Chapter 1
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"Hana! Hana-chan!!" Miyoshi Io's voice came. Masumoto Hana turned away from the counter. Both worked at a small convenience store, part-time. "You know how we got that audition with KWI today?!" Io said in a hurry. "Uh-huh, of course I do." Hana said, giggling. "Like I'd forget." she laughed. "Don't laugh. This is bad. They canceled our audition. They're booked until. . .well, we have to wait three months until we can get to audition again!!" Io wailed. Hana's heart sank. "What?! No way!!" she said, shocked. "Yes, way!" Io said, looking angry. She looked at her wrist watch, then sighed. "I gotta go." she said, disappointed. "Alright. I'll see you. . ." Hana said, equally flat. Both stared sadly at each other, then Io exited the establishment and walked down the street. Hana frowned, wiping the counter down. It was gonna be hard to wait three months. She jumped over the counter, taking her apron off. "Boss-san! I'm taking the rest of the day off!" she called. In such awful news, sweets were needed. They were required. Preferably something chocolate. "Alright! Work more tomorrow!" her boss called back. She laughed, and opened the door. As she exited, she ran smack into somebody. "Ow, ow. Sorry." she said, walking past him. He waved and walked inside. I wonder who that was. . .He looked familiar. She frowned and kept running, desperate to get her mind off of this gigantic disappointment.
Hana flicked the television off, frowning. Nope, still depressed. Her phone rang then, and she picked it up. "Moshi moshi, Masumoto-kun." she said. "Masumoto-san?! Where are you?! You're an hour late for your audition!!" someone snapped. "Who's this?" Hana asked, frowning. "Hosana Natsumi-san of KWI. I'm sure you've heard of me." the female voice said. "H-Hosana Natsumi?!" Hana cried, shocked. Hosana Natsumi was one of the most popular artists on the charts. She was currently number four on the charts. "W-Why are you calling me?!" Hana asked. "You're late! We've been waiting for you! You're partner, Miyoshi Io, showed up and said she couldn't contact you." Hosana-san said. Hana's head was spinning. "N-no, she said our audition was canceled and she hasn't tried calling me. . ." she mumbled. "Well, I don't know what's going on, but get your butt over here!!" Hosana-san snapped. "H-Hai!" Hana said, hanging up. She picked her bag up and sprinted out her apartment door, running into someone for the second time that day. "O-Owwww, I'm very sorry!" she cried. "Haven't I seen you before?" she heard the male she bumped into ask, but she was already out the door. Tears were in her eyes. Had Io lied? No. No, Io would never do that. She ran even faster. She lived so close to the agency, but it seemed so far today. Panting already, head spinning, Hana let the anger flow out.
Bursting through the doors of KWI, Hana sprinted to the counter. "M-M-Masumoto Hana. . ." she managed, breathing hard. "E-Er, last room on the right." the man behind the counter said. "Thanks." she said, running into the directed room. Two people sat behind a table, the one in the middle the famous Hosana Natsumi. "S-s-sorry I was late!" Hana said, bowing. "Please allow me to sing for you!" she begged. "We wouldn't have called you if we didn't believe you had something special." Hosana-san said, smiling. Hana looked up, touched. "D-Did my partner, Miyoshi Io, make it?" she asked solemnly. "Nope." said a man to the left of Hosana-san. Hana didn't recognize him. "I see." Hana said, snickering. "Kukukukukukuku. . ." she laughed, her eyebrow twitching. "I was set up. . ." she hissed quietly. "U-um. . ." Hosana-san said, weirded out. "You can start now." said the judge to the left. The chair to the right was empty. "Hell. . .What do I sing?" Hana thought, suddenly surprised. "A-Ah, I'll sing Shinkai no Kodoku. . ." she said quietly. "Okay. Start." Hosana-san said. "Kanashimi wo oshiete. . ." Hana sang quietly. "Louder." the man to the left said. "Hitomi wo tojite itara kanashimi mo mienai to. . .Nukomori shirazu ni ireba kizutsuku koto mo nai to. . ." Hana sang louder, closing her eyes. The feeling she had always had— of happiness —when she sang flooded over her, and she lost herself in her voice. "Omoidasenai, yasashii koe wo! Tomarau mune no unabara. . .Kieusete kako kara, dareka ga yondeiru no." she intoned, before Hosana-san held her hand up. She looked surprised. The man to the left had dropped his pen. "O-Oh, wow. That was great." he said. "I agree. That's amazing. I'm saying yes." Hosana-san said. "Yes for me too." he agreed, nodding. "Ah, by the way, I'm Tsutomo Zenkichi. I'm the founder of KWI." he said, offering his hand. FOUNDER?! Hana shook his hand, stunned. He smiled, obviously pleased by this reaction. "You'll have to excuse our third judge. He left earlier when you didn't show." Tsutomo-san said, rolling his eyes. "It's alright. . ." Hana said, feeling guilty. Until she remembered she shouldn't be feeling guilty, because it was all Miyoshi's doing. Huh. Anger poured through her, and she gripped Tsutomo-san's hand. "A-Ah, ow." he said. "Oh, sorry." Hana said, releasing his hand. He laughed nervously, then cleared his throat. "So, come with me. We'll get your paperwork done." he said. "Y-You mean I'm in?!" Hana snapped, shocked. "Yes. You're 'in', as you say." Hosana-san said, standing by the short Tsutomo-san. "Can I go to the bathroom?" Hana asked calmly. "Er, yea, why?" Tsutomo-san asked. "I need an excuse so I can run around cheering and screaming 'I got into KWI' while you think I'm in the restroom." Hana said. Tsutomo-san cracked up. "I like it, I like it! Go ahead!" he said, ushering her out the door.
"I'M IN!! YA HEAR THAT, MIYOSHI IO?! I. AM. NOW. IN. KWI!!!" Hana cheered, punching the air. Several bystanders cheered with her, laughing, and others walked off, trying not to make eye-contact. For a change, she ALMOST ran into someone, but stopped inches from his chest. "Eheheh. Sorry." she said, rubbing her neck. His hand grabbed her face and turned her this way and that. "I knew it." he said darkly. She looked up, startled and confused, into cold, silver eyes. "You've been bumping into me all day." he said. Takumi Hikaru stood before her, her face in his rough hands, staring down at her. "At the convenience store, the apartments, and now." he added. "T-T-T-T-T. . ." Hana managed, staring up at him. "Takumi Hikaru? Yes, that's right." Hikaru guessed, shrugging. "TAKUMI HIKARU." she blurted. "Yes. . ." he repeated, backing away. "I thought convenience store workers were supposed to be convenient themselves. You're already loud and obnoxious." he said sharply. Hana's eyebrow twitched. Maybe she heard wrong. "Quiet down. You're making a scene." Hikaru said dully, hands on hips. "I shoulda known a big actor like you would have been a stuck-up—" she started, before Hosana-san put her hand over Hana's mouth. "Takumi-kun, I'm sorry. Forgive her. She's new." she said. Hana glanced at her, surprised. Hikaru frowned. "Whatever." he said, walking away. Hosana-san released Hana and hissed,"What are you doing?! You can't go harassing TAKUMI HIKARU!! It'll be bad for your image, bad for his image, and bad for the company's image. Not to mention he is one crazy sadist. Mess with him and he brings the fire." She shuddered, as if she had personal experience. Hana frowned. "He doesn't seem to care whether I like him or not." she said angrily. Hosana-san laughed. "He doesn't care if ANYONE likes him. In fact, the whole company started out hating him because of his cold nature. But then this girl started talking to him, and she wouldn't leave him alone. Other people saw this interaction and saw how nice he really was and started talking to him as well. Now everyone loves him." she said. "Wow. Really?" Hana asked. "Yea. It was awhile ago, though. He was, like, fifteen." Hosana-san said, rolling her eyes. "The girl ended up thinking he was a joke because of his age and left KWI because she thought we were stupid for taking on such a young kid. I bet she ate her words." she finished, laughing. Hana smiled, then said,"So, about that paperwork. . ."
"Okay, Hana-kun, you're almost done." Tsutomo-san said, pointing at what she was filling out. "Now you need a stage name. What do you want it to be?" he asked. She was about to say 'Hana', but then reconsidered. No, Hana had been easily fooled and put too much trust into people. And now she was no longer that person. ". . .Tsuki." she said after a moment. He wrote it down for her, then signed his own name at the bottom of the contract. "Alrighty then, Tsuki-kun. You're finished." he said, smiling. "Arigato gozaimasu." Hana said, bowing. He laughed, waving her off. "You're good. I'm sure you'll be a great actress/singer." Tsutomo-san said. Hana laughed, red, rubbing the back of her neck. Then, she blinked. "E-Er, excuse me? Did you say ACTRESS?" she asked, panicking. "Yes, why? Did you not hear me?" he asked, confused. "N-No, I signed on as just a 'singer' right?!" she snapped. He winced, startled. "No, you signed on as a singer/actress." Tsutomo-san said, frowning. "B-B-But. . ." she started frantically. "Look, it's on your contract." he said, holding the document up. Indeed, it read 'singer/actress'. Hana gaped, shocked. "Sorry, Tsuki-san. It's final. Natsumi, come in here." he called. Hosana-san entered obediently. "Take Tsuki-kun to go get her hair and wardrobe done." he said, putting his glasses back on and starting to work again. "Hai." Hosana-san said, grabbing Hana's hand and leading her away. "Tsuki, eh?" she asked. "Y-yea. I like Hana and all, but Tsuki sounds more. . .Eh, how to explain. . ." Hana said, frowning. "Yea, I get it. Anyways, look over there. That section is your section. Singer/actress. You'll sing and act, mostly in musicals, comedies, and action movies." Hosana-san said, pointing at a door. Hana examined it as they passed. "Anyways, welcome to KWI." Hosana-san said, pushing her gently through a dressing room. "Here's where you'll get changed. Tell the guy what you want and I'll see you later. Bye bye!" she said, waving. Hana waved back weakly, then turned to the male. "Eheheh. . .Okay, let's get started."
"Karu-chan." the girl said. Hikaru looked up from his food, blinking. "What?" he asked, swallowing. "Did you hear? Some girl named Tsuki just joined, and she's in our section." the girl murmured. "Tsu. . .ki? Sounds familiar." he answered, frowning. She sat down by him, staring lifelessly into space. "What? Are you disappointed? You gotta be kidding me." Hikaru muttered. "I want to see her." she said. "Why?" Hikaru asked impatiently. "They said she was running around earlier when she realized KWI took her in. She was screaming 'I'm in, I'm in, take that, Miyoshi Io'." the girl murmured. Hikaru dropped his chopsticks. "What's wrong?" the girl asked, not flinching or looking away from what she was staring at. "Masumoto Hana. . ." he hissed. "Is that her real name?" the girl asked. "I bet. Let's go." he said. He stood up and threw his jacket over his shoulder. "Karu-chan." the girl said, standing up by him. "What is it?" he asked. "Do you know her? Is she your girlfriend?" she wondered. "No, not even." Hikaru said, shaking his head. "She just happened to run into me twice, and almost run into me a third time." he said, rolling his eyes. "What a klutz." he said, sighing. She stared up at him. "Stop staring at me. You're creeping me out." he muttered. Staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaare. "OKAY! Okay, let's go!" he snapped, taking her hand and pulling her along. "Karu-chan?" she asked one last time. "What now?" he mumbled. "Nothing. Never mind." she said, shaking her head. "You're a weird one, Dol*." he sighed. (*-Yes, spelled with one 'l' but pronounced Doll. Latin.) "Weird good or weird bad?" she asked. "Good. Very good." he said, ruffling her hair. She came to his waist. "Okay." she said, nodding. "Let's go meet Tsuki."
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"Hana! Hana-chan!!" Miyoshi Io's voice came. Masumoto Hana turned away from the counter. Both worked at a small convenience store, part-time. "You know how we got that audition with KWI today?!" Io said in a hurry. "Uh-huh, of course I do." Hana said, giggling. "Like I'd forget." she laughed. "Don't laugh. This is bad. They canceled our audition. They're booked until. . .well, we have to wait three months until we can get to audition again!!" Io wailed. Hana's heart sank. "What?! No way!!" she said, shocked. "Yes, way!" Io said, looking angry. She looked at her wrist watch, then sighed. "I gotta go." she said, disappointed. "Alright. I'll see you. . ." Hana said, equally flat. Both stared sadly at each other, then Io exited the establishment and walked down the street. Hana frowned, wiping the counter down. It was gonna be hard to wait three months. She jumped over the counter, taking her apron off. "Boss-san! I'm taking the rest of the day off!" she called. In such awful news, sweets were needed. They were required. Preferably something chocolate. "Alright! Work more tomorrow!" her boss called back. She laughed, and opened the door. As she exited, she ran smack into somebody. "Ow, ow. Sorry." she said, walking past him. He waved and walked inside. I wonder who that was. . .He looked familiar. She frowned and kept running, desperate to get her mind off of this gigantic disappointment.
Hana flicked the television off, frowning. Nope, still depressed. Her phone rang then, and she picked it up. "Moshi moshi, Masumoto-kun." she said. "Masumoto-san?! Where are you?! You're an hour late for your audition!!" someone snapped. "Who's this?" Hana asked, frowning. "Hosana Natsumi-san of KWI. I'm sure you've heard of me." the female voice said. "H-Hosana Natsumi?!" Hana cried, shocked. Hosana Natsumi was one of the most popular artists on the charts. She was currently number four on the charts. "W-Why are you calling me?!" Hana asked. "You're late! We've been waiting for you! You're partner, Miyoshi Io, showed up and said she couldn't contact you." Hosana-san said. Hana's head was spinning. "N-no, she said our audition was canceled and she hasn't tried calling me. . ." she mumbled. "Well, I don't know what's going on, but get your butt over here!!" Hosana-san snapped. "H-Hai!" Hana said, hanging up. She picked her bag up and sprinted out her apartment door, running into someone for the second time that day. "O-Owwww, I'm very sorry!" she cried. "Haven't I seen you before?" she heard the male she bumped into ask, but she was already out the door. Tears were in her eyes. Had Io lied? No. No, Io would never do that. She ran even faster. She lived so close to the agency, but it seemed so far today. Panting already, head spinning, Hana let the anger flow out.
Bursting through the doors of KWI, Hana sprinted to the counter. "M-M-Masumoto Hana. . ." she managed, breathing hard. "E-Er, last room on the right." the man behind the counter said. "Thanks." she said, running into the directed room. Two people sat behind a table, the one in the middle the famous Hosana Natsumi. "S-s-sorry I was late!" Hana said, bowing. "Please allow me to sing for you!" she begged. "We wouldn't have called you if we didn't believe you had something special." Hosana-san said, smiling. Hana looked up, touched. "D-Did my partner, Miyoshi Io, make it?" she asked solemnly. "Nope." said a man to the left of Hosana-san. Hana didn't recognize him. "I see." Hana said, snickering. "Kukukukukukuku. . ." she laughed, her eyebrow twitching. "I was set up. . ." she hissed quietly. "U-um. . ." Hosana-san said, weirded out. "You can start now." said the judge to the left. The chair to the right was empty. "Hell. . .What do I sing?" Hana thought, suddenly surprised. "A-Ah, I'll sing Shinkai no Kodoku. . ." she said quietly. "Okay. Start." Hosana-san said. "Kanashimi wo oshiete. . ." Hana sang quietly. "Louder." the man to the left said. "Hitomi wo tojite itara kanashimi mo mienai to. . .Nukomori shirazu ni ireba kizutsuku koto mo nai to. . ." Hana sang louder, closing her eyes. The feeling she had always had— of happiness —when she sang flooded over her, and she lost herself in her voice. "Omoidasenai, yasashii koe wo! Tomarau mune no unabara. . .Kieusete kako kara, dareka ga yondeiru no." she intoned, before Hosana-san held her hand up. She looked surprised. The man to the left had dropped his pen. "O-Oh, wow. That was great." he said. "I agree. That's amazing. I'm saying yes." Hosana-san said. "Yes for me too." he agreed, nodding. "Ah, by the way, I'm Tsutomo Zenkichi. I'm the founder of KWI." he said, offering his hand. FOUNDER?! Hana shook his hand, stunned. He smiled, obviously pleased by this reaction. "You'll have to excuse our third judge. He left earlier when you didn't show." Tsutomo-san said, rolling his eyes. "It's alright. . ." Hana said, feeling guilty. Until she remembered she shouldn't be feeling guilty, because it was all Miyoshi's doing. Huh. Anger poured through her, and she gripped Tsutomo-san's hand. "A-Ah, ow." he said. "Oh, sorry." Hana said, releasing his hand. He laughed nervously, then cleared his throat. "So, come with me. We'll get your paperwork done." he said. "Y-You mean I'm in?!" Hana snapped, shocked. "Yes. You're 'in', as you say." Hosana-san said, standing by the short Tsutomo-san. "Can I go to the bathroom?" Hana asked calmly. "Er, yea, why?" Tsutomo-san asked. "I need an excuse so I can run around cheering and screaming 'I got into KWI' while you think I'm in the restroom." Hana said. Tsutomo-san cracked up. "I like it, I like it! Go ahead!" he said, ushering her out the door.
"I'M IN!! YA HEAR THAT, MIYOSHI IO?! I. AM. NOW. IN. KWI!!!" Hana cheered, punching the air. Several bystanders cheered with her, laughing, and others walked off, trying not to make eye-contact. For a change, she ALMOST ran into someone, but stopped inches from his chest. "Eheheh. Sorry." she said, rubbing her neck. His hand grabbed her face and turned her this way and that. "I knew it." he said darkly. She looked up, startled and confused, into cold, silver eyes. "You've been bumping into me all day." he said. Takumi Hikaru stood before her, her face in his rough hands, staring down at her. "At the convenience store, the apartments, and now." he added. "T-T-T-T-T. . ." Hana managed, staring up at him. "Takumi Hikaru? Yes, that's right." Hikaru guessed, shrugging. "TAKUMI HIKARU." she blurted. "Yes. . ." he repeated, backing away. "I thought convenience store workers were supposed to be convenient themselves. You're already loud and obnoxious." he said sharply. Hana's eyebrow twitched. Maybe she heard wrong. "Quiet down. You're making a scene." Hikaru said dully, hands on hips. "I shoulda known a big actor like you would have been a stuck-up—" she started, before Hosana-san put her hand over Hana's mouth. "Takumi-kun, I'm sorry. Forgive her. She's new." she said. Hana glanced at her, surprised. Hikaru frowned. "Whatever." he said, walking away. Hosana-san released Hana and hissed,"What are you doing?! You can't go harassing TAKUMI HIKARU!! It'll be bad for your image, bad for his image, and bad for the company's image. Not to mention he is one crazy sadist. Mess with him and he brings the fire." She shuddered, as if she had personal experience. Hana frowned. "He doesn't seem to care whether I like him or not." she said angrily. Hosana-san laughed. "He doesn't care if ANYONE likes him. In fact, the whole company started out hating him because of his cold nature. But then this girl started talking to him, and she wouldn't leave him alone. Other people saw this interaction and saw how nice he really was and started talking to him as well. Now everyone loves him." she said. "Wow. Really?" Hana asked. "Yea. It was awhile ago, though. He was, like, fifteen." Hosana-san said, rolling her eyes. "The girl ended up thinking he was a joke because of his age and left KWI because she thought we were stupid for taking on such a young kid. I bet she ate her words." she finished, laughing. Hana smiled, then said,"So, about that paperwork. . ."
