A/N: Tadaa~! Here's chapter 2, guys! Sorry for the late update. I participated in the art contest of Zeiva's time-travelling otome game, Area-X! It's my first time submitting an entry online so I'm pretty nervous! I hope I can win! My entry is no. 71, so check it out if you're interested to see it or just curious about it! (^_^)
Also, thanks for the amazing reviews and for taking an interest in this story! I hope this chapter will start to make everything very interesting since chapter 1 is a bit short, I guess? Well, chapter 1 is more of an explanation or introduction, so this is the real beginning! I hope you'll enjoy reading it! ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own UtaPri and Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club.
Chapter 2: A Fateful Meeting with the Princes of Song
"What?! He's going to be our new composer?!" exclaimed Syo with a surprised look as he looked at their president.
"Yes! He is our top composer this year! You'll begin to create your next single with him next week! And also, you'll train new idols who will become important assets to the agency! Be sure to get along with them this time! I won't let you all repeat the same treatment that you gave to the previous idols and composers for the last two years," warned Shining Saotome with a serious expression on his face.
The idol group was silent. Some of them showed depressed looks while the others didn't care about what happened to the other idols and composers who were once living in this dorm.
He added with a strict voice, "If you ever repeat the same mistake, I'll disband you, STARISH. I'll never let you all work in Shining Agency again. Remember that. This is your last chance!"
After giving them a serious warning, Shining finally bid his farewell with a big smirk on his face. "Then, I better get going now. Adieu~!"
Waving his hand, he swung his body towards the open window to leave the dorm. Silence was once again present there. Although it was supposed to be a good news and a chance for them to rise again as a famous idol group, they were in low spirits. It had been two years already and they were still unable to leave the Master Course dorm since they still hadn't have a proper composer who would make them shine like what Nanami Haruka had done.
"A new composer, huh . . . ? I wonder if we'll get along with this composer this time . . . ," mumbled Otoya sadly when he picked up the picture and glanced at it again.
"Boring . . . I wish that our new composer is a girl," said Ren with a bored look.
Masato nagged, "How disgraceful, Jinguuji. Be more serious, will you? This is work so don't be picky."
"Masato is right! I think this Nanase guy might save us from leaving the agency for good. This is our last chance," agreed Syo while pointing his finger towards the picture.
Then Satsuki finally cracked the table into two madly with his hand while grumbling, "This is ridiculous! I can't accept this!"
"Hey! What are you doing, Satsuki?!" the short guy shouted as he faced the curly-haired idol. He dared not to charge towards the tall guy since Syo knew well that he didn't have a chance to win against a very strong guy like Satsuki.
"This is just fucking insane! That fat president of ours should have just disbanded us! I can't believe that he's giving us one more chance to save our group and careers even if I already messed everything up!"
"You must be grateful that we still have a chance, Satsuki! I bet Natsuki wished for that, too!" answered Otoya sincerely, causing Satsuki to lose his temper.
"Don't fucking pretend that you understand what Natsuki feels, you son of a bitch-!"
Without noticing, Satsuki felt his body weakening when someone put the eyeglasses on his face behind him. Taking a quick last glance from his back, he saw Tokiya with a sympathetic expression on his pale face.
"Tokiya, how dare you . . . !"
Then his body fell on the carpeted floor immediately as soon as he lost his consciousness.
"Poor guy . . . ," murmured Ren while watching Otoya and Syo picking up the curly-haired idol's body and putting the arms around their shoulders before walking towards the left hallway leading to their rooms.
"Shinomiya hasn't come back yet, huh?" the blue-haired idol whispered depressingly when they witnessed that Natsuki was still unconscious although he was wearing his eyeglasses. Tokiya went to Masato's side and patted his shoulder comfortingly, causing Masato to smile at his fellow idol who was suffering more than them.
"Thanks, Ichinose. We're the ones who should support you during this tough time . . . Sorry for making you worried," apologized Masato but Tokiya shook his head. Then he grabbed a sketching pad and wrote something first with his pen before showing it to the other idol.
It's all right, Hijirikawa-san. Maybe going outside and trying to shout might help me bring back my voice again. I'll be out for awhile.
