Broken Fragments

Chapter 31: Sudden Realization

"According to some of the cast members you two worked with, the two of you clicked right away and became a couple. Is that true?" the interviewer asked Yuuhi and Cloudy.

The couple, who had been dating for a month, and their managers agreed to the exclusive interview that one of the most viewed celebrity talk shows proposed. This interview was used not only to promote their relationship, but also their movie for the movie festival. Hiroto didn't really want to watch the two of them, but he was Yuuhi's manager and he didn't have any choice. He also didn't want to agree with the jobs that were proposed for Yuuhi because it involved Cloudy's being with her, but Hiroto knew that Yuuhi would want to do them.

"Aren't they just adorable?" Cloudy's manager asked Hiroto, only to get silence as an answer.

After spending half an hour on the set of the celebrity talk show, the interview finally ended with the couple's encouraging their fans and audience to watch their movie. The cameras stopped rolling as soon as the show's director announced his orders. The crew thanked Yuuhi and Cloudy before they changed in their respective dressing rooms.

While Hiroto waited outside Yuuhi's dressing room, he checked her schedule for the day that he saved on his phone.

"The whole day of Yuuhi and Cloudy romance, huh," irritated, Hiroto mumbled.

He returned his phone in his pocket and closed his eyes as he leaned his body and head back on the wall. Hiroto thought about what happened to him and Yuuhi before they made their way to her first job.

"We're going to be late, Hiroto-san," Yuuhi smiled, passing Hiroto.

Before they drove out of the parking lot, Hiroto confidently gathered his courage to talk to Yuuhi about what happened. However, before he could say anything, Yuuhi took a deep breath. Hiroto knew she was going to say something, so he patiently waited.

"You see," Yuuhi started, pausing as she looked at a blank wall in the parking lot.

"That wasn't me earlier," she coldly continued.

Hiroto was shocked and confused again. It wasn't the first, yes, but Yuuhi never failed to surprise and complicate Hiroto. He looked at Yuuhi's eyes and realized that they were cold and empty. He didn't have to look directly into them, but Hiroto was aware that her eyes weren't warm, but were icy blue. Even the silence and the brief moment before Yuuhi started talking again hurt Hiroto.

"I'll tell you again, Kazama-san," Yuuhi continued, turning her head to face Hiroto.

"I have Cloudy," she proclaimed.

"And I'm not her."

Just right after Hiroto sighed, a sudden realization came to his mind.

"Yuuhi," he thought, opening his eyes that showed deep worry.

He remembered all the smiles that Yuuhi had shown him and everyone. All the smiles she gave everyone, like her fans, the cast members she worked with in the filming of the movie, all the crew she had worked with, and also him, came rushing into his mind. Hiroto realized that all those smiles, even the smile she showed him when she was starting to call him by his first name and the time she played around with him before requesting to go to the festival, resembled the faint and fake smile Yuuhi used to trick him earlier.

"If that wasn't the real you…or your real smile…then—" Hiroto thought, trying to put the pieces together, like a puzzle.

"I'm done."

Before Hiroto could come to conclusion, Yuuhi walked out of the dressing room and interrupted his thoughts. Hiroto looked deeply into Yuuhi's eyes, which were still cold and full of pain.

"Yuuhi," he thought, not really wanting to think about the aching truth behind Yuuhi's smiles.

"Is there something on my face?" Yuuhi asked since Hiroto had been staring at her face.

"Oh! No, there's no—"

"Are you done, Yuuhi?" Cloudy cut off.

"Oh yeah," she replied with a gentle smile.

Hiroto noticed the same smile again, worrying him. The conclusion to his thought was right in the back of his mind. He didn't think it would be true, but with the smile that Yuuhi had shown once again, Hiroto felt reassured as if a static wave confirmed his thoughts.

"I'm going to ride with Cloudy. I'll see you at the next job," Yuuhi told Hiroto before she walked to Cloudy.

"Oh! Y-yeah. I'll just follow behi—"

"No need. Cloudy and I are going to eat lunch together since we have two more hours until our next job," Yuuhi warned.

"Oh, okay."

