Chapter Eleven: Stress Fractures

I was halfway to the school when my phone rang, pulling me from my thoughts. "This is Okazaki; good afternoon, Hiroshi."

"Good afternoon, Tomoya!" my GGI contact greeted. "How are things? I know it's only been a couple of days, but…"

"It seems like it's been longer?" I suggested with a grin, even though I knew he couldn't see it.

"With the ongoing investigation, most certainly!" he laughed. "In fact, that's what I'm calling about."

I felt my heart rate increase in anticipation. "Did they catch him?"

"…Not yet," he replied with regret in his tone. "But we've been able to narrow it down to a few individuals – about five – so we're a lot closer than we were a week ago."

"That's a relief," I breathed. "To be honest, it's getting more and more difficult to keep myself from…well, from Rie." Under most circumstances my statement would be considered inappropriate, but in this case…

"I understand, Tomoya, and from the bottom of my heart I truly appreciate what you're doing for our company. We'll be sure to make it up to the both of you once we've found the culprit."

"No need, but thank you."

A noticeable pause. "Sakagami will be working with you this weekend, correct?"

"That's my understanding, yes," I confirmed as a couple walked by, arm in arm. "But now that you mention it, I should check with her once I get to the school."

"A fine plan." Another pause. "I actually consider us very lucky to have her as part of our team. A former vigilante? I think I've mentioned this before but I've read about her former activities, but I never thought that she would be willing to use them this way. Professionally, that is."

"She likes protecting people," I reminded him. "She and the girls…" I paused, then chuckled. "I guess they're all girls, aren't they…?"

I heard him chuckle as well. "I know what you mean; go on."

"Anyway, she and the girls really got on well after the situation with the stalker, so I'm looking forward to seeing how things go this weekend." My eyes lost focus as I remembered last night's conversation with said stalker's target but forced myself back to the present. "I'm hoping that she won't be needed."

"We always hope for that," he agreed. "At least we know that the Angels of Japan are in good hands, both with you and with Sakagami."

I blinked at the unexpected praise. "Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome!" he exclaimed, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "Well, I'd better not keep you any longer; unless I'm mistaken, you have to be at the club in fifteen, right?"

"Right."

"Then I'll let you go. Have a great day, Tomoya!"

"Thank you. You too, sir."

We ended the call and I pocketed my phone before continuing on my way to Hikarizaka High. I waved at some familiar faces from the Chorus Club as I headed to the main office to check in.

As usual, Himura was at the main desk; fortunately, she was more covered up this time. "Are you feeling better after yesterday?" she asked as she signed me in.

"I am, thank you," I replied. "I just received a positive progress report from my GGI contact; you remember him, right?" I'd told her a little bit about the situation, mainly to explain the change in my treatment of the Chorus Club president.

"The older, violet-haired gentleman?"

"That's the one. They've narrowed down the suspects to a handful, which is quite impressive considering that the case is, what, about a week old?" I snorted. "It still seems like forever, though."

"I'll bet," she murmured, her eyes unfocused as she lowered them to the short partition between us.

I studied her thoughtful expression for a moment longer before I felt an urge to move on, and I gave her a friendly wave as I headed toward the door. "Well, I'd better get going. Have a good day, Himura."

"Hm? Oh! You, too!" She returned my wave, and I could feel her eyes on my back again as I headed toward the old school building.

Before opening the door, however, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath at the likely reason she'd been giving me more attention as of late, not to mention the question the other office lady had asked about dating older women; it was too much of a coincidence. "Whatever…" I murmured as I opened the door and passed through. "I'll just deal with it if it becomes an issue."

From the excited voices I could hear from outside the Chorus Club room door I surmised that one of my students – or, perhaps, a group – was planning on introducing a new song, so I wasn't too surprised when Souta shot to his feet as I entered the room. "Okazaki-sensei! We have a new song we'd like to perform!"

The sound of the door opening behind me distracted me momentarily, but it was enough to draw my surprised attention to the sight of Sunohara entering the clubroom with a small wave and a sheepish grin; I had half-expected it to be Rie, running late again. Figuring that I could ask him later about his presence I turned my attention back to Souta. "Sounds great, but is the club president here?"

"I'm here, sensei," Rie's voice came from behind me; a moment later she was by my side. "He told us about it already; we were just waiting for you."

"Ouch, sorry about that," I said with a smile, which she returned. "Well, Souta; whenever you're read-Oh! What's the name of your song?"

"It's called 'The Class of '57'."

The Friends for Life took the microphones as Sato made some final adjustments to his guitar. He then exchanged a glance with the lead singer before starting to strum.

To my surprise, Souta began to sing solo:

"*Tommy's selling used cars, Nancy's fixing hair.
Harvey runs a grocery store and Margaret doesn't care.
Jerry drives a truck for Sears, and Charlotte's on the make.
And Paul sells life insurance and part time real estate.*"

I was then surprised when Shohei raised his microphone to sing a solo. After they harmonized at the chorus, Yamato sang one as well; I'd never heard solos from either of them, so it was a pleasant surprise.

