Love So Sweet [an Ohno Satoshi love story] - Chapter 21
Matsumoto Jun was the last to slide into his seat. It was one of their usual afternoon meetings. The manager and the rest of the members of Arashi were sitting there casually, except for Sho who looked rather drained. He had stayed up all night with Johnny-san and the Damage Control team, and then had to go to several back-to-back morning talk shows to promote The Quiz Show, which was premiering that night.
“So, I’d like to get started, but I need to inform you all of something first.” their manager began seriously. “Something dire happened yesterday. Sakurai-kun had… an unfortunate run-in with the paparazzi. There were pictures taken that revealed his and Kobayashi Mao’s relationship.”
The four others all paled. Dumbstruck, they stared at their second-most responsible member (second only to Jun). How many of these scandals did they have to go through?! They took so long to recover from. After these ten years, they had to be on their toes more than ever as they gained popularity.
credit: ze_vierce
“Fortunately, Johnny-san was able to pull together the Jimusho’s resources and stop them before they were leaked.” Manager-san quickly added. He didn’t mention the bribes and threats that Johnny had boldly made to the various magazines and gossip blogs. “However, we just thought it would be best to let you know.”
“How did it happen, Sho-kun…?” Aiba asked with concern.
Sho carefully explained what had happened - the awkward night, his outburst, how they’d argued in his car and how when he broke up with her she started crying. When they’d stopped on the side of the road, she had spotted some paparazzi and made a point to be seen by kissing him fervently.
“That Kobayashi…” Nino scoffed resentfully.
“Ahno ne, it was such stupidity on my part though.” Sho apologized profusely. “I put the whole group at jeopardy, and at such a crucial time too.” His and Jun’s dramas were starting to air, and their upcoming anniversary was fast approaching too. If any scandal broke out now, it could be disastrous. “There’s no excuse. I should have been more vigilant.”
“Iya… it… it could have happened to any one of us.” Aiba insisted ineffectually.
Jun however, was ticked. His sharp brows furrowed, making him look even fiercer. “That’s not the point. What would have happened if they hadn’t been able to catch the leak in time, huh? We would be screwed.” He was the one who cared most about the group’s well-being, enough for his own personal life to suffer because he put Arashi as first priority. Always.
Nino said nothing, and somberly stared down at the table deep in thought and customarily crossed his arms. Jun’s scolding set them all a bit on edge. He was right, but nothing had come of it after all, right? After a long silence of mulling over the close call, Ohno actually spoke up carefully.
“Ahno… it’s over with, ne? As long as the pictures are totally gone, you shouldn’t feel guilty.” The others slowly nodded, agreeing with him. It was tricky times like these where he really did take his role as Leader, and pacified and reconciled them with his calm heart. “We still love you, Sho-kun. No harm done.” Ohno beamed humorously.
“Urusai na~…” Sho smirked. He didn’t say so, but Ohno’s statement, in its simplicity, set him at ease.
Backstage was dim and empty, save for the theater hands standing at the lights and the curtains, and one girl standing at the ready. Rina was all set to take the stage. She wore a soft champagne-raspberry colored dress with jeweled cap sleeves and a wrapped bust, and she kept running through the score in her mind, tapping on invisible keys in the air. The concert was underway, and the music being played out was muffled to their ears, but still skillful.
Meanwhile, up in the VIP box sat Sakurai Sho, Satomi and Sora. Sho was checking his watch anxiously; he couldn’t stay too long. Satomi and Sora would of course be able to remain to support Rina. Sho was unaware that down below in the general audience was Ohno Satoshi. He was dressed nicely and yet dozing off to the classical music; his chin pressed down into his hunched chest and his eyes closed. There was a fedora pulled over his eyes; he had been going to wear his regular trucker hat since they were sitting in the public seats, (“Only when the lights go out!” he’d insisted), but his sister Mina said it was horribly tacky. On the way to the concert, they’d stopped by and bought him the fedora.
Beside him now were Mina, her husband and their daughter. The piece ended, and there was loud applause for the superb orchestral performance. Mina sharply nudged her baka brother awake. Ohno head jerked up; he smiled sheepishly at her.
“Katsumi-chan is next!” Mina hissed in his ear. “At least pay attention to this, ne!”
Indeed, there was another ring of applause as a girl in a beautiful ball gown took the stage. She seemed to glow underneath all those bright lights. She shook the hands of the conductor and the first chair violinist, before bowing graciously to the audience and seating herself at the grand piano in front. Ohno sat up straight in his chair and looked on properly. She certainly looked stunning, he thought.
