Chapter 73: Torn
I was too tired to go to the café for breakfast so I decided to eat here at the lobby; I just bought food from a nearby convenience store.
"Kaori!"
"Good morning, Haruka."
"I'm happy to see that you're feeling better now."
"Yeah, it's all thanks to you and Ai. Thank you for taking care of me."
"So what did Mikaze-senpai do to cheer you up?"
I spit my water. "W-we just talked and all...haha..."
What he did was really embarrassing for me...I can't believe he did that...Erase. Erase. Erase. I can't think about that now; I'll explode or something. Too embarrassing!
Haruka then gives me a newspaper.
"Look at the headline, Kaori. Saotome-sensei acts really fast and I'm glad that Kunisaki-san is getting punished for what he did to you."
I looked at the newspaper and I was quite impressed that Saotome-sensei was able to sue Kunisaki so fast; it's only been four days since then. The headlines said, "Kunisaki Sent to Jail for Sexual Harassment and Serious Physical Injury Case from Shining Agency."
He's going to jail? Saotome-sensei can be really scary sometimes; sometimes I wonder if there are things he can't do? I'm very thankful that I didn't get raped but I felt like being raped by his touches and that kiss...He really is disgusting; why do girls like him? They should learn more about the person they like; one must check what's beneath a mask. Hm? Serious physical injury? Was Ai hurt that bad? He seemed quite fine when he went to cheer me up on that day; I should ask him about this when I see him.
I read the article for a while.
"Huh? So he didn't reveal either Ai's or my name in the media; I'm relieved about that. If my name turned up, my friends and parents will surely become murderers; you'll all kill Kunisaki. I don't think that would have been a good outcome. I should thank Saotome-sensei when I meet him."
"That reminds me, I wonder what happened to Manager-san and Ai when they went to Saotome-sensei's office. Did you hear anything from them yet, Kaori?"
"They haven't said anything to me yet. I'm also kind of afraid to ask about what went on in the office...I have a pretty good guess..."
"Kaori."
"Ah. Good morning, Masato!"
"Good morning, Hijirikawa-san."
"Good morning to you both."
Masato sees the headline of the newspaper I was holding.
"I'm happy he ended up going to jail. How are you feeling, Kaori?"
"I feel much better now; sorry to worry you."
Masato pats my head. "I'm relieved to know you're alright now. You really were in terrible shape when you got back."
"Yeah, I was. I remember that my eyes were so sore that I had a cold wet towel over my eyes for two nights. Haha."
Haruka and Masato spent the morning with me. The three of us just talked about anything that came to mind. After a while, Haruka and Masato tell me that it has been announced that Starish has been nominated for the Utapri award. I was really happy for them! It's a step closer to their dream and goal!
"That's great! Congratulations! I'm sure that you guys can win the award! I'll be rooting for you all!"
"Thank you, Kaori. I'll make sure to compose a winning song for Starish that everyone will enjoy!"
"I'm sure you can do it, Haruka! Do your best!"
"Then we will do our best to perform the song with all our heart's strength; we will not falter."
"You boys have to do your part and best too! I'll definitely watch you guys live and cheer you guys on! I have confidence in you all."
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*knock knock knock*
Reiji storms into Ai, Natsuki, and Syo's room with full energy as usual.
"Ai-Ai! I got a present for you! Sorry if it's super late! I've been busy lately with work so I only got these deve—"
"...Rei-chan?"
"...Reiji-senpai?"
"..."
Syo and Natsuki stare at Reiji who was holding a medium sized brown envelope in one hand.
"Ahaha...sorry for the intrusion!"
"Reiji-senpai, if you're looking for Ai-senpai he's out at the moment."
"Eh? I guess these would have to wait longer but it's really long overdue. What should I do? I might be busy again for a while."
Reiji looks at Syo and Natsuki.
"Ah! Could you two hand this over to him for me?"
"Eh? Sure, no problem Reiji-senpai."
Reiji gives Syo the brown envelope.
"Guard that with your lives, okay? Make sure you guys give it to Ai-Ai when he comes back."
"Rei-chan, what's inside the envelope?"
"Sorry! That's a secret! No peeking! Thanks for taking care of that. Ciao!"
Reiji leaves the room. Syo and Natsuki look at the envelope and then they looked at each other.
"What do you think is inside, Syo-chan?"
"I don't know. Maybe these are some documents or something?"
Syo shakes the envelope a little and a rustling sound can be heard.
"Sounds something like paper to me but judging by the weight, they're smaller than the size of a regular bond paper."
"Smaller than a bond paper? Maybe they're post cards or photos? Something like that?"
