Love So Sweet [an Ohno Satoshi love story] - Chapter 8
Catchy violins soared and soft drums kept things modern and cool, as the first episode of ToGeiDa glided onto the screen. “Ayumi” by GReeeeN blended into the background as the beginning credits started. Rina’s palms were clammy and her heart beat unnaturally fast as she stared at the screen; Satomi and Sora also watched with intense curiosity. Rina had met the five other “cast members” at the photoshoot and the press conference, but still didn’t really know them. They were each filmed in their separate niches of the school as a kind of beginning credits.
(http://www.imeem.com/onmyownmind/music/kCiOL2MK/greeeen-ayumi/: if you wanted to listen to the song, and translation)
The first face was third year Endo Shizuka, a vocalist praised as much for her voice as for her allure. She was shown sitting elegantly in a café, then in her choir robes as a soloist. Second was Izumi Akira, the handsome, rich, aloof fourth year photography major. He smirked as he snapped pictures of beautiful models. Shizuka was rumored to have a thing for Akira. Next was Manako Maki, a cute third year student also in the Principal Piano class with Rina, and the tall, gangly fourth year Takeshi Susumu who studied animation; his father was one of the top dogs in the country’s largest manga publishing firms. First year Aichi Yuya was a sweet boy and somewhat spastic violin virtuoso. Rina’s portion showed her in her element, fingers flying across the piano effortlessly. It was rather embarrassing, wondering how people watching were responding too. But other than that, it looked kind of cool, and promising.
Then, the actual show started with a zoom-in of Rina’s furisode. There was a wide panorama view of her as she surveyed the crowd of bright silk and dark suits, a glimpse of her and the News Zero caster (this must have sent girls squealing with envy), and her laughing and enjoying herself on the festive occasion. Satomi cringed and Sora was elated when their faces showed up here and there too. Some of Rina’s voice-over commentary also spoke and completed the “scenes.” That, as well as her own theme music, had surprisingly been up to her to decide. She hadn’t expected to be able to put that much of her personality into it.
“I didn’t know what I expected when I landed here in Japan. It could be called my motherland, I suppose, yet so much of it is still very foreign to me; the last time I was here was when I was around eight years old. Although I’m still learning, I feel it will soon be like a second home to me.
I’d only been here a few days, and I was already being declared an adult. While my actual twentieth birthday isn’t till March, the Coming of Age Ceremony gave me a feeling of encouragement. I’m here to develop my skills as a pianist. Now I really have a boost of willpower, that I can do this.”
It transitioned to Rina at her weekly private lesson with Kazuno-sensei, then to her browsing a little side shop selling magazines. She picked up a glossy one with Arashi on the cover, and smiled to herself. The cashier boy started talking to her, leaning over the counter and making persistent small talk. He stared after her as she paid for the magazine and left.
Satomi grinned. “That guy was flirting with you! How cute!”
Rina blushed.
“But of course, there’s more to life than just my music, although it’s a huge part… What else will happen these next few months, I wonder? My cousin Satomi jokes that I’ll make some boy fall in love with me, with my American charm. Hah. Well, we’ll see, I guess.
Ganbarimasu! - With the piano that is, not with the boy hunting - haha, gosh…”
Continuing with the five others in a similar yet unique fashion for each, ToGeiDa’s first installment ended. Sora even wanted to know more about the pretty Endo Shizuka. Rina had to admit that it was quite interesting to see what the others were doing. A flutter of bashfulness and excitement was still in her stomach. She was really on TV; it was so weird.
An unexpected text from Akiyama Michiyo, the really friendly girl she had met during the Ceremony.
AHHH! Uta no Onii-san is starting right NOW! Turn to channel thirteen, hurry hurry hurry! He’s so CUTE!
There were also a load of emoticons stuck in between. Rina flipped the channel curiously - and what met her eyes was a little shocking - Ohno-san in a Super Mario-like blue and yellow overall getup and singing with a most sour expression. Her mouth hung open as she watched the first episode of Uta no Onii-san. She laughed as his character, the irritable Kenta, comically ran around town being rejected from job after job, and felt bad as his onscreen father scolded him. Outside of that, she thought of how nervous Ohno must be too, to have his new show starting just like her.
