Hello everyone! This is a new chapter! Chapter 3! I hope everyone will enjoy this story! Without further ado, let's start!
Normal POV
Kai blinked in confusion at the message he had gotten as he got up from bed and turned on his device's call option and called Tsubasa. Her face then showed up on screen after awhile.
" That was fast." Tsubasa said
" So? What did you want to talk to me about?" Kai ask
" You're absolutely beaming, even with that annoyed face of yours. I assume it all went well then?" Tsubasa ask
" Get to the point." Kai said
" I still haven't tell you about the story of how Aichi ended up here. He must have told you his side of the story at least. I'm sure he introduced to you the Kirara of Succession. Actually, we have someone in the higher ups that we actually get most of our 00 songs from." Tsubasa said
" A higher up?" Kai ask
" Rather, a mysterious being that is our producer. That being is who we call 'S-Quadruple' or 'Sensei Sensei'. On the day Aichi appeared, Sensei Sensei had been acting up and the Kirara glowed brightly. As bright as a Center Nova." Tsubasa said
" Center Nova?"
" Past Center Novas shone brighter than any other idols and the Kirara would shine along with them in response. However, on the day of their graduation, those Center Novas all disappeared. No one knows where they all disappeared to after that. Aichi arrived here, having been brought by the Kiraras' light. It seemed like when he arrived, it had been due to him being able to hear our songs and Sensei Sensei's voice guiding him. But he couldn't hear him anymore after that. But Sensei Sensei insisted that he became part of 00, and that was how he became an idol here." Tsubasa explained
" And I have to be worried because? Look, your story sounded like he'd been dragged into that world but he had nothing to do with the Center Nova." Kai said
" He showed that same radiance once. In his very first performance, he shone brighter than anything I've ever seen. After shining like that, it doesn't come as a shock that DES might have picked up on something relating to the Center Nova Phenomenon. Do you understand? The reason why he could never be sent out on guerilla lives is because he's under DES's radar." Tsubasa said
" All because he'd shone like the past Center Nova?" Kai ask
" That's right. Now that you're here, the job might be easier. As long as you stay by his side, he might stay safe from DES. The future arrangements I have for him are important." Tsubasa said
" After all that talk, you're still going to put him in danger?" Kai ask
" It's because you know him better than I do. You can protect him and try not to put him into danger." Tsubasa said
" What are you going to make me do then? Make me an idol too so that I can be close to him?" Kai ask
" That, or you have an alternative?" Tsubasa ask
Kai thought about it before talking to Tsubasa again as she sighed.
" I understand. I'll try to make some arrangements, but it'll take awhile." Tsubasa said
" You better hurry. You wanted me to be by his side to protect him." Kai said
" Even so, you'll still be by his side anyway. Well then, good night." Tsubasa said as she hung up the call
Kai kept his device and slept after that.
One month later, Aichi walked into the living room with Kai after being called by Tsubasa just as she had finished showing the 77th generation girls' promotional video.
" Good timing. I had something to discuss with everyone. The 77th generation's public debut is coming soon. It's a handshake event, not a concert, on a planet in the Entertainment Protection Sphere." Tsubasa explained
" We're debuting on a handshake event?" Yuuka ask
" Indeed. Handshake events are very important for members in AKB0048. It's your best opportunity to meet your fans and get their feedback in person." Tsubasa continued
" Right you are!" A voice said as they turned to the door
" Takamina-san!"
" Yukirin-san."
" Sayaka!"
" Good morning!"
" Morning! As you know, we're the idols who come to see you. We're also the idols you can touch." Takamina said
" Your behaviour at the event will have a huge impact on your popularity." Yukirin said
" Really?"
" If you want to make the most of this opportunity, you first need a firm handshake! Then, you need to make eye contact and smile!" Sayaka said
" It's also vital to acknowledge each and every fan." Yukirin added
" Acknowledge?"
" Be sure to remember their names, faces, and what they said." Yukirin said as she showed them notes
" Wow..."
" Don't forget your outfit! Since it's only a handshake event, you're free to choose the best outfit that brings out the best in you." Takamina said
" You can please or disappoint your fans depending on your choices." Yukirin added
" I never knew clothes were such a big deal!" Makoto exclaimed
" What should I do? The only proper outfit I have is my school uniform!" Nagisa exclaimed
" Wanna borrow some of mine?" Takamina ask
" I'd be happy to lend some too." Yukirin said
" Really?"
" Bad idea. Takamina and Yukirin are the Twin Towers of bad fashion." Sayaka said
" What?!"
