(The song Reina and Ai are singing is called I'll Be Back by the Beatles. I don't really care for the original song but this cover got to me and finally helped me start the chapter properly
)
Chapter XVIII: Ladykiller"Sit up straight Reina-chan, you keep slouching."
I complied tiredly, only because it was too early to be anything but obedient. Ai had decided it was probably most convenient for us to meet for voice lessons in the morning, before I had to go to work and before she did whatever the hell it was she did. I hated mornings with a fiery passion, but I didn't really know how to say no to Ai, and couldn't think of a better solution anyway. At least, not one that didn't involve us spending our nights together instead and that...
that...
"Are you listening?"
"Yes!" I replied, snapping back to attention at the stern look I was receiving from my leader and blushing slightly in embarrassment. Ai saw right through me though, rolling her eyes as she repeated whatever it was she had been saying before I drifted off into my thoughts.
"You're still singing from here," Ai jabbed me a bit harder than necessary right in the sternum, "You ought to be singing with your whole body, all the way from your toes."
"You can keep sayin' that over and over all you want--it still doesn't make any sense to me," I yawned, rubbing a bit of sleep from my eyes.
Ai stroked her imaginary beard for a moment as if to contemplate what to do with me. I was ready for the lesson to be over; nice as it was to be around the older woman, I hadn't made any sort of breakthrough that morning and my voice was just as tired as the rest of me.
"Stand up," She commanded, and I reluctantly slid off of the stool onto my feet. Ai gestured to the keyboard at the other side of the room with her hands, "Do you need the starting note again?"
I shook my head, scowling a bit. We'd gone over this song so many times that I could have easily sung it in my sleep. Plus it didn't hurt to have decent relative pitch. She smiled at me, moving a bit closer.
"Your pitch and range are perfectly fine, and you have total control over your voice. Tone is... well, something you have to earn, but you're getting there. What you lack..." Ai held me steady with one of her hands behind my back, while the other pressed uncomfortably into my stomach, "...is power."
She was close, so close that it was almost an awkward embrace of sorts. My breath caught and I glanced at her, eyes questioning.
"What are you-"
"Sing." Another quiet order that brooked no arguments. I swallowed hard, still very much aware of her hands on my body. Drawing in a shaky breath, I began.
"You know, if you break my heart I'll go
But I'll be back again
'cause I told you once before goodbye
But I came back again..."As the air left my lungs with every word, she pressed harder against my stomach, until I trailed off into nothing, unable to continue singing. She released her hold when she realized this and I took a gasping breath, feeling more than a bit light-headed.
"What on earth... Was that supposed to do?" I panted, trying to steady myself.
"Show me how lazy you're being," Ai drawled, taking a step back to put some space between us again, "You used every bit of air in your lungs and still I had to be that close to you to hear..."
Irritation washed over me and I glared at her, temporarily forgetting my infatuation and embarrassment and swapping them for indignation. I watched as Ai wandered over towards her keyboard, gracefully taking a seat before filling the room with a gentle melody. It didn't calm me so much as it made me more irritable.
"You know, I find it amusing just how much you remind me of Gaki-san sometimes." She mused over the sound of the music, looking back at me over her shoulder, "At least, all those years ago."
I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I just listened to her play, waiting for her to continue. It was only then that I even realized Risa wasn't around. Surely the girl would have made it a point to be there if she knew I was coming... If only to keep an eye on me and Ai. Of course, it was possible the leader hadn't told the other girl about our arrangement, or had, and Risa decided to ditch the place specifically to avoid me. I still wasn't sure what exactly I'd done to make her so hostile towards me and I sighed as I recalled every cringe-worthy glance that'd been sent my way.
Maybe I... should apologize for making that comment about Ai to her..."But the difference between you two is that you've had this just fall into your lap while she's always had to work very hard to get anywhere." Ai went on, making me bristle at her words, "If you're not going to be serious about this, the two of us are wasting our time here, I'm afraid. You'll be good enough, no doubt, but only just enough."
"I
am trying. But not all of us can be so perfect just like you."
It was a stupid thing to say, another instance of my pride and anger getting the best of me, but my sharp words had cut the older woman before I could even think of taking them back. Her fingers slipped against the keys, a painful yet bitter-sweet dissonance flooding the room.
"Perfect, you say..." She intoned quietly, and I could see her shoulders shaking with what seemed to be strange laughter as she turned back to the keys. I quickly thought up an apology, but Ai had begun to sing before I could speak.
"I love you so, oh
I'm the one who wants you
Yes I'm the one who wants you
You could find better things to do
Than to break my heart again
This time I will try to show that I'm
Not trying to pretend
I thought that you would realize
That if I run away from you
That you would want me to
But I got a big surprise
I want to go, oh
But I hate to leave you
You know I hate to leave you..."Her voice was a slow and melancholy note against the haunting harmonies she drew out with her hands, and I thought her very soul was being bared to me through the lyrics. It moved me deeply, as if her sadness was mine and I had never felt something so terrible and lonely before that I almost thought I could cry right then and there.
