A/N: Thank you for all your reviews, faves and follows!
Song used ― "Hello" by SHINee.
For the music video ― (h) (t) (t)(p) (s) : / / www. youtube watch?v = skZxb5sBoiU remove brackets and spaces
Kasamatsu ―the one with the bouquet, the one in the beige looking jacket and plain black long-sleeved shirt.
Kise ―the one sitting on the steps in the grey cardigan, dark blue coloured shirt with black dots,
Takao ―the one in the full red and hodded jacket.
Kagami ―the one in the red convertible and full black.
Kuroko ―the one in full white, and the bowl cut hair in black.
Enjoy!
Chapter 10
"Hello"
...
"Well, I must say, you boys are doing quite well." Kenji said as he leaned back in his chair.
"Thank you!" the five perked up.
"It's just as my motto, steady progress, rapid advance." Kasamatsu smirked.
"That's right, Yu-chan!" Takao said, throwing an arm over his shoulder.
Currently, Catal Rhythm were sitting in Kenji's office after they had left school. They weren't as exhausted as prior times, since the basketball season was taking break. It's been a week since they shot their music video, and their profiles have already been posted on the company's social media by the Publicity Department.
"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that your video will be released tomorrow at four o'clock." The young manager said this with a smile. "But given that it's your video, you guys have the privilege of viewing it before the masses. And you can bring your teams along."
"Yosh!" Kagami and Kise shouted. Kasamatsu only shook his head at their reactions, but Takao let out a whine.
"My teammates didn't believe me when I said I was becoming an idol."
"Well, tough luck, Takao-kun." Kuroko said in his usual monotone. But his face showed pity.
Takao nearly broke out in tears. "It's unfair! I wanna have a team's motivation too!"
"Then transfer schools." Kagami said in a matter-of-factly. "That way, you could get motivation from Seirin or Kaijou, whichever you choose."
Takao gasped. "But I can't leave Shin-chan alone! He needs my passes!"
There was silence for a moment.
"Oh that's right." Kasamatsu nodded. "That aerial pass thing was pretty cool."
"It's called the Sky Direct Shot!" the hawk-eyed boy huffed. Hearing Kasamatsu refer to the pass he created through blood, sweat and tears as 'aerial pass thing' was disappointing.
"Alright, alright." Kenji said, getting back their attention. "You can argue as much as you want over basketball. The pressing issue here is getting fans. We usually have our débuting have their own web drama or something, but you lot decided to hide your faces."
"But Kenji-san, fangirls are vicious! I don't want to die young!" Kise wailed. "My high school life is already is jeopardy!"
Kenji laughed. "Rest assured, I totally understood from the first time you told me. So, you know what you have to do come February right?"
"Steal fans!" Takao perked.
"Since there'll be fans from all the artistes managed, it wouldn't kill to win the hearts of some of them." Kasamatsu grinned; his fighting spirit was set ablaze. As a matter of fact, they all were. In the boy's minds, it was similar to a basketball match; anyone who stood in their way will be overthrown.
Kenji liked this aspect of them the most, with such immense pressure on their shoulders, instead they roll over and die, they faced it head-on with confidence.
"Also, after your début, be prepared to be on almost every variety show under the sun."
"Eh?"
"Don't 'Eh?' me." Kenji said. "I want you to be famous. So obviously, I'm going to do everything to get your name out there. Japanese people just love to tune into their variety shows, you know?"
The boys nodded their understanding. But in their heads, variety shows can't be worst than a basketball match against a member of the Generation of Miracles.
"I'll be touching on this at a later date, but I'll give you a heads up," Kenji continued. "You'll be living together soon. That way, you five are always in the same place at the same time, except for when you have school. Clear?"
"I'll be living with that?!" Kagami roared in shock while pointing to Kise.
"Who are you calling that?" Kise shouted back in rage. His screech was ear splitting.
"Boys, calm down. It's the standard procedure. I don't gas to waste driving through Kanagawa and Tokyo to pick you up from your houses. Plus, you need to familiarize yourselves with each other. It's going to come in handy."
Kagami deflated. Kise was only upset that Kagami referred to him as a thing, but he knew that idols lived together with their manager as well, so too did Takao. Kuroko looked a bit happy at that, seeing that he's an only child. Kasamatsu, for the first time, seemed indifferent.
"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" Kagami asked.
"Not yet. In roughly two weeks' time or so."
"Talk about planning ahead." Takao joked.
"It's not that. It's just that regarding a certain matter, the President will address you and the other groups. It's going to take place in two weeks time, but you needn't to worry about it now." Seeing the pale look on their faces, Kenji swiftly reassured them, "It's just some words of encouragement or shit like that. He's not going to kick you out or anything! Rest easy!"
