*Walks in Awkwardly* Hi...It's been a while!
So I hope everyone has been doing well, enjoying the new year, all that jazz. I've been great myself, my visual novel is coming along fantastic(Over 200k written already) and with Valentines Day coming up, I thought "Hey, let's give my fanfiction an update, it's been long enough!"
However, the truth is that writing 3 Valentines Day Specials in 2 weeks is...Alot...So I compromised some.
Originally, I was going to just do a Valentines Day Special for Second Chance...But fuck it, might as well give this an actual update since it didn't progress much.
My Sensei will get a Two part Valentines Day Special, with Part 2 coming out on Valentines Day
Second Chance will get Chapters 4 and 5, with Chapter 5 coming out...Sometime before March hopefully.
Now...It has been a while, and I can't promise when Chapter 6 will be after Chapter 5 since I'll be mainly going back to my visual novel. Still, I have moved some plans up to compromise. Some reveals/plans I had for a bit later I brought up to now, and adjusted the story around them. I'm sorry if it seems rushed, but...I didn't want to leave cliffhangers that would last months on end(Again)
Also this was written at work to help with the Valentines Day Deadline of the other two stories, so apologies if the writing is choppy! Chapter 6 should hopefully read better since I'll write it at home!
Hope you all enjoy!
"Eh? An Actor?" Mem's voice carried over the phone as Gouro laid atop the hammock, his eyes fixated on the darkening sky above as he gave a nod to himself, responding in an almost dark tone.
"I have a singular…Well…Two goals in life, and they can only be achieved by acting. If I have to become the greatest actor in the entire country to fulfill those goals, then so be it."
"Hmm…What if you achieve those goals before you become the greatest actor? I mean, that's a pretty high bar to set for yourself." Mem said with a bit of an awkward laugh, almost as if she didn't fully believe Gouro.
"...Then I'll resign from being an actor, and become a doctor instead."
"A-A doctor? That's a stretch, isn't it?"
"I have medical training, so it wouldn't be that hard to follow."
Gouro's eyes darkened as he looked down at the ground, the grip around the cordless phone only tightening as he bit his lip. He was lying, and he knew it…In the event that his goals were fulfilled, that his father was dead and Ai was safe from any other potential harm…
Then his life would be meaningless, and all that would be left to do would be to end it.
Afterall, his original timeline is long gone, the Aqua of this world wouldn't grow up to become him, he would actually be able to live.
Maybe, unlike himself…
Maybe he would actually fully embrace the role of Aquamarine Hoshino.
Instead of clinging onto the past of Gouro Amamiya, that he himself still did to this day.
As Gouro's eyes darkened, Mem suddenly replied over the phone with an even more surprised tone. "Eh? You have medical training? I thought you were only sixteen years old!?"
"I am sixteen…It's a bit of a long story I guess…"
"Well don't leave me hanging! Tell me the story, I have all night!...Eh well, atleast another hour before I have to get ready for bed, got school in the morning and all." Mem once again laughed, as Gouro raised an eyebrow and adjusted himself on the hammock.
"Where do you go to school?"
"Eh? Oh uh, I attend Ashford Academy, it's an all girls school and everything…It's uh…It's an entertainment school, and I take…The idol class…" Mem's voice grew distant in embarrassment, as Gouro tilted his head to the side in curiosity.
"A all girls entertainment school? Surprised I've never heard of it…"
"Well it's about an hour from Leblanc, so not exactly in the general vicinity, and that's even if you take the subway! I've been attending for about a year now, and it's really cool because since I'm in the idol class, we sometimes get to attend concerts entirely paid for by the school! Of course we have to pay extra special attention, since our instructor will usually make us memorize the lyrics to repeat, memorize the dance to perform, or even both. So I guess it's less of a field trip, and more of an extension of our class."
"Idols huh…Have you ever gone to a B-Komachi concert?"
"Not in our class, in fact I've never been to one period…I would love nothing more than to go to one though, I don't know how many times I've watched them both live and on reruns at my house. I was so scared when I heard that Ai was attacked, but…I was even more relieved when I heard she was safe." Gouro could hear the emotions Mem described in her voice, as his eyes narrowed and looked up at the first star that appeared in the sky.
