There it was again. The same silver car sitting just a few blocks away from where Setsuko was staying. For the past two months, the same car had appeared wherever Setsuko went, from her house, to the gym, even at the grocery store. Though only recently had it started to appear parked a block away from her doorstep, and that's when Setsuko knew that something was wrong. As a J-pop idol, she was used to people following her out of her concerts for a handshake or an autograph, but someone following her every move when she was just trying to get through her normal day made her feel vulnerable, unsafe. Of course, it wasn't until a few days ago when Setsuko had realized that she needed to get away.
After a concert, she had come home to her house door unlocked and her front door ajar. Stepping inside she saw that her house was a total mess, and upstairs her room had been completely torn apart, her undergarments were strewn across her floor and there was a note on her bed with two words written on it. 'You're mine'
The police were called that night as Setsuko finally had reason to believe that someone was following her, and she had been relocated to a motel an hour away from her home. At first, she believed that it was successful, and the police would catch whoever had broken into her home.
But that morning her hope had been diminished as the same silver car appeared in the parking lot that morning. Somehow, whoever was following her had found out she wasn't living at her house and found the exact motel she had been staying in.
The moment she laid her eyes on the car she stepped back from the window and reached towards her side table searching for her phone, knocking a few things off in the process. She flipped her phone and dialed a familiar number, placing the phone to her hear.
"Akemi? Is everything all right?" A male's voice over the phone asked.
"Kuwata, they found me. I don't know how, but the car's right outside and-" She said, her voice shaking and her words slurred.
"Woah, woah, Akemi slow down. Take a deep breath and calm down."
Setsuko paused and took a deep breath; she could still feel her heart beating in her chest, but she could think a bit more clearly now. "The car's back, right out in the parking lot. What do I do?"
There was a short silence on the other end of the phone, "Akemi, listen to me carefully, I'll be right there to pick you up. Pack your things and try to hide your appearance as much as you can without being suspicious. I'll send you a text when I've arrived. Until then stay away from any windows and do not leave your room. The motel management won't give out your room information. Just sit tight and wait for my text."
Setsuko's hand tightened around her phone, and she nodded, even though the person on the other line wouldn't see it. "I understand. Please, just get here quickly." Once the line went dead, Setsuko lowered her hand and looked at the phone, her mind wondering as she waited for the front screen to flash with Kuwata's text.
Being an idol had always been Setsuko's dream, not to mention her mother's as well. When she had her debut two years ago as 'Momoko' after training her ass off for a few years she had been ecstatic, and as she watched her ranking steadily rise and she had felt like she was so close to accomplishing her dream of being a top idol. If she had known then what would happen to her, she'd have tried to step out before it was too late, but now she was ranked the fourth most popular idol, and it was practically impossible for her to step out now.
She took a deep breath and slapped her cheeks to snap herself out of her thoughts. Enough regretting life choices, she had to get ready. Grabbing a change of clothes, she tied up her hair and slid on some sunglasses, concealing the most unique part of her being- her turquoise eyes.
Once she had finished getting dressed, she heard her phone buzz and picked it up, looking at the screen 'In front of your room.' She glanced out her window to see a familiar plain green minivan. Setsuko grabbed her backpack and walked to the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and rushed towards the car, opening the door and sliding in before slamming the door shut, feeling a bit of relief as the car started to drive away.
Looking in the rearview mirror, she saw someone step out of the motel lobby wearing a hat and mask before he walked over towards one of the rooms, the exact room that she had been in just moments ago. A chill went up her spine as she turned and sunk into her seat.
"Looks like I got you just in time." A voice said and Setsuko looked to her side to see a man who looked to be in his late thirties. His black hair was slicked back and hardened by the products he had used, and his face was clean shaven, giving him a younger appearance. Setsuko knew this man as Kuwata Akari, her manager.
"Yeah." Setsuko said, resting her head against the window. "What's going to happen now? I... we... thought I'd be safe at that motel, but he found me after just a few days. I'm not safe anywhere, am I?"
"Not until the police catch this man, no." Kuwata said grimly. "I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this, but it looks like you're going to have to go into hiding for a bit."
"Hiding?"
"In other words, you're going to be made into a different person, new look, new name, new everything. The cops like to call this Witness Protection."
"What about concerts? As much as I want to right now I can't just up and leave and abandon my fans. Not to mention it'll look suspicious if I suddenly stop performing."
"You'll... still do your concerts, but we're not going to book any new ones. I'll figure out an excuse that won't affect anything. For now, your safety takes priority."
