@aussie: oh, very creepy
@Ada: Yeah, but 100 is still a lot
@sapphire: oh, it was meant to be in a evil/creepy way. sorry if i didn't get that across very well, lack of sleep
@kawaii beam: your perception about sayu is EXACTLY right. she rly doesn't care about anybody else
@fallenxangel: Well, TanaKame was shocked by Ai and Risa are both so casual about it so... well, you'll see
@Swtme03: so much pain going on..
@rndmnwierd: your last line made me LOL
@kano-chan: true, it's not a story without angst, huh?
@kurosawa87: maybe~ maybe not~
so I planned/mapped out the entire story, and I made it exactly 100! nice, huh?
I still have
a lot of some angst left, so that's all going right in
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Chapter 82 “So that’s what’s happening this month!” Tsunku exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “Can we work on it right away?”
The producer looked around the blank faces of his staff and idols. He cleared his throat once, and nobody seemed to come back down to earth. He cleared his throat louder and banged the table with a fist. Everybody jumped and turned their attention back to the head man.
“Did everybody hear what I just said?” Tsunku questioned. “I’m talking about future plans for High-Queen; this is important stuff!”
“We heard everything,” Ai yawned. “Our next single is going to have two couplings: Reina’s solo and my solo.”
“We’re having a special performance hour on Song Fighter for Christmas,” Reina continued, “where we’ll perform all three songs.”
“I’m supposed to have a meeting with High-Queen to pick out the single and the couplings,” Risa said.
“And right after that, I’ll design something appropriate for the special live event,” Eri jumped in. “Tsunku-san, we all heard you.”
“… Well,” the flabbergasted producer said, “I guess you all
were listening. Amazing how some people can look so out of it yet be so into it… Ah well, if you heard me, that’s good. Any ideas for the single, Niigaki-san?”
“Actually, there’s something that I saw before in her notebook,” Ai interrupted. “May I suggest something, Risa?”
“By all means,” the bean smiled.
“‘Shouganai Yume Oibito’,” the leader said. “I think that should be our next single.” Risa smile dropped.
“‘Helpless Dream Chaser’, huh?” the producer mumbled. “It sounds interesting. What do you think, Niigaki-san? Is there a chance it’ll be a hit?”
“… I don’t know—”
“It’s definitely a guaranteed charter,” Ai jumped in. “I’ve seen it, and it’s amazing. Give it a chance, Tsunku-san.”
“Have you seen it, Tanaka?”
“You don’t need my opinion,” Reina said in a low voice. “This is Ai— your top performer— telling you that it’s going to be a definite hit.”
“I don’t think it’s that definite—” Risa started.
“Well, if both girls think it’s good material…” Tsunku mumbled.
“But if the song writer herself doesn’t think it’s the right choice…” Eri started, trying to rescue her friend.
“It’s that song plus our talent,” Ai said boldly. “I believe Risa has what it takes to make it sound good… and I can make it sound better.”
“This isn’t just about you, Ai,” Eri growled. “This is also about your partner—”
“I can make it sound better too,” Reina cut her girlfriend off, receiving a glare in return. “I’m with Ai in this one.”
“Well, I certainly have faith in High-Queen’s talent as well as yours, Niigaki-san,” Tsunku said. “And if the singers really feel for this song, I believe we should go with it.”
“… Okay,” Risa sighed. “I’ll work on the instrumental, then.”
“Good, we want to start recording in a week,” the producer decided. He turned to his performers. “I want you two to get the score from Niigaki-san and practice, understand?”
“Yes,” the idols answered in unison.
“Okay, meeting over.”
Tsunku walked out of the room. All four girls gathered their own bags and belongings and followed the producer out. The elevator dinged as soon as Risa pressed the button. She and the older singer walked in but Eri pulled Reina out.
“I forgot something back in the room,” she said. “Wait for me downstairs, Risa-chan, and give Ai the score.”
“Okay.”
“I’m going ahead, Reina,” Ai said.
The elevator door closed and the yankii turned to walk down the hallway again. But the turtle grabbed her arm and spun her around, glaring. Reina caught on in an instant: Eri didn’t leave anything behind in the meeting room.
“Why did you do that?” Eri whispered furiously.
“Do what?”
“What you just did back there!” the older girl growled. “Risa-chan obviously didn’t want to give you guys that song. Why did you side with Ai?”
“I believe my leader makes right choices when it comes to important matter,” the yankii whispered back.
“But you didn’t have to agree with her anyway!” Eri yelled in a hushed tone. “And I don’t even know why Ai was being so stubborn back there; I know they just broke up but that was low to corner Risa like that by getting Tsunku-san’s interest!”
“Hey, don’t talk about Ai like that!” Reina said, her tone a little less than friendly now. “She’s not the type to get that kind of petty revenge just because she lost her girlfriend.”
“…I know that,” Eri sighed, sounding sad rather than angry. “That’s why I’m worried for them. Risa just came home that day and told me so cheerfully that they broke up. And she even cut her hair… She never told me the exact reason either. But personally, I think it’s because she feels guilty about Sayumi.”
“Well, I’m glad you think that way because that’s what I was thinking too,” Reina sighed. “No offense, but your cousin can be…”
“Bratty? Immature? Unreasonable?” Eri suggested.
“Something like that,” the yankii grumbled. She actually hadn’t been thinking of an exact adjective; there was just something off about her to Reina. Basically, she just didn’t like her.
“I hate seeing Risa like this,” Eri whined. “I wish there was just something I could do for them…”
“Hey, neither of them are kids, okay?” Reina comforted. “They can sort out their own problems. All we have to do is stand by in the sidelines and be there for them when they need us.”
“I guess you’re right…” Eri nodded. “
Risa… Sayumi… They’re all so important to me…”
** ** **
Risa dropped her bag to the elevator floor and took out a booklet. On the cover was the title of High-Queen’s next single. She straightened her back and handed the leader the score.
“This is it,” Risa said, casually.
“You just carry it around?” Ai asked, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s… an important song,” Risa said. “I actually have everything made already… even a demo of the instrumental.”
“I guess we can work fast on this then,” Ai smiled.
She lowered her bag on her shoulders and unzipped it to put the score away. Risa swung her own purse back up to her shoulders, but knocked the singer’s bag to the floor in the process, scattering everything around.
“I’m so sorry!” Risa apologized, bending down to gather up the spilled belongings.
“It’s fine,” Ai laughed, bending down. “You can leave it.”
“No, it’s my fault, I was careless,” the bean said, dumping the things she gathered back into the singer’s bag.
“Thank you, Risa,” the idol said, straightening her back. “By the way, you look good with the short hair. It suits you.”
“Thanks,” the younger girl grinned. “And you always look good.”
“Make-up,” Ai joked. “It does wonders.”
Risa laughed at the older girl’s remark. The elevator dinged, indicating that they had reached the ground floor. The two girls walked out and faced each other again.
“Well, I’m heading home,” Ai said. “I’ll see you next time.”
“Un, see you.”
The singer turned around and walked towards the exit. Risa watched her get further and further away as her smile disappeared from her lips. She thought about how casually they had just spoken for the whole day. It seemed as though they had no special relationship at all in the first place. But Risa knew that they both still held the pain of lost love inside.
“
Her back looks so lonely,” she thought. “
I wonder how lonely I look right now…”
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I'm depressing everybody, huh?
Topic: Kokoro no Uta ~Mainly TakaGaki, TanaKame~ [COMPLETE - EXTRA: Ch. 101 - (12/1)] (Read 242090 times)