White Album 3 (A Possibility)

by ElectronicBee8771

Twenty years after Haruki and Kazusa left their homeland for forbidden love, the product of their union flees to Japan to seize his freedom. Blessed with the talents of his parents, 19-year-old Kitahara Leon is also a conflicted, vulnerable soul. But a chance meeting with a lingering thread from the past draws him into a musical and romantic journey that will change him forever.

3. Part 3 (Conclusion)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"Btoom!" yelled Eggplant and Squash to the camera again. "We're Eggplant and Squash, and welcome to another episode of 'Nogizaka Under Construction!' Today's special episode is our tribute to the greatest classic movies of the nineties and early aughts! Hit it!"

On cue, Yukiko plucked the open low E on her Paul Reed Smith like it owed her a year's worth of steak, creating a sound reminiscent of a gunshot. Her pick thrummed the string with tetanic fury while her fingers scrambled up the fretboard to voice one of the most iconic riffs in the world: "Miserlou," as played by Dick Dale and his Del Tones in 1962.

Instead of playing the piano, I thumped the bassline out on Yukiko's 1974 Gibson as Saeko slapped her way through her snares, hats, and crash cymbals. In front of us, the Nogizaka486 idol troupe swayed, jumped, and stepped to the beat with perfect synchrony. As much as I didn't like having to be on this particular show again, even I had to admit I was having fun.

It was a short song, perfect for a show's intro, and over within two minutes. We didn't have a trumpeter or anyone to man the keyboard, so we'd chosen an arrangement that made up for it with a flashier guitar section. It paid off handsomely for Yukiko, who finished with a flourish that drove the audience to their feet.

"Sugoi!" exclaimed Squash. "Hearing that made me feel like I was Uma Thurman getting a needle right in the boob!"

Eggplant started to grope Squash's chest. "What boobs? You're completely insufficient! I want Uma-chan!"

"You need to buy me dinner before you do that again," Squash retorted. "But before we get censored, I'd like to thank our returning musical guests, The White Album 3, for their help with today! Yukiko-chan, when's your album coming out, again?"

"Valentine's Day!" Yukiko said, forming a heart sign with her fingers for the audience. "Aishiteru!"

"I'm going to die of cuteness!" Eggplant cried, fanning himself.

Our invitation to the show had come as a surprise, given that we'd completed taping before Christmas. But a cancellation had given us an opportunity, and Rina and Eiji never turned down an opportunity for more exposure. And now that Yukiko and Eggplant had apparently started an unlikely friendship, the hosts were more interested in treating us like actual guests, instead of toys to break.

"You guys are getting a lot of hype, lately!" Squash said. "I saw the video for 'Replacing You' the other day, and I have to ask Leon-kun. Did you actually kiss Hanako-sama?"

"Absolutely not!" I said, waving my hands in feigned panic. "I don't wanna die!"

Eggplant shook his fist at me. "Are you absolutely sure? It looked like you were going to at any moment! Maybe you did it by accident!"

"I swear, we took Covid precautions," I said, prompting laughter from the audience.

"Okay, I guess we have to let you off the hook, then," Squash said. "So, back on track! Let's talk about our favorite movies of the nineties, starting with, of course, Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino…"

The show continued as the hosts, as well as the members of Nogizaka486 bantered with each other about their favorite movies and ranked them on a master list displayed on a large monitor overhead. When it came time to announce the winner of Nogizaka486's all-time favorite older movie, however, there was a clear winner that stood above all of the other entries: "Todokanai Koi," starring Sennouchi Akira.

"I guess our winner comes as no surprise, eh, Eggplant?" Squash said.

"They call it the 'movie crusher,' because once you see it, no other movie seems as good anymore, and you stop watching movies," Eggplant said.

"Hey Leon-kun, is it true that you're doing a cover of the theme song on your record?" Squash asked me.

"That's right, we are!" I said.

Eggplant chimed in. "Everyone's saying it'll be the first official cover sung by a guy. I don't know how I feel about that! You're not half as lovely as Hatsushiba Yukine!"

"Aw, give him a chance, Eggplant-kun," Yukiko said. "Hey, how about we play it for you, and you can see how you feel?"

"You know what, let do it," Eggplant said, to the audience's cheers. "But if I hate it, I'm gonna hit Leon-kun in the nuts!"

You can't stop being a motherfucker, can you? I thought, plastering a smile to my face. Of course, this had all been scripted, right down to the overall winner, and we were going to play "Todokanai Koi" all along.

I sat down at the Baldwin BP148 baby grand that the ADs rolled out for me. Saeko sat at her drumset again, and Yukiko took up her PRS again. I gave them the signal to start on my mark, and pressed the keys.

Kodoku na furi wo shiteru no? Naze darou ki ni natteita

Kizukeba itsu no manika, dare yori hikareteita

Dou sureba, kono kokoro wa, kagami ni utsuru no?

Todokanai koi wo shiteite mo, utsushidasu hi ga kuru kana

Boyaketa kotae ga mie hajimeru made wa

Ima mo kono koi wa, ugokidasenai

#

"We're going kinda far for a photoshoot, don't you think?" I asked Haruto as we sped down one of the major highway arteries piercing through and around the Tokyo metropolis.

"Hanako insisted on it," he said. "No other place would do, according to her."

"I don't know why," Saeko said from the backseat of the Tesla. "It's just my old high school. There's nothing really special there. We could've just used Yuunagi if she wanted the school building look."

"I'm sorta curious, though," Yukiko said. "Mom told me a buncha stories about it. Like, there's supposedly a secret music room where she practiced singing for the school fest and shit."

"Oh, you're talking about Music Room 2?" Saeko said. "That's not a secret at all. I friggin' practiced there with the Light Music club. The piano's way out of tune, too, because idiots kept leaving the windows open and the temperature fluctuates like crazy."

"How did my mom actually practice, then?" I wondered aloud.

"She's probably like Arima Kousei from 'Your Lie in April,' and can't hear the notes or some shit," Saeko said.

"But our family situations are nothing like on that show."

"Don't be a pedant. I bet you probably looked like little Kousei when you were a kid. Nerd!"

"Says the eighteen-year-old compsci PhD candidate."

She wrapped her arms around my neck and started to squeeze me against the headrest.

"No strangling in the vehicle," Haruto said.

"Still, though," Saeko said, softly. I felt a gentle smile on the back of my neck. "I'm glad you'll get to see my old school. Even though it's nothing special."

"Hey, how about me?" Yukiko said. "I didn't go there, either."

"I thought you did, though," I said.

"I went to Yuunagi High," Yukiko said. "My mom went to Houjou."

"How'd you two get to know each other, then?"

"We're childhood friends, yo. Just because we didn't go to the same high school doesn't mean we had no contact with each other. You really just get all your knowledge from anime, don't you?"

"Sorry, I guess."

"Weeb."

Shortly after, Haruto pulled into the parking lot of Houjou High and walked us in through the security gate and the main entrance. I couldn't help but betray my own Japanophilia by marveling at the fact that the shoe lockers looked exactly like they'd looked in my games and cartoons. I giddily imagined being a high school student getting a love confession letter in my locker.

"God, you are just a weaboo," the girls said to me dismissively as they passed.

We made our way up to the second floor, went down one of the branching halls, and then up to a pair of double doors at the end of what had been labeled as the music wing. "02" was displayed on a plate nearby, and next to it, a small plaque reading: "Donated by Touma Youko."

"Hey guys!" Hanako greeted us as we walked in. She cheerily waved, holding her Nikon DSLR. I noticed the Yamaha GC2 Baby Grand close to the windows, and immediately shook my head because a drafty space like that was no place to put a piano. Thankfully, I wasn't here to play it. Ring lights and diffusers had already been set up around the room. Yayoi stood silently in an unobtrusive corner of the room. She didn't greet us.

"Did you set this all up, yourself?" I asked her.

"Guilty as charged," Hanako said. "In case you didn't know, I'm really into photography, not just videos."

"Setsuna teach you this as well?"

"Actually, it was Eiji," she said. "Okay, good! You're all in your outfits. Thanks for making sure of that, Haruto-san."

Again, she was a complete master at forming a cheerful, immutable mask. It hadn't been that long since our encounter after the Budokan show, but here, I was just another kouhai helping her with her duties. At the same time, she now wore the little sterling silver bracelet I'd given her. It was a small, but immediately noticeable change, for Hanako usually didn't wear any jewelry, not even earrings.

"Oh! You're probably wondering why I chose this particular place, right?" Hanako asked. "I know I could have set this up anywhere with a grand piano, but this place is special."

"Oh, yeah, I know my mom and Leon's parents went here," Yukiko said. "Is this the secret music room?"

"You got it," Hanako said. "Although not really a secret, or off-limits these days. But I wanted to shoot here, because it's got so much history that's important to your families. So, without further ado, let's start. Leon. Sit on the bench, lean over, and rest your head on the fallboard. Look in my direction. I want you to be wistful, and your right hand to hover like it's about to touch a key."

She pointed at Saeko. "Sacchan, I want you to sit on the floor near Leon's feet, with your knees bent and feet facing away from him. Good."

"And Kiko, I want you on the bench behind to Leon with guitar in hand, hunched over the other direction, looking like you're concentrating on a note," she said, marshaling Yukiko to her place.

Just as an experiment, I tapped one of the keys with my finger. The piano was horrifically out of tune.

"Leon, I said wistful, not constipated," Hanako said. "Do you need to use the toilet?"

The girls snorted.

"Sorry," I said. "I'm having trouble imagining the look right now."

"Open your mouth a bit, defocus your gaze," Hanako said. "Good, that's better. Don't catch flies, though. I'm going to take a few shots from different angles."

She rapidly pressed the shutter while she walked around us in a semicircle, before thumbing through the results. "It's okay, but I want a bit more skin," she said.

"From him, I hope," Saeko said.

"Exactly," Hanako said. She walked up to me, and to my surprise undid the top few buttons on the blouse I wore. "Good, I want to see some chest," she said, teasingly. "And your hair…it needs to cascade over the piano more."

"I can't exactly control that," I said.

"Don't worry, there's a trick," she said, and came back with a small tape dispenser. "Double-sided tape. I'll apply small patches to the piano and stick your hair to it, so be very careful if you need to get up or stretch your neck or something."

"Is that really needed?" I grumbled.

"A significant number of people will buy a record based solely on the cover art," Hanako said, taping my hair to the Yamaha. She caught a handful in her grasp, and inhaled deeply before letting it go. "You're a really cute guy, so we need to capitalize on it."

"It's gonna be hilarious when it gets stuck in his hair like he's a cat or something," Yukiko said, cackling in earnest.

I couldn't turn my head to chastise her, taped down as I was.

"Much better," Hanako said, taking a step back and rapidly pressing the shutter again. "You'll love this."

After a few more minutes of taking pictures, rearranging parts of our costumes, and fiddling more with my hair, Hanako seemed satisfied. "Girls, can you help him with the tape? Setsuna will be angry if we mess it up too much," she said.

Grumbling, Yukiko and Saeko obliged, and I was free from the double-sided tape before too much longer. I might have been missing a few strands here and there, but I had enough to make up for the loss. My neck had gone a little stiff during the process, and I moved it around and cracked it with relish.

"Do you want to see?" Hanako asked. We nodded, and she went through a few of the last shots she'd taken.

True to what she'd said, we looked good, overall. In particular, the girls exuded a natural, elegant beauty. I, on the other hand, came off as looking a little stoned.

"My face is a bit…" I said, struggling with finding words they'd understand, seeing as there was no cannabis culture in Japan to speak of.

"I think you look contemplative," Hanako said. "And a contemplative man is a sexy man, at least to me," she said, with a wink.

I blushed. I wasn't a master of controlling my emotions and expressions like she was. "I trust you, then," I said.

"I'll send you all the final versions after touch-up," she said. "Now, if you'd help me take this stuff down and move it to the SUV, I'd appreciate it, and we'll be done for the day."

We set about to disassembling the lights and diffusion rigs, and packed them neatly into their cases, which we brought down to the parking lot and put in the Maybach.

"So do you have classes like usual, tonight?" Hanako asked us.

"Hell no!" Yukiko said, excitedly. "Administrative half day or something."

"Ah! What a nice gift," Hanako said, with a wry smile. She winked at us. "So…who gets to have him tonight?"

Yukiko and Saeko both reddened, as did I. "I do," Saeko mumbled.

"Then, Kiko, want to hang out?" Hanako said. "My schedule's unexpectedly free today."

"Aw hell," Yukiko said, looking crestfallen. "Hanacchi, normally I'd jump at the chance, but I already made plans with a buddy, since it's not my night."

"That's totally fine," Hanako said, cheerfully. "I'm going to catch up on some K-dramas and sleep, then. I'm about a year behind on both, so this is sorely needed!"

Who's this buddy of hers? I wondered, even though I knew it was petty of me to do so.

#

Saeko and I hit the ground running almost as soon as Haruto dropped us off at Youko's house. I'd no sooner closed the door to the house and taken off my shoes when she pushed me against the foyer wall and pressed her lips to mine. Her tongue practically went down my throat, and her hands immediately went for the buttons on my shirt. She'd have ripped the buttons off if they hadn't already been easy to undo. Her fingers slid over my chest and rubbed at my nipples, making me shiver. She rubbed her crotch over my growing erection, making me fear she'd try to simply fuck me here as if I was a housewife greeting a spouse while wearing nothing but an apron.

"Easy, Sacchan," I whispered, placing my hands over hers. "Don't forget my grandmother lives here, too. She might be watching, for all you know."

"How'd you know?" Youko asked, poking her head out into view. Her expression was equal parts amusement and embarrassment.

"Oh shit! Gomen nasai, obaachan!" I said, turning to shield Saeko from her view, as much good as that would do.

Youko gave us an indulgent laugh. "Take it upstairs, you two."

Saeko, rather than being mortified as I'd expected, simply laughed, took me by the hand, and dragged me upstairs to my room.

"Seriously," I said, as she closed and locked the door. "I told you not to do—" My words stopped as she pushed me down onto my bed and started to kiss me like she'd been deprived for a thousand years. I could do nothing but respond like an animal when she stripped my pants off and took me in her mouth. Before I approached the point of no return, she pulled away. My chest heaved with anticipation as I watched her fight her own clothing off, as if she'd forgotten how. To my pleasant surprise, she wore an open-tipped bra. There had been a subtle tension in her voice all day, although she hadn't indicated otherwise that anything was bothering her. Clearly, something had been.

"Ugh, this thing is such a fuckin' pain," she said, as she again straddled me. She reached over and took my bottle of "hand cream" from the nightstand, and slopped the contents out all over my manhood.

"What thing?" I asked, as she tossed the bottle aside. She leered at me, reached between her legs past her womanhood, and removed a small metal plug with a flat base. My eyebrows shot to my hairline. "You don't have to go that far for me," I said.

"Don't give me that shit. How about you just be grateful?" she said, as she positioned the tip of my member at the new opening. "I've been practicing just for you."

"Sorry. Thanks," I said, not knowing what else to say. "If it hurts too much, you don't have to, okay?"

"Don't compliment your dick so much. It's unseemly," she said, and started to push against me. Initially, I thought she'd simply missed the mark and was pressing bare skin against me. She leaned forward, pressed her lips to mine, and then increased the pressure. We both gasped as I penetrated her. She quickly went limp and silent.

"Are you okay? D-do you want me to move?" I asked after a few moments of stillness.

"No to both!" she spat. Slowly, she sat back up and started to gyrate. It was a completely different sensation from what I'd been used to, although I quickly conceded that it also wasn't some sort of miracle drug that would ruin vaginal intercourse for me. And unlike what porn portrayed, there was no way she'd actually reach orgasm like this, unless she had a prostate we were both ignorant of. Instead, the bulk of my pleasure came from the fact that this beautiful woman was striving to do something widely known to be more trouble than it was worth, just for me. Her expression, a mix of struggle fighting the desire to please, was probably the most arousing thing of all. Coupled with all the new feelings running through my body, it was enough to send me over the edge.

I moaned as her tensing walls squeezed every last drop out of me. She flopped down against my chest, her breaths ragged. I stroked her hair and gave her gentle kisses, which I knew by now were one of the things she enjoyed most during our encounters. I'd gotten to know a lot about her body during our time together, but also about what she fundamentally craved. I was happy to give it to her, and I was happy to be with her. "Daisuki-da," I said, deliberately. It hadn't been a gaijin mistake of mine. I'd been speaking Japanese too long for that by now.

She caressed my cheek. "Daisuki-yo."

"Do you want to come?" I asked her, softly.

"I'm a little sore," she said. "Maybe after dinner. What's in the fridge?"

"Not much. Just some raw udon noodles and fish cakes and miso. The helper who cooks for us is taking a vacation, so my grandmother and I have been doing a lot of delivery. I can call for pizza, if you want."

"Let me have a look," she said. "I'll whip up something. You probably have scallions and kombu, right? Every Japanese household has scallions and kombu."

"I thought you weren't interested in cooking," I said.

She rolled off me and started to put her clothing back on. "Normally no, but maybe I'm feeling kinda 'Domestic na Kanojo' right now. So shut up and enjoy it while it lasts," she said.

"I'll help you," I said.

"Your 'helping' is totally 'halping,' so let me handle it. Go lay around like a useless husband or something."

I grinned. "Husband, huh?"

Her face reddened. "Don't get any bright ideas!" She clenched her fists and turned away from me. "I mean, would it be so terrible?" she muttered.

I came up behind her and rested my hands on her shoulders. "I think you just had an argument with yourself. But no, it wouldn't be a terrible thing."

"If I go work for Google or something, you know I'm gonna make way more than ninety-nine percent of guys. Would my husband be okay with that? I know men get hella weird about that shit."

"As long as you don't make him stay at home all day wearing nothing but an apron, I'm sure he wouldn't mind," I said, nuzzling her hair with my nose. "Actually, some guys are probably into exactly that."

"Are you? You're kind of a sicko."

"As long as I had a piano or something to practice on," I said, with a chuckle."

"If he forgot to clean the place, or do the laundry, I'd make him pay with his body," Saeko said.

"Would you spank him?"

"I'd make him service all my holes," she sneered.

"That's pretty patriarchal of you," I said. "Or, is that matriarchal? I don't know."

"I'm a cis het shitlord and I don't care," she said, turning around. She kissed me. "Actually, I'm less sore than I thought I was. I'll take you up on your offer. Service me with your mouth, 'darling.'"

"Okay, 'dearest,'" I said, and got to my knees. I kissed, sucked, and licked at her through her panties, like she enjoyed, and after a short time, she pushed my head against her crotch and squeezed handfuls of my hair as she came. As her knees buckled, I wrapped my arms around her legs to keep her from falling. As she recovered, I gently lapped up the excess moisture from her slit with my tongue. It was salty and sweet, and scented lightly from the residue of my lubricant.

She ran her fingers through my hair. Her expression was devoid of her usual snark and seemed more embarrassed, yet not ashamed. "Enough playing house. I should get something on the table before we all starve."

I stood up and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "You sure you don't want help?"

"Forget it. Just, uh, you know, don't get in my way."

"Okay."

We took a few minutes to clean up (fortunately, our helpers stocked wet wipes in the bathrooms), meticulously washed our hands, and went downstairs. Youko gave me a wry smile as Saeko started ransacking the fridge for ingredients, but didn't offer any more commentary. Soon, I heard rhythmic chopping amid the sound of water boiling.

She'd told me plainly to stay out of her way, so I idly started browsing entertainment news on my phone. The White Album 3 were still a small, new group without a record release to out name, but the hype slowly grew every day. We owed Rina and Eiji, bigtime.

A short article title caught my eye. "WA3 guitarist spotted hanging out with married NUC host!" caught my eye. I clicked on it, and raised my eyebrows in surprise as I saw a picture of Yukiko sitting at a small outdoor cafe with none other than my enemy, Eggplant, the cohost of Nogizaka Under Construction. Eggplant's real name was Matsuoka, and from what I knew of him, he'd started his career at Kaiousha Media before switching careers to work in television.

Calm down, they're just talking about that dumb movie they both like in public, I chided myself while I stared at the picture. None of Yukiko's body language indicated she was flirting with him, although they appeared to be having a pleasant conversation. Still, the guy was married, so what was he doing hanging out with my girlfriend?

I shook my head to dismiss the thought. None of our relationships had ever been clearly defined. Yukiko had made it clear on multiple occasions that she'd never truly commit to me or anyone else. She had a fundamental right to hang out with whoever she wanted to hang out with, and if I objected, I was no better than an incel. Besides, I was literally having another beautiful girl cook dinner for me after we'd both had kinky, loving sex. I was in no position to complain. Before I deleted the article from my stream, I checked the byline. "Sawakura M," was the author. No idea who that is.

Shortly after I got off my phone, Saeko let us know that dinner was ready, and we all dug in to unexpectedly good leftovers udon. After Youko went to bed, Saeko and I furiously "played house" with each other for the rest of the night.

#

Because we still had classes, most of Yukiko's nights with me were preceded by a mandatory study session. Tonight was no different, but I'd also sensed the same sort of tense urgency from her that I'd sensed from Saeko the other day. It was evident when she couldn't get past the first reading assignment. Instead of the textbook, she kept on looking down at her phone, and then up at me with growing displeasure. I finally called her out on it.

"What's up?" I asked. "I'm on section five, and you're still stuck on one. Need some help?"

"I keep on seeing your face in the news, and it's annoying," she said.

"Huh? Why?" I said. "I don't mean my face, I know it's annoying, but why are we in the news so much?"

"Look at this crap," she said, and turned her phone so I could see it.

More small titillating articles appeared on her stream. "WA3 frontman dating his TWO other band members!" and "Growing romance between Kitahara and Iizuka sparks tension!"

"I don't understand," I said. "We don't even have a record out. Why are they devoting so much space to us, where there are real bands with real scandals to report on?"

"No clue, but look," she said, pointing to the article bylines. "All by the same shithead."

"Sawakura M," continued to pop up as the articles' author. "You know who this is?" I asked.

"Sadly, I do," Yukiko said. "Sawakura Misaki. She's a senior writer for a bunch of those Kaiousha rags. Mom had to deal with her bullshit a lot when she was in her singing days. Attacked her over the most inane shit, like being a single mom. Also accused her of cucking Eiji, which really pissed me off."

"Sounds like a bitter person," I said, shaking my head.

"The only good thing about Sawakura is that she's kind of an equal-opportunity attack dog. Like, she'll try to take down anyone. They call her the 'Scandal Master' for that. If I see her in real life, I'm gonna knock some teeth out."

"But why is she targeting us? We're not even remotely as popular as, say, Hanako is."

"Hanako's scandal-proof," Yukiko said, with a shrug. "Her tragic backstory only makes her more likable, and even Sawakura knows to lay off, or the readers will turn on her. But for us, we're just meat to a bitter bitch like her."

"I guess it's something we'll have to live with for the rest of our careers," I said. "Even my mom gets attacked now and then in the press."

"Well, the thing that bothers me is that even the most insane articles usually have some small kernel of truth in them," Yukiko said. "So explain why Sawakura thinks you're getting super lovey-dovey with Sacchan."

I swallowed. "I mean, you two did decide to divide me up, so naturally the press would happen to catch us together, occasionally."

"Why is she always going to your house?"

I blinked. "She probably doesn't want to bother her parents."

"But isn't she bothering your grandmother, instead?"

"My grandmother likes her, it's cool."

She slapped the top of the kotatsu with her palm, making me flinch. "And you still haven't taken me to meet her!"

"Sorry! Our schedules haven't lined up yet. Besides, I see your parents all the time!"

"That's different," Yukiko said. "They're our bosses, so it's not like you're chilling at house looking at boring vacation slide shows."

"I remind you that I looked at your baby pictures with your grandmother. You were very cute and very red."

"Shut the hell up," she growled. She crossed her arms on the tabletop and rested her head on them. "I want to meet your grandmother, you know. I didn't get to see your parents."

"That's for the best," I said. "Besides, they'll come back eventually, and I'll have you meet them, then."

"You need to promise me," Yukiko said, burying her face in her arms.

"It's okay, you'll meet them. Besides, you said it yourself, not like we're getting married or anything."

"I'm mad at you," she said.

"Sorry. Do you want me to leave?" I asked.

"No, because you'll just call Sacchan," she said.

"She's pretty busy when she's not seeing me," I said. "She'd shut me down."

"No, she wouldn't," Yukiko said. "She likes you a lot, you know. You guys aren't just fuck buddies anymore."

I didn't have a retort for her. "Can I ask you a question, as long as we're on this subject?"

"What?"

"I saw another Sawakura article. You were hanging out with that dude, Eggplant."

"Oh, Matsuoka? Yeah, he's a buddy."

"Are you interested in him?"

She lifted her chin and glared. "He's married, and happily so. He's a good guy, despite how he acts on the show. So yeah, I enjoy his company, but I'm not gonna fuck him, if that's what you're worried about."

"Okay, I had to be sure," I said.

"Hypocrite," she spat.

"I know," I said. I had no right to argue with her, considering what I'd done with Saeko, Hanako, and even Setsuna.

"Why do I have such terrible taste in men?" she whined. "Look at you! You're just Touma Kazusa without tits or ass. You've got a shitty personality. You're both a crybaby and a chode. You're both easily bamboozled and closed-minded. You're fucking God knows how many girls behind my back. You've probably slipped Hanacchi the sausage, you monster. You're not even as good a musician as people say you are. If you miss a day of practice, it shows! So why do I even bother with you?"

"We can't control what we like," I said. "Look at you! You're just Ogiso Setsuna without decency or self-discipline. You're selfish, mean, and volatile. You're a superfan of one of the stupidest movies ever made! And you're also the most infuriating musician I've even known. How dare you be so brilliant with how little you actually practice? Hard workers like me hate your guts! But I can't help but love you. So even though it's stupid of me, I want to be by your side, too. I don't want to leave here and be with anyone else."

"Get out," she said, and pointed at the door.

"Sorry, I went overboard there," I said, as I stood.

"Bastard," she said. "You don't get to leave so easily. Take your clothes off."

"Are you mad at me, or are you horny?"

"Both," she said, and dug under her bed. She dragged out a pair of fake, fur-lined handcuffs and tossed them at me. "For you."

"Where'd you get these? How'd you get these?"

"Doesn't matter," she said, and pushed me onto the bed.

After I shuffled out of my clothing, she shackled my wrists together.

"What're you gonna do, whip me?" I asked.

