Smile for You Chapter 4: Survivor
A reviewer just recently brought up a very good point; the ages of the characters. Honestly I hadn't realized I'd revealed Yuna was slightly younger than her canon self yet. Don't worry, I'm aware Yuna should be around 2-3 years older than Asuna and Sachi, but I wanted to keep them all 18 while keeping Kazuto and Eiji around a year or two older for two very specific reasons.
The first is that many idol groups tend to start declining around the time the members of the band begin to hit their mid-20s unless they're really popular. Since I wanted to have the MBCs to be at a sort of high point in their career, I opted to shift Yuna's age back a few years to align with Asuna and Sachi.
And as for Eiji and Kazuto-... Those memorial bracelets they were wearing? They're a little more important than they might first appear to be.
Eiji found himself scanning the surrounding private garden he found himself in with a sense of awe bubbling in his gut. It was a quaint little grove, though how it could exist- No; thrive- in this bustling smog-choked metropolis was completely beyond the young man. In his experience it seemed as if even a potted plant couldn't survive more than a week in this overcrowded and polluted city, yet this garden-... Whomever had taken it upon themselves to care for this garden harbored a rare talent, that Eiji could say without a doubt.
Flowers enveloped his vision in an array of color that could have easily rivaled some abstract artists penultimate work, though Eiji was sure that no painting could rival the array of blues, purples, and whites that captured his attention.
Of course those colors didn't come from any flower.
"Hey! Over here!..." Yuna's voice chimed like a crystal bell over the distant sounds of traffic that, unfortunately, still reached Eiji's ears, even in this little alcove.
There she sat, in the very black, red, and pink costume he had seen her wearing only a day before, though she lacked the strange headband that sported speaker-like circles atop her head. They must have been a little too uncomfortable to justify being worn in such a casual setting, Eiji surmised as he approached the idol.
"Sorry for dragging you out here like this!..." Yuna's lips parted in laughter as she tilted her head in a playful, almost provocative fashion.
"It's uh, fine?..." Eiji found himself stuttering as he tentatively took a seat next to the silver haired woman, "What's with the wardrobe change?"
"Well-... Work!" Yuna offered a carefree shrug that only seemed to amplify her lighthearted expression, "I am interviewing you after all!"
"...Ah."
It was only moments before a pregnant silence descended upon the two of them.
Ah, shit... She was expecting him to bombard her with questions wasn't he? Though to be fair to the idol, she probably had a habit of being thrust into conversations in which the other person had more than enough to carry the day.
"So... Do you listen to my music at all?" Yuna asked after an almost uncomfortably long silence, though somehow she possessed the willpower to keep the smile plastered prominently on her face.
"That's a requirement?"
"No, silly! I'm just curious!..."
"...Well no, sorry." Eiji admitted halfheartedly, "My partner's sister and her friends are fans though... I think."
"Okay!... Uh-..." Yuna's black skin tight boot tapped methodically against one of the wooden bench legs, "What's her name?"
"Sugu Kirigaya."
"Sugu... Sugu..." The white haired idol suddenly snapped her fingers as her eyes lit up, "You wouldn't happen to be referring to Suguha Kirigaya, the amateur athlete, would you?"
"...I am. How do you know that name?"
"She's a pretty heavy poster on our fan site, and I think she's responded to practically all of my Twitter posts!..."
"She'd have a conniption if she knew you knew her name." Eiji chuckled, "I'm surprised you care enough to pay attention to some frequent poster on your site though. Did she win a competition or something once?"
"I care about all my fans!" The idol stated proudly as she held a finger over Eiji's nose, almost tauntingly so, "Even the ones who aren't fans just yet!..."
"Mhm. So how do you really know?"
"Aww!... No fun..." Yuna puffed out her cheeks as she gave a playful pout, "She and her friends entered into this karaoke thing once. They didn't win, but I happened to see the video they sent in."
"Was this a few months ago?..."
