04 - Rehearsal of what?

♥ ♢ THE TRAIN STATION ♢♥


The frantic energy of breakfast finally subsided, leaving behind the clatter of dishes and the lingering scent of miso. As I finished getting my own things ready for university, a sleek, black-tinted van pulled up silently in front of our condo building. It was the kind of vehicle that screamed ‘celebrity inside’, a dark, anonymous bubble meant to ferry my sisters to their world of flashing lights and adoring fans.
Hina and Izuwa were already by the door, shoes on, ready to depart. Izuwa gave me a lazy two-fingered salute, a smirk still playing on her lips from her morning victory. Hina offered a more sincere, gentle smile. "Have a good day at university, Takeshi-kun. We'll see you tonight."

They stepped out, but Ayumi lingered, blocking my path to the door. She stood there, looking up at me with an expectant expression, her hands clasped behind her back.

"What?" I asked, hoisting my backpack onto my shoulder.

She puffed out her cheeks slightly and pointed a delicate finger to her forehead. "A goodbye kiss," she demanded, her tone leaving no room for argument. "For good luck at our rehearsal!"

I sighed, the sound a mix of exasperation and resignation. It was pointless to argue. Leaning down, I gave her a quick, chaste peck on the forehead. Her face immediately broke into a radiant, triumphant grin.

"Yay! See you later, Onii-chan!" she chirped, before skipping out the door and climbing into the waiting van. I watched it pull away from the curb, a temporary reprieve settling over me. Finally, some peace.

With the apartment blissfully silent, I locked the door behind me and began my own, much less glamorous, commute to the train station. The walk was my small pocket of normalcy, a time to decompress before facing the day.

The platform was already bustling with students and commuters. As I found a spot to wait, I couldn't help but overhear the snippets of conversation buzzing around me.

"...I can't believe Mikuyi is coming to our campus!" "I heard they're doing a full rehearsal today for the show tomorrow." "Seriously? We have to go watch! Maybe we can see Ayumi-chan up close!"

I subtly angled myself away, pulling my phone out and pretending to be engrossed in it. My university, I thought with a grimace. Of all the places in Tokyo. The one place I couldn't easily avoid.

Just as I was sinking into my feigned digital world, a soft poke landed between my shoulder blades.

"Been waiting long?"

I turned. Standing behind me was Nami Tanaka, her head tilted in a curious gesture. Nami was, by popular campus consensus, the cutest girl in our faculty. With her bright, expressive eyes and a smile that could disarm a bomb, she was the subject of many a classmate's daydream. We'd become unlikely friends after I’d pulled an all-nighter helping her untangle a disastrously complex coding assignment last year. We’d ended up with the highest marks, and she’d stuck to me like friendly glue ever since.

"Nah, I just got here," I replied, feeling a bit of the tension in my shoulders ease.

"Heard there's a Mikuyi rehearsal at our university today," she said, her voice filled with a light, cheerful energy that was a stark contrast to my internal groaning.

"Yeah, I've heard," I said, gesturing vaguely at the chattering crowd. "Many talks about them in this station."

Her eyes lit up. "Want to watch?"

I gave an immediate, almost reflexive shake of my head. "Nah, I was planning to catch up on some anime during the break." It was a plausible excuse.

Nami's face fell into a small, convincing pout. "But I'm alone," she said, her voice dropping to a softer, more pleading tone. "I really want to watch."

I hesitated. The image of watching anime on my phone warred with the sight of Nami looking genuinely disappointed. Crap.

The train hissed to a stop in front of us, its doors sliding open. "I'll... consider it," I mumbled, conceding defeat. Her brilliant smile returned instantly as we stepped into the crowded carriage and made our way to the university together.

Just as I’d predicted, the scene at the university gate was a controlled chaos. A swarm of students and even some non-students were gathered, craning their necks and buzzing with excitement.

"This must have something to do with that idol group," Nami observed, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, obviously," I muttered, navigating us through the throng. "I wonder what tomorrow will be like. It’ll be even more of a zoo."

We finally escaped into the relative calm of our department building. Inside the classroom, I greeted a few familiar faces with a nod, dropped my bag by a desk near the back, and immediately slumped into the chair. My plan was simple: take a quick nap, then watch anime on my phone. Nami excused herself to go to the washroom, leaving me to my precious moment of solitude.

It didn't last long.

A sudden roar of excitement echoed from the hallway outside. "They're starting!" a voice shouted, followed by the thunder of running feet. "Mikuyi is going on stage! Ayumi-chan is out there!"

I resolutely ignored it, plugging my earphones in and pulling up my favorite show. Not my problem. Not my circus. Not my monkeys.

A hand suddenly clamped down on my arm, yanking an earphone out. "Come on, Takeshi! Let's go!"

I looked up to see Nami, back from the washroom and practically vibrating with urgency. She was already pulling me out of my seat. I glanced around the room. Every single one of our classmates was staring, their mouths slightly agape, watching as the anonymous guy from the back of the class was personally being dragged away by the ever-popular Nami Tanaka.

"Okay, okay!" I relented, stumbling to my feet as she pulled me insistently toward the door.



♥ ♢ THE SURPRISE ♢♥


She led me out into the main campus quad, a large open area that was now packed wall-to-wall with people. A temporary stage had been erected, and on it, bathed in the afternoon sun, were Hina, Izuwa, and Ayumi.

The opening chords of their most popular song blasted from the speakers, and the crowd erupted.

“Kirameku hoshi no you ni…” (Like a glittering star…)

Everyone was singing along, waving their hands, completely lost in the moment. Nami was right there with them, her face alight with pure joy as she sang the lyrics she clearly knew by heart. I just stood there, arms crossed, my face a perfect mask of indifference. A "Duh" face, as Ayumi would call it.

On stage, my sisters were in their element. Hina’s movements were sharp and elegant, Izuwa’s were powerful and edgy, and Ayumi… Ayumi was pure sunshine, her energy infectious as she bounced across the stage, waving and interacting with the students pressed against the barrier.

Then, her eyes scanned the massive crowd. They swept past me once, then snapped back, widening in recognition. A huge, delighted grin spread across her face and she lifted her hand, waving frantically right at me.

I immediately looked away, pretending to examine a particularly interesting cloud in the sky. When I risked a glance back, I saw Ayumi’s wave falter. Her smile tightened, her eyes narrowing slightly as her gaze drifted from my face down to the hand that was still firmly gripping my arm. Her expression shifted from delighted surprise to pure, unadulterated shock. The sunniest member of Mikuyi had just seen her grumpy older brother being led around by a very cute, unknown girl.

Chapter end