"No, I'm just gonna sit on your face until you apologize."

I was fully erect at this point. "That might take a while. I stand by what I said."

"Then you're gonna eat a ton of pussy and ten tons of ass," she said, and straddled my head.

She made me pay penance until I could take it no more and begged her to let me finish. She finally let me come inside her, and then promptly sat on my face again. We continued to play with each others' bodies for several hours after that, until our collective guilt over not studying simply became to difficult to ignore.

Just as we had finally settled down to resume our studies, another article popped up across Yukiko's feed. I glanced at it, and my heart started to pound.

"Blood-related WA3 frontman and guitarist dating each other! Incest rumors abound!"

#

The next morning, we all sat in the living room of Setsuna's mansion for an emergency meeting of Double-O productions.

"I say we sue Sawakura, and sue Kaiousha for everything they've got," Haruto said, slamming his fist on the marble tabletop before him. "I've read the article and it's all baseless slander. Nothing of substance. This is an easy case."

"On its surface," Rina said, rubbing her chin, "but the problem is that without them making specific allegations as to their parentage, or using more concrete language, a judge will likely throw our case out."

"Why? This is a clear hit piece intended to damage the band's reputation on the eve of their first commercial release," Haruto said. "That's interference with business."

"You're not wrong, and if this were simply an allegation thrown out from nowhere, we'd have traction, but…" She gave Yukiko and I a knowing look, "it's not entirely baseless, is it? They are dating each other."

"So what should we do, then?" Haruto said, shaking his head. "We can't let this crap slide."

"Unfortunately, there's little we can do directly," Eiji said. "Don't forget, Seinen, that Rina-chan and I have been managing scandals and yellow journalism for over forty years. These situations are inevitable in our line of work. It's fruitless and incredibly risky to try to confront the media head-on. But if we keep a cool head and follow directions, we'll emerge unscathed."

"I really don't like sitting on my hands," Haruto said, with a deep sigh. "But you're the oyabun here, so we have to go with your wishes."

"It's okay, Izumi-san," Setsuna said, patting him on the shoulder. "Trust Eiji and Rina. We're going to be fine. I was attacked many times and from all angles, and they helped me get through everything. The 'kids' will be alright, so long as they behave a bit from now on."

"So," I raised my hand, "what do we need to do to help out? Should I make a statement, or even an apology or something?"

"Absolutely not," Rina said. "The best practice for dealing with a slander piece is to not respond at all. Furthermore, what you'll need to do is drop your exposure to zero for a week or so. The mass media survives on attention and spectacle. If you deny them, they'll quickly move on to other prey. I can almost promise you that in two weeks, there won't be any mention of this at all."

I nodded. "So, no shaving my hair?"

Setsuna gently cuffed me across the back of my head. "One more word about harming that precious treasure of yours, and…"

"Where the fuck did this even come from, anyway?" Yukiko said. "Like, I know we've been seen together, that's inevitable, but half siblings? Is Sawakura losing her little cat mind? Is she schlicking to too much incest hentai? I'm pretty sure we don't share a mom, given that Leon might as well be a clone of his, and my dad's right friggin' there," she said, pointing at Eiji.

I looked away. Intrusive memories of the baby pictures I'd seen surfaced in my consciousness. The ones without Eiji present during her first year of life. As well as what Setsuna had told my father during their confrontation. I was pretty sure of what I'd heard: "You can't ever talk about not abandoning a child, you know. Not when you abandoned two of them!"

"That's irrelevant, Kiko," Eiji said. "There's no way to ever know what goes on inside the mind of the 'Scandal Master,' so it's not worth spending energy on. The important thing is that we have a plan to deal with it."

"Let's get back on track," Rina said. "To drop our media exposure, we're going to have to live like it's the Covid pandemic again. The band is in quarantine until further notice. While you're still going to be practicing together and attending school, you'll be strictly isolated to your separate residences otherwise. I'm sorry, but that means no seeing each other in private, you three. In addition, I'll require that you keep your email, text, and phone calls to a bare minimum, and to avoid communicating with each other over those channels. Once the media heat dies down, you can do what you wish."

"Rina-san, can I make a suggestion?" Saeko said. "The scandal's about Leon and Kiko being kissing siblings, right? But the media's already talking about me being his girlfriend or whatever, so why doesn't he just spend more time with me for a bit?"

Yukiko scowled. "Sacchan, what the fuck?"

"It's the logical solution," Saeko said. "It'll get heat off you two. In fact, you should hang out with Eggplant more. Maybe kiss him on the cheek or something. We'll divide and conquer."

"Can you stop undermining me, Saeko? You know it's not like that!"

"Can it!" Setsuna barked, cutting them off. "You're going to do what Rina says, to the letter. None of you have dealt with a scandal like this before. And if you want to survive it with the band's reputation intact, you'll do what we say."

"There's another angle to this, as well," Eiji said. "Unfortunately, information leaks to the media are usually what start this sort of thing off. I'm not saying anyone's acting suspiciously, but it's possible one or more members may have been compromised by a stalker, or had their email or phone hacked. By isolating you, it will help us pinpoint where a leak may be coming from."

"So," I said, "everyone's a suspect?"

"Essentially."

"Shit," I said, shaking my head.

"I know it'll be hard for a young man like you to refrain from certain physical activity, but do your best, eh?" Eiji said, giving me a sardonic smile. I glared back at him, but couldn't say anything.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

It had already been several days since our quarantine had gone into effect. True to Rina's plan, we still had practice together, but our bosses had made sure that was our only contact. To handle the logistics of moving three people around in a safe and efficient manner, they'd enlisted Yayoi to help shuttle us around. Setsuna had even done her fair share of driving Yukiko, as well. Hence, my days which had been previously filled with my bandmates' laughter, teasing, and of course, intimate moments, were now gone with nothing to replace them.

The only upside of this whole situation was that I'd gotten to spend more time with Youko. Another one of my mother's concerts had concluded overseas, and I'd been able to talk with my parents more often. Still, I worried about my bandmates. The ban on email, texting, and phone calls had proved more onerous than even a ban on physical contact.

Unfortunately, Youko had decided to go to Hokkaido to see an old flame of hers, and had left me alone for the weekend, so I truly had no one to talk with. Given nothing else to do, I'd been practicing for hours, when the gate's door buzzer rang out upstairs. Initially, I ignored it, but the ringing became persistent, giving me no choice but to confront whoever it was.

"Touma-san's not here!" I barked at the intercom.

"But Kitahara is."

I inhaled sharply. "Hanako! I'll let you in," I said, and jammed my finger against the unlock button.

She was at the door just as I started to open it, and quickly let herself inside. She wore her disguise well, to the point where I'd initially thought I'd let a total stranger in by mistake.

"Leon, are you always so cold to people ringing the bell?" she asked, as she slipped out of her disguise.

"Sorry," I said, and scratched my head. "We just get a lot of salesmen and cultists, because of how the house looks. You know, wealthy targets and all. Where's Shinozuka-san?"

"Even Yayoi gets a day off," Hanako said. "I came here by metro, of course. Are you going to offer me some tea, or are you going to be feral?"

"Sorry again!" I bowed to her, which prompted a giggle, and quickly made my way to the kitchen. There, I found some bags of quick green tea, plunked them into a pair of cups, and filled them with hot water from the Zojirushi tank. I brought them to Hanako, who'd made herself right at home on the couches. She flipped through one of the magazines we had laying on the coffee table.

"'Ensemble' is such a classy magazine," she sighed, as the turned the pages. "I'd love to be in there, one day, but there's no place for a pop idol in one of these. Not unless I became a master violinist or something."

"Do you play any instruments?"

She shook her head. "Only voice. The other 'instrument' I have is dancing. Can't really play a guitar or a keyboard while going through 'Loneliness Loop,'" she said. The song she cited was one of the more physically active pieces in her repertoire, so I could see where she'd been coming from.

I sipped my tea and simply beheld her. Out of her disguise, she was dressed more conservatively than I thought she'd be. She wore a wool skirt, sleek hose, and a blouse and cardigan with impeccable coordination. Notably, she also wore the same silver bracelet I'd given her as a gift. I noticed some spots where it was already tarnished.

"Are you looking at my bracelet?" she said, with a coy smile. "Sorry, I'm never giving it back. Even if you turned out to be the worst villain in the world and Yayoi needed to burn your corpse. I'd still need something to remember you by."

"Let's not go that far," I said, putting my hands up. "I just noticed it's tarnishing. I'm sorry, I should have bought a higher quality piece."

"Silver tarnishes no matter its price," Hanako said. "It would probably stay a little brighter if I ever removed it, but I don't."

"I really don't mind if you take it off to shower and stuff," I said.

"But I won't," she said with finality. "Is your grandmother in?"

"She's visiting this doctor, Takanagi, who's a bigwig at Houjou University Hospital. Told me to, uh, not expect her back tonight."

Hanako smiled warmly. "I'd love to meet her. I feel like we'd get along. Or perhaps we'd be too much alike and we'd fight."

"So, Hanako, I'm always glad to see you, but aren't you busy?"

"I'm always busy, but not to the point where I can't spare a moment for my poor boyfriend trapped in quarantine," she chuckled.

"You need to be careful saying that," I said. "Eiji said there's always a chance for things like stalkers or bugs. Maybe how all this scandal started, I don't know. Is it even okay for you to drop by like this?"

"I didn't ask permission," Hanako said. "The impulse struck me, and here I am." She moved from her spot on the couch and sat down next to me. She leaned over and put her head on my shoulder, then clasped my hands in hers. "I really wanted to see you."

"You too," I said. I noticed that with her close contact, I was starting to get an erection. Control yourself, man.

"I also know you haven't been able to see the other two outside of work. Are they doing their duty as your girlfriends? The least they can give you is a quick handjob during a break. That's the bare minimum."

At her words, I wasn't able to keep it down anymore. "Um, the thought didn't occur to any of us," I said.

She started to rub at my crotch. "That's obvious, given how much you're raring to go. I can't believe those two! Don't they know the absolute basics of managing a man? I'll have to drill the fundamentals into them, as their senpai."

My breaths were deeper and quicker as she continued to rub. She slipped her hand into my pants and started to gently squeeze and rub my balls. This in turn provoked a stream of cloudy fluid to ooze from my tip.

"Yes, you're useless right now," she said. "If we tried to have sex, you'd just come instantly, you silly man. Have you even been masturbating? I gave you my panties for a reason. Anyway, I need to get you in working order." With that, she unzipped my fly, quickly whisked my member out, and put it in her mouth all the way to the base. To my embarrassment, I climaxed almost immediately after she did so. It didn't help that she'd been squeezing my balls with just enough force to push me over the edge even without any other stimulus. I writhed and let out small moans, which seemed to please her. I felt her swallow it all down, and then lick me clean before gently putting it back in my pants and zipping them back up for me.

"You don't have to swallow if you don't want to. I won't take any offense."

She shot me an incredulous look. "But why wouldn't I? It's mine. Oh, have you had lunch yet?"

I shook my head.

"Take it easy for a bit. I'll make us something," she said, and started to walk to the kitchen.

"Can I help you?" I asked, getting up and following her.

"No, you'd just get in my way," she said, waving me off. "Sit and relax. But remember one thing. As long as I'm here, your body belongs to me, okay?"

The lunch she'd whipped up from leftovers and various odds and ends in danger of spoilage proved surprisingly tasty and filling. I'd practically demolished half the contents of the rice cooker, not realizing how hungry I'd been. All the while, Hanako continued to insist on feeding me morsels here and there, and sneaking in kisses when I least expected them.

"Hey," I said, as I finished up. "You know why we're on quarantine, right?"

"Of course," Hanako said, as she took our plates to the sink. She turned the water on and started to scrub. "Those are pretty wild accusations. I'd want to sue whoever wrote them."

"Haruto wanted to as well, but Rina shut that down. Said it was best to just wait it out."

"Rina knows best. She and Eiji have dealt with far worse," Hanako said, toweling off her hands. The dishes had been cleaned in record time. "That said, I do wonder why Sawakura used that allegation. She could have just claimed that you were using cocaine together. That would have been far more damaging in the eyes of a Japanese audience. Remember what happened to poor Taki Pierre?"

"Oh God, don't give anyone any ideas," I pleaded.

"Setsuna got accused of that once, given her stamina and how animated she gets," Hanako said, laughing. "Can you imagine Setsuna with a line of blow, a rolled-up ten-thousand yen note, and a bloody nose?" She started to double over with laughter.

"That's kind of a 'fatal memory error' type of thing," I admitted, citing my computer science classes.

"I know, right?" Hanako said, composing herself. "Anyway, it's a ridiculous thing, regardless, and it will blow over. Ha, I said 'blow.'"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"This is going to sound strange, but did Grandma Ogiso ever show you Kiko's baby pictures?"

"Of course," Hanako said. "She was super cute! Like a little pink shrimp!"

"It probably means nothing, but I didn't start seeing Ogata Eiji in the pictures until she was at least a year old. Why would that be?"

"There could be a few reasons," Hanako said. "First of all, he probably didn't want to be accused of being a lecherous old record label executive taking advantage of a young, vulnerable star, right?"

"Entirely reasonable."

"Except Eiji-san genuinely doesn't care what others think of him," Hanako said, winking as she refuted her own argument. "Another possibility is that he may have wanted to protect Setsuna and her child during her early career. After all, if an idol gets visibly pregnant or shows up one day with her producer's child in tow, it's bad for both of them."

"Of course."

"But Setsuna wasn't marketed as an idol," Hanako said, countering herself again. "She's an indie rock singer, and many of those fans don't care if she has a kid. It actually makes her more genuine in their eyes to be a mother with a child out of wedlock, if she's to sing about those things."

"So it sounds like neither possibility is very likely."

"That leaves a potential third option, then. Which is that Yukiko isn't actually Eiji's biological child, even though I would defy anyone on this earth to say he's not her father in every other way."

I frowned. "So if we assume this is true, and some random guy is Kiko's sperm donor, then… I still don't get the whole half siblings thing. That's basically saying my dad impregnated Setsuna."

"Why not? Weren't they engaged?" Hanako asked. "If my memory serves, that was about twenty years ago. And Yukiko is twenty years old."

"They were, but…even still, it's not like my dad to just ignore a kid he fathered. He's too rigid and bound by his own sense of obligation. Hell, if he'd known Setsuna was pregnant with his kid, he'd probably have dumped my mom and flown right back to Japan."

Hanako shook her head. "But you're forgetting that Setsuna has agency of her own. Could she have deliberately hidden her pregnancy from him?"

"I don't know why she would have. She lost everything, Hanako. Even I know how much a single mom is looked down on in this country. It's the same in Europe. So I wouldn't have kept silent if I'd been in her shoes."

"Women do a lot of stupid things for the men they love," Hanako said. "I know this, personally," she said, cocking her head in my direction. "But… This topic isn't useful to think about any more. It's just a piece of media slander, probably made up by throwing darts at a wall."

"I know, but it's just…this is my dad we're talking about. I can't imagine him not coming back to Japan for his own kid. Or two, if Setsuna didn't misspeak to him."

She sauntered up to me. "Leon, I think I've behaved well enough, making you lunch, doing the dishes, and cleaning the machinery. So it's time for you to do your part." She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and gave me a deep kiss.

"Whatever you command," I said, smiling at her. I should have been ashamed of how easily I was thrown off subject by her wiles, but I was no better than any other nineteen-year-old man.

"I want to show you what I like. Sexually, I mean."

"Y-yeah! Anything!" My heart started to pound.

"Good. Now, based on what I've gleaned from the girls, you're a gentle, submissive type. But I know you're adaptable. So I want you to try being really rough," she said. "Don't be gentle, and don't give a damn about my pleasure. I'll take care of that. If you're unsure of what to do, I'll give you some instructions. Just ask."

"You don't have to do that stuff just to please me, you know."

"Oh, I'm not," she said. "Despite how I've been treated in the past, I simply like what I like. It probably helped me survive. So don't worry that you're going to reactivate some trauma of mine. I save that for my dreams," she said, giggling.

My face fell.

"Sorry! Bad joke," she said, caressing my cheeks. "I'm such a dork, sorry! Seriously, though, I want you to know more about me. My own preferences and kinks, you know? I'm happy being lovey-dovey, but sometimes a girl just wants to be screwed hard."

She was right: I was pretty submissive when push came to shove. But for Hanako I was willing to branch out. "Okay, but you know you can tell me to stop at any time, if it's too much. I'm not here to hurt you, or do stuff without your consent."

She buried her face in my chest and started to quiver. "Leon, stop saying sweet things. You're going to cause big problems like this. Besides, I know your character. It's one of the reasons I like you so much."

"It's just important to be clear about it."

"Again, stop causing problems," she said, holding me tightly before she stepped away and started to take her clothing off. Apparently, she wanted to do it in the living room. I was grateful Youko was with her old flame at the moment. The outer layers of her cute-but-conservative outfit lay in a pile on the floor, and now she wore only a diaphanous camisole that did not leave her breasts to the imagination. Instead of panties, she sported one of those "Lovense" internal vibrators that could be remotely controlled.

"Amazing," I whispered as she sat on the couch and beckoned for me. She turned the vibrator on and started to writhe.

"Put it in my mouth," she said. I obliged her, with my feet on the cushions and my knees against the backrest. Again, she took me all the way to the hilt. She gestured for me to thrust. I was afraid I'd choke her like this, but proceeded. It was a different sensation than even when I'd done anal with Saeko, and to my surprise mixed with titillation, one that felt extremely good. I made sure that I withdrew frequently to allow her to breathe. She had different ideas, though, and grasped my buttocks to hold me against her face and deep in her throat. I became nervous after only a few seconds of this. I tried to pull away, but she wouldn't let me. I had no choice but to trust her.

Her legs squeezed together and her back arched, and finally she let go just as I'd resolved to force myself out of her grasp. I rolled away and collapsed on the couch next to her. She coughed, gasped, and retched, and I instantly burned with regret when I saw the tears in her eyes.

"Fuck! I'm so sorry, Hanako!" I said, trying to help wipe away the thick mucus that now drenched her chin. Instead, she smiled at me as she wiped it away.

"No, it was great," she said. "I came really hard, thanks to you," she said.

"But you looked like you were suffering!"

"It's okay, I wasn't," she said. "The tears and mucus are just a bodily reflex. I'm not in actual pain, and I can still breathe during the process, even if it's less than normal. Ah, I should have explained it for you first."

"I'm fine with exploring with you. I just don't want to hurt you. You've been hurt a lot in your life."

"Mm, you can't seem to stop causing trouble," she said, as she kissed me. "Okay, enough of that for now. I want you to take me on the floor. Really put your body weight all on top of me if you can. Here's a condom," she said, and took one out of her nearby bag.

She laid on the floor, face-down to my surprise, and spread her legs. She reached for the vibrator and, instead of tossing it aside, slipped it into her ass. I put on my condom, then laid on top of her, and slipped it into her slit.

"Now crush me," she said. "Pull my hair and bite me. Choke me a little. Trust me, it'll help me come."

I followed her directions to the letter. This was much more palatable than what she'd had me do before. And as I came, she also convulsed again. I felt a warm spray of liquid against my pulsating nether regions, and felt the warmth spread between our legs and the floor. Fortunately, the place had hardwood floors.

#

As our quarantine period wore on, Hanako continued to visit me. She'd never come with Yayoi, but always by metro and on foot, and usually at night, for those were her only truly free periods. She was a master of subterfuge, having dealt with escaping the mass media for her entire idol career. Tonight was no different.

She lay on my bed, slowly torturing me with her expert hands and lips. As I'd come closer and closer to climax, she'd back off, only to start stroking my shaft, licking my nipples, and tickling my thighs again the moment I threatened to go soft. In less than a week, she'd learned all my weak points and was completely willing to use them against me. She was truly diabolical, and I couldn't get enough of her.

"Are you thinking: 'damn this shitty woman, just let me come already?'" she asked, giving me a light kiss to the forehead.

I tensed and squirmed as she applied pressure to the area between my balls and ass. "Maybe not with those exact…words…"

"Okay, I guess I'll oblige you," she said, giggling.

Before she could take me over the edge, however, my phone buzzed. Habit compelled me to take a look. I frowned. Why was Yukiko texting me?

OY: At ur house. Lemme in.

"Oh shit…" I muttered.

Hanako glanced at my screen without changing her expression. She then rolled out of bed and started to put her clothing back on. "It was only a matter of time. Though I honestly thought Sacchan would break quarantine first. Perhaps she's more of a rules-follower than I gave her credit for."

"I'll tell her to leave," I said. "She shouldn't be doing this."

"Neither should I," Hanako said. "Let her in. She's been suffering. Spend some time with her, please."

"But what about you? If she's at the front gate, there's no way you can leave without her seeing you."

"I'll hide in the closet," Hanako said, motioning to the walk-in.

"That's risky. Just chill in a spare room."

"But Leon, how will I watch?" she said, giving me a mischievous smile. "Go let her in already! She's probably cold!"

"Damn it," I said, smoothing my rumpled clothing out. Of course Hanako and I had had sex earlier, so I probably smelled of her and smelled of sex, for that matter. But I had no time to change anything. I'll just keep her downstairs, I resolved.

Quickly, I made my way to the gate intercom and pressed the unlock button, then opened the front door.

Yukiko stormed in and shook off her heavy winter clothing like a dog shedding water from its fur.

"What took you so long?" she demanded, as she kicked her shoes off and stepped in. "It's horrible out there. 'Season of White Album' my ass! More like 'Season of Fuck Your Fingers and Toes.'"

"Sorry, I didn't expect you," I said, grasping her hands. They were chilly, and I felt pangs of regret at how cold she'd become waiting outside for me.

"That's okay," she said, and kissed me on the lips, without any reservation. "I'm just glad you're actually at home. If you'd fucked off to an arcade or something, I wasn't sure what I'd do."

"Arcades are just money sinks," I said. "Listen, I'm glad to see you too. But you probably shouldn't have come here. Remember? We're on restriction."

"I know!" she snapped. "But I couldn't take it anymore. Even though you're a trash animal, I… I just missed you. I wanted to see you and hold you, even for a little while. Dickwad."

Hearing her speak so affectionately to me, I couldn't help but embrace her tightly. Her cheek felt like ice against mine, which made me want to double my force.

"Well, you're here anyway, so stay a bit. If the bosses find out, we'll be in the same amount of trouble. I'll make some tea," I said.

"Okay," she said.

I quickly got two cups, opened the tea bags, and filled them with hot water. She hadn't bothered to sit anywhere, and simply lingered close by in the kitchen while I prepared our drinks. I handed a cup to her.

"How's studying?" I asked. "This whole shitshow really disrupted things."

"It's basically my own personal hell," she said, and sipped her tea. "Since we can't hang at my place, guess what Mom's doing? She's picking me up from school to take me back to her place, and she's pretending to be an involved parent by supervising me! I'm not fucking twelve!"

"That sounds like something from 'Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey,'" I said.

"I know exactly what you mean." She glared at me. "Why have we seen so many of the same films? Why do we both like that drivel?"

"Because our parents are disaffected Gen X-ers and we inherited their tastes."

"Ugh. That almost makes me think we are half siblings."

I looked down at my reflection on the surface of my drink. "I know it's not true, but…" I shook my head. "What if it is?"

She flicked my ear. "If this is all some roundabout five-dimensional plan to get me to call you 'onii-sama' during sex, I'll cock-punch you."

"Believe me, it's really not."

"Are you sure about that? Besides, I'm older than you. You have to call me 'onee-sama,' if we're blood related."

"That's fine, I like older girls."

"Fucking pervert. Anyway, I've heard the rumors too. That Eiji's not my actual bio-dad. I don't give a fuck if he isn't. He's been there for me since before I can remember. He's my father, no matter what."

"I'll toast to that," I said, and clinked my cup against hers. We both drank deeply and drained our teas. "How'd you escape Setsuna, anyway?"

"Only by good luck," she said. "Mom's busy tonight, so I'm staying with Grandma. She likes you, and she can keep a secret. I just have to be back before it's too late out. Ogiso family rules and all."

"Then Ogiso-obaasan has my thanks," I said. "Truly, I'm glad to see you, but you should probably head home now."

Yukiko pouted. "The hell? Already kicking me out? You don't even want a quickie? I know it's been a while since you've gotten any, right? Unless Sacchan's been around." She frowned, and sniffed my hair. "Has she dropped by? You kinda smell like girl."

"No, she hasn't. She's a rules follower deep down, like most otaku. Maybe you're smelling my grandmother's shampoo or something." Fuck me, I'm lying again.

"Fine, whatever," Yukiko said. "Anyway, I didn't risk the ass-kicking of a century just to have a lovely cup of tea with you like we're in the friggin' nineteenth century. I'm a healthy girl with needs. Give me some dick, or I'll set your house on fire."

Hanako had better be hiding somewhere better than the closet. "Can't have that," I said, taking her by the hand.

Thankfully, when I opened the door to my room, there was no trace that Hanako had even been there in the first place. Even her smell had somehow vanished. Perhaps she'd listened to reason and had either holed up in a spare room or just slipped away.

Yukiko attacked my neck and collarbones with her mouth, scraping my skin with her teeth like a feral beast. I could sense her hunger. Pangs of guilt surged through me in the moment. She'd been alone and feeling unloved while I'd been fucking Hanako like crazy. The least I could do for her was to show her some affection the way she craved it.

We stripped each other and crumpled into my bed. I licked and sucked on her shapely breasts, while she ran her hands over my buttocks and thighs and squeezed at my groin. There was nothing refined or advanced about what we were doing. Compared to Hanako, she was quite clumsy. But that was also part of her charm. She bade me to sit up in bed, then sat in my lap facing me. I entered her, and she held our bodies tightly together and started to grind.

"I missed this," she murmured, between bites of my shoulder and neck.

"I missed you, too," I said, squeezing her as tightly as she'd squeezed me. I liked this position. It was a slow way to get to climax, but I felt closer to her as well. The bed creaked as she started to bounce a bit, craving more stimulation. After a long while of kissing each other, bouncing and grinding, she came with a moan that I feared would wake Youko up. I climaxed shortly after, spurred on by the intense pressure of her walls. I could tell that I'd let out a lot in her. Probably because Hanako had spent close to two hours edging me, only for circumstances to deny me release. Even after ejaculating, my groin still ached from the buildup.

She continued to hold me, instead of trying to roll out of bed quickly as usual. "I want this fucking quarantine to end," she whispered.

