Chapter 16: Two Years Have Passed

"Time did fly, swiftly, and distinctly. Obviously, new juniors are needed. In order to achieve that, the media club must put up advertisement or such around Izumi Junior High School. The media club is in the brink of extinction, consisting only Aki, Tori and Hiro two years after the critical incident between the media and the drama clubs." - Narrator.

“Kishi-senpai?”

The new students, probably a first year, nodded vigorously. Their sparkling eyes expected an indeed good answer from him. He scratched the back of his head, smirking sheepishly as he wanted to tell them that Kishi has already graduated from Izumi Junior High School.

“He’s no longer a student here,” he said as cheerful as he could. “But, I can’t tell you where his current high school is. It’s his privacy, and I don’t have the right to reveal it to just anyone.”

He took a glimpse of his two best friends meters from his hind. He knew they have been waiting for him to walk together to their classroom. It was a routine the three of them have practiced for the past two years, and now they were already in their third year – Yes, seniors of Izumi Junior High School.

“Can we at least join his club? There must be a few members who have known him, right?” asked the first girl.

“Or, can we know about that one boy?” asked another girl.

“Pardon?”

He could not hide his slight shock. These girls wanted to see who the rumoured boy to have a very good relationship with Kishi beside Ito and Mori. Even though that boy have replaced Kishi for several important roles after Kishi and Ito have departed from Izumi, not many people acknowledged how he actually looked like. To be more precise, that one particular boy was doing good in hiding his identity as Kishi’s close contact.

“The one who said as Kishi’s acting partner,” the girls squeaked in excitement. If they were unable to meet Kishi in person, they could at least confront that boy.

“Uh-huh, I don’t think that’s possible too,” he hesitantly commented, “The boy doesn’t like to be recognise as Kishi-senpai’s partner or such.”

“Ehh?” the girls cried in unison, almost dissatisfied by his rejection. “Why is the reason?”

“Simple,” He swivelled to get to his friends, but then he audibly mumbled, “It’s because he prefers to stay low.”

The girls watched him hopping gleefully towards another two seniors at the hall entrance of Izumi Junior High School. The emerging students were entering the hall for their first assembly held on their first day of middle high school. They were categorised in three large groups according to their years, and the most prominent group was the one on the most right side of the hall. It was the third year group, and they were already loud to be intervened.

“It’s very kind of you,” Tori smirked at Aki, in trivial mock but mainly gratified of Aki’s achievement though he did not make it as fabulous as Kishi. “You treat your fans much better than how Kishi-senpai was though you didn’t get touchy with them.”

“I’ve vowed these hands to hold only my girlfriend dearly,” Aki pumped his fist, as if he was really holding to the promise. “Though it seems like I have still far way to go to get one.”

“You may choose anyone from the first year girls,” Hiro clung his arm around Aki’s shoulder, “I read from manga and usually we, teens, get our first romantic relationship around this age.”

Tori furrowed at Hiro until his brows entangled to each other. “Do you want to have one, Hiro?”

“Not really,” Hiro shrugged, breaking his clinginess on Aki, “I just want to watch how it will look like from my friends’ relationship.”

“You do sound like someone who will snatch that girl away from your friend,” Tori rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Nevertheless, they did get along well. Aki and Tori never thought that they would encounter a very understanding and concern company like Hiro. They were also blessed with a few caring seniors such as Tani, Ono, Mori, and those from drama club Kishi and Ito. They could not ask for more since they have already had the best, including their academic and extracurricular activities.

On Kishi and Ito’s last day as the third year students who were supportive and concern, they have entrusted their remaining club members to take in Aki as one of the main role whenever the club performed a play or join a theatre performance outside the school. The teacher who was assigned as the supervisor even agreed to Kishi’s recommendation because it was Kishi that promoted him in the first place, plus Ito as the former club president encouraged Aki to participate more in the drama club compared to the media club.

“Do you still think Ito-senpai was taking me away from the media club?” Aki pulled a pout. “It has been two years of their departure, hence please do not keep a revenge on them.”

“Why brought this up again?” Tori groaned in displeasure. “We’ve long forgotten that issue already.”

A long sigh escaped from Aki. “I still remember how you guys were so protesting when the drama club president, the one after Ito-senpai, demanded me to join the drama competition.”

