Chapter 04

I stopped his arm before he could reach Miyu behind me, I could feel the premium material from his suit, and I looked at his tall and muscular posture, and his jet-black Lexus at the roadside where he came off from.
And I could feel Miyu trembles behind me, holding my suit and a faint cries.

"Excuse me, sir, but Miyu doesn't seem to like it, would you please leave?" I asks him with a stern expression, I hope I could make him go.
"Who the hell are you? This is between me and Miyu!" he said as he repulses my grab.
"I am Producer, Miyu is currently working under my management, so of course this would involves me as well. She doesn't like it, so, would you leave, sir," I ask him to leave us in a very polite manner I could.

"I don't know who are you to him, I don't even care who are you to her, but if something makes her like this, then I shall take care of it."
"You don't even know about her, huh, Producer-san." He seems angry.
"Knowing what would make her happy or sad is enough for me, and you clearly not, please, if you would."
"You…" he just said that as he lands her right fist at my left cheek, thankfully it doesn't damage me much, just a broken tooth and blood spitting from it.

Damn it, this guy is strong, he's clearly not gonna settle this in a friendly manner.
I thought that as I make a position, I don't know much about martial arts, but my hands should be able to block any direct hit to my face.

"Take-san! Stop it!"
Miyu suddenly shouted at him and slapped him, she then turns to me and put her handkerchief at my mouth.

"Miyu, please, come back to me," he said that as he grabs Miyu's arm.
"Let me go! Let me go or I'll scream for help," she struggles.

"Hey! Let go of her!" I punched him on his gut, it does not inflict any damage but at least now he's not holding Miyu again.
"You fucker! Stay put!" he replies with a straight punch, it hits both of my arms as I made those to protect my head, yet the force was strong enough to make me hit the light pole behind me.

"Producer!" she rushed towards me

"Take-san! Please! Stop! I will not come back to you!" she shouted and cries as she tries to pull me up from the ground.

"Hey! What happen there?"
"Ah, officer! Over here!"
Miyu called the patrolling cop who happened to pass by, the cop rushes towards us with his bicycle.

"That man over there is hurting us, please, help us!"
"Miyu! Stop, I'm okay, it's okay, we don't need to make a ruckus," I grabbed her shoulder.

"Officer, please, there's nothing happen here, Its just a personal matter, I am fine, good night officer," I said that to the cop.
"Are you sure, sir? Would you like me to call ambulance?" he asks me.
"No, it's fine, I'm fine."

"Well then, sir, would you please leave this place? I would not take you to the office if you cooperate," the police asks that man to leave.
"Miyu… I'll come back again…" that man left us to his Lexus.

Our plan to celebrate Miyu's fame turned out not good, but as long she's okay, I would be fine.

We walked together to her dorm. Miyu explains to the dorm keeper about what happened to me and allowing me to come inside her room, usually male visitors is not allowed to. But since I'm all blood and bruises, I was allowed so she could take care of me.

"You feel better, Producer?" she asks me after my broken teeth is not letting out blood again.
"Ah, I'm better now, thanks… Miyu."
"Look at you, you still have bruises here…" she said that as she checks my right cheek, yes the punch was landed there.

"Thank you… Producer…"
"Eh… Miyu…" I turn my face and look at her, I could see small tears falling from her eyes.

"Ah, Miyu, please, don't cry… would you? Come on, give me smile, it would make me better," I tried to cheer her up.
"Producer…" she suddenly pulls my body so she could wrap me with her arms.
"Thank you… for protecting me… Producer…"
"Miyu… that's… my duty…"
"Producer…"

She finally able to calm herself, as my wounds eases, she starts to smile a bit as I made a joke and explains why I was so weak that time.
It seems her smile is able to heal even my physical pain.

"Miyu… is there something… that I should know about you? And him…"
"Producer…"
"If it's a private matter, I would not inquire much, but at least I should know something to know how to handle him next time…"
She went silent for a moment, then she answers.