"Mhm."
"Ah, crap..." Eiji's hand found his forehead as he felt himself wanting to shrink away in his seat, "That video... Sugu 'n the Gang..."
"You know about it?" Yuna inquired, tilting her head.
"I was in it..." He admitted with no small amounts of horrified embarrassment lacing his words, "They had me holding the boom mic..."
"Woah, what?!"
Yuna whipped out her phone at a near superhuman speed and quickly began typing away on the touch screen, her thumbs moving wildly as she attempted to locate the video in question.
"Oh my God! You're right! There you are!" Yuna giggled as the video began to play on her screen. She jabbed her finger into the corner of the screen where a figure holding a boom mic indeed stood, an awkwardly confused expression adorning his face, "See? You are a fan!"
"Eh?!"
"Sent in a contest entry." Yuna hummed, giving him a playfully smug grin as she leaned over towards him, as if daring him to disagree, "You qualify by default."
"Uh huh." Despite the annoyance he should have felt at Yuna's insistence he instead found himself conceding the point as he merely shook his head with a calm grin adorning his face.
That calm moment was short lived however, and soon the awkward aura that had permeated the gardens only moments before returned with a vengeance.
Great. The one talking point that the gods of fate had practically handed to him on a silver platter, and he'd screwed it up royally.
What was he supposed to say to someone like this? 'Nice hair'? It wasn't like he'd been expecting to deal with arguably one of the biggest names in music. Truth be told he hadn't even thought he and Kazuto would make it far enough to meet their client, and even then, for that client to be someone like Yuna-...
"I'm, uh-..." Eiji practically felt his tongue twist inside of his mouth as his brain desperately fought to say something, anything, to this young woman sitting only a foot or so away, "I'm surprised your manager let you out here with me. Seems kinda counter productive to be searching for a guard while letting your VIP wander off with strangers."
"Oh, he's been watching us since we got out here."
"Huh?" Eiji's eyes shot open as all of his senses seemed to jump to attention, "How do you?-..."
Yuna wordlessly pointed up at the corner of the building, where a security camera pointed clearly in their direction, it's lens auto-adjusting itself every few seconds.
Ah, well. That certainly explained that, he thought. He was a fool to think she would be left alone with a stranger, he supposed. But-...
How hadn't he seen that? That should have stood out like a sore thumb for someone like him. Was he truly that distracted?
"...Ah."
"Yeah, don't worry. He's definitely protective..." Yuna nervously laughed and gave a dismissive wave, though the smile on her face soon evaporated regardless, "Sometimes overly so..."
"Not your fault." Eiji offered a soft chuckle of his own, "I'm guessing that's what that performance in his office was about?"
Yuna nodded kicking her feet against the pristine pavement that divided off the garden into neat little sections, "Sorry again for that, by the way. I kinda just wanted to get him back for being rude to you guys."
"Huh? You heard all that?"
"Mhm. Our dance studio is just next to the office you were in, and I heard him call you pathetic, so I just kinda-..." Yuna shrugged, her glowing smile returning like spring itself breaking through the melancholy of winter, "I just kinda went for it!"
"Hey, look at it this way; at least he gives a-..." Eiji felt his voice failing him as a sharp twinge suddenly rocked through his abdomen like a burning lance.
What was that about?...
He didn't feel amazing...
"Are... You okay?..."
"Yeah, yeah I just ate something uh-... Unusual."
"Ohhh. Yeah I had this weird smoothie the other day that-..." Eiji found himself glancing over in curiosity as Yuna's voice slowly trailed off, replaced by a curious; "Hey... What was that?"
And that was when the relative aching in his stomach turned into a full on knot, as no more than a few seconds after Yuna's question was imposed, her hand was wrapped gently around Eiji's wrist.
The young man felt himself freeze. Her skin, as he suspected, was almost baby smooth. It was a complete contrast to his own rough and worn hand. Like a swathe of pure Egyptian silk being dragged across dirty gravel of a muddy path.