Not unexpectedly, the girls tried to stifle their squeals when Jiro raised his mike:

"*Johnny's big in cattle. Ray is deep in debt.
Where Mavis finally wound up is anybody's bet.
Linda married Sonny, Brenda married me.
And the class of all of us is just part of history.*"

Everyone then came together again for the final chorus:

"*And the class of '57 had its dreams.
But living life from day to day is never like it seems.
Things get complicated when you get past eighteen.
But the class of '57 had its dreams.
Oh, the class of '57 had its dreams.*"

The song faded but no one applauded, and I looked around the room to find all of the members of my club with thoughtful expressions. "Everyone okay?"

"Yeah, sensei," one of the boys replied. "That was just…kinda heavy."

"I'm feeling kinda sad," another student, a girl, added. "I mean, it's like their lives ended up not really meaning anything."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

She briefly nibbled on her lower lip before replying. "Well, they just end up doing pretty boring things. I mean, selling cars? Styling hair?" She shrugged. "Anyone can do that. I don't see what's so special about it."

I glanced over at the Friends, who were starting to look uncomfortable.

"And what about that guy who stole that other guy's wife?" a first-year boy said. "Didn't he kill himself because of it?"

While I understood their concerns, I was also concerned that they were potentially missing a valuable lesson. "You've made some valid points," I noted with a nod. "I think what we need to keep in mind is what we can learn from their examples."

"I know I'd like to know," Souta admitted awkwardly. "We chose this song because we liked that all of us could sing solos, and it sounded like they were remembering their old classmates, but…" He shrugged with an apologetic expression.

I crossed my arms as I considered what I could remember from the song. "Souta, do you have a copy of the lyrics? In Japanese, that is?" I added with an awkward smile. The club chuckled as he brought me the relevant document, and I quickly perused it. "Okay. If I understand this correctly, the point is that the graduating class had all these hopes and dreams, but then reality set in and caused them to have to change them."

"Does that mean we shouldn't dream, sensei?" Arata asked, sounding worried.

I sighed. "That's a fair question, and I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer that." I closed my eyes and thought back on my experiences in the business world to see if those memories could assist me at all. When I opened them again, I saw every set of eyes on me, causing me to remember just how much trust these students had placed in me; I did not want to let them down. "This is just off the top of my head, so please be patient with me." I paused to let that statement sink in before continuing. "I think that it's perfectly fine to have hopes and dreams; these are what spur us forward to become the best we can be. I believe that everyone here has what it takes to be successful, though – of course – I don't know what each of you is intended to become. A CEO? A lawyer?" I chuckled. "An idol? Whatever your future holds, I believe that you have what it takes to perform your role in life." I gestured to a group of girls. "Maybe your role is to be a mother and homemaker. There's nothing wrong with that; you have the privilege of raising the next generation of Japanese."

"Wow, sensei…" a girl from the group I'd gestured to replied. "I never thought of it that way."

"I've never heard that said before," another girl added. "Mom and Dad want me to go to college and get a job, but maybe being a mom instead would be pretty cool."

I felt a slight throb in my head at a memory of hearing something similar…when?

"Sorry everyone," Souta said, jarring me from my musings, "I…Well, we…didn't mean to make you all sad or anything."

"No, it's cool," Yukio said as he got to his feet. "Your song gave us something to think about; right, everybody?" All of the other club members started murmuring, the tone sounding generally positive as several students began nodding. "Hey, Souta; how about you and your boys sing it again?" He gestured to me. "Now that Sensei's showed us another way to look at it, maybe it'll sound differently to us this time?"

"Well, if you're sure…"

As the Friends sang 'Class of '57' once more, I found myself thinking about how my life could have turned out had I not run into Rie in the hallway so long ago.

"Hey, Okazaki."

I'd forgotten that Sunohara had been in the club room, so I jumped at the touch to my arm as I started toward the door. "Y-Yes, sir?"

"'Sir'?" he snorted. "That's the first time anyone's ever called me that." His expression then grew more serious. "Listen, you got a minute?"

I glanced at my watch. "Um, sure." I gestured to the door and we started toward it. "I'm sorry, but I can only spare about twenty minutes before I have to be on my way. Did you wish to speak in private?"

He gave me a funny look, reminding me of how my manner of speech must have sounded to him. "Yeah, that'd be cool."

After stopping Sakagami to confirm that she would be pulling security on Saturday – with Sunohara keeping a safe distance away, I noticed – he and I eventually made our way to a picnic table at the back of the school. "What's up?" I asked as we settled into the benches, sitting on opposite sides of the table.