However, the reality was that Ohno almost forgot about his show’s premiere. He had too much to do - filming for Himitsu no Arashi-chan, plus interviews on and off camera, and performances of the new singles, recording of the upcoming singles, dances to learn, photoshoots, meetings, the regular required appointments for a Johnny’s appearance upkeep - only when he passed the occasional poster of himself in a ridiculous bright costume was he reminded. Of course, he hoped it would do well. But there was just so much to put his best in and to succeed at that sometimes he didn’t have much motivation to care outside of doing the job. That day, after four talk show appearances in a row in the morning, some new choreography honed to perfection with the rest of Arashi in the afternoon, and an Uta no Onii-san staff cocktail party at night, it was time to relax. He didn’t think he would watch the show; he’d just wait for the reviews in the morning. So, Ohno took off at once for the harbor. His friend Masanobu Kato was there as always. The two enthusiasts sailed off into the night, relishing the escape. Ohno sat silently at the side of the boat with his fishing rod cast out, staring at the black expanse around him. This actually revitalized him. He wondered what he would catch this time. Perhaps this auspicious day would finally send him a big, fat, shiny maguro.
It seemed to happen almost instantly. Rina stepped out of her car (for now she had to drive herself, instead of Sho driving her, when the cameras were around) and people started to gravitate in her direction. It was subtle, but there was no way she could walk down a hallway unnoticed with the bulking black machines around her like UFOs. People complimented her (as if she’d put some sort of effort into it, like acting) and said they’d enjoyed the first episode. Fukao-san, the assigned manager of ToGeiDa’s scheduling and salaries, informed her that nearly five-hundred thousand people, most in the teenage demographic but a surprising amount outside of it, had tuned in to watch. Ratings and reviews were positive. TV Asahi was giving funds for at least four more installments. Audiences somehow wanted to see how the lives of these six normal students folded out. They were waiting for more.
With that air of expectation, the ToGeiDa cast made an appearance on their first talk show. The studio was decorated with flashy sparkles and colorful paint, and the walls were actually screens with various animations flying around. There was a large stage, and several groups of guests were invited to sit together in rows kind of like cushioned bleachers; the ones being interviewed would move to the front. With all the frenzy, it was a rather intimidating affair; some of them were used to such things, but it was more nerve-racking than any piano competition Rina had ever been in. Amidst the applause and the lights, she looked out at the crowd. They were the first ones to be spoken with.
“Please welcome the cast of the brand new reality show, ToGeiDa! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!” the hosts called out. They went through each person, first getting the background information. They picked on Izumi Akira, saying that Johnny’s Entertainment had missed their chance on this pretty boy, that he looked like a mix between Akanishi Jin and Tsubasa; Izumi insisted that he couldn’t sing to save his life. Endo Shizuka was admired for her extremely fashionable appearance - perfect clothes, hair, makeup. The show couldn’t afford a stylist yet, so they were wearing their own clothes. Because of Rina’s slight shyness, they kept calling her kawaii, which made her blush more. Her hope was that she would inspire kids to pursue music, or at least practice more.
It was then time for the guests to switch. A tall, slim and handsome Ikuta Toma was descending the stairs; then something soft and smelling of honeysuckle bumped into his chest. He looked down to see the new girl.
“Ah, sumimasen!” she exclaimed, flustered. She bit her lip as the audience and especially the hosts, laughed. “I always run into things, sorry.”
Face to face now, he noticed how pretty she was with her slightly messy hair, cardigan, skinny jeans and flats. Yabai, kawaii… he thought to himself. “It’s okay.” he smiled, remembering how nervous he used to be as a Junior (although technically, he still was one, having never really debuted as anything. Why this was, he really didn’t understand.) Toma joined the rest of his co-stars down in front, and they discussed their new medical mystery drama, Voice.
“Ikuta-kun, your star has really risen lately, hasn’t it?” the host said. “Especially since your subarashi Maou performance. You keep getting more and more work. I think you really deserve it!” Everyone agreed and the audience started clapping in approval.
“Thank you, I’m very honored!” Toma said humbly.
One of the hosts, the more jesting one, turned to look behind him. “My, Katsumi-san, you look forlorn back there.”
Her eyes widened and she looked around nervously. Why were they talking to her again? “Are?”
“She hasn’t seen Maou yet.” Manako Maki, the other pianist, explained. Everyone was shocked.