"I do, too," I said, as I kissed her on the lips. She smiled, shyly, before finally getting off me and getting dressed.

"Holy shit, I needed that!" she exclaimed. "Even your annoying hot glue is more tolerable right now."

"You want a shower?" I asked.

"No, I should really go," she said, as she checked the time on her phone. "Legit don't wanna miss the train. That'd be a clusterfuck to explain. Anyway, I hope this makes up for not being able to do it for a bit."

I pulled on my clothes and walked her down to the front door. Before she left, she turned and kissed me again. Then she left into the chill night.

After I was sure she'd made it safely down the block and out of sight, I went back to my room. Hanako was naked on the bed, rubbing herself as she buried her face in the wet spot that Yukiko and I had created.

"Where'd you end up hiding?" I asked her.

"The closet, like I told you," she said. "You two were so adorable, by the way. Can I confess something?"

"Yes?"

"I was a little bad and imagined you two were actually brother and sister. I came five times while watching," she said, and giggled.

"You shouldn't eavesdrop like that, you shouldn't fantasize like that, and certainly don't masturbate while you do it! What if Kiko had heard you?"

"Oh, don't worry about me. I can be perfectly silent and completely discreet," she said. "Did you know? After our first kiss, I pleasured myself in the bathroom."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that the first time you did it while thinking of me?"

"No, actually," she said. "One moment…" her face scrunched up and her body went still for a few moments. "That was one, just now. Anyway, no, the first time was after you played for me at the Troy show. I've liked you ever since I first saw you, Leon. I've wanted to taste you for a very long time."

I sat on the edge of the bed and idly carded her hair with my fingers. I wasn't sure whether to be pleased or frightened by that realization. But as far as I could tell, Hanako was simply stating simple facts without a motive. Plus, her sheer, insane sensuality simply overwhelmed the reasonable parts of my brain. "Should we continue?" I asked.

"Sadly, I need to go, or Yayoi will start hunting for me," she said, rising from the bed and putting her clothing on. "But, seeing you two together was enough entertainment for me for the night. So I'm not dissatisfied. Get Sacchan to come over, next."

"Bad idea. Let's not endanger the company any more than necessary."

"Okay, Mr. Ethical," she said, with a laugh as she left my bedroom.

#

One week before the release of our debut album, we were finally free from quarantine. The scandal articles had quickly tapered off and the magazines had moved on to other targets of convenience. To make up for our lack of exposure, Rina and Setsuna had thrown us right back into the pre-release grind.

"Routes" was the rock group that Setsuna had gotten her start with more than two decades ago, and they still delivered a banger of a show. We'd opened for them several hours ago, and after stashing our gear in a rental box truck, we'd stayed to enjoy the rest of the set. Hanako had even secured us a small VIP space a bit away from the main crush of attendees.

"Another toast!" Saeko whooped, holding her Sazerac up in the air. "To… to fuck Sawakura Misaki, and may she get a Gundam figurine stuck up her ass!"

I chuckled and tapped her glass with my own drink, a highball which was nowhere near as fancy as hers was. Yukiko, Hanako, and Haruto joined in, and we all threw our heads back to gulp down the remainders of our drinks. We'd been at this for hours.

"Aren't those the big robots with guns and swords and things?" Hanako said, giggling. "How would you even begin to approach such a feat?"

"If you're spiteful enough, anything's possible," Haruto said, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Let's not stop there," Yukiko said, cracking her knuckles. "I'm gonna shove the entire contents of Sacchan's collection up there. Lelouch, Madoka, Monkey D. Luffy, and even Sasuke himself! They're all gonna get sacrificed for the greater good!"

"Use someone else's collection," Saeko said, kicking clumsily at Yukiko under our table. "Or at least spare Monkey D."

"I'm proud of you guys for surviving your first fight with the entertainment media," Hanako said, patting me on the hand. "And see? It's not all bad. Going incognito for a bit allows you to get in some extra sleep and take care of needs that you've neglected."

I involuntarily blushed, not in the least because of the sly wink that she passed me.

"For me, it just blew," Saeko complained.

"But didn't you manage to catch up on your backlog a bit? Or play all the games you wanted?" Yukiko asked.

"Yeah, but still, it sucked not being able to hang out with anyone." She grimaced. "Look at me, sounding like a normie."

"That's an essential part of growing up," Hanako said, patting her head. "Oh! I probably shouldn't ask this in public, but…" she whispered in their ears, "who gets him tonight?"

"It's Saturday, so…" Yukiko said, and pumped her fist. "Me!"

"Aw, come on!" Saeko said. "Do me a solid, Kiko…"

"Nah," Yukiko said. "I mean, what'd you say to me last time this came up? I remember! 'We had an agreement.'"

"Don't use that stupid voice when you're quoting me!"

"I'm not using any stupid voices. It's just reality."

"Fight me, asshole!"

"Girls, girls!" Haruto said, stubbing his cigarette out. "No fighting in public, or we'll be back on quarantine again. There's still media here."

"Actually, Kiko," Saeko said, frowning. "I heard a rumor about you. They say you went over to Leon's place during quarantine."

"The fuck?" Yukiko snarled. "Who the hell said that?"

"I'm keeping my sources confidential. So did you go, or not? Because that's a super shitty thing to do."

"No one broke quarantine!" Haruto said.

"It's probably just another rumor from the media," Hanako said, waving her hands at them.

"Let's ask the accessory to the crime, then," Saeko said. "Leon, did Yukiko come over?"

How the hell did she find out? I don't want to lie, but I can't add fuel to the fire. And I can't undermine Hanako. "Not that I'm aware of," I said. It wasn't my most convincing lie.

"If he says no, then the answer's 'no,'" Haruto said. "Enough of this, guys! It's getting late and we all need rest. I'm gonna call it in and close our tab. Be at the front in fifteen minutes."

Yukiko threw her hands up as Haruto left the table. "You know what? It's fine, Sacchan. Just have him for tonight. It's cool. I've got stuff to do, anyway."

"Screw off, Kiko," Saeko said. "I don't need your pity."

"It's not pity," Yukiko said. We shared a glance of mutual anxiety. "Just, I care about you as a friend. I know you've been lonely, so just accept a gift this once."

"F-fine," Saeko said, refusing to look at Yukiko. "We'll go with the usual after tomorrow or something…"

"Leon," Hanako said. "I think I left my compact in the bathroom. Help me look for it."

I nodded to her and left the table. My bandmates sulked as they refused to meet each others' gazes. The crowd at Troy had thinned out after the show's conclusion, so there weren't as many people occupying the restrooms. Hanako dragged me into the women's room, found an open stall, and pushed me in. Then, she unzipped my fly and yanked my pants down.

"Hana—" I started to say, only for her to shush me. Then, she squatted and took my cock in her mouth. I hunched over and steadied myself against the plastic walls, overcome with the sensations created by her expert technique. Just when I thought I'd approached my limit, however, she stopped.

"What…" I gasped, as she zipped me back up.

"Just priming the pump," Hanako said, kissing me on the cheek. "Sacchan needs a lot of attention tonight, and you'll need to show her how much you care."

I frowned. "How did she know about Yukiko coming over? You didn't tell her, did you?"

"She's a poor thing," Hanako said, without answering my question. "Because of all the grades she skipped, she's never really had close friends besides Kiko. You're the first boyfriend she's had. The first man she's genuinely cried over. So I want you to reassure her, okay? Hold her tight and let her know you cherish her."

"I don't know what to do anymore," I said. "I hate seeing them fight like this. It's happening more often. Maybe I should…" A wave of heartburn cascaded from my gut to my throat. "Maybe I should break up with them, you know? Maybe we could—"

"Don't be selfish," Hanako said. "Your group is at one of the most critical times possible. If you leave them in the lurch, it'll affect your performance quality. I'm sorry, but as the linchpin of a love triangle, you'll just have to deal with it for longer."

"But the longer this goes on…"

She stifled me with a kiss. "As your senpai, and top idol of Double-O Productions, I have a duty to support you all. Don't worry. I've got a plan. All you must do is continue to do what you do best."

"And what's what?"

"Being the gentlest and cutest man-whore, who a girl can't help but fall head over heels for."

#

February 14th: Valentine's Day, the day our debut record released, and Ogiso Setsuna's birthday. To mark all three events, Double-O had booked one of the ballrooms at the Arumi Integral Hotel, and had invited nearly everyone in the music industry to the gala celebration.

In actuality, our album release wasn't even what had drawn the majority of attendees. Between friends, associates, and fans of the Ogatas, plus everyone who Setsuna had come to know in the last twenty years, the place was packed with bigwigs and celebrities who probably didn't know who the hell we actually were.

I stood next to Haruto at the open bar, taking in the sights as we sipped on Hakushu 12-year single malt from fancy square glasses with fancy square ice. As befitting a black-tie event, we were both dressed in sensible rental tuxes. I hadn't seen my bandmates yet, since they'd come separately with their parents.

"Did you ever imagine you'd be at something like this, celebrating the release of your own record?" Haruto asked, as he took a drag.

"I've been to a few black tie events, mainly for my mom, but celebrating something I'd done? Fat chance," I replied.

He exhaled thick white smoke into the air. "In the past, I'd visualize being in Hollywood for something like this, but I think I prefer Japan. Even if I'm not playing the starring role."

"Hey, onii-san, this is all just as much your accomplishment as it is any of ours," I said, holding out my glass. Haruto clinked it with his and we both took another sip.

"Thanks, kyodai," he said. "Oh! Check it out. CEO of Knights Records over there," he said, pointing out a nondescript man in a tuxedo. "He's shaking on a deal with the chair of Sony Universal."

"They all look the same to me," I said, with a shrug.

"Agreed. Let's walk a bit. Find some cute celebrity chicks, you know?"

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen Setsuna, or Rina, or Hanako…"

"They've got a surprise for everyone," Haruto said. "You'll like it. They wanted me to keep you guys in the dark."

We milled about, catching excited glimpses of various entertainment and music industry figures that we actually did know or care about. Ogata Eiji had been responsible for attracting probably a quarter of the attendees present, and he was busy peacocking for a large group of celebrities and hangers-on gathered around him. He definitely did not have time to talk with us.

"I think I see Yukiko and Saeko over there," I said, pointing to my bandmates gathered around a small standing table near the hors d'oeuvres buffet.

Before we could make our way over, however, a woman grasped Haruto's arm and spun him around to face her. My eyes widened as I realized that it was the big shot actress who'd appeared on the Yanagihara Tomo Show with us months ago: Sennouchi Akira.

"Haruto-kun," Akira said.

"Um… Hi, Mom," he said. I noted his eyes starting to dart about, as if looking for an exit.

"Will you properly introduce me to this cute young musician, or am I going to have to do all the work of corrupting him?"

Haruto sighed. "Yes, well… This is Kitahara Leon, frontman of The White Album 3. Leon, this is my mother, Sennouchi Akira."

"A pleasure to finally meet you, Sennouchi-sama," I said, bowing deeply.

"Let me touch your face," Akira said, and grasped my chin without giving me the chance to answer her. "Ah, I see. Not much of your father in there. A pity. He was one of my most fascinating subjects, you know. Only eclipsed in complexity by Setsuna. I'd need a year with her, easily. Your mother, on the other hand, I figured her out in an hour, more or less."

I genuinely didn't know what to say to her.

"Mom," Haruto interjected, "it's nice to see you again, but my band has places to be and people to meet, so we really need to be going…"

"Yes, yes, I know you don't like being around me, Haruto, but listen. Your frontman has a sticky love quadrangle to solve, so you should give him space to do so. Meanwhile, I'm going to take you to meet Park Chan-Wook to talk about an upcoming role."

"Really, Mom, it's…"

"Onii-san," I said, "it's cool. I'm just gonna hang out with the girls, anyway. Give me a text when you're done."

With that, Akira continued to drag Haruto off into the crowd. I made my way to Saeko and Yukiko. From a distance, they were striking to behold. Yukiko wore a black, sleekly-fitting sleeveless evening gown with a halter-top, and her hair had been teased into an updo complete with a messy bun. Saeko, meanwhile, wore a white sleeved gown with a plunging neckline, and had foregone her usual twintails for a tied-back French braid that let her hair fall freely to her waist in the back. They were both aggressively sexy, and my groin responded in the usual fashion.

"Hey you…" I started to say, when the sight of Yukiko's plate arrested my words in my throat. "…How many beef skewers did you take?"

Yukiko tore a piece of marinated and grilled flank steak away with her teeth and chewed, before wiping her mouth with the back of her black satin evening gloves. "Didn't I say I'd kill you if you stood between me and meat?" she replied.

"Yeah, but at this rate you're gonna throw it all up if you need to move anywhere."

"You look off-model in that tux," Saeko said. "Like some sort of pretender to a throne from an otome game. A dress would be more fitting."

"Thanks, you look great, too," I said to her, and grabbed one of Yukiko's meat skewers.

"Where's our sketchy manager?" Yukiko asked.

"He had some business with his mother," I said, and quickly downed the meat-on-a-stick. I looked over the nearby buffet. "You know, there's a lot of good stuff there. You should have some fruits and vegetables, at least."

"Fuck veggies," Yukiko said, and took another mouthful of beef.

"Did you guys get to meet any cool celebrities?"

"They're all here to see Ogata Eiji and Setsuna, or make shifty deals with each other," Saeko said. "No one gives a shit about us. But that's fine, because last thing I need is to shake hands with a bunch of old perverts who wanna be my sugar daddy. You get propositioned by any hags, Leon?"

"Uh, no."

"If I were Touma Youko's age, I'd be trolling around here for succulent, young man-meat to gobble."

"Please stop. You know my grandmother's probably doing just that right now."

As a matter of course, our families had all been invited to the gala. Youko herself was still a respected name in the industry, so she was frequently invited to these events, regardless.

"Are you three with Double-O Productions?" a woman asked.

"Ogata Eiji's over there," Yukiko said, motioning with her thumb in Eiji's general direction.

"That's quite alright," she replied. "I'm not here for Ogata-san. I'm here for The White Album 3."

I took a closer look at her. She was a member of Rina's generation. And just as Rina had, she'd aged well, and exuded that alluring air of sexual uninhibitedness that confident older women possessed. She wore a well-tailored blazer over a charcoal blouse and a pencil skirt, calling to mind my first impressions of Setsuna. Her hair was a shorter and side swept reddish brown, and her makeup had a subtle and tasteful goth-girl look. In short, I'd have said "yes" if she'd propositioned me at a gala.

"We're them," I said, and bowed. "Kitahara Leon. There's Ogiso, our guitarist, and Iizuka, our drummer."

"I listened to the whole album on the drive here," she said. "It's got some minor flaws, but well worth the wait."

"Thanks," I said, resisting the urge to start dissecting what she'd considered 'minor flaws.' "We put our hearts into it, but of course, we couldn't have done anything without Ogata Eiji and Ogiso Setsuna."

"Kitahara, your play style is influenced by Ben Folds, Touma Youko—and that's Youko for sure, not Kazusa—and Sakamoto Ryuichi, correct?"

She knows her shit. "Yeah, I'd say you're right about that. Are you in the industry?"

"I'm a writer."

"Ah, then please write us an honest review if you liked it," I guffawed. Predictably, Yukiko and Saeko seemed completely disinterested in conversation.

"You know, one thing that I found especially delicious about the album was the sexual tension that just erupts from your collective interplay." She leaned forward and gently clasped my right hand in hers. I met her gaze as she smiled. "It's not very original, of course—The Beatles first did it in 'sixty-three—but it's very effective."

"I'm honored by any comparison to better artists," I said. Sweat tinged my brow and my face flushed. I wanted to avert my eyes, but couldn't. My toes curled inside my shoes.

She pulled my hand closer to her face, to the point where I felt her breath on my knuckles. "If I had to describe the overall effect the album has on a casual female listener, I'd say it makes a girl a little jealous, but mainly…really horny." At this, she took my index finger in her mouth and gently sucked on it.

"Sawakura-san," Haruto said, stepping between us. "Please step away from my clients at once."

Sawakura… fuck! I reeled at the realization and snatched my hand back.

"This isn't for a story or anything, Izumi-san," Sawakura Misaki said. "I'm just a fan giving praise to a creator. How is that wrong?"

"If you don't leave, I will call the police to report stalking and harassment," Haruto said, taking his phone out. "Is that clear?"

"Be that way, Izumi. Kitahara, if you get tired of hanging around with inexperienced little girls and pushy little boys, send me an email," she said to me with a laugh, and slipped back into the milling crowd.

"Shit," Haruto said. "I couldn't escape my mother in time. Sorry. Did you talk long?"

I hurriedly wiped my finger off on the tablecloth. "Not really. She was…something else."

"Forgive me, please. I'm so stupid! I should have realized you've probably never seen Sawakura Misaki in real life." Haruto lit up a cigarette and started to puff on it anxiously.

"I still want to choke her out, but at least she thought the album was good." Yukiko said, shrugging. "Anyway, I'm more disappointed in our resident himbo. You really can't resist a sexy grandma, can you, Leon?"

"Sorry," I muttered. "But she was good-looking."

"Sorry our pussies aren't dry and shriveled to your liking," Saeko spat in my direction.

"Just stay close to me from now on," Haruto said. "Also, I think the show's about to start. This'll be good."

As if on cue, the ballroom's overhead lights dimmed to near nothingness, and the supersized screen behind a small stage near the end of the ballroom came to life with a vibrant display reminiscent of an Ogata Eiji stage design. Music blared from the speakers, which I recognized immediately as the prelude to a Kajiura Yuki anthem.

Setuna, Hanako, and Rina marched onto the stage in lacy, flowing white outfits that gave them an angelic air, and started to sing in harmony.

Mada nanimo shiranai

Futari datta

Hidarite de hakanaku

Kyoumu wo masagutta

Wazuka na kattou ga

Kimi no te wo shibatte

Mirai no sugata wo azamuku

Mamoru koto sae shiranai kedo

Itsuwari no omoi demo kamawanai

Ikite mitai

Jibun wo

Megurikuru

Toki no naka deatta

Kimi to ita boku wo shinjiteiru

Kono yue ga yasashiku hateru made

Kiriharake aoi hibi wo

Fight your fate

#

Hours after our superstar trio of vocalists had made their surprise entry, the gala was winding down. Setsuna, Eiji, and Rina had given their remarks about our album release, and most importantly, we'd all sung "Tanjobi Omedetou" to Setsuna.

I lounged in a corner about to dig into my tiny slice of her birthday cake, when Hanako approached me. She'd changed out of her performance outfit and into a crimson, off-the-shoulder evening gown.

"Hey, Rockstar-kun," she said. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, Hanako," I said, happy to see a familiar face after bowing and shaking hands like crazy to an endless cavalcade of executives and celebrities who were really only there to schmooze with Eiji.

"Can you believe I didn't get any cake?"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," she said. "I want yours."

"Please take it," I said, offering the plate to her.

She quickly glanced around us. "Feed it to me, please," she said, and playfully opened her mouth.

I obliged her, of course, and the tiny sliver of red velvet and buttercream was gone in an instant.

"Much better," she said. "But I didn't come here just to steal your cake. I'm hosting a small after party in the presidential suite. You and the girls are obviously required to attend."

"Sure, I'll bite," I said. Just like any other college-aged scrub, I'd never gotten the chance to party in anything like a five-star hotel's presidential suite.

"Good boy," she said. "Follow me. Sorry, we can't hold hands here, even though I'd like to. Too many eyes."

Wordlessly, I followed her out of the ballroom and stepped into one of the super high-speed elevators that could rocket a person fifty stories high within a few seconds. Those always left me feeling faintly queasy when I stepped off. We got off the elevator and made our way down a short hall that ended in a pair of double doors. Hanako swiped her keycard and opened the doors.

"Are we the first here?" I asked, seeing no others.

"Yes," she said. "I need your help setting a few things up before the others arrive."

"Anything you want."

Hanako reached for my bowtie and expertly removed it, and then started to unbutton my shirt. I moved in and started to kiss her like it was second nature. Her evening gown was a sleek affair that accentuated her sexiest features, and I was torn between the desire to take it off her, or simply leave it on.

"Should we go to the bed?" I murmured to her.

She shook her head. "We'll do that later. Take everything off. Actually, leave the shirt on. It looks really good on you." she said. I quickly removed the rest of my outfit and carefully hung it up in a nearby closet. Hanako gave me a bag, afterward. "Put these on, please."

I reached in and did a double-take as I realized what she'd handed me. A blindfold, two pairs of handcuffs, and a prostate vibrator. "I guess I'll put on the blindfold first," I muttered to no one in particular. "…but then how will I do the cuffs? And then how will I…"

"Silly me," Hanako said with a giggle. "I forget you have no concept of order of operations for this stuff." She took me by the hand. We walked to the large, circular bed in the sleeping area partitioned off from the rest of the suite. I took a moment to appreciate the nearly panoramic view offered by the seamlessly built floor-to-ceiling windows at the top floor of the Arumi, before she slipped the blindfold on.

"Lie down. I'll do the cuffs now. They're going to be attached to the bed. You can tell this is a five-star hotel because they have connection points for BDSM play in the bedrooms," she said, and gently fitted them to my wrists. Since I was now blinded, I had no choice but to trust her. I felt her hook the cuffs to the headboard and spread my arms, though not uncomfortably wide.

"Hanako, I have to ask," I said, as she started to go down on me. "Is it okay if Yukiko and Saeko see us like this?"

"They haven't seen you naked?"

"They have, but they don't know about us, right?"

She switched to pleasuring me with her hand. I couldn't see it, but I knew our eyes were locked. "No. This is a special party for a reason. This is my confession. And also my declaration of war. Now prepare your anus."

I felt her apply pressure, and, as she had taught me, I loosened up my abdominal muscles and let my thighs go limp. The vibrator slipped in, creating that borderline-uncomfortable sensation of fullness. "Is that…safe for you, Hanako? I mean, revealing that to others?"

"They're my dear friends. I care for them deeply, about as much as I care for you. It would be a sad state of affairs if I couldn't trust them with my life." She stopped stroking me and turned the vibrator on. It was a low setting, not enough to put me in danger of coming, but enough to prevent me from going soft. I felt her get off the bed.

"I'm going to get the others. All you need to do is stop thinking, and enjoy yourself."

With that, I heard her retreat. The sound of the suite door shutting again was the only thing that marked the passage of time. The only readily-apparent stimulus was the noise and vibration next to my prostate.

Hanako was taking a huge risk, for sure. But I was powerless to do anything about it. All I could do was trust in her judgment, which had let her survive the extremes of twenty-one years of hardship.

#

I'd honestly lost track of how much time had passed, by the time I heard the 'beep' of a keycard swipe and the suite door opening again. It might have been ten seconds or ten hours, for all I knew. Meanwhile, I was a mess, both figuratively and literally. Without the use of my hands, my drool streaked from the corners of my mouth and onto my chest. I'd also been leaking a steady dribble of pre-ejaculate, which made its way down my thigh and onto the bed.

I heard three sets of footsteps make their way closer and then abruptly stop. To be honest, the wave of embarrassment I felt in that moment almost pushed me over the edge.

"H-hanacchi!" Yukiko squeaked. "Yo, what the fuck?"

I heard Saeko mumble something indistinct, which made me realize she was furiously blushing.

"I said I'd have a special present for both of you," Hanako said. "Isn't he just the cutest little prostitute in the world? Feel free to dig in to your heart's content."

"B-but…" Yukiko stammered. "If he's like this, then are y-you two…"

"Sleeping together?" Hanako said. "Yes. We have been for a little while. I've liked him ever since I spotted him at Troy the first time. Thanks to him, I almost forgot the lyrics to 'White Album,' of all things! Can you imagine such a rookie move?"

"Enough! What's your game, Hanako?" Saeko said, her voice puffed with indignation. "You gonna f-fuck him in front of us to show us who's boss?"

"Only if you want me to, Saeko," Hanako said. "Since you're an otaku, think of this as a choice presented in your favorite visual novel. There are two options. The first is to turn around and leave. If you do so, then I will gladly take him all for myself and become his girlfriend. He will terminate sexual relations with both of you, for I won't tolerate sleeping around if we're truly committed."

I heard her start to walk around to the head of the bed. Her fingers traced lines on my chest and rubbed at my nipples, making me writhe.

"The second option," Hanako continued, "is for you to show me that you can truly and earnestly share his love. That means no fighting with each other over who gets to spend this or that night with him. No lapses in the quality of your performances, as I've been noticing lately. That's what it means to be in a 'polycule,' or whatever our generation calls these things. Your choice."

Suddenly, I felt her fingers slip under my blindfold and lift it off. The influx of light, even in this dimly-lit room, was still blinding. I blinked and squinted as I touched my chin to my chest to better see in front of me. Yukiko and Saeko were still in their evening gowns. Their expressions were a mix of shock and anger, but their cheeks were flushed and I could sense the sweat dripping from their brows.

"You fucking bitch," Yukiko said to Hanako. "You man-stealing, lying, conniving, treasonous turd." She marched over to Hanako and slapped her across the face. "Sacchan, this prima donna little shit over here thinks we're too scared of a little threesome to stick it to her. We're gonna prove her wrong."

Saeko looked down at her feet for a minute, shaking, and then back at Yukiko. "Fine, but I don't really know what to do here. I mean, I've seen plenty of ecchi scenes with this, but the actual body mechanics are kind of a mystery in real life…"

"It's very cute when you ramble, Sacchan. Don't worry, I'll help," Hanako said, cheerily.

"Do what you want," Yukiko growled. She stood over me, put her hands on her hips, and glared at me. "I'm gonna kick your ass later," she said, and then fiercely started to kiss me.

She reached between my legs, squeezed my member, and brought it back to full strength. "I can't fucking believe you, Leon. You're such a pushover," she said, as she straddled me. Roughly, she pushed her panties aside and slipped me in. "A real gobo man. The ultimate wuss. If it weren't for us, you'd be passed around every old hag like a dirty thousand-yen note."

While she humped me, I caught Saeko out of the corner of my eye. Hanako fondled her breasts and rubbed her between her legs, while Saeko quivered and moaned.

"Since Kiko has his bottom, you should have his top," Hanako said. "He's cuffed to the bed, so he can't move or resist. Sit on his face."

Saeko obeyed and swung her leg over, then lowered herself onto me. I started to lick and suck on her, from top to bottom. Soon, her moisture began to pool and run down my cheeks.

