Shuta and Chiaki decided to eat together before going home, after they had a stroll around a part of Tokyo with the girl's parents. While discussing their orders, someone suddenly called their attention.
"Shu-chan?" A girl shouted from another table.
"Eh?" Shuta reacted, slowly looking at the direction where the voice came from.
"Ah, it's really you, Shu-chan!" The girl said as she stood up from her seat and went to Shuta. She hugged the boy and kissed him on the cheek.
"H-hey! What was that?!" Shuta exclaimed. He blushed then looked at Chiaki. Chiaki was staring at them with a surprised look. "N-no, Chiaki, it's not like what you think!" Shuta thought.
"And why are you calling me Shu-chan?" He asked the girl.
"Hahaha. I'm sorry Shu-niichan. Sorry for intruding suddenly on your date, Shu-niichan and Chiaki-neechan." The girl said as she bowed her head.
"Ah no, it's not like that!" Chiaki and Shuta exclaimed. Both of their faces started to turn red. Chiaki's still clueless about the identity of the person in front of her.
"She's very cute..." She whispered to herself insecurely.
"What did you say?" Shuta asked, surprised. He seemed to hear Chiaki's whisper.
"Ah no, it's nothing." Chiaki answered. "Um... Shu-chan... your... girlfriend?" She asked shyly.
"Eh?! What the hell are you thinking, Chiaki! Of course not-!"
"Hey, that's rude, Shu-niichan. Don't shout at Chiaki-neechan." The girl said. She then looked at Chiaki. "I'm Shu-chan's sister." She said while offering her hand for a shake.
"Ah, nice to meet you!" Chiaki shook hands with Shuta's sister. The latter couldn't help herself from smiling widely.
"Oh my, I can't believe I got to shake hands with Chiaki-neechan!" The girl said.
"Eh?" Chiaki said.
"She's a huge fan of yours." Shuta said. Chiaki blushed.
"Ah, thank you for appreciating my efforts." Chiaki said as she bowed her head.
"So, what are you doing here? Are you alone?" Shuta asked his sister.
"I'm here to meet an old friend." His sister answered.
"Oi, you didn't watch our concert yesterday but now you're here to meet someone?! Tsk!" Shuta exclaimed. His sister laughed at him.
"Hahaha. Sorry, ne? By the way, how was your concert? I'm very curious about what happened because the fans kept on posting and tagging you on Twitter, saying that you said something you that shouldn't have. They even used the hashtag '#keepquiet'. What do they mean by that?"
"Eh?!" Shuta exclaimed surprisingly. "I-I haven't actually checked my Twitter account!" Shuta suddenly became nervous. "So the fans didn't really keep quiet about it! Argh! They could get Chiaki to be curious enough to ask Nishijima and the others about it." He thought.
"Did you say that your gay? Hahahaha." She joked.
"Shut up! Stop saying nonsense things! Chiaki might really believe you that I'm gay!" He exclaimed. "Um, and about the posts, it's just nothing. I already forgot about what I've said during the concert." He lied, trying his best to act like it's really nothing. His cheeks blushed as he crossed his arms.
"Argh. I hope Chiaki won't dare to find out about what really happened back then." He thought. "Good luck to me tomorrow, when I return to the studio. It's impossible that everyone has already forgotten about it."
"Ah, I'm sorry, I've got to go now." Shuta's sister suddenly interrupted on his thoughts as she read a mail on her phone. "My friend is already waiting for me." She added.
"Hm." Shuta responded, nodding his head. "Take care."
"Nice to meet you, Chiaki-neechan. I'll leave you two now. Bye!" She said as she stood up and hurriedly went out of the restaurant.
"Bye bye!" Chiaki said as she waved her hand. "Shu-chan, your sister's very pretty, ne..." She added. "No wonder you're good-looking as well." She whispered unconsciously.
"What did you say?" Shuta asked, with blushing cheeks. "Did I hear her correctly?"
"Huh?" She blushed. "Ah! It's nothing. Let's order now." She said as she raised her hand to call the attention of the waiter. They then ordered their food and had their meal. Shuta then sent Chiaki to her apartment again after eating.
"Thank you again for accommodating me yesterday. And for spending time with me today. See you tomorrow." Shuta said, smiling.
"Thank you for taking care of me, Shu-chan." Chiaki said. "See you tomorrow." She added as she turned to face opposite to him to open the front door of her apartment. The boy just watched her open the door. When she's already inside, she waved goodbye to her friend and closed the door.
"Hay..." Shuta sighed as he turned around. He wore his mask and sunglasses to hide his identity and started walking to his apartment. "Argh, that's right! I have to check the posts my sister's talking about." He thought as he got his cellphone from his pocket. He checked his Twitter account. He was tagged to several posts, just like what his sister said. "Argh! This is very frustrating." He thought as he continued to scroll on his wall. "But I'm still lucky that they really help me. No one even tagged Chiaki. I just hope their discipline will last." He continued to walk for a while.