Rhapsody in Blue, a jazzy mélange of a masterpiece, began with a lingering, quirky oboe and some quiet accompaniment. Then Rina’s fingers started on the piano and the song was building up. Instrument upon instrument slid its way in, then suddenly all the sounds burst into a rush of activity. Eccentric, chaotic but melodious, it embodied the sounds of Jazz Age New York. This was Ohno’s kind of song - it was kind of random, but fun. He admired the way you could see everyone in the orchestra clearly having a good time playing with the conductor and everyone coming together. Rina was the star of the piece, and she played with buoyancy and charm and impressive flair. The notes from her fingers danced.
The Commencement Concert was wonderful. All the music departments were represented well, and had given the audience a night of quality music by young talent. Bunches of gifts were stuffed in Rina’s arms, and she thanked everyone richly for attending and supporting the performers. Pushing through the crowd of admirers came little Youko with a big bouquet of flowers and a card in her chubby arms.
“Onee-san! Onee-san! Psst!” Youko whispered.
Rina bent down on her knees and took the gifts. “Thank you very much! How sweet.”
Youko tip-toed and, hissing in Rina’s ear, sounded like she was relaying a message, “You played really really good and that you were super pretty. And, open the card in private, ne.”
That was smart; the cameras all around could capture the most innocent message and expose them. Though Ohno and Sho couldn’t come congratulate her in person afterwards, it was enough just to know that they’d been there.
In the car, Rina finally opened the envelope. There was a skillful sketch inside of her caricature playing at the piano; musical notes and ribbons of cartoon magic flowed out of the instrument. In the corner was scrawled a tiny message - It’s all about the dreams and the music. Ganbarre, yo! It wasn’t signed, but it was clear who it was from. Rina smiled softly to herself and looked at the card and the bouquet in her lap, a mixture of yellow roses and sprigs of pink cherry blossoms.
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“I’m home~” Ohno called sleepily the next day as he took off his shoes and stepped into the house. He was greeted by the wonderful smell of his mother’s cooking. Lunch is going to be good, he thought. He made his way through the halls at a leisurely pace and reached the dining room, saw his parents and three other strangers were kneeling around a polished traditional wooden table they used only for special occasions.
One of the guests, a woman in her mid-20’s, clamped her hands over her mouth and suppressed her fangirl shriek of delight. Ohno Satoshi had walked into the room.
“Satoshi-kun, you’re here, good. This is Inushiki-san, his wife Noriko-san and their daughter Ai-san.” Ohno-senior said. “This is my son Satoshi. Please excuse him for being late.”
Ohno bowed politely but shyly to the old man, his wife and the young woman at the end, who was staring at him and bouncing in her zabuton cushion like she could hardly contain herself.
“Hajimashite…”
“Are, what’s this?” the man named Inushiki asked in surprise. “THE Ohno Satoshi? Arashi’s Ohno Satoshi?”
“Eto… yes sir.” Satoshi murmured.
Chortling, the man exclaimed, “Isn’t that something! You have an idol for a son, Hiroto-san, Saya-san! You never - That is such a surprise, seriously!”
“We’re very proud of him.” Satoshi’s mother beamed.
“Have you had lunch? Why don’t you come eat with us?” Hiroto gestured to his son.
“Shitsure shimasu…” Satoshi deftly seated himself. The only empty spot left had been beside Ai, the daughter. She leaned her chin in her hands, and sighed. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
This Inushiki was the head of the packing company Ohno Hiroto was trying to make a merger or contract (or something or other) with. Inushiki was rich, and forming a good alliance with him would be very benefitial. As the two older men continued discussing their businesses, Ai was in rapture with the celebrity beside her. Satoshi occasionally got this treatment from new female employees of his father’s who were invited to Christmas parties or whatnot, but not lately.
The conversation eventually turned back to business, but not before Inushiki was able to make his dear daughter happy. He knew what a big Arashi fan she was. “You know Ohno-san (He was speaking to the head of the house), we are quite new to this area. I’ve heard that this area is known for its urban gardens. My daughter was particularly eager to see them, in fact.”
Ohno Hiroto took this hint without hesitation. “I bet Satoshi-kun would be more than happy to keep her company. Ne, Satoshi?”
Satoshi’s attention was pulled back to them. He hadn’t really been paying attention. Why were they all looking at him eagerly? “Eh?”