"It's okay… Producer… I think you should know it as well…"

"Take-san… he used to by my husband…"
"So… you had married before? Miyu…" I asks her.
"Yes… now if I think about it, it seems I'm not supposed to be an idol…"

"Besides… I'm too old… I think…"

"Th… that doesn't matter, just see Katagiri-san, she's even older than you! It's okay, Miyu…" I tries to comfort her.
"Does she ever married?" she asks.
"I… don't know…"

I've always had a thought in my mind that an idol should not supposed to have a lover like boyfriends and something, so it does not even crossed my mind when I'm with her.
But knowing that she's divorced, was a shock, actually.

"I was with him for around a year, I married him by my parent's wishes. They thought that I would live a better life with him,"
"At that time, I was just working in a small company in my town, they offer me to marry him, I don't feel anything to him at that time, but if that would make my parent happy, so I obeyed it."

"Miyu…" I tries to listen to her story as she rubs her left ring finger, I could see a brighter part from it, a ring's mark.

"He is a heir of a big manufacturing company, yes, he made me as his secretary after we spoke our oaths. I think, I started to genuinely love him when I was pregnant with his child," she continues.
"Eh? Pregnant?" she doesn't stop to surprise me.
"Yes, as I know him more, I could feel his feeling towards me, his affection, protection, and all."

"But it started to crumble around when I lost our child…"
"Eh?"

"I found him with another woman, not just once, but until I lost count of it, I saw him with another woman in a night when he's supposedly working overtime, I didn't work much due to my pregnancy." She said.
"Well, you sure he's having an affair? Or maybe it's just his business partner and they are just walking from a meeting?" I asks her.
"Does love hotel is a place for meeting? Producer? I even asked the people near there to be my spy."
"I'm sorry…"

"I decided to asked him about that one day, but he made all sort of excuses then went angry to me, and as you can see, he resorted to violence afterwards…"
"Then…" I have a bad feeling about this.
"The damage killed our baby, our proof of love that I worked hard to protect, I couldn't hold my suicidal thought when the medical team aborted the child after that."

I just silent as I hear more and more of her background, guess I do indeed not knowing much about her.

"It's shameful, right?"
"Miyu…"
"A person like me… became an idol…"
"Its… doesn't matter…"

"Don't you think its wrong, Producer? I think an idol should be a pure kind of person… don't you think?" she asks me even though she's not looking at me.
"I do…" I answers.
"Then… I'm really… not suitable, right?"

"I think you're a pure person, Miyu." I said that to her.
"Eh, Producer?"

"It's just a past, everyone should have one or two bad past moments, but it's already passed, and now you're working hard to be better, right? At least that's what makes me think that you are not an inappropriate person." I said that straight to her eyes.

"Besides… I think only a pure-hearted woman would said that she loves me, you know, before you're here, at your apartment…"
"Eh… P… Producer…" I can see her blushes around.
"Miyu, I love you, I really do, I will always protect you no matter what…"
"Producer… I…"

"It's okay if you have bad past, it's okay if you're divorced, all of those painful things, I's mine as well, I would like to give you lots of happiness until it overshadows those bleak moments," I hug her as I said that.
"Producer… please make me happy… I love you…"
"Miyu…" I kisses her as we embraces each other, her body is warm, even though the night is cold, but it thaws our hearts.

"Well then, Miyu, I'm already okay… so… I guess I'll back to my place, you can rest now," I stood up and prepared to take my leave, but she holds my shirt
"Um… Producer… would you stay longer… please…" she asks me with blushes expression.

"Eh? I… I think it's too night… you should rest, right? Besides, it'd be awkward if I'm here any longer, hahaha," I give her a smile.
"Please… Producer…"

"Eh… but… Miyu… um… I don't think I should…"
"Why…" she asks"

"Err… You might be tired tonight so I think... I will let you rest. Also... The dorm keeper might suspect me if I'm too long here..."
I said to her, actually, I didn't give a damn thought about the dorm keeper, just... If the mood keep like this when we're together, we might... Crossed the line.

"You… really love me… right? Producer…"
"I do… Miyu…" I look at her reddish eyes and cheeks.
"Even though I'm a widow?"
"Nothing would change my feeling, Miyu…"

"Then… I think… its okay… if you stay here..."
"Eh?"
"We're… lover… after all…"
"You mean…"

"You'll accept me… right? Producer…" our eyes met closer.
"Yes… Miyu…"

"Then… please... grant my wish…"

Our eyes closed, our lips met. It doesn't need long for us to fall on her bed, we are alone in this small room, surrounded by aroma therapies that I don't know the type, without anyone else at the empty room next door.