***
It was only half an hour before they got to Setsuko's management agency and in her dressing room. She sat at one of the chairs messing with her hair tie as her manager made a few calls. By the time he hung up on his most recent call there was a knock at the door, and he walked over, glancing out the peephole before opening it.
The person who was on the other side walked in. From her blonde hair and fair skin Setsuko was able to tell that she was foreign. "Kuwata, it's been too long." She said with a heavy French accent. "We should catch up. Though now isn't really the time, is it?"
Kuwata chuckled. "Not right now, no." He then turned to Setsuko, "This is Ophelia Delicroix, her name is widespread all throughout Europe, Japan, and America. She's an old friend of mine and has been sworn to secrecy about what's about to happen in this room." He turned to the stylist with a smile. "Thanks for coming on such short notice."
"It's not an issue." Ophelia said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Delicroix." Setsuko said, bowing her head in greeting.
"It's my pleasure, giving the famous Momoko a makeover is like a dream come true! Now, once I'm done with you, you're going to be an entirely new person!"
With that Setsuko sat in front of a mirror and Ophelia started on the makeover. It was about three hours until the makeover was done, and after looking in the mirror Setsuko barely recognized the person staring back.
Her long brown hair had been chopped off to just above her ears and dyed black. It was styled in a messy fashion, but somehow still looked good. She had been given contacts that changed her eyes from aquamarine to brown. Just under her eye she had been given a small beauty mark- by the looks of it, it seemed to be a temporary tattoo, permanent enough to have from day to day but easy to take off if she needed to make an appearance as Momoko. If she didn't know any better, she'd mistake herself for a boy.
"You did a great job, Ophelia." Kuwata said, "She's been completely transformed."
"I look like a guy." Setsuko said.
"Indeed! You're going into hiding, so I figured if you were the opposite gender, it'd be harder to track you." Ophelia said, flowers surrounding her as she clapped her hands together. "Smart, no?"
"I... guess it makes sense. What now?"
"Now your identity. I explained the situation to the police as I was driving to pick you up, they agreed to help create a new identity within their systems for you. In a way you're going into witness protection."
"So, who am I?"
"Kuwata Itsuki."
"Kuwata... wait so I'm taking your surname?" Setsuko asked, finally peeling her eyes from her reflection to look at her manager.
"Your identity is...well... my son. Though I guess it works out in a way."
"How does it work out?"
Kuwata chuckled and placed a hand behind his head, "I was in a state of panic, and it wasn't time to be creative. Anyways, we decided that it would be safer for you if, instead of homeschooling, you'll attend Ouran Academy. The security there is serious stuff thanks to the main student body being made up of kids of celebrities and CEO's. And for the time being you'll be living with me. My house is a decent size and close to the academy."
"So, what I'm hearing is, until we find this guy, I'm going to be your 'son' and attend Ouran Academy alongside prestigious rich kids?"
"You're one of those 'prestigious right kids', you know that, right?"
"There's a difference with being born into wealth and working for it." Setsuko said. "Anyways, if I'm going to be your... son, then what are we going to do about... uh..." She glanced down for a second then back up to her manager.
"I've already planned that out." Ophelia said. She reached in her bag and pulled out what looked to be a skin colored, cropped tank top. "A good stylist is prepared for anything. This is a binder; it'll help hide your chest, though be careful. Give yourself some breaks and do not, I repeat, do not go to bed with it on. Understand?"
Setsuko nodded and grabbed the binder that was being handed to her.
"Alright, it looks like everything has been settled." Kuwata said. "Until this creep is captured, you are no longer Akemi Setsuko and are now instead Kuwata Itsuki, son of the famous idol producer Kuwata Akari."
***
"Welcome to my humble abode." Kuwata said, opening his car door to Setsuko to step out.
"Humble's one word for it." The teen said, looking at what she could only assume was a mansion, maybe on the smaller side of mansions but small or not it was still enormous to her.
Kuwata chuckled as he handed his keys to a man who was standing nearby in a servant's outfit. "My wife is the main breadwinner out of the two of us. It's thanks to her that I can afford to be an idol manager."
"Your wife is the CEO of multiple music agencies, right?" Setsuko remembered meeting his wife a few times before.
Kuwata nodded, "She's at work right now but you'll be able to see her at dinner. Here, I'll show you to your room." Setsuko nodded and followed him through the house, taking some lefts here, rights there, until they arrived in front of some arching double doors. Kuwata reached forwards and pushed them open, revealing a spectacular bedroom. "This is one of our guest rooms. It has a walk-in closet, workspace, dresser, and its own bathroom."