His father spoke steadily, “You’re free for the afternoon, right? Why don’t you show Ai-san around? Doesn’t that sound like a plan?” In other words, there wasn’t an option.
Covering his pout (for he had to leave his plate of noodles half-eaten), Satoshi stood up and led the young woman out the door with hands in his pockets and a slouched posture.
Although he was nervous about a possible scandal - especially just after that close call that Sho had with Kobayashi Mao - Ohno went along with it in his usual good-natured way. He guessed he could put up with it, if it helped the ties between the two businesses. It was for his father’s sake. The girl Ai was a bit ridiculous; she clung to his arm and giggled at every little thing. Ohno continued with half-hearted, uncomfortable laughs and tried to be a decent tour guide. As long as they weren’t photographed or reported, everything would be fine.
“Ahno, this is the water fountain that the district just erected a few months ago. As you can see, it’s… it’s a bird. Pretty, ne? Architecture magazines and such come by to photograph it all the time.”
Ai frowned. “That makes no sense. Birds don’t live in the water, so why would they put it in a fountain…? Why not just stick with a frog?”
“Well, it’s a crane. Cranes do go in the water, ne.” he murmured uncertainly. “Anyways, over here… Grandma Asari is known around here for her beautiful flower garden. She takes great pride in it.”
“Sou ka…” the woman sighed. She was about to die from boredom. Couldn’t her father have suggested they go visit the local theater, something more exciting or romantic? She spotted a little café. “Let’s go there! I want to grab a coffee.”
credit: starsystems
They took a seat on the outdoor patio and sipped at their drinks. Ai leaned in close to him and started shooting question after question. What was it like being in Arashi, working with four other ikemen every single day? Did Sakurai Sho really wear Dolce and Gabbana all the time? Did Matsumoto Jun have a girlfriend?
“I - We don’t really talk about that stuff.” he stammered.
“That’s no fun! Hey - do you think you could introduce me to them?” Ai asked with breathless excitement. “Come on, please? Just take me along with you to work and I’ll just, you know, strike up a conversation with Nino…” She kept up her incredible fantasizing while Ohno got more and more uneasy. What gave her the right to barge into their personal lives? What made her think that they liked such attention? He didn’t, at least. It was wonderful to be approached by fans - nice ones - but otherwise, life was easier to walk around as a normal inconspicuous person.
Something caught Ai’s eye. There were bunches of cameras and lights at the end of the pretty street, and a crew of people hoarding around two eye-catching young females.
Ai gasped. “It’s Katsumi Rina and Manako Maki! Those girls from ToGeiDa!”
Ohno’s head quickly turned to attention. From the looks of it, they were doing a photoshoot. He smiled to himself; what a coincidence that they were so close in the same city.
“Have you met them?” Ai asked with wide eyes. He muttered a vague response, which didn’t matter to her - she dragged him and gathered with the rest of the curious onlookers. She was fascinated by all the cameras and the glamorous looking girls with all the focus on them. “You can get them to talk to us, right, with your connections?”
“I’m sorry, I… can’t…” Ohno mumbled. Why was she asking such things of him?
“Why not~? It’ll be easy!” she whined, trying to tow him through the crowd.
He’d had it, and yanked his arm from her greedy grasp. “No!” he snapped. “Zakkenayo!” It was unexpected, but he really could get pissed when it was for the right reasons. Ohno stalked away with a sour glare on his face. Ai quickly followed him, for she wasn’t going to leave an idol alone, although she was equally irritated with him as he was with her. He marched ahead for quite some time, hoping in vain that she’d finally leave him alone. Whenever Ai sighed loudly (on purpose for him to hear her dissatisfaction), he grit his teeth.
With a final huff, Ai drawled, “Well, this wasn’t exactly how I thought things would turn out…”
“I’m sorry?” Ohno asked impatiently.
“You - you don’t act like an idol at all!”
He gaped at her, clueless as how to respond, for that wasn’t really how he saw himself.
She marveled at him. Wasn’t he an idol? Didn’t millions of girls fawn over him everyday, and he must have had tons of girlfriends, right? Before, she had always told herself that if she ever met a super celebrity, that all that followed would be like a fairytale, perhaps involving a dramatic confession, a big media frenzy… but she was utterly disappointed. After all this time as an idol, he still hadn’t learned how to be suave? She wasn’t swept off her feet at all. He wouldn’t even introduce her to Matsumoto Jun.
