Broken Fragments

Chapter 15: A Night of Celebration

Yuuhi gave a quick bow to the audience and mysteriously disappeared from the stage, adding onto her 'fallen angel' act's authenticity. Even though she had already disappeared, the crowd was still yelling out her name.

"Yuuhi! Yuuhi! Yuuhi!"

The men looked like they've fallen in love and the women seemed like they have someone new to look up to. The company workers that attended the concert, including the crew, Kumoi-san, Chairman Muranishi, Seiji, and Fubuki, were all jubilant for the success of Yuuhi's debut concert. However, there was one person that seemed like he never expected the concert to go that way.

"Great job out there, Yuuhi-chan!" Chairman Muranishi praised the newly-debuted idol as she returned to the backstage.

"Thank you, Chairman," Yuuhi smiled.

"You did well, but the hard-work has yet to come," Kumoi-san smiled.

Yuuhi smiled back, not saying anything. Everyone congratulated her for the great work she had done while she gave them a cheerful smile in return. Some people thought it was amazing that she could smile like a cheerful, normal teenage girl after putting on a fantasy-like, yet realistic 'fallen angel' act. Seiji and Fubuki greeted her, too.

"Welcome to the show business world," Fubuki friendly smiled.

"If you need any help, we're here," Seiji added on.

"Thank you, Seiji-kun, Todou-san," Yuuhi gratefully smiled.

"Let's go, everyone! We're throwing a celebration party for our new idol, Yuuhi Tsubasa-chan!" Chairman Muranishi excitedly said, surprising Kumoi-san.

Yuuhi smiled as they walked back to the dressing rooms to change back to casual clothes, but she caught someone from the corner of her eye. She noticed Hiroto, who was still shocked, hasn't said anything to her. His eyes were still a little wide in surprise, but it wasn't as noticeable as when he watched Yuuhi's performance. Yuuhi sinisterly smiled with an evil look in her eyes when she caught a glimpse of Hiroto's frown before she shut the door of her dressing room.

"Cheers!"

Yuuhi, Chairman Muranishi, Kumoi-san, Seiji, Fubuki, and Hiroto all went out to celebrate Yuuhi's successful debut concert. They went to a private bar to grab drinks, something they rarely did together. Since all of them were legally allowed to drink now, all of their celebrations had been in private bars or restaurants that served the best wine. Chairman Muranishi didn't look like the type of person who drinks a lot, but since he rarely drinks, he takes advantage of celebrations to drink as much as he could. Kumoi-san, who could handle her alcohol really well, doesn't drink much, though because of their daughter, Kirika. Seiji and Fubuki would go out to bars during the weekend once or twice a month for a glass or two. Hiroto would always drink whiskey while Yuuhi's favorites were margaritas and martinis.

After taking some sips of their drinks, they talked about what happened during the concert.

"What are your plans, now, Tsubasa-san? Oh, and you can call me 'Fubuki'," Fubuki smiled after asking Yuuhi her question.

"Okay. Oh, and it's okay to call me 'Yuuhi', too, Fubuki-san. But, anyways, I don't really know, yet. I guess I'll just hope that my debut song becomes well-liked by everyone," Yuuhi replied as she put down her glass of margarita.

They all nodded, except for the still-quiet Hiroto, agreeing to what she said. That's what newly-debuted idols usually did, after all. They wait for their debut song to get big, and some time after their debut, they'll come up with a new song that they'd also hope would make it big.

"But you know, that move was risky," Chairman Muranishi commented.

"True. Usually, debut idols go for a more cheerful, flirty, and girly image before transitioning to something else, but you obviously did the unexpected and, well, people loved you," Seiji added with his gentle smile.

Yuuhi put down her glass again after listening to their comments. She put her hands on her lap while she crossed her legs. She closed her eyes in relaxation and took a deep, yet unnoticeable breath.

"You see, I'm not like other debut idols."

Yuuhi caught Hiroto's attention with what she just said. Hiroto continued listening without looking at anyone in the eyes, afraid that someone would figure out what he was thinking. He kept his eyes on the glass of whiskey that he held in his hand.

"I wanted to show the people who I am right away. I wanted them to know who I'd be throughout my whole career. I don't like it when people expect someone that I'm absolutely not," Yuuhi continued as she looked at everyone in the eyes.

Silence lingered as they took in what Yuuhi just said. She grabbed her glass again and took a small sip after she finished her sentence.

"So you're going for the 'fallen angel' act for your whole career?" Kumoi-san asked, the glare of her eyes hidden behind her glasses and the dim lighting of the bar.

"That's not what I meant, Kumoi-san," Yuuhi replied with a tone that seemed to ask for a fight with the fierce manager.

Yuuhi opened her eyes and looked at Kumoi-san with a deadly look on her face.

"I won't always be the 'fallen angel'," Yuuhi continued.