After reading it, Masato nodded. "Okay. Be careful, Ichinose. Make sure that you bring your phone in case there's an emergency, okay?"
Tokiya nodded his head and left the room quietly. Masato sighed heavily when he glanced at the broken table in front of him. He needed to file a request again to have a new dining table for them. As he was about to leave the dining hall, Ren suddenly spoke behind him.
"Hijirikawa, do you believe that that new guy might be our last hope?"
Masato raised a brow with a bewildered look and stopped walking. "That new guy . . . ? Are you talking about Nanase Haruka?"
Ren rolled his eyes. "Yeah, obviously. Do you think it's just a coincidence that he almost has an identical name with Lady's?"
Turning around, Masato faced the orange-haired idol while thinking deeply about what Ren had just said. Nanase Haruka . . . Nanami Haruka . . . Yes, their names were almost identical. It felt like their names were just coincidentally almost the same, but maybe hearing their new composer's name might be the reason why he felt so calm even if STARISH was such in a dangerous situation. He had a feeling that Nanami Haruka was still with them, trying to help them in any possible way. He did believe in spirits, after all.
"I think it's just a coincidence that they had almost identical names . . . but I believe that Nanami must have brought him to us. She's still watching over us, Jinguuji," he replied with a calm expression on his face before walking away.
"Little lamb . . . is watching over us . . . , huh?" murmured Ren to himself as he relaxed his body on the chair and looked at the ceiling above him as if he was trying to see if Haruka was indeed watching over them with a sweet smile on her face. It sounded kind of scary and creepy but for him, it felt like it gave him the courage to believe again.
"Maybe . . . I'll try believing again, Lady."
Meanwhile, Otoya and Syo put the unconscious Natsuki on the bed gently without removing the eyeglasses from his face because that was the only way to calm Satsuki down (or to be more precise, to shut him up). Viewing the curly-haired idol sleeping peacefully, Syo sighed in relief. He wanted Natsuki to wake up but at the same time, he didn't want him to since his childhood friend might go crazy again if he recalled how Nanami died back then. For a soft-hearted guy like Natsuki, it might be too much for him to handle emotionally. Seeing him like that, Otoya ruffled his blonde hair to sympathize with him.
"Syo, everything will be fine. I believe that Natsuki will wake up someday."
"Thanks, Otoya. But I still don't want him to wake up and to remember Nanami's death again . . ."
Hearing their composer's name, Otoya suddenly felt depressed again.
"Nanami . . . I hope she's still here with us . . . If only that accident didn't happen, then everything that is happening right now will not be . . . ," the red-haired guy trailed off as he tried to fight back his tears with clenched fists. While Syo was patting Otoya's back, they heard someone shouting.
"Help! Somebody! HELP!"
Quickly, Syo and Otoya ran towards the window and opened it. Looking below, they saw a familiar tall guy with olive green hair shouting for help.
"Wait . . . He seems familiar to me," mumbled Otoya while touching his chin and trying to recall the tall guy's name.
"Otoya, that's Tachibana Makoto, the graduation audition winner this year! We came to watch his performance last month, right?" the blonde-haired boy stated, causing Otoya to remember the graduation audition that March. They were amazed by how mellow and strong the droopy-eyed guy's voice was when he sang this month's number one hit song, "Mirai e no Stroke (Stroke to the Future)". The composed music was also incredible but they didn't know who the composer of that song was.
"Yeah, right. I remember!" he beamed before shouting back to the tall guy two stories below them.
"Hey, Makoto!"
Surprised, Makoto looked up and saw the two boys.
He wondered nervously, "How did they know my name . . . ? Wait a second . . . If they know me, then maybe . . ."
"Is this the Master Course Dorm?!" he asked loudly and the two idols nodded their heads as a reply. After confirming it, Makoto felt a bit relieved and quickly begged.
"Thank goodness! I-I need your help! Please!"
"Sure! Anything for our new kouhai!" replied Syo confidently.
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . .
"What?! Your friend, Haru, is lost in the forest?!" exclaimed Otoya upon hearing Makoto's reason for seeking help inside the large living room of the dorm.