"Very good," Hanako said. "You're all new at this, so I don't expect this to go on for hours and hours or anything. You should change it up, though, or he'll just come and you'll have to wait for a bit to resume."

"Whatever," Yukiko said, and got off of me.

I felt Hanako undo my cuffs and grant me freedom again.

"I want it next," Saeko said, as she rolled away.

Slowly, I regained my bearings. This was still surreal—it had to be a dream. And of course, while this was the dream shared by most straight men in the world, I still felt uneasy.

Saeko was on all fours, and glanced at me pleadingly. I shuffled over to her and entered her from behind. She moaned and buried her face in the bedsheets. Meanwhile, Yukiko sidled up to me and started to attack me with her mouth and hands. I knew that she was probably flicking my nipples and giving me hickies out of spite, but the intensity compounded the pleasure I took from pounding Saeko from behind. As a reward, I slipped a pair of fingers into her and curled them against her sensitive spots.

We were all approaching our limits. Yukiko's insides were twitching and clamping down on me to announce that her orgasm was inevitable, and Saeko's jaw was starting to clench and stifle her gasps and moans. The domino that fell first, however, was the sight of Hanako bunched over, furiously thrusting her fingers in and out of herself, while staring directly at me in ecstasy. The familiar rush spread from my loins to my head, and I climaxed so intensely that my consciousness faded.

Groggily, I opened my eyes. We all lay on the over-sized presidential suite bed, listlessly breathing to punctuate the silence.

Hanako was the first to speak. "You've made your choice, and I've lost. I hope you have the strength to commit to it. Because the moment you waver, I'll strike again. Please, enjoy the room for the rest of the night. Checkout's at thirteen hundred."

With that, she pushed herself off the bed, quickly smoothed out her gown, and left. Our eyes briefly met. Her expression was the same perfect idol's mask. But her eyes were filled with tears.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The day after the gala to celebrate our album release, Double-O Productions had us go right back to work. If we'd thought the period leading up to the release had been a frenzy of activity, the month leading up to our concert would make all else pale in comparison.

Valentine's Day was usually a weekday most years, which meant that right after our promotional activities were completed for the day, Yukiko and I still had classes to attend. We'd both dozed off during our lectures, after a long day of greeting fans and signing physical album copies all over Akihabara. Now, we were looking forward to nothing more than eating and sleeping.

"I really want to stay at your house," Yukiko said, out of the blue as we shuffled out of our lecture hall.

"Let's Eat Grandma. I approve," I replied, giving her a tired thumbs-up.

She scrunched her face up. "Huh? Have you gone rabid? Don't do violence to Touma-obaasan!"

"But that's Rosa Walton's group. She's the one who wrote 'I Really Want to Stay at Your House.'"

"I wasn't talking about anime soundtracks, you dipshit. I was telling you, I want to go to your place instead of mine. It's time to meet your grandmother."

"Oh. Sorry," I muttered. "Lack of sleep. Lemme check if she's cool with it." I quickly texted Youko, who replied almost instantly.

TY: Of course I want to meet (one of) your GF(s)! How about Chinese?

"Looks good. I'll have Haruto pick us up from your place," I said. "Chinese good?"

"I want beef with broccoli."

"You got it," I said, and texted Youko back. "I thought you'd still be full from all those skewers at the party, though."

"I haven't taken a dump yet, so clearly there's room for more," she said, cackling.

"That's just because you gorged on meat and didn't have a shred of fiber. Eat some salad, or you'll never shit again."

"Oh, to have a purely ornamental butthole," she sang, skipping ahead of me in delight.

I sighed in relief at her ability to joke around. None of us had yet talked about the previous night. About Hanako's confession and what we'd all done with each other. During the album signing events, we simply hadn't had the space or privacy. And since our last event had run later than expected, Yukiko and I had been whisked off to class without a chance to even talk with Saeko. Hanako had vanished off to her usual jam-packed schedule of being the top idol of Double-O Productions.

A bit later, Haruto dropped us off at my place.

"Wait," Yukiko said, stopping me from pushing the intercom to announce our arrival.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Do I look fine?" she asked, biting her lip.

I made a show of eyeballing her from head to toe. "It's not like you to care, but yeah, you look nice."

"Don't make me sound like an animal," she said with a scowl. "I'm about to meet your closest family member in Japan."

"The fact that you bothered to change out of your sweats is impressive."

"Fuck off!" she said, and swatted me.

"Sorry, that came out wrong. I mean it. I can tell you put in some effort. You look really cute."

"What's cute about me?"

Fishing for compliments? Or nervous? I can't tell with her. "Your clothes are quite cute."

"That's all you can think to say?" She rolled her eyes. "Fucking men. Anyway, how about my hair? Is it okay just natural like this, or do you think it'd be better with twintails?"

"Twintails."

"Pervert. Is it because I look more like my mom when I do that? I notice how randy you get."

"Then why'd you ask?"

"Shut up. Ring the doorbell."

I did as commanded (as a polite way to let Youko know she had a guest at the door), and she let us in.

"Ara ara," Youko said as she beheld Yukiko. "You must be Ogiso. Please, come in! Dinner's ready and I was a few seconds away from starting without you both!"

"T-thank you, Touma-san," Yukiko said, bowing repeatedly like an elementary schooler in front of her principal. "I wanted to meet you for a long time!"

"Leon, why have you kept such a nice and pretty girl hidden away all this time?" Youko said with a friendly chuckle as she herded us in.

The table was already set—and by "set," I meant unopened delivery containers set out, with packets of sauce piled up randomly around them. Fortunately, seeing Youko's lack of personal refinement seemed to put Yukiko at ease.

"Dig in! I got extra beef with broccoli," Youko said. "Leon tells me you're quite the carnivore."

"Ah," Yukiko said, blushing. She gave me a quick kick to the shin under the table. "Did he now? Well, I'm just a poor college student, so I don't turn down anything. I'm very grateful!"

"A growing, healthy girl needs to eat, so I don't blame you at all," Youko said, clearly enjoying Yukiko's reactions. "My daughter's a little maladjusted because she wouldn't eat a balanced diet growing up. Leads to interesting tastes in men."

"Y-you don't say," Yukiko mumbled.

"Indeed! It's all yin and yang, you know? If you eat nothing but sugar, then you'll unconsciously want something bitter to balance it all out. That usually takes the form of a guy who loves to lecture."

"I'm not really into sugar," Yukiko said, "or at least, not more than the average girl."

"I'm surprised, because Leon is quite the lecturer himself. Haven't you noticed that by now?"

"He can be a little judgmental…"

"You both should have more vegetables" I said, giving my grandmother the side-eye.

"Forget vegetables," Youko said.

Dinner continued like this, with my grandmother gently teasing and probing Yukiko, although not as much as I'd feared she would. Eventually, Youko wanted to go to bed and told us not to worry about the dishes. Noticeably, she hadn't offered to walk Yukiko to the door. Hence, we ended up in my room afterward.

"How are you feeling?" I asked Yukiko, who was stretched out on my bed with her palms covering her face.

"I'm not bound up anymore, at least," she said.

"You did take a long time in the bathroom."

She groaned. "Meeting your grandmother is enough to make anyone shit themselves silly. She's frightening as fuck! Now I kind of regret this."

"I didn't think she was being mean to you, was she?"

"No, she wasn't mean. But I thought old people were supposed to be all conservative and traditional and shit! Why is she so hypersexual?"

"Because she still gets more than all of us combined. Still wanna continue our relationship?"

"Not really," she said, making a face. "Now I see where your perviness comes from. Your parents are probably huge freaks."

"I've walked in on them quite a few times."

"Gross!" She whipped my pillow at me. "Why did you tell me that?"

"Because you wanted to know more about my family."

"Hentai. Come to think of it, Hanako resembles your mom, doesn't she? I bet that's why you couldn't resist banging her."

"She doesn't look like my mom at all. That's like saying all Asian women look like each other. Which insults you, too."

"Don't be a pedant. They have the same long, silky hair, and lush lips, and giant tits, and shapely ass… Know what? Just go screw your mother and leave me alone."

I gently lifted her head and placed my pillow back under it. "Luckily, I don't have an Oedipus complex. I'm happy with you."

She reached up and pulled me by my collar onto the bed and on top of her. We locked eyes and she glared at me. "You're forbidden from fucking my mom."

"I haven't, and I won't."

"You can't touch Auntie Rina."

"I really wasn't trying to."

"If by some chance you're actually bi, you're forbidden from fucking my dad."

"Trust me, I don't swing that way."

"And most of all, you're forbidden from fucking Hanako again."

"I know," I said softly. "That was the agreement we reached, wasn't it?"

"I'll never forgive that bitch," Yukiko growled. "I'm not sharing you with her."

"Do you hate me for sleeping with her?"

"Kind of," she said. "But I also didn't set any boundaries and shit. So I can't get too mad. Unless you fuck her again. Then I might seriously kill you. There. You've been warned."

"And what about Saeko?"

Yukiko turned her face away. "Sacchan's my best friend. I seriously love her. And she loves you. Probably more than I do. So I can't be all selfish and shit when it comes to her."

"I don't want to make either of you suffer, though," I said, resting my forehead on her shoulder. "Are you sure this kind of thing can work? Sharing a guy?"

"What're you complaining for? Men dream of this shit."

"That's fine for porn and fanfic, but real life might be different."

"How about all those medieval harems?"

"Those women were literal sex slaves. They didn't do it because they were all in love with Lord Dingus or whatever."

"Why are you always lecturing me?" Yukiko said, and pushed me over to the side. "Ugh, your grandmother was right. You're just like your dad."

"Sorry about that. I really try not to act like him."

"You're so not my type, you know that? I can't believe that I, a certified genius, fell for a guy like you."

"Then will you break up with me?"

She kicked her legs against the bed like a toddler. "Fuck you. If Sacchan and I want it to work out, it'll work out. We're too stupid to do otherwise."

"I'll trust you, then," I said, propping my head up on my arm. There's no point arguing with her. She'll only dig in harder.

"I almost…" she started.

"Almost what?"

"No, it's dumb, forget I said it."

"I wanna hear it."

"Stop being so persistent!"

"Sorry. I want to know your thoughts and help you, if I can. I also just like hearing your voice."

She groaned and rocked from side to side, holding her head in her hands. "Fine. Fine! You'll regret it, though."

"I'm all ears."

"I was gonna say, I almost wonder if it'd be easier on all of us if you and me were actually…you know…"

"Half siblings?"

"Yeah. It'd be fucking disgusting if true, but then I could give you to Sacchan without tearing my own heart out."

I sighed. "But what about how I feel about you? What if I didn't want to be given away on a technicality?"

"That's a major fucking technicality," she said.

"Are you a hundred percent on that?"

She pressed her hands against her eyes. "No. I can't be a hundred percent. Even though it's wrong and bad and gross of me. And you, for that matter, you wannabe sister-fucker. Anyway, I know it won't happen. It's impossible. So, whatever. It still boils down to sharing you. And no, before you ask, we're not gonna start having regular threesomes. Those are too much work and we're lazy as hell."

"Not even once a week?" I asked, chuckling.

"I'll choke you," she said, and wrapped her hands around my throat.

#

The grind wore on and on. Yet more record store appearances and album signings, photo ops, and opening for bands. All this, compounded on top of the work of being a university student, not to mention simple individual practice, was enough to make me start questioning every grand statement I'd ever made about wanting to be a professional rock musician.

A few days later, I wanted nothing more than to just lay in my own bed and reach the finale of "Koisuru Metronome." The protagonist was at an untenable impasse: he finally had to choose between Sayuka or Mayui, and although the answer had long been spoiled for me (Mayui won), I wanted to savor the drama anyway. And I wanted to do it alone.

Saeko glowered at me from where she sat backwards on my chair a few steps away. Several times, I'd casually glanced away from the pages, only to meet with her disapproving, mute stare, and quickly refocused my attention on reading. But the oppressive atmosphere was making it more difficult to enjoy even the horniest pages out of Kasumi Utako's magnum opus.

"Are you mad at me?" I finally asked Saeko, finally setting my book face-down on my chest.

"What do you think?" she spat.

"You look mad at me," I said. "What'd I do?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because I can't read your mind."

"I'm not saying you can. Just that you're being dense and rude."

"I'm just reading. Is that so awful?"

"Yeah. Awful."

"I thought you liked Kasumi Utako's stuff. Aren't you a JunHec fan?" I asked, referencing Kasumi's second series, "Pure Love Hectopascal," which I recalled Saeko had once tried to name our group after.

"It's not about that."

"So what I'm reading isn't awful, but the fact that I'm reading it is?"

"Ten points to Gryffindouchebag!"

"I've always thought of myself as a Slytherin."

"You're cold-hearted, distant, and selfish. Yeah, that fits."

I rose from the bed, walked over to her, and knelt to be at eye-level. "Okay, what's wrong? You're clearly pissed, and I don't know why."

She continued to glower. "The moment we walked in the door, you just went and flopped on your bed and started to read. You didn't want to spend any time with me."

"Sorry…" I scratched my head. "My bad. It's just that we've all been working nonstop for the concert. We just had a ten-hour day, you know?"

"That's different."

I smiled at her. "I see how it is. Wanna do it?" With that, I moved to kiss her, only for her to back away.

"No," she said.

"Okay," I said, and started to move back to my bed.

"You don't want to talk with me, or do stuff with me that isn't sex."

"That isn't true."

"So why are you going back to reading?"

"Because I'm tired? I don't have a lot of energy right now. And don't you also have stuff you want to do? Games, or manga, or VNs or something? Actually, how about studying? You're a PhD student. Surely they have you doing assignments?"

"Don't try to—to redirect me like I'm a kid!"

I threw my hands up. "Tell me what you want to do together, and I'll do it. I don't care what it is."

"The fact that you don't care is what pisses me off." Saeko rose from my chair and started to storm out.

"Saeko, please!" I shouted. She whipped around to say something to me. Her eyes were teary. Without speaking, she turned to leave again. "Please, don't go," I pleaded again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Of course I care about you."

She balled her hands into fists and shook. I approached her anyway, and carefully took her into an embrace. It also would prevent her from slugging me in the jaw.

"Now you decide to treat me like a human being," she muttered, although she made no effort to escape me.

"I didn't mean to treat you like anything else," I said, stroking her back. "I'll listen to whatever you have to say."

"I'm not good with this shit," she said. "Any of it."

"Then how about I do some talking?"

"Do what you want."

I took her by the hand and sat her down on the bed. I sat down next to her. "We never really got to spend time after the party. Did you and Yukiko talk much?"

She shook her head. "We've also had ten-hour days. Right alongside you."

"I know. I'm sorry about complaining about it like I was the only one with the burden."

"Good. I like hearing you apologize. You can say 'sorry' as many times as you want to me."

I had to let out a chuckle at that. Her mood was already improving. "Then I'll give you another. First of all, I'm sorry about Hanako. I hid that we'd been sleeping together."

"It was inevitable," Saeko said, looking at the floor. "Anyone could've seen it coming from a kilometer away. After all, you're…not really that bad looking, at least for 3D. And sometimes you're kind of nice to be around. It's why I tolerate you."

"Thank you," I said, squeezing her hand.

"And I know you had to protect her and yourself. Idol otaku are dangerous, as you know."

"But I could have also cut things off with her after the first time. And I didn't. So I'm sorry yet again."

"She wouldn't have accepted that. She'd probably have locked you in a secret sex dungeon if you'd refused."

"I don't think she'd go that far."

"She would. She's actually scary as fuck, you know. Can I confess something?"

I stroked her hair. "Anything. You're already forgiven."

"Hanako told me Kiko broke quarantine."

I raised an eyebrow. "Did she have any proof?"

"Her manager took pictures. I saw her in front of your house."

I nodded, trying to slow my heartrate down. "Shinozuka-san's been doing her job for almost forty years. That's about as long as my grandmother played piano for. Of course she'd know a thing or two about stalking. But that's on her. Not your fault."

"Kind of is. Hanako gave me the chance to walk away before she showed me the pictures. But I wanted to know."

"Anyone would."

"Not if they didn't give a shit," Saeko said.

"But you give a shit about me."

She leaned into me with enough of her weight to push us both down sideways onto the bed, and wrapped her arms around my torso. "I couldn't stand not seeing you. It made me so fucking angry when she mentioned that Kiko might have visited you anyway."

"Anyone would feel the same."

"Don't be so fucking understanding."

"I'm sorry."

She gripped my shirt tightly. "Otaku have no business being in a relationship. Better without attachments. I shouldn't have ever fucked you."

"I know I'm a huge pain. Sorry again."

"It's fine. We have an abnormal relationship, anyway."

"Do you mean sharing me with another woman?"

"What the fuck else would it be? At least I'm not your half-sister or whatever she might be."

"Are you truly okay with that?"

"The blood-related thing? I don't give a shit. Not my problem that your family tree doesn't branch. The sharing part, though… Not really."

"Do you want me to cut it off with her, then?"

"No. I don't want to lose my best friend over a guy, no matter how much I love him."

"Why would you lose your friend?"

"If we went exclusive, she'd totally vanish. Because she's a good person who cares about me. She knows she'd make a move on you sooner or later, and it would fuck everything up. You love her too, so not like I could rely on you to have self-control."

A conversation we'd had quite a while ago now returned to my memory. "It almost sounds like you're making some sort of Venn diagram."

"Good catch," she said. "Yeah. That thin sliver in the middle is the only way things can work."

I kissed the top of her head. "I like you both. I'm comfortable in that little sliver."

"Then don't fuck Hanako again. At least give me that."

"I won't. I promised Yukiko, too." I glanced over at the clock. It was getting late, and we still had our jobs to do in the morning. "Do you want to stay the night? Your stuff's in the bathroom like usual."

She rose and shook her head. "No, I should really get home. My parents are on my case about bullshit again. Later."

She quickly gathered her outerwear and I walked her to the front door, from which she vanished into the night.

I sighed. Things were still practically as undecided between the three of us as they had been before Hanako had made her move. And for some reason, I was fine with the uncertainty.

"Get it together," I chided myself out loud.

"That was a nice save, earlier," Youko said in the most casual way possible from behind me. "I thought she'd storm out of here, earlier, but it seems my cute grandson's learned a thing or two about how to deal with women."

"Grandma…" I rubbed my temples. "Were you eavesdropping on us?"

"Naturally. You're one of my prime sources of entertainment, after all."

I ground my forehead against the wall of the staircase. "It's pointless to ask you to stop, isn't it?"

"Leon, if you had a sexy, angsty romance drama happening in your house with cute young people you actually cared about, would you stop yourself from enjoying it?"

"Grandma, that's wrong on so many levels."

"The problem with television shows is that no matter how loudly you yell at them, the characters can't hear you. But in real life, your feelings will totally reach them! It's brilliant!"

With some effort, I pushed back the unwelcome vision of my grandmother gleefully listening in on all the times I'd been intimate with Saeko, Yukiko, and Hanako. There was nothing I could do about that. At least now, I don't have to feel guilty about not paying rent.

I decided to humor her. "So, obaachan, since you're watching my terrible television show right now, what would you tell me?"

"In general, there are several rules every character must follow," Youko said, counting off on her fingers. "First of all, don't ever investigate an unexpected noise or say 'I'll be right back.' Second, the monster is always behind you. Third, always switch the lights on when you enter a room."

"That sounds more like how to survive a horror film."

"Obviously. Because you can't manage your tangled mess of love relationships if you're dead. Let's have some tea."

"I doubt my physical safety is in question here," I griped, and followed her to the kitchen. There, she prepared two cups of gyokuro-cha and passed one to me.

"Only a few months ago, I remember you weeping in bed about how you got rejected by the girl you lost your virginity to. And now, look where we are!" Youko chuckled. "I expected and, honestly, feared this kind of thing would happen. You're aware of Einstein's definition of insanity, right?"

"Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results," I said. "Is that really an Einstein quote? So many things get misattributed to him."

"If it wasn't Einstein who said it, then perhaps it was another genius, like Tom Green," Youko said. "Either way, watching you reminds me of what happened to your parents and their dear friend, who is now your boss. I doubt things would have ended differently, even if they'd had a threesome or something. So, tell me, how did your menage-a-trois go?"

I spat my tea out over the counter, much to her delight. "Jesus, Grandma!"

"Ara ara, so you did have one! You're truly my blood!"

Annoyed at her, I hastily grabbed a nearby towel and wiped at the counter. "I won't confirm or deny, but I'm one hundred percent not telling you any details."

"Back on topic," Youko said, still smirking, "it seems to me that you're resolved to maintain some sort of polyamory where no one feels left out."

"Maybe I am."

"Not just you. The other girls are also trying to convince themselves of it, too. After all, you just declared that your generation is smarter and cooler than mine, or your parents'."

I shook my head. "So are we making a mistake?"

"That's not something I can tell you, Leon. You have to figure that out with the girls. But I promise you that nothing good comes of limping along, trying to maintain an impossible status quo. There's another classic Einstein quote about this very thing."

"I doubt Einstein ever commented about polyamory, but…sure, I'll hear it."

"Harem MCs create homeostasis, but the girls pay for it."

#

The next Saturday, after practice, I received a note from Yayoi summoning me to Echoes. Yukiko and Saeko were obviously displeased.

"I'll just decline," I said, looking up at their glares.

Yukiko shook her head. "You can't. She's our superior."

"How does that make sense? She's not our manager, or Setsuna or Rina."

"She outranks Izumi," Saeko said. "It's in our contract that you never really read despite being all high and mighty about it."

"Well, whatever. This is just a meeting with Shinozuka-san."

"No, you numbnuts," Yukiko said. "This is obviously a meeting with Hanako. You don't have to be a genius to realize that."

"So what do I do?"

"See what she has to say, obviously," Yukiko said. "Without sticking it in her. I shouldn't have to spell it out for you, but I definitely need to spell it out for you."

"I promised you both that I wouldn't. I'll just get it over with. Besides, it's at Echoes. It's perfectly safe."

"When she turns you into a human toilet, I won't even be mad at her," Saeko said, crossing her arms. "I'm just gonna use you, too."

After that last, stirring bout of encouragement, I let Yayoi drive me to Echoes. And, true to everyone's predictions, Hanako waited for me in one of the acoustically-sealed booths in the secret underground portion of Echoes.

As always, Hanako was simply stunning to behold in person. I'd seen her at her most elegant during the gala, but she'd somehow managed to become even more beautiful in the interim. Again, I felt awkward looking directly at her. And not simply because of what had transpired between us all. I sat on the opposite bench and faced her.

"Leon," she said. "Have you been well?"

"Hanako," I said, unable to meet her gaze.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling shy?"

"A little."

She giggled. "We've seen each other naked, you know."

"Sorry. It's just…I sometimes have difficulty looking at someone as pretty as you. I know it's stupid."

"Not stupid," she said, and reached over to touch my forearm. "To be honest, I feel the same way looking at you."

"I don't see how that's possible."

"You're too straight of a guy to understand," she said, with a sigh. "So? How are things with you and the girls?"

"If nothing else, you forced us to talk."

"Someone had to. Would you like some coffee?"

"I'll pass. How are you?"

She smiled. "Quite good. I actually called you over here because I had some exciting news, and I couldn't really share it with anyone else."

I perked up. "About your grandparents?"

"Yes!" She clasped her hands together. "They told me they're only about one payment away from being able to get my parents to Japan. After all these years, it's finally happening!"

"Hanako, that's awesome!" I said, wrapping my hands around hers.

"I'm really happy, of course, but it was also kind of frustrating not being able to share the news. So I'm grateful that you came." She touched our balled-up hands to her forehead. "It was all worth it, in the end."

"It certainly cost you a lot."

"Illegal things are expensive. But I'd do it again, in a heartbeat. My parents gave me life, no matter how hard it was."

"How long until they arrive?"

"Not too long after I make the last deposit. Once the snakehead gets his payment, only a few days, at most. Not like they're going through an immigration office."

"Where will they stay? With your grandparents in Koreatown?"

"At first. Once I accumulate some funds, I'll find them a nicer place. Maybe in Akasaka or something." She smiled shyly at me. "You know, I'd really like to show them my beautiful, talented, rockstar boyfriend once they're here."

"Sorry," I said, returning her a sad smile. "I'd love to meet them, but I can't meet them as your boyfriend. Still, please let me know first thing when we can visit. We're still friends, right?"

She wiped at her eyes and nodded. "Of course."

"Thank you."

"Ai ya! You know what I realized?" she said, suddenly blushing. "Despite all we've shared, and all we've done, I've never actually given you my phone number or email."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're right, actually. I guess I never thought to ask, though."

"Before we talk about anything else, let's correct that mistake," she said, and held her phone out to me. I noticed that her little phone strap was decorated by none other than Ono Michio, the orange-headed tourist mascot for Hiroshima prefecture.

"Of course," I said, and held out my phone to trade our info. And with that, I now held something of a holy trinity in my hands. Ogata Rina, Ogiso Setsuna, and Morikawa Hanako were all at my fingertips. Not even the American CIA possessed knowledge this exclusive, or forbidden.

"And now I have yours," Hanako said, looking wistfully at her screen. "Don't worry, I won't harass you. But I might send you funny pictures sometimes."

"I'll never turn down memes from you," I said, with a laugh. I still couldn't fully accept that this was reality, even though I saw her icon appear on my contact list.

"Even though we're not dating, could you send me an email every now and then?"

"Sure, anything you want."

"It doesn't have to be an essay or anything. Even just a quick note. Or a selfie or something. I want to know what you're up to."

"Wanna take one right now?" I asked. "I could send it to Yukiko and Saeko."

"Let's!" she said, and changed her seat so she was next to me. I held out my phone, set it to the appropriate mode, and clicked the shutter button a few times. Like any other impromptu selfie, it was completely unpolished. Hanako's smile was still brilliant, although she still flashed that ubiquitous "V" sign with her fingers like all young Asian women did for reasons lost to history.

"Make sure you send it to me, too," she said.

"There, sent," I said, and pressed the button. "Next, we've gotta get all of us in a picture."

"That won't happen for a while," Hanako said with a sigh. "They're still angry at me."

"I'm sorry Yukiko slapped you."

"I deserved it," she said. "After all, I was unwilling to share."

I noticed that she made no effort to go back to her old seat. Instead, we simply sat side by side, looking at the empty bench seat in front of both of us.

"I wanted to ask you about that," I said. "I thought you'd told me you wouldn't interfere."

"Initially, I wasn't going to. I'd have been happy with just sleeping with you when the chance came up, and letting the girls be cute with you."