Ohno came to appreciate even more, how Rina liked him for who he was, with his high-profile status or not. Rina was beautiful on the inside, as well as the outside.
Meanwhile, Rina was being photographed for ViVi magazine along with her “co-star” Manako. Previous covers she’d been contracted for were nicola, Seventeen, and then CanCam. Coincidence or not, Izumi Akira was the guest photographer for this issue. Apparently his internship opportunities were now quite numerous and affluent since graduation. With each photoshoot Rina did, the settings became slightly more mature and hip. This must have meant that she was moving up, “in-demand” wise. For this ViVi spread, Rina and Manako were wearing the latest trends for spring and portraying two hip city girls relaxing on the weekend. Even though the two were rivals in piano, they crossed paths here and there and managed to get along.
At the moment, they were transitioning outfits and hairstyles. A stylist fussed with them as Rina, Manako and Izumi sat to the side for the interview portion. Although he was behind-the-scenes as the photographer, he was included in the exclusive for obvious reasons.
The interviewer jotted down extra notes while their answers were tape recorded.
Manako-san sits in between Izumi-san and Katsumi-san. There seems to be some sort of exciting tension between the latter two.
As can be expected, many of the questions asked were about romance. What type of guys the girls liked, what type of girls Izumi liked (he hinted at someone like Rina and Shizuka combined), their ideal dates and such. The usual.
“If you were to pair each other up with a celebrity, who would you choose and why?”
Rina mused, “Well, I think for Manako-san, someone like maybe Eiji Wentz, from WaT? Someone funny and cute and talented…”
“Ah, good choice.” Manako grinned. “It seems like Katsumi-san would best match with… Arashi’s Sakurai Sho.”
“Eeh?!” Rina exclaimed.
“Reaching high, ne.” Izumi smirked.
“They’re both really smart and sophisticated and rich. I think they’d be a good match, really!”
“Chotto, Manako-san--“ Rina tried to cut in, slightly panicked at the suggestion. Manako wasn’t aware that Sho and Rina were cousins of course, but it was rather awkward.
The interviewer noted down, Katsumi-san seemed very embarrassed when Sakurai-san was mentioned. A celebrity crush, perhaps? Or maybe she doesn’t want this to be said around Izumi-san, ne.
“Well, we’ll see their interactions when we go on VS Arashi tomorrow!” Izumi half-teased.
That same night, the Sakurai house was empty except for a young couple. It was Ohno and Rina’s first “chill/hang out” session, which was kind of exciting in itself because it meant that they liked each other’s company enough to just sit around without anything particular or productive in mind. Rina was cooking a simple chicken dinner and had rented a movie for them to watch.
“Jyan~! This is one of my favorite movies ever.” Rina beamed, presenting the shiny DVD case. “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. It’ll be interesting to watch it in Japanese, ne…”
“Ah, sou…” It didn’t seem like Ohno’s kind of movie, but if she wanted to watch it, whatever.
A strong scent wafted to them; Rina sniffed the air. “Shoot, I forgot about the stuff in the oven!” She ran to the kitchen to see if the food was ruined or not. “Go ahead and start the movie, ne!”
Ohno deftly inserted the disc into the machine, and raised his brow slightly; he wouldn’t have expected it to be like this. He pressed play, and lounged back.
After a few minutes, Rina returned with two plates of food. “Yokatta na, nothing was burnt…” She set the plates down on the coffee table in front of them, and hopped onto the couch beside Ohno.
“Ah, arigatou. It smells good.” he smiled. They tucked into the meal and looked back at the screen. “Umai.”
Rina frowned as she saw the dark, creepy atmosphere on the television. “This isn’t… the movie…” What had happened? Where was the dreamy Matthew McConaughey, and what about the “All is fair in love and war” scenarios?
“They must have accidentally switched the discs at the store.”
“Ma, I guess we can watch this, whatever it is.” she shrugged.
However, as the film went on, she realized that it was a horror movie. It was too late though; her curiosity had snagged. Although she was freaked out, she needed to know what happened next!