Sitting on the long red couch, the droopy-eyed guy replied weakly with a guilty look, "Yes, but it's my fault. If I only made sure that he's following me back then while trying to read the map correctly that time, then we could somehow make it here together . . ."
"Did you try contacting him with your phone?" asked Syo but Makoto shook his head sadly.
"Haru always doesn't bring his phone with him . . ."
"Hmm . . . That's a problem. Getting here is easy when you read the map correctly but when you read it wrong, you might never find your way back again. The forest here is like a maze but it serves as a good hiding place to avoid any stalkers or paparazzi," stated Masato carefully before putting down a cup of tea on the table near Makoto.
"Arggh! I'm such an idiot for losing my partner!" the olive green-haired guy cried out while scratching his head anxiously, making the other idols concerned.
"Well, instead of blaming yourself there, why don't we start looking for your partner right away, Tachi?" advised Ren, causing Masato and Syo to be surprised since they knew that Ren was inactive, aloof and pessimistic all this time after their composer died. Why did he abruptly change back into his old self?
"Ta-Tachi . . . ?" the red-haired idol mumbled the nickname with a stupefied look. Ren had a weird way of giving nicknames to others.
"Are you really willing to help me find my best friend?" questioned Makoto with pitiful teary eyes. The other idols thought that they just saw another Otoya when he was pleading like that. Then they also predicted that the person whom they just thought of would easily accept Makoto's plea with open arms.
"Of course! We'll definitely help you, Makoto!"
Makoto showed a big smile on his face. "Really? Thank you so much, umm . . . who are you, by the way?"
". . . . ."
All of them were silent.
Syo was the first one to break the silence after a few minutes. "You don't know us . . . ?"
"Umm . . . I'm sorry to offend you, but yes, I don't know you . . . ," the green-eyed guy replied bluntly, causing the other idols to be gloomy.
"I guess we are really losing our popularity these days, huh?" mumbled Otoya hopelessly.
Masato just crossed his arms coolly. "Well, that's expected after not appearing as a whole idol group for two years, Ittoki."
"An idol group . . . ? Not appearing for two years . . . ? Could it be that . . . you four are members of the famous idol group, STARISH, who won the legendary UtaPri award?" said Makoto slowly as he quickly placed the pieces together on his mind. He did hear from other nosy students of Saotome Gakuen back then that STARISH was one of the legendary idol groups that won the greatest award that an idol could ever possess and they were once studying at the same school but for some reason, they vanished after a shocking accident that happened in front of the concert hall in Tokyo. He swallowed hard when he noticed that the four idols were smirking after hearing him.
Then Syo gave him a big thumbs up. "You're correct! We are indeed the members of the once-known idol group, STARISH! Well, you could also call us the Princes of Song. I'm Kurusu Syo! Nice to meet you, newbie!"
When Syo reached out a hand, Makoto gladly shook it with his. "Nice to meet you, too, Kurusu-senpai!"
"Then I'm next! My name is Ittoki Otoya! I'm glad to have you as our new kouhai!" beamed Otoya before reaching out his hand to Makoto, who happily shook it, too.
"Thanks, Ittoki-senpai!"
"It's my turn. I am Jinguuji Ren, the greatest ladies' man on earth. I can teach you a lot of techniques to please a woman. So, if you ever want one, don't be shy to ask me, okay?" said Ren with a wink as he reached out a hand in front of the olive green-haired guy.
Makoto chuckled with a crooked smile while shaking Ren's hand, "Okay. Maybe I'll ask next time, Jinguuji-senpai."
"I'm the last one to introduce, huh? Anyway, my name is Hijirikawa Masato. If you still have other things that you want to know, just ask me. I'll gladly answer them for you," said Masato, reaching out a hand.
Makoto felt reassured after Masato stated that as he shook hands with the blue-eyed idol. "Thank you, Hijirikawa-senpai."
After introducing themselves, Syo cleared his throat before speaking, "Since we know each other now, I think it's time to search for your missing partner, Makoto. Can you describe what he looks like?"