"So what changed?"

"I fell in love with you. It's all your fault, too. You wouldn't stop being gentle and kind. You didn't hold me in contempt for my past, or become disgusted that I've had sex with dozens of men and women in my life. Or judge me for what I do with my money. Or reject me for my tastes in bed. You were just supportive and listened to me. Didn't I warn you to stop causing problems? Really, you're horrible. The worst."

"I promised both of them, Hanako," I said. "I promised them I wouldn't sleep with you from now on. I hope you understand."

She rested her head on my shoulder. "I do. I hate it, of course."

"I wouldn't be a man worthy of their affection if I broke a promise like that."

"You wouldn't. But can I offer some advice?"

"Sure."

"This 'polycule' thing you all have going on isn't going to last."

"And why not? Yukiko and Saeko seem fine with it. They both gave their consent, and it's not like we're hiding things from each other."

"Three-legged stools are reliable when they're made of wood or stone. They wobble when they're made of meat. You're assuming that their feelings won't change, or that they hold the exact same amount of affection for you and for each other. It doesn't work like that in real life."

"Because we're made of meat," I said.

"Bingo," she said. "As their feelings for you grow stronger, they're going to realize a fundamental truth. To quote my favorite philosopher: 'Metal Gear only has room for one.'"

With that, she moved back to her previous seat on the bench on front of me. She sipped at her coffee and finished it off.

"One more thing," she said, as she set her cup down. "I don't mean to be a narc, but I thought you should know that Yukiko's been meeting in secret with someone."

My stomach churned. "Who? Eggplant?"

She shook her head. "No, not him. I did have Yayoi look into it, by the way, and their relationship is purely platonic. She's meeting with Sawakura Misaki."

Sawakura Misaki…the 'Scandal Master.' Same lady who hit on me at the gala, too. "Why? Why would she ever do something like that? She told me she hated Sawakura's guts."

"She does. Sawakura's attacked Setsuna in the past, which to Yukiko is an unforgivable crime."

"So why the hell would they meet in secret?"

Hanako rested her chin on her hands. "I'm not certain. I think it may have something to do with the allegations about her parentage. Remember? I was really curious about why Sawakura had used that specific allegation. After all, there are far more damaging things that she could have written about. But many of these articles have some small kernel of truth to them. I can only assume Yukiko realized this, too."

Setsuna's words to my father rose to the top of my memories, whether I wanted them to or not. I swallowed. "I don't know how any of this could be proven. Not unless Sawakura somehow got a blood sample from my dad. I also doubt Eiji would be willing to give her anything, either."

"Again, this is pure conjecture on my part. They may well be meeting to plan a celebrity women's boxing match with each other, for all I know. Just like Uwe Boll challenged his critics to fight him."

"What should I do?"

"You can't do anything," Hanako said. "All you can do is support her when things inevitably end up biting her back. That's one of your responsibilities as her boyfriend."

"Hanako… With what you know, I almost think you're having Yayoi stalk us. Is that the case?"

She gave me an inscrutable smile. "I'm the top idol of Double-O, and your senpai. Of course it's my duty to support you all."

"Will you stop, if I ask you to?"

"No. Not unless I can tell my parents you're my boyfriend."

#

I rode back from Echoes in the back of Shinozuka Yayoi's Maybach GLS, along with Hanako. Shortly before we crossed into the neighborhood around Iwazu-chou station, however, Hanako leaned over and whispered to Yayoi. We pulled over the side of the road, near a pretty pedestrian path that boasted great views of the river. Without a word, Yayoi opened her door and stepped out. She walked a short distance to the footpath, leaned over the guardrail, and lit a cigarette.

"Sorry for the sudden pit stop," Hanako said.

"It's fine, your manager has her own needs," I said, knowing perfectly well it was just a convenient excuse.

"The truth is, I wanted to spend just a bit more time with you. Is that okay?"

"Sure," I said.

"Can I confess something to you?" Hanako asked, as she unbuckled her seatbelt and sidled closer to me. I was already up against the rear driver-side door, so I couldn't have backed away even if I'd thought to. My breathing quickened as she placed a hand on my thigh.

"Anything."

"Do you ever have intrusive thoughts?" she asked. "You know, like if you're on a rooftop and you wonder what it would be like to throw yourself off the side? Even if you have no wish to harm yourself?"

I nodded. "I thought everyone had those. Especially about the tall building thing. Just how we're built, I guess."

"I'm glad. You know, I've never asked someone else directly. Just what I've read on the internet."

"Hanako, are you feeling okay?"

She chuckled. "I'm fine. I don't want to hurt myself, if that's what you're worried about. My intrusive thoughts usually have to do with others. Particularly you."

Don't ask her what they are. "And what are you thinking about?"

Hanako looked away. "Yayoi's out there smoking. The windows are heavily tinted. The doors have a child lock, so you can't open them from the inside."

"I see." Unconsciously, my hand strayed to the door latch.

"As a man, you're physically stronger than I am. I could never overpower you alone. But if I had a weapon… I could make you do what I wanted, couldn't I?"

I held my breath. "You certainly could. I value my life. I'd follow your orders."

She looked back at me and lightly stroked my cheek with her fingertips. "Don't worry. I'd never actually harm you. But I'm ashamed, Leon. I'm deeply, horribly ashamed for thinking these things."

"Sometimes it's better to air these things out. Maybe talking about them keeps us from acting on them," I said, regaining some of my composure.

Her fingers straightened into the shape of a gun and pushed up against the bottom of my chin. "If I had a weapon, I'd make you kiss me. I'd take off your clothes. Starting with your shirt. I'd lick and suck on your nipples and make you squirm. Then I'd unzip your fly and take your pants down. I'd take you in my mouth. Even if you were soft, I'd lick and suck on you and make you hard." Her breath tickled my neck and her tongue played with my earlobe.

Even though she was essentially delivering a play-by-play fantasy about raping me, I couldn't help but become erect to hear such vile things issue from her mouth. I wanted to tell her to stop. I also wanted her to continue. I didn't know what I wanted.

She continued. "I'd unbutton my shirt and unhook my bra. Then I'd make you suck my breasts while you fingered me. Eventually, I wouldn't be able to stand it anymore, and I'd take you with my pussy. Perhaps you'd cry or complain. I'd shove my tits against your face to silence you. Then I'd make you come in me."

"Hanako…"

"And do you know the most terrible part?"

"Aside from what you just told me?"

"You could enjoy yourself without feeling guilty. If I forced myself on you, then it's all my fault. I'd be the criminal. You're the innocent victim who couldn't fight back."

She rubbed my crotch with her other hand. I throbbed in agony and knew I was leaking pre-ejaculate into my underwear. I hadn't had sex in several days. She seemed to know that perfectly well. "Do you want to pretend I have a gun?" she whispered, and lightly bit my earlobe.

It was tempting as all hell to yield to her. Her logic was irrefutable. My body wanted her more than anything else. But I'd made a promise. And I'd been breaking too many promises lately.

"No," I said, and turned my face away from her. "You're not a rapist. You're a woman I admire and adore. You wouldn't do that to someone you cared about. I won't let you insult yourself like that."

She rested her forehead on my shoulder. I felt her tears fall on my collarbone and her body shake.

"I should have just taken you for myself," she sobbed. "I shouldn't have let them choose. Why was I so stupid?"

"You weren't stupid. You care for all of us. That's why, even though I choose not to be with you, I still love you, Hanako."

She tightened her arms around me. "I hate you, Leon! I hate you so much! I hate that I love you."

I stroked her hair. "I'm so sorry."

"Please, make me not love you anymore. Make me lose respect for you."

"I can't do that."

"Tell me I'm a dirty whore. Tell me I'm just used goods. That I'm fucked in the head. A sexual predator. Tell me you're scared of me now and never want to be alone with me again."

"No. None of those things are true."

"Bastard. Make me whole again…"

I continued to hold her while she wept in my arms. Like whiskey to an alcoholic, I was both the cause of and solution to her suffering. But the only way forward was for all of us to abstain, even if it killed us.

Eventually, she spoke. "I…I still have obligations," she murmured. "So I'll need to let you go for now. Thank you for…hearing me out."

"Of course," I said, as I kissed her forehead.

"Can you do one thing for me, before Yayoi comes back?"

"Sure."

"Whisper me a love song. Something only for me."

I closed my eyes. I had a virtual library of those songs in my head, by this point. But there was only one about unreachable love.

Why so lonely? In this world, we need love

Can you hear me? I know you've had it rough

How could it be, that I've fallen deeply for you?

Can you tell me, if your feelings are true?

What should I do now?

To hear those three words,

Don't leave me here in the dark

You seem so far, and this dream is just out of my reach

Could I be the one and your only, you seek?

Prove to me that love isn't blind

And the answer is crystal clear

Keep me close and don't let go

Tell me there's nothing to fear

(Artist Attribution: The English cover of Todokanai Koi above is by Angelique-Bebe)

#

It wasn't long after Yayoi dropped me back off at Youko's, that I heard a familiar ring. I quickly swiped the green "Take Call" button, and held it to my ear.

"Hey, Dad," I said, with an actual smile.

"Leon, sorry I'm calling a bit late," Haruki said.

"It's no problem, I know you and Mom are busy. How's Hawaii?"

"The concert was a great success. I knew there were a lot of Japanese people who lived here, but I wasn't prepared for the sheer number who came to hear her play. Maybe we'll move here when we get tired of Vienna. Anyway, I'm still sorry. I know we agreed to talk at least once a week."

"Really, it's fine, Dad. I've been crazy busy prepping for the concert. I might be the one who falls through on calling, next time." I plopped down on my desk chair and spun around.

"It's on White Day, right?"

"Yeah, at the Yuunagi City Auditorium."

"Are you happy about it?"

"Mostly nervous. It's a twenty thousand-seat concert. I'd feel better if we'd booked a thousand-seater, at most."

"Don't underestimate yourself," Haruki said. "From what I've seen, the sales numbers more than justify it. Ogata-san might have actually been too conservative with the venue. Still, better to sell out than the alternative. You can always schedule another concert soon after."

"I hope one day I can sell the same numbers of CD's as mom."

"You've already beaten her. Classical piano recordings aren't exactly huge sellers."

I resisted the urge to tease him about his earlier prediction that we wouldn't even surpass a hundred thousand album sales. My father was genuinely praising me, and this was something to treasure.

"Did you guys get a chance to listen to it?"

"Of course we did. Your mom bought a hundred copies to give away, so make sure you thank her next time."

"A hundred copies?" I shook my head and laughed. "I definitely will."

"My only criticism is that the cover photo is a little too sexy. Your music should be driving your sales, not your body."

"Yeah, that was… It was Hanako's doing."

"That makes sense. Only a woman with a romantic attachment to you could have taken that sort of picture."

"We're just friends," I said, quickly.

Haruki seemed to ignore that last qualifier. "How is she doing, these days? I'm still both impressed and appalled by what you told me about her past."

While I hadn't told my father all of the horrific details of Hanako's background, I'd talked to him about some of what she'd told me during my earlier calls.

"She's good, thanks. She just told me some great news about her parents. They'll be able to come to Japan in not too long."

"Remind me again—the people organizing this effort are her grandparents, correct?"

"Yeah, her grandparents."

"I'm curious about that. Has she, by any chance, been making large cash payments to them to bring her parents over?"

"Yeah," I said. "More or less. How'd you come to that conclusion?"

"Hold on, Leon. Do you know about how much?"

"A lot. She told me at least the equivalent of two-hundred fifty thousand Euros every quarter, for maybe the last four or five years."

"So in total, she's given these people at least four million Euros." He exhaled, and paused.

I tensed. My father was kind of a rules-follower, after all. Was it a good idea to tell him this stuff? "Dad, I know it's not technically legal for her to be doing this, but it seems like the only choice she has if she wants to see her parents again. Is that really so wrong?"

"Don't misunderstand," Haruki said. "I don't care about illegal immigration to a country I'm no longer a citizen of. It's just that I think she's overpaying for this sort of thing. By a whole lot."

"Illegal things are expensive," I said, quoting her.

"Bringing two people over from China isn't four million Euros expensive."

"How would you know how much it costs?"

"I worked at Kaiou Graph when I was still in Japan, remember? I helped every department with the research for their articles. Back then, there was a surge of social-interest stories concerning human trafficking and smuggling. I learned a lot about that sordid business. So, even though my information's a bit out of date, I still have a sense of how these things work."

"So how much does it cost to smuggle two people into Japan?"

"Ten thousand Euros at most. Maybe fifteen thousand these days, with inflation."

I held my breath. "So not millions."

"Absolutely not. Leon, there's a distinct chance that your friend is being scammed."

"But why would her own grandparents do something like that to her?"

My father chuckled. "You're very trusting. Those people probably aren't her grandparents. You told me, remember? She came over very young, and her grandparents showed up out of the blue, years later? She wouldn't have remembered what they looked like. And for that matter, how did they come over without millions of Euro, if that's the price of entry?"

Horribly, my father's words made perfect sense. The kind of cold, rational clarity that made the man unbearable sometimes, but also the only man who my mother completely trusted.

"If that's true…what can I do? I need to help her…" I started to mumble.

"Leon, right now there's nothing you can do. If you confront her with something like this, she'll become defensive and push back hard. It's called the 'sunken cost fallacy.' She may even decide to cut you out of her life if you're too insistent. And don't forget, I may be completely wrong. Perhaps circumstances necessitate such large payments. Everyone has a different situation."

"Dad, this is…"

"A lot. I know. Listen. Leon. I still have some friends in Japan. With Kaiou and other organizations. So I'll do some digging in the meantime. You just need to concentrate on making your concert a success."

"Dad, you don't have to do this. Also, I don't want anything to taint Hanako's reputation, you know?"

"I'll be discrete. That's my one talent, which your mother likes to remind me of. Let me try to help your friend out. As my apology for doubting your dream, okay?"

"Dad…" I lowered my head. "Okay. I'll trust you. Thank you."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Our concert was now a mere two weeks away. We were long past the expected dip in confidence and skill predicted by the classic "learning curve," and supposedly on a steep upward climb to greatness.

Futari wakarete kara mikka ga sugita

Kimi ga doko ni iru ka ima demo wakaru

Hoka no hito to kimi wo kurabete ita yo

"Sore dake wa shinai" to omotte ita noni

Heya wo dete yuku kimi no tonari de

Mou hitou no boku ga furikaeri boku wo mi—

"Stop, stop," Setsuna commanded during our rendition of "Replacing You." I lifted my fingers from the keys and looked at her in confusion. It wasn't like Setsuna to halt a song, even for an obvious mistake—her directive to us had almost always been to play through them. And these days, we were far past the point of missing notes or messing up our timing.

"Setsuna?" I asked. "Everything okay?"

"Not really," she said, looking pensive. She slowly turned on the stool she'd been sitting on. "None of you are making any technical mistakes, but… the song feels off. I don't like it at all."

I scratched my head. "I felt like we were dragging for a few measures, sure, but we picked up the pace, right?"

"Try it again from the top," Setsuna said.

I nodded. "And a one and a two and…"

We'd only gotten a few measures in, when Setsuna again signaled for us to stop.

"It wasn't just a fluke," she said, frowning. "You all sound terrible. You've been off since we started."

I pressed a few keys on the Yamaha CFX to check that the piano was still in tune. We weren't at Setsuna's manor today, but rather, in a familiar practice space within N54 Studios. The Ogiso household was getting electrical work done, so we'd been forced to rehearse elsewhere.

"Piano's in tune," I said. "Anyone with instrument trouble?"

Saeko shook her head. "Nothing on my end."

Yukiko shrugged. "I'm good."

Setsuna stood and walked over to her daughter. "Actually, you're not."

"Huh?"

"It's your playing," Setsuna said. "Yukiko, are you feeling sick? You've been half-assing your parts the entire session. I just realized that's what was happening."

Yukiko initially looked indignant, but to my surprise, quickly demurred. "I'm fine, Mom. Sorry. I'll do better."

Setsuna cupped Yukiko's face in her palms. "No. Something's definitely bothering you. How about we take a break and get something at Echoes?"

"I said I'm fine, Mom," Yukiko said, and wriggled out of Setsuna's grasp. "Let's play. We don't have all day."

"Kiko, maybe we should just take a coffee break," I said.

"Stop picking on me!" she snapped. "We gotta rehearse!"

Setsuna shook her head. "Rehearsing like this is useless. Okay, we're calling it for today."

"Mom, what the fuck?"

"I should ask you that, young lady," Setsuna replied.

"Whatever," Yukiko said. She unslung her guitar and thrust it into Setsuna's hands before stomping away and slamming the door shut after her.

I looked at Saeko, and then at Setsuna.

"I apologize for that," I said to Setsuna. This was my band, which meant I was ultimately responsible for my members.

She set Yukiko's PRS back on its stand. "It's okay, Leon. It wasn't anyone's fault but mine. Yukiko's been moody recently, and I'm honestly not sure why. Has she mentioned anything troublesome to either of you?"

"I can't say for sure." Of course, there was what Hanako had told me about Yukiko meeting with Sawakura Misaki, but that was just a rumor without anything to back it up. I certainly wasn't going to ask Hanako more about it.

Setsuna sidled over to me and sat at the edge of my bench. "Well, it's obviously giving her a lot of stress, whatever the issue is. Can I ask you to talk with her, and help her out?"

I nodded. "Of course."

"Thank you. She's probably gone to her apartment, knowing her."

"I guess I'll head out," Saeko said, slipping her drumsticks into their slim case.

"Wait, Sacchan," I said. "Come with me."

"Why? She's probably bothered by something related to you."

"Maybe. But without you, we'd both feel a bit lonely."

Saeko pursed her lips, but then seemed to relent. "Fine, I'll go. Gotta hit the toilet first."

After she stepped out, Setsuna set a hand on my shoulder. "So! It looks like you all decided to try balancing on a three-legged stool, after all."

Of course she figured it out. She's Ogiso Setsuna, after all. "We have."

She smiled, wistfully. "You have no idea how much deja vu I'm feeling right now."

"Do you mean what happened between you and my parents in the past?"

She wiggled herself closer to me on the bench until she was firmly pressed against me. "The roles are slightly different, but yes."

I tried to suppress my natural reaction to her body right up against mine, and of course failed. "And what do you think about it?"

She ran her fingertips through my hair, before leaning in and inhaling deeply against the skin of my neck. "I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't a little jealous of both of them. I fantasized about what would have happened if we hadn't stopped, you know. About what you would feel like inside me. The sounds you'd make when you came…"

"Setsuna…" I trembled. Her lips tickled my ear as she giggled softly.

"But… I'm old enough to know better," she said, breaking away. "I need you two to help my daughter with her problem, whatever it might be. I don't care if you're a three-person couple or whatever. All I'll say is that if Eiji ever breaks up with me, though, I'm going to take you without mercy."

#

My jitters from my brush with Setsuna had mostly calmed down by the time Saeko and I stood in front of Yukiko's apartment door. But life was unfair, and now old jitters were promptly replaced by new ones. Yukiko wasn't answering her doorbell, nor was she answering when Saeko banged her fists repeatedly on the metal door.

"Come on, we know you're in there!" Saeko shouted. "Don't be a chode! We're freezing out here!"

No response.

"She'd better not be dead," Saeko growled. "Or if she is, she'd better have made a will giving me all her shit."

"Hold on," I said. "Let me try something." I tried pressing my ear against the door in a vain attempt to discern signs of life from inside.

At that point, the door opened and I unceremoniously stumbled into Yukiko's apartment, managing to also knock Yukiko down with me. We hit the floor and rolled until we hit the wall. At that point, she wrapped her legs around me, restrained my arms in what I vaguely surmised to be a full nelson headlock, and started to squeeze. My vision started to darken.

"Oh, it's just you," Yukiko said, and let me go. I crawled out of her grasp and retched a bit.

Saeko cackled. "Ahaha! I totally thought he was gonna end up grabbing your boobs, but you did some crazy Brazilian Jiu Jitsu shit instead."

"This isn't anime," Yukiko said. "If some guy lands on top of me, he's gonna die, not grab my tits."

"Why didn't you answer the door?" Saeko asked as she stepped over me.

"I was on the shitter," Yukiko said.

I slowly picked myself up and hobbled to the living room, where the girls sat on opposite sides of the kotatsu.

"We were worried about you," I said, and sat down. "You were pretty upset back there."

"It's nothing. Just constipated, was all," Yukiko said, looking away.

"I don't buy it," I countered. "You're super prideful when we rehearse. Usually, you'd be picking on us for showing weakness or whatever. But today, you were just out of it. What's going on?"

"You're too pushy," Yukiko said. "You should leave. I'd like to hang with Sacchan."

Now I was annoyed. "Hey, remember what you told me when my parents were threatening to put me on a plane back to Austria? That friends share both good times and bad shit with each other?"

She pouted at me. "Did I say something so idiotic?"

"Yeah. You did. You were also super pissed at me for hiding stuff from Saeko. I had to bow and scrape to both of you for the longest time. So don't pretend I'm making stuff up."

"Says the guy who fucked Hanako behind our backs."

This is risky, but here goes. "She told me she's been spying on us. And she told me that you've been meeting Sawakura Misaki."

Yukiko slammed her fists on the kotatsu top, partially unseating it. "The hell you say?"

"Are you going to deny it?"

"Fuck you! And what's Hanako's fucking problem?"

"Whatever you've been meeting with her about, it's clearly upset you," I said. "Honestly, its super irresponsible that you're talking with her in the first place, but you must've had a reason to deal with someone you said was your sworn enemy. All we care about," I said, and looked at Saeko, who nodded back, "is if you're okay. Which you're clearly not."

Yukiko's forehead thumped against the tabletop. "It's really not your problem."

"It is. On multiple levels. But honestly, mostly because we don't want to see you get hurt. And we all know how much it sucks to keep secrets."

"Come on, Kiko," Saeko said, gently patting her hair. "Whatever it is, we'll deal with it, but we have to know what's going on, first. Is Sawakura trying to extort you or something?"

"No," Yukiko said.

"Then do you have some good dirt on her?" Saeko said, with an evil grin.

"I've got shit."

"By any chance… Is this a yuri relationship? A blooming flower, hurt by boorish men, in need of mommy's healing touch?"

"Gross!" Yukiko spat. "I mean, not that lesbians are gross, just… this is Sawakura. She's a heinous bitch."

Saeko pointed accusingly at me. "Did douchenozzle here send her dick pics? Are you trying to get them back?"

Yukiko pressed her palms against her eyes and rubbed them as she growled. "No! Why are you both like this?"

"Because we know you too well," I said, crossing my arms. "So you'd better spit it out before Saeko here starts drafting up some yuri doujin starring you and Sawakura, just in time for Comiket."

"This isn't a joking matter," Yukiko said. "Fine! Whatever, I'll tell you guys. I started meeting with her because of that shitty article she wrote. About us being blood-related and all. I knew it was complete bullshit, but I… It really bothered me."

"So what did she have to say?"

"Oh, she tried to get me to agree to an exclusive interview and crap, and talk shit about you and Sacchan and even Setsuna and Hanako, but… I told her to shove it all up her ass."

"Sounds like a productive meeting. You did the right thing."

"I should have just left right there," Yukiko said, shaking her head. "But she said she'd at least give me something for my trouble."

"And that was?"

She reached behind her and pulled a Manila envelope off her bed. Then she slammed it on the table. "This fucking thing."

I carefully removed the paper within and placed it on the table so Saeko could see. It was an official, certified and sealed copy of a Japanese family registry, or koseki, that every family was required to maintain and update by law. Penalties for alteration were steep, making it a legal document with substantial weight.

Twenty years ago, Ogiso Setsuna had delivered a healthy infant female. She'd been assigned the given name "Yukiko," using the characters for "Snow Child." She'd also taken her mother's surname, a common practice for children born out of wedlock or for whom their fathers were unknown. But I saw a father clearly listed, in legible characters and a clear date of birth that left no room for interpretation or obfuscation. Her father was my father: Kitahara Haruki.

#

Saeko's touch broke me out of the tunnel-visioned focus I'd devoted to my father on the Ogiso family koseki.

"Hey, idiots…" she said. "Have you two forgotten the first law of thermodynamics? Don't trust anything you read on the internet!"

I blinked and tore my gaze away from the document. Yukiko's expression was hollow. "But this isn't the internet," we both said.

"Don't bore me with petty details," Saeko said. "The point is that you can't trust some random piece of paper handed to you by some shady slattern whose entire career is based on trolling the shit out of musicians like us."

"It's not random, though," Yukiko said. "I checked the seals. They're legit. You really can't fake this stuff."

"Even if we accept that this is a real document, there's nothing to back it up," Saeko retorted. "How do we know that this isn't a clerical error? Or a lie?"

"Why would my mother lie about this?"

"Many reasons. She could have wanted to nail him for child support in the future. Or, she might have been irrational or delirious when she submitted the information. It doesn't have to have been deliberate."

"But it makes chronological sense," I said. "My dad and Setsuna were engaged to be married around that time. My mother only came back into their lives during a small period of time before he dumped her and flew to Vienna. My dad isn't some religious conservative, and neither is Setsuna. Of course they could have conceived a child."

"You idiots are acting like you want to be blood related," Saeko huffed. "It's annoying. I don't care either way, regardless. Leon, if you're a dirty siscon and Kiko, if you're a dirty brocon, then whatever. Just leave me out of it. I'm not gonna tolerate hearing 'imouto-chan, suck me harder!' all night."

"He'd have to call me 'onee-san,' actually," Yukiko said, letting out a despairing laugh.

"Perverts. I'm outta here."

"Wait, Sacchan, please," Yukiko said, her voice as pathetic as I'd ever heard her. "Don't leave me."

"Then stop moping around. I can't believe you screwed up our rehearsal over this. Get over your midlife crisis or we'll be the laughingstocks of the music world. I don't have time for this shit." She reached over and grasped Yukiko's hands. "We don't have time for this shit."

Yukiko wiped her eyes. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my stupid mouth shut. I shouldn't have met with her. I really am gonna choke Sawakura out next time I see her."

I reached out and clasped their clasped hands. "Yukiko, what do you want to do right now? Say anything."

"I just wanna…not be here right now," she said. "I wanna vanish and be alone. But I'm a fucking coward and don't actually want to be alone. I know that makes no sense."

"Hey," I said. "What about a… a hot spring, then? Up in the mountains or something. Just us three. We'll vanish for a while."