"You could be right, Natsuki. Let's just put this somewhere safe before our curiosity makes us open it."
Syo goes towards his cabinet that has a key lock.
"I'll put them in my cabinet and lock it for safe keeping. Remind me that I put them her—"
Syo trips and falls down.
"Syo-chan! Are you okay?!" Natsuki checks on Syo.
"Ouch! That hurt! What the hell did I step on?!"
Syo then gets annoyed at Natsuki seeing that he tripped over a Piyo-chan stuff toy.
"Natsuki! How many times do I have to tell you to put away your stuff toys! What would we do if I broke a leg or something?!"
"I'm sorry, Syo-chan! Let me make it up to you with my special chocolate chip cookies!"
"N-never mind!"
Syo then remembers the envelope and checks where it fell. His face became a bit pale as he saw the contents of the envelope scattered all over the floor.
"T-the envelope! Natsuki, help me put everything back into the envelope before Ai-senpai sees this mess! He'll kill me!"
"Alright, Syo-chan I'll help you...Eh?" Natsuki notices that the contents of the envelope were all pictures; there were quite a lot of them—pictures of Ai and Kaori together.
"Syo-chan, look at these photos!"
Syo takes a look at one of the photos that Natsuki picked up.
"EH?! These are—!"
Syo starts picking up the other photos from the floor.
"Every single one! They're all photos of Ai-senpai and Kaori together!"
"These are from Ocean Park. Oh! I wonder where this park is found; it's close to the ocean. Ah! Ori-chan and Ai-chan are so cute in this photo!"
Natsuki continues to look at every photo until Syo snatches them from him.
"Natsuki! What are you doing?! We're not supposed to see these in the first place!"
Syo immediately puts every photo back into the brown envelope and puts it away into his cabinet; he locks the cabinet with his key.
"Awww...I wanted to look at the other photos! Ori-chan and Ai-chan were so cute..."
"N-Natsuki! Do you realize what we've just discovered?!"
"Eh?"
Syo gets close to Natsuki and looks around to make sure that no one else was listening. He then starts whispering to Natsuki.
"Natsuki, you saw those photos, right? They all had Kaori and Ai-senpai in them together. You saw how they looked like it the photos, right?"
"Ah, yes. They're so cute! It's as if they're dating in—"
Natsuki then realizes.
"Syo-chan! Ori-chan and Ai-chan are dating!"
"Keep it down! I guess our hunch was right. We have to be careful about this! What if Saotome finds out?!"
"We'll guard this secret with our life!"
Suddenly, the two of them felt someone putting his or her arms on their shoulders.
"That won't be necessary, boyyyssss."
Syo and Natsuki gulped at the sound of his voice.
"Mr. Kurusu, could you pleeeeeease hand over the envelope?"
"Y-yes, sir..."
Unwillingly, Syo opens his cabinet and hands over the envelope to Saotome.
"Thaaaank you very much, I shall take my leave now."
Saotome leaves the room and as he walked towards his office, he opens the envelope and takes a look at every picture inside.
"It seems that they have been dating for a long time now; there are so many pictures in here. They do look good together; perhaps a perfect couple? It's a shame however that this little dream would have to end."
Saotome continues to look thru each photo and after seeing one particular photo, he stops walking and a little smile forms on his face; a smile of joy and sadness.
"Their smiles in these photos remind me of those times...Kotomi..."
Saotome takes out his phone and calls someone. "Mr. Kumagai, I'd like to have Ms. Yamashita and Mr. Mikaze in my office right now. I'll be waiting." He ends the call before Manager-san could even say a word and goes off to his office.
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I pick a card from Haruka's hand and when I looked at it...it was the joker.
"Kaori, you lost again."
"W-what?! How could this be?!"
Masato chuckles. "This makes it the fourth time you've lost. You're not very good at this game, aren't you?"
"O-one more round! I'll win this time for sure!"
I was having fun with Haruka and Masato until Manager-san arrived; he had a worried expression on his face.
"Manager-san?"
"Kaori, Saotome wants to see you in his office..."
I put down the cards I was holding and looked at Haruka and Masato before going with Manager-san; I have a bad feeling about this...
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"Manager-san, did he find out? He did, didn't he?"
"Yes...he found out and I don't want to think about what he's going to say to you two; he called for Mikaze to come as well."
We entered Saotome-sensei's office and he was there sitting at his desk; Ai wasn't around yet.
"Ms. Yamashita, have a seat. We'll have to wait for a moment for Mr. Mikaze who is being checked by the professor at the moment; he'll be here in a few minutes."
Professor? Does he mean a doctor?
