CHAPTER 8: BODYGUARD
Karma dropped Yuuki at the front gate. He patted her head as a good luck charm. Not many students were around so they were enjoying each other's company.
"I'll see you at lunch time?" Karma said to her.
Yuuki nodded. "Good luck…!" she said.
"No good luck kiss?" Midori suddenly appeared behind Yuuki.
Both Yuuki and Karma were startled. Yuuki blushed furiously at the question. Midori grinned sheepishly. Karma only gave out a nervous chuckle. He said goodbye again and was on his way to the main building where the Midterms would be held. Yuuki turned to Midori who giggled.
"Don't say that ever again!" the pink haired complained.
"Oh, come on~ It's not like you've never kissed before," Midori teased.
Yuuki bit her lower lip, rolled her eyes and gripped her bag tighter. Her best friend could read her nervous expression. The pink haired girl walked ahead of her.
"Wait… You two never kissed?!" Midori exclaimed.
"Yes.. let the whole school know!" Yuuki groaned.
"I can't believe it… You've been with him for almost a year now…" her best friend muttered.
"Let's just focus on our midterm.." Yuuki replied, running to the classroom.
"You two are so weird.." Midori remarked. "I'd be kissing my boyfriend on the 1st date!"
A few students turned to them upon hearing what Midori had said. Yuuki covered her face with her bag out of embarrassment.
Karma and Nagisa escorted Yuuki to their building for lunch. They were done with the midterm exams and the results would be announced later in the evening. Yuuki was in deep thoughts as she was walking. She didn't see a slope and accidentally slipped. Karma took hold of her arm before she could meet the ground or sprain her ankle.
"Careful," he warned.
"Thanks…" she muttered a reply, hugging his arm after that.
"Are you okay?" Nagisa asked.
Yuuki nodded with a small smile. She kept her grip on Karma's arm as if she was scared of something. They reached their 3-E school ground. They sat in the fields and started eating. Karma kept his eyes on Yuuki, but she looked away every time their eyes met. He wondered what was on her mind. She kept on munching on her food quietly.
Karma picked his girlfriend up that weekend. They decided to celebrate the end of the midterm exam. He started telling her how his teacher grinded him to study more than he should and he managed to get top in his class. Yuuki was so happy for him.
"But I'm not gonna move to the main building just yet…" he said.
"I'm fine with that. I'm glad you found something to look forward to," Yuuki said with a smile.
Karma looked at her very fondly. "I look forward to seeing you every day…" he mumbled to himself.
They went to the movies. This time, they watched Yuuki's movie choice. She was so excited that it came out in the cinemas already. After that, they headed to the arcade for Karma's celebration. He told her about Kyoto.
"Kyoto, huh?" Yuuki asked Karma.
"It's a school trip. It'll only be a 3-days-2-nights trip," he replied.
Yuuki nodded to his words. She sipped on her boxed drink. The boyfriend chuckled at the sight. He patted her head to assure her things were okay. They stopped at a crane game with a lot of plushies inside. Karma asked his girlfriend which one she wanted. She pointed towards a small tiger plush. He won it for her.
"What's this for?" she asked teasingly.
"A parting gift," Karma stuck out his tongue, teasing her.
"Meanie!" Yuuki complained.
Karma laughed and she started laughing too. They made their way to the train station as the sky darkened. The train was not as crowded as usual. Yuuki took a seat while Karma stood in front of her. He watched her. She blinked at him.
"Have you packed up?" she asked.
Nodding, he replied, "Almost done."
Yuuki nodded again to his words. She stared at her phone after that. She didn't know what to talk about. Karma knew that she had problems, but he never wanted to pressure her to tell. He patted her head as comfort.
"I'll call before bedtime," he promised.
"Really?!" she asked, looking up at him.
He smiled and nodded. "I want to."
Karma walked her back to her flat. Her manager was waiting at the front door. The couple stared at each other confusedly. Hiro nodded to both of them as a greeting. Yuuki invited him in. Karma decided to stay for whatever discussion they are having. Yuuki served them some orange juice. She sat opposite of Hiro.
"We have a new offer for you," Hiro explained, looking at Karma.
"Wait, me?" Karma asked, confused.
"Him?" Yuuki was surprised.
Hiro nodded. He handed Karma a thin binder for him to read. The boy flipped through the pages. Yuuki received her own binder as well, for her next photoshoot. She started reading hers.
"Wait, you want me to be her bodyguard?" Karma asked, still flipping through the pages.
Hiro nodded. "Well, yes. That way you can stay beside her when she is Shizukana Yume. You are aware that an idol cannot have any affairs," he explained.
Yuuki pulled at Karma's sleeve, nervous. The boy heaved a sigh.
"Of course, we know that. I've never been out with Yume, only with Yuuki," he explained.
"I'm just worried...and I understand how worried you are when guys are ogling Yume," Hiro tried to reel Karma in.