"What about the concert?" Yukiko said. "We shouldn't… I'm just being fucking irresponsible."

"We have plenty of time. We've been able to perform at that level for a while, now. And we can practice like crazy when we get back."

"Mom's gonna kill us."

"I'll handle Setsuna. What's she gonna do? Spank me?"

"Careful what you wish for, pervert," Saeko said. "I'm on board, if it helps Kiko out. Only thing is, it's a little too late for the shinkansen, we can't exactly ask our manager to drive us there, and none of us have a car."

"Wrong," I said with a smile. "I do."

In my opinion, my pride was justified. I'd just driven Touma Youko's 1991 BMW 5-series about two hundred kilometers north with no mishaps while carrying two passengers, braving freezing roads, and even an ice shower on the way. The girls, however, were unimpressed enough to have fallen asleep no more than a quarter of the way through. By the time I pulled into the small parking lot at the ryokan we'd chosen, the sun had vanished under the horizon.

Regardless, I was grateful again to my father for having taught me how to drive, no matter how impractical it seemed in Europe. I'd asked him why, at some point, to which he'd replied: "Your mother nearly killed me with her driving, once, so I don't want you to end up the same way."

"We're here," I said to them as I turned the ignition off and took the keys out. They mumbled something unintelligible and resentfully trundled out of the car. We'd left in a hurry, really just with the clothes on our backs, so it was fortunate for us that a ryokan usually supplied yukata and other clothing during a stay.

The place we'd picked was apparently run by Setsuna's relatives a couple times removed, and was the last place that Yukiko had stayed in before she'd complained too much about how lame hot spring vacations were. In terms of facilities, it was like any other ryokan in the area. But what I appreciated about it most, however, was that it was as sparsely populated as Echoes was.

We hadn't, of course, asked anyone for permission to up and leave to go to a hot spring. I was sure that Setsuna, Rina, and Eiji would be furious when we got back. Hell, Hanako would probably chew me out, too. The only thing I really felt guilty about, however, was not letting Haruto know where we were staying. I'd sent him a quick text, however, to prevent him from assuming we were dead or kidnapped by yakuza.

Check-in had been fast and painless, and now we were free to enjoy our room. Being a red-blooded man in company of two beautiful women, I'd of course reserved the room with the private bath right outside.

"If you think we're gonna have a threesome in the bath, you've got another thing comin'," Yukiko said, on beholding the steaming sunken stone spring outside. "I'm hungry! I want dinner."

"You got it," I said, as I changed into my yukata.

Soon after that, we enjoyed a multi-course kaiseki meal accompanied by an obscene amount of beer. The old stalwarts made their appearances: tasty salmon sashimi (which Yukiko ate off of our plates, too), a savory futamono, sea bream grilled to perfection, and plenty of chicken yakitori.

"Okay, that's better," Yukiko said, as she picked her teeth with one of the bare skewers. She sat in an extremely un-lady-like pose, allowing me an unobstructed view of her panties. Tipsily, I stared.

"Don't get too horny," Saeko said, swatting my head. "At least wait until our maid clears the stuff away before you diddle your onee-san."

"Bite me, Sacchan," Yukiko said, flicking her off. I noted that she made no attempt to close her legs against my view. "You know what we should do? The king's game."

Saeko rubbed her hands together. "Oho! You've chosen violence! I love it. But remember, the king's orders are absolute. How do you wanna go? Rock-paper-scissors?"

"Let's do it," Yukiko said.

"You sure that's a good idea? I know you. You always go for 'rock.'"

"No I don't! I'm a pro at this game."

"Okay then," Saeko said. "We'll go first, then winner versus Leon. Ready? Ichi ni san!"

To my disbelief, I saw Yukiko had indeed gone for rock.

Saeko looked smug as she enveloped Yukiko's fist with her paper hand.

"I was just using 'rock' to throw you off for next round," Yukiko said, blushing. "You'll see. I'm a genius."

I quickly lost my duel against Saeko, having gone for scissors with the assumption that she'd choose paper again. Saeko was king.

"Kiko, I command you to give me a foot massage," Saeko said. "Five minutes, hah!"

"Pervert," Yukiko said, as she crawled to Saeko and started to mash on her feet.

"Not so rough!" Saeko said, swatting her gently.

At that point, the maid knocked on our room door. I clumsily made my way there, let her in, and bowed awkwardly. She gave me a gentle smirk, and proceeded to clear away the remnants of our dinner in record time.

"Okay, it's been long enough!" Yukiko said. "Next round. Ichi ni san!"

Again, Yukiko had gone for rock. Saeko, however, lost to me in the subsequent round. Now I was king. I licked my lips. I was tipsy and in a ryokan with two beautiful women.

"Everyone, get in the bath!" I commanded, gloating over my newfound power.

"This fucking guy," the girls muttered, although I could see them suppressing laughter.

Of course, we'd all seen each other naked at this point, but the fact that we were in a hot spring made the whole affair that much more appealing. Yukiko and Saeko, having stripped to nothing (in accordance with standard ryokan etiquette), quickly submerged themselves to their necks when they joined me in the bath.

"Hah! Feeling pretty dumb now, aren't you?" Yukiko teased me. "You can't see crap! You should've just had us make out or something. Next, I'm gonna be king and make you do something really embarrassing."

"That remains to be seen," I said. "What if I get a second term?"

"Then I'll stage a coup," Yukiko said. "Ready? Ichi ni san!"

After two rounds, Saeko was king again.

"Yukiko, you…went for 'rock' again," I said. "You'll literally never win if you keep doing that."

"Shut up!" she said, splashing me. "I know what I'm doing! I'm just lulling you into a false sense of security. You'll be mine before you know it!"

"The king commands you," Saeko said, leering at us, "to shut the hell up and kiss each other. I wanna see some hot sibling action."

Yukiko again flashed her the middle finger, but then started to kiss me. Perhaps it was because she was basically drunk, but her usual trace inhibition had all but vanished. Her tongue didn't so much battle for dominance as it simply smashed mine aside and made a beeline for my throat. Her fingers found my nipples and started to tweak and pinch them, making me twitch. Her aggressiveness was somewhat overwhelming, and I went to full staff within moments.

Yukiko's hand found my balls, and she squeezed them rhythmically, teasing everything but my shaft. In turn, I started to squeeze and rub on her breasts. I ached with my desire to penetrate her. I drew my hips closer to hers.

Whether it was because we were in a hot spring, or whether she was really blushing, Saeko's face had turned pink. When I glimpsed at her, I could have sworn her hand was moving between her legs.

"Time's up," Yukiko said, sticking her tongue out as she withdrew. "The dirty king got her wish! Now it's time for regime change! Ready?"

Saeko abruptly jerked her hand away from her crotch and resumed a scowl. "You're gonna lose yet again. Let's go. Ichi ni san!"

I was king now. Mainly because Yukiko had again chosen rock.

"Since you ordered me to make out with my supposed half-sister, I think it's only fair that I make you make out with her, too," I said, gloating at Saeko.

"Pervert," Yukiko said. "You'll definitely pay for this. Well, whatever! Girls do this at clubs all the time," she said.

Saeko, on the other hand, looked at a loss for words. "I…I, uh, I've never been to a club."

"That's because you're a hopeless nerd," Yukiko said. "Now come on, let's show our hentai king what's up. Don't pretend you weren't into it when Hanako was diddling you."

"That was just a f-fluke!"

Yukiko pressed her lips to Saeko's. I quickly realized that for all Saeko's aggressiveness in bed when she'd been with me, she was no better than jelly under Yukiko's attack. Perhaps sensing this, Yukiko started to fondle her breasts. I could see her rub and pinch her nipples just at the waterline, and again I became ragingly stiff.

Saeko let out delicate whimpers as Yukiko now moved to attack her breasts directly with her mouth. I saw a vague silhouette of Yukiko's hand move between Saeko's legs, and start to move rhythmically. Whimpers became moans and slurred curses. My pulse slammed my ears as I beheld this, and resisted the urge to start stroking myself with every fiber of my being. I wasn't even sure if I could resist coming even if I didn't touch myself at all.

To avert making a mess, I hopped out of the bath and sat on the edge, with my legs dangling in the water. The rush of cold air against my member helped bring me back from the brink.

"Is it time for regime change?" Yukiko teased, as she bit Saeko's earlobes.

Saeko shook her head.

"Oho, then I'm king, now," Yukiko said.

"It's y-yours," Saeko squeaked.

Yukiko looked over at me. "Look at our poor boyfriend over there. Why don't we give him some attention. Don't worry, I'll continue to work you over."

I raised an eyebrow. Yukiko hadn't shown me this side of her. But I was in no position to complain as they both shuffled over to where I sat and started to lick and suck on my manhood. The stimulation, combined with what took place before me, was enough to quickly push me over the edge. I sent a loud groan into the dark winter night as I emptied myself in Saeko's mouth while she came from Yukiko's fingers.

I flopped back, and only the chill feeling of the stone surrounding the bath prevented me from going to sleep right there.

"What do you think you're doing?" Yukiko said, as she straddled my face. "I'm the only one here who hasn't finished. Do your damned job."

Despite my lack of energy, I complied with my fingers and my tongue. After all, she was our king.

#

The morning after, we were right back at it again. The girls laid on our futons, their yukata open and their legs spread so I could see everything, and languidly masturbated in front of me. I'd been forbidden from touching myself, and so could do nothing but watch. A thin stream of drool escaped the corner of my mouth and hit my thigh.

"Okay, that's probably enough teasing," Saeko said, chuckling. "So who're you gonna pick first? Me, or your sister?"

"Oh, shut up," Yukiko said, reaching over to punch Saeko in the arm. "He's definitely going to pick me, and not because I'm his sister, which I definitely am not."

I stood and went over to Yukiko. Then I dropped to my knees and ravenously penetrated her. "I choose my sister," I said.

She reached up and slapped me before laying back again and enjoying the sensations I was giving her. "Fucker. I thought we came here to not talk about this shit… Yet you two have done nothing but… Talk about this shit…" Her words were cut off as she convulsed with an orgasm.

Saeko slapped me on the ass. "Good boy. Now do me." She got on all fours, which I'd figured out a while ago was her favorite position. It allowed me to go deep in, which she relished. I entered her and started to thrust. Just like Yukiko, she'd prepared herself so well that it only took a short time before she also earned her reward and collapsed with her face buried in the futon.

I looked over both of them, busy savoring the afterglow. "Hey, I haven't…"

They shot me dismissive glances. "Figure it out yourself, otouto-chan," Yukiko said, and gave me the finger.

Breakfast, which came soon after we'd all gotten presentable, was no less filling than dinner had been. An osuimono soup with straw mushrooms, grilled salted salmon, tamago-yaki, pickled cucumbers, and of course, a hearty portion of rice made us sleepy enough to consider going back to our futons again.

Since our maid had done such a diligent job putting our futons up for the day, however, it felt rude to just bring them out again. So we all opted for another soak in the baths. Since our collective horniness had been satisfied for the time being, we spent a while simply soaking in the mineral-heavy water and enjoying the stillness of a winter's day.

"Kiko, are you feeling any better?" Saeko asked, finally. "I mean, we didn't actually come to this place to act out some douche's fantasies. This was supposed to be therapeutic for you."

"Mm, a bit," Yukiko said, stretching her arms and legs. "Not looking forward to getting my ass tanned when we show back up again."

"At least they know we're safe," I said. "I've sent Haruto regular texts."

"What a Goody Two-Shoes," Saeko said. "So is he pissed as hell at us?"

"I'm really not sure. I'm sure he'll slap me upside the head when I come back, but at least he's being restrained over text."

Yukiko sighed. "But what I really don't want is to talk to Mom about why we vanished. The real reason we vanished. I don't want to show her the koseki…"

"Kiko," Saeko said. "Why don't you just burn the stupid thing? It's not like your family situation's gonna change. Hell, Eiji probably knows all about it. He's not gonna stop being your dad."

"But I'll know. And if we're really related…" She looked over at me, forlorn. "Then we'll have to stop dating, for real."

"Why?" I asked. Of course, I knew the answer deep down, but I didn't want to acknowledge it.

"If Sawakura could get her hands on this so easily, then others can and will. Someone will find out. It'll only get worse the more successful we are. The media's relentless with this shit. Japanese people can't take controversy. We'll have no future as a band."

Saeko and I were silent. We all stared up at the gray winter sky. We all knew she spoke the truth, and didn't want to say it.

Yukiko broke our silence for us. "So, before I possibly end things, I want us to just enjoy ourselves for a bit longer. Hell, we can come back the day before our concert and probably be fine, you know?"

"Leon…" Saeko said. "You should also know this… I love you both. But I've loved Kiko for longer. I'd rather lose you than lose her. I hope you understand."

I clenched my jaw. What choice did I have? I couldn't hurt them. I loved them. Heartburn coursed from my gut to my throat, and I swallowed back bile.

"Yeah, I understand," I whispered.

#

Our days continued like this—an uninterrupted cycle of sex, food, alcohol, and trying desperately to forget what awaited us back in the real world. Yet as each day ended and another began, it was harder and harder to push back our collective dread. We responded in turn, eating, drinking, and fucking more intensely.

It was a mere week before our debut concert. We'd spent all day making love with each other, to the point where it seemed inconceivable to only have sex with one other person. Navigating a threesome was the new norm.

Saeko and Yukiko hungrily ate each other out as I watched, trying desperately to coax myself out of my refractory period. They were now just as facile at cunnilingus as they were at fellatio. It was more intoxicating than any liquor in existence to watch them pleasure each other with their lips and tongues and fingers. Times like these made me curse Adam, who as first man had decided—on behalf of all future men—to forgo multiple orgasms in favor of the ability to urinate standing straight up. A true fool who deserved to be mocked and hated for all eternity.

"Wrong hole," Yukiko giggled, as Saeko penetrated her with her fingers.

Saeko, red-faced from booze, giggled. "I know what I'm doing. You're gonna give your ass to your brother."

"That's more than he deserves," Yukiko said, giggling. She was also flush with alcohol. "It feels weird!"

"Give it a few more minutes," Saeko said. "We've gotta train you up in a hurry."

Their exchange was enough to shake off any vestiges of my refractory period. I was back to peak form, and ready to follow their commands. Saeko laid Yukiko on her back on the futon, lifted her legs into the air, and beckoned for me.

"Take your onee-san's treasure, little bro," Saeko said, cackling.

I didn't need to be told twice. "Is that okay, Yukiko?" I asked her.

She nodded at me. "Just don't call me onee-san."

Breathing heavily, I positioned myself at her twitching opening and entered her. She moaned, and although I knew it wasn't entirely in pleasure, I still appreciated the effort she was willing to expend for my sake.

Saeko, in the meantime, straddled Yukiko's face while rubbing at her clitoris with her fingers. As I thrust, Saeko kissed me. I tasted our combined fluids from endless hours of our sex on her saliva. In this moment, we were all truly united. And when we all came, we collapsed in a sodden, sweaty mess from which we didn't move again for a long time.

#

IH: Hey bro, give me a call ASAP. It's about Hanako.

Haruto's text came early in the morning. Tempting as it was to put off calling him until at least sunrise, the second part of the message spurred me to uneasy wakefulness. Silently, I slipped on my yukata, making sure not to disturb the two girls sleeping on either side of me.

I made my way to the deserted lounge and pressed the "Call" button that came up as an option to reply to his text. After a few rings, Haruto picked up.

"Kyoudai," he said.

"Onii-san," I said. As much as I hadn't wanted this summons, I was still glad to hear him call me that. "Sorry for calling at ass-o-clock. We can talk later if you want."

"No, no. I'm really glad you actually called me quick. How're the girls?"

"They're good. And… I know we have a lot to apologize for when we get back."

"At least you let me know you were all safe. I won't kick the shit outta you too much, for that. Just a little, okay?"

"Just keep in mind I need my hands and my face in perfect condition. Everything else is fair game."

He laughed. "Are you ready to come back?"

"I… Yeah. I don't want to, of course, but I know it's the best thing for the band. Also, what's going on with Hanako? Is she okay?"

I heard him sigh on the other side of the line. "We're worried about her."

My grip tightened around my phone. "Why? Did something happen?"

"I'm not sure what exactly went down, but she's in big trouble. A few days ago, she abruptly canceled all her appearances and just holed up in her apartment. She won't answer anyone's calls and she won't open the door."

"Holy shit," I whispered. "Haruto, you don't think she's…" The words caught in my throat.

"No, she's not dead, thank fuck. She's at least told us to piss off when we've knocked on her door. But she won't come out. Let me tell you, I once saw the inside of her apartment when I was apprenticing with Yayoi—girl's got nothing but water in the fridge, and her cabinets are empty. She's definitely not eating jack shit in there."

"Fuck…" I stood and paced around the lounge. I glanced at the checkout desk, wishing a clerk were right there so I could check out.

"I think you're the only person she'd be willing to talk with at this point."

"Why?"

"Yayoi spilled the beans. She's desperate. Anyway, will you do us a solid and help her out?"

"You don't need to ask!" I said, somewhat indignantly. "Shit…checkout's not until morning!"

"Tell me what ryokan you're at, and I'll be there in an hour."

"But I can't leave the girls here. Plus there's the matter of our bill…"

"I'll bring Yayoi. She'll drive you back. I'll get the girls home and settle the bill in the morning."

I let out a breath. "Okay. Thanks, onii-san. I owe you. Kick my ass any time you want."

"That can wait until after Hanako's safe and sound."

CHAPTER NINETEEN

True to his prediction, Haruto pulled into the parking lot of the ryokan in about an hour and ten minutes.

"Nice place," he said to me as he walked through the door with lit cigarette in hand. He took a long drag and exhaled.

"How'd you get here so fast?" I asked.

"I sped, obviously. Hope this place has a charging station. Anyway, I'll settle the bill and get the girls home in the morning. If you beg Setsuna on your hands and knees, she might be willing to treat the whole thing as a business expense."

"Are you ready to leave?" Yayoi interjected.

"Sure," I said. "Although I'm still in my yukata…"

"That's fine. Give me the keys to your vehicle."

I fished around in the pockets of my yukata and found my keyring. Force of habit had compelled me to keep my personal keys on me when I'd stepped out earlier.

"It's okay, Shinozuka-san, I'm fine to drive—"

"You'll take several hours to get back," Yayoi said, grabbing the keyring from me. "I will get us back there in less time than it took Izumi-san to arrive."

"But it's been in an accident in the past, so the handling's a little weird, and—"

"Kitahara-san, I raced a 5-series against the Midnight Club and won, before your parents hit puberty. I know what I'm doing. Now stop wasting time," she said, and headed out the door.

Against credentials like that, I couldn't protest. I simply pulled on my shoes and followed her into the chilly early morning. The chilled leather upholstery sent a shiver up my spine as I settled into the front passenger seat. The yukata did nothing, of course. Yayoi had already started the engine and started to rev it.

As soon as I'd fastened my seatbelt, she shifted to reverse, hit the accelerator, and threw us into a J-turn that made my head spin. I then proceeded to scream like a little girl as she drifted us all the way down the winding mountain roads leading to the main highway.

Sometime after that, Yayoi shot me a condescending smirk. "I apologize for that, but time is of the essence. Did you soil yourself?"

I glared at her and shook my head. "You wish, Shinozuka-san. By the way, I thought the speed limit was a hundred kilometers an hour. We're going at more than two hundred. If a cop pulls us over, won't that waste even more time?"

"They won't. I took the liberty of bringing my radar detector along."

This scary-ass woman… I shook my head. "Do you know what happened to Hanako?"

Yayoi shook her head. "To my shame, no. I don't know what specifically triggered this, but I do know she's drowning in despair. And you… You're probably the only person who can help her out of it. So I expect you help her."

I clenched my jaw. "I will. Actually, if I can trust you to not kill us on the highway, I'll give her a call."

"Do your job, and I'll do mine."

I took out my phone, scrolled down to Hanako's name on the contacts list, and pressed the "Call" button. It rang four times.

"The mailbox is full and cannot take any messages. Goodbye."

Fuck. I hit the button. Four more rings, and back to the same message.

Hanako, please! Again, I pressed the button. And that time…

"You're being really pushy for someone who dumped me," Hanako said.

"Hanako, are you okay?" My voice almost broke. Surprisingly, and somewhat encouragingly, she giggled.

"Obviously not. Leon, do you know how early in the morning it is?"

"I'm aware," I said. "Listen, everyone's really concerned about you. Why aren't you taking their calls?"

"I just don't feel like it," Hanako said. "Leon, this had better be important, or I'll hang up."

I gripped the phone harder. "Please don't! I'm worried about you. Do you even have any food in your apartment? When's the last time you had a meal?"

"Idols can live on air. It's not a big deal."

"Hanako… listen, I'm going to drop by within an hour. I'll be coming with groceries and stuff. And I know we're both hungry, so I'll be bringing something hot to eat. Will you let me in?"

"Maybe," she said. "But what will Kiko and Saeko think?"

"They also want to make sure you're safe, and warm, and fed. I guarantee it. Besides, Hanako, I'm wearing nothing but a yukata right now. If you don't let me in, I'm going to be in a really bad spot."

"Were you at a hot spring with them?"

"Yeah."

"You're pretty perverted, you know that?"

"I know. Will you forgive me?"

"Only if you tell me all the juicy details."

"You have to let me in, then. Otherwise no details for you."

At this, she started to laugh, but her voice quickly started to break. Soon after, I heard her start to cry.

"Leon…" she sobbed.

"Hanako, whatever happened, you can talk to me about it."

"I can't find them. They're gone."

Shit. "You mean…your grandparents?"

"I made the last payment. They gave me a phone number to call. They said I needed to wait a day. And I called…"

"But no one picked up?"

"I went back to their place. Nothing. No one. Even the furniture, gone. I begged the neighbors to tell me what happened. No one knew anything…"

"Hanako, I think—"

"Leon…what if something happened to them? I know it was a lot of money. Did they attract attention from criminals? Did I cause them to get hurt? I love them, Leon. If I lost not only my parents, but my grandparents… I can't… I can't take it!"

She was spiraling. Her breaths were ragged, shallow, and way too fast. I wanted to just shout to her over the phone that this was all a scam. That she'd been played, like so many other people were every day. Particularly people in her situation. But my father's words came to mind. If I attacked her like this, I'd just end up getting cut off like everyone else in her life.

Both Youko and my mother had told me many times that if I made a mistake during a competition—played the wrong note, bungled a chord, slipped off the pedal—that the worst thing to do was to follow my instinct to play harder and faster. Music was soft and delicate for ninety percent of its existence. It hated being pushed forcefully onto the correct path. An attempt to overcorrect would shatter everything. And there was no one who personified music more in my life at the moment, than Hanako.

"Hanako, first things first," I said, as softly as I could. This would force her to listen to me, instead of ranting on. "You can't assure their safety if you're starving and tired. You also shouldn't go searching for them or anything alone. Let me at least be by your side."

To my relief, her breathing slowed again. "Will you do that for me?"

"Of course. But you have to promise to let me in. And to eat, and to promise me that even if I'm not there, you'll eat what's in the fridge."

"Okay… Leon, I'll see you. Thank you."

"I'm going to hang up. Remember your promise." I said. "I love you."

"I love you…too," she whispered.

I hit the "End Call" button and let out a ragged breath. At least I'd get to see her with my own eyes. And… if she's in really bad shape, I could even force her out and into an ambulance…

"Do not force her to go to a hospital," Yayoi said, as if reading my thoughts. "That will break her."

"I won't, then. Shinozuka-san, I trust you overheard enough of that to have a lot of questions." The cat was basically out of the bag at this point. "I'll answer any questions you have. But we have to stop at a grocery or convenience store first so I can get her something to eat and some supplies."

"I've already plugged it into the GPS," Yayoi said. "If you wish, I can detour to your house so you can change."

"It's fine. I'll shop in my yukata. I want to see her quickly."

"I'll expect the whole, unfiltered truth from you," Yayoi said. "But first, I want to say that you handled yourself well during that phone call. I feel optimistic for the first time in days."

"Thank you."

"To be honest, I'm jealous of you, Kitahara. I've been her manager for six years. And you? You've known her for mere months. Yet she was willing to reveal such important, devastating things to you. You're not even her boyfriend. It makes me angry."

"I know it sounds fake, but I just want her to be happy. I love her as a musician, as a mentor, and as a friend. She's more than some untouchable idol to me."

Yayoi sighed. "I strongly considered attempting to seduce you. To divert your sexual urges away from her, and to show her that you were shallow and unworthy of attention. It's worked in the past."

"So why didn't you?"

"Honestly, because I'm too old," Yayoi said, bitterness in her tone.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Shinozuka-san, but I think you're actually quite appealing," I replied. "You're devoted, impeccably competent, and keep a cool head under fire. Haruto looks up to you, more than you know."

She let out a snort through her nostrils. "I never said I didn't understand why she likes you. But back to the matter at hand. You're going to tell me everything you know."

#

Yayoi and I trundled down the hallway toward Hanako's apartment, carrying several bags laden with convenience foods and ready-to-eat meals. Hanako had nothing to cook with save for a microwave, so even though our choices weren't the healthiest, they were the most practical.

Setsuna dozed with her arms crossed, in a folding chair set against the wall next to Hanako's doorway. At our approach, she stirred and then stood up and jogged up to us.

"Leon!" she cried as she embraced me.

"Ogiso-fuku-shacho, I completely apologize for my actions—" I started to say, when she shushed me.

"Don't give me that crap. Just let me hug you for a few more seconds," she said, as she stroked my hair. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"There was no other choice. I have to help Hanako… And my band needs to catch up on rehearsing."

She stepped back and raised an eyebrow. "I recognize that yukata. Did you enjoy the hot springs?"

"A lot, yes."

"Did you all get a room with a private bath?"

"Uh…"

She giggled. "Don't worry, I won't make you tell me about it. At least not while we have work to do. Will she talk to you?"

"I think so. At least I have to get some food in her," I said, hefting my plastic bags.

"Then I won't stay in your way any longer. Just be careful. She's very fragile right now."

"I'll be careful. Thank you, Setsuna. I—we—will make this up to you some day."

"I know you will," she said, and headed down toward the elevator.

"Kitahara," Yayoi said, and handed me her bags. "I'm going with Ogiso-san. I have to brief both her and Ogata-san. And Hanako wants to see you alone."

"Understood. Thank you, Shinozuka-san."

