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Chapter 12

Pre-début

…

After their concert in the Tokyo Dome, Perfect 5th returned to their house to relax. Performing for three hours straight was really exhausting; no matter how many times they did it. But, there was one thing that lingered on their minds ―the "amateurs" that sang and danced with them.

Deep down, they had a feeling that these boys were trainees or some experienced dancers as they way they moved was way too perfect. And their vocals as well, they were pretty outstanding.

"Hey, do you think they're professional dancers or something?" Jun asked. "The one in the white cap moved like a natural. He scared me at one point, you know?"

"I beg to differ." Tobio replied. "It's the blond one! It's his high notes that you should fear. Imagine, I had to harmonize with him and it's our song!"

"Ah, I think his name is Kise Ryouta." Reiya said with a nod.

"You know him?!" the others asked.

"Nope." Reiya waved his hand dismissively. "He's a model, so you'll see that pretty face plastered everywhere." He shrugged. "You can't miss it."

"Shit, good looking, good at singing and dancing." Tobio laughed. "I bet he's the envy of every boy at school."

"I know right!?" Daigo said with a chuckle. "But I'm surprised that Ai-Prez hasn't snatched them up yet. I'm pretty sure that a video of all ten of us dancing will be posted by a fan."

"It's already up." Akio joined in. He was looking down on his phone. "You don't want to see these comments."

"What do they say?"

"Well, they're all positive comments…" he trailed off. "…so far. One person said this: 'They're amazing. Maybe Perfect 5th should become a ten member group!"

"Ten member? Ai-Prez would never do something like that." Jun said. "That's just a pipe dream."

"Here's another: 'Who are these guys? They should become idol trainees!'"

"I agree. I like to see talent being put to good use." Daigo said.

Just then, there was a knock on their front door. Too lazy to get up, they only shouted that it was unlocked. When the person entered, all eyebrows rose.

"Ai-Prez!?" they screeched.

"What are you doing here?" Daigo asked.

"I came to say what a splendid job you did today." The elder man said.

"Or you came to ask us about the five boys that performed with us?" Akio looked smug. This was a tendency of their boss that was no secret.

"Oh no," Aihara said with a chuckled. "I know them. They're Kenji's boys."

A dead silence enveloped the room. Perfect 5th looked at each other with horror.

"Ai-Ken's boys? What?" Akio gasped.

"So, they are trainees." Jun nodded. He seemed to be quite satisfied.

"Yes they are, and will début at the festival."

"EH?!" all five screeched.

"I thought it was only D:FI and the other group ―Trilogy was it?" Reiya said. "Where did they come from then?"

President Aihara looked distant. "I wonder indeed."

xxxx

Having one week of school left, Catal Rhythm never went. Knowing their sons' new venture and after hearing what happened, their parents understood their plight. Still, that didn't mean they were free from the barrage of questions.

In Takao's case, his phone incessantly, both messages and missed calls. Various videos of their performance had been uploaded, some were focusing on Kise (since he was the famous one of their group) and others were simply from different angles.

Even Midorima had managed to see it and was shocked out of his wits. It wasn't because of Takao; it was the fact that Kagami, Kuroko and Kasamatsu were in it as well. He could have understood if it was just Kise and Takao but those three were the last to have crossed his mind when doing something like this.

While being a captain would need maturity, Kagami was too engrossed with basketball to even think of doing anything besides the sport and Kuroko…he was in a league of his own.

So when the other members of Shutoku saw the video, they came up and asked him if he had known anything about it, he was just as stumped as everyone else.

"Didn't Takao say that he was becoming an idol?" Yuya asked, he was Miyaji's younger brother. "Seeing this, I can only believe that what he said was true."

"Hmm…Takao as an idol…" Otsubo said in thought, "I think he'd be able to pull it off, given his personality and all."

Once again, Midorima tried to call Takao's phone but to no avail. He began to wonder if Takao was ignoring him. But as soon as the thought appeared, it disappeared, there's no way Takao would do that. Would he? He tried Kise next, and surprisingly the blond answered with a perk.

"What's up Midorimacchi!?"

"What's with that video?" he asked swiftly. He wasn't going to beat around the bush.

"Video?" Kise asked at first but quickly picked up on what Midorima was getting at. "Oh that."

"Yes, that. I can't understand."

