AAAAAH! I'M IN THE HOME STRETCH! 17-II is almost done! Even though I spent all day yesterday avoiding it by watching old Utaban eps ("III NAAAAAA~~~~!")
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16-II
For lack of a better location, I invited Ai and Gaki to my apartment to discuss things. Only a handful of people have come over to my place before because the reactions were always really annoying.
"YOUR APARTMENT IS SO CUTE!" Risa squealed as I shut the door behind the 5th gen pair.
"I'm just too lazy to buy new things," I replied honestly. I groaned as Takahashi wandered into my kitchen to stare at my microwave.
"I didn't even know they made a Hello! Kitty microwave," she mused.
"NO WAY!" the reaction queen exclaimed, running over to look. Man, I have GOT to go shopping for new stuff. This is why I always want to stay over at your apartment. We should just move in together so I can donate my crap to some disadvantaged youth - like one of those Eggs or something. If it wasn't for my dogs, I'd never want to come home.
"Ok, uh, so if we could leave the coordinated appliances of my youth and..." I trailed off as their attention had been diverted to my refrigerator. "Uh, guys?"
"Fujimoto, you're kinda scary," Risa muttered.
"What!?" I protested. "Why?" She turned to me incredulously.
"Your refrigerator is completely covered with pictures of Yoshizawa."
"So? I'm in most of them."
"...I can't even tell what color it is," Ai sounded dazed.
"Wait! Some of these are official photos from the store! You went and bought your own photos!?" Risa exclaimed.
"Oh, whatever, Miss I-own-my-trading-cards," I retorted. I spied Ai taking a photo down. "HEY! Those are delicately balanced!"
"Why do you have a Mr. Moonlight photo?" she replied.
"The first time I saw her again was right before that video shoot," I replied, smiling at the memory.
"'Again'?" Risa repeated.
"Besides," I continued, ignoring her. "She looked freaking hot." Risa burst out laughing.
"You don't need to tell Ai that, huh?" she elbowed her friend in the ribs. Takahashi flushed and hurriedly put the photo back. I raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing," Ai said quickly. "So, why did you call us over here?" I sighed and leaned back against the counter. I wasn't sure how much to tell them.
"Well..." I trailed off, at a loss for words. I glanced over at my fridge, my gaze falling on a purikura sticker of you exaggeratedly kissing my cheek. "I'm leaving Morning Musume."
"WHAT!?" they exclaimed in unison.
"They've decided on your graduation already?" Ai asked, looking a bit panicked. I shook my head.
"No, I mean... I'm..." I stared at the photo I took of you and Koharu asleep against one another on the way to an on-location Hello! Morning taping. "I don't know how much detail I should give you. I don't think Yossi would want me to freak you two out, but... basically, I can't stay in the group any longer. I'm going to force them to fire me."
"Fujimoto, we're all adults here," Risa replied. "Just tell us what's going on." I shrugged.
"Ok. Upper management is graduating Yoshizawa and packing my schedule to the brim in order to break the two of us up and have threatened me with legal action if I quit." I looked at the duo, expecting a big reaction. Risa was just nodding and Ai was looking at the fridge. "Uh... 'USO'?"
"We already know about that stuff," Ai said quietly. My eyes widened.
"Don't tell me! You two are - !"
"No no no no no!" Risa protested quickly. "Makoto told us!"
"That girl gets around," I muttered.
"Yeah, no kidding," Risa laughed. "I didn't think you knew about that!"
"About what?"
"...nothing."
"Let's just say that Makoto can be surprisingly persuasive about certain things," Ai said uncomfortably.
"So! You and Yoshizawa are leaving together?" Risa asked, trying to get us back on topic.
"NO! You cannot tell Yossi. She'll just try and stop me."
"You haven't told her?" Ai asked incredulously. I shook my head.
"Why are you telling us then?" Risa asked.
"Because, you two are taking the brunt of this. If I succeed, Ai will be the new leader and Risa, you'll be the new subleader. And... maybe Yocchan will be a little more forgiving about it if she knows I was at least this responsible about it." Risa gazed off into the distance.
"Aah~! You're risking everything to be with her! You're even risking Yoshizawa herself! Aah!! It's so romantic!!!" Risa looked like she might swoon. I rolled my eyes.
"So, do I have your... well, not your permission, because I'm doing it regardless, but your blessing, I guess?" I asked.
