Chapter 4: Favour in Progress (Part 2)
Title: The Mister Mask
Author: YINGxsquare
Pairing: Ryosuke/OC (currently)
Hidden Pairing: Yes
Appearance of other members: HSJ
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fluff, Gender Bender, Mild Angst, Romance, Slight Comedy(?)
Disclaimer: Only the plot and OCs are mine, others belong to Johnny.
Summary: A girl was forced to change her identity and gender due to her family problem. On the other hand, Chinen Yuuri of the famous boy band 'Hey! Say! JUMP' injured himself in one of their rehearsals for the upcoming winter concert. A temporary replacement was found to replace him. Will the other members, especially his good friend - Yamada Ryosuke, be able to accept the fact about his injury and the new member? And who exactly is this mysterious replacer with an unknown past?
Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3
Ryoko opened her eyes slowly and looked around the room. She tried to sit up but was pushed back by a stronger force.
"You need to rest."
Turning her head to the right, she saw Yuusuke staring back at her.
"Yuusuke-kun? Where am I?" she mumbled softly while her eyes were darting around, trying to figure out the place.
"You're in your room. I had brought you home," Yuusuke answered, leaning his back against the backrest of the chair.
Ryoko nodded and let out a heavy sigh.
"Since you’re awake, why not tell me what had happened exactly?" Yuusuke asked.
Ryoko took in a deep breath and told him the whole incident. After she had finished, Yuusuke let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his temples.
"That kid is getting out of hand," Yuusuke said with a frown and looked at Ryoko who was lying on the bed.
"He even tortured you!"
Despite her whole body throbbing in pain, she tried to sit up and leaned her back against the bed frame.
"He has his reasons," Ryoko said and Yuusuke immediately looked up at her.
"Reasons? What reasons? To torture you?!" Yuusuke raised his voice and Ryoko cringed.
Since the day she met Yuusuke, she has never once hear him raise his voice. Yuusuke seemed to notice it and sighed.
"I’m sorry. I was too preoccupied with what Yamada-kun did to you," he apologized and she shook her head.
"It’s okay. Actually, Yamada-kun is suffering inside too. Alone by himself."
The last word caught Yuusuke’s attention. Ryosuke shouldn't be suffering alone. All the members were upset over the whole thing as well.
"What do you mean by alone?" he asked, looking at her with a slight frown.
"After Chinen-kun and Yamada-kun showed me the dance moves, I realized that not only they had many paired-up dance moves, their bonds were extremely good too," she said with a paused to look up at Yuusuke and continued, "So after Chinen-kun had fractured his arm, Yamada-kun had lost a dance partner. It's not just physically but mentally too."
Yuusuke tried to digest her words.
"Bu-"
"I can be Yamada-kun's new dance partner, but the feeling is just not there. It's a totally different feeling with Chinen-kun. I guess that's why he's treating me this way. He's trying to find that similar feeling again," Ryoko ended and Yuusuke was nodding his head while continuing to digesting her words.
"However still, that kid really is...." Yuusuke sighed and shook his head.
"Inoo-kun and others had asked me to bring the old Yamada-kun back," Ryoko said suddenly, looking at her fingers.
"Then what did you say?" Yuusuke asked eagerly though he was pretty sure that Ryoko would agree.
"At first I didn't want to help them, demo after I saw the sincerity in Chinen-kun's eyes, I decided to help out," Ryoko replied and Yuusuke gave her a big hug.
"Ouch!" she groaned and Yuusuke immediately released the hug.
“Ah, I’m sorry! But I was really happy that you've agreed to help them! I knew you won't refuse it!" Yuusuke said happily as he stood up from the chair.
Ryoko clicked her tongue and glared at him. He laughed at her expression and headed towards the door.
"Dinner will be up in two minutes!" he said with a grin and closed the door.
"Baka," Ryoko muttered with a smile.
But what should I do to make Yamada-kun realize that Chinen-kun will still be with us even though he isn't his dance partner anymore?
She let out a heavy sigh and ruffled her hair in annoyance.