"I shouldn't accept the offer. If I'm with her all the time, she might get too clingy and people will find out…" Karma said.
"That is where professionalism comes in. I am sure you two can keep it together…and we will get you your own disguise too," Hiro suggested.
Karma glanced up at the nervous Yuuki. She flashed a small smile at him. He contemplated.
"Besides, I trust no one else but you to be her bodyguard," the manager continued.
"I don't really need one since my Yume is a secret…" Yuuki reasoned.
Hiro shook his head. "However so, you can never be too careful," he reminded her, turning to Karma, "I look forward to hearing from you."
Karma contemplated. Hiro excused himself after that. Yuuki went to do the dishes. Silence was in the air. The only sound that could be heard was the running tap water. A hand suddenly touched hers. Yuuki turned to the right to see the owner.
"Is everything okay with you?" Karma asked.
Heaving a sigh, she asked, "Is it that obvious that it's not?"
He kept his eyes on her. Yuuki gave out a small smile, a small effort to assure Karma that she was okay. He thought of something.
"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" he asked.
"Will you?" she asked, her eyes shone brightly.
Karma chuckled. "I'll sleep on the couch."
Yuuki wrapped her arms around his torso. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Karma patted her head. They went back to the couch to watch a movie before heading to bed.
The class 3-E students watched as class 3-A to class 3-D boarded the first-class cabins. They were forced onto the regular cabins. Those were the rules set by the school to make a lesson not to be put in the last classroom. Yuuki made an appearance. She looked for her cousin. When she caught sight of Nagisa, she ran up to him and hugged him tight. He patted her head.
"I'll bring back souvenirs," he said to her.
Karma approached them. Nagisa boarded first.
"Have fun on your trip!" she smiled.
She noticed that students from other classes are watching them. A few were from the other classrooms. They had jealousies in their eyes. She acted naturally, hoping to not cause any trouble to Karma and Nagisa. Karma flashed his usual smile. He patted her head once.
"Call me if you need anything, okay?" he said.
She nodded. "Yes, I will."
She watched as the train took off. Hiro approached her when she exited the train station.
"You have an interview in 1 hour's time. I have informed the school," he said.
Yuuki nodded. "Then let's get going~"
Yuuki got in the car that was ready for her. The car had tinted windows and was equipped with curtains for extra protection. She sprayed her hair, took off her school jacket and put on her signature denim jacket. She changed her skirt to a mini skirt that was prepared for her. Luckily she had black leggings on so it was a breeze to transform inside the car. She pinned her hair with a hairclip given to her by one of her fans. She then put on some light makeup.
"So what is the interview about?" she asked.
"The interview is for a teen magazine, they wanted to know more about how you balance school life and your idol career," Hiro explained.
He handed her the papers with a set of questions. She read through them, nodding approvingly.
"As long as it's not about meaningless gossip or my love life," she muttered.
Hiro nodded to her words. "Well, we did have an agreement on that, so I will try to reject those kinds of interviews as much as I can," he replied.
"Thanks so much," Yuuki smiled.
She opened her mobile phone to check on any new messages. Karma shared a photo of him with his groupmates. She smiled fondly. Hiro saw her smile.
"You must really love him," he said.
She looked out of the window, taking a deep breath.
"I never really thought of it. He takes good care of me and I want to return the favor, is all.." she muttered.
Hiro's lips curved into a smile upon hearing what she said. He was glad for her. They arrived at the meeting spot. Yuuki got out of the car as Yume. Her fans screamed excitedly. She waved and smiled at them. A few photos were taken. She entered the building.
"Yume-chan! Long time no see~!" a woman greeted her. "The interviewer will be with you in 30 minutes. Please enjoy some tea and cake while you wait."
She gestured Yuuki to an empty table. Two cups of tea and a plate of red velvet cake was served on it. Yuuki and Hiro took their seats. The girl took a photo of the cake and sent it to Karma to update where she was.
Class 3- E had arrived in Kyoto and had checked into a small motel. It was nighttime, Nagisa and Karma went to the vending machine after their bath. As they each got a drink, they started to talk about Yuuki.
"A bodyguard huh?" Nagisa said.
"Yeah. He said I'd be perfect for the job because of our relationship," Karma explained.
They started their walk back to the boys' bedroom. Karma took a sip of his drink and heaved a sigh. He could not decide.
"If it's good money, I want to do it…" Karma remarked.
"But, it may put her in danger even more. Don't you think, Karma-kun?" Nagisa suggested.
Karma rolled his eyes, thinking hard. They reached the boys' bedroom. Most of their classmates had already fallen asleep, tired from the trip. Karma took his futon and wished Nagisa good night.
Karma started to scroll around his phone. He wanted to chat with Yuuki but it was already late. As he scrolled around on his gadget, he came to a photo of her. Yuuki was smiling happily, holding onto the Tiger plushie he got her. His lips curved into a smile.
"I can't let anything happen to you…" he whispered to himself.