Yayoi nodded at me, and turned to leave. I shuffled over to Hanako's door, set down a pair of bags on the folding chair, and rung her doorbell. After a few moments, she cracked the door open without undoing the security chain.

"Leon, are you alone?" she asked.

"I'm alone. Setsuna and Shinozuka are gone. Can I come in? I've got some food here, too."

"Okay," she said, and closed the door. I heard her undo the chain, and the door opened again. I grabbed my bags and went on in.

"You really are wearing a yukata!" Hanako said. "Why didn't you change?"

"I wanted to see you as soon as possible," I said, and walked to her kitchen. "I didn't want to waste a minute. Ah, thank goodness, you have a microwave oven, at least. I brought plasticware and chopsticks." I opened her refrigerator door. Like Haruto had said, it had bottled water and nothing else. I put the ready-to-eat meals in. "Oh! What do you want? Curry tonkatsu? Yakiniku?"

"It's alright. I don't need anything."

"Hanako, you promised you'd eat with me, remember?"

"Oh, fine. I'll take the tonkatsu. Ding it for me."

I put both meals into the microwave and started it. "'Ding it' is an Ogiso household term, isn't it?"

"Is it truly so strange?"

"I've never heard a microwave make that sound. But it's cute. Do you have any chairs or a table here?"

"Nope."

"Then sorry, this'll be like eating at Ikinari Steak," I said. The microwave beeped, and I took out the bentos and set them on the small counter in her kitchen. "Itadakimasu."

Hanako silently grasped her chopsticks and picked at her food without eating it. I took a closer look at her. Her eyes were puffy from crying for however many days on end. Her features were gaunt, and her hair was slick from not having been washed in that long. In short, she looked entirely normal: like anyone else having a completely shitty time.

"If you won't eat your meal, I'll have to feed it to you," I said.

She looked up at me with a pout, and then opened her mouth. I gingerly lifted some rice and a piece of pork cutlet into her mouth, and smiled approvingly as she chewed.

"I like it when you do that," she said, finally.

"If necessary, I'll feed you the entire thing. And if I have to do that, I'll drag you into the shower and clean you off."

She chuckled. "And what if that's all part of my plan to lure you into bed?"

"Then let's help each other."

"The girls won't like that."

"If you finish your breakfast, I'll give you all the details of what happened between us." I lowered my head. "And why there probably won't be an 'us' after this."

Hanako started to eat her rice. "Did you get into a fight with them?"

"No. We realized something, though. About why it's impossible to continue as we are."

"Did the three-legged stool fail?"

"In a way, yes. But not because of jealousy or any of the usual suspects. Yukiko…simply can't be my lover anymore."

"Because she's your half-sister, and that if you persist, that's the end of the band."

"Yeah."

Hanako continued to eat, to my growing relief. It balanced out the pain of recounting to her why my attempt at a polycule had failed.

"And Sacchan knows that if she continues with you, Yukiko will be tormented with grief every time she sees you two sharing a tender moment," Hanako said, reaching over and gently holding my free hand. "Because Yukiko still deeply loves you, no matter her genetic composition."

"And I still love her. And Saeko, no more and no less."

"That's still precious and worth preserving," Hanako said. "Your music will remind you of this, even if your bodies cannot."

"It's… for the best. We all have a dream, and we want to preserve it. And now a lot of other people share that dream. We can't let them down because of our selfish desires."

"Welcome to the idol's life," Hanako said, tenderly.

"Thank you for finishing your meal," I said, reaching over and stroking her cheek. "So, what do you plan to do now, Hanako?"

"I want to search my grandparents' apartment again," she said.

"Didn't you already try that?"

"I did, but this time, with another set of eyes, maybe I'll find some clues. And…and what if my parents show up there? Surely everyone talked with each other, right? They must know where to go, even if they have to walk!"

This will be fruitless, but perhaps it'll help convince her. "Sure, we can go when you're ready. Although you should shower first. And I know the answer's probably 'no,' but do you have any guys' clothes at all?"

With that, she brightened up. "I do, actually. And in your size."

"How?"

She averted her gaze. "I thought that if you ended up staying over a lot, you know, you'd sometimes need a change of clothing. So I had Yayoi get some nice outfits for you. They're also decent disguises, of course."

I chuckled and shook my head. "What am I? Your kid?"

"Oh be quiet! I'm an idol. I have to think of everything when it comes to being with a guy…"

"I appreciate it, seriously. I was dreading having to go out in public again with nothing but a yukata. I'll change while you clean up. Then we'll go search."

#

As I'd predicted, there had been nothing to be found in Koreatown. The run-down apartment where I'd first met her "grandparents" had been abandoned, with not even a trace of furniture remaining. Our attempts to talk with their neighbors had been met with indifference or outright hostility, even when Hanako had pleaded and begged in Korean.

We'd remained there until practically sunset, as Hanako had become obsessed with the idea that her parents would simply show up at the door at any time. I had only convinced her to leave by suggesting we write a note to them that included Yayoi's and Haruto's contact information. Finally, reluctantly, Hanako had agreed to return to her apartment so I could ensure she ate.

This time, we were too tired and sore to eat at the standing kitchen counter, so we sat on her bed while chowing down on our convenience meals. Her eyes were almost glued to her phone.

"Oh," I said. "Haruto texted me a while ago. Kiko and Saeko are back in town. They're already practicing again."

"You should join them," Hanako said. "Your concert's only a few days away."

"I want to help you, though."

"You've already done so much," she said, shaking her head. "Just even going there again with me was more than I hoped for… or deserved."

"Why would you say that?"

"I'm guilty of a lot of things. I don't want to talk about them right now, so don't ask."

"It's okay, I won't."

She looked up at me with watery eyes. "If you don't want to practice… Will you spend the night with me? I don't want to be alone when my parents finally call. Or, if the police call about my grandparents…" She started to shake.

I wrapped my arms around her. "Of course I'll be with you. Least I can do. Besides, I'm my mother's son. She actually only needs twenty-four hours to get concert-ready. Anything more is just self-soothing for her. And for me."

"Leon… if things are truly over for you and Kiko and Saeko…" She grasped at my waist. "Then is it possible for you to meet my parents as my boyfriend?"

"Yes."

"I'm so happy," she said, burying her face in my chest. "Finally…"

And now, I take a stupid, but necessary risk. "Then, can I just say something first, as your boyfriend?"

"You don't have to be so formal about it," Hanako said. "What is it?"

"I talked a bit about you with my father."

"The man who came here from Vienna a few months ago? He was very handsome. I see where you get some of your looks from."

"Thank you for not telling me I'm just my mom without tits," I said, genuinely grateful. "But yeah, that was him. Don't worry, I didn't tell him anything that would endanger you."

"It's okay. After all, he's a potential father-in-law for me," Hanako said, nuzzling my cheek.

"He used to work in publishing in this country. Did a lot of pieces on situations like what your parents are going through. So he knows a thing or two about the risks involved."

"I'm glad he understands."

"One thing really bothered him, though. It was how much money you've given your grandparents. He told me that it should only cost something like two and a half million Yen to bring over a couple from China."

"But my grandparents were also supporting others. Everyone was able to eat hot meals three times a day because of me. And they said they were also working on bringing over my cousins."

"Sure, but why wouldn't they have just brought over your parents first thing? And your cousins, too? Why keep them in that shitty factory for any longer than necessary?"

"Because they're good people?" Hanako sounded annoyed, and stopped nuzzling my cheek. "They just wanted to help everyone they could! And I'm lucky enough to help them do it!"

"Hanako," I said, locking gazes with her. "If it's so expensive to come over, how did you grandparents even get here? They're not multi-billionaires. And for that matter, why would they elect to come here before your parents? I know my parents would have sent me over before themselves."

Her eyes flashed with indignation. "Leon? You're not making a lot of sense. What are you trying to say? Explain clearly."

"There's a common scam out there that's perpetrated against people in difficult immigration situations like yours. Especially high earners. It's called the 'pig butchering scam.' It's named so because you need to fatten a pig up over time before you slaughter it. A scammer will sometimes pretend to be a long-lost relative from the original country, and then extract increasing amounts of money from the victim before suddenly leaving—"

"No!" Hanako backed away from me, panic on her features. "Not you, too! Tell me you're joking! This is all a joke, right?"

I stood. "I'm not joking. Please, think calmly about this. Do you clearly remember your grandparents' faces from when you were that young? Were they at the factory with your parents?"

"Stop!" Hanako shouted. "Stop this!"

"Did they have any proof of their identities? Or at least have information that only your real grandparents would have known? Was there any way for you to cross-check that information?"

She stormed up to me and mashed her hands over my mouth. "Shut up! Shut up!" she shrieked.

I wrested myself from her grasp. "You haven't seen your parents in many years. Did your grandparents even offer to get you in contact with them?"

She grasped my collar and ripped it open, sending my buttons flying everywhere. Her eyes were desperate and unfocused. "Leon, my love… Stop talking about this, okay? I'll do whatever you want. Let's just make love and go to sleep, okay? Please? For me?"

"I will not. Hanako, I don't think your parents are going to show up anytime soon. And I don't think you'll ever see your 'grandparents' again. I think you've been scammed. We need to go to the police. I'll come with you and stay with you the entire time, okay? These people might still be in Japan, even in Tokyo. They need to be caught before they harm others. You might even get some of the money back—"

"Kyeo-jyeo!" Hanako snapped through grit teeth, her voice cutting ice. She wrapped her arms around herself and shook. "Get out! Get out and never come back."

"Hanako—"

She looked up at me with tear-streaked rage. "Never call me that again, Kitahara-san. Now leave, or I'll call building security."

I hung my head. I'd gambled and lost everything. My heart throbbed and bile coursed into my throat. There was nothing else I could do in the moment. Slowly, I made my way toward the door and left.

Right outside her door, I sank to my knees and buried my face in my palms. I'd failed. I'd failed Hanako, Setsuna, Yayoi, and everyone else. At this rate, I wasn't even sure I'd be able to put on a decent concert.

"Being an idol—a musician—is tough, isn't it?"

I looked up and saw Ogata Rina's compassionate, whimsical features peering back at me.

"Ogata-sama, I—"

"I heard enough," she said. "You tried to make her see reason, and she freaked out and expelled you."

I nodded, burning in shame.

"You still did a fine job, Leon. No one else was able to get into her apartment, feed her meals, get her to shower, and comfort her like you have. So I'm truly grateful to you for doing that."

"But I couldn't convince her, in the end," I said, and punched the carpeted floor.

"Hey! You can't abuse your hands like that," Rina said, kneeling down and grasping my fist. "And I know you won't believe this, but you've planted a seed of reason in her. Now it just needs a bit of time to grow. In my opinion, you deserve a reward."

"I deserve to be punished! For failing everyone! For leaving without notice. For—"

Rina smiled, mysteriously, and cupped my chin in her hand. "Okay. If you want to be punished, then you can come with me. I'll take it out on you in a way that Setsuna can't, okay?"

I looked up at her and nodded. "Then please, discipline me harshly, Shacho."

#

As I'd expected, Ogata Rina lived in an ultra-luxury apartment tower in Roppongi Hills, which overlooked the bustling, LED-flooded metropolis from a comfortable distance above the bustle, light, and noise. It was the kind of place every young person fantasized about making their own after winning the EuroMillions jackpot.

But I wasn't there to party or dance with pretty socialites and hot musical talent. I was there because I wanted the dressing-down of a lifetime, and there was no one more suited to do this than Ogata Rina herself.

"Would you like a drink?" she asked me as she went over to a nearby table set with fancy glasses and decanter bottles filled with expensive and rare spirits. It wouldn't have surprised me if she'd had a stash of Pappy Van Winkle to rival most bars in Ginza.

"No, thank you," I said. I paced around her massive living room, unable to enjoy my surroundings, or the floor-to-ceiling windows that gave her an unparalleled view.

"Suit yourself," she said, and poured herself what looked like two fingers of brandy. She shuffled her jacket off and draped it over the back of a large, expensive-looking couch (probably worth more than most cars) before sitting down on it. She crossed her legs, giving me a view of her silken stockings. Then, she casually unbuttoned her blouse almost all the way, giving me an unobstructed view of her cleavage.

"Yayoi gave me the full account of what you told her," Rina said, and took a long sip of her drink. "I just wanted to confirm a few things."

Not knowing what else to do with myself, I assumed a kneeling seiza position in front of her. "I'll tell you everything, shacho."

She laughed. "We're a production company, not yakuza. You're funny."

"Even still, I fucked up. And even besides Hanako's situation, I also decided to take my band off its rehearsal schedule in the most critical time before our concert."

"You were a bit irresponsible, yes. But were you three able to resolve your issues?"

"I think so. We can't date, in any case. So you don't have to worry about that anymore."

"You three were super cute. It's a pity."

I looked up at her. "Did Setsuna know about…Yukiko and I? That we're related?"

"Who can say? Either way, she trusted you all to work it out amongst yourselves, and it looked like it did. So practice hard with the time you have remaining."

"Thank you… but I'm still a failure as a band leader."

"Leon, what do you think of idols?"

"I used to think of them as pretty singing and dancing girls, like any other man. But Hanako opened my eyes. There's so much pain behind her smile—" My eyes stung and I clenched my jaw to keep myself from crying. "I failed, Ogata-sama. I failed to help her. All I did was endanger her career. And if she hadn't opened up to me, then perhaps she wouldn't have fallen prey so easily."

"She'd have done it anyway," Rina said. "She's been through too much, so she also thinks of herself as invulnerable to scams. A common problem among idols, believe it or not. In truth, we all suspected something was happening to her, but we could never actually confirm it until she opened up to you."

"But still!" I almost shouted. "I should have done something different! I should've warned her earlier on! I knew something was fishy about it!"

"Leon, be quiet and let me finish my drink," Rina said.

I shut up and stared miserably at the floor. My hands shook, and I couldn't will it away.

"I see that words aren't going to change your mind or bring you relief," Rina said, as she put the empty glass onto a nearby end table. "So I'll just have to be physical with my wayward little idol. Leon, do I have your permission to hit you?"

Finally, someone's willing to do it, I thought, and nodded miserably.

"Pull your pants down and lay over my lap. I'm going to spank you," Rina said.

I unbuckled my belt and pulled my pants down to my knees. I hadn't been spanked since I was a toddler, and even memories of that were hazy at best. So I didn't know what to expect. But for some reason, I trusted Rina to give me what I deserved.

"Your underwear, too," she said, licking her lips.

I pulled my boxers down and shuffled awkwardly over to her. She uncrossed her legs as I approached her, and I became semi-hard when I realized that she wasn't wearing any underwear besides a garter belt and stockings under her pencil skirt. I blushed, hard, but did as commanded and laid on the couch with my stomach over her thighs and my ass just off to the side.

"Let me know if I'm too heavy—" I started to say, only for her to slap my buttocks, and hard, for that matter.

In truth, I'd somewhat expected this to turn into sadomasochism, given all the cues she was giving me, but I'd only expected her to play-spank me. Not to actually hit me like she meant it. I let out an involuntary gasp at the shock, and bit my lip.

"You said you wanted to be punished, so I'm punishing you," Rina said, and gave me another hit. I writhed at how much it stung. But I noticed that I hadn't become any less hard. My erection rubbed against her thigh, much to my shame. If she'd noticed, however, she wasn't commenting.

"You know, you remind me too much of a young man named Fujii Touya," Rina said, and struck me again. I let out another gasp.

"He was Yuki's boyfriend, you see, and he was quite attractive, but also a bit unbalanced and prone to secrets and lies. He also could not stop fucking every single attractive woman in his circle. Does that sound familiar to you?" She struck me again, twice, alternating cheeks. They burned, and I squeezed my legs together in an attempt to alleviate the aggravation.

"Ogata-sama…" I peeped.

"Call me 'mommy,'" she commanded me, and spanked me again.

I swallowed on a dry throat. This was insane. I both wanted this to stop as well as desperately wanted this to continue. I wanted her to punish me more.

"Yes, Mommy," I said clenching my jaw.

"Good. Now, back to Touya-kun, even I fell under his spell for a bit, although his heart fundamentally belonged to Yuki. Still, we all wanted to do this to him when we found out how much of a player he'd been."

She struck me again, and this time, my gasp turned to a sob.

"The moral of the story I'm trying to tell you is: don't be like Touya. And don't try to cover secrets with silly lies. It all falls apart in the end. The worst part is that others pay for it, even if the blame falls squarely on you."

"I know…" I said, with tears streaming from my eyes. "I'm sorry!"

"I don't believe you," Rina said, and hit me again. I writhed, and my erection spasmed against her stockinged thigh. To my shame and horror, I felt my pre-ejaculate seep onto the expensive silk. This only compounded my tears of embarrassment and pain.

"I'm sorry, Mommy!" I blubbered. "I won't keep secrets any more! I won't lie anymore!"

I tensed in anticipation of another strike, but she instead shifted around a bit. I heard clothing come off, as well as the sound of a bra unhooking. She patted my head.

"Turn over," she said. "Your cute little ass deserves a rest. And you're also a little tense."

I again did as she commanded, gingerly turning to not aggravate my inflamed buttocks. As I did so, my eyes widened at the sight of her bare breasts in my face.

"There, there," she said, caressing my tear-and-snot-stained cheeks. "Would you like to suck on Mommy for a bit?"

I nodded. Rina bent over slightly and I started to suck lightly at her nipples. She shivered with pleasure, and then reached over to my manhood and started to stroke it. The tension evaporated from my body, and even the burning from her spanking had settled into a warm tingle. This was one of the most embarrassing situations I'd experienced in my lifetime, and yet one of the most pleasurable.

"Mommy," I said, still in disbelief over what I was going to say next. "I'm going to—"

"Come lots, my darling," Rina cooed at me.

This of course sent me straight over the edge, and I emptied myself all over her hand, my exposed skin, and her breasts.

Rina dabbed at my spunk with her middle finger and licked it clean. "Mm. I don't understand women who say this is disgusting," she said, with a chuckle. "But do you feel a bit better, now? Did some pain help alleviate your guilt?"

"I, uh…" I breathed deeply. "I just got spanked by Ogata Rina-sama. I'm uh, just dazed more than anything else."

"Dazed is better than wallowing in your own sorrow. Let's shower. Then I can continue playing with you some more."

#

My life had truly taken some irrational, unpredictable turns since I'd first set foot in Japan. I'd arrived expecting to live life as an anonymous college student who occasionally played gigs with the Light Music Club, at best. And now, I'd joined a band, landed a record deal, lost my virginity to my guitarist half-sister, taken my genius drummer's anal virginity, made out with Ogiso Setsuna, slept with Morikawa Hanako, and now I was eating Ogata Rina out in the shower right after she'd spanked the shit out of me.

She let out a gasp of pleasure as she came with my tongue deep in her slit. A few moments later, a stream of body-temperature fluid hit my face, coursed down my throat, and trickled down onto my crotch before being washed quickly away by the gentle warmth of the rainfall issuing from the shower heads above us. She looked down at me, savoring the sight as I peered up at her in mild shock. Then she turned the shower off.

"You'd look super cute in a fluffy bathrobe," she said, gesturing at a pair hanging on hooks on the wall. "Come to my bedroom when you're done."

I toweled off and slipped into the bathrobe. I also wrapped my hair in a towel and slung it back to let it dry more thoroughly. I'd had to ingrain the habit into my daily routine, now that I was forbidden to chop my long, Kazusa-esque hair off.

Rina was waiting for me, naked, sitting on the edge of her bed. She patted the space next to her, and I followed her command. She wasted no time, slipping her hands into my robe to rub my chest and play with my testicles. I shivered and grunted while she playfully kissed me and licked my ears before pushing me down onto the bed. She threw a leg over me and peered at me with her trademark, impish expression.

"I was incredibly lucky that my brother was my producer," Rina said, as she stroked my shaft. "It meant I was protected from situations like this. The predatory company president taking advantage of the young, vulnerable talent."

"Like you're doing right now?" I asked.

She dabbed a finger at my wet urethra and licked my pre-ejaculate off. "Precisely. Do you want me to stop?"

"No," I said. "I know you're trying to help me. Make me feel better after I failed to help Hanako out. And also…I mean, getting to touch Ogata Rina-sama herself is kind of an insane fantasy come true for any man."

"But I'm still just a sleazy old lady president," she said. "I know what I'm doing is wrong. But, when I saw my chance, you know… I couldn't help myself."

"It's fine. I do feel much better. I needed to be spanked a bit. Even if it ended up being literal."

She leaned over and gave me a deep kiss before lifting her face away "You're good at this, Leon. Practice makes perfect for more than music. Listen, if you're not going to date the girls in your band, and if Hanako won't take you back, then be my toy for a bit, okay?"

"Yukiko would cut it off," I said. "Otherwise, I'll gladly be Ogata-sama's plaything."

"Then your job is to make sure she doesn't find out. After all, you did fine with Hanako," she said, and laughed.

I blushed. "I'm sorry about that. I still can't believe I slept with her."

"Leon, every idol finds a boyfriend sooner or later. Even I played around with Touya-kun. Better for her lover to be you than some scumbag. First of all, you're extremely fuckable, and second of all, you're a decent guy."

"Thanks," I said. "How long do you think it'll take to get her to see reason?"

"I don't know," Rina said. "It might happen after your concert. So I want you to focus on that for now. Hanako will be fine for at least that long. You bought her a lot of time. Consider this your absolution, okay?"

"Okay," I said, with a sigh.

Rina leaned back over and kissed me. I responded, kissing her back and fondling her breasts. She straddled my hips in reverse-cowgirl and lowered herself onto me, and we both grunted in pleasure. She took her time as she rode and ground me, and brought me to the brink and back several times. I, in turn, teased her clitoris with my fingers and pinched her nipples as she leaned back, which made her buck and squeeze against me. Eventually, we both could take it no more and I emptied myself in her before she arched her back in spasm so strongly that she expelled my manhood along with everything else I'd deposited in her. Obviously, after that, we needed to rinse off in the shower again.

We'd just gotten into bed again for another round, when her phone rang. She picked up, and after a little while told the caller her name and title. Then listened for a bit more.

"Chief Inspector," she finally said. "I'm going to put you on speaker so that my employee, Kitahara Leon-san, can hear. He may be the only one who can convince poor Hanako to help you. Can you tell him what you just told me?"

She pressed the button. I heard an authoritative woman speak on the other line. Her voice was high-pitched, but commanded attention and obedience.

"Leon-san, is it?" She huffed, and then continued. "I am chief inspector Ogiso Koharu of the Tokyo MPD, with the Organized Crime Countermeasures Division. I need Morikawa Hanako-san to come to headquarters to make a statement and identify suspects in a lineup. She's been the victim of a scam perpetrated by an international criminal organization. Her testimony will be critical to securing a conviction. Can I count on your cooperation?"

CHAPTER TWENTY

The next morning, Rina and I, as well as everyone in Double-O, gathered around Hanako's doorway. With my heart pounding, but my will steeled, I knocked again on her door. Predictably, my effort was met with silence. And yet, I could still sense her huddled behind the sheet metal and wood on the other side. So I spoke anyway.

"Hanako, I know you told me never to speak to you again, but here I am. If you think I'm addressing you too informally, let me know. Otherwise, I want you to hear me out."

I heard her inhale sharply, as if to start chewing me out, but she continued her silence.

"The police called us last night. I spoke with them. The chief inspector is Setsuna's brother's wife, if you can believe that. They've been trying to help people like your parents, and also people like you, who've been taken advantage of by scammers. The cops told me that they've arrested the people who said they were your grandparents."

At that moment, I expected her to protest. To condemn us, or the police, or society at large. Any of these was a reasonable response. But instead, she simply sighed. "Then it's all over. There's nothing left. It was meaningless. I was meaningless, in the end."

"Hanako, the police need your help. They need you to give them a statement, and identify the scammers. Can you do that?"

"Even if I wanted to, what difference does it make? My parents are still in danger. They're probably dead already."

"You don't know that. And the police may be able to help them. They're your family, after all, and you're a crime victim now."

"I'm an illegal immigrant. I'll get deported. But perhaps that's for the best. I deserve nothing more."

Even though I knew she couldn't see or feel it, I pressed my hand against the cool metal. "Why do you say that?"

"Leon… I'm sorry I said horrible things to you last night," Hanako said. "I know you were trying to help me, and I used the foulest language on you. I won't ask for your forgiveness, but you should know that I thought about it for a while, and I know I was in the wrong."

"It's common to think you can't fall prey to a scam, especially if your life's been difficult. I'm just glad you realized it. And I forgive you. Just as I know you'd forgive me."

"Even if you forgive me, I don't deserve it from anyone else. I know the others are with you. Aren't they?"

"Hanako," Setsuna said, kneeling as she pressed her hand on the door. "We're all here. Me, Yayoi, Rina, Eiji, Yukiko, Saeko, and Haruto. We're all here to support you. We'll be with you every step of the way. I don't care if you never sing again. That's not important at all. You're a daughter to me. We won't ever let you go."

"I'm glad you're all here," Hanako said. "Because you need to know how much I've harmed everyone."

"Hanako, that's—"

"I'm the one who told Sawakura Misaki that Yukiko and Leon were probably siblings," Hanako said, calmly. "I did it because I wanted to drive them all apart and claim him for myself."

I saw Yukiko tense and turn away. Saeko embraced her, but remained silent. I resisted to urge to go to them.

"It would have come out, anyway," I said to Hanako. "And it taught us how to deal with a scandal.

"Don't try to justify it," Hanako said. "I endangered the entire company with my selfishness. And in particular, I harmed Setsuna, the woman who saved my life. The woman who gave me a second chance. That's no different than if I'd aimed a gun at my own flesh and blood parents. In fact, it's worse. It shows that I don't regard Setsuna as family. And for that alone, I am the lowest form of life. So please, all of you, go away. I'll go to the police. After I'm deported, you'll never see me again. It's what I want."

Unpredictably, Setsuna started to laugh. "Hanako, you're being too dramatic. Yukiko cost me millions of yen in fines a few months ago, remember? She won't listen to anything I say, and she gets meaner every year. Compared to her, you're a perfect daughter!"

"Mom!" Yukiko shouted, fuming. "You're so… so… Argh!"

"Anyway," Setsuna continued, "I won't let them deport you or something stupid like that. They'll have to get through me. And you know how bloody-minded I am when I have something to protect."

"Hanako," I said. "Come with us. I still want to meet your parents, eventually. And I want to meet them as your boyfriend."

She was silent. But then, I heard her undo the security chain and slowly open the door.