In his own time, Mem would become a famous youtuber before joining B-Komachi 2.0.
But also in his own time, Mem would devote so much time to being an idol, that it would cause her mom to collapse…
The Idol industry was ruthless, even just attempting to get into the industry could cost someone so much. Once you get in, then what? Being underpaid? Having to lie to people? Being stalked?
Being murdered?
Anger flickered across Gouro's face before he quickly collected himself, closing his eyes and giving a deep sigh.
"Well, I hope you get to go to one eventually…Just remember, no matter how much you want to be an idol, your family always comes first. Never put a career over the ones you love, and never…" Gouro closed his mouth, the words he wanted to say being hypocritical to every belief he held.
Or to some degree, used to hold…
"...Never what?" Mem asked confused, as Gouro bit down even harder onto his lip.
"Never…Treat Idols as anything but human beings. They perform and bring joy to people, and that's a great thing but…Never think they're anything but everyday people, attempting to bring a little joy into this world, while also having a private life as well." Gouro worded it the best he could, though he kept his true thoughts to himself.
There was silence for a moment, almost as if Mem was processing what he had said.
Finally, she spoke.
"Akechi-kun…You sounded really sad saying that…"
"...You're hearing things…"
"...If you say so…But, putting that aside, I know. Over at Ashford, our instructor made it very clear that anybody who only wants to become an idol because they idolize other idols, won't make it. This is a business at the end of the day, they said…A business that we should respect."
"That's a good way of looking at it. The Idol business isn't so much different than the fast food business, just that the goods they produce is different. At a Wcdonalds, you pay for a burger, fry and drink…For idols, you pay for music, clothing, figurines, ect…Both things bring you happiness in some way shape or form, but both things are also optional. An idol is like a frycook, they produce the things you want, just one is much more public than the other."
"...Are you saying Ai is a fry cook?" Mem said a bit deadpanned, as Gouro rolled his eyes.
"You know what I mean…"
"Yeah yeah, she lives in a pineapple under the sea, right?" Mem gave a cheeky cat like laugh, before slowly cutting herself off. "I get it though…Their people too, and just because I love her…Doesn't mean she loves me back, right?"
"...Exactly right." Gouro didn't even sugarcoat it.
He knew.
He knew the lies that Ai pushed.
Even if they served a purpose.
It was her lies…That almost got her killed.
"Still-" Mem interrupted his darkening thoughts. "I was happy to find somebody to talk about idols with me, but I wasn't expecting a reality check."
"...Sorry, there's a reason I don't have any friends." Technically true, considering they were all now children, if they were even alive yet.
"But…I prefer hearing it from a hot young actor than some grumpy old man!" Mem said with her cheeky tone returning, as Gouro raised an eyebrow.
"Hot huh? Very smooth there."
"H-Hey! You're supposed to roll with it!" Gouro couldn't help but give a small smile, his eyes watching over the various stars now forming in the sky.
"Well…I would rather give reality checks to beautiful young idols than old women."
"E-Eh!? Hey! No fair!" Mem complained over the phone, as a small chuckle escaped from Gouro's lips, as the two of them chatted away, going well over the one hour time limit Mem gave herself.
"It was nice talking to you Akechi-kun...I didn't realize we had been talking for two hours, haha..ha..."
"Same to you Mem, I'll call you later I guess."
"Y-Yeah! Um...Later!" After goodbyes were exchanged between the two of them, Mem just held her phone against her chest, a darkening blush blanketing her face.
The day had started off normally, helped around the house, headed to school, and then visit LeBlanc for some coffee and curry. Afterwards she was supposed to head home and watch her Ai DVD for the one hundredth time.
That was all thrown out the window however, when she ran into someone named Gouro Akechi. He was good looking, Mem couldn't deny that, but there were alot of good looking guys out there.
But...He knew Ai, even listened to some of her songs. That in and of itself earned him a few points in Mem's book.
