Twinkle in the Rain

The next morning, I woke up to find myself still slumped on the couch. First thing I noticed was the sound of heavy rainfall. I peered out the giant window across the room. Instead of the morning rays of dawn, it was grey, gloomy, and thick with rain.

I woke up just because of that? Before, I used to sleep through everything. Storms, construction, overly zealous honking cars—nothing could wake me up. Now, I can wake up from just the tiniest sound, be it a squeak, Nae opening her door, or getting spammed by the girls in the morning.

At least Nae was still asleep, leaning her head on my shoulder. I pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulders. The AC's blasting for some reason. Can't have her getting sick on her first-ever vacation.

Did we really fall asleep like this? How did that even happen? And this blanket…? I don't remember having this before we knocked out.

"Oh, you're up."

I turned my head to see Manager Na sitting at the kitchen counter, flipping through some paperwork.

"Morning," I mumbled through a yawn. "What time is it?"

"Uh... Eight. Looks like waking up at the crack of dawn for the past three months has finally trained you, eh?"

"Guess so." I rubbed my eyes, then tugged at the blanket draped over us. "Where'd this thing come from?"

"I put it on you two last night. Went to rinse my coffee cup, and by that time, you were both passed out cold."

"Huh. Is that so?"

Carefully, I lifted Nae and repositioned her so she was lying comfortably on the couch. Stretching out the stiffness in my shoulders, I made my way to the kitchen and grabbed a cup of water.

"Speaking of which, how the hell did you even get Nae to come here?" I asked.

"Hah. I didn't." He smirked. "Mitsuki did. The other day, she asked if she could fly in a special guest with a VIP pass for the concert. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was your little sister."

"Yeah, and imagine my surprise when I found out she was here. Why'd you even agree to that? She's too young to be traveling alone."

"Alone? Who do you take me for? I had a security detail stationed around her the whole time."

I gave him a long, hard stare. "…You're serious?"

"What? Like you said, can't have a kid flying to another city without protection."

He completely missed the point. I meant she shouldn't have come in the first place. But there's no undoing it now. She's here, so I just have to deal with it.

"So, what's the plan for today?" I asked.

"We just pulled off a huge concert, and you're already looking for more? Take a breath, kid. Work's done for a while. We're staying in Osaka for a few more days, so do whatever the hell you want."

Anything I want, huh? I've never been good at making decisions like that. I don't even know what I'd do in Tokyo, let alone a whole new city like Osaka.

"You got something in mind?" Manager Na asked.

"Nope," I scoffed. "I'll probably just lie in bed for the rest of my pitiful existence."

"Sheesh. At least go out and see the sights. Eat something good, drink a little—hell, maybe even get yourself a girlfriend."

For some reason, my mind immediately filled with memories of the girls, as if my own consciousness was taunting me.

A girlfriend, huh? If I had to choose, who would I—

Wait... What the hell am I even thinking?! They're Sunayomi! Idols! There are probably so many other guys out there who are way more qualified than I am. Whereas I... I'm not good enough for them, and I never will be.

"Girlfriends are expensive," I muttered. "Right now, I need to focus on saving for Nae's education."

"Ah, right. How could I forget? Saint Noa, always putting others before himself."

Before I could reply, my phone buzzed with a notification. I pulled it out, and—of course—it was from the group chat with the girls.

Suzu: "Oi, Yozora! You awake?"

Me: "Just about. Why? What's up?"

Yoko: "We're gonna head to a karaoke bar later tonight. Wanna come with?"

Me: "Karaoke? The day after a concert? Doesn't it get tiring, singing all the time?"

Nabi: "It's more laid back, and we get to relax. So? Are you coming?"

Me: "Do I even have a choice here?"

Mira: "Nope. Consider this an assignment as our assistant."

Yoko: "Oh, and make sure to bring your little sister. I heard from a little birdy that I'm her bias, so I wanna meet her."

They wanna meet Nae...? Of the four of them, only Mira and Nabi have met her. At this point, she's making her rounds with all these famous celebrities based purely on connections. That's the way the world works, I guess.

Me: "Alright, I got it. When are we leaving?"

Suzu: "We're going out for a meet-and-greet event How does six in the evening sound? It's about ten hours from now. Gives us a bit of time to relax before we drink!"

Me: "Sounds good to me."

Nabi: "Yay! I'm excited. See you then, Noa!"

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and sat down next to Nae, who was still fast asleep.

"Hey, Manager Na," I called out. "Sunayomi wants to hit up a karaoke bar tonight. You free to take us?"

"Karaoke?" He raised an eyebrow. "The day after a big concert?"

"Right? That was my reaction too."

He rubbed his chin, thinking. "Hm... We've got a meet-and-greet coming up, and I'm not sure how long that'll take."

"Yeah, they mentioned that. Can't catch a break, huh?"

"Welcome to working for Sunayomi. Worst case, you guys grab a taxi. I'll cover the cost, so don't worry about that."

"Sounds good."

A couple of hours later, Manager Na left to take the girls to their event. I tried to relax—scrolled through my phone, picked up a book, did all the usual things that helped me unwind. But for some reason, I couldn't sit still. My mind kept drifting back to tonight.

Am I seriously looking forward to this? I don't even like singing, and drinking isn't my thing either.

Even as I tried to convince myself otherwise, the truth was obvious. The only thing I was looking forward to... was seeing them.

I planted my hands on my face and let out a long, exhausted groan.

"What's with you?"

Startled, I glanced over to see Nae lying flat on her side, as if she'd been lounging there for hours.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked.

"Long enough to witness you sulking like a guy with absolutely nothing going on in his life. So?"

"It's nothing. On a side note, get ready to go out tonight."

Nae stretched in the weirdest way possible—arms and legs flailing in the air like some kind of possessed marionette.

"I've got no other plans. New city, no homework, no responsibilities. And since I'm basically your baggage, I don't exactly have a choice, do I? Speaking of which, where are we going? Wait..." She suddenly perked up, her expression lighting up with realization. "Are we hanging out with Sunayomi?!"

"Leave it to you to jump to an outrageous conclusion that—unfortunately—happens to be true," I scoffed. "Yeah, we're going to a karaoke bar with them. And, actually, they asked me to bring you along. Specifically... Yoshino Yoko."

She let out the most dramatic gasp known to mankind. "Yoshino Yoko... Yoshino Yoko?! She wants me to tag along?! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh~! My heart... I think I'm gonna pass out again."

And she did—collapsing onto the couch in pure theatrics. But it didn't last long. She popped right back up, bolted for the fridge, and, for no reason at all, chugged an entire water bottle.

"You good?" I asked, watching her with mild concern.

"I’m good!" she shouted. "So good, in fact. You have no idea how good I am!"

"...Uh-huh. Well, try to relax. Can't have you popping a blood vessel before the hangout."

Leaning back on the sofa, I turned my gaze to the rain still flooding the streets outside.

Hopefully, it clears up before seven.