“Since she was still holed up in America last summer, deshou?”
“It kind of makes me feel… left out.” Rina admitted.
“Take some initiative!” the host scolded lightly. “You’re in Japan now, kid! Keep up!”
“Sorry again, Ikuta-san, really.” she grinned sheepishly, meeting his amused gaze.
“Daijoubu…” His stomach flipped a little despite himself, but he kept himself from overreacting. He ran a hand through his short coffee colored hair, and dimples appeared on his cheeks. “If you really want to, it’s on DVD now, so…”
“Hai! I’ll watch it as soon as I get home.”
The show ended, and the guests went backstage to gather their things. Rina’s head felt light. She pulled on her arms to try to get some circulation back. She ended up in stride beside Toma.
“So how was your first TV interview? You look like you’re still recovering.” he joked when he saw her stretching.
“I was so nervous!” Rina exclaimed. “How do you do these things on a regular basis?!”
“Well, I’ve gotten used to it. It took awhile though.”
“How long?”
“I joined Johnny’s when I was twelve so… it’s been thirteen years.”
She wondered if he knew any of Arashi, but of course she couldn’t ask. “Sa, I’ll watch Maou, I promise.”
“I thought you were just saying that.” Toma grinned at her sincerity. “You don’t have to, hountou ni.”
“I’m serious! If it’s as good as everyone said, then I should. I don’t know if I’ll have time to watch Voice though, and all these other things. If we ever meet again, I’ll tell you my thoughts about it.”
He hadn’t realized that he had walked her out to her car. “Sou…”
She turned and held her hand out to him. “Oh, sorry, American reflex.” she laughed. She bowed a little.
Toma smirked and with a surge of boldness, took her hand and shook it anyway. “Douzo yoroshiku (Nice to meet you).”
Rina smiled graciously. She got in her car and waved as she drove off.
Toma walked to the awaiting van with hands in his pockets. Yabai, you should have gotten her e-mail… Nice one Toma…
When Rina got back to the Sakurai house, she riffed through the huge shelf of DVDs in Sho’s room, ignoring the occasional gravure movie or two (although she really, really, really hoped that those were from his long past teenage years, and that he didn’t watch them anymore.) She vaguely remembered him mentioning he’d bought Maou, if she felt like watching it. Aha- she found it. She pulled it out from between Koizora and Stand Up!. She was shocked to find Ohno Satoshi on the cover, with an evil expression and pose. The back read:
Ohno Satoshi will be playing the role of a two-faced lawyer, one of which is a kind hearted soul and the other who is plotting revenge, using his brilliant mind, on the person who killed his relative. On the other hand, Ikuta Toma will play the double lead role of the man, who has become a detective due to his dark past, who is pursuing the mysterious series of murders and fighting against the devil (maou). (DramaWiki)
Rina rushed to put the disc in, and watched with fascination of how much of a transformation Ohno had taken. He was very handsome in his smooth black hair and trim suit. She blushed when there was a glimpse of him in the shower, shaking out the image of his muscles out of her head. But soon she was lost in his acting, and the whole plot. By the time Sho came home, around midnight, she had already watched four consecutive episodes.
“Rina-chan? How long have you been sitting here?” he asked.
Rina blinked and looked away from the blue screen. “Wow, I - didn’t realize. It’s just so fascinating. Ohno-san is so amazing too.”
“He’d be happy to hear that.” Sho set his bag down on the counter. “But really, you should get to bed. It’s late, and you have class tomorrow.”
“Just a little longer.” she promised, unpausing the show. She hid a yawn. “Do you always get home this late, Sho-chan?”
He sighed, and she noted bags forming under his eyes. “Yeah, sometimes later.”
She shook her head. “It just doesn’t seem healthy. How do you have the energy?”
“I guess I’ve just gotten used to it.”
“That’s what Ikuta-san said.”
“Ikuta Toma?”
“Yes. I met him today at the talk show...”
By the time Sho had taken a shower and come back, Rina had stretched out on the couch and fallen asleep. The DVD was paused; it rested on the image of Ohno with a bouquet flowers in his hand, smiling sweetly. Sho sighed; he took the disc out and turned off the TV, then found a blanket to drape over his little cousin.
-------------------
I really miss the Maou hair!!!