"That's a relief."
"Anyway, you can head to your practice room if you want. Hikaru won't mind having a session or two with you."
"Ah, we got homework." They lied in unison.
"I have to teach Kise math," Kasamatsu said. "He's hopeless in it."
"I have to teach Tai-chan English." Takao lied.
"I have to teach Kagami-kun Japanese."
"I have to teach Kagamicchi History."
"Hey! Why is everyone picking on me?!"
xxxx
The next day, after school, neither of the regulars (except Shutoku) went to practice. Instead, they decided to meet at the Complex to watch their teammates' music video.
Kaijou's regulars sat underneath a gazebo near to the entrance gate, chatting away. After hearing that their captain and ace were becoming idols stunned the entire team. While Kise would seem more like the idol, Kasamatsu…not so much. If anything, he seemed to be more of a musician.
"So Kasamatsu, have you met Triple Threat yet?" Moriyama asked eagerly. "Could you get me ―"
"Go to their concerts if you want anything!" Kasamatsu interjected quickly.
"I can't!" the third year shouted. "I'll have to save for all your concerts! I don't have time for Triple Threat!"
Kise and Kasamatsu were moved by that statement. Knowing their Senpai, they thought he would have opted for attending the girl group's concerts instead. Hearing that sentence, softened him up.
"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Kasamatsu mumbled. "But, it's going to take a while since I don't even know what they look like."
"I know. I'm talking about when you get famous. All the girls will fawn over you won't they?"
"They'll fawn over Kise, not me." Kasamatsu said. "He's the one with the frighteningly good looks."
"Please Senpai, with your air of maturity; girls will be left weak under your gaze!" Kise joked.
"You guys…" Kasamatsu looked as though he would kick them both this instant. But before he could even do anything, they heard Takao's voice rang out.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Blue Elites." The raven-haired greeted. The Seirin team were behind him with pleasant looks on their faces.
After their greetings, the group headed towards their practice room and upon entering, they were greeted by Kenji. He was already waiting and the reason they were watching it in the practice room was because they were a big group.
When everyone was finally seated and settled down, Kenji played the video.
…
The sound of a piano rang out before the scene appeared.
With his chin on his hands, Kuroko was sitting on a bed with dark blue sheets looking a bit nervous; a white furry mat was before him. To one side of the room there was a small red sofa with yellow pillows and next to that was a table and chair. The camera zoomed in to his face which at that moment he exhaled a breath which puffed out his cheeks. Here, he was dressed in a grey printed shirt and dark blue jeans with white sneakers. He wore shades.
"Aww…" was the unison reaction of the group present.
The scene then faded out to reveal Kise sitting on steps that led to a red door. He had a box in his lap and he took a peek at what was inside. The blond ace was dressed in a blue checkered shirt with light blue jeans and dark sneakers. His dark shades hid his brown eyes really well.
The scene then switched to Takao, who had walked up to a street lamp and leaned on it. The boy looked up at the green building before releasing a sigh and turning his attention to the people walking by.
Again, the scene changed to Kagami, who was sitting in a red convertible, fixing his hair in the rear-view mirror.
"Pfft! Fixing up for your sweetheart, I see." Hyuuga teased. "I wonder what she looks like."
"Captain!" Kagami shouted in embarrassment.
The scene changed to Kasamatsu, who was in a blue denim jacket over a white t-shirt, leaning on a brown door in what seemed to be a hallway. He held a bouquet in his hands. Afterwards, he moved off, heading to his destination.
"Oohh," Nakamura started. "Kasamatsu seems a bit excited here. I say, what is this girl like?"
The group erupted in laughter at his statement and Kasamatsu's face.
The scene then faded out into black and an upbeat music started. The scene then revealed the five boys, standing in what seemed to be a road. Their background were the two three-storey buildings, one to the left was brown in colour with a red door nestled to its right, and the other was green with orange metal pan stairs going all the way up to the third floor.
Kasamatsu and Kise were at the back while Kagami, Kuroko and Takao made up the front line in that order.
Then, as though matching the beat, they began their dance. With swift movements, they crossed on foot over the other with their toes touching the ground instead of their entire sole. The camera zoomed upwards to reveal them moving their shoulders up and down after which they turned their faces to [their] left.
Gliding on their heels, Kagami, Kuroko and Takao who were in the front switched positions and walked to the back line while Kise and Kasamatsu moved up to the front. They then held the tip of their shirts and pulled themselves as they turned to [their] right.