----------------------------------------------------------
For the next few days, Ryosuke and Yuuri were still coaching Ryoko. Somehow after that incident, Ryosuke became more lenient towards Ryoko and only stopped her occasionally. However, he began to talk lesser and lesser to the other members which made them really worried.
It was another day of practicing for their winter concert and the members were having their break. Ryosuke was sitting alone at a corner of the practice room with his earpiece stuck in his ears.
"Mou, when is Yama-chan going to stop all these? It has already been two weeks!" Yuto complained as he popped another candy into his mouth.
The other members nodded in agreement and sighed.
"Ah, Ryo-chan, have you thought of a way to bring the old Yama-chan back?" Kei asked and all the members shifted their gaze to her.
Ryoko shrugged her shoulders and let out a sigh. Their faces fell and looked away.
"The old bubbly Yama-chan isn't coming back anymore," Hikaru sighed and slouched on the couch.
Ryoko bit her lips as she watched the expression of the members. I can't let this go on. I need to do something soon.
After their practice had ended, the members decided to have dinner together. They wanted to bring Ryosuke in and make him open up to them again.
"Oh, Yama-chan, we're going to have dinner at Shibuya. Do you want to come along?" Kota asked, standing beside the table while holding his bag.
Ryosuke looked up with a face full of unwillingness and shook his head slightly.
"I guess I will-"
"-go," Ryoko answered for him and Ryosuke stared her in shocked.
"Yamada-kun will tag along with us," Ryoko repeated the sentence again and this time round, he glared hard at her.
"When did I-"
Before Ryosuke could complete his sentence, Ryoko stomped her foot on his to shut his mouth. The members were too happy to notice it and started to exit from the door. Then Kota popped his head into the room again.
"We'll be waiting for you guys at the lobby. Be fast!"
And the door slammed shut. Immediately, Ryosuke looked at Ryoko and frowned.
"Stop being a smart alec. When did I say that I will go?" he asked, raising his voice as he slammed his bag against the table with a loud thug and Ryoko smirked.
"So what if I'm a smart alec?" she taunted and looked at him whose frown had gotten deeper.
“I’m just merely trying to mend things up!"
Ryosuke was about to reply when Ryoko looked at the time displayed on her watch and hushed him.
"Let’s go! They're waiting for us!"
With that, she dragged him out of the room despite his protests.
----------------------------------------------------------
"Ittadakimasu!"
The eleven members said in chorus and tucked in. All of them were hungry after hours of practice. Halfway through dinner, some of them started talking.
"I wonder how the concert hall is going to be like," Kei said before slurping his noodles.
"Yeah! In our TENJUMP concert, we had a huge teddy bear ne?" Daiki added, stretching his arms so wide that it almost hit Hikaru and Yuya who were busy slurping their noodles.
"Oi Dai-chan!" Yuya and Hikaru scolded together and smacked Daiki's head lightly.
Ryoko stifled a laugh and continued eating. Then she noticed how quiet Ryosuke was and nudged his arm.
"What do you want?" Ryosuke asked with hint of annoyance.
Ryoko giggled at his expression which made him frowned harder.
"Why are you so quiet? Join in the conversation!" Ryoko hissed softly and Ryosuke looked away.
"I've nothing to talk about," he replied coldly and continued slurping his noodles.
Ryoko glared at him and clicked her tongue.
"Stupid," she said loudly enough for him to hear, expecting a reply from him.
But to her surprise, Ryosuke ignored it and continued to eat his ramen.
An hour later, all of them had finished their meals. After chatting for a while more, they decided to head home since they were also having practice the next day. As they parted their ways at the train station, Ryosuke, Ryoko and Daiki found themselves waiting for the same train. None of them talk and the atmosphere was turning really awkward. Feeling uncomfortable, Ryoko decided to break the silence.
"I didn't know Yamada-kun and Daiki-kun take the same train as me!" she exclaimed with surprise.
"And now you know. Stupid," Ryosuke rolled his eyes and looked away, ignoring her.