Under the glimmering moonlight that passed through the window on her top floor room, I could see her sweat and tears reflected the light as I gently helps her removes every single garment from her posture.

"Miyu… are you sure…"
"Make me yours… Producer…"

She touches my bare chest where my heart is as she smiles to me, with me looking straight to her eyes from above her pure skin body, I make her mine.
We are connected, affirming our feeling that night.

It's already several weeks after that day when we confirmed our feeling, that night, we became one, we confessed all our feeling to shower our moment that night.
Her ex-husband was nowhere to be seen until now, which is good, she said that she changed her contact number so he won't be able to reach her again.
Our love resonates each other, yet we keep it low-profile for the public and around us, only when it's just two of us, we can indulge ourselves in romance.

Moments passed, and I dashed to her after receiving a small envelope.

"Miyu! Miyu!"
I rushed to the photo studio where she's now having photo session for her new unit. But as I dashed through the door, I slipped on the equipment cables and fell with my face down.

"Aaaaahhhh, Producer! That was a perfect moment before you turned off the lighting!" Daiki-san mad at me right before he was able to took their picture.
"Daiki-san! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I bowed my head again and again to apologize.
"Come on, be careful next time, or you will broke Miyu-chan later."
"Eh? What…?"

Miyu approaches me as Daiki-san, the photographer laughed and told the girls to rest for ten minutes. Ah I interrupted their new album cover, right?

"Producer, you okay? It seems you hit it pretty hard, what happened?" she rubs my nose as she asks, we sit at the make up area.
"I'm okay, more importantly, here!" I grabbed a white-blue patterned envelope from my suit's pocket and handed it to her.
"What is this? Producer?" she asks me.

"Hoo, I see the heaven's creed already befallen those who are in just," her unit member, Kanzaki-san said.
"Eh? What?" Miyu wonders.
"Come on Kanzaki-san! Spoke normally, my glasses cannot understand you," her other member, Kamijo-san said.

"That's the election's preliminary result, Mifune-san. I guess it's out today, I will ask my producer about that as well later." Shibuya-san said.
"Preliminary result?" she wonders.
"Come on, open it, let us see," Kamiya-san, along with the other members are gathered around her.

"Producer…"
"Just open it, Miyu," I smiles to her to give her confidence.

As she opens the letter inside that special envelope slowly, I could see her nervous expression, her friends' excitement.

She finally opens the letter inside, and Kanzaki-san's voice broke the brief silence.

"What sorcery! You've landed upon one of sacred number!"
"Whoa, that's amazing, Mifune-san," Shibuya-san said.
As one each of them show their amazement and praise to Miyu, I could see her confused expression and smile.

"Is this… true… Producer?"
"It's your hard work, Miyu…" I smiles to her.

"Producer… thank you so much!" she bowed her head to me.
"Hey now, Miyu, it's still to early for that," I said to her.
"Eh?"

"That's right, Mifune-san! I and my glasses will not just stay silent!" Kamijou-san said.
"Me too, now that you are in that position, I must do my best as well."
"Kamiya-san…" she look at them after Kamiya-san said that.

"Keep it up, Miyu," despite their sudden rivalries, there's still me who supports her.
"Producer…"
"It's still the primary result, no one knows the results later, and not even I am allowed to know that,"
"I see… Producer…"

"Then, now you are the sixth at the preliminaries, I must work my bone to get you more jobs to make you more popular! We aim for the top! Miyu!"

"Lets all do our best, Mifune-san."
"Shibuya-san… Yes!" Miyu shakes Shibuya-san's hand in competition, their rivalries grow as the election goes.

With the election comes closer, I worked my best to secure Miyu's position by getting her more and more job. Of course, I considers her health as well to make sure she's not overworking herself.
And I always be with her the whole time she do her job, only meetings that could separate us two.
Two? I mean three, us three always together, me, Miyu, and my Yamaha. We commutes using my bike to her assigned job and it's pretty much a routine by now.