But...He not only knew the dance to Ai's songs, but he knew it precisely. Every little movement, from even the small details of how to curl the fingers, was exactly like Ai.
No doubt about it, this guy was a superfan just like her.
But to be a hot and sexy guy, and not only be a fan of Ai, but openly talk about her and even have the confidence to perform her dance moves?
Yeah, Mem could admit that even though she just met him, she was smitten.
That was only father shown by their phone call, lasting as long as it did and the majority of it was her going off on tangents about Ai, or her own dreams to be an idol. Not once did Gouro complain or attempt to change the subject, in fact he even encouraged her and told her she would be an idol popular enough to rival Ai!
Just thinking back on that made her heart race and her beet red face grow even hotter. "Jeez..."
Mem let out a low sigh, though the small smile on her face betrayed said sigh.
"Still though, he mentioned he wants to be the greatest actor ever huh?" Mem spoke in a whisper, holding her phone still tight. "Would that make us a power couple if we-"
Realizing what she was saying, Mem buried her face into her pillow and shook her head back and forth.
"Gah, what am I saying!?" Mem lightly pounded her bed, before she gently moved her head to the side and peeked out from her pillow. "Still, if I like him, I guess getting to know him more and asking him would be next...U-Unless he asks me out but he's a little quiet so maybe i should take the initiative? Jeez I don't know, it's not like I've ever had a boyfriend before..."
While Mem complained to herself, a knock suddenly came at her door, followed by a voice. "Hazuki? Are you free?"
"A-Ah yeah!" Mem pushed herself up on her bed the best she could, hoping her bright blush wasn't noticeable as her door was pushed open, and her mother walked in with a small grin. "U-Um...what's up?"
Mems mother walked into the room, grin still present as she smugly crossed her arms "So how was...What did you suddenly scream in surprise...Akechi-kun?"
"A-Ah..." Mem's red face somehow got even hotter, her stare turning towards the side. "Y-Yeah we uh...Met at Leblanc...Had coffee together..."
"Oh, a coffee date already huh?" Mem's mother giggled, enjoying teasing her usually confident daughter.
"W-Well I was talking about Ai, and then he chimed in and we started talking and...then we exchanged numbers and..."
"And...then he called and talked to you for a couple hours?" Mem could only nod from her mother's words, causing the older woman to chuckle. "Well don't leave me hanging, what is he like?"
"Well...He's kinda tall, taller than me...Has blond hair...Deep blue eyes...A deep and hot voice...Charismatic...He also likes Ai...He..." Mem kept listing off thing after thing about Gouro that she had learned, only being interrupted by her mother.
"I see you're quite enchanted by him, huh?" Her mother giggled once more, causing Mem to go wide eyed but slowly nod.
"Y-Yeah...But I mean I just met him! So...It might just be a crush but...I don't know, it feels like he just gets me, even though we just met..."
"Well that's a good thing right? Even though you just met, you're already hitting it off. You're also that age, where you're finally finding boys attractive."
"I-I always have! This just...feels different..." Mem leaned backwards, threatening to fall back onto her pillow. "...It almost feels like it's straight out of a romance book or something."
"Hm, I know life isn't usually like what you see in novels...But every girl dreams of this exact scenario, so enjoy it." Her mother chuckled once more, before she turned to leave the room.
"A-Ah mom?" Mem called out, causing her mother to stop in her tracks. "Um...He's pretty quiet, he lets me do most of the talking...Should...Should I be the one to ask him out, ir...?
Mem's mother looked over her shoulder, the grin on her face turning into a small smirk. "Whatever your heart says dear."
With that, Mem's mother left her room, leaving the young girl alone. "Geez, thanks for the advice mom..."
Mem fell back onto the bed, holding her phone close still, raising it up to look at the number Akechi gave her.
"Living a romance novel huh? I wonder...I wonder where he lives?"
"So, that's that." Taishi spoke while he sat in his room, having called Gouro to his room to discuss his conversation with Strawberry Productions. "You have a pretty big hurdle to vault over, not sure how impressed that manager was with me pushing some no name like yourself to star alongside Ai."