Ryoko clicked her tongue at him. He must have said this as a revenge to get back at me for earlier on.
"Oh, yes! Where does Ryo-chan stays?" Daiki asked politely.
"Well...three stops from this station," she replied.
Within that few seconds, she had sort of compared Ryosuke and Daiki quickly. She came to a conclusion that Daiki was indeed much better than Ryosuke.
I don't understand why Ryosuke has more fans than Daiki. I wonder what that brat has that attracted so many girls.
"I see. So you'll be getting off the train with Yama-chan," Daiki said with a smile and Ryoko's eyes widened. Seriously? This is so unlucky.
"Oh really? Then where does Daiki-kun stays?" she asked.
"Yes. I'll be getting off at the next stop after yours," Daiki replied and the train came soon after his reply.
As they entered the train, they were surprised to find that it was still as packed as peak hours. The three of them managed to squeeze through the crowd and boarded the train. The train door closed and moved on to the next station.
Feeling something warm tickling her face, she looked up to see Daiki's face so close-up. Their eyes met and the both of them looked away almost immediately in embarrassment.
"I’m sorry, Ryo-chan but the train is just too full," Daiki apologized as he tried to move back further but to no avail.
It was extremely packed.
"Oh, no, it’s okay," Ryoko said and shook her head.
She looked down and felt heat creeping up her cheeks. Her heart was also pounding faster against her ribcage. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe slowly.
Ryoko, what are you thinking! You're a guy now! Stop blushing unconsciously!
Ryosuke, who was standing beside them, was staring at Ryoko weirdly. Although he had stuck both earpieces into his ears, he was still alert about his surroundings and he happened to overhear their conversation. He watched as she shook her head lightly and her face was somehow red.
"What's wrong with that guy?" he thought and shifted his gaze from Ryoko to Daiki before zooming out his view.
Then his eyes widened.
"No way! Don't tell me that he likes Dai-chan?!"
----------------------------------------------------------
The next day, Ryoko told Yuusuke that she would be taking the train to the Jimusho and to her dismay, she was running late.
"Shit! I should have asked Yuusuke-kun to drive me there instead! I'm going to be late!" she cursed under her breath as she ran towards the train station.
The moment she reached the platform, she saw the train doors closing.
"Wa-wait!" she shouted but the doors just continued closing and finally, the train moved on to the next station.
"Ah, damn it!" she muttered angrily and ruffled her hair lightly in frustration.
"Oh, you're late too. What a coincidence."
She raised her eyebrows at the voice. That voice!
Immediately, she spun around and her eyes widened at the source of the voice.
"Ya-yamada-kun!" she blurted out loudly and Ryosuke literally face-palmed himself.
He stood from the seat and dragged Ryoko to his side.
"Shhhhh! Are you trying to expose me in the public?!" he hissed and glared at her through his shades.
Ryoko looked at him from head to toe. He was wearing a black coat with a muffler and a pair of shades. Then it hit her. He was in disguised!
"Oh my! I’m sorry!" Ryoko apologized and Ryosuke rolled his eyes.
"Stupid. Forget it. Save your energy for the practice later," he said and she shot him a glare.
For the next minute, none of them talked. Silence quickly filled up the atmosphere between them and Ryoko eyed him through the corner of her eyes. He was listening to songs via his iPod.
Maybe I should take this chance to talk to him about it.
Taking in a deep breath, she started talking.
"Erm, Yamada-kun?" she called softly and Ryosuke looked at her.
"What?" he asked, taking away one side of his earpiece.
"Are you still upset over Chinen-kun's incident?" she asked and felt him cringed.
Ryosuke looked away promptly.
"It's none of your business. Just get yourself to familiarize with those moves," he snapped and was about to put back his earpiece when Ryoko stopped him.
"It's my business too," she argued but Ryosuke still refused to look at her.
"I'm the one who replaces him. I'm replacing Chinen-kun."
The last sentence caught his attention and he turned around to look at her in the eyes. He sighed and Ryoko released her grip on his wrist.