They continued watching. Whenever a character went down a corridor they weren’t supposed to, her eyes grew wide. Each time an alien jumped out of nowhere and started eating a space cadet’s brains, Rina jumped and cringed. The intense scenes built up on each other, and with the suspenseful music and the gruesome details, she hid behind a pillow and curled close to Ohno. He, on the other hand, wasn’t really affected at all. At most, he was merely “surprised” once in awhile, otherwise, was utterly calm. He found her fearful reactions cute, held her closer and chuckled to himself.
credit: emosasuchan
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Next chapter will be more eventful... I just thought I should add in more cuteness in between the serious stuff, ne :P
“So, I’d like to get started, but I need to inform you all of something first.” their manager began seriously. “Something dire happened yesterday. Sakurai-kun had… an unfortunate run-in with the paparazzi. There were pictures taken that revealed his and Kobayashi Mao’s relationship.”
The four others all paled. Dumbstruck, they stared at their second-most responsible member (second only to Jun). How many of these scandals did they have to go through?! They took so long to recover from. After these ten years, they had to be on their toes more than ever as they gained popularity.
credit: ze_vierce
“Fortunately, Johnny-san was able to pull together the Jimusho’s resources and stop them before they were leaked.” Manager-san quickly added. He didn’t mention the bribes and threats that Johnny had boldly made to the various magazines and gossip blogs. “However, we just thought it would be best to let you know.”
“How did it happen, Sho-kun…?” Aiba asked with concern.
Sho carefully explained what had happened - the awkward night, his outburst, how they’d argued in his car and how when he broke up with her she started crying. When they’d stopped on the side of the road, she had spotted some paparazzi and made a point to be seen by kissing him fervently.
“That Kobayashi…” Nino scoffed resentfully.
“Ahno ne, it was such stupidity on my part though.” Sho apologized profusely. “I put the whole group at jeopardy, and at such a crucial time too.” His and Jun’s dramas were starting to air, and their upcoming anniversary was fast approaching too. If any scandal broke out now, it could be disastrous. “There’s no excuse. I should have been more vigilant.”
“Iya… it… it could have happened to any one of us.” Aiba insisted ineffectually.
Jun however, was ticked. His sharp brows furrowed, making him look even fiercer. “That’s not the point. What would have happened if they hadn’t been able to catch the leak in time, huh? We would be screwed.” He was the one who cared most about the group’s well-being, enough for his own personal life to suffer because he put Arashi as first priority. Always.
Nino said nothing, and somberly stared down at the table deep in thought and customarily crossed his arms. Jun’s scolding set them all a bit on edge. He was right, but nothing had come of it after all, right? After a long silence of mulling over the close call, Ohno actually spoke up carefully.
“Ahno… it’s over with, ne? As long as the pictures are totally gone, you shouldn’t feel guilty.” The others slowly nodded, agreeing with him. It was tricky times like these where he really did take his role as Leader, and pacified and reconciled them with his calm heart. “We still love you, Sho-kun. No harm done.” Ohno beamed humorously.
“Urusai na~…” Sho smirked. He didn’t say so, but Ohno’s statement, in its simplicity, set him at ease.
Backstage was dim and empty, save for the theater hands standing at the lights and the curtains, and one girl standing at the ready. Rina was all set to take the stage. She wore a soft champagne-raspberry colored dress with jeweled cap sleeves and a wrapped bust, and she kept running through the score in her mind, tapping on invisible keys in the air. The concert was underway, and the music being played out was muffled to their ears, but still skillful.
Meanwhile, up in the VIP box sat Sakurai Sho, Satomi and Sora. Sho was checking his watch anxiously; he couldn’t stay too long. Satomi and Sora would of course be able to remain to support Rina. Sho was unaware that down below in the general audience was Ohno Satoshi. He was dressed nicely and yet dozing off to the classical music; his chin pressed down into his hunched chest and his eyes closed. There was a fedora pulled over his eyes; he had been going to wear his regular trucker hat since they were sitting in the public seats, (“Only when the lights go out!” he’d insisted), but his sister Mina said it was horribly tacky. On the way to the concert, they’d stopped by and bought him the fedora.
Beside him now were Mina, her husband and their daughter. The piece ended, and there was loud applause for the superb orchestral performance. Mina sharply nudged her baka brother awake. Ohno head jerked up; he smiled sheepishly at her.
“Katsumi-chan is next!” Mina hissed in his ear. “At least pay attention to this, ne!”
Indeed, there was another ring of applause as a girl in a beautiful ball gown took the stage. She seemed to glow underneath all those bright lights. She shook the hands of the conductor and the first chair violinist, before bowing graciously to the audience and seating herself at the grand piano in front. Ohno sat up straight in his chair and looked on properly. She certainly looked stunning, he thought.