"Makes sense..." Gouro ran a hand across his chin, his blank look not leaving his face. He had expected this, he was some no-name actor who suddenly proclaimed he wanted to star alongside not only the most popular idol in Japan, but also someone whose international profile had started rising since the stabbing event. "I have a general feeling of what the audition will be like with that manager."
He knew Ichigo alright enough, but obviously Miyako is who he had literal years of experience with...
Even if she, in this new timeline, had no idea who he was.
"I would advise, and hey maybe I'm off cuff here, but I would advise you to start looking at other agencies. The bar for Strawberry Productions is high to say the least, and at the end of the day, money talks. No matter how well your audition goes, they may still go with some hotshot actor with name recognition." Taishi spoke as bluntly as he could, pulling a cigarette out and placing it into his mouth before lighting it. "I'll let you stay here, I can find minor roles for you in my films and you have a ton of talent, but I would also advise to start looking into some smaller agencies."
"Hm..." Again, Taishi had a point, it was always a possibility that they would choose money over talent. Hell, if Gouro was in their shoes, that's exactly what he would do. "Still, I plan to go to the audition no matter what. At the absolute worst, an amazing performance will leak out to other agencies, and it will keep me in their minds in the future."
"Heh, despite your talent, that mindset of yours might be my favorite thing about you." Taishi chuckled slightly, while turning himself around in his chair. "In any case, your meeting with them is in a few days, so use that time to relax and prepare yourself."
"Alright...In that case, I think I'll take a walk around town, find a part time job..."
"Maybe a school to, you'll need that for the actors association."
"..." That's right, he would need a school...Maybe YouTou? That would offer opportunities, so wouldn't be the worst idea...Well, he can think on it while walking around town.
Wasn't the worst idea to explore afterall, his memory of Tokyo from over a decade ago wasn't perfect for obvious reasons. Maybe check out a few places of interest.
"See ya..." Raising a hand over his head, Gouro walked out from Taishis room, saying his goodbye to Taishis mother for the time being and making his way out of the apartment.
The cold air pressed against Gouro's neck while he walked down the sidewalk, hands in his pockets and a neutral look on his face. He had no real destination, he just walked and took in the sights. He focused on places he recognized and places that used to be different, differing thoughts running through his mind as various possibilities ran through his head.
While he walked, whether through some divine force or through muscle memory, he found himself back in front of the bar from the day prior, Leblanc.
"...Thinking on it, I think some young guy ran the place during my original time..." Gouro said to one in particular, before he walked forward and pulled the door open.
The bell rang when the door opened while the older man, named Sojiro if Gouro remembered correctly, looked up from his newspaper. "Ah, you're the kid from yesterday with Mem. Come here to wait on her?"
Sojiro said with a sly chuckle, yet Gouro responded with a shrug. "I'm just new to town, so I'm just out and about exploring. The coffee here was pretty good, so I decided to pay another visit."
Gouro walked over and sat down at one of the booths, while Sojiro readied the same coffee order from yesterday. "Is that man from yesterday with you?"
"Hm? No, I'm by myself today...So just one coffee." Sojiro nodded, while Gouro leaned back in his booth, listening to the news in the background.
The coverage surrounding Ai's attempted murder was unsurprisingly still the main focal point, with Ai herself doing some sort of press Conference to answer any and all questions that she was willing to provide.
Gouro, over the years of his life, had learned to tune out Ai's words. Whenever he heard old recordings of her, from family videos to her music...He couldn't handle it, it was just too much.
So he had to practically force himself to listen to her press conference.
From what he heard, her answers were pretty scripted. It was the most non answers of answers, no doubt because of both the ongoing police investigation and also whatever Strawberrys Productions law firm was working on.
Of course, there was also the obvious answer of Ai having no intentions to oust who her lover, or rather ex lover, was. Gouro didn't know why, but a part of him figured Ai had no intention of ousting him...Publicly anyway, who knows what she had going on behind the scenes.