"You're annoying. Fine, I'll tell you," Ryosuke clicked his tongue and Ryoko grinned.
"If I say that I'm not upset over it, I'd be lying to you," he answered.
Ryoko's eyes widened at first then her gaze softened.
"I knew it," she whispered softly but loud enough for Ryosuke to hear.
"What?" Ryosuke blurted out.
Ryoko looked up and stared at the buildings opposite the train station.
"From your actions, I knew that you still haven't got over it yet. You're suffering inside," she said without looking at Ryosuke.
"What are you talking about? Why am I suffering inside?" he scoffed and Ryoko smiled.
She knew that he would say that. Turning around, she locked their gaze.
"You know what I'm talking about," she said while pointing at the part where his heart was located at and continued, "Put your hand against your heart and tell yourself honestly whether you're really suffering. You can't lie to yourself."
Hearing that, Ryosuke broke their gaze and looked away.
"From the way you taught me the dance moves, I know you're trying to find the similar feeling you have when you were dancing with Chinen-kun last time," she said and swung her legs lightly.
“Only you’re able to overcome this mentally and physically. The others can only try to talk sense into you."
Ryosuke stared at her and at the same time, Ryoko turned around to look at him as well.
"The other members truly do care about you and even asked me to bring back their old Yamada-kun. I'm only doing this because they were really worried, especially Chinen-kun. He was blaming himself for the cause of your current attitude," she paused and stopped swinging her legs.
"All you need to remember is that no matter what, Chinen-kun will always be with us. He will never leave just because he isn't able to perform on the stage. Just keep that in mind."
Before Ryosuke could say anything, the train finally arrived. Ryoko smiled at him and got up from the seat.
"Let’s go! Or else, we're going to be really late!" she said and walked towards the train door.
Ryosuke stood up and followed behind her.
"That guy...he's really mysterious."
Next Chapter
A/N: Update again! Somehow I'm really slow in updating this fic because it's draining away my brain juices /cries But I'll try to update as soon as I can! Comments are extremely and definitely welcome! :D
Author: YINGxsquare
Pairing: Ryosuke/OC (currently)
Hidden Pairing: Yes
Appearance of other members: HSJ
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fluff, Gender Bender, Mild Angst, Romance, Slight Comedy(?)
Disclaimer: Only the plot and OCs are mine, others belong to Johnny.
Summary: A girl was forced to change her identity and gender due to her family problem. On the other hand, Chinen Yuuri of the famous boy band 'Hey! Say! JUMP' injured himself in one of their rehearsals for the upcoming winter concert. A temporary replacement was found to replace him. Will the other members, especially his good friend - Yamada Ryosuke, be able to accept the fact about his injury and the new member? And who exactly is this mysterious replacer with an unknown past?
Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3
Ryoko opened her eyes slowly and looked around the room. She tried to sit up but was pushed back by a stronger force.
"You need to rest."
Turning her head to the right, she saw Yuusuke staring back at her.
"Yuusuke-kun? Where am I?" she mumbled softly while her eyes were darting around, trying to figure out the place.
"You're in your room. I had brought you home," Yuusuke answered, leaning his back against the backrest of the chair.
Ryoko nodded and let out a heavy sigh.
"Since you’re awake, why not tell me what had happened exactly?" Yuusuke asked.
Ryoko took in a deep breath and told him the whole incident. After she had finished, Yuusuke let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his temples.
"That kid is getting out of hand," Yuusuke said with a frown and looked at Ryoko who was lying on the bed.
"He even tortured you!"
Despite her whole body throbbing in pain, she tried to sit up and leaned her back against the bed frame.
"He has his reasons," Ryoko said and Yuusuke immediately looked up at her.
"Reasons? What reasons? To torture you?!" Yuusuke raised his voice and Ryoko cringed.
Since the day she met Yuusuke, she has never once hear him raise his voice. Yuusuke seemed to notice it and sighed.
"I’m sorry. I was too preoccupied with what Yamada-kun did to you," he apologized and she shook her head.