"Okay. My best friend has short, straight black hair. His eyes are ocean blue and he's 5'9 feet tall. He always has a serious expression on his face and he likes water."
"Hmm . . . I think I saw someone like that before . . . ," mumbled Otoya while thinking deeply.
Syo agreed. "Yeah, I think we just saw him somewhere earlier . . ."
Then Masato distracted their thoughts when he immediately showed the picture in front of them.
"Are you talking about the 'waterdere', Nanase Haruka?"
Then Makoto rapidly stood up with wide, hopeful eyes. "Aaahh! Yes, that's him! That's Haru, my best friend and partner!"
After he said that, Otoya, Syo and Ren gaped.
"EHHH?! He's your partner?!" exclaimed Otoya, causing the green-eyed guy to flinch a bit.
"Yes, but why are you so surprised to know that?"
"He's going to be our new composer next week!" replied Syo nervously when they discovered that their new composer might be in danger.
"What?! Haru is going to be your new composer? Why?" questioned Makoto with a puzzled look.
Masato replied seriously, "We don't know but our agency's president, Shining Saotome, stated that he is our hope to shine again. If we don't search for him right away, then there's a chance that we might never see him again. The forest is big, so I think it's important to bring a map with us and split up to find Nanase faster. But Tachibana will come with me since he still doesn't know the forest too well. If one of us could find him, contact the others right away with our phones. Is the plan clear?"
"Yes," the others answered in unison.
"Okay. Let's do this!" declared Masato before they started preparing and leaving the dorm as quickly as possible.
"Makoto! Makoto, where are you?! MAKOTO!" screamed Haruka loudly until his voice was almost hoarse while searching aimlessly for his best friend. They got separated when he stopped for awhile to look at a turtle passing nearby. He thought that the turtle was going to an unknown beautiful body of water but he got disappointed when he found out that it went to a small pond. Well, he admitted to himself that it was his own fault for getting lost this time.
"Geez . . . Where are you now, Makoto?" he grumbled loudly to distract his anxiety. He might be calm and cool from other's point of view but he was actually freaking out right now. His eyes were teary as if he was a kid who wanted to cry in fear. When he was almost tired to walk around, he spotted the familiar lake again which meant that he just walked around the forest in circles. He felt so hopeless. He just wanted to find his missing parents. He came this far just to get lost? Haruka almost wanted to laugh at his own stupidity, but he couldn't. He began to cry as he felt tired to believe that his parents were still alive somewhere after being missing for two years. Policemen and detectives couldn't be trusted nowadays since they wouldn't bother searching for missing people without fame and money. That was how societies work right now, so that was why he wanted to be popular and rich . . . Thinking that way, maybe there was a big chance that he could find his parents. However, would he still continue and be ready for the results of his efforts? Would he be happy that he followed this path or be disappointed with it? He didn't know. He was afraid to know what his future was going to look like. He didn't want to experience again what happened between him and Rin when he didn't face the problem head-on. Would it be worth it? Would finding the truth be the correct decision? As a matter of fact, it was just to find out the truth, but what if the truth was meant to be forgotten for good?
While he was busy thinking about those things, Haruka noticed a tall guy with dark hair and sad-looking eyes by the lake. To be blunt, the man was very attractive. Wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes, the black-haired boy tiptoed and hid behind a big tree as he viewed the tall man in awe. He suddenly had this feeling that he wanted to know who that man was and maybe he could ask for some directions, too. Unfortunately, he was hesitant to make the first move because Haruka was very cautious when he was about to meet new people. He needed to distinguish right away if the person was bad or not in order to protect himself from any danger. Trusting people easily wasn't his style and betrayal was the most painful thing that he could ever imagine.
Save him . . .
Abruptly, he heard someone.
"Huh? Who's there?" he asked alarmingly while moving his head to the right and to the left. However he didn't see anyone. He swallowed.
"Maybe it's just my imagination . . . ," he convinced himself, but then he saw the tall man walking towards the lake while trying to reach out his hand to someone. He gaped in shock.
