the familiar sight of Tezuka Kunimitsu under the bright fluorescent lights entered his field of vision. "Tezuka-senpai." He raised a hand in greeting, nodding once before turning away again and staring off to the horizon. The skies were beginning to clear after a whole couple of hours rain, and he felt his mood brightening a little as well. Maybe everything would be alright after all, if he considered this an omen.
The quiet sound of rustling cloth made it known that Tezuka had joined him. They were both silent, each occupied by their own thoughts. Finally, he spoke.
"Do you think I'm making the right decision, Tezuka-senpai?"
There was no answer, just quiet companionship, but the answer was simple, he knew.
"We have a meeting with Ryuuzaki-san in a few minutes, prepare yourself."
With that, Tezuka patted him warmly on the shoulder and sauntered away. Mukahi's lips parted in a relieved smile.
Tezuka-senpai... thank you.
X o X o X
"Eh? An anime? Tennis?"
Ryuuzaki Sumire, the head of the production group Hashira Kin, placed her hands on her wait and nodded proudly. "The management of the dubbing contacted me, saying that Konomi-sensei, the one who made the manga, decided that it would be best that our company be the voice actors for the lead characters of the series. We have many people here and they would want to audition, so be prepared even if the whole thing is pre-arranged... you never know." I've told your managers that I want you guys to fit in one day as much as possible."
"Nya? All ten of us?" Kikumaru Eiji, the one with the most diverse voice among them, asked unhappily. "Wouldn't that be too crowded?" He played with a can of Ponta, earning a chastising look from his best friend, Fuji Syusuke – chastising look the Fuji way – with weird rainbows for eyes and pursed lips.
"Eiji, stop jangling it so much, or else it will spray all over you when you open it." He reminded him gently, patting the redhead twice almost patronisingly.
"Hai, hai!" Kikumaru sighed and then grinned at him, flashing his most famous V-sign before tossing the can and making a show of catching it in midair.
"What companies were considered along with ours?" Momoshiro asked, taking a bite of his shrimp sandwich.
"Ah, Yuushousha Studios primarily, though I don't understand it at all, considering the fact that they are obviously the best in the business..." Ryuuzaki said, suddenly wary. "And then there's Playhouse Productions... and then... surprisingly, Teikoku Songen – I honestly thought they would rank high up with Yuushousha, but it didn't happen."
Momoshiro spat his food; fortunately it did not reach the perpetually moody Kaidoh Kaoru, sitting across him. "What?" He cried out in disbelief. "Why did he do that?"
"I have no idea." She shrugged. Maybe he liked the demo cds the company head gave him and TV Tokyo... or maybe it's because Tezuka, Momoshiro and Fuji are here. I have no idea."
Tezuka sat quietly, sipping his sencha absently.
Why indeed...
X o X o X
Atobe was livid with rage as he glared at his studio manager. He had half the urge to actually fire him, if not for the insane way the older guy seemed to cling to his pant leg just to stay on the payroll, sputtering things like loyalty, service and such. It was annoying, but a part of him felt a twinge of pity... and then he couldn't do it. He had half the heart to hand the situation to his partner, Sakaki Tarou, but pity won and the anger subsided gradually.
Sakaki was not someone who forgave easily.
"Fine, go back to your post. I'm just going to deduct the overhead cost from your salary... around thirty thousand yen per month. That's it. Just make sure this doesn't happen again." He grumbled, ignoring the scrambling of his subordinate in haste to get out of his office, and finally staring back at the result of the proposed line-up for the predetermination of the primary cast for Tennis no Oujisama. Well, if everything goes with the manga storyline, there would be other parts to audition to. This is a big project, and they will require voices fit for the characters. Next to the Seishun Gakuen cast, there are still...
Wait... His eyes widened. Hashira Kin? Isn't that where – His eyes scanned the rest of the printed report. He's been assigned for one of Konomi-sensei's favourite characters...
At that moment, Atobe felt like he was being left behind.
X o X o X
Kajimoto woke up with a huge block of concrete pounding his head to smithereens. Well, not exactly concrete, since he didn't exactly know how that would feel (For sure if that happened, he wouldn't live long enough to feel it again, right?), but something was definitely pounding his head.
Or rather, something was definitely pounding in his head... like a built-in hammer in his brain.