When I act like this, I realize I'm actually young
You're in front of my eyes and I don't know what to do.
At this, Kise's face came up as he was the one who was singing. Taking two rhythmic steps forwards, the boys matched the beat until they came to a halt. Almost immediately, they continuously moved their feet to [their] left. While Kise didn't move since he was the one singing, the ones behind him did.
At first, Kagami and Kasamatsu flanked him on his right and left, while Kuroko and Takao were behind. However, as the blond was nearing the end of his lines, Kuroko and Takao moved further outwards, while Kagami and Kasamatsu moved closer inwards, ultimately forming a 'V' while they danced.
How did you start love?
People who have loved, please tell me.
This time it was Kasamatsu who sang. The camera had zoomed into his face for a portrait shot like Kise, but not long after, while he was still singing, the scene switched to him in the hallway, peering around a wall with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. It then switched back to them dancing in the street, focusing on the second year. He had formed a heart with his hands after which the scene changed yet again to him in the hallway, but this time he was he walking towards his destination while placing the bouquet behind him.
Will there be a day when I hold her hand?
The scene changed back to the street, but this time it was on Kuroko. While he sang, the others behind him (Kise and Takao on his right, Kagami and Kasamatsu on his left) were still dancing. The two pairs faced each other, after which they interlocked elbows and swapped positions.
Will there be a day when I kiss her above her closed eyes?
The camera zoomed in on Kise since this was his part, that moment; he placed his index and middle fingers to indicate the 'Kiss' he said while the others danced behind him.
"Not bad, not bad boys!" Riko said with a smile on her face. "You lot can move."
"I know right?" Kobori agreed. "And here I was planning on laughing at Kasamatsu."
They looked back at the video to see the boys in a 'V' formation, Kuroko at the front, Kise and Takao flanking him, Kagami behind Kise and Kasamatsu was behind Takao.
Hello, Hello,
I acted confidently (Takao)
Hello, Hello,
I want to talk to you for a moment (Kasamatsu)
Hello, Hello,
I might stutter a little though, (Kise)
Who knows,
we might actually be together (Kuroko)
With a step forward in one direction first, they brought out their arms after which they placed it behind their backs. When it Takao's part, Kuroko made a step backwards, while Takao and Kise came forward. The hawk-eyed boy sang beautifully. When Kasamatsu's time came around, the camera zoomed closer to him, where he made a mouth with his hand and smiled while singing.
Then, the boys spun, turning their backs but went onto their toes for second, matching the beat of the music. Turning back around, Takao's face was in the portrait shot but both his hands at the side of his face. Kise's turn came, and when he sang his part, Seirin and Kaijou's jaws dropped.
"This is unfair! Good looking, good at basketball, great singer and a good dancer too…" Koganei started. "Can't you leave some skills for the rest of us?"
The group burst with laughter. Some agreed with Koganei, Kise was too talented for his own good.
"That's right, you were already blessed with a good face, but no, you couldn't satisfy." Moriyama humphed.
"Moriyama-senpai! How could you say such a thing!? It was Senpai who dragged me into it!"
"You lying brat!" Kasamatsu roared.
"Oh shit! It's Kagami!" Furihata shouted. That brought back their attention to the video and indeed, they were shocked.
Should I confront you?
Should I wait for you?
The redhead was singing, and not at all did it sound terrible. His face was even zoomed, and even though they couldn't see his full face due to the mask, it was hard to discern his eyes. Here, they had changed their clothes and were in black outfits; the teams wondering when did that happen.
The scene flicked to them dancing in the street, this time, Kagami was in the middle and at the front, while the others were behind. But, not long after, the scene changed to him sitting in his convertible.
"Oh damn, Kagami!" Izuki said. "If you can do it, then there's hope for the rest of us!"
"I know right!?" Nakamura agreed.
"Still, when did they change outfits? I didn't even notice." Kobori said.
"Actually, we had to dance the entire routine twice, the first in the first set of clothing and the second we were in the black outfits." Takao said.
"Really?"
"Yes, really. How else do you think the video has us dancing in two sets of clothing? I'm pretty sure they aren't that meticulous to know exactly which part of our choreography they're going to use and where."
"Umm guys," Kawahara said to gain their attention.
"Hmm?"
"The song is almost finished and you aren't paying attention."
"WHAT?!"
Looking at the flat-screen, they saw Kagami jump out of his convertible onto the road, before the scene switched to them in their black outfits dancing in the street. Kuroko was the furthest to [their] right, followed by Kagami and Takao and finally Kasamatsu and Kise.