"Is he alright?"
"Yes, he is fine; nothing serious happened to him. The professor is just double checking his condition."
"Okay..."
Saotome-sensei didn't say a single word until Ai came; I was seriously nervous and felt uneasy.
"Mr. Mikaze, welcome; please take a seat."
Ai sits on the sofa across me.
"Mr. Kumagai, I'd like to speak with them privately. Could you please leave us alone?"
Manager-san nods and leaves the office.
"Why is Kaori here as well?" Ai asked.
"Well, I have to talk to the both of you and there is something I would like to request from you two."
"Request? Is this for a job?"
"Not exactly, Ms. Yamashita. You see, thanks to my sources and some stroke of luck, I've learned many things about the two of you."
"Your sources?"
"Just some acquaintances and all. I've heard from them some interesting information about you two such as you both go out together in disguises, you both frequently go to a certain park near the ocean during your days off, you both often eat out together especially for dinner, you both tell each other the words "I love you", and you both have been dating for quite a while now."
Saotome-sensei takes out a brown envelope and gives it to me.
"Feel free to open it. I discovered that earlier today by pure luck when I was passing thru a certain hallway and overheard Mr. Kotobuki dropping this off at Mr. Mikaze's room. You weren't in the room so he gave it to Mr. Kurusu and Mr. Shinomiya to pass it to you but it seems the contents were revealed accidentally."
"Syo and Natsuki? Reiji should have just waited and given it to me directly." Ai said to himself in frustration.
I opened the envelope and I was surprised to see me and Ai's photos; these were the photos that Rei-chan developed for us. Saotome-sensei...
"You two have been datinggg! I am quite disappointed! You both know the rule!"
Saotome-sensei stands up from his chair and slams his two hands on his desk with some force.
"Love is forbidden! That is why I am asking...no, I am ordering you two to break off this relationship and to stop seeing one another!"
He said it...I'm hearing the words that I've been trying to avoid...My chest feels so heavy and I feel like crying...
"I refuse to break up with Kaori." Ai said with full conviction.
"I'm sorry, Saotome-sensei; I can't do that either. I can't break up with Ai."
"Hm? Is that so? If you both won't settle things now, then I'll have to separate you two by force; I will make it happen one way or another."
Ai and I looked at each other; we didn't know what to say or do.
Saotome-sensei suddenly points at me.
"Ms. Yamashitaaa, there is a job that I have signed you up for! You are going to be part of the musical world tour of the Shining Theatre Group which will last for two to three months since they are going to perform in several countries abroad. You see, one of the members broke his leg so he won't be able to perform; you'll be his replacement by going as Kaoru."
"W-wait! What?!"
Saotome-sensei really will try to separate us thru our work! That's not fair!
"Saotome-sensei! I-I won't take that job! I refuse to!"
"It's too late to refuse the job. Everything has already been settled and the contract was already signed thanks to Manager-san."
I looked at Manager-san and he seemed guilty about it; he probably tried to change Saotome-sensei's mind about it but failed to do so.
"S-Saotome-sensei! I have a valid reason for refusing the job! I have a cyst in my vocal chords and I will undergo surgery to have it removed. I can't use my voice at all for at least a month; I can't perform for the theatrical group."
"Ms. Yamashita, you can have the surgery after the theatrical group's world tour."
"The doctor said that it would be better to have the cyst removed as soon as possible."
Saotome-sensei thinks for a while.
"Then I have another perfect job for you! My secretary is on leave at the moment. You can be my secretary for my meetings abroad and across Japan for the next four months."
What...? No way! I have no excuse for that!
"If you don't want that, I could always let you be part of the composition team of the theatrical group's performance. You'll just have to compose and arrange music there; you'll be travelling with them though since you will have to instruct them during the practices. I could also have you collaborate with some composers and singers who are all currently interested in working with you. There is also an opening for a pianist for one of Shining agency's popular bands. Ah! There is also an opening at the academy; we need more teachers at the moment. Oh, Mr. Mikazeee, I also have some jobs lined up for you as well; would you like to hear them?"
He's seriously trying to eliminate our free time by drowning us with work. What's up with him?! This isn't fair! It's not right!
I couldn't hold back anymore so I stood up and allowed my rage and frustration to take over my mind and body.
"Your hit single that gave birth to the academy and produced several wonderful idols and composers was named "Owing To Love"! That song alone was built from love! I don't understand! Why are you doing this?! Why can't we be given the freedom to love?! I don't understand you at all! Why did you make up that rule in the first place?! Why are you so against love?! Love is a wonderful thing! It comes in an infinite number of forms and it gives birth to countless treasures! Music is a child of love so why can't we love?! Why do we have to restrain our feelings?!"