Groggily, he sat up, bleary eyes blinking, trying to attain a sense of normalcy in the otherwise unfamiliar environment. He could vaguely see tons of manga lining an area of a built-in shelf and a neat pile of cd cases placed on several smaller books lying about on the shelf ladder.
It looked as if he was in his room, but his own was not as orderly as this. Well, if Mizuki did some spring-cleaning (Which didn't really apply since it wasn't spring yet. Was he getting the meaning of the word right? What the heck, Mizuki was such a neat freak anyway) that was quite logical... but the books... they didn't seem to be the ones in his room...
His vision suddenly cleared. Panicking, he looked around, wide-eyed. It was not his room! He was not at home! Where –
"Ah, you're awake."
It was the fairly deep voice that made him look up in horror. His brain was turning to mush as he stared at the controlled movements of the newcomer. His eyes widened even further when his horror began to sink deep into his bones. "You –"
An amused chuckle. "Ah, so you've really forgotten... what happened last night..."
Kajimoto closed his eyes and pressed his hands on his ears. "No! We didn't..."
"Oh, but we did."
He must be dreaming! This thing happened just in yaoi dramas, so why was it that this was happening to him? He had never even been in a yaoi-related thing in his personal life! Could... could his work be affecting him subconsciously? No... This isn't happening...
"Iced sencha sure is intoxicating, isn't it?"
Iced... sencha? Who in heaven's name got drunk just by drinking iced green tea?
/You, obviously. /
/Oh shut up. .
Great, a voice was now muttering weird stuff in his brain. Maybe green tea was really intoxicating.
Or maybe pigs can now fly.
He shook his head and glared at the straight-faced guy looming over him by his bedside. "Liars go to hell, you know." He grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest in defiance. "You're being evil today."
"Aren't I always?" Sanada retorted. "What do you want for breakfast, bacon or eggs?"
Kajimoto reddened considerably, glaring even more. "Don't say it like that, that's obscene."
"Oh, sorry I forgot your yaoi drama voice acting is affecting you tremendously."
"It is not!" He protested, starting to rise from the bed, only to fall off over the edge, pain shooting through his tailbone as it connected with the cold, hard floor. "But wait, how did you know that?"
Is this guy a spy in his spare time? Why does he know about my problem with my yaoi projects? Maybe he said something about it last night... when he was out of it! What happened last night anyway? He definitely had no idea on what had happened last nigh – Oh no.
His eyes widened in horror. Memories were now rushing back and he was feeling mortified second by second. He got out of the house stressed and with an unstable mind and he had an argument with this guy over takoyaki and money. Then they drove by his house and delivered the Takoyaki to his children and Mizuki, who was staring at him and Sanada, gaping like a fish in shock, and then... we drove off since Sanada invited me over to commiserate over green iced tea as an apology... and then went to his house and while we drank...
Oh no.
"You're just tired." Sanada seemed to sense his growing mortification and he patted him consolingly on the shoulder. "Let's just go have breakfast. I had the cook, prepare food for us.
I can't remember what happened after I blurted everything out... I must've been really out of it that I can't remember anything at all! I can't believe I can lose control of myself even if I'm not drunk!
"I'm sorry..." He started, only to be cut off by his host.
"No problem. You owe me another round for making me suffer your endless work-related litanies."
Kajimoto was confused.
"Another round?"
Sanada smirked and started for the door. Purposefully, he opened it and looked back at him with a coy expression on his face. "It'd be better if it's in bed this time. The living room isn't for you, you're quite scandalous... you moan and groan a lot, you know." A wicked grin forming on his lips now, he quickly closed the door.
Kajimoto just let fly a pillow, unfortunately, missing its target and hitting the door dead centre.
Pervert!
X o X o X
Sanada was snickering as he made his way down the stairs.
It was so easy to get a rise out of Kajimoto, and he found it extremely entertaining and extremely fascinating. He certainly had a lot of issues too, and it made him want to take apart all of it and make them his own so he could help him ponder them as well.
He was amusing to be with when stressed too. He never knew such normally quiet guy would be like that when faced with difficult things.
Last night, just to make him shut up...
Closing his eyes, he touched his lips, the tip of his tongue touching the apex of his index finger.
He tastes good too... but I guess he doesn't have to know that, does he?
X o X o X
Atobe slumped on his seat.
He hated this feeling.
He was helpless and people whom had never been much in the limelight until recently defeated him. Hashira Kin was a relatively new company, and they only pirated a few freelance people just so they would have a better shot at fame.