They kicked one of their feet forward after which they fluidly went into a body roll. Placing a hand over their heads, they then turned to face the camera when the scene switched again, to Kagami leaning on the car. However, he was rapping.
Hello, the times I spent by your side
Can no more compare to any other happiness
I can't express myself to you
My heart wants all of you, never let you go
If this is love, I'll never let it go
Who knows about the two of us?
His deep voice actually fit the part, and even though Kagami really did seem more like a rapper, hearing him left them stunned. There were more scene switches while he was rapping ―them dancing, and portrait shots of them singing.
At the end of the singing, the scene faded into black before another scene appeared.
Takao was seen standing on the staircase, staring at a small black box in his hands. When he opened it, there was a ring present and a couple seconds after, he walked off.
Then, Kise came into view, he was sitting on the stairs of the brown building, but looking at his face (or what could be seen), he seemed as though he had gotten courage and so he marched up to the red door.
Kuroko was sitting around a table in his room, drawing hearts on what seemed to be a balloon like toy. He then placed the toy on his chin after which he smiled. It seemed as though he just had a happy thought.
"Is he going to give that to the girl they're singing about?" Nakamura asked.
"Beats me." Riko answered.
Kagami moved from his car and was seen walking towards the brown building, although the teams couldn't deduce if he was going to the green or the brown one.
Kasamatsu was back in the hallway, but this time he was hesitant to knock the door before him. He turned around and let out a breath, before facing the door and knocking twice.
The video then faded out to black, which signalled its end.
"We have to watch it again!" Hyuuga roared. "I didn't get to see half of it!"
"Me too! This time, I'm paying attention to Kasamatsu!" Moriyama said. "I may even video it to laugh some more when I get home!"
"Well, I saw everything, and I liked it." Furihata said with a smile. "The song is simple, but there are so much feels in it."
"I know right, and I'm kinda glad that you guys aren't doing hip-hop. I just can't imagine Kise and Kuroko behaving all rough-like." Hayakawa said. He wasn't overly pumped up so his words have formed perfectly.
"Yeah, D:FI is like that. Strong, edgy, I think you have some stiff competition." Nakamura said.
"Don't discourage them." Kiyoshi finally spoke up.
"Please, it's going to take a lot more to discourage us." Kasamatsu said. "Wait, isn't D:FI the group that Amari and Hirose are in?"
"Yeah."
"But anyway, enough of D:FI, let's begin rewatching!" Riko said.
"Hai!"
xxxx
Kasamatsu sat in his classroom which was noisy and full of chatter. The only reason why he isn't up on the roof is because he might fall asleep. Still, he swore to himself to never let his team and Seirin watch their videos again. The two teams watched their videos a total of five times, each time focusing on one member. They laughed, they cheered, they teased….they did everything.
As he was about to put in his earphones to listen to some music, he heard a girl's voice.
"Have you seen the post by Aihara Productions? There's another group that they'll be débuting!" one girl shrieked while scrolling on her phone. Hearing that, Kasamatsu's ears automatically perked up. After all, Kenji had informed them that their profiles would have been posted this week.
"No way!" another said, leaning over to see what was on the phone's screen.
"Yeah, I've seen it. I already know D:FI and Trilogy from their web dramas that's going on, but Catal Rhythm are fresh out of training!" a third joined in the conversation. "I even saw their music video! It was pretty sweet! A total opposite of D:FI."
"I do admit, they're pretty hot and mysterious." Girl A said with a smile. "The one in the red tiger stripes seems like the main rapper or dancer. He gives me that vibe." She then added, "Plus, his name is Taiga. It sounds so cool!"
"More like a wild animal." Girl B snorted and folded her arms. "I think I may end up liking Sora, right here, he looks like a boss. Maybe he's the leader."
Kasamatsu wracked his brain to remember which photo they took and he probably deduced that it was one of their group photos in the white sofa. The girls' chatter died down considerably and Kasamatsu was almost dozing off again. However, he heard something that nearly made him fall off his chair.
"Hey, doesn't the blond ―Sunn, looks like Kise-kun? I mean, look at the hair." Girl C said. "Kise-kun wears that exact same style!"
"So what? Anyone can wear that hair-do. How are we even sure if that's his real hair colour? Look at Sora, his hair is light blue."
Kasamatsu exhaled a sigh of relief. He wasn't actually worried about himself, but for Kise. The ace was already facing a rough time with his crazy modelling fans; he couldn't imagine the stress of having his fanbase doubled because he's an idol. Kasamatsu shivered. That was the main reason for them to wear masks. Fans are extremely dangerous.
