Dear Aliko Kinav, thank you! I hope you will like this one too!
Dear Redthorn13, I'm finally updating! I had lot's of fun writing that part too (even though it is hard to think about clothes for Gareki, because he just looks good in everything!)
Dear Guest, yes, I am! It might take ages since there are so many works in progress, but I'm not giving up! Thank you for reviewing.
Dear VitameatavegaminGirl, thank you very much! The updates might take a while, but I'm doing my best!
Dear Guest, yes there will be more chapters to come!
Dear Guest, thank you! I'm doing my best. Also yes, there will be updates!
Chapter 3: The competitor
A thing Gareki hadn't quite expected was how willingly the librarian was when he asked to borrow a book. Well, actually Tsukumo had been the one to ask after Gareki insisted that no librarian would be giving any book to him. He looked at the old, but well cared for book, opening it up and started to read.
It was only when Yogi stepped into his room that Gareki looked up for a moment. "Is there something you need?" he asked, slightly narrowing his eyebrows.
Yogi shook his head, gaze wandering aimlessly over the furniture until it rested on Gareki's book. "I just wanted to know where you were. You didn't answer when I called."
Gareki shrugged lightly. "Didn't hear you."
He smiled softly. "Sorry to have disrupted you then. Have a good read, Gareki-kun."
"Do you have the second book as well?" Gareki asked the librarian the next day right after he stepped into the spacious school library. "I finished this one on the way to school."
"Already?" the librarian asked and laughed softly. "Do you think Hirato-san knows what he got himself into with you? You're going to spend all of your money on books."
"I don't think he'll care about that," Gareki answered without losing a beat. "So do you have it?"
"It's in the shelf with the new books, have you seen it already? Just a little down at the window," he offered fondly. "I'll already scan this one in as returned."
Gareki nodded. "I'll be right back then."
Tsukumo looked up from her script in amusement. "Did you already memorize your part or is that book that good?"
Gareki looked at her for a short moment before he answered. "Both. Shitty four eyes told me to memorize the parts he highlighted – nothing more."
"Do you want me to quiz you on it?" she then asked tentatively. "Just in case because it's new for you."
Gareki sighed. "Sure. Because memorizing things is so hard and I never did it before." The sarcasm dripping out of his words made Tsukumo bite on her lip.
"I—I'm not trying to offend you," she told him softly.
He just shrugged and put a piece of paper between the pages, before shoving his script over to her. "Let's just get over with this."
The girl nodded softly and opened the script. "You really have blue eyes," Tsukumo started to read on which Gareki huffed softly.
"That is the first thing you chose to comment on?" He rolled his eyes. "There are certainly more interesting things about me."
"He's really quick, Hirato-san," Tsukumo mumbled, letting her own script dropping on her knees. "Gareki-kun has already memorized everything you highlighted for him, knows exactly when and how to speak… I was only listening to him and the story was unfolding—When is the rehearsal? I would really like to see him act it out with Yogi."
"Next week. But he will be at a show this weekend already – Yogi will be with him, just to make sure everything will go and end smoothly." He smiled kindly, but didn't take his gaze off the street. "I'm going to motivate him a little for it."
She nodded softly. "I see…"
Gareki didn't pull the book out of his bag the next time they were in the library. "How do these shows work?"
Tsukumo blinked softly. "You mean… They are to amuse the watcher and to show your character – the public one."
"So I try to act as much as the character from the script?" he asked and thrummed with his fingers on the edge of the table. "That seems easy enough. What kind of games are to be won?"
"That differs," she answered, a gentle smile on her lips. "Sometimes it's guessing songs from the top twenty by the first few notes, sometimes it's games like DDR or knowledge and math questions. I don't think anybody can be good at everything they throw at one."
"So you think it's impossible to win every game?" he hummed softly. "I see. Doesn't mean I won't try."
She laughed softly. "That's the best. Giving up will mean you won't even try. But I'm sure you will do well. Yogi is a veteran when it's about TV shows."
"He is? He must be an actor for some time then," Gareki mumbled softly, gaze resting on Tsukumo's face.
"He started out as child, his parents were famous already – his mother was a brilliant singer and his father a famous actor. He inherited the talents of both of them, but mostly acts lately. Hirato-san mentioned something about giving Yogi some time off from making music though they never told me why…"
Gareki nodded once more. "I'll be off then. See you."
She blinked for a moment, watching him standing up from the desk and stretching his arms. "Alright. Try to have some fun too."