Anyways, go to http://vote3.ziyu.net/html/milky90.html to vote for your favorite Johnny's idol. I'm voting for Ohno, of course. I have no idea how Tackey and Tsubasa are leading by so much though... [/bias] You can vote about once every 20 hours, apparently. After selecting, you click the button on the left, leave an encouraging comment in the space provided, then send!
(http://www.imeem.com/onmyownmind/music/kCiOL2MK/greeeen-ayumi/: if you wanted to listen to the song, and translation)
The first face was third year Endo Shizuka, a vocalist praised as much for her voice as for her allure. She was shown sitting elegantly in a café, then in her choir robes as a soloist. Second was Izumi Akira, the handsome, rich, aloof fourth year photography major. He smirked as he snapped pictures of beautiful models. Shizuka was rumored to have a thing for Akira. Next was Manako Maki, a cute third year student also in the Principal Piano class with Rina, and the tall, gangly fourth year Takeshi Susumu who studied animation; his father was one of the top dogs in the country’s largest manga publishing firms. First year Aichi Yuya was a sweet boy and somewhat spastic violin virtuoso. Rina’s portion showed her in her element, fingers flying across the piano effortlessly. It was rather embarrassing, wondering how people watching were responding too. But other than that, it looked kind of cool, and promising.
Then, the actual show started with a zoom-in of Rina’s furisode. There was a wide panorama view of her as she surveyed the crowd of bright silk and dark suits, a glimpse of her and the News Zero caster (this must have sent girls squealing with envy), and her laughing and enjoying herself on the festive occasion. Satomi cringed and Sora was elated when their faces showed up here and there too. Some of Rina’s voice-over commentary also spoke and completed the “scenes.” That, as well as her own theme music, had surprisingly been up to her to decide. She hadn’t expected to be able to put that much of her personality into it.
“I didn’t know what I expected when I landed here in Japan. It could be called my motherland, I suppose, yet so much of it is still very foreign to me; the last time I was here was when I was around eight years old. Although I’m still learning, I feel it will soon be like a second home to me.
I’d only been here a few days, and I was already being declared an adult. While my actual twentieth birthday isn’t till March, the Coming of Age Ceremony gave me a feeling of encouragement. I’m here to develop my skills as a pianist. Now I really have a boost of willpower, that I can do this.”
It transitioned to Rina at her weekly private lesson with Kazuno-sensei, then to her browsing a little side shop selling magazines. She picked up a glossy one with Arashi on the cover, and smiled to herself. The cashier boy started talking to her, leaning over the counter and making persistent small talk. He stared after her as she paid for the magazine and left.
Satomi grinned. “That guy was flirting with you! How cute!”
Rina blushed.
“But of course, there’s more to life than just my music, although it’s a huge part… What else will happen these next few months, I wonder? My cousin Satomi jokes that I’ll make some boy fall in love with me, with my American charm. Hah. Well, we’ll see, I guess.
Ganbarimasu! - With the piano that is, not with the boy hunting - haha, gosh…”
Continuing with the five others in a similar yet unique fashion for each, ToGeiDa’s first installment ended. Sora even wanted to know more about the pretty Endo Shizuka. Rina had to admit that it was quite interesting to see what the others were doing. A flutter of bashfulness and excitement was still in her stomach. She was really on TV; it was so weird.
An unexpected text from Akiyama Michiyo, the really friendly girl she had met during the Ceremony.
AHHH! Uta no Onii-san is starting right NOW! Turn to channel thirteen, hurry hurry hurry! He’s so CUTE!
There were also a load of emoticons stuck in between. Rina flipped the channel curiously - and what met her eyes was a little shocking - Ohno-san in a Super Mario-like blue and yellow overall getup and singing with a most sour expression. Her mouth hung open as she watched the first episode of Uta no Onii-san. She laughed as his character, the irritable Kenta, comically ran around town being rejected from job after job, and felt bad as his onscreen father scolded him. Outside of that, she thought of how nervous Ohno must be too, to have his new show starting just like her.