"But I'll never be the white, pure angel that everyone wants," Yuuhi sinisterly smiled.

Kumoi-san's temper was about to burst when she saw the threatening smile on Yuuhi's face. However, Kumoi-san knew better, so she leaned back and relaxed herself.

"I'll be waiting for your surprises, Yuuhi," she smiled back, taking a sip of her drink.

Hiroto, who had been listening to what Yuuhi and Kumoi-san were talking about, felt something different from the idol he was working for as manager. He didn't quite figure out what was different, but he was sure there was something else he needed to discover.

Chairman Muranishi, Seiji, and Fubuki, all let out silent sighs after Kumoi-san lightly took Yuuhi's statement. They thought that there would be a quarrelling that would happen right in front of them, but they knew Kumoi-san better and knew something like that wouldn't happen. Kumoi-san is a woman of poise and can handle almost anything very well, thanks to her experiences from when she used to be an idol and had to be strong for her to survive the entertainment industry.

All of them continued drinking, changing the topics every now and then. They didn't want to keep talking about the concert because they didn't want to put more pressure on Yuuhi. Since the people loved her already from her unusual debut concert, they were all aware that Yuuhi would become a big star.

As the night got late, Chairman Muranishi was starting to get wasted. Seiji was close to getting drunk, but luckily, Fubuki didn't drink much. Kumoi-san drank a couple of glasses, but since she could handle her alcohol really well, the only thing the alcohol did to her was make her cheeks flush. Yuuhi was starting to get drunk, too. Hiroto didn't drink as much because he was in deep thinking the whole time.

"I think we should call it a night. Seiji's going to pass out if we stay here for a little longer," Fubuki suggested when Seiji put his head on her shoulder, causing her to blush.

"I agree. Hey, come on. We're leaving," Kumoi-san said, nudging Chairman Muranishi.

"Already?" the drunken Chairman Muranishi asked.

Kumoi-san placed her husband's arm around her shoulders and walked out of the bar after leaving the money for everyone's drinks.

"We'll see you all tomorrow. You don't have to come early," Kumoi-san looked back before disappearing with Chairman Muranishi.

"We'll be heading now, Hiroto. You did amazing tonight, Yuuhi-san. We'll see you tomorrow," Fubuki smiled as she did the same thing Kumoi-san did.

After wrapping Seiji's arm around her shoulders, he escorted her out and called for a taxi after locking his car that they used to get to the bar. She'd drive, but since she also consumed a couple of glasses, she wanted to be safe and just have a taxi drive them home.

Hiroto waved goodbye without even smiling. He returned back inside of the bar, where he found Yuuhi trying to drink some more.

"Stop that. You've had enough," Hiroto said, grabbing the glass from her.

Yuuhi, frustrated, leaned back and crossed her arms together like how her legs were crossed together, too. She had an irritated look on her face, her cheeks red from drinking.

Hiroto sat down next to her, also leaning his back while his legs extended under the table. They were quiet for awhile, only hearing the faint music of the bar. It was a jazzy song that was meant only for those who wanted to relax at night. The two stared at the table full of empty or half-empty glasses of alcohol.

"Aren't you proud…of me?" Yuuhi asked without looking at Hiroto.

"Yes."

"Then, why didn't you say anything earlier?"

Hiroto didn't answer her, hoping that she would just actually fall asleep out of nowhere. He didn't want to let her know that he was disappointed of what he watched. Actually, he didn't know how he'd explain why he was disappointed of what he watched.

"Answer me," Yuuhi demanded, sitting up.

Hiroto, whose back was still leaning on the back of the chair, could see her auburn hair that seemed so silky and soft. Yuuhi didn't look back at him, so he had no choice, but to look at the back of her head. He wanted to touch her hair, but he was aware that she wouldn't like it if he did.

"Let's go—"

"Answer me first, Hiroto!"

Hiroto stopped walking once he heard the angry tone behind Yuuhi's voice. He looked down on the ground, ashamed that he can't even answer such a simple question.

Yuuhi waited for him to answer, but she still didn't look at him. She kept her stare on the table, her fists clenched by her side. After accepting that Hiroto didn't want to answer her, Yuuhi picked up her purse and walked past Hiroto to leave the bar, but before she could get out, she stopped walking only a distance away from Hiroto. Again, Hiroto would be able to see the back of Yuuhi's head if he was looking up, but he kept his gaze on the floor. Yuuhi didn't look back and just stood in front of him.

"If you're not going to tell me…it's fine," Yuuhi said, turning her head a little to the side to make her voice audible from where Hiroto was standing.

"But I'm not changing."

With that being said, Yuuhi left and called for a cab. Hiroto was frustrated at himself for not being able to answer Yuuhi, but he was more shocked of what Yuuhi told him before she left.

"What are you trying to tell me….Yuuhi?"