He rubbed at the back of his neck, clearly feeling awkward about what he was about to say. "Listen, Okazaki; about what you said the other day… Do you really think I could do soccer again?"

"I do," I replied easily. "And I'm sorry if I needlessly hurt your feelings the other day; I was operating on what I've just realized could be old knowledge regarding you."

"Huh?"

I rested my forearms on the table to lean forward. "I was basing my responses on what I know of you, which – at this point – could be horribly outdated."

"Ah." He appeared to consider my words, then quickly looked to the side. "Naw, I think you're right on the money."

"Do you know why you're like that?" I asked.

He sighed. "I dunno; it's normal to me, you know?" At my affirming nod he continued. "I guess it took getting hit between the eyes yesterday for it to really hit me." He returned his gaze to mine. "I dunno, you got any ideas?"

I sighed heavily, "Um, I do, but…" I shrugged. "I could be way off the mark here, but if you're willing to listen, I can tell you what I've seen in the idol industry."

"Go for it."

I sighed again, though less noisily. "I'm inclined to think that it's because you become too focused on how others perceive you rather than focusing on the task at hand; this self-consciousness can seriously hamper a person's effectiveness, in this case, with your soccer skills."

His eyes became unfocused. "I could see that…"

"Assuming that I'm correct, then what you'll need to do is teach yourself to focus on your soccer, and only your soccer." I straightened and tugged my shirtsleeves back into position from under my jacket. "For what it's worth, I've noticed that the successful idols focus solely on their craft, and nearly nothing else. Sure, they'll accept criticism from others, but it's constructive and all for the purpose of improving themselves in their craft." I spread my hands. "Whether this applies to you or not is really not for me to say; these are just my thoughts on the matter."

"Yeah…" He sighed heavily, slumping over at the exhalation. "I think you're right, but I'm gonna want to think about it."

I smiled fondly at my old 'delinquent buddy'. "I'm glad if I've helped." I then blinked as I remember another obligation and quickly checked my watch. "I'm sorry, Sunohara; I have to get going. I'm having dinner with the family of one of my club members, and I need to ensure that I have enough time to get there."

"Youhei."

I paused halfway to a standing position. "Sorry?"

"Call me 'Youhei', man; we've known each other long enough, don'cha think?"

I considered his words, then chuckled as I stood the rest of the way and stepped over the bench. "Yeah, you're right; 'Youhei' it is, then."

"Anyway, I hear you," he continued. "Thanks for hearing me out." He rose to his feet and stepped from the picnic table's confines; instead of moving to leave, though, he appeared to study me. "I miss you, man," he finally said. "No homo, of course."

"Of course," I chuckled. Then, in spite of our exchange, I stepped forward and gave him a brief 'buddy hug'. "Good luck to you, Youhei," I told him with a couple of encouraging claps to his back, "though I really don't think you'll need it."

He understandably froze at the contact before awkwardly patting me on the back. "Uh, yeah, thanks." A pause. "No homo, right?"

I laughed out loud as I released the poor guy. "Yeah, no homo."

"Take it easy, Okaza-er, Tomoya!"

"You too, Sunoha-er, Youhei!"

We both laughed as we parted ways, him presumably to his hotel room and me to my dinner visit with the Haradas. As I headed down one of the main streets toward my destination, I pulled out my map and the phone containing the address for-

"E-Excuse me, sensei?!"

I turned to find one of the Chorus Club members running toward me, a blue-haired first-year girl; 'Yoshizawa Ryoko' was her name, if I remembered correctly. She stopped before me, her hands on her knees as she drew deep, gulping breaths. "Take your time," I said to the winded girl.

"Thank you," she gasped. Once she had caught her breath she asked, "Sensei? Will you be seeing Sunohara-senpai later?"

'Senpai'? I glanced in the direction that my old delinquent buddy had departed. "I…don't have any plans at this point for meeting him again, no. Why do you ask?"

Her face immediately turned crimson, and she quickly averted her gaze. "N-No reason!"

I studied her briefly, feeling a little annoyed at being stopped for 'no reason'. "Then if there's nothing else, I have a meeting I need to attend."

"W-Wait, please!"

I sighed, deciding to allow my annoyance to show as I addressed her again. "Yoshizawa, I may have told you to take your time earlier, but that doesn't mean that I have a lot of time to spare right now. My apologies, but if there's something you need, then I need you to get to the point."

She snapped ramrod straight. "Y-Yes, sensei!" her jaw worked soundlessly for a moment before she managed to speak again. "I'm very sorry, it's just that I was a huge fan of Sunohara-senpai back when he was in middle school, and I wanted to find out why he quit!"

I blinked again, this time at the revelation; if he was in middle school at the time, then she must have been in… "Do I understand you correctly? You're a fan of his?"

"Y-Yes, sensei!"

Something about the tint to her cheeks told me that it may have been more than just professional admiration. The possibility surprised me, but it also gave me an idea. "You know, Yoshizawa, I may not be meeting him, but that doesn't mean that you can't."

"Sir?"

I pulled out my cell phone as I gave her a conspiratorial grin. "It just so happens that he and I exchanged phone numbers earlier."

Not unexpectedly, her eyes widened. "Y-You don't say…"

"And he could use a little encouragement to get back into soccer…" I deliberately trailed off with a knowing look.

I expected her to ask for his number; what I didn't expect was for her to launch herself at me and grab onto the front of my jacket, nearly causing me to drop my phone as she looked up at me with tears in her eyes. "Please, sensei! Please give me his number! He's so cool and amazing, and it hurts to know that he may be suffering from not being able to do what he loves!"

I looked down into her desperate gaze in shock. Cool? Amazing? My former self would never have thought to apply those adjectives to my old delinquent friend. "O-Of course; do you have a phone? Or something to write on?"

She managed to calm down and I gave her Youhei's number, which she keyed into her phone. She then made sure to bow to me several times before hurrying back the way she had come, bowing once more before disappearing around a corner.

I watched her depart, then shook my head with a smile and a chuckle as I continued to my dinner appointment.

In what had become my tradition for home visits, I double-checked the address in my phone with that of the home before me before heading up the short walkway to the Harada residence. I already knew that Nao was an only child, but I didn't know if she lived with a stepparent, or if she lived with extended family as well.

I was chuckling to myself at the realization that I'd been saving a lot of money on dinners lately when the door opened, revealing the Angels' soprano; she wore a white-and-brown ankle-length dress that went quite well with the color of her hair, which I realized had grown even longer from the last time I'd noticed. I blinked as I further realized that it was done up in a 'princess style' similar to Rie's; perhaps she had sought Rie's advice? In any case, the style suited her nicely. "Good evening, Nao," I greeted with a slight bow. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you as well, Tomoya," she replied, bowing as well. She then stepped to the side. "Please, come in."

I started to enter the home, but a memory stopped me short. "Are your parents home?" I had nearly forgotten about her prior crush and didn't want to tempt fate.

She giggled behind a hand. "Yes, they're both home; Papa arrived just a few minutes ago."

"Good," I said as I crossed the threshold into the Harada residence. "I hope I'm not late; I was stopped a couple of times on the way, and I'm not familiar with the area."

"Not at all!" she exclaimed as she led me into what appeared to be the living room. "In fact, you're about fifteen minutes early."

"That's good."

"Please, have a seat," she offered while gesturing to a tan, plush loveseat. "I'll get your tea." As she left the room she began calling, "Mama! Papa! Okazaki-sensei's here!"

I felt my face heat up; I still wasn't used to being referred to as 'sensei', especially considering my age, and I still wasn't sure how much the girls' parents trusted me as their daughters' manager.

I was drawn from my musings when Nao's parents entered the room. "Ah, Okazaki-sensei!" a tall, brown-haired gentleman with piercing green eyes greeted; it was obvious where my soprano got her hair and eye colors. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

"Thank you, sir," I replied, quickly standing to bow. "The pleasure is mine." I then bowed toward the beautiful, youngish-looking woman, whose hair the color of the ocean fell to the small of her back. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, ma'am."

"Oh, please," Naoki said in an insistent tone, "we're all professionals here, and we've spoken enough on the phone; please call me 'Naoki'. My wife, however, should be referred to as 'Goddess Keiko-sama'. And make sure to say it with utmost reverence, please."

"Dear!" Keiko squeaked with a blush as she halfheartedly whapped his arm; behind the pair, I could see Nao unsuccessfully trying to hide a giggle behind a hand as her other hand held what I assumed was my tea. "Don't say things like that! You'll give him the wrong idea!"

Humor always involves an element of risk, but I had good reason to believe that my present company would receive it well. "My apologies, Goddess Keiko-sama," I said with a bow. "It is an honor to meet one such as yourself, who radiates such beauty and grace."

As I had hoped, by the time I straightened from my bow Naoki was laughing hysterically and Keiko's face was nearly aflame. "That's perfect, Okazaki-san!" he managed to gasp. "That's exactly what I think my wife should hear all the time!"

"P-Papa…" Nao giggled again, this time not bothering to hide her mirth as she handed me my tea.

After a mild scolding from the Harada matriarch we enjoyed some tea and light conversation, which didn't surprise me; at my visits to the other girls' homes, the heavier topics had come up at the meal table, and I didn't see any reason for the pattern to break.

Sometime during our conversation we heard the front door open and I found out that Nao was not an only child; in fact, she had a younger sister. "I'm hoooome!" a voice almost as tiny as Nao's called out.

"Welcome home, Uta," Naoki and Keiko called, almost in unison.

A moment later a smaller version of the Harada matriarch appeared before us; like her mother she had ocean-blue hair which appeared to be proportionally the same length as her mother's, though hers was tied up into twintails. Reddish-brown eyes peeked curiously out from under her bangs; a unique combination, to my experience. Otherwise, her features were almost exactly like those of her mother. "Wh-Who's this?" she asked as she turned a wide crimson gaze on me.

"This is the manager of my singing group," Nao explained before I could open my mouth. "His name is Okazaki Tomoya, but make sure to call him 'Sensei' because he's the advisor to the Chorus Club."

"Y-Yes, Nee-san."

"Hello, Uta-san," I greeted with a gentle smile, trying to put her at ease. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"H-Hello, sensei…" she murmured, clearly surprised by my presence.

"You're home a little later than usual," Keiko noted with a glance at the clock. "Was everything okay at club?"

"Mai twisted her ankle during practice," Uta explained matter-of-factly as she plopped into a chair, her disposition performing an impressive one-eighty. "Me and a couple of the other girls helped her home; I'm sorry for forgetting to call."

"Well, as long as you were helping a friend, then it's fine," her mother replied. "Is she okay?"

"Uta, your leg, please," Naoki noted with a nod toward his daughter, and I realized that her posture in combination with the shorts that she was wearing could give someone an extremely inappropriate eyeful. "We have company."

"S-Sorry, Dad." She quickly repositioned her legs, glancing at me as she sat up properly.

"Thank you, sweetie," he said. "Now go on."

"What'd you ask, Mom-Oh! Yeah!" The youngest Harada glanced at me again before continuing. "Um, yeah, we think she's fine; she was able to start walking normally as we got close to her house."

"Do you perform ankle rotations as part of your warm-up routine?" I asked; from my brief time learning Judo I knew that many martial artists used that particular stretching exercise to prevent ankle injuries during training, as well as for overall flexibility. I then realized that I hadn't been invited into the conversation. "Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to intrude."

"No, not at all," Naoki said with a raised hand. "Thank you for your concern."

"We…do, sensei…" Uta replied with another glance in my direction; of course I wasn't sure what she thought of me, so I had no context for interpreting her mannerisms. She quickly cast her gaze downward, further puzzling me. "We…"

"If you're not comfortable answering my question, I certainly understand," I told her. "I recognize that I'm a stranger to you and will understand if you're not comfortable talking to me." I gave her a lopsided smile. "I'll do my best to earn your trust."

"It's…okay, sensei." Her cheeks darkened a little and the rest of her family smiled at the sight. "We do a lot of stretches before each workout; I think Mai just planted her foot wrong before her leap, so I'm sure she'll be okay."

"That's good to hear," Keiko said warmly. "She's such a sweet girl, so to hear about her being in pain…"

"Yeah," Naoki grunted sympathetically.

There wasn't much to say after that, so we made small talk until it was time to eat.

Apparently, Uta had managed to warm up to me by the time we sat for dinner because she immediately piped up: "Nii-san, are you dating Onee-san?"

I started to choke on my bite of beef, so Nao answered on my behalf as she carefully patted my back. "He's dating Rie-chan, remember? My friend with the long, blue hair?"

"Oh, yeah!" the youngest Harada chirped while I dabbed my watering eyes with a napkin. "Sorry, I forgot."

"We're so sorry, Okazaki-san," Keiko said while offering me a glass of water, which I gratefully accepted. "She's at that stage where impulse control isn't at its best. One of the many," she added with a giggle.

"It's fine," I rasped while daring a glance at Nao. "Surprised me more than anything." Several sips of water later, I was able to speak normally again. "I hope you all enjoyed the show."

The elder Haradas plus Nao chuckled at my words, but Uta looked sad. "I'm sorry, Nii-san; it's just that Onee-san talked about you a lot last year, and-"

"Uta!" Nao squeaked while covering her face. "Stop!"

"Uta-chan…" Naoki warned with a meaningful look at his younger daughter.

The elementary school girl shut her mouth, only opening it again to put food in it.

"Now that we're hopefully done with that drama…" Naoki said while forcing a smile, "how is business, Okazaki? From our conversations I get that you're pretty busy, but… Last I knew, you had two groups including Nao's, right?"

"That's right, sir," I confirmed. "Though I'm hoping that a group of first-years will go professional after they graduate; they have a great chemistry, and they harmonize really well."

"That's good," Keiko chimed in. "Does being a manager pay well?"

I'd become accustomed to the question, but it was still awkward trying to find a good answer. As usual, though, I did my best. "Since we're all pretty new to the industry, I don't really earn anything right now. See, I'm what would be considered an independent contractor, so I'm paid by the groups – or soloists, for that matter – that I represent."

"And you're not going to be able to schedule a lot of performances for a couple of high-school groups," Naoki realized. "I believe I understand."

"I'm so sorry, Tomoya," Nao lamented. "We'll do our best to make up for this after graduation."