Her first song as a unit, Inochi Moyashite Koiseyo Otome along with Yoi Otome's members, was a hit, the public receives the song pretty well and it reaches the best five on national chart as well as a great amount of cd sold.
She is almost a different person right now, I mean, yes we are still loving and supporting each other like what we always did, but she's a brighter person now, I think.

Miyu now able to speak her mind, she is more confident for herself now, I could see her happiness as I saw her in every moment, both off and on scene.
She even nominate herself when the producers wanted to have a new unit for the new song, Étude wa Ikkyoku Dake. And after the selections for the members, she passed.

They already filmed their music video, they done it at the flower field, I don't know much about flowers, let alone flower language. But even though I didn't know, I could see her beauty when surrounded by those.
Ah, if I recall, she likes aromatherapy, right?

"Producer, you there?"
"Ah, Miyu, sorry, I was just spacing out, haha," her poke to my cheek woke me up from my delusion.
"Come on, Producer…"
"Yeees, sorry sorry," I apologizes as she giggles in amusement, we are now at the café where we used to spent our time, it's our favorite dating spot, especially after she just done her job.

"Hey Producer, you think I'll be good at the election?"
"Ah, well, you did well until the preliminaries, right now we just need to do our best," I answers her.
"You're right, I shall not let down those who voted for me," she said.
"Yes, no matter what's the result, we should still do our best."

"To us!" I hold my croissant in my hand, asking for a toast with her.
"Ah, um, yes, to us!" she scooped a part of her shortcake and made a toast with me.
She giggles, her happy expression always makes me forget all of my fatigues, and pushes me even further for her.

I could see a woman from my seat, I sit at the upper part of this place, a big dome where 346 always held a big event, along with the other producers from 346 Production. Our eyes are focused on none other than the bright stage with Nishi-san at the middle of it.
I could almost feel my heart beating faster than a machine gun as Nishi-san opens an envelope at the stage, and thus my gaze moves.

But I ignore him altogether, I divert my eyes to someone else, a woman in baby blue dress and red scarf, yes, it's Miyu. She's sitting at one of the seats in front of the stage, at the corner part along with the other idols from 346.
They are waiting, for their name to be called, the highest 20 positions for this 5th Cinderella Election.

As the number keep on going, twenty, nineteen, eighteen and until it reaches the big ten, my anxiety grows.

Was my effort not enough? Was her effort not enough? Even though we decided to accept the outcome no matter what, but we still anxious about that, especially after Miyu was the sixth on the preliminary.
How if her rank went down to under 20? Well, there's nothing I could do right now, all I can do, just pray for her.

"Sixth place, of the 5th Cinderella Election goes to…"
Sixth place? That's Miyu's preliminary position, who will it be.

"Honda Mio-san!"

I almost lost my life upon hearing that, Honda-san was the third at the preliminary result, to think that the popular girl like her dropped to sixth rank, my anxiety grows even bigger, how if Miyu was not in the best 20 now?
But no matter how anxious I was, I knew that Miyu feels more than me, she's there, along with numerous idols and with only five places left.
I just could see her from her left, she clasped her hand.

If only I could be beside her now, I would hold her hands to ease her anxiety.

My heartbeat goes crazy each time Nishi-san called a number.
Yorita-san for the fifth. Morikubo-san at the fourth, I almost lost all hopes for the big three, I mean, Miyu is still a new person in this industry, so I guess she won't be at the remaining list. I even thought that the preliminary result could be a scam.

I calm myself, no matter how the outcome is, we would still accept it right? Miyu. If you are not elected this time, let's work even harder.
You can do it, we can do it, you've changed, you know. I closes my eyes as Nishi-san announces the idol at the third position.

"Mifune Miyu-san!"

Her name and the audiences' loud cheering surprises me. I looked around me, the producers congratulate me, the glowsticks turned blue as I stood up and look at the stage where Miyu is now standing.

Along with several other audiences at the dome, we give standing applause for her, her joyful tears looks bright as the big screen at the stage shows Nishi-san giving her sash and Tiara.

To be Continued