“It was because you weren’t their club member to begin with,” Tori grunted in dissatisfaction, “I can’t let you get involved too much into the drama club, or there will be more weird rumours engulfing your credibility.”

In between the congesting students in the hall, they could sense a few pair of eyes were looking at them, somehow predictably. It was Aki who was said as Kishi’s stage partner, becoming the centre of focus by those who pursued Kishi. Tori and Hiro have predicted the possibility that those girls would eventually find out who the mentioned partner was. Judging from their reaction, Tori could say that they were looking down on Aki for not having the same handsome appearance as Kishi.

“They must be shocked because they never know how Aki looks like in the reality,” said Hiro in whispers as he, too, noticed the attention the three of them accidentally gained thanks to Kishi.

Aki heaved a sigh. It was not what he intended to achieve – Popularity was not the aim of his middle school years. Living a very normal life was all he could ask for, despite the fact that he has accidentally involved himself with the charming Kishi and the mysterious Ito. Mori, his former president of the media club, was not as well-known as Kishi, yet his existence did give an impact in Aki’s life.

Again, Aki heaved a sigh of reluctance.

The ringing bell resonated across the building as the lesson for the day has ended gracefully. The similar situation occurred every year on the first day. It was the peak moment of the new students, which was to register into a club for extracurricular activity. They boys would surely book for sport clubs rather than the girls who have set their blazing heart to enrol into Kishi’s heirloom – The drama club.

By then, they would figure out the so-called stage partner of Kishi was actually not a member of the drama club.

“They must have frustrated themselves over the fact that you’re actually a member of the media club,” Hiro giggled at no one, for the crowd of enthralled girls who wish to meet Kishi’s partner face to face. “It’s the same like last year. No one came to this media club because most students declined the idea to create new articles for information boards. Weekly.”

Each of them has settled down in their respective seats. There were less club room user compared to last year, and their number decreased from five members to three. Tani and Ono have also graduated from Izumi Junior High School, and judging from Hiro’s personality, Tani could not believe him and has entrusted Tori instead to find new member for the sake of the club’s longevity.

“Don’t you think we need to reveal Aki’s truest identity to the public, Hiro?”

Listening to his name being mentioned, Aki sprung from his chair. He almost toppled it over, as he was surprised by Tori’s unexpectedly attractive strategy. “No, no, never! Just don’t do that! I beg you!”

“But the club is dying, Aki!” It seemed like Hiro was agreeing to Tori’s brilliant plan, “What if we spread rumours about Aki being the members of the media club, and we should even attach his picture as well.”

“Hiro! You’re supposed to back me up!” Aki wailed in frustration. “My future will be tarnished!”

“Since when do I need to back you up?” Hiro teasingly jeered at the teary Aki. “You’re so soft since you were acknowledged as Kishi-senpai and Ito-senpai as an actor! You’re softer when you were awarded as the best actor in their drama too.”

“Yeah, he’s right,” Tori switched on his laptop on the desk, signing that he would be ignoring any complaints from Aki afterwards, “I never thought you’ll be this soft, Aki. So feeble.”

“Both of you surely have the same brain and mind!” Aki grumbled and stomped his feet on the floor till it quaked a little. “All right, all right! You can do whatever you want to do. I don’t want this club to be dismissed too.”

“Is this club going to be dismissed?”

The sudden interruption by someone they were unfamiliar with somehow successfully startled them to the point that they swivelled their chair. They thought it was a teacher stopping by the club room to pay a visit since the media club, as usual, received the least acceptance among the students. It was actually two new students coming by, and they froze at the doorframe as they saw the panicking seniors before their eyes.

Both of them were identical despite the difference in gender. Definitely they were twins, which piqued Aki, Tori and Hiro’s interest to find out the motive of their arrival there. As the one main guardian of the media club, Tori rose from his seat and made his way to the doorframe.

“Yes, how can I help you?” Tori politely asked. The twins were first year students, estimating from their uniform neatness.

The twins exchanged glances among them before the female twin replied, politely too. “We want to join the media club. We heard that this club has the least members.”