"What's there to understand? We went to a Perfect 5th concert, was lucky enough to get called up on stage and we sang and danced. What's the problem?"

"The problem is…forget it." Midorima said as he hung up the phone. Kise was actually right, what was the problem? After he hung up the phone, he wondered to himself, how come Akashi hasn't called him yet? He's pretty sure that the redhead must have gotten wind of this.

Unlike Shutoku, Kaijou was in an uproar.

Kise's numerous fangirls were now adamant that the blond ace was actually Sunn, while those of Perfect 5th were shocked upon seeing two students from their school perform so well with professionals. No one expected Kasamatsu to move like that, and a couple found it funny when they watched it the second time. Especially his classmates.

Seeing the usually serious male move like that was indeed something to laugh about after they've gotten over their shock. As such, at the end of the school day, the gym was attacked with students who wanted to confront both Kise and Kasamatsu. However, these students weren't classmates of the two, so they had no idea that they weren't at school.

Takeuchi was especially enraged by this, as if dealing with Kise's fangirls aren't enough.

"To think that this much "fans" are here just because of a video. Imagine when they reveal their identities." Nakamura said as he took pictures of the crowd that was threatening to invade the gym. "I have to show Kasamatsu the kind of mess he's gotten himself into."

Beside him, Moriyama looked as though he wanted to tear up. "I should have become an idol as well."

The other regulars looked at him with unreadable expressions. "No."

Seirin High had the most normal reaction, since Kuroko's face wasn't seen that easily due to the white cap. What really stunned them was Kagami, but they had soon blow it off and focused on Kise.

But the basketball club was erupting with laughter. At first, they were shocked at their performance, but afterwards, seeing how Kagami moved cracked them up. Kuroko had already informed them that both he and Kagami won't be returning to school for this week due to the fear of harassment. Riko and the others understood, but she swore to herself to have them do the amount of training they missed.

Meanwhile the schools were frenzied; Kenji once again met with Catal Rhythm's parents to further explain their living arrangements now that they're débuting. Although Hikaru knew what being an idol entailed, he was present. That said, the meeting went smoothly; Ryouhei, Kazuo (Takao's father) and Mitsurou (Kasamatsu's father) were less aggressive and agitated than they were the first time they've met.

However, Ryouhei was almost in tears when he heard that his son was going to be living away from home. Looking at the man, the other parents wondered about the kind of relationship he had with Kise. But they simply disregarded it as simply being parental affection.

"So when they'll move in?" Kazuo asked.

"I was thinking after Christmas. I'm sure you'll want to spend the holidays with your children." Kenji responded.

"And New Year's too." Ryouhei chimed in. "It's a Kise tradition."

"How greedy can you be? They can spend New Year's with each other." Mitsurou said.

"But I want to spend the holidays with my ball of sunshine! I can't let him go yet!" Ryouhei countered. "I'm not greedy either."

"Of course you are. Your son was bound to leave your house one way or the other." Kazuo shrugged.

Kenji could only sit and watch the other parents with amusement. Their interactions were somewhat reminiscent of their sons, and he was relieved to see this. He continued to watch them, and there were times when Hikaru would chime in with his deadpan expression and blunt replies which would set off the others.

How amusing, Kenji thought with a smile.

xxxx

By the time the weekend came around, the boys met Kenji at the Complex as he was going to show them their new house. They were excited and while Kagami voiced that he would want to share a room with Kuroko and not with Kise, Takao got up and shouted with too much seriousness:

"I want a room that's big enough for all five of us!"

"Takao, that's a bit exaggerated. Five boys in a single room? That's disturbing." Kasamatsu said.

"Come on guys, I want to get to know you all! Unlike you, I don't have anyone from my school here with me! There's no need for Tai-chan to share a room with Tetsu-chan, same with Yu-chan and Ryou-chan!"

"Takao-kun is right," Kenji said as he stopped at a stoplight. "Since you are the extras, your apartment was chosen last after the other débuting groups chose theirs."

"Man, I hope we don't get to live in a basement." Kagami sighed.

"Or some dingy apartment that can hardly even hold one person." Kise huffed. "I like my kitchen space, you know?"

Kasamatsu and Kuroko didn't comment but they both agreed with what the others said. After a couple turns and going through a few stoplights, Catal Rhythm had reached their destination.

