I'm back! I'm really sorry for taking so long to update. And I can't promise that it will never happen again but I'll try to prevent such thing from occurring. :3
This is not the most exciting chapter to read but meh.. =))
I'm sorry in advance if this will bore you. And my writing style is obviously inconsistent so forgive me about that too.
I'm going back to 1st person POV because I'm crappy like that. If, for some reason, there seem to be something like from a 3rd person POV, that's just my miss. :3
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis nor any of its characters. I only have this plot to own and Hikari :3
"It's normal for ore-sama to worry because Ryo is ore-sama's boyfriend."
It took some time before I was able to process what I've heard. Not only did I learn that Atobe is (confirmed) gay, he's also in a relationship. With Echizen Ryoma. I ignored the fact that my mind placed an emphasis on his boyfriend being Ry- Echizen. As a producer, I'm afraid that once this is leaked (Atobe being gay and having a boyfriend), it might cause him his career. His supporters are mostly females who dream of being the person whom his songs is dedicated to. If it dawn unto them that his songs are not for them nor the whole of the female community, his fan base might greatly decline leading to his downfall. That is the reality of the music industry. We're depending each artist's fate on the taste of the listeners. Despite not liking Atobe, I am still his producer. Whatever happens to him is directly connected to me. And if he fails to stay on top, it has a big say on what I am as a producer. But then again, personal relationships is something that I cannot interfere with.
After ending the call with Atobe, I went to the recording room for Mirage 6's new album. They are not under me but since Oishi, their manager and producer, is currently not around, I am advised to stay with them. The person handling all the technicalities is Inui Sadaharu and he's been with the company longer than myself despite us having the same age. He's a child prodigy and he was able to finish college at the age of 17. I heard he's been scouted for companies abroad yet he still chose Seigaku, reason being unknown.
After the fourth song, we decided to take a break. I can't help but admire their talents. But most of all, I commend Osakada for outdoing herself. Osakada Tomoka is the official songwriter of Mirage 6. They are from the same university and she was actually the one who uploaded their recordings on youtube when they were still just your average students. They were talented to begin with so it wasn't surprising that they got a lot of views on their first video. It didn't take long before they became a sensation and industries came knocking on their doors. They were initially part of Fudoumine Inc., a sister company, but was later turned over to us due to financial issues. It might be because Mirage 6 was starting at the peak then and their fans is not something that Fudoumine can accomadate easily.
"What's bothering you?" I was brought out of my thoughts and I turned my gaze towards the speaker who is currently busying himself with his laptop. "What do you mean?" I asked as I settled myself to one of the chairs. His fingers stopped typing for a fraction of a second before he continued. "You look like how you looked when Atobe wanted you to be his producer. Troubled, annoyed, and confused." I was surprised because I was confident that I masked perfectly whatever confusion I have. But trust Inui to notice the littlest of detail. I decided that it's better to talk this out to someone who doesn't care nor gossip.
"It's about Atobe and his... relationship" I started cautiously. "Relationship? That never mattered to you, Tezuka." I winced because what he said was indeed true. "It never mattered because it has never been a thing to those under me." Inui paused typing and looked at me with a raised eyebrow then he smirked. "Really now, are you a naive child?" I felt annoyed for being referred to as such but I simply kept silent as a sign for him to go on, which he, gladly, realized. "Are you saying that you don't know about Sakuno being courted by Momoshiro of Mirage 6?" My eyebrows are slowly scrunching together. "How about Kaido, your former artist, who was in a relationship with Tachibana Ann?" I take back what I said about him not gossiping. I feel so unaware. I never knew any of this. And to think that Tachibana Ann is from another company. But what bothers me more is how much Inui knows. Is he also informed about Atobe?
"There's a 70% chance that you're feeling like a naive child right now, which is what I described you a while ago. And there's a 95.7% chance that you're wondering if I know of Atobe being gay. And you got your answer." I cursed lightly as I remember why I find this guy intolerable. "Well, to ease your mind a little bit, I'll tell you a secret." I raised an eyebrow as a form of inquiry. "Nobody confessed."
Saturday couldn't have come earlier. One day we made our reservations then now it's already the reserved date. As I sit back on my chair in the office, I thanked the heavens for being able to keep my focus throughout the week because I admit that I had not been myself for a few days after the visit to the Ethereal Bar. It's nothing like I've ever felt before. I know that I'm acting so weirdly but since this is a rare feeling (I'm not entirely sure of), I don't know what should be done. I have always seen myself as a man of control and alongside that someone who knows what he wants anytime of day. But this time, despite knowing what I want, there is still a vague feeling which I cannot, for the love of the heavens, pinpoint. And my guts are telling me that Fuji, for some reason, knows what's happening to me. And how did I come to that conclusion? Let's just say that Fuji is never subtle.
After the phone reservation last week, his smile looked a bit wider and eerier. Trust me, I know the difference. He reminds me of the event on Saturday any chance he gets. Whenever we pass by each other in the office (which is often), he'd give a short remark about it or express his excitement. When we eat together and we talk about random things it would always pop out of the conversation at least three times. And even when we chance upon each other in the bathroom (which is ten times more awkward), his smile stretches even more and he'd hum what I believe was Echizen's Chained. Which, in turn, reminds me of the day I first saw the boy. The memory was as fresh as a newly picked strawberry. His voice, instead of slowly fading to the back my mind, comes back louder each time. Reverberating through my whole being, touching deeper into my soul. Pfft. Hilarious. How in the world did I just thought of those words? What do people call this these days? Ah. Cheezy. I suddenly remembered Plato's words. "At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet."... What... Love? Who?... Me? Towards... Echizen? Is this what's Fuji's heading towards? He had mistaken my appreciation of Echizen's talent with love. That romance-filled head of his! Mixing my enthusiasm of becoming the boy's producer with something else. He'll get an earful later. I let out a big sigh as I allowed my full weight to rest on the back of my chair. My headache is worsening and I can only think that it will be compensated with later tonight. I'll be able to listen to his voice again and hopefully be able to talk him into joining our company. And maybe then, I'll be able to get him out of my head. Maybe.
Hi guys! I'm sorry that there's not much events despite me being gone for so long. I'll try to update within the week if my imagination runs wild.
I didn't really check the whole thing for typo and grammar errors so spare me! huhu
Comments and suggestions are very much welcome. Just don't burn me too much with flames ;^;