"But today's still a great day. Hahaha. I can't believe I got to meet her parents. And that her father likes me as her friend and even more than that! Ah!!!! I can't describe what I'm feeling right now!" He suddenly thought with a wide smile on his face although no one could see it because it's hidden behind his mask. His walk started to change into hops. The pedestrians on the sidewalk noticed him and had confused expressions on their faces.
-----
Disturbed by the rays of sunlight peeking through the curtain on his windows, Shuta slowly opened his eyes. "It's morning already..." He thought groggily as he checked the laptop beside him on the bed. "I didn't notice I fell asleep while watching anime last night. Haha." He chuckled. He then reached his hand for his cellphone on the bedside table to check the time. But he didn't get to take note of the time because of a mail notification.
"A mail?" He thought as he opened the mail to read it.
"Sueyoshi-kun, please report directly to your manager upon your arrival at the Avex Building today. Thank you."
"Heh... I wonder why..." He said as he got up from his bed and went directly to the bathroom to take a shower.
-----
"Good morning, everyone." Chiaki said as she entered the studio. Shinjiro, Naoya, Nissy, and Misako, who were already there, greeted back.
"Good morning, Chii-chan!" Nissy exclaimed as he went to Chiaki to help her with her things.
"Ah, thank you Nissy. You don't have to." She paused. Her eyes then strolled around the room. "Shu-chan hasn't come yet? It's unusual for him to be late." She said. Nissy raised his shoulders, telling Chiaki he didn't know the answer to her question.
"Why are you looking for him, you miss him already? Hahaha." Nissy teased as he placed the girl's bag on her usual spot in the room.
"Eh?! N-no... Um... It's not like that..." She exclaimed. Her face turned red. She looked away to Nissy.
"You're so cute Chii-chan when you blush." Nissy said. "Hm... I wonder if you like Shuta, that's why you're blushing." He added with a mocking tone, while looking at the girl suspisciously.
"Ah! Stop it, Nissy!" Chiaki exclaimed as she raised her one hand to hit the boy. But Nissy's reflex was fast enough that he was able to hold her hand and keep it from landing on his face. Chiaki then used her other hand to hit him, but the boy's other hand also caught it.
"Ah, Chiaki-chan, you're surprisingly strong! Hahahaha." Nissy laughed while still stopping the girl. The door then suddenly opened.
"Good morni- Huh?" The newcomer said as he noticed Nissy and Chiaki's position. "Oi Nishijima, what are you doing to Chiaki?" He said as he closed the door and walked towards his usual corner. He tried to avoid looking at them to hide his jealousy. "What is Nishijima doing?" He thought irritably. "And Chiaki's so dumb, as usual. Tsk!" He put down his bag and sat on the floor.
"Hey Shuta, Chiaki's the one who's doing something to me, and not the other way arou- Ah!" Nissy then fell on the floor, while Chiaki managed to keep her body from falling with him. Shinjiro, Naoya and Misako laughed at Nissy. Shuta was busy playing with his Nintendo DS and didn't care enough to look at what happened to the two co-members.
"Hahaha." Chiaki laughed, too, as she finally hit Nissy, but only on his knee. "That's what you get for teasing me!" She continued laughing.
"Hahaha, okay. You win, Chii-chan." Nissy said as he got up and went towards his friend while Chiaki went to Misako to chat with her.
"Ah, it really hurts...Hahaha." Nissy chuckled as he held the part of his waist that landed first when he fell earlier.
"What the hell was that?" Shuta whispered to his friend with his eyes focused on what he's playing with his gadget. Nissy sat beside him.
"That? Hahaha. Chii-chan suddenly wanted to hit me when I just asked her if she likes you." Nissy answered.
"Eh?!" Shuta exclaimed as he paused his game. All the other members inside the room with them then looked at him. "Ah, I'm sorry. It's nothing. Hehehe." He lied. He then looked at Nissy seriously. "You what?!" He whispered to his friend, looking at him sharply.
"Ah please don't hit me, Shuta..." Nissy whispered as he used his arms to block his face from his friend's death glare.
"So..." Shuta suddenly said calmly. Surprised with the tone of his voice, Nissy then removed his arms on his face.
"Um... what did she say?" Shuta asked hesitantly.
"Hahahaha!" Nissy laughed. Shuta's face turned red.
"Oi! Keep your voice down!" He exclaimed as he covered his friend's mouth with his hand. "Argh! Whatever!" He released him as he pushed him away, then continued playing.
"The way you found us earlier when you came, that's her answer." Nissy straightforwardly gave the answer. Shuta was silent for a while.
"Heh, so she didn't give a direct answer huh?" He whispered to himself, but his friend heard him.
"But I'm pretty sure she blushed. Hahaha." Nissy tried to cheer up his friend.
"I don't care. She blushes to everyone's actions towards her anyway. I don't want to have false hopes." Shuta said.
"By the way, why are you behind your usual time here?" Nissy suddenly asked. "You're usually early, except today."