It was an apartment complex which sits along the main road and boasts a total of six floors (minus the ground floor). It was painted in a rich metallic colour, making it stand out among the other buildings.

"Don't tell me that's where we're going to be living?" Kise asked as he gaped outside.

Kenji smirked, although the boys couldn't see it. "Yes."

"Isn't it a bit too stylish? I mean, débuting groups tend to live in ordinary apartments, don't they?" Takao asked.

"Yeah, that's if these groups aren't a part of our company. That building is owned by us." Kenji replied. He drove into the underground parking, searching for a space. "My Dad isn't an idiot."

"So the entire building is owned by Aihara? Then does that mean only idols live here?" Kagami asked.

"No, anyone can live here. However, the third floor is strictly for our employees ―idols and their managers, actors and actresses, etc."

"Oh." The five gave out.

By now, Kenji had parked and the six headed towards the elevator. No one spoke and for once, Kise and Takao weren't agitated idiots. By the time Kenji reached the door, he whipped out a key to gain access. The boys exchanged glances as never before had they seen or heard of an elevator which needed a key to open.

As if being able to read their minds, Kenji said, "Since we have idols living here, you must know that there are some crazy fans out there. So to prevent them from gaining access to the building from here, tenants have to have a key to this door." He then added, "At first it was code used, but somehow fans got it and entered the building. After that, Dad decided to use keys instead."

"But can't these crazy fans pick the lock?" Kise asked.

"The alarm will go off." He deadpanned. Entering the elevator, Kenji pressed the button for the third floor, and within a blink they had arrived.

The elevator door opened up to reveal a spacious hallway of smooth blue walls and white doors with sparkling tiles. Kenji walked towards the end of the hallway without a second glance at the other doors, humming as he went along. He then stopped at number 306, which was the last door on the left of the hallway.

"And here we are." Kenji said as he opened the door. After the boys left their shoes at the genkan, they were staring directly at the living area. There was a sofa to the wall, with an oval shaped medium-sized wooden table in front. On the wall facing it was the TV.

As they made their way further inwards, to their left was the kitchen. It was "L" shaped with an island bench and four wooden stools. Following the kitchen was a hallway with three doors. When Kasamatsu opened the first door, he saw that it was their bedroom.

He froze momentarily.

The room was quite large, very spacious. In his mind, he'd imagine it to be a small space but his imagination was quite wrong. To the left and right, there were two bunk beds, with a single bed in between. On the right wall, however, there was a closet and clothes storage. But before Kenji could say anything to them, he saw Kagami, Kise and Takao dash off towards the bed.

"You fiends!" Kise shrieked. "It's mine!"

"No way! I want the single bed!" Kagami roared.

"Are you nuts?! I saw it first! It's mine!" Takao shouted.

And somehow, they managed to get into a nasty entanglement with each other, Kasamatsu standing a far off and watched them with their antics. When he couldn't take anymore, with vicious kicks, the captain sent them flying.

"We will do this fairly." Kasamatsu said in a serious voice. "We'll use janken. That way, no can complain about their beds, right?"

"So we'll start with the bunk in the left. The first two to lose will be there." Kuroko added.

The other four nodded in agreement.

Gathering around, they extended their arms in preparation. After saying 'rock-paper-scissors', everyone made their choice. Everyone had paper except Kise who had rock. The blond howled with grief. The next one to lose was Kagami, who was, just like Kise, upset that they didn't get the single bed. But, moreover, he was upset that he was sharing a bunk with that annoying blond.

By the time their game of janken ended after couple rounds, the arrangement ended up being Kise and Kagami on the bunk to the left, Kuroko on the single bed and Kasamatsu and Takao on the bunk to the right. That said, all four boys swore their revenge on the shadow. But it was still surprising that Kuroko won, since Kagami and Kise knew he sucked at it.

"I like that the room is spacey, but we're too far from each other." Takao said. Unlike the other four who knew each other well, he didn't. "How about we push the beds closer together?"

"I'm on the bottom bunk! I don't want to feel caged!" Kagami roared.

"That's true." Kuroko agreed; even though he wasn't on a bunk, he understood.