"You... If you break my heart I'll go
But I'll be back again..."She finished, leaving the final chord unresolved and hanging in the air between us. Ai sighed deeply, shrugging off some heavy invisible weight that I could not understand and that I hadn't noticed was there until now. Was everyone here so deeply wounded?
Perfect people don't sing like that...I moved forward quietly, lifting a hand to place it on her shoulder, but before I could touch her she turned her head to flash me her ever-charming smile.
"We're done for today, I think. You're going to be late for work if you don't get a move on. Don't forget your interview later tonight."
It was as though the song hadn't even happened. Ai seemed perfectly normal and I could only nod dumbly at her as she turned once again to the keyboard, losing herself in another melody. Confused and feeling more than a little out of place, I grabbed my bag and headed for the door, slipping away after one last look back at her.
When Ai was finally alone, she drew the melody to a close, rising from the bench to grab her phone resting on the coffee table. She flipped the device open, only to be met with the same disappointment she'd encountered all night and this morning: several unread messages from Sayumi, but nothing from Risa. The bunny could wait a bit longer; Ai was still a bit put off by the younger girl canceling their plans to meet last night.
Instead, she dialed the bean's number for likely the tenth time that morning, listening to the phone ring once before the call clicked and cut off. It was a sure sign the bean was ignoring her; Risa was likely answering and hanging up each time. Ai continued to hope for a different response, but it didn't seem as though the younger girl was going to ease up any time soon.
At least the leader knew she was alright if she was getting this sort of treatment. She closed her phone and moved back to the piano, attempting to fill the lonely apartment with the sounds of music instead.
...I hope you'll come home soon.----------
"Koharu-channn~"
Aika happily sing-songed as she skipped up to her best friend, tackling the girl in a hug as best she could. This resulted in the duo crashing to the ground next to the lockers, the older girl's books and papers going up in a flurry of movement. She didn't seem to mind so much, however, simply grinning as she returned the hug.
"Mouuu... I missed you! I've got so much to tell you and- eh? What happened to your face?"
Koharu managed not to flinch as Aika's thumb brushed against the bruise on her cheek, valiantly maintaining her smile. It didn't look half as bad as it had when she'd shown Sayumi, but was still prominent enough that she couldn't completely hide it with makeup.
"Ah, well, you know me..." She replied, grinning and sheepishly scratching the back of her head, "I'm clumsy and that factor sort of multiplies when I'm sick. I fell down the stairs the other day."
"Jeez, be more careful..." Aika scolded, Koharu responding with a cheerful affirmative as the younger girl pulled her to her feet. The two began to gather up the books and papers, chattering about nothing in particular as they started heading towards their first class.
"...So you said you had lots to tell me? Like what? How was the concert?" The older girl questioned, glancing sideways at her friend. She hadn't seen Aika so happy... well, ever, and it was as if the girl was walking on air that day.
"Mm, that's mostly what I wanted to talk about. I sort of... met someone the other day."
"Oh~? Details, please."
And so Aika recounted the weekend's events to her friend, the majority of their conversation carried out via notes passed in class. This did not go unnoticed by Miyabi, who quickly intercepted the duo before lunch with Airi in tow, and the four of them sat down to eat, still continuing the same discussion.
"At least you had the sense to fall for Kamei." Miyabi stated around bites of her sandwich, "She's hot, maybe a little weird, but not as sleazy as Michishige."
"Miya..." Airi scolded, cutting a glance at Koharu, who shook her head.
"No, she's right, I wouldn't let any of my friends date my sister, and it's definitely not for her sake..."
"Takahashi-san wouldn't be so bad, either..." Airi's eyes seemed to glaze over a bit as she spoke, her nearby bandmate mumbling something like, 'Here we go again...' "Or Niigaki-san, but she kind of scares me... that whole ex-con thing..."
"Rei has a thing for Takahashi-san." Aika chimed in, drawing the looks from the other girls at the table, "Well, she won't admit it, but it's obvious to me. They sort of had a date the other day and now Takahashi-san is giving her private voice lessons."
Miyabi smirked knowingly, even as her bandmate adopted a distressed expression.
"So I guess your sister's off-limits then, too?"
"Ew, yes, don't even think about it," Aika replied, making a face as she swiped at the singer, only to miss and be subjected to the older girl's chuckling. Airi slumped in her chair, head falling back as she let out a depressed sigh. Koharu rolled her eyes.
"Don't be dramatic, Airin. It's not like you ever had a chance with Takahashi-san, and besides, you like Maimi-chan, remember?"
