"Next up is the all-girl group form Hikarizaka, The Angels of Japan!"
As the audience roared, I quickly turned to the five girls gathered nearby. "You all ready?"
They all took a deep breath which broke into giggles at the sight of their simultaneous efforts. "As ready as we'll ever be, Nii-san," Amane replied, acting as the unofficial spokesman for the group.
"Then go get 'em," I said with a smile, lifting up my hand. As the girls passed by I gave each of them a high-five before stopping my girl just long enough to give her a peck on the forehead. "For what it's worth, I'm proud of you."
"Thank you, Tomoya," Rie blushed as she reluctantly released my hand to follow the others onto the main stage.
From the side of the stage, just out of sight of the audience, I watched as Rie and the girls took their places at the marker set on the stage for the contestants. We had come to Tokyo for 'Rising Stars', where we hoped to win a contract for the group. I was anxious but not too worried; after all, the girls had breezed through the first two rounds, singing 'Look in my Eyes' at the first elimination round and 'Maybe' for the second. For the third, Rie really wanted to sing something inspirational, so I found 'Whoever You Are' by the Chantels, which didn't surprise me considering how attuned the girls seemed to be to the works from the older doo-wop group.
I tried to settle my nerves as I watched Amane take the lead microphone; for this performance Rie had wanted to change the lead singer to show the judges the group's flexibility, which had caused concern among the other girls as well as myself. In the end, Rie was in charge, and Amane was found to have the best voice for the song, and the proverbial die was cast.
"You're not the normal lead singer, are you?" one of the judges asked, a woman I thought I recognized as an 'idol' from a few years ago.
"N-No, ma'am," Amane replied as she gestured to Rie, who stood next to her. "Rie-chan is our official lead singer."
"So why are you front-and-center this time?" another judge asked, a man who was clearly not Japanese if his pale skin color was any clue; his usage of the Japanese language was impressive, though, even if he did have a bit of an accent.
"We...decided that Amane's voice would be the best one for the song we'll be performing, sir," Rie replied, almost apologetically.
"Hm." A grunt was the only reply he gave in response to her explanation. I'd heard that he was a judge from a similar talent show from England and could be hard to impress. "Well, good luck, then."
"Thank you very much," Rie said as she briefly and gently rubbed Amane's back with her fingertips before taking hold of her own microphone with both hands. She then nodded to someone at the other end of the stage, and the music began to play.
Their microphones went to their mouths, and:
Whoever you are, wherever you may be,
There's someone who really loves you,
Please wait and see, whoever you are.
Whoever you are (whoever you are),
Whoever you are (Whoever you are)...
I wasn't as big of a fan of 'Whoever You Are' as I was the other songs that the girls had sung – 'Maybe' in particular and for obvious reasons – but Amane still did an amazing job of bringing out the feelings of the song, the encouragement.
Dry those tears, there's no need for crying.
I'm sure your lover will soon come to find you
Whoever you are, whoever you are.
YOU ARE READING
After Story: Desire
FanfictionTomoya has graduated high school and works to balance his personal and professional lives as he helps his girlfriend Rie and her friends start a career in music. (NOTE: This is a sequel to 'Delinquent and the Songbird, The: A Nishina Rie Route', wh...