#

Chief Inspector Ogiso (formerly Sugiura) Koharu was one of the shorter women I'd encountered. At the same time, she somehow radiated an aura of absolute surety and correctness that reminded me of my father, though a hundred times more intense. She was also one of the most attractive cops I'd ever seen, although that was the least important thing about meeting her today.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Koharu said, clasping her hands together. She sat at a large metal table in a room that I could only assume was normally used for interrogations. The place was sparse, harshly lit, and sported the classic one-way mirror that appeared in all police procedurals. Hanako sat at the table opposite Koharu. Next to her were Setsuna and I. The others had been ordered to wait in the lobby, as was standard procedure.

Hanako was silent, but looked over at me for assurance. I reached over and grasped her hand.

Koharu continued. "I am Chief Inspector Ogiso, with the Organized Crime Countermeasures Division. I'd like to ask you a few questions, Morikawa-san, and then collect a statement. I am also perfectly aware of your…unconventional immigration status. That is not the issue of concern today, so you don't have to fear being arrested or deported. What I want is the truth. Will you cooperate?"

Hanako nodded. "I will."

"Thank you," Koharu said, and pressed a button on a small audio recorder next to her on the table. "First, please state your full name. The name that you entered the country with."

Hanako opened her mouth, hesitated, but then closed her eyes. "Kim Sang-Mi."

"Your city and country of birth."

"Chongjin, the…Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

"Your real date of birth."

Hanako told her.

"Thank you. Now, from the beginning, I'd like you to tell me about your involvement with the individuals who claimed to be your grandparents. I want exact dates and amounts if possible."

Hanako told her everything. At several points, she broke down crying, and Setsuna and I had to rub her back and console her. But, after two hours, there was nothing more that Hanako had to say.

Koharu pressed another button on the recorder and looked up from her hand-written notes. She was silent for a few minutes, but then nodded. "That must have been hard to deal with alone, Morikawa-san."

Hanako looked over at me. "It was. I only survived because I was able to share it with the guy I love."

"We'll need to conduct some followup interviews, and you may need to meet with the chief prosecutor's office, but I think we have almost everything we need. The last step is to identify suspects in a line-up. Will do you this for us?"

"I will," Hanako said.

Koharu rose and bid us follow her. We walked a short distance to another small room that had a glass panel through which we could see a row of about six people standing against a white wall with height markings painted on. I formed a fist as I recognized Hanako's "grandparents." They looked frailer than when I'd seen them last.

"Don't worry," Koharu said. "This is one-way glass, and the room is soundproofed. There is no way for them to know you're here. Do you see the people who claimed to be your grandparents in this lineup?"

Hanako covered her mouth with a hand and started to tear up. Quickly, however, she composed herself.

"Can you point them out?"

Wordlessly, she pointed at the two I'd recognized.

"Kitahara-san, are those the same individuals you encountered?"

"Yes, they are," I said, grimly.

"Then that's all we need," Koharu said. "You're free to go—"

Her cellphone buzzed. She took it out of her pocket and answered. After a few moments, she peered at Hanako. "Yes, I'll ask her. Thank you, Takahiro."

Takahiro? As in…Setsuna's little brother?

"That was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Koharu said. "There's been a development."

Hanako's eyes widened. "What does that mean?"

"The ministry raided a warehouse in Osaka a little while ago. There were people smuggled in from China who were being held there. Slave labor. A married couple asked specifically after you, which seemed odd. Japanese idols aren't exactly well known-about in those parts of the world. We ran their identities and compared notes, and they're both originally from Chongjin, in the DPRK. If you have some time to spare, could you speak with them over the phone?"

Hanako nodded.

"We'll take you back to the interrogation room. There's a phone there. Take as much time as you need. The conversation will be recorded, of course."

"Of c-course," Hanako said, and followed Koharu back to the interrogation room. Koharu, however, beckoned for us to step into the observation section on the other side of the glass. Setsuna and I followed.

As we watched through the glass, the phone rang. Hanako reached for it, hesitated, and then finally picked it up. It was difficult to hear her, for she spoke softly. But soon after, she started to cry again. Only this time, her tears were distinctly tinged with joy.

"Koharu-chan," Setsuna said with an informality that shocked me, given that she was speaking with a high-ranking police officer. Then again, they're sisters-in-law. "Thank you for helping her. And it looks like Takahiro also helped a lot, too. I have the best little brother and sister, don't I?"

Koharu sighed. "I wish I could take credit, but I can't. In reality, this ring has been operating for many years. The chiefs simply ignored it because it only affected illegal immigrants."

"So what changed?" Setsuna asked.

"We received a tip from, of all places, Vienna, in Europe. That's how we got wind of Morikawa-san's involvement in all of this. Plus, we started getting a lot of negative attention from the media, demanding we do something about the scamming rings. Even that Kaiousha CEO, Kazaoka, got personally involved. It's the only thing that convinced the higher-ups to take this seriously and make some arrests. If I didn't know any better, I'd say someone in Europe started a modern crusade."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "From Vienna, you say? Who was this person?"

"I can't divulge specifics, even to you," Koharu said. "But suffice it to say, he's an uptight sort who's prone to giving lectures. A truly insufferable human being. And… a handsome devil. For the sake of my marriage, I'm glad he's on the other side of the world." She sighed. "Sorry. I know that's crass of me."

Setsuna clasped Koharu's hands in her own. "I understand completely. Thank you, Koharu-chan."

She turned to me. "I'll stay here with Hanako. But you, on the other hand, will need to rehearse like crazy. We only have about forty-eight hours until your concert."

"Shit…" I whispered.

"Oh, get over it. Your parents and I went through worse. So I'm sure you can do it just fine. Now have Izumi-san get everyone to the house. It's go time."

#

"From the top," Eiji said, as soon as we had settled into our seats and taken up our instruments. "We're going to go through the entire concert set. Start to finish. If you make mistakes, play through them. Absolutely no stopping. After we finish the set, we're going to do it again, and again, and again. Treat every iteration like it's the real concert. Is that understood?"

"Yes!" we all replied, almost in unison.

"Then," Eiji said. "Five, four, three…" He gestured for the last two numbers of the countdown, and we started to play.

Our album only had slightly under an hour of music on it. With the necessity of instrument changes and exchanges, banter between pieces, introducing ourselves, thanking the audience, and of course, encore pieces, the concert was slated to last at least two hours. We'd practice everything else during the last few hours, including the dress rehearsal the afternoon-of, but for now the goal was to get us up to performance trim.

And yet, despite the challenge we faced, we were ready to devote everything to this. I'd done what I could for Hanako. And for the first time since I'd started to know them, I truly felt at peace with Yukiko and Saeko. Yukiko had told me after we emerged from the station; the koseki was real. She'd confirmed it with Setsuna. We were siblings. And thus, there was no future in which we could date, or marry, or have children. And Saeko had made her decision. She was Yukiko's friend first. It was the right decision for us.

So we played without distraction, without tension, and without fear. We were a band now, not uncertain lovers with instruments. And we played through.

"Terrible," Eiji said, after we completed our first set. "Hot garbage. It's like you've all been playing hooky at a ryokan instead of rehearsing."

I started to laugh. And to my surprise, Yukiko and Saeko joined me.

Eiji shook his head. "Still, we can salvage this. Now get some calories in you and we'll take it from the top in fifteen minutes."

As we headed to the kitchen to refresh, Haruto came up to me with my phone in hand. "Hey man, you should take this. Your mother's on the line."

I took my phone from him. "Mom?"

"Leon," my mother said. "We're at the airport. Your father's getting our luggage."

"Huh?" I raised my eyebrows. "Airport? Where?"

"Narita," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Are you practicing?"

"Yeah, of course I'm practicing, Mom! But why are you guys at Narita?"

"We're here to see your concert. Why else? Leon, it doesn't sound like you're practicing. I hear people goofing off in the background."

"Wait, Mom, how did you even… How did you get tickets? Why didn't you tell me you were coming here?"

"Setsuna sent us a pair. We didn't want to distract you, so we didn't tell you. Anyway, we're staying at your grandmother's house this time. Don't worry about us, and don't come see us. You have less than forty-eight hours to go, so make sure you practice at least seventy-two. Okay, I'm going to hang up now. I love you. Bye."

"Wait, Mom!" I said, but she'd already hung up.

"Was that who I think it was?" Yukiko said, making it obvious that she'd been listening in.

I exhaled, slowly. "Yeah. I guess my parents are here to see the show."

"Did she just tell you to practice for three days straight? Does she know basic math?"

"That's debatable," Setsuna said, as she stepped into the kitchen. "But just because she's incorrect, doesn't mean she's not right. You all need to practice until you die. We're going to do it like we're preparing for the Houjou High festival. No one goes home. You'll sleep in shifts, too. Four hours at a time."

"How's Hanako?" I asked Setsuna.

"She's good. Better than ever. She also doesn't know math, so she wants you to practice for a hundred hours. All of you."

"Truly maidenless behavior," Saeko said, with a guttural sigh. "Let's go, then. Sleep is overrated as fuck."

#

Finally, after just under forty-eight hours of continuous rehearsal hell, we were onstage at the Yuunagi City Auditorium in front of an oversold crowd of more than twenty-thousand people who'd come from all over Japan, and at least a few other countries, just to hear our songs. I personally knew, however, the two people who'd probably traveled from farthest away to see us. And I was resolved not to disappoint them.

Everyone had given their all to this. Our stage design was an Ogata Eiji masterwork, with shifting colors and shadows evoking the feel of a romantic confession amid a winter's day. Haruto and Yayoi watched and directed the backstage crew with eagle eyes and talons to match. And Setsuna and Rina were stationed at the master sound engineer booth to ensure seamless acoustics. All we had to do was play our hearts out. The only thing I could possibly complain about was those damned horrible Lycra pants that squeezed my ass and junk. Hanako's words came back to me. Don't get nervous—just imagine you're singing and playing for your friends, and you're all skipping work together. Can you do that?

"I can," I said aloud. "And I will."

"You're talking to her aren't you?" Yukiko said.

"I am," I said, with a smile. "But I'm also talking with you two," I said to Yukiko and Saeko. "Let's sing and play for our friends." I held out my fist.

"For our friends," Saeko said, and bumped my fist with hers.

"Yeah, kill 'em all!" Yukiko said, also bumping us.

Saeko and I looked at her. "Try not to slaughter our fans."

"Not even one?"

I reached out and patted my sister on the cheek. "Not even one."

We went back to our instruments. In a few seconds, a deep overhead tone sounded, announcing the start of our show. The stage lights flared to life, and I heard the audience shout and clap for us. I grinned like a madman, and pressed the keys.

Dorekurai no tsukihi ga sugireba

Kono kioku wasurete shimau koto ga dekiru darou ka

Iki ga dekinai you na koishita

Taisetsu de shiawase na kioku datta

Kami kakiageta hosoi yubisaki

Fureatta bamen mada iroasenai mama

Makimodosu koto dekinai you ni,

futari, deau ano hi ano toki e

Onaji sora no shita de ikiteiru kimi ni wa nidoto fureaenai…

Just under two hours later, it was time for the last planned song. We'd played the contents of our record, plus thrown in the rendition of "Miserlou" that we'd used on "Nogizaka Under Construction." During the latter hours of our caffeine-drenched, sleep-deprived rehearsal fever dream, we'd gone collectively insane and decided to polish up our rendition of "Underclass Hero" for the concert without bothering to ask for permission. Eiji had merely regarded us with amusement and promptly gone to sleep on the couch while we played it a few times. I was sure that Setsuna and Rina were going to blow an aneurysm, but at that point, we didn't care anymore.

"Wear this for the Elton John piece," Setsuna said to me, coming out from backstage. In her hands was a costume biker cap complete with a small silver eagle-looking design on it.

"No problem. Wait, Setsuna, this is way too small to fit over my head."

"It has an elastic band," she said, and slipped it on. The little cap slipped down to one side. I made to adjust it, but Setsuna stopped me. "Nope! It's perfect," she said, and cupped my face in her hands before giving me a kiss on the forehead. "Absolutely perfect."

"I'll, uh, take your word for it," I said, and headed back to my piano. It was time for the last song of the concert—unless the audience asked for an encore, of course. We'd already planned to play "Todokanai Koi" if that happened, and Saeko and Yukiko had told me that they'd prepared another piece if absolutely necessary.

"You look stupid," Yukiko said to me, and laughed.

"Thanks, onee-san," I said, and flipped her off. "Alright! Let's start! Three, two one!"

It's getting late have you seen my mates

Ma tell me when the boys get here

It's seven o'clock and I want to rock

Want to get a belly full of beer

My old man's drunker than a barrel full of monkeys

And my old lady she don't care

My sister looks cute in her braces and boots

A handful of grease in her hair

Oh, don't give us none of your aggravation

We had it with your discipline

Oh, Saturday night's alright for fighting

Get a little action in

Get about as oiled as a diesel train

Gonna set this dance alight

'Cause Saturday night's the night I like

Saturday night's alright alright alright, ooh

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday

Saturday, Saturday,

Saturday night's alright, ooh

As I lifted my fingers from the keys and stepped back, I nearly tripped over the drum stool I'd kicked over during the song. I couldn't tell whether the audience was howling in appreciation or fury. At this point, I was almost completely drained. But then I heard the words.

"Encore! Encore!" Initially just scattered shouts, the words quickly coalesced into a unified chant. I slowly picked my stool up and reset it in front of the piano, and walked over to Yukiko and Saeko, and hugged them.

"You guys have one more in you?"

"You bet your fetish-outfit ass we do," Saeko said, and poked me in the chest. "Let's do it. The song Kiko hates, okay?"

"Fine, fine! Mom won't forgive us if we don't," Yukiko growled.

I gave the crowd a thumbs-up, to their thunderous pleasure. We went back to our instruments, and I pressed the keys again.

Kodoku na furi wo shiteru no?

Naze darou ki ni natteita

Kizukeba itsu no manika

Dare yori hikareteita

Dou sureba, kono kokoro wa

Kagami ni utsuru no?

Todokanai koi wo shiteite mo

Utsushidasu hi ga kuru kana

Boyaketa kotae ga mie hajimeru made wa

Ima mo kono koi wa

Ugokidasenai

Yet even after we finished with the smash hit that defined a twenty-year era in Japanese music and media, the audience wanted one more song.

"Don't worry," Yukiko said to me. "You can actually sit this one out."

I raised an eyebrow. "When did you guys even find time to practice this?"

"While you were sleeping," Saeko said. "Don't worry, this'll either satisfy 'em, or Kiko's voice will convince everyone it's time to leave."

"Aw, fuck you," Yukiko said, and put her PRS back on its stand. A stagehand brought her out another guitar, which I noticed was an acoustic. A Martin SC-13E with an integrated amplifier port, and a cutout that allowed play all the way up the entire neck. An acoustic for a god-tier guitarist like her.

"What're you even playing?" I asked them.

Despite their earlier bravado, both girls looked away from me.

"It's something we both wanted to tell you," Saeko said. "So just…sit down and shut up and listen, okay?"

With that, they both shuffled carefully to the front edge of the stage and sat down on it with their legs dangling over. Yukiko plugged her Martin in and strummed it, sending a rich wave of acoustic goodness over the speakers. Saeko grabbed a handheld microphone and held it to Yukiko's mouth. Then, Yukiko started to play.

Konayuki ga sora kara

Yasashiku orite kuru

Te no hira de uketometa

Yuki ga setsunai

Dokoka de mite masuka

Anata wa tachidomari

Omoi dashite imasuka

Sora wo miage nagara

Ureshi sou ni yuki no ue wo aruku anata ga

In the white snowfall…

Watashi ni wa hontou ni itooshiku mieta

Ima demo oboeteiru ano hi mita yuki no shirosa

Hajimete fureta kuchibiru no nukumori mo wasurenai

I still love you…

As I heard them sing in the best harmony they could muster, my heart rose to my throat. And when I heard those four words, I couldn't stop the tears from streaming out of my eyes.

#

Unlike the first time we'd played on the Yanagihara Tomo Show, none of us threw up afterward. We were too tired, too happy, and too delirious to be nauseous. There was nothing we wanted to do more than immediately crash and get some sleep, but there was no way for us to all safely leave in a hurry, so we'd have to stay until after the audience had mostly gone home. Which was convenient, of course, for all of our parents and relatives who'd crowded our green room to celebrate after.

Saeko had almost immediately fallen asleep on one of the couches, with her head on her mother's lap. Iizuka Io gently stroked her daughter's bleached hair as she and Iizuka Takeya conversed excitedly with my father, who stood nearby holding a flute of champagne.

I sat on another couch with Yukiko, who alternated between stuffing her face with chips (she'd promptly claimed a large bowl full of them for herself) and nodding off on my shoulder, where she'd left a spreading pool of salt-and-vinegar-flavored drool. Like a wedding celebration, this sort of gathering was really about providing entertainment for the various families instead of celebrating our accomplishment. Which was perfectly fine with me.

Still, however, I got a major kick out of the spectacle of Haruto being doted on and praised by not only my grandmother, but also my mother on either side of him. I'd never seen the man's face redder, or him more at a loss for words than in that moment. I knew he was both having the time of his life as well as desperately wanting to escape, and I was in no position to intervene for him.

"Hey, Seinen," Eiji said to me. "I just got off the phone with Reggie. He really liked 'Saturday Night's Alright.' He says you can do 'Your Song' next. It's a huge honor."

I blinked at him. "Reggie?"

"Sir Elton John," Eiji tutted. "Yes, we'll do that on the next album, for sure."

"And I know it sounds premature," Rina said, as she wrapped an arm around my shoulders, "but it's already time to think about the next album. Even while you're preparing for your repeat concert in a month. We also have to start planning your Japan tour, and after that, China and Korea. There might even be interest in Hawaii and Brazil, so keep your schedules free."

My eyes widened. "Tour?"

"Of course. Concerts are where you make your money, don't you know?"

"Got it," I said. "And I'd also like to re-negotiate our terms for the second album."

Rina leaned over. "Greedy boy," she whispered. "We can negotiate in bed, later."

I blushed. After all, I was now her toy. But I was still going to stand up for Yukiko and Saeko. Rina giggled and got up from the couch as Setsuna approached. And this time, she was accompanied by my father.

"Ah, Ogata Eiji-san," Haruki said, reaching his hand out to Eiji. "I've always wanted to meet you," he said, as Eiji shook his hand.

"Likewise. Ah! Would you like an autograph?" Eiji said.

My father shook his head. "No, thank you. I just wanted to express my gratitude. Not only for helping my son achieve his dream, but also for helping Setsuna achieve hers. And for doing everything I could not. I will always be in your debt."

"I don't know why you'd go that far," Eiji said, mysteriously. "I just gave them a little push. Their accomplishments are their own. But, I also understand that you helped out our Hanako-chan. So I'm in your debt, too."

"I also just gave some people a little push," Haruki said.

"Well, next time you mount a crusade from Europe, I want to be in on it," Eiji said with a chuckle. "Rina, we should probably go talk with Saeko's parents about what comes next. Shall we?"

The Ogatas stood and slipped away. Haruki sat down next to me, and Setsuna sat down next to Yukiko, who'd nodded off again.

Haruki looked over at Yukiko, who continued to drool on me. "She's extremely talented," he said to me. "As expected of Ogata Eiji's daughter, though she didn't inherit her mother's voice."

"She's improved a lot, though, with practice," Setsuna said. "Remember, I'd been singing for years by the time you went to karaoke with me, Haruki. I was terrible when I started out."

"I don't believe it at all, Setsuna," Haruki said.

"Please tell me you're staying for longer than before," Setsuna said, as she gently dabbed at Yukiko's mouth with a napkin. "I want to hang out with you two, again. And this time, for a happy reason."

"We haven't booked a return trip, yet," my mother said, as she leaned over and embraced Setsuna from behind. "I want to do all sorts of things while I'm here. See where my son goes to school. Play piano with my mother again. And… I still remember our promise we made a long time ago. Would you consider going to the hot springs with us, again?"

Setsuna turned her head and nuzzled my mother's cheek. "That makes me extremely happy. We should all go, along with our children, you know?"

"Ew, no," Yukiko mumbled, to which everyone laughed.

"Okay, maybe just the grownups," Setsuna said. "Young people do find this stuff very boring," she said, winking at me.

I blushed again.

"Dad," I said. "I know this is kind of out of the blue, but I'm turning twenty in not too long. I'm going to have to decide what citizenship I give up."

"And what did you decide?" Haruki asked.

"I don't know. I was hoping you'd tell me."

"You're an adult now, in many more ways than when you left," Haruki said, clapping me on the shoulder. "Only you can decide that. I trust you and will support you, whatever you do."

My indecision, however, was interrupted by yet more people coming up to us, including Io and Takeya, and to my surprise, Yanagihara Tomo herself.

"We're going to Karaokekan!" Tomo announced. "All of us adults, anyway. No one can decline! Not even that gloomy guy," she said, pointing at Haruki.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Tomo-san," Haruki said.

"Good," Tomo said. "And Setsuna, you know the rules. No more than two songs in a row for you."

"Tomo! What do you mean I can't sing more than five at a time?" Setsuna said, feigning frustration.

"Don't try and pull a fast one on me!" Tomo said, with a pout. "I'll finally show you how powerful I am! Also, aren't you curious to know what Touma-san sounds like when she sings?"

"I can't really sing…" my mother said.

"Nonsense," Youko said. "We'll do a nice mother-daughter duet. Something easy, like 'Poyo Poyo Kansatsu Nikki.'"

"I just want to hear something from Ogata Rina," Haruki said, with a sly smile.

With that, both Setsuna and my mother reached over and punched him squarely on the arm.

#

Fortunately, Tomo had exempted the three of us from the mandatory karaoke afterparty. And after everyone had left for more booze, food, and drunken singing, things were finally quiet in the green room.

Yukiko and Saeko slept peacefully in each others' arms on my couch as I sat at the end, checking my phone. So far, there had been nothing from Hanako. No texts, calls, or emails. I'd already confirmed she hadn't attended the concert, either.

Perhaps she really did move on from me, I thought. My bitterness was counterbalanced by happiness for her. After all, I'd supported her during the most vulnerable period of her life, but that didn't mean I was the right man for her during happier times.

"Kyodai," Haruto said, as he sat on the arm of the couch near me.

"Nii-san," I said.

"Did Rina-san tell you what to expect in the future?"

"A bit."

He laughed. "If you thought the last few months were hellish, you're gonna love what comes next. You have another concert in a month, and then we're going on tour. Plus, you'll have to master another album's worth of songs, record and master them, and still appear on TV and do promotional shit while not getting rusty with your old songs. Oh, and don't forget about school. Don't you have finals coming up soon? We're probably gonna get in a fistfight or two."

"As you told me, nii-san, I made my bed, and I've gotta sleep in it. But I don't feel bad at all. My parents were genuinely at peace around Setsuna, and so was she. It's already paid off for me. And I'll make sure it pays off for them, too," I said, looking over at Yukiko and Saeko. "I love them, both."

"And they said the same to you, practically to the entire world," Haruto said.

"It's a good feeling," I said, smiling.

"Oh!" Haruto said. "Shit, you know, I was gonna give this to you earlier, but my brain melted after your mom kissed me on the cheek."

He took out a small, padded envelope from the inside pocket of his blazer and handed it to me. "From Hanako. She couldn't come to the concert because she's gone down to Osaka to meet her parents. This was for your eyes only. I'm gonna get the girls into the car. If you want some privacy, this is gonna sound insane, but the stage is the most deserted area in the entire place, right now."

I clasped his hand. "Thank you for everything. I mean it."

"Well, go see what Hanako wants," he said, and waved me off.

I made my way out of the green room and towards the stage. Our equipment and instruments had already been taken away, along with the stage decorations, and only bare floor remained. The overhead lights cast a soft glow over everything, with barely enough illumination to read. I gingerly opened the envelope and pulled out a small box. When I opened it, a carefully-folded piece of paper fell out and almost tumbled to the floor. I caught it, and glimpsed at the contents of the box.

Inside was what looked like an engagement ring, with a flush of diamonds set on a tasteful, white gold band. My heart started to race. Carefully, I unfolded the paper. It was a handwritten note.

I wasn't exaggerating when I said I fell for you the first time I saw you. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't "love at first sight," because "love" and "he's super pretty!" are different things altogether. Also, I know you don't like being called that, but it's one of your unique qualities and you should be proud of it. You're not Solid Snake, and that's perfectly okay.

Also, Happy White Day! Sorry I didn't get you any chocolate. And sorry I couldn't be at your concert, especially when you came to mine. But I've been waiting to see my parents for a long time, too. I promise I'll take them to your next one. I'll be cheering you on, and I'll be extremely obnoxious about it.

Seriously, though, you've come a long way as a musician since I first encountered you. One of these days, I'll have you play and sing "Powder Snow" with me.

To be honest, I was strongly considering graduating this year. But now that I have my parents to support, I need to continue being an idol for a while longer. I need to recover what I lost, and I need to protect them in any way I can. I want to continue seeing you, but I also understand if you want to date someone else for now.

You're probably wondering why I gave you a woman's engagement ring. The first reason is that I know guys hate shopping for jewelry, so I just picked out the one I wanted. Saves you a lot of trouble and boredom. The second reason, is because I wanted to show you that I'm serious about you.

If you want me back, all you must do is return the ring to me. I'll say "yes," no matter what. I don't care if it takes years, or even decades. I won't care if you're a musician, a salaryman, or a NEET. Don't worry, though. You don't have to decide right now. You have a busy time ahead of you.

This is getting too long, and I'm running out of space. So I'll just say this: I'm glad you were born. I'm glad you came to Japan. I'm glad you came to my show. I'm glad you saved me. For most of my life, I'd have welcomed death. Now, it's the scariest thing in the world. I want to live in the same world as you do. Forever and ever.

PS: How did I forget to say this, with all the stuff I wrote? I love you. I love you so much. And I love that I love you.

Slowly, I folded the note back up, and slipped it back into the box with the ring in it. I faced the empty seats of the Yuunagi City Auditorium and closed my eyes. I had my entire music career before me, with all the joy and sorrow such an existence would bring. But for now, I knew that things were better than before. My parents and Setsuna were at peace. Hanako had recovered her will to live. And I now had a sister, as well as a best friend for life.

If nothing else, was that not the purpose of living? To incrementally improve things as best we could, within our limits? I opened my eyes. The season of White Album was again at an end, and the rest of our lives awaited.

The End.