Although he's never talked about it much, [Name] always had problems when it came to his ambitions, his dreams for the future.
As a child, he had always felt that wanting something for himself, even if it were the smallest things, was selfish. To ask for something he knew he didn't need that much resulted in a pit of guilt churning within him.
This mentality that had grown silently inside him caused his wants to lower themselves accordingly into something manageable, something he knew wouldn't be a burden for those around him.
If you asked him what he wanted to be, he'd always give a superficial answer.
'I want to be happy with my mom!'
Although it wasn't technically a lie, it was still partly a deflection. Most adults cooed and awed at his innocent answer then but now that he was growing up, [Name] knew that answer wouldn't last forever.
Whenever he overheard people talking about their dreams, he couldn't help but envy them for genuinely wanting to pursue something. He wondered just how they could be so determined to achieve something and also wondered what it would be like to experience that feeling for himself.
For the longest time, [Name] expected this devoid feeling of detachment to follow him forever, that is, until he stepped onto a stage for the first time. He could still feel the nervousness that pricked his skin as he stared back at the sea of eyes that watched him.
He'd never felt so thrilled before.
The cheers that reached his ears, the people that sang along and smiled so happily, it made him feel alive. It made him want to experience this forever and that was when he realized that he wouldn't mind pursuing this if it brought him this same feeling each time.
To be a singer, a performer, was a tough thing to pursue, he knew that. There was no exact guarantee he'd be able to make it big with just wanting it but despite that, his mom supported him full-heartedly.
The night he told his mom he wanted to perform and pursue singing with tears in his eyes, she merely smiled and hugged him, her mouth whispering sweet nothings into his ears.
Ever since that day, his mom supported him at every chance to perform on a stage. Whether it be small local competitions or school ones, it didn't matter, as long as she got to see him happy.
With all the publicity he's been exposing himself to, it didn't take long for someone to take notice of him eventually. Thankfully, Hakuho was an elite school so important people with connections got to see his potential.
He was 14 when he officially got his first offer.
Ever since then, despite only receiving small gigs, he gave it his all. He went to interviews, followed what his manager instructed him to do, and slowly got his name out there.
It was a slow process but as he reached 17, he could finally see his efforts paying off. Right now, he stood in front of a sea of people, all cheering his name, as they sang and jumped along to the song he was currently covering.
The private venue his manager got for him to perform was dimly lit and even though he could barely see every person who paid just to see him, their presence was enough to make him feel emotional.
"Thank you for coming!" He yelled loudly into his microphone as he waved at the crowd before him. In return, he received an equally as loud cheer as they all waved at him, their light sticks glowing even brighter in their hands.
After hours of performing and just vibing with the fans he's acquired, he finally reached his final performance. He kept waving as he walked away to the backstage.
An assistant was quick to greet him as he grabbed his mic and escorted him inside a secluded room to rest and recuperate. Before the assistant left, he made sure to leave a bottle of water on his desk as [Name] now sat in front of a mirrored vanity.
Just as the door closed, it was opened immediately as the sight of his producer manager entered the room. "Good job on the performance, you did well." Ms. Kai, his manager, spoke in a monotone and serious voice but given how long he's known her, [Name] could tell it was a genuine compliment. "Go get some rest, we'll call you up when it's time to leave."
[Name] gave a grateful nod as he watched his manager walk away, probably to deal with the rest of the crew. As soon as she left, the room seemed a lot more quiet now as [Name] turned to look in front of him.
The sight that greeted him was none other than his face, slicked with sweat and pale from the tiredness catching up to him. His expression that once was smiling now settled into a blank one as he poked his cheek.
Sometimes he wonders how people could like him.
Before he could ponder deeper into self-deprecating thoughts that suddenly came when he was alone, his phone buzzed catching his attention.
Mom
I watched the live video sent by your manager :)
Good job! Mommy's very proud of you :>'
A smile couldn't help but appear on his face as he read the text. He's been away and performing in far away venues so he hasn't seen his mom in a while now. Nevertheless, she never failed to give him a message and remind him to hydrate whenever he could.
He typed back a message before leaving their private chat. He scrolled through his contacts only to pout when he saw no other texts. Reo texted him just as much as his mom did so it was weird to see the lack of messages.
He was about to type one out before his manager barged into his room once more.
"[Name], be on standby. We'll be leaving soon!" She called out.
[Name] nodded and closed his phone. He then stood up and began to gather the personal belongings that he had brought along with him.
He'll just talk to Reo personally next time. After all, he was coming back to school soon anyway.
"Alright, I'm coming!" He called back to her as he grabbed his water bottled before following his manager and walking out the door.
Yes, that's right. He'll get to see everyone again soon.
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Coming back to school after a concert was something [Name] could never get used to. Sure, he's got quite a handful of friends now, but to see random students he didn't know greeting him was just so surreal.