"It’s okay. Actually, Yamada-kun is suffering inside too. Alone by himself."
The last word caught Yuusuke’s attention. Ryosuke shouldn't be suffering alone. All the members were upset over the whole thing as well.
"What do you mean by alone?" he asked, looking at her with a slight frown.
"After Chinen-kun and Yamada-kun showed me the dance moves, I realized that not only they had many paired-up dance moves, their bonds were extremely good too," she said with a paused to look up at Yuusuke and continued, "So after Chinen-kun had fractured his arm, Yamada-kun had lost a dance partner. It's not just physically but mentally too."
Yuusuke tried to digest her words.
"Bu-"
"I can be Yamada-kun's new dance partner, but the feeling is just not there. It's a totally different feeling with Chinen-kun. I guess that's why he's treating me this way. He's trying to find that similar feeling again," Ryoko ended and Yuusuke was nodding his head while continuing to digesting her words.
"However still, that kid really is...." Yuusuke sighed and shook his head.
"Inoo-kun and others had asked me to bring the old Yamada-kun back," Ryoko said suddenly, looking at her fingers.
"Then what did you say?" Yuusuke asked eagerly though he was pretty sure that Ryoko would agree.
"At first I didn't want to help them, demo after I saw the sincerity in Chinen-kun's eyes, I decided to help out," Ryoko replied and Yuusuke gave her a big hug.
"Ouch!" she groaned and Yuusuke immediately released the hug.
“Ah, I’m sorry! But I was really happy that you've agreed to help them! I knew you won't refuse it!" Yuusuke said happily as he stood up from the chair.
Ryoko clicked her tongue and glared at him. He laughed at her expression and headed towards the door.
"Dinner will be up in two minutes!" he said with a grin and closed the door.
"Baka," Ryoko muttered with a smile.
But what should I do to make Yamada-kun realize that Chinen-kun will still be with us even though he isn't his dance partner anymore?
She let out a heavy sigh and ruffled her hair in annoyance.
----------------------------------------------------------
For the next few days, Ryosuke and Yuuri were still coaching Ryoko. Somehow after that incident, Ryosuke became more lenient towards Ryoko and only stopped her occasionally. However, he began to talk lesser and lesser to the other members which made them really worried.
It was another day of practicing for their winter concert and the members were having their break. Ryosuke was sitting alone at a corner of the practice room with his earpiece stuck in his ears.
"Mou, when is Yama-chan going to stop all these? It has already been two weeks!" Yuto complained as he popped another candy into his mouth.
The other members nodded in agreement and sighed.
"Ah, Ryo-chan, have you thought of a way to bring the old Yama-chan back?" Kei asked and all the members shifted their gaze to her.
Ryoko shrugged her shoulders and let out a sigh. Their faces fell and looked away.
"The old bubbly Yama-chan isn't coming back anymore," Hikaru sighed and slouched on the couch.
Ryoko bit her lips as she watched the expression of the members. I can't let this go on. I need to do something soon.
After their practice had ended, the members decided to have dinner together. They wanted to bring Ryosuke in and make him open up to them again.
"Oh, Yama-chan, we're going to have dinner at Shibuya. Do you want to come along?" Kota asked, standing beside the table while holding his bag.
Ryosuke looked up with a face full of unwillingness and shook his head slightly.
"I guess I will-"
"-go," Ryoko answered for him and Ryosuke stared her in shocked.
"Yamada-kun will tag along with us," Ryoko repeated the sentence again and this time round, he glared hard at her.
"When did I-"
Before Ryosuke could complete his sentence, Ryoko stomped her foot on his to shut his mouth. The members were too happy to notice it and started to exit from the door. Then Kota popped his head into the room again.
"We'll be waiting for you guys at the lobby. Be fast!"
And the door slammed shut. Immediately, Ryosuke looked at Ryoko and frowned.
"Stop being a smart alec. When did I say that I will go?" he asked, raising his voice as he slammed his bag against the table with a loud thug and Ryoko smirked.