Sojiro eventually brought Gouro's coffee over to him, laying it down on the table and then walking back over to his newspaper. Looking down at his coffee,Gouro grabbed it and brought the cup up to his-
"Yo! Sojiro-kun" The door to the Cafe suddenly swung open, the familiar sounding voice from yesterday ringing out. "Just give me my-"
Her voice suddenly stopped, her eyes moving over and locking with Gouro. For a moment, neither said anything, Gouro's stone cold face and the girl's ever reddening face simply stared at one another.
"...Sup, Mem?"
"H-Hey...Akechi-kun..."
Gouro's voice cut through the thick air like a sharp sword, causing Mem to softly jump before she gulped and nodded. "I guess you come here everyday?"
"A-Ah um...Kinda..." Mem stayed at the door, blushing with her hands folded in front of her, body gently swaying back and forth. "M-Mind if u sit with you?"
Her throat gulped once the words left her mouth, a bead of sweat rolling down the back of her neck. All kinds of thoughts rushed through her head, worried that Gouro would-
"Sure, I don't mind."
...Her worries were unfounded.
"T-Thanks..." Slowly walking across the Cafe, every step feeling like a mile, she slowly reached the booth and slid in, sitting across from Gouro . "Um...How are you today...?"
"I guess I'm alright, hanging around town, exploring a bit."
"Oh right, I remember you mentioned that over our call, how you were new to town." While they began their conversation, Sojiro walked over and placed coffee down in front of them both.
"Consider it on the house." Sojiro said with a wink, before he walked back over to his bar.
"A-Ah thanks..." Mems blushed only deeper, quickly reaching over and picking up her cup, and bringing it to her lips. "So uh...How has your job as an actor been going?"
"Going alright, I have an interview with Strawberry Productions in a few days." Gouro said with a shrug, bringing his own cup of joe to his lips.
"Oh that's-" The words Gouro just said dawned on her, eyes widening some while almost dropping her cup. "W-Wait! Strawberry Productions!? The agency that Ai is signed onto!?"
"Yeah, the same one." Gouro kept his composure, placing his cup back onto the table and leaning back on hia booth. "Director Taishi Gotanda wants me to be the male lead in his new film, but I need an agency so he got me an interview with Strawberry Productions."
"I-I see...Why...Strawberry Productions though? They're an idol agency right?"
"Well, Idols are their main business but nothing is stopping them from representing actors. Still, Ai is playing the main female lead in the movie, so that also plays a part." Gouro kept speaking without much enthusiasm, his eyes somewhat darkening as he thought about the possibilities that could come from being in said movie with Ai.
"..." Mem however, stared at Gouro with both shock and awe, her eyes practically sparkling. In that moment, Gouro went from hot and cool, to hot and cool and awesome and just everything in between. "Y-You're going to act...With Ai...?"
"Well, if I get approved by Strawberry Productions, which is no guarantee. Even if my acting is top notch, they might still prefer an actor with name recognition." Gouro explained calmly, yet...
"You're going to be acting with Ai!"
"Well, as I said-" His words though were interrupted by Mems fangirl squeal, which was quite different than the mature and crafty woman he knew.
She likely grew up alot after her mother overworked herself.
Speaking of...
"By the way Mem-"
"Wait, wait, I have to ask this now before Ai sweeps you off your feet!"
"Sweeps me...?" Gouro tilted his head to the side, not at all knowing what the hell she meant.
With a bright red face, hands shaking, Mem pushed herself up on the table and looked directly in Gouro's eyes. "Um...Akechi-kun, I know we just met and maybe I'm rushing this but..."
"But...?" Gouro led her on, still curious to what she wanted to ask.
"Um...I know we just met but...but..." Repeating herself, Mem brought her hands up and slapped her face before she pushed the words out. "Do you...Want to go out!?"
"...Huh?" Gouro's words caught in his throat, staring at Mem in almost disbelief. "...Going out...?"
"Yeah like...a...a date...Do you...want to go out on a date...?" Mems face was blushing a solid deep red, her voice threatening to break as she forced the words out of her mouth.
Gouro meanwhile just stared at Mem in disbelief, shocked and completely caught off guard by her question.
He could tell she had a small crush on him, just from how long she stayed on the phone with him. But to be asking him out...?