He just shrugged as he left the library. There were still some things he needed to prepare after all.
Yogi seemed way too happy as he helped Gareki to get ready, babbling about one thing or another off which everything wasn't really interesting for Gareki. "Can you close your eyes for a moment, Gareki-kun?" Without answering he closed his eyes. "Thank you!" and almost immediately afterwards he felt Yogi drawing lines close to his eyelashes. "Keep them closed for a little longer, just until it's dry," he hummed, still way too happily.
"Yeah, yeah…" He sighed softly. "Do you like these kinds of shows so much?"
"Mh? Yes, you're my teammate after all," Yogi cheered softly, poking Gareki's cheek. "What's there not to love about it?"
"…that wasn't quite my question, but fine." Gareki grumbled.
Gareki sat down next to Yogi on the fluffy couch, he took a deep breath, but stayed otherwise entirely relaxed. "It'll be so much fun with you, Gareki-kun! It's been so long since I had a teammate like you!"
He rolled his eyes. "How do you make them normally then?"
"I'm the host!" he explained, pulling Gareki into tight hug. "It's so awesome to get to participate again!"
"You better prepare to lose though," they heard someone huff behind them. "You're no longer the king of the games."
"Kiichi-chan," Yogi wined softly. "Don't be so mean all the time, it's the first time Gare—"
"Better watch us. We're going to win today," Gareki interrupted Yogi, meeting her gaze stubbornly.
She laughed softly. "I won't lose against anybody – much less a new comer with no experience." Then she flopped down on the couch opposite to them, straightening her fringe.
Yogi sighed softly. "Let's just have fun tonight, Gareki-kun, Kiichi-chan. That's what these shows are about…"
"It's to promote your next drama," Gareki argued softly. "Not to have fun. It's work."
"Don't you mean our new drama, Gareki-kun? Last time I checked you were co-staring with me." But then he chuckled softly, sneaking an arm around Gareki's waist. "And who said, that work couldn't make fun? The more chemistry we have the more likely it is that a lot of people will watch it."
Gareki nodded softly. "I understand."
Yogi nodded softly. "And on top of being a perfect pair, we're going to win every game against Tsukitachi-san's idols." He winked at his partner. "That way Hirato-san is going to buy us free food on our next meeting. Fancy free food."
"Let's start tomorrow then with a really good breakfast then to fit the fancy lunch – I'll throw in a fancy dinner." Gareki smirked at Yogi.
"You've got yourself a deal."
Except, Yogi reconsidered half an hour later, that would be unfair. Because Gareki won this game on his own. Kiichi, Jiki and he himself didn't stand a chance against the swiftness of Gareki's mind.
Yogi's gaze snapped back to the display and almost groaned when Gareki started sprinting almost as soon as his gaze saw the impossible seeming calculation. '4!' What did that even mean? His gaze wandered to Jiki who just shrugged at him and Kiichi who was fuming furiously.
He watched Gareki writing a simple '24' on the display of their side and the hostess nodded happily (even though she as well didn't seem to understand it). Gareki came back slower, Yogi could see how much out of breath he was and pulled out a bottle of water for him.
"Are you fine, Gareki-kun?" he asked, softly reaching out to put his hand on Gareki's shoulder who simply shrugged him off.
"Of course. This starts easier than expected," Gareki told him and took the cup from Yogi's hand. He didn't even seem to look out of breath anymore and now that Yogi looked for it, he realized Gareki hadn't even broken out in sweat yet.
Yogi smiled softly. "Only because you're a science nerd, dear roommate mine."
Gareki shook his head. "I'm horrible in science. But you seem to be even worse in math."
He rose his eyebrows but chose not to comment. "Let's head over to—is that guessing the charts? I can help you there!" He gave Gareki a bright smile and pulled him over to a desk over which a table tennis ball floated. "Just grab the ball and say the name of the song," Yogi sang happily while walking.
Gareki's gaze met Kiichi's and he grinned winningly at her. He watched with pleasure how her nails dug into her palms.
"Don't antagonise everybody," Yogi reprimanded him with a soft laugh.
Gareki huffed softly. "The librarian at Kuronomei likes me."
Yogi laughed harder and pulled Gareki into a half hug. "I think we all have our fights and you definitely won yours."
The only response Yogi got was to realize that Gareki carried his head a little bit higher afterwards.
The hostess of the show was at a loss, Yogi pitied her even though he had a blast with Gareki. This game as well was going to them, it didn't matter how many rounds they would still be playing, the show was drawing to a close and Kiichi and Jiki didn't have a point – in fact, Gareki and Yogi couldn't help making it a competition between them.
Yogi watched how her hand went up to her ear and his eyes widened when Gareki sprinted forward. He had seen it too – Yogi knew as much, because it was Gareki's gaze he had followed, but Gareki didn't knew what it meant.
When Gareki caught it, announcing the song's name, his eyes narrowed at Yogi who had reached out for him, reacting a second too late to actually catch him. "Is something amiss, Yogi?" he asked softly enough for Yogi to hear and nobody else.
He nodded softly. "Be prepared for another task as follow-up. This answer got you a double task." Yogi walked over to Gareki, pulling him closer. "Whatever you do, just try to have fun. It's totally normal to be horrible at this kind of tasks, that's the fun for the viewers, alright?" He let go of him again and walked over to the hostess. "What pleasure do we get, Erisyuka-chan?" he asked her happily.
She shook her head, the light pink hair moving barely. "It's a task just for your Kohai. He actually gets to perform the song." She winked softly. "That should be an easy task for someone from Circus, shouldn't it?"
Gareki could see how Yogi stiffed slightly, before the easy smile was back on his lips. "So we got ourselves a game of karaoke? Melting the ice before Gareki's actual debut as actor? That's incredibly thoughtful of you." Yogi turned around to Gareki. "Let's get the show going, Gareki-kun!"
He didn't waste too much time, catching up with Yogi. "Don't worry too much. I know the lyrics by heart."
Yogi smiled. "Then up, Gareki-kun and don't worry either, nobody expects actors or voice actors to be good singers."
Yogi couldn't believe what he saw as soon as Gareki was on the stage. He licked his lip. Only the most radiant persons could get away with dark clothes when it was about sparkling on the stage – and somehow he saw just that in Gareki. Talent. Utterly raw talent – that might not be that raw considering how he never missed a tone and considering how exhausted Gareki had to be by now. He was still like a star on the stage.
Jiki rose an eyebrow at him and Yogi shrugged in response. He really hadn't known that Gareki could also make a good singer (next to the utter talent as actor he had been able to see while rehearsing with Gareki in private).
The song slowly came to an end and Yogi didn't want it to end, not just now, but there was nothing he could do. So he just stepped closer to the stage and clapped his hands before helping Gareki down. "You did brilliant," he breathed into Gareki's ear.
Gareki shrugged softly. "I just made fun of myself like you said."
Yogi's heart missed a beat, but in favour of the show he didn't comment. He could work on that starting tomorrow.
Gareki fell asleep almost as soon as he was in the car surprising both Yogi and Hirato for an instance, but then Yogi pulled a fluffy blanket out and wrapped it around Gareki. "The games were physically exhausting if you ran every time…" he mumbled softly. "Have a good nap, Gareki-kun."
"He is interesting," Hirato mentioned gently. "Skilled at everything we had him do until now."
Yogi hummed softly. "Gareki-kun is amazing. That was the best performance I've seen in months!"
Hirato chuckled. "That's high praise from you, Yogi. But Gareki might be deserving it."
"He is. He totally is. You will be baffled on Wednesday," Yogi promised him, "They will want to film as soon as we start rehearsing!"
Hirato nodded slightly. "Keep an eye on Gareki. We can't have him falling apart because he is too much of a competitor – of a fighter."
Yogi narrowed his eyes at Hirato, nails digging into his palms. "You don't even need to say that. I take care of my partners."
He did however keep pondering about Hirato's words all evening, staying on Gareki's bedside a bit longer than needed. Gareki wasn't able to break, he was much too strong for that.
Yogi was sure Gareki would prove it to Hirato – to the entire entertainment industry in future and Yogi would be right next to him.
The next morning Gareki sat down on the table already pulling the plate with bacon and egg over to his plate when his gaze met Yogi's. "Don't be so touchy all the time. It's annoying."
"I… am touchy?" Yogi mumbled, gaze wandering everywhere but never meeting Gareki's gaze. "I'm sorry…"
Gareki merely shrugged again. "I won't say anything in shows. Just don't be touchy with me in real life. Like not at all."
It's been ages since I watched anything related to Japanese Idol reality shows, so I hope there weren't grave changes in the last few years.
Is anyone interested in which songs I have in mind while writing the scenes? If someone is, I'll continue to add it, otherwise I will only do so when I actually quote them. The song I had in mind in this chapter was the Yume Sekai cover of AmaLee.