"You're... A Survivor?..."
"How'd you?!-..."
Yuna's finger was on Eiji's wristband in a matter of moments.
Eiji let a long string of curses fly by in his head. No use hiding it now, he supposed, "Yeah... I am. Kazuto and I both are..."
At Eiji's reply Yuna's fascination finally boiled over for but a moment. Unfortunately that moment was just long enough for her to lean towards him and blurt out; "Really?! What was it like?"
"..."
"Oh! Shoot-... I forgot..." Yuna silently berated herself as she watched Eiji's expression visibly darken, "None of you like talking about it, huh?..."
"No. We don't..." Eiji affirmed, his voice low.
"Well we all have to have our secrets, right?" Yuna shrugged, her smile returning almost instantaneously, "Yours is safe, don't worry. Sorry if I-..."
"It's fine." Eiji interrupted, glancing over after a moment with a near silent; "...Thanks."
"Hey, speaking of secrets... I get we just met and all, but you don't mind doing me a favor, do you?"
"Hmm?"
"You don't really seem to care, so would it be okay if I just close my eyes for a few seconds?"
"Nah, I don't mind. Something up?" Eiji asked as Yuna leaned back against the wooden frame of the bench, letting her eyes drift shut as she let out a small sigh.
"Eh, it's just that today was supposed to be my day off after practice but given what happened at the concert a few days ago my Dad was dead set on getting us extra protection. Honestly I don't even want it... No offense."
"None taken." Eiji grinned, "Wait. Did you say your Dad? I thought we were being interview by Mister Shigemur-... Ahh.. Duh."
"Yep, you met my Dad." Yuna confirmed, "He's our manager. Don't worry, he's a nice guy once you get to know him, even if he is a little overbearing."
"I'll keep that in mind then..." Eiji chuckled.
The two continued to speak for what seemed like hours. About the small, the great, and anything either found interest in between. Music? News? Even the damn weather? It all suddenly seemed infinitely more interesting. Multiple times during their conversation, Eiji found himself gazing over to his newfound conversational companion.
He just couldn't help but to marvel at how-.. How normal she was.
This Yuna, the one who wasn't putting on some perky act, was someone he could see himself speaking to for hours on end without an issue.
He had no problems speaking with someone as genuinely interesting as this little idol, and for him that was certainly saying something.
Before Eiji knew it the sky had grown amber, the late afternoon sun hanging over the city like an orange shroud. It had almost certainly been several hours, but for Eiji it felt as if it had honestly been no more than a few minutes.
"You're certainly trusting. How do you know I won't blab on social media about all this?" Eiji finally asked once the conversation had finally begun to show signs of dying down.
"You don't look the type." Yuna replied as she leaned back on the bench, blinking up at the twilight sky.
"For blabbing or social media?"
"Both."
Eiji felt a smirk cross his face as he huffed in amusement, "Well, you're right on both fronts. Social media and I have never really gotten along."
"It isn't all bad. Heck, it's practically a direct link with my fans." Yuna grinned, "As you now know."
"That's not always a good thing."
"Yeah... Good comes with the bad. The good ones are always fun to chat with. But I can never talk with them all, not enough time in the day. Plus you have the more fanatical ones, like the guy from the concert."
"I saw that on the livestream." Eiji paused glancing over to give her a nod, "...You handled yourself well."
"Thanks. I feel bad for him though, it must suck..." Yuna sighed sadly, "Like... Chasing some girl dancing around on stage just to get a piece of fabric from her costume. How sad is that?... I just hope there's someone out there for him..."
Eiji felt a whimsical laughter bubble in his throat, but willed himself to keep it contained. Seriously? She was worried? Some guy attacks her on live TV with a sharpened key and she's the one worried for him?
This Yuna girl was unique alright.