"You don't need to worry about that," I said with a raised hand. "I see it as the cost of having more freedom compared to other groups."

An approving grunt drew my attention to the head of the table. "I admire your vision," Naoki said with approval in his intense gaze. "You want your clients to be as free as they can, do you?"

"Yes, sir." Something about his statement reminded me of something that I'd meant to bring up to the girls, so I addressed my soprano. "Nao, could you help me remember to talk to you and the others about writing your own songs?"

"Writing our own songs?" she echoed.

"I don't know if you remember this, but the English gentleman at your final 'Rising Stars' performance suggested that you work on writing your own songs to help make the style your own," I tried to remind her.

"Oooo, that sounds like fun!" Keiko exclaimed with a clap of her hands. "Nao, you should do that! Your father and I would love to hear what you come up with!"

"I'll…try to remind you on Monday," Nao told me, though she appeared uncomfortable with the idea. "Sorry, it's just that I've really enjoyed singing the Chantels' songs."

"I think I understand," I said consolingly.

"As do I, sweetheart," Naoki said to his older daughter. "But right now you're singing other peoples' thoughts and feelings; wouldn't you like to be able to express yourself in song?"

"I…I guess…"

"You'd write something really awesome, Onee-san!" Uta chirped, bringing smiles to our faces. "After all, you know all about love!"

Nao paled, and I figured that it was due to her prior crush on me.

"Uta, please eat your dinner," Keiko admonished sternly, and the youngest Harada was quiet for the rest of the meal.

"If you're going to invite Okazaki to your room, remember to keep your door open," Naoki warned as we cleared the table; apparently he and his wife were also aware of the trend.

"Okay, Papa," Nao acknowledged.

"Are you gonna invite him?" Uta asked with eager eyes.

My soprano and I exchanged a glance; her expression was unusually unreadable. "I wasn't planning on it, no. Unless you want to see my room, Tomoya?" she added while giving me an impish grin.

"I'm fine," I chuckled with raised hands.

I then found one of them grabbed by an excited grade-schooler. "Then you can come to my room, Nii-san!" Uta chirped with a twinkle in her ruby orbs. Before I could answer, I found myself dragged down a hallway and into what I assumed was her room, the sound of Naoki's admonitions echoing after us. Once inside, she pushed me into a chair and managed to shut the door before I could get my bearings. "There, now we can talk without being bothered."

I looked around at all the pink and white; the walls, the curtains, the desk, the bookcases, the bedding… "Um, Uta? Thank you for 'inviting' me in, but shouldn't you have the door open? Your dad said something about that to your sister, didn't he?"

"That's just 'cause Dad knows about Nee-san's crush on you," she replied matter-of-factly, fixing a twintail that had come loose as she made her way back over to me. I felt my face heat up, but it must not have shown because she continued. "He's usually worried 'bout some boy doing something to her, but in your case he-Ah! You're blushing!"

"Of course I am," I retorted while adjusting my suddenly-tight collar. "You're talking about some pretty sensitive and personal matters; of course I'm going to feel awkward."

"How cute," she giggled, then rested her hands on the arms of my chair as she leaned forward until her face was uncomfortably close to mine. "In fact, incredibly cute."

I had a sudden – and understandable – impulse to bolt from the room, but I didn't want to cause a scene, not to mention that Uta was basically standing over me, right between me and the door. "Th-Thank you," I managed. "I understand that this is your room, but could I have some personal space?"

"Nope," she replied while gazing intently into my eyes. Before the shock of her answer could register she asked, "Onii-chan; are you really dating Nishina-senpai?"

"I am," I replied, not wanting to divulge the situation with GGI more than absolutely necessary. I also wanted her face a little farther away. "It's…complicated."

"I'll bet." A smirk appeared. "I've learned that when people say things like that, it means that they're not really dating."

I wasn't sure how to reply to that, but I finally had to ask: "Uta-san, how old are you really?"

"Eleven. Why?"

I craned my neck to draw my head back in an effort to put some distance between our faces. "Because you don't sound like an eleven-year-old to me."

"Really?" she asked, smirk still in place. "And what do eleven-year-old girls sound like?"

I internally admitted that she had me there. "I don't know exactly, but I'm pretty sure that they don't act aggressively toward guests the way you are right now."

She opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by the opening of her bedroom door. "Uta, Mom asked me to come…." Nao froze as she saw us, and I noticed that my temporary hostess' eyes widened as she froze as well. "Wh-What are you doing to Tomoya?!"

"N-Nothing!" Uta squeaked. "We were just talking!"

"What's going on down here?" Naoki appeared behind his older daughter a moment later. "What's with all the yelling?"

"I think Uta's f-flirting with Tomoya, Papa," Nao reported.

He turned his stern gaze on me. "Is this true, Okazaki?"

"I'm…not sure…" I answered truthfully; the youngest Harada's antics had kept me off-balance from the moment I'd entered her room. "She was asking me if I was-MMPH!" I grunted as Uta suddenly covered my mouth with her hands.

"Nao, please take your boss to the living room," Naoki ordered. "I'll need to speak with your sister for a bit. My apologies, Okazaki-san."

"N-No problem," I managed as I scooted past my former captor while keeping a wary eye on her. "E-Excuse me."

I followed Nao on trembling legs as she led me back to the living room. My time with the younger sister had felt so…unreal. "I'm so sorry, Tomoya," Nao said as she helped me over to the couch and placed me on it. "She's never acted this way before."

I took a couple of deep breaths to calm my nerves; being seduced by a pre-teen in the house of a family I barely knew had caused me to feel quite vulnerable. "I'll be all right," I finally managed to reply. "Just a little shaken up."

"I'm sure," she replied sympathetically. She then shifted ever so slightly in her seat. "I'm sorry; I think it's because…well… You know that I had a crush on you last year, right?" I noticed that her question was delivered in a strained voice.

"Rie mentioned something to that effect, yes," I replied as evenly as I could.

She knotted her fingers before continuing. "Well, Uta heard a lot about you from me – when I talked to Mama about my feelings, I mean – and after seeing you when we were going through Rising Stars, I think she developed…well, a crush of her own."

"I see…" My heart fell at the thought of yet another girl whose heart I'd managed to capture without meaning to.

"I didn't know that she'd do anything like that, though!" Nao exclaimed, waving her hands. "I've never seen her act this way before."

"You almost didn't this time, either," I sighed. "Well, at least your dad's taking care of things."

As though on cue, Naoki emerged from the hallway and entered the kitchen. I heard a brief conversation, then he and his wife emerged and plopped into a loveseat across from me. "I'm very sorry about that, Okazaki-san," he said. "I have no excuse for her behavior, but I can tell you that she won't be a problem anymore."

"Thank you, sir." I briefly nibbled on my lower lip as I regarded the family before me before starting to my feet. "Maybe… I'd better go. I'm sorry for bringing trouble to your home; I didn't know about Uta's…situation, so I wasn't prepared. Yeah, prepared."

The elder Haradas exchanged a glance, then Naoki spoke again: "I think that's a good idea."

"Please understand; we don't blame you for what happened," Keiko added as her husband nodded. "Perhaps you could come over another time, after we've…helped Uta sort things out."

"No, I understand," I said as I checked my pockets out of habit. "I'd be happy to take a rain check."

The family minus Uta saw me to the door, and we exchanged waves and well wishes before I started down the walkway to the main sidewalk.

"Tomoya?" Nao called out.

Her voice stopped me just as I set foot onto the sidewalk, and I looked back to find her walking toward me with her hands folded. "What's up, Nao?"

She stopped before me and opened her mouth, then closed it again. She did this several more times before deciding on what she was going to say. "In case it needs to be said…" she started, then drew a deep breath. "I…don't have a crush on you anymore."

Her out-of-the-blue-statement caught me off guard. "Um, okay. Good?"

"I'm letting you know because of what Uta did," she added, her words starting to tumble over each other as she looked to the ground between us. "Since you know about my feelings for you – my old feelings for you, I mean – I just thought I should let you know so you don't worry about how I might act toward you."

"I appreciate that," I replied. Then, I blinked as an idea came to mind. "Nao, could you advise me on…I don't know…how to not be attractive to other girls? If I shouldn't ask this of you, please let me know."

She giggled, clueing me in that my request in and of itself was likely fine. "I don't think there's anything you can do about it, Tomoya." She giggled again. "You're handsome and tall and well-built, and you have a very caring and giving personality; you'd have to stop being all that to make yourself unattractive."

"Then I guess I'm screwed," I muttered as I turned my gaze inward.

"By pretty much any girl you wanted, yeah," I thought I heard her murmur.

My eyes snapped up to her shocked expression. "I'm sorry?"

"N-Nothing!" she squeaked, her hands flying to her mouth. "I didn't say anything! Good night, Tomoya!" She abruptly stepped up to me, then seemed to catch herself and whirled to hurry back into the house, the door nearly slamming behind her.

I stared at the house and reflected on what had to have been one of the most bizarre experiences I'd ever had in my relatively short life.

I really needed to see Rie.

It took me a while to find my way out of the neighborhood where the Haradas lived, and because I was going from Nao's home to Rie's rather than my own, I had to consult my map several times. Fortunately, the girls lived in adjacent neighborhoods, and it wasn't long before I found myself standing before the Nishina residence.

I was about to step onto the walkway that led to their front door when movement drew my attention to two shadows against a set of curtains on the upper floor. They appeared to be in an embrace, and my heart sank as I realized that one of the shadows looked a lot like… "Rie?"