However, the reality was that Ohno almost forgot about his show’s premiere. He had too much to do - filming for Himitsu no Arashi-chan, plus interviews on and off camera, and performances of the new singles, recording of the upcoming singles, dances to learn, photoshoots, meetings, the regular required appointments for a Johnny’s appearance upkeep - only when he passed the occasional poster of himself in a ridiculous bright costume was he reminded. Of course, he hoped it would do well. But there was just so much to put his best in and to succeed at that sometimes he didn’t have much motivation to care outside of doing the job. That day, after four talk show appearances in a row in the morning, some new choreography honed to perfection with the rest of Arashi in the afternoon, and an Uta no Onii-san staff cocktail party at night, it was time to relax. He didn’t think he would watch the show; he’d just wait for the reviews in the morning. So, Ohno took off at once for the harbor. His friend Masanobu Kato was there as always. The two enthusiasts sailed off into the night, relishing the escape. Ohno sat silently at the side of the boat with his fishing rod cast out, staring at the black expanse around him. This actually revitalized him. He wondered what he would catch this time. Perhaps this auspicious day would finally send him a big, fat, shiny maguro.
It seemed to happen almost instantly. Rina stepped out of her car (for now she had to drive herself, instead of Sho driving her, when the cameras were around) and people started to gravitate in her direction. It was subtle, but there was no way she could walk down a hallway unnoticed with the bulking black machines around her like UFOs. People complimented her (as if she’d put some sort of effort into it, like acting) and said they’d enjoyed the first episode. Fukao-san, the assigned manager of ToGeiDa’s scheduling and salaries, informed her that nearly five-hundred thousand people, most in the teenage demographic but a surprising amount outside of it, had tuned in to watch. Ratings and reviews were positive. TV Asahi was giving funds for at least four more installments. Audiences somehow wanted to see how the lives of these six normal students folded out. They were waiting for more.
With that air of expectation, the ToGeiDa cast made an appearance on their first talk show. The studio was decorated with flashy sparkles and colorful paint, and the walls were actually screens with various animations flying around. There was a large stage, and several groups of guests were invited to sit together in rows kind of like cushioned bleachers; the ones being interviewed would move to the front. With all the frenzy, it was a rather intimidating affair; some of them were used to such things, but it was more nerve-racking than any piano competition Rina had ever been in. Amidst the applause and the lights, she looked out at the crowd. They were the first ones to be spoken with.
“Please welcome the cast of the brand new reality show, ToGeiDa! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!” the hosts called out. They went through each person, first getting the background information. They picked on Izumi Akira, saying that Johnny’s Entertainment had missed their chance on this pretty boy, that he looked like a mix between Akanishi Jin and Tsubasa; Izumi insisted that he couldn’t sing to save his life. Endo Shizuka was admired for her extremely fashionable appearance - perfect clothes, hair, makeup. The show couldn’t afford a stylist yet, so they were wearing their own clothes. Because of Rina’s slight shyness, they kept calling her kawaii, which made her blush more. Her hope was that she would inspire kids to pursue music, or at least practice more.
It was then time for the guests to switch. A tall, slim and handsome Ikuta Toma was descending the stairs; then something soft and smelling of honeysuckle bumped into his chest. He looked down to see the new girl.
“Ah, sumimasen!” she exclaimed, flustered. She bit her lip as the audience and especially the hosts, laughed. “I always run into things, sorry.”
Face to face now, he noticed how pretty she was with her slightly messy hair, cardigan, skinny jeans and flats. Yabai, kawaii… he thought to himself. “It’s okay.” he smiled, remembering how nervous he used to be as a Junior (although technically, he still was one, having never really debuted as anything. Why this was, he really didn’t understand.) Toma joined the rest of his co-stars down in front, and they discussed their new medical mystery drama, Voice.
“Ikuta-kun, your star has really risen lately, hasn’t it?” the host said. “Especially since your subarashi Maou performance. You keep getting more and more work. I think you really deserve it!” Everyone agreed and the audience started clapping in approval.
“Thank you, I’m very honored!” Toma said humbly.
One of the hosts, the more jesting one, turned to look behind him. “My, Katsumi-san, you look forlorn back there.”
Her eyes widened and she looked around nervously. Why were they talking to her again? “Are?”
“She hasn’t seen Maou yet.” Manako Maki, the other pianist, explained. Everyone was shocked.
“Since she was still holed up in America last summer, deshou?”
“It kind of makes me feel… left out.” Rina admitted.
“Take some initiative!” the host scolded lightly. “You’re in Japan now, kid! Keep up!”
“Sorry again, Ikuta-san, really.” she grinned sheepishly, meeting his amused gaze.