"So what if I'm a smart alec?" she taunted and looked at him whose frown had gotten deeper.
“I’m just merely trying to mend things up!"
Ryosuke was about to reply when Ryoko looked at the time displayed on her watch and hushed him.
"Let’s go! They're waiting for us!"
With that, she dragged him out of the room despite his protests.
----------------------------------------------------------
"Ittadakimasu!"
The eleven members said in chorus and tucked in. All of them were hungry after hours of practice. Halfway through dinner, some of them started talking.
"I wonder how the concert hall is going to be like," Kei said before slurping his noodles.
"Yeah! In our TENJUMP concert, we had a huge teddy bear ne?" Daiki added, stretching his arms so wide that it almost hit Hikaru and Yuya who were busy slurping their noodles.
"Oi Dai-chan!" Yuya and Hikaru scolded together and smacked Daiki's head lightly.
Ryoko stifled a laugh and continued eating. Then she noticed how quiet Ryosuke was and nudged his arm.
"What do you want?" Ryosuke asked with hint of annoyance.
Ryoko giggled at his expression which made him frowned harder.
"Why are you so quiet? Join in the conversation!" Ryoko hissed softly and Ryosuke looked away.
"I've nothing to talk about," he replied coldly and continued slurping his noodles.
Ryoko glared at him and clicked her tongue.
"Stupid," she said loudly enough for him to hear, expecting a reply from him.
But to her surprise, Ryosuke ignored it and continued to eat his ramen.
An hour later, all of them had finished their meals. After chatting for a while more, they decided to head home since they were also having practice the next day. As they parted their ways at the train station, Ryosuke, Ryoko and Daiki found themselves waiting for the same train. None of them talk and the atmosphere was turning really awkward. Feeling uncomfortable, Ryoko decided to break the silence.
"I didn't know Yamada-kun and Daiki-kun take the same train as me!" she exclaimed with surprise.
"And now you know. Stupid," Ryosuke rolled his eyes and looked away, ignoring her.
Ryoko clicked her tongue at him. He must have said this as a revenge to get back at me for earlier on.
"Oh, yes! Where does Ryo-chan stays?" Daiki asked politely.
"Well...three stops from this station," she replied.
Within that few seconds, she had sort of compared Ryosuke and Daiki quickly. She came to a conclusion that Daiki was indeed much better than Ryosuke.
I don't understand why Ryosuke has more fans than Daiki. I wonder what that brat has that attracted so many girls.
"I see. So you'll be getting off the train with Yama-chan," Daiki said with a smile and Ryoko's eyes widened. Seriously? This is so unlucky.
"Oh really? Then where does Daiki-kun stays?" she asked.
"Yes. I'll be getting off at the next stop after yours," Daiki replied and the train came soon after his reply.
As they entered the train, they were surprised to find that it was still as packed as peak hours. The three of them managed to squeeze through the crowd and boarded the train. The train door closed and moved on to the next station.
Feeling something warm tickling her face, she looked up to see Daiki's face so close-up. Their eyes met and the both of them looked away almost immediately in embarrassment.
"I’m sorry, Ryo-chan but the train is just too full," Daiki apologized as he tried to move back further but to no avail.
It was extremely packed.
"Oh, no, it’s okay," Ryoko said and shook her head.
She looked down and felt heat creeping up her cheeks. Her heart was also pounding faster against her ribcage. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe slowly.
Ryoko, what are you thinking! You're a guy now! Stop blushing unconsciously!
Ryosuke, who was standing beside them, was staring at Ryoko weirdly. Although he had stuck both earpieces into his ears, he was still alert about his surroundings and he happened to overhear their conversation. He watched as she shook her head lightly and her face was somehow red.
"What's wrong with that guy?" he thought and shifted his gaze from Ryoko to Daiki before zooming out his view.
Then his eyes widened.
"No way! Don't tell me that he likes Dai-chan?!"
----------------------------------------------------------
The next day, Ryoko told Yuusuke that she would be taking the train to the Jimusho and to her dismay, she was running late.