"What the hell is he doing? I don't see anyone else in that lake! Who is he trying to reach out?" hissed Haruka as he immediately ran towards the lake to stop the unknown man from going deeper into the lake. However when he arrived by the lake, the dark-haired man's whole body was almost submerged in water and was far away from the dry land. Biting his lower lip, Haruka immediately removed his clothes.
"Tachibana, do you have any idea where Nanase could possibly go if he's lost? You two are childhood friends, right?" asked Masato as they continued to search desperately for the new composer.
"If I were Haru, then I would probably go to . . . ," mumbled Makoto while trying to read Haruka's mind even if they were separated. After a few minutes, his eyes lit up when he figured something out.
"Haru might go back to that big lake we found earlier! He loves water, after all!"
"That big lake? Okay. I think others know that location very well. I'll contact them right away-!"
Abruptly, his phone started ringing. Masato quickly answered the call from Otoya after seeing the red-haired guy's face on the screen.
"Ittoki, how is your search-?"
Otoya interrupted nervously, "Masa, I found him by the lake! He stripped so fast and jumped into the lake and . . . Oh no . . . ! Tokiya is drowning! Come here right away!"
Masato's eyes widened up in terror. "What?! Ichinose is drowning?! We'll go there right away! Tell it to the others, as well!"
"Roger!"
Then the call ended.
"Tachibana, Ittoki found your friend," he informed, causing Makoto to sigh in relief.
"Thank goodness . . . I'm glad Haru is fine . . . ," murmured Makoto as tears started to spill out from his eyes. He had been holding them back this whole time. Masato smiled when he saw how relieved the olive green-haired guy was. Maybe Nanase Haruka might be a really important person, after all. Was it fate that he would become their new composer?
Otoya was gaping while he observed the black-haired boy swimming like a dolphin in awe. He already called the others and his mind was in total panic, so he didn't know what to do next. Trying to ease his tension, he just shouted by the lake.
"HARUKA!"
Upon hearing that name, Tokiya gained his senses back and was dumbfounded when he found himself drowning in the deep lake. How did he go here and why was he here? He tried to swim but he was already out of strength. When he already sank into the cold water, he was still desperate to shout for help and to breathe. However it only got worse when the water rapidly came into his mouth, blocking his breathing. Bubbles floated out from his mouth as his vision started to blur. When everything around him began to fade away, he suddenly felt a hand, gripping his wrist. Slowly, he felt himself being pulled up into the surface and then the last thing that he could remember was the feeling of the warm sunlight touching his skin and the loud cries of his fellow idols.
Makoto and the other idols witnessed how Haruka saved the dark-haired idol from drowning after they gathered in front of the lake. Also, it was their first time to see how fast and beautiful Haruka swam when he was still trying to save Tokiya, except for Makoto who was already removing his t-shirt and rolling up his pants before going into the lake to help Haruka.
"What the heck is that . . . ? Did we just saw a dolphin in the lake?" questioned Syo with wide eyes.
"I think so . . . But he's not a dolphin, Syo," replied Otoya while gaping.
"He's like a mermaid if you'd asked me," interrupted Ren who was sharing the same shocked expression on their faces.
Trying to clear his mind, Masato shook his head and reminded them seriously, "Let's talk about it later, everyone! We must hurry up and help Nanase and Tachibana!"
"O-Okay!" they responded in unison.
As they successfully put Tokiya's body on the grass, Makoto hugged Haruka tightly.
"Haru, I'm so glad that you're all right!"
"Makoto, stop hugging me! This is embarrassing!" the black-haired boy hissed while blushing in embarrassment. He was glad that the strangers were not paying attention to them for now.
"But~!"
"We'll talk about it later! I need to check him first!" growled Haruka as he gestured the unconscious tall man, lying on the grass. When he understood what his childhood friend was trying to tell him, the olive green-haired guy released Haruka from his embrace and moved aside like a whimpering puppy. Kneeling beside Tokiya, Haruka immediately checked the dark-haired idol's heart pulse and breathing. After checking them, he carefully put his hands on Tokiya's stomach and pushed it hard to release the remaining water blocking Tokiya's windpipe.