I watched in mute shock as the pair appeared to kiss several times before embracing once again. Unable to take in the sight anymore, I stormed up the walkway to the front door and began to pound on it. "Rie!" I cried, my heart dying a little with each pound against the door as the kisses replayed themselves over and over in my mind. "Please, let me in!" Grief began to drain the strength from my arms, but I continued to pound. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean for this to be so hard for you! Please-"

The door suddenly opened, and I nearly stumbled into the young man who stood on the other side. "S-Sensei?"

I blinked at the sight of Kishimoto Hiro and Kitamura Akane, a first-year and a second-year respectively, from the Chorus Club. I further realized that Akane's hair was long and straight, just like Rie's; it must have been a popular style. "I-…I'm sorry, I thought this was Rie's house."

Hiro smiled at me. "Don't worry about it, sensei; you're not the first one to mix up Akane-senpai's and Nishina-senpai's houses." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Senpai's house is one block that way."

So that was it; I was on the wrong block. "I'm really sorry," I said with a bow. "When I saw a couple kissing on the second floor, I thought that…" I bit my lip, unable to finish my thought as I straightened.

"K-Kissing…!" Akane gasped. "Hiro, he saw…"

"Excuse me, Sensei." The lanky first-year stepped past me to look up at the second-story window and gasped as well. "Uh…we…that is…"

"We're very sorry for showing you such a sight, Sensei!" Akane cried, her purple hair nearly slapping me as she bowed; Hiro jumped next to her to bow as well. "We didn't mean to upset you."

"I'll be fine," I said, trying to recover from the umpteenth shock of the night. "Now, I don't mean to be rude, but I need to find the right house."

"Of course, sir," Akane replied, both students smiling as they straightened from their bows. "Have a good night."

"I hope the rest of it goes better for you," Hiro added.

"Thank you, me too," I quipped with a lopsided smile. "Take care, you two."

As the door closed behind my students I headed back toward the sidewalk. I managed to keep my composure right up until my foot touched the sidewalk, at which point I broke into a sprint. I rounded the corner and barreled down the sidewalk until my lungs felt like they were on fire…and then I ran even faster.

I was gasping for air by the time I reached the Nishinas' front porch. I didn't have the strength to knock, so I mashed the doorbell as gingerly as I could.

The door opened to reveal Nishina's mother. "Good evening, Tomoya! Goodness, what happened to you?"

I really wanted to answer her question but could only draw so much air. "Is…Rie…here…?" I wheezed.

"Tomoya?"

All it took was the sound of my beloved's voice for me to dart into their home and grab up my surprised girl in a hug. "I'm sorry!" I wailed, coughing several times due to my dry lungs. "I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, Tomoya," I heard my beloved say as she wrapped her arms around my head, pressing it to her bosom. "It's okay…"

I knew that I would have a lot of explaining to do, but at least I knew that everything was all right.

"Have a good evening, Tomoya," Dad Nishina said before he and his wife re-entered their home.

"You, too," I replied to their smiling faces just before the door closed, leaving me on the front porch with Rie. "Um, sorry again about earlier."

"It's okay," she said with the cutest smile I thought I'd ever seen on her; I would have hugged her, but we still had to maintain the illusion. "From what you told us, you've had a pretty stressful week."

"I've had better, that's for certain," I chuckled, and she giggled along with me. "Thanks, Rie."

"For what?"

I studied her for a moment; I'd expressed my gratitude as a spur-of-the-moment gesture, but what was I thanking her for? I then realized what it was: "Just…for being you. For being caring and understanding. For being patient with me." I chuckled again. "For running into me in the hallway. For…" I blinked as I realized what it ultimately was. "For loving me."

She pressed a fist to her mouth, and I could see tears starting to form, even in the comparatively dim glow of the porch light. "Thank you for loving me too, Tomoya," she croaked. "I'm so happy to be part of your life. I love you so much."

I swallowed a huge lump. "I'd…better get going."

"Yeah…" She then giggled. "You had your 'Silhouettes' moment, didn't you?"

"Sorry?"

"When you went to Akane-san's house by mistake?"

I thought back on my brief but harrowing adventure and sputtered into laughter. "Yeah, I guess I did, huh?"

"Yup," she giggled, and I found myself wishing that I could have caught the sound in a bottle. "Good night, my…um, Sensei."

"Good night." I turned to leave but felt an emptiness. I looked over my shoulder at Rie, who waited patiently on her front porch, still smiling at me. "Oh, the hell with it," I snarled, and I darted back to pick up my very surprised girl in an embrace.

"T-Tomoya!" she squealed, her tone a mix of delight and confusion. "What are you-MMPH!"

I floated home for the first time in what seemed like a long time.

A/N: I watched several videos of 'Class of '57' in an effort to confirm which member sang which section of the song to make sure that Souta's group matched. ^_^;