" ... Um, Tsubasa-san... The reason you called me here is..." Aichi said
" You're joining them too. In this handshake event, you're meeting your fans from other planets for the first time. It's your first step out of Akibastar." Tsubasa said
" I... I understand. I guess I'll need to look for some clothes then." Aichi said
" Well, just wait a little longer. I have something else to announce. From today onwards, Toshiki Kai will officially be your personal manager." Tsubasa said
" Wai- Huh? Huh?! When and where was this discussed?! I didn't know anything about this!" Aichi exclaimed
" A month ago." Kai said
" He had the option of joining as an idol, but he chose to continue serving you." Tsubasa said
" At least word that a little more properly. You make me sound like I'm a dog or butler." Kai said
" Somehow..."
" I can't really not disagree..." Takamina said
" I'm neither of those." Kai said as a small tick mark appeared on his head
" But... for him to just become my personal manager..." Aichi said
" You'll be more comfortable. Plus, you'll have someone who can keep watch over you and your future arrangements, along with your schedules. It's not too big of a deal." Tsubasa said
" And it seems like my first assignment is to find suitable clothes for you today." Kai said
" I did not agree to this..." Aichi said
" Too bad for you. Let's go." Kai said
" I think I'll just stick to my own clothes after all..." Aichi said
" Those things you wear are too stuffy. Now stop complaining and let's go." Kai said as he dragged Aichi out with him
After putting on his glasses and hat, Aichi followed Kai around Akibastar as they looked at the shops around them and went through all of them.
" There's so many clothes, but the formal ones are suits." Aichi said
" You don't have to go until that extent. Just wear clothes that suit yourself the best. Though, I still think your turtlenecks makes you look congested." Kai said
" They are not congested. They are really comfortable and I can feel like myself." Aichi said
" Okay then. Then we don't have to buy clothes. But let's have coats to match your current turtlenecks at your home." Kai said
" Huh?"
Kai pulled Aichi into a store and looked at the long coats on display while picking some out.
" These should do. I guess you can go full purple tomorrow." Kai said as he made the purchase
" Isn't it too quick of a decision?" Aichi ask
" The size is perfect for you. There's no need to try it." Kai said
" But..."
" Do you believe in my imagination of you tomorrow in these?" Kai ask
" ... Okay then. I'll believe in it." Aichi said
Kai nodded as he took the purchases and they exited the store.
" Are you confident for tomorrow?" Kai ask
" Not really, but I'll do my best. No matter what might come my way, I'll face them with a smile." Aichi said
" If any enemy comes, I'll make sure to protect you." Kai said
" Don't tell me you've been training in combat." Aichi said
" A little. I can fight even without the practice too, so don't worry. Just concentrate on your handshake event. I'll be watching over you from the side." Kai said
" Okay."
Time had quickly passed after that. The next day, they were now at the handshake event as Aichi tried to calm himself while Takamina gave him a few thumbs up for encouragement and Kai nodding beside him. As the line for the handshake event filled up, Aichi went through a few handshakes with his fans.
" You're doing great, Aichi!" Yuuko said
" Thank you. I am still a little nervous after so many handshakes though." Aichi said
" It's almost time for you guys to switch with the 77th generation understudies, so just endure it a little longer." Kai said
" Okay."
After a few more minutes and some handshakes later, Aichi went to the waiting room to rest as he pulled out his device to type in a few things.
" What are you doing?" Kai ask
" In case I forget my fans, I'm writing down their names and how I can easily remember and recognise them the next time we have an event like this." Aichi said
" Good to see that you're making an effort. You should get some rest afterwards." Kai said
" Okay."
After a few more minutes of typing, Aichi finally turned off his device and turned to Kai.
" How are the understudies doing?" Aichi ask
" Quite well. Looks like they are quite well received by some fans. Seems to be a good start for them." Kai said
" I see. That's a relief." Aichi said
Kai nodded. That was when the stadium shook as Kai held onto Aichi. He then took up the communicator in his pocket.
" It's DES! They're approaching the upper atmosphere. Get Aichi to safety! We can't let DES know that he's still here." Tsubasa said
" I understand." Kai said as he turned off the communicator, " Aichi, we need to leave!"
" I can't! The fans are still outside! They'll be in danger!" Aichi exclaimed
" And we can't let them know that you're here! Let the others handle them!" Kai exclaimed
" No... I just can't do it!" Aichi exclaimed as he ran out of the waiting room
" Aichi, wait!" Kai exclaimed as he quickly grabbed a Micsaber nearby and ran after him
Kai then looked around after running out of the waiting room as he saw Aichi escorting one of the fans towards the escape route.
" Be careful." Aichi said
" Aichi!"
Aichi was about to turn to Kai when he heard a child's voice crying. He looked around and found a fan that he recognised from the event and noticed a DES member walking towards him.
" Akira-kun!"
Aichi quickly ran towards him as he tried to comfort him while the DES member had approached them.