"Speaking of which, aren't you cold in that?" Eiji asked in effort to both steer the conversation back on track and to keep himself from laughing at the girl's bizarre state of mind regarding her attacker.
"This?... Oh, nah, I've gotten used to it. Honestly I could even stand it being a little cooler, thing's made half out of silk and half latex so I'm always burning up in it!..."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah!... Have you ever had to wear a costume? It's like trying to move around in Saran Wrap."
"Only for Halloween."
"Come work in music." Despite the small laugh Yuna gave, Eiji could hear no small amount of annoyance laced into her tone, "Every day's Halloween."
"Why? New outfit each day?"
"...Because you always have to wear a mask."
"What?-..." Eiji's inquiry was interupted before it could even begin as his phone suddenly began to blare from his pocket.
Retrieving the device, the young man could barely suppress an annoyed groan as she gazed upon the name emblazoned upon the screen.
"Uh..." He glanced over to a curious looking Yuna, "Sorry, this is my friend; Nezumi... You don't mind if I?..."
"Go ahead." Yuna answered with a smile.
Part of him would later admit he wish he hadn't answered the call.
"Hey! E-boy! How'd the interview g-..." Nezumi's voice trailed off as Eiji activated his video camera function, staring down at the blonde haired gremlin on his phone with a grimace, "You're outside..."
"I am..."
"Why're you outside?!... Did you get hired?!"
"I mean, not exactly-..."
"Not exactly?!" Nezumi's free hand was thrown up, nearly slamming into the side of the van, looming over her in the background, "You've only been there for 15 minutes! 15 minutes Eiji! I can't even shove a pizza down my throat in 15 minutes!"
"That's a visual I didn't need..."
"Oh shut up! You had one job you idiot! You had to play nice and introduce yourself to the agent and you screwed it up so badly you're squatting out behind the building like some sort of pathetic hobo gargoyle?!"
"Nezumi-..."
"How do you fuck up a hi?! How?!"
"You aren't even giving me a chance to explain!..."
"Explain?! Oh, no I'm sorry! Go on! Explain!" Nezumi's smile was wild, nearly insane in its nature, "Explain to me why you're sitting out there! Go on, regale me with the reason we'll all be starving to death tonight, it'll make a nice final bedtime story!"
"He was just talking with me is all." Yuna suddenly spoke up, a sweet and pleasant tone lacing her words.
Her idol persona had returned in what seemed like an instant.
Eiji found himself blinking in disbelief when Yuna suddenly motioned for him to hand her the phone.
"Oh? And who is me?!" Nezumi's shrill screaming echoed through his phone speaker like nails on a chalk board, "Wanna show-... Ohhh... Oh... Oh holy ramen gods..."
"Hiya!" Yuna greeted as she reached over to tilt the phone towards herself. Each word seemed so cheery and positive, yet to Eiji, who had seen just a glimpse of the girl underneath, her words seemed so forced. So... Fake. "You must be Nezumi, right?"
"Eiji!... Who is this?!" Nezumi seemed far too enthused for Eiji's liking, "Because if that's who I think it is-..."
"It is."
"Are-.. Are you tellin' me what I think you're telling me?!"
"No! I mean-..." Eiji found himself glancing over to Yuna once more for assistance.
"I guess you're Eiji's handler?" She asked, evidentially picking up on the young man's plight, "I assume you were calling to see if Eiji here was just hired to be my bodyguard?"
Nezumi merely stared into the camera of her phone, watching the two with a serious vested interest.
"Well-... What do you say?" Yuna smiled and leaned towards Eiji, "Feel like taking up a job dealing with me?"
"Nochizawa I swear to God, if you don't say 'yes' I'm breaking your legs when you get home!"
Eiji chuckled, "Well... Guess that's my answer."
"Great!..."
Yuna's own laughter was infectious. With each giggle that passed from her lips, Eiji felt as if his heart would jump right from his very chest...
God, this was going to be interesting, wasn't it?
"You're hired!"