Suddenly, Tokiya coughed out the water from his mouth and everyone sighed in relief. Otoya hugged Tokiya quickly when the dark-haired guy opened his sore eyes.
"Tokiya! I'm glad you're fine!" the red-haired guy cried out to his friend. Tokiya intended to push him away but he was still weak, so he hung his head helplessly while experiencing Otoya's tight hug. Ren and Masato noticed it and just chuckled at the adorable sight.
"Phew! You almost gave us a heart attack there, Tokiya!" said Syo jokingly as he helped Tokiya to stand up and to support him in walking while Otoya did the same on the other side. While they were still happy that Tokiya was fine, the black-haired swimmer abruptly interrupted them.
"Hey, you."
Everyone faced him before he continued, "Why did you go into the lake? Did you lose something there?"
Knowing whom he was asking, the others began to glance at Tokiya who had a bewildered look on his face.
Irritated that the dark-haired idol wasn't uttering a single word, Haruka raised his voice. "I'm asking you! Why aren't you saying a word-?"
"Ichinose can't speak right now. He lost his voice due to trauma," explained Masato, causing Haruka to feel a little guilty for raising his voice like that.
He mumbled an apology sincerely. "Sorry. I didn't know."
"That's all right. You're still new around here, Haruka, but once you two moved into the dorm, we'll tell you about more things that you don't know," reassured Otoya, making Haruka confused.
"Move into the dorm . . . ? And, how did you know my name . . . ?"
Punching himself mentally for not telling Haruka about what happened to him right away, Makoto quickly informed his partner, "Oh! I forgot to tell you, Haru! These people are living in the Master Course dorm! They are going to be our upperclassmen next week!"
"What?! They are living in the Master Course dorm? That means . . . you managed to find the dorm earlier, Makoto?"
"Yeah. That's why I was able to ask for help in order to find you."
"Ohh . . . So that's why . . ."
"And also, they told me that you'll become their new composer next week, too, so they already know you, Haru," added Makoto, causing Haruka to show a puzzled look.
"Huh . . . ? Why am I going to be their new composer? I'm only Makoto's composer, right?"
"Umm . . . I don't know. They told me that it was Shining Saotome who decided it," his droopy-eyed friend replied sadly.
After hearing it, Haruka felt dumbfounded. What was Shining Saotome, the one who gave him the scholarship, planning to do with him? Involuntarily, Haruka sneezed.
"Haru, you need to dress up now. Your cold might . . . achoo!"
Makoto also sneezed when a cold breeze passed by.
"This is looking bad. We don't want our new pair of kouhai getting a nasty cold. You two should come and stay at the dorm for awhile before you go back to your places," advised Ren, making the other idols shocked again for showing his another change of personality.
Makoto smiled. "Thank you, Jinguuji-senpai. We'll take the offer-"
"No, I refuse," interrupted Haruka with cold eyes like a stray cat which was wary of strangers.
"Eh? Why? We wanted to know you more, Haruka," said Otoya with a dejected look.
"But I still don't know you. I can't trust strangers right away," he reasoned out.
Syo got irritated by his attitude so he spoke up, "You're acting like a brat, you know. We helped your friend to find you and we're also trying to make sure that you two won't catch a cold, and that's how you treat us? Don't you know any respect or gratefulness?"
"Then thank you for helping us, but we're sorry that we can't accept your kind offer. Is that already enough for you, midget?" the black-haired swimmer replied sarcastically, causing Syo's blood to boil up.
"How dare you call me 'midget'?!" he shouted angrily while Otoya was trying to hold him back from fighting with their soon-to-be composer.
While they were busy, Masato tapped Makoto's shoulder. When Makoto noticed and moved closer to him, the blue-haired idol whispered to his ear, "Can you convince Nanase to come to the dorm so this argument will end right away? I'm worried that all of us might end up getting a cold or even worse, a fever if Nanase still continues to refuse."
After hearing him, Makoto nodded in agreement and muttered, "You got a point there, Hijirikawa-senpai," before going towards his best friend.
Softly, he whispered to Haruka's ear, "Hey, I saw a big indoor pool inside the dorm when I went there, Haru. It even has an artificial waterfall there."