" Leave this child alone!" Aichi exclaimed
" You're the one with 00!" The DES member said
" Please take this chance to run. I'll be fine." Aichi said
Akira nodded and ran towards the escape route where he found his mother. As Aichi watched him to make sure that he was safe, a shadow loomed over him.
" Aichi, watch out!" Kai exclaimed
Before Aichi could turn and dodge, the stock of the gun the DES member was holding had hit him hard on his side as he gasped in pain and collapsed onto his knees. Kai quickly sliced the gun with the Micsaber once he arrived at Aichi's side as he kicked the DES membee away before checking on Aichi.
" Aichi! Aichi! Are you okay?!" Kai ask
Aichi continued to gasp in pain as he held his side. Kai then pulled him up and carried him.
" All units, the Center Nova candidate has been found! Get over here and capture him!" The DES member communicated as Kai quickly kicked the communicator out of his hand
" Damn it!" Kai exclaimed
All of the troops from DES had turned to where they were as Kai started running to avoid getting caught.
" Can you still hang on, Aichi?!" Kai ask
Aichi nodded a little as Kai turned a few times after the DES fighters flew towards him to intercept his escape. Soon, he was surrounded by the DES troops as he looked around, trying to find a hole in the defense. That was when the WOTA appeared in the stadium and attacked the DES troops surrounding them.
" Kai-san!"
Kanata and Mimori ran over to them as they brought him to a safer area.
" Who are those guys?" Kai ask
" They're WOTA. They're fans thst fight alongside us when push comes to shove." Kanata explained
" The Katyusha is over there! Please head inside!" Mimori said
" Right, thanks." Kai said
" The fans..." Aichi panted
" They're all safe. Please don't worry. The medical staff are waiting inside, so bring him to the infirmary." Kanata said
" Okay."
Kai ran into the Katyusha and allowed the medical staff to check on Aichi while he waited outside. Soon, everything outside settled down as the girls came back a few minutes later.
" How's Aichi?" Takamina ask
" I don't know yet..." Kai replied
The medical staff came out while Kai rushed into the infirmary to check on Aichi.
" Kai-kun..."
" Are you okay?" Kai ask
" They gave me some medicine to ease the pain... I feel so useless... I couldn't protect anyone..." Aichi said
" That's not true. You protected the fans and got injured. Just rest now. I'll bring you to the hospital when we get back later." Kai said
He then looked down at the blanket covering Aichi's body.
" Can I...?" Kai ask
Aichi nodded as Kai pulled down the blanket and carefully pulled up Aichi's shirt. He gasped when he saw the giant bruising under it as he covered it back up.
" ... Sleep for now. Once we are back in Akibastar, we're heading home." Kai said
The Katyusha then flew back to Akibastar as Kai carried Aichi out of the infirmary to walk towards the dorms.
" The others will get worried..." Aichi said
" Their manager will handle it. Now, let's head home." Kai said
Aichi nodded after awhile as his Kirara floated out of his pocket and glowed to open a portal back to their home. Once they were back in Kai's apartment, he contacted someone while Aichi called his mother.
" I told her that I'd be staying over at your home for awhile... She said that it was fine and I could get my clothes later..." Aichi said
" I'll go get them while you get checked on. Our ride should be here soon." Kai said
Kai then carried Aichi again despite his protests as he made his way down the stairs and spotted a car. Ren opened the door and waved to them as they got on.
" Contacting me so late in the night to tell me to get a car to the hospital. What happened?" Ren ask
" I was careless and fell..." Aichi replied
" I see..."
Ren glanced at Kai as he looked out of the window to avoid any questioning. Aichi was brought to the hospital and got checked on by doctors as Kai got onto the car to get Aichi's clothes from his house before heading back to the hospital. Ren was watching over Aichi while he rested on the hospital bed as Kai closed the door as silently as possible.
" The doctor said that they needed to wait for some tests to come back before giving any prescription. For now, he's out on an IV drip to numb the pain." Ren said
" I see."
" Kai. You two are hiding something. An injury like that can't be from just a mere fall. I know that you aren't the type to hurt him either. So what is the real reason?" Ren ask
" ... I have a right to be silent about this." Kai said
" I had a hard time telling the doctors a reason too, you know. They said that a bruise like that can only be caused by someone intentionally swinging something hard to hit him. There might be internal bleeding and fractured bones involved." Ren said
Kai flinched a little as he remembered what had happened again.
" Kai. Just tell me the truth. I can keep a secret if it's really important." Ren said
" Even if I explain it to you, you wouldn't understand." Kai said
Aichi groaned after that, stopping their conversation as Kai walked over to him.
" Are you awake?" Kai ask
" Kai-kun..."
" Do you want some water?" Kai ask
Aichi nodded as Kai took the jug and left the room.