"This is great. Thanks Kuwata-"
"Dad."
"What?"
"You should get used to calling me dad. After all we've got to make it believable that you're my son. I can finally make use of all those dad jokes I've saved up!" He let out a laugh and Setsuko could only sigh. Though dad jokes weren't as bad as getting kidnapped, so she'd have to deal with it.
"Sure."
"Sure...?"
She rolled her eyes. "Sure dad."
Kuwata let out a laugh before harshly patting Setsuko on the back. "I'll let you settle in. Feel free to wonder the place and get a decent mental map. You don't want to get lost." With that he walked away and started whistling, the sound getting quieter and quieter as he walked further and further away.
Setsuko looked away from where her manager had walked off to and stepped inside her new room. It had some basic decorations, nothing too extravagant. The canopy bed was pushed back to a corner and covered with an abundance of blankets and pillows, alone the same wall was a dresser and a few bookshelves. At the foot of the bed there was a giant arched window, filling the entire room with natural light. On the opposite wall of her bed there was a work desk that had a small lamp and a school bag on top of it that seemed to be full of the school supplies she would need. It seemed someone had gone shopping for school supplies earlier that day and picked up everything she would need. A second arched window was right beside the desk, across from the other. At the back of the room there was a fireplace, which was currently unlit. Everything else in the room seemed to be mainly for decoration, a gold and red rug on the floor, some paintings hung up on the walls.
Overall, the room was amazing, and Setsuko was glad she'd be spending some time there.
It wasn't too long before there was a knock at the door and she was led to the dining room for dinner, where both her manager and his wife were waiting.
Kuwata's wife, Kuwata Kiyomi, was a woman in her mid-thirties, with shoulder length black hair and bright amber eyes. From the times she had talked with her Setsuko remembered that she was a pleasant woman, but, if need be, she could be intimidating.
"Ah, Setsuko, it's a pleasure to see you again." Kiyomi said, giving Setsuko a warm smile. "Or I guess I should say Itsuki now, shouldn't I?"
"I guess so." Setsuko said, sitting in the chair she had been guided to. "Thanks for allowing me to stay here."
"It's not a problem. After hearing your situation, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. If anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself."
"Well, I'm extremely grateful." She bowed her head and at that moment the doors off to the side of the room opened and three servants walked inside and placed plates of food in front of the three sitting at the table. Just the smell alone made Setsuko's mouth water.
"Thanks for the meal." The three of them said before they started eating.
As they were eating a thought came to Setsuko's mind and she cleared her throat, "You said I'd be attending Ouran Academy, when's my first day?"
"Oh, I didn't tell you? You're starting tomorrow."
Setsuko sputtered and the food she was eating got stuck in her throat. Acting fast, she grabbed some water and chugged it to avoid choking "T-tomorrow? That soon?!"
"It's better you start sooner rather than later, to lessen the amount of work you'll need to catch up on. It won't be too bad."
"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one who has to fix their sleep schedule in the span of a few hours." Setsuko said, a gloom surrounding her.
Kuwata chuckled, "You're just exaggerating, really."
No. No I'm not. Setsuko thought, placing a hand to her forehead, and letting out a sigh. Hopefully tomorrow wouldn't be too bad.
---
Hey hey hey!
My brain decided to hyperfixate on OHSHC for the past few months and this is all I've been working on. Good news, it's pretty much all pre-written so I'm good with updating! Also, the main character will be using a binder in this story, so if I am writing about it incorrectly, or accidentally spreading misinformation, please correct me! I've done my research, but that can only go so far and I don't want to write anything that could possibly put someone in harm or spread false information!
I also wanted to introduce something for this book, just for fun. An incorrect quote section! Every chapter I'll post a few incorrect quotes in the authors notes/ at the end of each chapter! Some might relate to the chapter, some won't.
**
Kuwata: Akemi was banned from the chicken shack, so we had to go out of town to get some.
Setsuko: Well, they shouldn't say "all you can eat" if they don't mean it.
Kuwata: Akemi, you ate a chair.
**
Kuwata: We're having a baby.
Setsuko: Oh, cangradu-
Kiyomi, slamming adoption papers onto the table: It's you, sign here.
**
Setsuko: I mean, sure, I have my bad days, but then I remember what a cute smile I have.
**
Kuwata: You know, Setuko, when you generalize, you tell general... lies.
Setuko: ...
Setuko: Are you trying to teach me moral lessons through puns?
Also, a picture of Setsuko, because visuals!