Collab

The next few hours were spent learning the lyrics and melody of the song while Luna demeaned her. Once it was finally over, Miyuki breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Now that you know what you’re singing, please practice before you come by next week. I don’t want this to take longer than it needs to,” Luna demanded.

“I will,” Miyuki said. Nanami and Komi stood from where they were sitting on the couch.

“Was she being rude to you?” Nanami stared down her nose at Luna and cracked her knuckles. “She may be an idol, but if she hurt you, I’m ready to–”

“Nanami, stop!” Miyuki exclaimed. “Yes, she can be a bit brash, but that doesn’t mean you should hurt her.”

“As your self-appointed bodyguard, it is my duty to–”

“Please see yourselves out,” Luna ordered. “I will not be threatened in my own studio,” she turned to Miyuki. “If you bring her here again, consider your chances at the Idol Awards as good as gone.”

Miyuki dropped her gaze. “I’m sorry… Let’s go, you two.” Her steps cut through the new silence that filled the room.

Nanami gave one final glare to Luna before stepping in line beside Miyuki. “You can’t let her treat you that way,” she whispered to her. “You need to stand up for yourself.”

“Thank you for allowing me to watch what’s its like for idols to work together,” Komi gave a curt bow and followed the others out of the room.

The afternoon air was a refreshing change from the toxicity of the studio. Still, Miyuki didn’t want to judge Luna for her conduct. There must be a reason for her harsh behavior.

“Who does she think she is, treating you that way?” Nanami seethed with rage.

“It’s okay, Nanami. It doesn’t bother me,” she smiled.

“That was definitely not what I was expecting to see,” Komi admitted. “You said you had something to do before heading back, right?”

“Yes, but unfortunately it’s something you two can’t accompany me for, so you’ll have to find something to do for the next few hours.” Miyuki stopped on the edge of the sidewalk and turned to face her companions.

“Are you sure you don’t want me with you? People will notice you,” Nanami asked, glancing at Miyuki’s outfit of a purple flannel and blue jeans. Today she had neither hat nor glasses to hide her face.

“That’s… true,” Miyuki sighed. “Okay, you can come, as long as you keep your distance.”

“Yes!” Nanami celebrated. “Sorry, Koizumi, but you’re on your own,” she elbowed her side.

“I’m coming, too,” she said. “I came all this way with you, after all.”

“You came to see Miyuki working with that other girl, which you have,” Nanami reminded her.

“I promise you won’t even know I’m there,” she said.

“Do you promise not to say anything about what I’m doing here to anyone?” Miyuki asked.
“Your secrets are as safe with me as my own.”

“Then… I suppose you can come. But please, don’t make any assumptions.” Miyuki pulled out her phone from her back pocket and texted Jin that there will be a couple others. “Let’s go.”

The three of them crossed the street after making sure there were no cars close by. On the other side, Miyuki typed Jin’s address into a digital map and spent a few seconds gazing it over to memorize the route from their current location.

A number of others shared the street with Miyuki and her friends. Some of them whispered among themselves and some girls snapped pictures on their phone, but no one approached them on their journey. Miyuki contributed that to the menacing stare Nanami would give if she thought someone might interrupt them.

“It sure does help having you around, Nanami,” she said.

“It’s why I’m here,” came her response. “You won’t have to worry about anyone bothering you as long as I’m here.”

“I can see why everyone keeps their distance from you at school,” Komi mumbled. She was intrigued by the interactions between Nanami and the passersby she observed. “By the way, where are we headed?”

“Just… to a friend’s house,” Miyuki said as she turned right onto a different street.

“A friend all the way down in Tokyo? Is she another idol?”

“Well… He’s a friend from my childhood,” Miyuki explained with some hesitance.

“I see. Is he the one you talked about after your last concert? The one you’ve been looking for?” Komi asked.

“Y-yes, he is. But don’t tell anyone about this, okay?” She turned to face Komi while she walked, staring her in the eyes with a pleading look. Nanami joined her in staring at Komi, but with an intimidating aura around her.

“Don’t worry, I have better things to do than try to ruin an idol’s reputation,” she assured them. “What you or any other idols do in their personal lives doesn’t matter to me.”

“That’s a relief to hear,” Miyuki breathed out and returned to face the direction she was walking. “His house isn’t much farther,” she said, now that they had turned onto a familiar street.

Once his home was within sight, Nanami and Komi slowed their march behind Miyuki to allow distance between them.

Outside, Jin leaned against the wall of his home, his gaze down at his phone in front of him.

Miyuki’s feet moved on their own, increasing their speed the closer she got to Jin. “Jin!” She slowed to a halt in front of him. “I haven’t kept you waiting long, have I?”

“No, I just decided to wait out here when I got your text,” the two girls standing in the background caught his eye. “Are those your friends?”

“That’s them!” Miyuki nodded. “Well… How do I look now that I’m not trying to hide my identity?” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stared at Jin with large eyes.

Everyone at Jin’s school would probably call her an angel; a maiden of utmost beauty. And surely they had a point–she was the very standard of beauty. Her dark, silky hair, youthful face and slender figure made her what a lot of guys would call their dream girl. But that wasn’t as important to Jin as it was to others around him. “You look nice,” he replied.

Miyuki’s face molded into a pout. “Just nice?”

“S-sorry,” he apologized. “Did you have a plan for today?”

She shook her head. “I want you to decide what we’re going to do,” she said with a soft blush.

“Me decide, huh?” Jin gazed skyward as he racked his brain for ideas. A few moments passed away in silence before an idea came to him. “How about the arcade?”