"Wh- no! It's not like that! She's just my idol, and, uh, Maimi-chan is..."
The lead singer seemed to be struggling for words while her face got redder and redder, causing her friends to burst out into a fit of laughter.
"Your prince?" Miyabi offered, grinning devilishly as Airi glowered at her from behind her lunch tray. "Knight in shining armor?"
"Actually, she was at the concert, you know." Aika cut in, deciding to try and save the poor girl from more teasing. "She talked about you. Or rather, Captain brought your name up and she got kinda mushy."
Airi sat up straight, eyes wide with excitement, while Miyabi's narrowed slightly.
"Shimizu was there too?"
The older girl was tense, and Aika was more than certain now that something must have happened between her and Saki. Especially with the way that Captain had reacted to hearing Miyabi's name at the concert. It wasn't hate, but there was definitely something negative there. Aika wondered briefly if Koharu knew, as her friend was staying well out of the conversation, and was about to reply to Miyabi when the group was approached by three other girls.
"Hey guys."
Maimi walked up behind Airi, and Aika watched as the color drained from the singer's face. Miyabi's strange mood melted back into mischievous glee, and she seemed to be struggling to keep her mouth shut. The track captain was flanked by Sudo Maasa and Sugaya Risako; they were the only students that Aika ever saw with Maimi on a regular basis besides her adoring fanclub and she assumed they were likely her only real friends. Maasa was a friendly girl with a good sense of humor, but Aika had heard rumors that she also possessed certain triggers that weren't to be touched unless you wanted to spend a week in the hospital. Risako, on the other hand, was a quiet and pretty girl who had some trouble speaking and by choice seemed to avoid it when she could.
They were a strange trio, but then, Aika had been befriending some interesting people herself lately.
"Aika-chan, I just came over to ask if you wouldn't mind giving something to Kamei-san for me?" The runner slipped a sealed envelope across the table to the artist, who took it and looked at it curiously, "Tell her it's for Niigaki-san."
"Sure, but, uh-"
Maimi ignored her, moving slightly so she could catch Airi's eyes.
"You were amazing at the concert," She stated quietly, smiling, "I'll have to come to those more often, I guess."
Airi seemed to melt on the spot, making incoherent noises as the older girl and her friends wandered off, much to Miyabi's delight. As the two squabbled with each other, Koharu leaned over to glance at the envelope in Aika's hands.
"What was that about?"
"I don't know... Eri was acting strange around her too..." Aika replied lowly, "I guess I'll ask her about it when I see her next."
She had been intending to bring up the topic of Maimi anyway, but now with the envelope she had a reason to do so. Something was going on, and young as she was, Aika knew better than to start a relationship with secrets in the background.
"Ah~ tell me all about it, okay? And go back to what you were saying earlier about a kiss!"
----------
When I arrived for my interview later that night, I was quickly ushered into a waiting area of sorts where I was given cards with all the potential questions on them, a bit of coaching, and a few minutes to process everything. But as I sat there, flipping through the cards and very much distracted by the crew members that continued rushing back and forth, I knew I was too overwhelmed for anything to stick. I'd never been to a tv studio before, and so far the impression I was getting was that they were all crazy and hectic, and the sooner that I could get out of there, the better.
I was going over one of the questions for what seemed to be the tenth time when I suddenly felt hands slide onto my shoulders, beginning a gentle massage.
"Mm, you're very tense, Reina-chan~" A husky voice purred into my ear, intensifying the shivers I was getting from her expert touch. The latter was effectively disarming me, at least until I felt a pair of soft lips nibbling at my neck, causing me to shoot out of the chair like a rocket. I fell to the ground in a clumsy heap, staring wide-eyed up at one Michishige Sayumi.
"Wh-what are
you doing here?!" I stammered out, face growing hot under her gaze.
"Oh? I'm here for the interview, same as you," She replied easily, as if I were an idiot for even asking, "Didn't Aichan tell you?"
No... She failed to mention that... I watched as her eyes traveled up my legs towards my disheveled skirt and I quickly adjusted it, managing to glare at her despite my embarrassment. Sayumi smirked, sending another chill down my spine.
"Ah, I'm so very looking forward to getting to know you a bit better tonight..."
Something in her tone told me that she wasn't talking about the interview and I gulped, feeling my throat suddenly go dry. All of my instincts were telling me to get out of there, but I couldn't embarrass the others like that, so I pulled myself together.
You can do this, Reina. Besides, she won't do anything in front of the camera, right? Just get through this and go home, no big deal...The crew were calling for us to get on the set and before I could protest, Sayumi had dragged me to my feet, and I stumbled forward, very nearly planting my face right into her chest. My mind went blank as I hovered there, steadied by her hand on my waist, and she tilted my chin up with the other, dark gaze piercing mine.
"Don't worry Reina-chan, I'll take good care of you."