"But it says here that both Sunn and Yuki attend Kaijou. So, the possibility of Sunn being Kise-kun isn't far-fetched, right? He is a model." Girl C said.
"That's true." The other girls nodded in agreement.
"But if Sunn ends up being Kise-kun, who would be Yuki?"
"Like hell we'd know." Girls A and B responded.
"I doubt it'll be anyone from the basketball club. Those boys don't seem like idol material." Girl A said with a slight disgust.
"Maybe Moriyama-senpai could cut it." Girl C, tapping her chin in thought. "He has the looks for it."
"We don't think so."
Kasamatsu coughed to hide his laughter. If Moriyama were to hear this, God knows what would happen. After that, Kasamatsu tuned out the girls and tried to doze off before homeroom starts. But to think that Kise's fans would be able to pick him out already…fangirls really are frightening creatures.
xxxx
Takao was a ball of sunshine. He sat in his seat, humming the tune of one of their recorded songs. He was in a good mood, remembering the music video shoot. Looking back, it was really funny, seeing themselves flustered and such. When he entered into his classroom, he noticed that some girls seemed to be chatting about something. Takao ignored them, as this was a usual thing.
"Doesn't Yuki look hot?! I mean, I don't know him, but this picture is just so…" one girl gushed. She seemed a bit drunk.
Hearing the name 'Yuki', Takao froze. There was only one person with that name and that was Kasamatsu. Deciding to eavesdrop, Takao listened to their conversation.
"You always go for the leaders, don't you?" the other girl smirked.
"No…" Girl A denied, albeit unconvincingly. "It's just that Yuki gives off this aura of sophistication. They all look really good, but there's something about Yuki that makes me want to grab him!" Girl A continued. "I'm conflicted! I like Hirose-kun from D:FI but Yuki-kun wants to steal my heart! Especially in their music video! That bouquet…that smile…gosh!"
Takao nearly bust with laughter. The hawk-eyed boy imagined Kasamatsu's face if he were to hear this. He looks so sophisticated that a girl wants to grab him and that he's stealing her heart? Takao doubled his lips as to not erupt.
"But why doesn't this group have their own drama like the other groups? I'd love to know more about them."
"Beats me, but I guess they're going for the mysterious vibe. We can't even see what their eyes look like, and they haven't even put up their birth names! Only stage names!"
"I realized. But I noticed something, Taka's school is Shutoku!"
"Yeah, but his hair is black. It's so generic, so we won't be able to find out who he is exactly. There're so many black haired boys here!"
"We're Japanese. Have you forgotten?"
Takao couldn't contain it. But before he laughed, he unlocked his phone screen and stared at the wallpaper to make it seem like he's reading something. Then he busts with laughter.
"Oh man, I have to tell Yu-chan this later!"
xxxx
Kuroko and Kagami faced a similar thing like their bandmates. All around, there were people talking about débuting groups, but the one most talked about is Catal Rhythm. It wasn't that the other groups weren't popular, but it was the fact that their eyes were hidden beneath dark shades. Add to that, apart from other information, only their stage names were posted. Other groups had both their stage names and birth names posted, but for them, it was not so.
But, this simply means that people are curious, and when they're curious, they'll end up being interested.
"It feels strange." Kagami said to Kuroko. "Hearing people talk about you it's kinda creepy."
"I agree." Kuroko responded. "People never notice me, so to be hearing people talking about 'Sora' is quite unnerving."
Kagami nearly laughed at his partner. The look on his face was priceless, but the redhead noticed that these days, he's being a lot more expressive. In times past, Kuroko usually had a deadpan expression even if he's happy (well, maybe, he'll have a small smile) but now, Kagami is almost able to read him like a book.
Suddenly, a gasp drew their attention to a group of girls.
"Look at this! Two of them attend Seirin!" one of the girls shrieked.
"Really?!" the others joined in.
Kagami involuntarily shivered. Although, as Kuroko had said earlier, given his personality, there's no way people would find out that he's Taiga. But the redhead couldn't help but fret. He's seen how Kise's fans flock him, in reality; he doubts that he's prepared to face such a calamity.
"Kagami-kun, relax. No one will suspect you." Kuroko reassured. "After all, you're a basketball idiot who even managed to fail English in the proficiency tests earlier up in the school year. Obviously, you aren't idol material."
Kagami twitched with rage. "Kuroko…you little shit…"
"That hurts Kagami-kun," Kuroko deadpanned although his face was twisted somewhat. Immediately, Kagami took out his phone and snapped a picture.
"Why'd you take a picture?" Kuroko asked.
"No reason." Kagami spun around his seat with a smile on his face. Before Kuroko could react, the teacher walked in.
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