Rhapsody in Blue, a jazzy mélange of a masterpiece, began with a lingering, quirky oboe and some quiet accompaniment. Then Rina’s fingers started on the piano and the song was building up. Instrument upon instrument slid its way in, then suddenly all the sounds burst into a rush of activity. Eccentric, chaotic but melodious, it embodied the sounds of Jazz Age New York. This was Ohno’s kind of song - it was kind of random, but fun. He admired the way you could see everyone in the orchestra clearly having a good time playing with the conductor and everyone coming together. Rina was the star of the piece, and she played with buoyancy and charm and impressive flair. The notes from her fingers danced.
The Commencement Concert was wonderful. All the music departments were represented well, and had given the audience a night of quality music by young talent. Bunches of gifts were stuffed in Rina’s arms, and she thanked everyone richly for attending and supporting the performers. Pushing through the crowd of admirers came little Youko with a big bouquet of flowers and a card in her chubby arms.
“Onee-san! Onee-san! Psst!” Youko whispered.
Rina bent down on her knees and took the gifts. “Thank you very much! How sweet.”
Youko tip-toed and, hissing in Rina’s ear, sounded like she was relaying a message, “You played really really good and that you were super pretty. And, open the card in private, ne.”
That was smart; the cameras all around could capture the most innocent message and expose them. Though Ohno and Sho couldn’t come congratulate her in person afterwards, it was enough just to know that they’d been there.
In the car, Rina finally opened the envelope. There was a skillful sketch inside of her caricature playing at the piano; musical notes and ribbons of cartoon magic flowed out of the instrument. In the corner was scrawled a tiny message - It’s all about the dreams and the music. Ganbarre, yo! It wasn’t signed, but it was clear who it was from. Rina smiled softly to herself and looked at the card and the bouquet in her lap, a mixture of yellow roses and sprigs of pink cherry blossoms.
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“I’m home~” Ohno called sleepily the next day as he took off his shoes and stepped into the house. He was greeted by the wonderful smell of his mother’s cooking. Lunch is going to be good, he thought. He made his way through the halls at a leisurely pace and reached the dining room, saw his parents and three other strangers were kneeling around a polished traditional wooden table they used only for special occasions.
One of the guests, a woman in her mid-20’s, clamped her hands over her mouth and suppressed her fangirl shriek of delight. Ohno Satoshi had walked into the room.
“Satoshi-kun, you’re here, good. This is Inushiki-san, his wife Noriko-san and their daughter Ai-san.” Ohno-senior said. “This is my son Satoshi. Please excuse him for being late.”
Ohno bowed politely but shyly to the old man, his wife and the young woman at the end, who was staring at him and bouncing in her zabuton cushion like she could hardly contain herself.
“Hajimashite…”
“Are, what’s this?” the man named Inushiki asked in surprise. “THE Ohno Satoshi? Arashi’s Ohno Satoshi?”
“Eto… yes sir.” Satoshi murmured.
Chortling, the man exclaimed, “Isn’t that something! You have an idol for a son, Hiroto-san, Saya-san! You never - That is such a surprise, seriously!”
“We’re very proud of him.” Satoshi’s mother beamed.
“Have you had lunch? Why don’t you come eat with us?” Hiroto gestured to his son.
“Shitsure shimasu…” Satoshi deftly seated himself. The only empty spot left had been beside Ai, the daughter. She leaned her chin in her hands, and sighed. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
This Inushiki was the head of the packing company Ohno Hiroto was trying to make a merger or contract (or something or other) with. Inushiki was rich, and forming a good alliance with him would be very benefitial. As the two older men continued discussing their businesses, Ai was in rapture with the celebrity beside her. Satoshi occasionally got this treatment from new female employees of his father’s who were invited to Christmas parties or whatnot, but not lately.
The conversation eventually turned back to business, but not before Inushiki was able to make his dear daughter happy. He knew what a big Arashi fan she was. “You know Ohno-san (He was speaking to the head of the house), we are quite new to this area. I’ve heard that this area is known for its urban gardens. My daughter was particularly eager to see them, in fact.”
Ohno Hiroto took this hint without hesitation. “I bet Satoshi-kun would be more than happy to keep her company. Ne, Satoshi?”
Satoshi’s attention was pulled back to them. He hadn’t really been paying attention. Why were they all looking at him eagerly? “Eh?”
His father spoke steadily, “You’re free for the afternoon, right? Why don’t you show Ai-san around? Doesn’t that sound like a plan?” In other words, there wasn’t an option.