“Daijoubu…” His stomach flipped a little despite himself, but he kept himself from overreacting. He ran a hand through his short coffee colored hair, and dimples appeared on his cheeks. “If you really want to, it’s on DVD now, so…”
“Hai! I’ll watch it as soon as I get home.”
The show ended, and the guests went backstage to gather their things. Rina’s head felt light. She pulled on her arms to try to get some circulation back. She ended up in stride beside Toma.
“So how was your first TV interview? You look like you’re still recovering.” he joked when he saw her stretching.
“I was so nervous!” Rina exclaimed. “How do you do these things on a regular basis?!”
“Well, I’ve gotten used to it. It took awhile though.”
“How long?”
“I joined Johnny’s when I was twelve so… it’s been thirteen years.”
She wondered if he knew any of Arashi, but of course she couldn’t ask. “Sa, I’ll watch Maou, I promise.”
“I thought you were just saying that.” Toma grinned at her sincerity. “You don’t have to, hountou ni.”
“I’m serious! If it’s as good as everyone said, then I should. I don’t know if I’ll have time to watch Voice though, and all these other things. If we ever meet again, I’ll tell you my thoughts about it.”
He hadn’t realized that he had walked her out to her car. “Sou…”
She turned and held her hand out to him. “Oh, sorry, American reflex.” she laughed. She bowed a little.
Toma smirked and with a surge of boldness, took her hand and shook it anyway. “Douzo yoroshiku (Nice to meet you).”
Rina smiled graciously. She got in her car and waved as she drove off.
Toma walked to the awaiting van with hands in his pockets. Yabai, you should have gotten her e-mail… Nice one Toma…
When Rina got back to the Sakurai house, she riffed through the huge shelf of DVDs in Sho’s room, ignoring the occasional gravure movie or two (although she really, really, really hoped that those were from his long past teenage years, and that he didn’t watch them anymore.) She vaguely remembered him mentioning he’d bought Maou, if she felt like watching it. Aha- she found it. She pulled it out from between Koizora and Stand Up!. She was shocked to find Ohno Satoshi on the cover, with an evil expression and pose. The back read:
Ohno Satoshi will be playing the role of a two-faced lawyer, one of which is a kind hearted soul and the other who is plotting revenge, using his brilliant mind, on the person who killed his relative. On the other hand, Ikuta Toma will play the double lead role of the man, who has become a detective due to his dark past, who is pursuing the mysterious series of murders and fighting against the devil (maou). (DramaWiki)
Rina rushed to put the disc in, and watched with fascination of how much of a transformation Ohno had taken. He was very handsome in his smooth black hair and trim suit. She blushed when there was a glimpse of him in the shower, shaking out the image of his muscles out of her head. But soon she was lost in his acting, and the whole plot. By the time Sho came home, around midnight, she had already watched four consecutive episodes.
“Rina-chan? How long have you been sitting here?” he asked.
Rina blinked and looked away from the blue screen. “Wow, I - didn’t realize. It’s just so fascinating. Ohno-san is so amazing too.”
“He’d be happy to hear that.” Sho set his bag down on the counter. “But really, you should get to bed. It’s late, and you have class tomorrow.”
“Just a little longer.” she promised, unpausing the show. She hid a yawn. “Do you always get home this late, Sho-chan?”
He sighed, and she noted bags forming under his eyes. “Yeah, sometimes later.”
She shook her head. “It just doesn’t seem healthy. How do you have the energy?”
“I guess I’ve just gotten used to it.”
“That’s what Ikuta-san said.”
“Ikuta Toma?”
“Yes. I met him today at the talk show...”
By the time Sho had taken a shower and come back, Rina had stretched out on the couch and fallen asleep. The DVD was paused; it rested on the image of Ohno with a bouquet flowers in his hand, smiling sweetly. Sho sighed; he took the disc out and turned off the TV, then found a blanket to drape over his little cousin.
-------------------
I really miss the Maou hair!!!
Anyways, go to http://vote3.ziyu.net/html/milky90.html to vote for your favorite Johnny's idol. I'm voting for Ohno, of course. I have no idea how Tackey and Tsubasa are leading by so much though... [/bias] You can vote about once every 20 hours, apparently. After selecting, you click the button on the left, leave an encouraging comment in the space provided, then send!