Yamato Yuudai was good.
Real good.
If only Old Hag Ryuuzaki did not nab Momoshiro, his father would've gotten to him with better benefits and less management remittances.
If only Yamato didn't have Tezuka's loyalty, they would've gotten him too.
And then he wouldn't have to suffer much, not seeing him often... and he wouldn't have this tasteless desire to knock him off his pedestal in the industry and claim him as battle spoil.
He sighed, closing his eyes tiredly. They say a person's personality shows through song. I want to see him sing. I want to know more about who I desire to be mine. I want to see if he has the passion not only in voice but in how he conjures the apex of his voice's potency as well.
Ah, I really got it bad. He chuckled humourlessly. So bad... but I don't want this feeling to go away. It doesn't matter if it hurts like hell. It just means that I'm still capable of loving others more than I love myself.
Now they can't call me a narcissist anymore.
I just don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing.
X o X o X
Breakfast had been tense, mostly in his part, but Kajimoto was not one to dwell on such senseless thing – even if it the growing tension was gnawing at him on the inside.
Sanada was driving him home, and he was fortunate that he did not have any scheduled recordings in the morning, so he was free to take his time and take pains in maintaining his composure in the face of such a man as his temporary host.
Silence.
It was deafening and he struggled not to drown in it by entertaining the tune that hummed in his head. It had been almost ten minutes now, and he was still doing it, eyes fixed on the scenery passing by his side of the window. He was used to silence, but this one was not normal. The emotions carried over from last night had a huge effect on his current situation. He did not like it, but he was not going to break it and do another silly thing before Sanada again.
Just once was enough.
"It's a nice song."
Surprised, he immediately turned to Sanada. "What?"
"The song, the one you're humming."
"But I'm not – "
"You are. That's why I said it's a nice song."
Kajimoto wanted to stick a totem pole up his ass in embarrassment (The yaoi was etching itself in his brain, he soon realised after thinking that)."Oh."
Silence.
"So, what song is it?"
"Pardon?"
"The song you're humming. What's the title?"
He reddened. "There isn't any, it's just a random tune I've been thinking up for the past few days."
Sanada spared him a glance before turning back to the road. The red light blinked, and immediately, he stepped on the brakes, temporarily stopping the car and turning to him fully. "It's a nice song. Why don't you write lyrics for it?"
"I'm not really good with writing songs, so..."
"You shouldn't say that." The truck behind them honked impatiently. The green light was now on and Sanada honked back in irritation before driving quickly away. Kajimoto had to smile inwardly. He looked positively harmless as he did that, and it was a wonder to him why others thought of him as someone who would go out in a murderous rampage once irked terribly. They obviously didn't observe him well. "I think you can do it. You're very talented, you have great potential."
Kajimoto snorted in disbelief. "You say that now, but you and your father did not say that before when I auditioned for an opening in your company years ago." He said flatly.
"Before, you didn't have enough talent for the company to consider you. If you apply now, you'll have a good change of getting in. Shoo-in."
He shook his head. "Thanks a lot."
"You're welcome."
X o X o X
Atobe got up from his seat half an hour later.
Tezuka had an album recording in Teikoku Songen in a few minutes.
He didn't want to miss it.
Prove it to me once more, Tezuka. Prove to me that you are indeed worthy of my affections.
Crumpling the piece of paper where the day's schedule was written, he strode purposefully out of his office.
X o X o X
Tezuka could feel someone staring at him, and he tried not to show his unease. He had a pretty good idea where it was coming from and who was doing the staring, but he did not want to acknowledge anything at this point. Beads of sweat filmed his temples as he stared, trying to focus on his lyrics folio.
Imagine how thankful he was when the person beside him nudged him on the ribs, making him frown as the light jab stung, his eyes glaring a bit at the perpetrator. "..." He raised a brow in question.
The other smiled at him warmly. "You seem distracted."
It was the hair that made him recognisable. No matter how it was dyed, it was still the same. "Wakato-san." He acknowledged, nodding once before he turned back to the folio, eyeing it with deadly focus.
"Ah, you're always the quiet one." He quipped good-naturedly, not minding the seeming disinterest of him. "You seem troubled."
"..."
"You seem bothered."
"..."
"You seem distressed."
"..."
"You seem –"
"I know. Please stop repeating your observations."