Covering his pout (for he had to leave his plate of noodles half-eaten), Satoshi stood up and led the young woman out the door with hands in his pockets and a slouched posture.
Although he was nervous about a possible scandal - especially just after that close call that Sho had with Kobayashi Mao - Ohno went along with it in his usual good-natured way. He guessed he could put up with it, if it helped the ties between the two businesses. It was for his father’s sake. The girl Ai was a bit ridiculous; she clung to his arm and giggled at every little thing. Ohno continued with half-hearted, uncomfortable laughs and tried to be a decent tour guide. As long as they weren’t photographed or reported, everything would be fine.
“Ahno, this is the water fountain that the district just erected a few months ago. As you can see, it’s… it’s a bird. Pretty, ne? Architecture magazines and such come by to photograph it all the time.”
Ai frowned. “That makes no sense. Birds don’t live in the water, so why would they put it in a fountain…? Why not just stick with a frog?”
“Well, it’s a crane. Cranes do go in the water, ne.” he murmured uncertainly. “Anyways, over here… Grandma Asari is known around here for her beautiful flower garden. She takes great pride in it.”
“Sou ka…” the woman sighed. She was about to die from boredom. Couldn’t her father have suggested they go visit the local theater, something more exciting or romantic? She spotted a little café. “Let’s go there! I want to grab a coffee.”
credit: starsystems
They took a seat on the outdoor patio and sipped at their drinks. Ai leaned in close to him and started shooting question after question. What was it like being in Arashi, working with four other ikemen every single day? Did Sakurai Sho really wear Dolce and Gabbana all the time? Did Matsumoto Jun have a girlfriend?
“I - We don’t really talk about that stuff.” he stammered.
“That’s no fun! Hey - do you think you could introduce me to them?” Ai asked with breathless excitement. “Come on, please? Just take me along with you to work and I’ll just, you know, strike up a conversation with Nino…” She kept up her incredible fantasizing while Ohno got more and more uneasy. What gave her the right to barge into their personal lives? What made her think that they liked such attention? He didn’t, at least. It was wonderful to be approached by fans - nice ones - but otherwise, life was easier to walk around as a normal inconspicuous person.
Something caught Ai’s eye. There were bunches of cameras and lights at the end of the pretty street, and a crew of people hoarding around two eye-catching young females.
Ai gasped. “It’s Katsumi Rina and Manako Maki! Those girls from ToGeiDa!”
Ohno’s head quickly turned to attention. From the looks of it, they were doing a photoshoot. He smiled to himself; what a coincidence that they were so close in the same city.
“Have you met them?” Ai asked with wide eyes. He muttered a vague response, which didn’t matter to her - she dragged him and gathered with the rest of the curious onlookers. She was fascinated by all the cameras and the glamorous looking girls with all the focus on them. “You can get them to talk to us, right, with your connections?”
“I’m sorry, I… can’t…” Ohno mumbled. Why was she asking such things of him?
“Why not~? It’ll be easy!” she whined, trying to tow him through the crowd.
He’d had it, and yanked his arm from her greedy grasp. “No!” he snapped. “Zakkenayo!” It was unexpected, but he really could get pissed when it was for the right reasons. Ohno stalked away with a sour glare on his face. Ai quickly followed him, for she wasn’t going to leave an idol alone, although she was equally irritated with him as he was with her. He marched ahead for quite some time, hoping in vain that she’d finally leave him alone. Whenever Ai sighed loudly (on purpose for him to hear her dissatisfaction), he grit his teeth.
With a final huff, Ai drawled, “Well, this wasn’t exactly how I thought things would turn out…”
“I’m sorry?” Ohno asked impatiently.
“You - you don’t act like an idol at all!”
He gaped at her, clueless as how to respond, for that wasn’t really how he saw himself.
She marveled at him. Wasn’t he an idol? Didn’t millions of girls fawn over him everyday, and he must have had tons of girlfriends, right? Before, she had always told herself that if she ever met a super celebrity, that all that followed would be like a fairytale, perhaps involving a dramatic confession, a big media frenzy… but she was utterly disappointed. After all this time as an idol, he still hadn’t learned how to be suave? She wasn’t swept off her feet at all. He wouldn’t even introduce her to Matsumoto Jun.
Ohno came to appreciate even more, how Rina liked him for who he was, with his high-profile status or not. Rina was beautiful on the inside, as well as the outside.