Haruka glanced at Makoto with sparkling eyes.
When they arrived at the Master Course dorm, a disappointed Haruka discovered that the indoor pool was empty and it would only get filled up with water next week. He cursed himself for getting tricked by Makoto once again. In the end, they tidied up themselves since all of them were wet after going into the lake. Ren kindly lent some of his clothes to Makoto since they had the same height. Otoya also lent his clothes to Haruka because they had the same height, too. At first, Haruka didn't want to lend Otoya's clothes since his clothes weren't that wet, but Otoya still insisted. Thus, he was wearing a red stylish t-shirt with a guitar print on it, and a pair of jeans. On the other hand, Makoto was wearing a black shirt which revealed a bit of his upper chest (because Ren forced him to unbutton the upper part of the shirt in order to show his manliness, wildness, or something like that) and folded the sleeves up to his elbows, and a pair of light brown trousers. Haruka was stifling his laugh when he saw what Makoto looked like after all of them went to the living room of the dorm. The two of them were sitting on the long red couch, which was facing another long couch where Tokiya, Masato, and Ren were sitting. On the left side, Syo was sitting on a couch with the same design but was only meant for one person while Otoya was sitting on the big soft armrest of the couch.
"Since we're all here, I think this is the perfect time now to introduce ourselves to you, Nanase," said Masato as he began the conversation.
Haruka just nodded his head, still feeling mad at Makoto for tricking him.
"I'm Hijirikawa Masato."
Haruka felt like he could trust this guy. He liked serious men.
Then Otoya waved his hand with a friendly smile. "I'm Ittoki Otoya! Nice to meet you!"
"This guy is too cheerful. He reminds me of Nagisa," thought Haruka.
"My name is Kurusu Syo. Remember that, brat!" the short guy introduced himself haughtily.
"I'll never forget you, midget," mocked Haruka, causing Syo to grit his teeth angrily.
"Don't call me midget!"
Haruka smirked. He kind of liked Syo because he found it fun to tease the blond-haired guy. Was this what Nagisa felt when he was teasing Rei all the time?
"Then I'm Jinguuji Ren, Iruka-kun (Little dolphin). It's a pleasure to meet you," said Ren with a wink.
"Don't call me that," the black-haired boy replied, causing the orange-haired idol to chuckle sweetly.
"I like your hard-to-please attitude, Iruka-kun."
Instead of complaining again, Haruka just gave Ren an irritated look.
The last one to introduce was the dark-haired guy. Since he couldn't speak, he introduced himself by writing his name on the sketching pad.
"Ichinose Tokiya . . . , huh? Nice to meet you, Ichinose-senpai!" greeted Makoto with a short bow. Tokiya bowed, too, but he didn't show any emotion. Seeing this guy, it kind of reminded Haruka of himself. He knew those sad-looking eyes . . . Did Tokiya lose someone special on his life?
"Do you two have any questions for us?" asked Masato.
Then Haruka replied, "Yes, I have a question."
"Okay. Let's hear it out."
"Where is your old composer if I'm going to be your new composer?"
Then the atmosphere around them started to become heavy.
A/N: That's it for chapter 2, guys~! I hope that I get their attitudes well. As for Haruka, I have a hard time knowing what he really feels since I discovered that his zodiac sign is Cancer. Well, even if I'm a Cancerian, too, like him, Haruka is a guy so his mood swings are really unpredictable, so I hope you understand that because some of you might get surprised with Haruka's attitude here. I'm also sorry if the other Iwatobi club members aren't still mentioned on this chapter. I think they will be eventually mentioned on chapter 4 or chapter 5 so hold on there!
As for the pairings of this story, I want your opinion about that. Do you want me to pair UtaPri characters with Free! characters, or do you prefer the normal ships like MakoHaru or TokiOto? Maybe I'll create a poll to know your opinions. If you're bored to log in and vote, or you're just a guest, just write a review.
About the character songs of Free and UtaPri, I'll definitely add them on the story since they're idols, right?
That's all! Thank you again for reading and see you next time~! (^_^)v