Hiroto felt a little disappointed, his head down. Yuuhi walked away from him to be by her boyfriend's side. However, before the two of them walked away from Hiroto, Yuuhi turned her head to talk to Hiroto.

"You should eat lunch, too. You only drank a cup of tea for breakfast, so you should grab something to eat," she kindly said.

Hiroto admitted to himself that he felt a little happy when Yuuhi said that. He wanted to smile, but seeing Yuuhi's arm clasped around Cloudy's arm made his heart unwantedly hurt. The couple walked away from Hiroto before he could reply to Yuuhi's statement.

"I'm so pathetic," Hiroto muttered, walking out the opposite direction from the couple with his hands in his pocket.

"Aren't you excited for the movie," Cloudy asked as he twisted his spoon to get the strings of pasta together.

"Oh—uh…yeah," Yuuhi answered, surprised.

The two were enjoying their lunch at an expensive Italian restaurant near their next job location. Since not many people can afford the expensive food there, they were able to eat in peace with no fans and paparazzi bothering them. The place was classy, and the waiters were trained to conceal celebrities that come to the restaurant. Classical music also played in their stereos, and the atmosphere was relaxing.

"Are you alright? You seem like you've been dozing off," Cloudy asked, worried.

"I'm fine. I'm just really tired," Yuuhi answered before sipping some of her drink.

Out of nowhere, Cloudy leaned in and kissed Yuuhi as soon as she placed her glass down. Yuuhi's eyes grew wide, but after a few moments, she closed them to enjoy their passionate kiss.

"What was that for?" Yuuhi flirtingly asked, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Just a spur of the moment."

The two smiled at each other, both of their faces flushed. They enjoyed the rest of their lunch time with a romantic atmosphere lingering as they planned for more time with each other.

Hiroto returned to the MEC building after grabbing a take-out lunch from one of the drive thru fast food chains nearby. His spirits were still down and his mind felt blank. However, when he arrived at the lounge, Hiroto found Seiji and Fubuki chatting while also eating their lunch.

"Hiroto! What are you doing here?" Fubuki cheerfully asked, seeing Hiroto walk in.

Hiroto decided to hide his problems after Seiji invited him over to the couch to eat lunch with them.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Hiroto, taking his lunch out of the paper bag.

"We're planning out what we're going to do on our visit to Kirari," Seiji answered.

"Her birthday's almost here, huh," Hiroto said with a sad look.

The three of them were silent for a moment to remember the late Kirari. Even though the pain was still fresh, Fubuki continued their talk to get rid of anymore aches they would feel if they kept thinking about her.

"Hiroto, you're definitely coming with us to the memorial park, right?" Fubuki, with concern glinting in her eyes, questioned.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, July 7 is Tanabata, which is Kirari's birthday and the movie festival. Won't you have to be with Yuuhi-san at the festival?" Seiji reminded.

"I can go to both. The festival isn't going to begin until before sundown, so I can spend the whole first half of the day at the memorial park," Hiroto resolved.

"That's good!" Seiji and Fubuki exclaimed in synchrony.

They were all glad that Hiroto would be able to make it that day, despite his busy schedule. Without Seiji and Fubuki's knowing, however, was that Hiroto felt a little troubled, somehow. In the back of his mind, he felt as if he should've just agreed to stay at the memorial for the whole day on Kirari's birthday. Although, of course, Hiroto had to say what was right to everyone, which is picking both. Feeling horrible about himself, Hiroto concealed his troubles with a fake smile.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door of the lounge, Yuuhi heard the whole conversation without the three's knowledge. Her blue eyes were still cold as always, but they seemed unkinder than before. Clenching her fists, Yuuhi tilted her head down to hide her irritated face.

"Did you get what you forgot, Yuuhi?" Cloudy asked, returning from the hallway where the bathroom was located.

"Yeah, let's go," Yuuhi calmly replied.

As she walked away, a sinister smile crept on her face to accompany the icy eyes she portrayed. The auburn-haired idol, however, managed to hide her main intentions all to herself.

Author's note:

Tanabata- a Japanese star festival, originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively). According to legend, the Milky Way separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar.