KARMA!!: absolution | book 1 | uta no prince-sama

Chapter 4: Three Twins Become One! Team SYO, SORA & SUBARU!

Subaru スバル

"URGH!" He groaned into his pillow the moment he collapsed on his newly made bed. His prior encounter with the principal was still making his head spin, and he wanted more than anything to make it stop.

"HA! Shimono-san: I have been waiting for this moment!"

That had been the turning point for his evening.

Subaru didn't want to know why Shining Saotome just so happened to be lurking about by the dock at such a random time of day; just that his sudden appearance had given him the biggest fright of his life - and that wasn't including the conversation that was to follow.

"Tell me Mister Shimono, why you are not part of my Idol Course." Subaru almost didn't understand him when he suddenly crossed into another language.

"I don't sing," he'd told Shining Saotome, with crossed arms. "Not anymore."
"Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, no!" Saotome pointed a large finger directly at him. "You are what Japan needs! You are what I need!"

Subaru blinked, "I'm sorry?"

"You will transfer into the Idol Course starting tomorrow!" The former idol declared, "And you shall be moved into S Class!"

He let out another loud groan; thankful that his roommate had gone to help a friend move into their room. It was then that he heard a loud THUMP from just outside his door, followed by a few seconds of silence. Finally, something tapped his door, almost timidly.

"Subaru? Are you in there?" It was Sora - of course she'd come and visit hi-- HUH?

Bolting up, he sped across the room and yanked the door open to see his lovely older sister beaming at him.

"So this is your room!" She said brightly, seemingly oblivious that she was out-of-bounds. "Is your roommate here? Can I say hi?"

She leaned forward and poked her head inside. He tried not to be annoyed that she seemed disappointed that he was alone.

"Did you get a room by yourself too then?" She asked. "I didn't get a roommate either." Her silver eyes flashed with an emotion he recognised from her days in hospital: loneliness.

It was obvious how she felt about having a room to herself, and he felt a twinge of guilt tug at his heart for not helping her settle in.

"No, I... uh - my roommate is just out at the moment," he said. "But he'll be back soon so you should probably go before we get into trouble. You know girls aren't allowed in here." His voice returned to his usual parental nag. She grinned.

"But I'm your sister! And your twin! Why can't I visit my darling younger brother?" His eyes widened when he noticed the figure standing in the hall behind her.

It was Jinguji Ren - the other man from the day of the entrance exam. The only reason he knew his name was because the people in A Class hadn't shut up about the rivalry between Hijirikawa Masato and the famous Jinguji Ren, both sons of major conglomerate presidents.

He was smirking; his eyes amused as they watched Sora ramble on, completely oblivious to her audience.

She kept going, clearly annoyed that her brother wasn't listening to her.

"Oi, Subaru! Listen to me! Why can't I visit you? Would it just be an annoyance?" Subaru opened his mouth to correct her, but she wouldn't let him. She stood on her tiptoes so that she was the same height as him and winked.

"Or is the reason I can't visit because you think that we'd end up doing what we did last time?"

He felt himself go very red - even more so when he saw Jinguji raise his eyebrow. He couldn't take it any longer, and held his sister at arms length, "That was an accident! And I said I was sorry!"