Bull’s eye! It was undeniably true that the media club had only three members, old members to be exact, and if they were not receiving new club members, the school administrator ought to dissolve it so that the budget would flow to other clubs. As an important club who could do publishing, promoting, and simple animation, they would not want it to vanish just like that. Furthermore, there were instruments which they could not just lease it to the school since it was basically the property of the club, not the students’.

“Y- Yes, it’s true,” With a heavy heart, Tori nodded to verify the gossip.

“Please don’t!” the male twin suddenly bowed before Tori. After that, the female twin followed his action.

The scene was noticeably seen by Hiro and Aki from the inside of the room. They were baffled as they did hear someone’s voice during their idly chat, but then no one was inviting the guest in. They both paced towards the doorframe to discover what has taken place.

“These twins wanted to join our club,” Tori monotonously responded, “They don’t want us to dismiss the club.”

“Isn’t that a good news? So we don’t have to dissemble this club and the instrument,” Aki could finally grinned ear to ear as he found a way to not get himself exposed as how Tori and Hiro intended to do just a few minutes ago. He could breathe in relief now.

The female twin straightened her body soon after she detected another voices near Tori. Her ogling eyes and slightly trembling hands depicted her surprise, or more to… an excitement?

“Are you- are you- Are you Aki-san? Aki-senpai?” She muttered in between her stutter. “You’re in this club? I thought you were in the drama club!”

Both Tori and Hiro swiftly shifted at the flustered Aki. The attractive Aki blinked and moved his gaze away from the twins, yet both of them were so inspired to see Aki in person. The male twin even grabbed Aki’s hand and shook them.

“We’ve heard about you as one of Kishi-san’s closest acquaintance!” The male twin claimed as he released Aki’s hand. “But actually, we decided to join the media club so that we will have clues to find you. Never did we predict that you’ll be in this club instead of the drama club!”

“I knew it! Aki-senpai wears extra props and make up all these while!” the female twin declared really loud that her voice echoed across the corridor.

Tori and Hiro quickly dragged them inside the room to have more privacy. Hiro shut the door tightly after ensuring there was no one eavesdropping them, and returned to the desk for an urgent meeting. The twins looked around the club room in gaping mouths and widened eyes, merely because of the plentiful instruments they could have recognised.

“I never thought a media club would have these features!” the male twins literally hopped to the monitors, headphones, boom arms, microphones, and mixer. “

Aki, Tori and Hiro could not stop their furore at all. They were petrified by the presence of the twins. Their similar faces was amusing enough, and added with their peculiar behaviour, it would be a pair of the oddest twins they have encountered in their lives.

“Mind to do some introduction, guys?” Hiro had to change the topic instead of letting the twins going wild. They could barely afford any broken instrument. “What are your names, twins?”

“I’m Maya!” the female twins lifted his hand in the air, proudly exclaiming her name to the baffling seniors before them, “This is my little brother Yuma. We’re twins, as how you look.”

“Yes, we see it too,” Hiro crossed his arm to his chest, a little agitated over the twins’ mysterious personalities. Nothing differed them in term of attitude. “Then, are you sure you’re getting into this club because you like it? It isn’t because of Aki, right?”

“We didn’t know Aki-senpai was here,” the one named Yuma answered earnestly. Yet to Hiro, it felt like they were jeering at him. Thus, he backed off. “Can we know what your names are, senpai?”

Aki gestured a hand to block Tori and Hiro from proceeding, certifying them that he would take over from this point onward. “Let me start. My name is Aki. These are my best friends, Tori and Hiro. The media club is mainly for advertisement and bulletin boards of Izumi, but each of them holds our own job too.”

The twins’ glistering eyes paused Aki to just babble his mind out. Aki giggled at their reaction as the newcomers.

“Tori is the illustrator. He draws digitally,” Aki motioned his hand towards Tori. Tori nodded once. Aki moved to Hiro, “Meanwhile, Hiro is the animator. He had experience in the course, so he could do it pretty well. And I, Aki, as the voice actor. I’m basically an actor, on stage and as a background too. Anything related to voices, I could do it.”

Right after Aki has finished his brief description, Maya and Yuma clapped delightedly. They were impressed of the ability each of the club members possessed. They exchanged signals which comprehensible only to them.

“Aki-senpai, Tori-senpai, Hiro-senpai! Please take us as your new club members!” Simultaneously, they handed the seniors their submission forms.