"Of course!" a starry-eyed Risa exclaimed. "It's too romantic not to!"
"I guess love really does change people, huh?" Ai mused, staring again at my fridge.
"W-w-who said anything about love!?" I sputtered. Risa and Ai exchanged a look.
"Riiiight," Risa said slowly. I glared at her.
"I do have a question," Ai spoke up.
"What?"
"Well, you do seem to have quite the extensive Hello! Kitty collection here - "
"It's from when I was a teenager!" I complained. "I'm just too lazy to go out and buy new stuff!"
"And, I mean," Ai continued unfazed. "...Do you even have that Hello! Kitty vibrator?" Risa burst into giggles.
"Ok, Nice Miki time over. Get the hell out of my apartment, you brats."
On the night of your graduation, I really thought my head was going to explode. Every time I caught a glimpse of anxiety in your eyes, I wanted to blurt out the entire plan. Every time I caught a glimpse of affection in your eyes, I wanted to blurt out my feelings.
Right before your last concert, we followed the usual protocol. Hamming it up with antics for the camera, halfassedly rehearsing dance moves, and, of course, our power-up talk before the concert. Not the stupid one that always gets taped, of course, but the one you ingeniously would always hold in the bathrooms where the cameras couldn't follow us.
"Ok!" You announced when we were all squeezed in and had locked the outer door. "It's the last concert and I - Koharu, you BETTER not be crying over there!"
"I'm not!" Koharu sniffled.
"Good," you replied, trying to hide a smile. "Now, I think some of you thought I was joking, but I seriously do not want you all bawling like someone just shot your puppy, got it?"
"I won't cry!" Reina declared smugly. I rolled my eyes. She'd be bawling for sure.
"You know I can't promise that," Ai replied quietly. She met my eye and quickly looked away.
"Ok, well, at the very least, don't try to make me cry." The other girls nodded. "And that goes double for you," you added, poking my forehead with your index finger.
"I wouldn't dream of it," I replied. "Here, if you think you're gonna start crying, just..." I looked around at the wide-eyed innocents starring at me and whispered the end of my thought in your ear. Your eyes widened and your cheeks flushed a bit.
"ON STAGE, MIKI!?" you exclaimed, starting to laugh. The other girls shook their heads.
"Wait, what?" Koharu asked, looking around. "I don't get iiiit!"
"I'll explain it to you later," Aika sighed, patting the older member on the shoulder.
"OK!" you said a bit too loudly. "Are we ready to rumble? Anyone have anything they'd like to say first?"
"I'm going to miss you and Fujimo...." I glared at the speaking Niigaki. "And Fujimoto looks stupid doing the Shanimuni dance."
"So do you, Gaki. Everyone looks retarded doing that dance," you replied honestly. "Any other revelations?"
"I'm going to randomly violate you in the middle of The Peace!" I stated bluntly.
"Ok, but that means you can't grab my ass during Mirai no Taiyou," you said calmly. I made a face. "All right, then! You all ready?"
"YEAH!" we all yelled. You snickered.
"If anyone was walking by the bathroom, they must be really disturbed right about now," you snickered, leading us out the door.
I remember standing backstage with Niigaki and watching your solo performance on the TV. The other girls were too sad to watch, but I couldn't look away. You looked so beautiful and sincere in your every movement.
"Oh, no, she's going to lose it," Risa groaned when you came out and shakily looked over the crowd. As the intro started, you closed your eyes.
"She'll be fine," I replied with a smirk. Sure enough, you started grinning like an idiot and started singing. Risa looked suspiciously from me to the monitor and back again.
"What exactly did you say to her?"
"I told her that if she thought she was going to start crying to shut her eyes and picture me standing there naked," I replied distractedly as I watched you on the small screen. Niigaki just shook her head.
"I really am going to miss you," she said with a grin.
"Yeah, I am pretty damn awesome."
We spent the night together in the hotel. That was almost a month ago. It's the last time I've really seen you.
You thanked me for staying cheerful throughout the concert. I never told you that I almost started crying during I WISH. I wonder if you'll notice it on the DVD when it comes out.
I met up with Tomoharu a few days later. He's a nice guy and really is rather funny, but the entire event was awkward.
On our way back to his house, I spotted the telephoto lens sticking out from behind a bush. I instinctively pulled your hat down a bit lower to cover my face and prayed to whomever would listen that this would turn out okay.
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Topic: memoir [The End - 08/15] (Read 102000 times)