Akanes and Kanas faces flashed through his mind, from his fake to real relationship with Akane to Kanas hidden feelings for him.
Not to mention the feelings of Sarina Tendouji...
Romance and love had been nothing but hell for him, so why would he ever accept her request? She was set to become a huge internet star, even if she never became an idol in this timeline.
Yet...When he looked into Mem's sparkling eyes...
He didn't want to make her cry, even if she only had known him for a day...He had known her long enough to consider her a friend.
Sighing through his nose, Gouro looked to the side before he gently nodded. "...Sounds fun...I'm up for it..."
"...A-Ah..." Mems eyes widened even more, her deep blush somehow brightening. "O-Okay...okay! Um, geez..."
Mem placed both of her hands against her cheeks, heat radiating through them while her eyes kept moving between the table and the Actor sitting in front of her.
"Um...I've never had a boyfriend before, so..."
"Going on dates equals us being a couple, huh?" Gouro said with his still neutral voice, making Mem jump.
"A-Ah! N-No of course not, I mean..." Mems words struggled to come out of her mouth, yet Gouro couldn't help but allow a small chuckle to escape his mouth.
A chuckle that caused her heart to skip a beat..
"I'm teasing...I've had..." Gouro trailed off, thinking back on it. Truthfully, he had quite a few flings while he was a doctor...but ever since he was reincarnated..."I've had just one girlfriend myself, she was an actress though she preferred stage acting."
"Stage acting? I bet that's alot of fun! I've always been interested!" Mem giggled lightly, pressing her Palms against one another. "Mm, you said you were new right? Why don't I show you around the city, all the spots to hang out?"
"That sounds fun, better than walking around by myself." It worked out too, he could just pretend not to know anything and ask questions about things he doesn't recognize from his own time. "Maybe you can show me a few restaurants we can eat at."
"Y-Yeah that will be fun! And uh..." Mems legs pressed against each other while she spoke. "Maybe we can even see a movie together..."
Old school, but it reminded Gouro of his stage play date with Akane.
"Sure, maybe we can even go to an idol show together."
"Oh that be a ton of fun! Even if we don't see Ai, we can go to a few underground groups! They're always a lot of fun!" Mem continued to giggle while she spoke, having a ton of fun just discussing plans with Gouro, let alone actually going through with them. "Maybe we can go right now? Oh but..."
Mem scratched the side of her face, before she mumbled.
"Mom mentioned she might need my help, but maybe if I called and asked..." Gouro's eyes widened some, before mellowing out.
That's right, Mems mother does eventually overwork herself because of her daughter chasing an idol dream that never bears fruit.
"...What does your mom need help with?"
"Hm? Oh, she mentioned she wanted me to help her clean around the house and move the couch to another room...My brother's could help, but I think they're staying with a friend..." Mem pulled her phone out to call her mom, but Gouro reached over and gently pushed it back down. "Huh?"
"I'll help you."
"Help...?" Mem tilted her head to the side, while Gouro nodded.
"I'll help you clean and move the couch, I don't want to take you away and leave you mom to do all that work by herself." Gouro forced a small smile on his face, and after a moment's Mems face heated up once more.
"Eh? But...I don't want to bother you..."
"It's not a bother, I'll help you do what you need to do, and then we can go on our date. How does that sound?" Mem just stared at Gouro, her eyes sparkling even brighter than before.
"O-Okay...Su-Sure! Kinda embarrassing for you to meet mom already but...T-That sounds fun still!" Mem said with genuine joy in her voice, which even Gouro's cold heart was happy to hear.
"Well we should get moving then, quicker we get done, quicker we can catch a movie."
"R-Right!" Mem quickly finished up her coffee, before standing up quickly, somewhat shaky. Gouro followed suit, walking over and paying extra to Sojiro to also cover Mems coffee, even though it was on the house.
Once all that was paid for, Mem smiled and nodded.
"S-Shall we get going then?"
"Yeah, let's head on." With that, Mem bid farewell to Sojiro before heading out to the cold air outside, Gouro in tow as they made their way to Mem's house to assist her mother.