"Ah, I just came from manager-san's office. He asked me to report to him before I come here. That's why." Shuta answered.
"Eh? What did you talk about?" Nissy asked. Shuta then stopped playing and closed the gadget.
"Um. Nothing important." He replied. The conversation he had with the manager earlier echoed in his mind while he stared at his toy.
--Flashback—
Shuta knocked at the manager's office door. He then slowly opened it and peeked inside. "Good morning..." He said.
"Sueyoshi-kun, please come inside." The man with authority said. "Please have a seat." He added. The boy bowed his head and went inside and sat down. His heart was beating fast.
"Ah, this situation is really nerve-wracking. I wonder what he wants to talk abo-" His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the old man's voice.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here. I just want to tell you something... Ah, no, to remind you something, rather." The manager spoke up with a serious tone. Shuta was just quiet, listening. He gulped heavily.
"About what happened during your last concert's MC, you accidentally said that you like Ito-san." The manager started.
"Argh! I knew it!" Shuta thought. He just remained silent, waiting for the old man to continue.
"Is it true?" He asked.
"Eh?" Shuta was surprised with the question. "After all the humiliation I experienced in front of the crowd, he's asking me if my feelings for Chiaki is real?!" He tried to control his frustration as he closed his fists tightly.
"Y-yes, it's true." Shuta started to answer. "I like Chiaki, even since we've been starting our careers in AAA. But I have no intentions of confessing to her, regardless of whether she likes me back or not. So I can assure you that I won't violate Avex's dating rule." He continued.
"Oh. I see. Then I don't need to say anything else." The manager responded. "You may go now." He said. Shuta then stood up from his seat. He walked towards the door. When he's about to open it, he suddenly spoke up.
"But if there will come a time when I have to make a choice between her and AAA, I'll choose her without thinking twice." He then opened the door and left.
--End of flashback—
"Oi Shuta!" Hidaka exclaimed.
"Eh?" Shuta's thoughts suddenly snapped back to reality. "Oh, Hidaka, you're here already." He said.
"Huh? What's with you? I was here already five minutes ago! You were ignoring me." Hidaka said, pouting his lips.
"Ah, really? Hahaha. I'm sorry." Shuta chuckled.
"Why are you spacing out anyway?" His friend suddenly asked as he offered his hand to help Shuta get up, which the latter gladly accepted.
"Because he's thinking if Chii-chan likes him back." Nissy suddenly whispered.
"Oi, Nishijima! Shut up!" Shuta exclaimed, blushing. He threw again a death glare at his friend.
"Ah. Scary. Hahaha." Nissy teased. Hidaka laughed at them. A staff member then entered the studio.
"Everyone, please gather." He spoke up. The AAA members then walked towards the center of the room where the staff member was standing.
"Here is the copy of lyrics for your new song. Kindly wait for the voice coaches. They will teach you how to sing the song." The staff said as he distributed a copy to each member. He then bowed his head and left the room.
"I'll be there..." Shuta read the song's title in his thoughts. He then bit his lower lip as his eyes continued to scroll down through the lyrics.
"My mind is like a spiral; I've got a syndrome called 'you'..."
He stole a gaze at Chiaki. "Very much like my situation." He chuckled. The voice coaches then entered the room.
"Good morning, everyone." They bowed their heads. "Please sit on the floor." The AAA members also bowed their heads and then sat down. "We believe you already have a copy of the lyrics of your next song. Please listen on how we will sing it. Pay attention, especially on your parts." One of the voice coaches then played the instrumental copy of the song and they sang it. AAA listened actively. They clapped their hands when the voice coaches were finished.
"Wow! The song's movement is really great!" Naoya exclaimed.
"Yeah. I really felt that I will do anything just to be there for her." Nissy added. "Ne, Shuta?" He suddenly formed a smirk on his lips.
"Huh?" Shuta asked, surprised. "U-um. You're right." He answered, not really paying attention to his friend's joke. "The song's movement is full of emotions." He thought. He then slowly looked at Chiaki. "Iya!" He exclaimed, after being surprised to have an eye contact with her. He quickly looked away. His face turned red.
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To be continued...
Ah! Belated happy 30th birthday to our dearest Shuta! <3 I posted something for him (Shuta's Awesomeness) so if you have time, please read it, too. Anyway, I hope I still entertained you with my story. I would also like to acknowledge the source of the translated lyrics I included in this part. Thank you, Kyoko, for sharing it on your page (http://www.kyokosagaki.com/aaaillbethere.html). :) For those who have not yet listened to the song, please listen to it, it's really awesome, I swear. :) Also, one fact I included in this story is that Shuta's sister is indeed a fan of Chiaki. I read it somewhere, I forgot where. :( But I don't have an idea regarding her age; I'm just guessing she's just a bit younger than Shuta. Anyway, I welcome and appreciate comments, so please don't forget to leave one. I'll update the next part soon! Thank you very much!
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