"Then, how about we move Kise and Kagami's bunk over to that window?" Kasamatsu asked, pointing to the left wall. "Then, we can move Kuroko's bed and place it horizontal where the top of the bunk is. After, we just move my and Takao's bunk and place it like Kise's. There'll still be walking space and we'll be close to each other."

"Great!" Takao perked. "Let's get moving!"

"Hold on." Kise said, his voice all its usual perk and chirpiness. As a matter of fact, the blond was far too serious at this moment. "The place is dusty and needs to be cleaned."

"Well, we still need to move the beds and stuff, right?" Kagami asked.

Kise nod his head, but gave the redhead a pitiful look. "We have to start from the front. Where the shoe storage is."

"What?!" the others screeched.

Kise gasped in horror. "How could you not notice the amount of dust?! From I entered I could tell that the place was dusty because of the smell!"

"Well, excuse us for being caught up at the beautiful sight that is our kitchen and living room." Kuroko said with an eye roll.

Kise stood in shock. Acting lessons are really paying off. This boy is getting feisty, Kise thought.

"Ano," Kenji said to regain their attention. "There are other rooms left."

"Right…"

With that, the boys left the bedroom and looked in the next room. It was yet another spacious room and the five couldn't help but wonder the reason for this. There were only five of them and they were all in the same room.

"In the distant past, we had débuted an eight member group. This is the reason why your room is so large and why there are two rooms here."

"So, we have an extra room to do what we want, great." Kasamatsu grinned. He was actually thinking of playing his guitar in here.

"Basically." Kenji said with a nod. He then showed them the bathroom, which was a (normal) modern bathroom. However, one thing made Kise smile ―the size of the mirror. He was especially pleased.

After a couple minutes, the tour of their house was completed and they exited. However, upon entering the hallway and reaching door 303, they heard boisterous chatter.

"Tobi! I'm going to kill you!" a deep voice shouted. "How could you eat my ice-cream?!"

"Get away from me, you ape! How was I supposed to know it was yours!? You didn't say anything!" a shrill voice shrieked. Catal Rhythm assumed this to be 'Tobi'. After that, they heard metal clattering, and things falling to the floor and thundering footsteps.

"You dogs! Watch what you're doing! I'm a delicate male flower!" Another voice rang out.

"Delicate my ass! Now get out of my way!"

However, a loud crash could be heard before it gave way to silence. Kenji let out a sigh and pulled his boys backwards from the door. As if on cue, the door opened and Reiya emerged. He held both Daigo and Tobio in the collars, hauling them on the floor after which he threw them out.

"You know the goddamn drill." He spat before slamming the door shut.

"What happened?" Kenji asked. Daigo and Tobio hadn't seen him.

"It's all his fault!" Daigo and Tobio shouted while pointing at each other. "How's it my fault?!" Their anger rose. "Of course it's your fault!"

Seeing this Catal Rhythm were stunned. Perfect 5th were hailed as the Kings of Synchronization, it was appalling how they lived up to their name even when at home.

"This bastard ate my ice-cream!" Daigo roared.

"I didn't know it was yours!" Tobio countered.

"If you don't know if something belongs to someone, you don't freakin' eat it! It's common sense!"

"I was hungry!"

"Then go to the convenience store or supermarket to buy something!"

"I was too tired!"

"You shit! You go to sleep first, then!"

"I was scared that I'll die in my sleep!"

"We have woken you if we saw that you were having spasms!"

This was not funny. Catal Rhythm stared on with confused faces. Both Daigo and Tobio seemed to be arguing, but it was on a different level. But looking at Kenji, he seemed undisturbed, like this was a normal occurrence.

"Well, sorry to hear about your loss, Daigo-kun." Kenji said. He then walked up to the door and knocked, calling Reiya. A minute later the door opened, and a smile graced the Leader's face.

"Could you let them in? There was a grave misunderstanding. They've even made up." Kenji said. Meanwhile, Daigo and Tobio were nodding fervently behind.

With a sigh, Reiya gave in. "Make sure, because if you make our plates break again, you'll be sleeping out here."

"Sir, yes Sir!" the two replied. When they headed in, Tobio turned around and faced Catal Rhythm,

"We need to talk." Before waving his goodbye and closing the door behind him.

With a sigh, Kenji turned to his five boys and said, "Let's go, you have rehearsals." Catal Rhythm let out a groan, totally forgetting about Tobio's message.

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