"Okay, Hana-kun, you're almost done." Tsutomo-san said, pointing at what she was filling out. "Now you need a stage name. What do you want it to be?" he asked. She was about to say 'Hana', but then reconsidered. No, Hana had been easily fooled and put too much trust into people. And now she was no longer that person. ". . .Tsuki." she said after a moment. He wrote it down for her, then signed his own name at the bottom of the contract. "Alrighty then, Tsuki-kun. You're finished." he said, smiling. "Arigato gozaimasu." Hana said, bowing. He laughed, waving her off. "You're good. I'm sure you'll be a great actress/singer." Tsutomo-san said. Hana laughed, red, rubbing the back of her neck. Then, she blinked. "E-Er, excuse me? Did you say ACTRESS?" she asked, panicking. "Yes, why? Did you not hear me?" he asked, confused. "N-No, I signed on as just a 'singer' right?!" she snapped. He winced, startled. "No, you signed on as a singer/actress." Tsutomo-san said, frowning. "B-B-But. . ." she started frantically. "Look, it's on your contract." he said, holding the document up. Indeed, it read 'singer/actress'. Hana gaped, shocked. "Sorry, Tsuki-san. It's final. Natsumi, come in here." he called. Hosana-san entered obediently. "Take Tsuki-kun to go get her hair and wardrobe done." he said, putting his glasses back on and starting to work again. "Hai." Hosana-san said, grabbing Hana's hand and leading her away. "Tsuki, eh?" she asked. "Y-yea. I like Hana and all, but Tsuki sounds more. . .Eh, how to explain. . ." Hana said, frowning. "Yea, I get it. Anyways, look over there. That section is your section. Singer/actress. You'll sing and act, mostly in musicals, comedies, and action movies." Hosana-san said, pointing at a door. Hana examined it as they passed. "Anyways, welcome to KWI." Hosana-san said, pushing her gently through a dressing room. "Here's where you'll get changed. Tell the guy what you want and I'll see you later. Bye bye!" she said, waving. Hana waved back weakly, then turned to the male. "Eheheh. . .Okay, let's get started."
"Karu-chan." the girl said. Hikaru looked up from his food, blinking. "What?" he asked, swallowing. "Did you hear? Some girl named Tsuki just joined, and she's in our section." the girl murmured. "Tsu. . .ki? Sounds familiar." he answered, frowning. She sat down by him, staring lifelessly into space. "What? Are you disappointed? You gotta be kidding me." Hikaru muttered. "I want to see her." she said. "Why?" Hikaru asked impatiently. "They said she was running around earlier when she realized KWI took her in. She was screaming 'I'm in, I'm in, take that, Miyoshi Io'." the girl murmured. Hikaru dropped his chopsticks. "What's wrong?" the girl asked, not flinching or looking away from what she was staring at. "Masumoto Hana. . ." he hissed. "Is that her real name?" the girl asked. "I bet. Let's go." he said. He stood up and threw his jacket over his shoulder. "Karu-chan." the girl said, standing up by him. "What is it?" he asked. "Do you know her? Is she your girlfriend?" she wondered. "No, not even." Hikaru said, shaking his head. "She just happened to run into me twice, and almost run into me a third time." he said, rolling his eyes. "What a klutz." he said, sighing. She stared up at him. "Stop staring at me. You're creeping me out." he muttered. Staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaare. "OKAY! Okay, let's go!" he snapped, taking her hand and pulling her along. "Karu-chan?" she asked one last time. "What now?" he mumbled. "Nothing. Never mind." she said, shaking her head. "You're a weird one, Dol*." he sighed. (*-Yes, spelled with one 'l' but pronounced Doll. Latin.) "Weird good or weird bad?" she asked. "Good. Very good." he said, ruffling her hair. She came to his waist. "Okay." she said, nodding. "Let's go meet Tsuki."
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