He knows he's not the same nameless transferee kid that he was all those years ago but the concept of popularity was still foreign to him. He knew they weren't all approaching him with pure intentions, he's heard enough stories from Reo to deduce that they simply want the bragging rights of being 'friends' with someone well known.
Speaking of Reo, [Name] turned away from the people yapping beside him in favor of peering into Reo's classroom. As the years went by, they sadly couldn't stay as classmates.
Sure, they both did well in school, but due to [Name]'s extracurricular causing him to submit a few things late, he wasn't able to get as high of a score as he wanted to in certain subjects.
Although it was disheartening to not be able to sit each other during classes, they at least saw each other on breaks or after school and that made things a bit better for [Name].
As he looked at the spot Reo claimed during the first day of school, he couldn't help but frown at the empty seat with no Mikage heir in sight. He was usually in his seat 15 minutes before class but for some reason, he wasn't this time.
"Is something wrong?" One of the people still surrounding him asked in faux worry, even approaching him far too close for his comfort. "Are you not feeling well?" The girl cooed with a try hard frown on her face.
"I'm fine." [Name] gave a simple response as he stepped back and turned away to head into his own classroom. "I'm gonna go now, class is starting soon. Please settle down as well, you don't want to be late!"
He gave a smile that caused a few people to melt before waving them off as he sat in his seat. He groaned quietly into his arms before blinking at the clock in the room.
This was fine. He'll get to see Reo later.
But for now...
He watched as the teacher for their first subject dropped by with a book and a laptop on hand.
He'll have to get through his morning classes.
__________
As soon as the bell rang, [Name] was one of the first few people to leave the door. A few people chuckled at his rushed behavior but [Name] paid them no mind as he simply approached Reo's classroom which was the next door over.
Reo's classmate, who's gotten used to his appearance, gave him a smile and a wave before moving on with their day. [Name] returned the gesture of course, before looking around in search of his best friend.
Surprisingly, he caught no sight of the heir once more causing him to pour where he stood.
"Oh, [Name]." Someone spoke behind him causing [Name] to turn around. It was one of his club members in the music club. "Looking for Reo, I assume?"
"Yeah, have you seen him?" [Name] didn't bother lingering around the point. He knew he could trust the teen in front of him.
"Not really but from what I've heard, he's been hanging out near the stairs to the third floor. I'm not sure which one but I'm sure you'll figure it out."
[Name] was quick to nod in appreciation at the information as he ran off to find Reo. Lunch was only an hour long and he didn't want to waste any more time that could've been used for hanging out.
In every floor, there were two sets of stairs. One on the far right and another on the far left. The floor which held [Name] and Reo's classrooms were on the fourth floor, meaning he has to go down two flights of stairs.
Although it was a pain to go down, it'll be worth it if it meant finding the purple-haired teen.
A lot of people watched him curiously as he practically flew down the steps with how fast he was going. He barely noticed them though seeing as how he was too focused on his current goal.
Right now, he was at the third floor. He already checked the far left side of the stairs, the one that connected it to the second floor, and found nothing.
He panted lightly before running in the halls in order to reach the other flight of stairs on the right. If Reo still wasn't there then he'll just have to check the staircases that connected the second floor to the first one.
As he slowly approached the corner with the stairs, [Name]'s eyes brightened when he finally caught sight of purple hair.
He was about to call out to the other until he noticed him talking to someone else. Curiously, he stayed quiet as he pressed against the wall, trying to see who it was.
From his limited view, he could barely make out a teen with white hair looking down and playing (?) with his phone. [Name] leaned a bit more forward with a pout on his face.
"That's enough playing, Nagi!" [Name] heard Reo's voice scold the other. That means his name his Nagi...
"Just one more round..." Nagi, from what he's heard, whined quietly as he kept his gaze locked onto his phone.
Everything was quiet for a moment before a loud "Hey!" left Nagi's mouth. [Name] couldn't help the amusement he felt when Reo grabbed the other's phone and held it high above him.
"Go eat your food first!" Reo scolded once more.
"No!" Nagi huffed as he stood up to grab his stolen phone. The two tussled between each other but by that point [Name] was no longer paying attention.
All he cared for right now was the bright purple string that was wrapped around Nagi's wring finger. It was a shade of purple that he dreaded to see on anyone else that wasn't Reo's hand.
His eyes fell down onto the translucent string that littered the floor between their feet. [Name]'s eyes followed them with an empty gaze, his heart picking up as it led back to the one person he wished it didn't.
Unfortunately, fate was never on his side when it came to these things as unsurprisingly, the string that wrapped around [Nagi]'s finger connected back onto Reo's hand.
Ah... He thought emptily as he watched Nagi give up with a tired huff, causing Reo to laugh in an elated way he's never heard before.
He knew this day would come eventually but for some reason, he wished it didn't.
[Name] took a step back and was about to leave them until he heard Reo's voice call out.
"Who's there?"
He sighed.
What did he ever do to Garner the ire of fate itself?
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