"Shit! I should have asked Yuusuke-kun to drive me there instead! I'm going to be late!" she cursed under her breath as she ran towards the train station.
The moment she reached the platform, she saw the train doors closing.
"Wa-wait!" she shouted but the doors just continued closing and finally, the train moved on to the next station.
"Ah, damn it!" she muttered angrily and ruffled her hair lightly in frustration.
"Oh, you're late too. What a coincidence."
She raised her eyebrows at the voice. That voice!
Immediately, she spun around and her eyes widened at the source of the voice.
"Ya-yamada-kun!" she blurted out loudly and Ryosuke literally face-palmed himself.
He stood from the seat and dragged Ryoko to his side.
"Shhhhh! Are you trying to expose me in the public?!" he hissed and glared at her through his shades.
Ryoko looked at him from head to toe. He was wearing a black coat with a muffler and a pair of shades. Then it hit her. He was in disguised!
"Oh my! I’m sorry!" Ryoko apologized and Ryosuke rolled his eyes.
"Stupid. Forget it. Save your energy for the practice later," he said and she shot him a glare.
For the next minute, none of them talked. Silence quickly filled up the atmosphere between them and Ryoko eyed him through the corner of her eyes. He was listening to songs via his iPod.
Maybe I should take this chance to talk to him about it.
Taking in a deep breath, she started talking.
"Erm, Yamada-kun?" she called softly and Ryosuke looked at her.
"What?" he asked, taking away one side of his earpiece.
"Are you still upset over Chinen-kun's incident?" she asked and felt him cringed.
Ryosuke looked away promptly.
"It's none of your business. Just get yourself to familiarize with those moves," he snapped and was about to put back his earpiece when Ryoko stopped him.
"It's my business too," she argued but Ryosuke still refused to look at her.
"I'm the one who replaces him. I'm replacing Chinen-kun."
The last sentence caught his attention and he turned around to look at her in the eyes. He sighed and Ryoko released her grip on his wrist.
"You're annoying. Fine, I'll tell you," Ryosuke clicked his tongue and Ryoko grinned.
"If I say that I'm not upset over it, I'd be lying to you," he answered.
Ryoko's eyes widened at first then her gaze softened.
"I knew it," she whispered softly but loud enough for Ryosuke to hear.
"What?" Ryosuke blurted out.
Ryoko looked up and stared at the buildings opposite the train station.
"From your actions, I knew that you still haven't got over it yet. You're suffering inside," she said without looking at Ryosuke.
"What are you talking about? Why am I suffering inside?" he scoffed and Ryoko smiled.
She knew that he would say that. Turning around, she locked their gaze.
"You know what I'm talking about," she said while pointing at the part where his heart was located at and continued, "Put your hand against your heart and tell yourself honestly whether you're really suffering. You can't lie to yourself."
Hearing that, Ryosuke broke their gaze and looked away.
"From the way you taught me the dance moves, I know you're trying to find the similar feeling you have when you were dancing with Chinen-kun last time," she said and swung her legs lightly.
“Only you’re able to overcome this mentally and physically. The others can only try to talk sense into you."
Ryosuke stared at her and at the same time, Ryoko turned around to look at him as well.
"The other members truly do care about you and even asked me to bring back their old Yamada-kun. I'm only doing this because they were really worried, especially Chinen-kun. He was blaming himself for the cause of your current attitude," she paused and stopped swinging her legs.
"All you need to remember is that no matter what, Chinen-kun will always be with us. He will never leave just because he isn't able to perform on the stage. Just keep that in mind."
Before Ryosuke could say anything, the train finally arrived. Ryoko smiled at him and got up from the seat.
"Let’s go! Or else, we're going to be really late!" she said and walked towards the train door.
Ryosuke stood up and followed behind her.
"That guy...he's really mysterious."
Next Chapter
A/N: Update again! Somehow I'm really slow in updating this fic because it's draining away my brain juices /cries But I'll try to update as soon as I can! Comments are extremely and definitely welcome! :D