Meanwhile, Rina was being photographed for ViVi magazine along with her “co-star” Manako. Previous covers she’d been contracted for were nicola, Seventeen, and then CanCam. Coincidence or not, Izumi Akira was the guest photographer for this issue. Apparently his internship opportunities were now quite numerous and affluent since graduation. With each photoshoot Rina did, the settings became slightly more mature and hip. This must have meant that she was moving up, “in-demand” wise. For this ViVi spread, Rina and Manako were wearing the latest trends for spring and portraying two hip city girls relaxing on the weekend. Even though the two were rivals in piano, they crossed paths here and there and managed to get along.
At the moment, they were transitioning outfits and hairstyles. A stylist fussed with them as Rina, Manako and Izumi sat to the side for the interview portion. Although he was behind-the-scenes as the photographer, he was included in the exclusive for obvious reasons.
The interviewer jotted down extra notes while their answers were tape recorded.
Manako-san sits in between Izumi-san and Katsumi-san. There seems to be some sort of exciting tension between the latter two.
As can be expected, many of the questions asked were about romance. What type of guys the girls liked, what type of girls Izumi liked (he hinted at someone like Rina and Shizuka combined), their ideal dates and such. The usual.
“If you were to pair each other up with a celebrity, who would you choose and why?”
Rina mused, “Well, I think for Manako-san, someone like maybe Eiji Wentz, from WaT? Someone funny and cute and talented…”
“Ah, good choice.” Manako grinned. “It seems like Katsumi-san would best match with… Arashi’s Sakurai Sho.”
“Eeh?!” Rina exclaimed.
“Reaching high, ne.” Izumi smirked.
“They’re both really smart and sophisticated and rich. I think they’d be a good match, really!”
“Chotto, Manako-san--“ Rina tried to cut in, slightly panicked at the suggestion. Manako wasn’t aware that Sho and Rina were cousins of course, but it was rather awkward.
The interviewer noted down, Katsumi-san seemed very embarrassed when Sakurai-san was mentioned. A celebrity crush, perhaps? Or maybe she doesn’t want this to be said around Izumi-san, ne.
“Well, we’ll see their interactions when we go on VS Arashi tomorrow!” Izumi half-teased.
That same night, the Sakurai house was empty except for a young couple. It was Ohno and Rina’s first “chill/hang out” session, which was kind of exciting in itself because it meant that they liked each other’s company enough to just sit around without anything particular or productive in mind. Rina was cooking a simple chicken dinner and had rented a movie for them to watch.
“Jyan~! This is one of my favorite movies ever.” Rina beamed, presenting the shiny DVD case. “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. It’ll be interesting to watch it in Japanese, ne…”
“Ah, sou…” It didn’t seem like Ohno’s kind of movie, but if she wanted to watch it, whatever.
A strong scent wafted to them; Rina sniffed the air. “Shoot, I forgot about the stuff in the oven!” She ran to the kitchen to see if the food was ruined or not. “Go ahead and start the movie, ne!”
Ohno deftly inserted the disc into the machine, and raised his brow slightly; he wouldn’t have expected it to be like this. He pressed play, and lounged back.
After a few minutes, Rina returned with two plates of food. “Yokatta na, nothing was burnt…” She set the plates down on the coffee table in front of them, and hopped onto the couch beside Ohno.
“Ah, arigatou. It smells good.” he smiled. They tucked into the meal and looked back at the screen. “Umai.”
Rina frowned as she saw the dark, creepy atmosphere on the television. “This isn’t… the movie…” What had happened? Where was the dreamy Matthew McConaughey, and what about the “All is fair in love and war” scenarios?
“They must have accidentally switched the discs at the store.”
“Ma, I guess we can watch this, whatever it is.” she shrugged.
However, as the film went on, she realized that it was a horror movie. It was too late though; her curiosity had snagged. Although she was freaked out, she needed to know what happened next!
They continued watching. Whenever a character went down a corridor they weren’t supposed to, her eyes grew wide. Each time an alien jumped out of nowhere and started eating a space cadet’s brains, Rina jumped and cringed. The intense scenes built up on each other, and with the suspenseful music and the gruesome details, she hid behind a pillow and curled close to Ohno. He, on the other hand, wasn’t really affected at all. At most, he was merely “surprised” once in awhile, otherwise, was utterly calm. He found her fearful reactions cute, held her closer and chuckled to himself.
credit: emosasuchan
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Next chapter will be more eventful... I just thought I should add in more cuteness in between the serious stuff, ne :P