I was so angry that a few tears fell off from my eyes.
"...It's because of love itself."
Huh? What? I was a bit surprised by his answer.
"Love can be wonderful but it can be cruel too, Ms. Yamashita."
Saotome-sensei walks over to the window behind his desk and looks outside.
"Let me tell you a little story. I was once young like the two of you and I also had someone dear to my heart; her name was Kotomi. She was the one who gave birth to my hit single "Owing to Love". You remind me of her, Ms. Yamashita; you're quite similar to her. A wonderful and special woman she was indeed but one day, I was faced with a dilemma; I loved her but I also loved music and my fans. I wanted to make Kotomi happy but I also wanted to make other people happy with my music. As an idol, I became afraid of disappointing either Kotomi or those who enjoyed my music and so I made a choice. It was a hard and painful decision and in the end, I chose my career as an idol and left Kotomi. I became a successful idol but as I worked, I always thought about Kotomi each and every day until now; I regretted leaving her and it torments me until today."
"Did you ever meet with her again? Where is she now?" I asked.
"The last time I saw and spoke to her was when I broke up with her; I never saw her again and never will since she died in an accident years ago. It was an unfortunate incident; the plane she was on had crashed and her body was never found."
"Sensei..."
"..."
"After establishing the academy, I didn't want my students to experience the pain of making that decision—I believed that it's impossible to have both love and fame at the same time thus, the no love rule was born."
"You're an idiot."
Ai suddenly spoke and he seemed annoyed. Saotome-sensei turned around and looked at him.
"You're incomprehensible. Being torn between your love for your fans and the love for your lover?! Those two feelings aren't comparable! The love you hold for a lover versus your fans and music isn't the same; they're two different things! They're not on the same level so I don't see the need to compare or choose between them. When I fell for Kaori, I thought that perhaps I fell in love with her music rather than her but I realized that I loved her more than her music; my feelings towards her were different from the feelings I had towards her music. When we became a couple, my love for her grew and she inspired me to create even more wonderful music; my career got even better because I learned to feel and to experience more things because of her. I never once worried about having a lover as an idol. You think that an idol can't have love and fame at the same time? It's possible to have love and fame at the same time. Right now, you're looking at two successful idols who have achieved that and you're trying to take it away from them. I don't know how you do it but if I lost the one I love, if I let her go, I would be thrown into despair and then I won't be able to function properly anymore. In the end, I won't be able to make anyone happy at all—my fans, my music, Kaori, myself...I'll lose everything."
"Ai..." He's...
"An idol is supposed to make people enjoy music and performing arts and to make them smile. What's the point of becoming an idol if I can't make the one person I want to smile the most smile? I would not only be a failure as an idol but as a person as well."
Ai stands up and takes my hand. He pulls me up and looks at Saotome-sensei.
"If having her by my side would mean that I'd have to give up being an idol then I will quit but you should remember one thing. My downfall from being an idol was not because I loved a wonderful person or because I had to choose between love and fame but because of your selfish rule."
He then quickly leaves the office with me by his side; his grip is quite tight. He closes the door with a little extra strength which made the door slam a little.
"Sigh..." Saotome-sensei turns back to the window and stares at the sky.
"Mikaze was right; I was an idiot. I should have tried to keep both you and fame. If I tried, then perhaps I would have become an even better idol in my youth and you would have been here alive by my side today together with our child; I would have finally gotten the chance to be called "father" by Otoya and I would have you in my arms. Love truly is amazing; it really gives birth to countless miracles. I didn't expect Mikaze to react and to say such things to me. He's not human but he felt and spoke as if he was one. I can't believe that he has learned to love; he understands more than I do."
Saotome thinks for a moment.
"I just want to see it once more; I need to see the birth of one more miracle from love. I have decided."
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As Ai walked and pulled me, I stared at his back. I didn't know what kind of face he was making and I didn't know what would happen from now on; uncertainty started to fill me up. The uncertainty started to scare me.
"Hic...hic..." I started to cry. I tried to stop it from continuing but it was hard.
Ai heard my cry so he stopped walking and turned to me.
"Kaori, what's wrong?"
"Hic...hic...I got...scared. I don't want...hic...to..."
Ai wraps his arms around me. "It's okay. I won't leave you; I won't let him take you away from me. I promise you that I won't leave your side. Please...don't cry."
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Things were quiet after we left Saotome-sensei's office that day but two days later...
"Ms. Yamashita, Mr. Mikaze, may I have a word with the two of you?"