"Well, you weren't answering." Wakato sighed, shaking his head and pushing his hair back away from his eyes. "I was asking you a question."
"Questions. They didn't sound like questions, like I said before, they sound like observations."
"Tezuka-san." Wakato murmured, sounding weary all of a sudden. "Do you know that by always being so obstinate you're letting other people entertain thoughts of manipulating you?"
He turned to him, surprised. "What do you mean –"
He motioned to the right, and Tezuka stiffened. "The owner of this studio has been staring at you ever since we came here." He said quietly. "He seems – absorbed by your presence."
There was a hidden question in those words, and frankly, he did not know how to react, or what his response should be, partly since he did not exactly know what kind of game his seeming stalker was cooking up.
"..."
Fortunately, he was spared from it all.
It was his turn.
X o X o X
Wakato regarded Tezuka as he sang in the recording booth.
Although his physical features remained quite the same, the sparkle in his eyes before, that lone light that made him shine even in his silence, was continuously dimming and he had to wonder why. Ever since their Sailor Moon days, he had always noticed him. He had been in the cast all too quickly, but the takes were usually too long and out of schedule that he kept on going back day after day, fixing his schedule to squeeze in forty minutes free for the recording. Tezuka had been part of Super S as an antagonist, and he piqued his interest.
His eyes, though quiet, conveyed too much that it was easy to get bombarded with so much hidden emotions that he actually had to take a small step back upon chancing those eyes gazing at the door he got through then.
In the other projects that they worked with, it was the same, though after two whole years after almost not seeing each other, it was a shock to see Tezuka's eyes so dull... and now, they've gotten less duller – and more troubled.
Wakato just did not know whether he should be relieved of it, since duller usually meant hopelessness, or be concerned since troubled means he was being harassed. He shook his head. Why did he care anyway? Sighing, he turned away and caught the eyes of the owner of the studio they were recording in.
Maybe because the look in Atobe's eyes is predatory...
He shivered inwardly, finding it hard to stay focused on those frightening eyes.
I have my own troubles to deal with. If Tezuka doesn't want me to help him, I won't meddle with his affairs... I'll just... Keep a look out, just in case...
X o X o X
Not enough... Atobe thought, eyes searching for the kind of passion he was looking for. That's not enough for me, Tezuka... what are you doing? Is that how you really are when you say you are 'putting your soul in your voice' when asked about your singing?
He wanted to shake him. He turned away in disappointment.
Tezuka... is this all you've got?
X o X o X
After endless questions by Mizuki, after more than two hours of relaying what had happened last night, he finally had time to himself. His children went to school already, their dutiful uncle Hajime seeing them off while their biological father dallied off with someone who seemed so straight-laced, but actually a closet pervert at heart.
Their father who was informed through SMS that he had an email with audio attachments available for him to enjoy.
Kajimoto's hands were shaking as he opened his inbox.
In compliance with his wishes, which, for the first time was granted by the company he worked on a couple of nights before, he had not been given a personal copy of the drama but an mp3 version sent via email.
I have to get used to this. He thought nervously. They actually agreed with what I wanted, so that means I'm getting somewhere in this industry. Soon, I'll be able to handle my own schedules... just work harder than before and I will break through...
The mouse pointer hovered above the 'delete' button, and for once in his life, he felt like what he was doing was wrong – like he was about to plan on mugging someone.
Just one click and I'll be free to exist already... peacefully... without images of naked men doing things to each other... just one click...
And the lights went out.
"ARGH!"
X o X o X
He was on his way to singing the chorus when the lights suddenly went out. Tezuka stiffened momentarily before he finally relaxed in the darkness. He closed his eyes and leant back against the padded wall, sliding down until he was sitting helplessly on the carpeted floor.
He was not himself today. His energy seemed to be zapped out of him. It would be a great disappointment to listen to this album when it comes out. That he was sure of.
He cradled his head in his hands and cleared his mind.
Just as he was succeeding, he felt the air from the heater assault him, signalling the return of electricity. The blast of warm air startled him, even more so when a familiar voice rang in his ear.
/"Tezuka, you disappoint me. /
It was Atobe.
X o X o X
The electricity was back and Atobe grabbed the perfect opportunity to say what he wanted to. His deft fingers turned off the speaker and he put on the headset.
"Tezuka, you disappoint me." He murmured into the receiver quietly. His insides were churning. He felt like he was misjudging him, and yet, what he had seen earlier...