" How are you feeling?" Ren ask
" Much better..." Aichi replied
" You should've slept more. The test results wouldn't be back so soon anyway." Ren said
" I couldn't rest for some reason... So I decided to wake up..." Aichi said
" Hey, Aichi-kun. Mind telling me the reason you got that injury?" Ren ask
" ... I'm sorry..."
" It's okay. Maybe you can tell me once you feel better." Ren said
Aichi nodded hesitantly as Kai soon entered with the jug of water. He looked outside for a little while longer while Aichi noticed that his device was blinking.
" Answer it..." Aichi said
" Are you sure?" Kai ask
Aichi nodded as Kai set the jug down and answered a call from Tsubasa. The holographic screen showed up as Tsubasa sighed.
" How did it go?" Tsubasa ask
" We're still waiting for the medical test results." Kai replied
" I've asked my staff. Even they are deeming it as impossible for him to go back up on stage for a few months. With an injury like that, any excessive movements might jeopardise his health." Tsubasa said
" I did ask you if it was dangerous to put him out there, but you said it would be fine." Kai said
" We can't control him. You know his impulse as much as we do. Even you couldn't stop him." Tsubasa said
" I can still go back up there..." Aichi said
" No. You're staying here until you fully recover." Kai said
" But I can't just stay here..." Aichi said
" You were already lucky enough to get out of there without getting shot. I'm not risking it again." Kai said
" I can arrange his schedule to make it less tight for him so that he can recover better." Tsubasa said
" ... I'll arrange it. I'm his official manager now, so I will handle his entire schedule once he's out of the hospital." Kai said
" If that's what you want... I do have some things that I want him to do, so if you can squeeze them in, then send it to me." Tsubasa said
" Whatever."
" ... I can hear the doctors coming back." Ren said
" That's all we can discuss." Kai said as he hung the call up
The doctors came back in and checked on Aichi while letting Ren and Kai know about the test results.
" We've done a few scans and have confirmed that his bottom ribs have been fractured. Along with that, there are a few internal bleeding going on that's causing the bruising but it isn't too serious that surgery is needed. He can heal normally without them. However, with that size of bruising, he won't be able to do some physical activities for awhile. We'll prescribe some medicine to help with the pain and bruising. Let him get some rest here for the night and get some observation done before we let him go." The doctor explained
" Got it. Thank you, doctor." Kai said
Kai and Ren bowed as the doctor left as Aichi sighed softly and drifted back to sleep.
" That was fast." Kai said
" Will you tell me what happened now?" Ren ask
" It would be easier to show you. I bet Aichi wants to head back after he gets discharged too." Kai said
" I'll free up my schedule tomorrow then. Where did you get that anyway? It looks so cool." Ren said
" Aichi bought it for me. Seriously, I'll explain everything once Aichi's discharged so just wait until then." Kai said
He then used the device to pull up Aichi's schedule from Tsubasa. He started arranging a new schedule for Aichi and looked through a few things Tsubasa listed before turning it off. Ren pulled out two futons while he did that as he yawned.
" I told Tetsu that we would be staying over for the night. Get some rest. You need the energy for tomorrow." Ren said
Kai sighed as he laid down on the futon beside Aichi's bed and slept. The next morning, Kai washed up the moment he woke up as Aichi groaned and opened his eyes. Kai poured a cup of water for him after elevating his bed and held it to his mouth. After Aichi drank down the cup of water, he winced a little as Kai pressed the button to put the bed back into a lying position.
" Does it still hurt?" Kai ask
" It feels better than yesterday... I just feel like it might be a little hard to stand since I might be pressing my weight down on the injury..." Aichi said
" I'll have Tetsu bring a wheelchair for you..." Ren yawned as he got up and stretched
" It's fine..."
" You need it for mobility, so it's okay. I'll go wash up before the doctor comes." Ren said
Ren yawned again while walking to the bathroom as the doctor entered and checked up on Aichi.
" If it hurts again, you'll really be spending a lot more days here. Make sure to take your medicine routinely and don't overexert yourself. I'll also provide a letter for his school to restrict him from doing any physical activities." The doctor informed
" I understand..."
" I'll pay for the prescriptions." Ren said as he came out of the bathroom
" Then follow me." The doctor said
Ren followed the doctor while Tetsu entered with a wheelchair as Kai carried Aichi onto it.
" Thanks, Tetsu." Kai said
" I heard Ren will be following you two for the day. Please make sure he doesn't cause trouble for me." Tetsu said
" Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't." Kai said
" You have my thanks." Tetsu said
Aichi waved him off while Ren returned with the prescription as they headed out of the hospital and towards a distant alley.
" Kirara, if you would..." Aichi said
His Kirara came out of his pocket as it glowed and opened the portal. Kai pushed Aichi into the portal while Ren continued to inspect it before getting dragged in by Kai as it closed up afterwards.
And that's the end of this chapter! Thank you for reading! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I'll see everyone in the next chapter!