There was a moment of disoriented silence before Tezuka responded.
"I know."
And suddenly, Atobe was at a loss for words. He was not expecting such response. Was he doing it on purpose?
Trying to salvage his composure, he snorted mockingly. "Make sure it doesn't happen again then." He retorted before starting to take the headset off.
When he finally did, he had just heard Tezuka murmur.
"What I do and not do, does not concern you..."
But it does, Tezuka, it does... and I still have to figure out why.
And he wandered off, dropping the gadget carelessly on the carpeted floors, a pair of eyes watching him as he disappeared behind the heavy padded doors of the workplace.
X o X o X
Shinji was muttering like hell after the electricity went out a couple of minutes before and was still muttering non-stop when it came back. Kamio wondered as to how much of a motor mouth his new friend was. It was scary, when you think about it, especially with the dark cloud hanging above him, a hair's breadth from turning to a full-pledged cyclone of emotions that would definitely hurt the person at arm's length.
Unfortunately, he was the nearest one, and the most definite target.
Damn Tachibana for leaving him alone with the guy.
Damn Ann-chan (However adorable she may be) for calling her brother and making him leave him alone with the mumbling psycho.
Damn himself for not daring to leave because he didn't want to hurt the guy's feelings.
Yeah right, who was he kidding? He had gotten quite fond of Shinji ever since they had been introduced. He had been watching his stage plays for a long while now and he was a huge fan. He was just too happy to know that Tachibana was a common friend and that they were introduced. So why was he ever going to think of leaving the muttering idiot on his own? At least, with him, it didn't seem weird. Others would think they were talking, or rather, Shinji was talking, and he was listening.
He was actually listening, but it got worriedly weird when Shinji started making scary faces... like he was going to maul him or something. Sighing, he decided to try stop the flow of words and reached out to tap him on the shoulder.
It didn't seem to work. Kamio tried one more time, harder. He swore that if he did not pay attention to him, he was going to brain him.
"What?" Shinji asked in irritation as he focused his scary look on him. Kamio wanted to hide, but the thought of doing so repelled him. He was a reputed hothead, why in heaven's name was he going to hide? He was more courageous than Momoshiro could ever be!
"You have to practice your lines. You might forget them." He answered meekly.
The scowl on Shinji's face lightened. "I memorised them already."
"Really? Well, you never know..."
Shinji gave him a semblance of a very fond smile. "Akira – I never forget."
Kamio couldn't say anything.
He was drawn to his companion's deeply longing gaze.
X o X o X
Chikusho... Why did I ever decide to leave the company in a very windy day? Mukahi groused as he lugged his belongings to where his apartment was. He closed his eyes and stopped, not caring if the person behind him spouted curses as fast as lightning.
He was tired, lost, and so utterly alone. He was being too melodramatic about it, but it was exactly how he felt.
Cold wind blew on his face, and he turned his face up to feel it brush almost painfully across his cheeks. The thought of Marui, his gum-loving cousin assaulted his memories. Ta-chan would be so happy to be out in this kind of weather... I hope he's doing well in Yuushousha...
He was beginning to open his eyes when a sheet of poster paper slammed on his face. Muttering curses, he growled in complete annoyance, peeling it off his face. He was about to toss it away when he saw what seemed to be the word 'audition' at the corner of his eye.
He quickly straightened the sheet as neatly as he could and read its contents.
A smile crossed his face for the first time since he got out of the building.
Teikoku Songen... an audition tomorrow at eight a.m. ...
Arigatou... Kami-sama.
X o X o X
He was depressed.
He had never heard his voice this dull. Ryuuzaki-san was happy with it, but he wasn't. He definitely wasn't. Leaning back tiredly against the back of the plush leather swivel chair, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Atobe was right.
It was disappointing.
He just couldn't believe that someone who was new to the industry had so much negative words for his work last night. If he had any tears left after all he had gone through, he would've cried. It was such a silly thing to cry over but he wanted to.
What was he doing? He should've not let himself be sold off like that. His voice was his, and he chose the projects he should work on, not let Ryuuzaki choose them for him.
Limply, he reached for the remote and turned the stereo system off, his own singing vice dying in his ears as the power went off, his headphones useless. It was high time he and Yamato-kachou did some serious talk.
/You disappoint me, Tezuka. /
Atobe's voice reverberated in his brain.
I know, Atobe... I disappoint myself too.
TSUZUKU