Chapter 30

Misaki surrounded herself with the new Hayase songs as she sat in the studio, playing the keyboard and making tweaks.

I wonder if they're in trouble because of me.

Misaki shook her head and refocused on the song in front of her, tapping her fingers on the desk.

I need to work on these while I can... even if they're not around. They won't mind a few minor changes, right?

She rubbed her face, glanced at the time, and let out a small sigh.

What if I get the boot because of this?

She resisted the urge to check the comments on the article again, but her hands still froze on the keyboard.

I don't get why people can be so harsh. Ren should be able to date whoever he wants, as long as he's happy. Not that we're dating yet... Wait, yet? Gah!

"Stop and focus!" Misaki thumped her fists on the table and took a deep breath. "Make yourself useful and work on music!"

She managed to make a little bit of progress, but her mind wandered, no matter how much she tried to focus.

"Ugh, when are they coming back?"

She pressed a few keys slowly with one hand, then burst into rapid chords as she played a classic from a famous Polish composer, letting out her frustration.

When she finished, she leaned back in her chair and let out a long, resounding sigh.

Clapping erupted behind her.

"That was amazing, Misa," Ren said. "Pretty sure your skills can trump mine any day."

"You're back." She sat up straight and spun around towards them, swallowing hard. "H-how did it go? Am I fired? Pretty sure I didn't break anything in the contract, but we know how that goes."

"Deep breaths, Misa." Ren knelt down in front of her and took her hands in his, brushing her hair back. "You're still working with us."

"Really?"

Ren nodded.

Misaki glanced up at Shun, who nodded with a weary smile.

"Under what conditions, though? I know how they work; they wouldn't let this go so easily."

"The matter has been finalized, Misa; don't worry about it."

"A little hard not to. What happened?" She pulled her hands away from him.

"They wanted to buy you out of your contract," Shun said. "And avoid connecting themselves to you in case of another scandal."

"Of course..." I shouldn't have expected anything else from them. Her shoulders slouched.

"But we didn't agree to that; we never would. We're not going to abandon you." He cupped her cheeks, forcing her to stare into his brown eyes. "Okay?"

She swallowed hard. "But what agreement did you make? There's something you're not telling me."

"It's nothing major, but we have to make this new album more successful than the last."

Her eyes widened. "W-what? But that's the one that solidified your place at the top..."

"And? Our next one will be even better, especially with your help. We can do this, Misa, together."

Her jaw tightened as she closed her eyes, holding back her tears. "What's the timeline for it? And what if it doesn't surpass your previous album? What are the consequences?"

"Well..." Ren hesitated, not wanting to add pressure. "It's not something you need to worry about."

"Ren... please."

He hung his head and cringed, Shun's eyes boring into the back of his head. "I'm... financially responsible for any damages incurred by our association with you. Loss of sponsors and whatnot."

What?! Misaki froze, her heart wrenching painfully. "H-how can they expect something like that from you? It's too much. I don't have any control over what these people say about me!"

"We know, Misa, but I'm not worried about that. I know you're innocent, and so does the rest of the world. Someone bringing up old scandals is only trying to hurt you."

"And by association, you."

"Won't happen. We're too strong for that, right, Shun?" He took a deep breath, making sure his expression didn't falter.

Shun sighed. "Of course. Outside of Ren's hissy fits at Eclipse, we've been relatively scandal-free for popular idols."

"No one outside knows about those," Ren scoffed.

"At least you admit what they were."

"If we had a fair treatment in the first place, it never would've happened. Anyway!" Ren caressed her cheek with his thumb. "It's okay. We're okay. I'm not worried about that part, because I know how epic this album will be, and that Daichi will work on people trying to bring up your past. What was their name? Starlight Whispers?"

Whispers? An image of an old article about her original scandal flitted through her mind, and her eyes widened. "I'll be back." Misaki bolted, rushing up to her room.

"What just happened?" Ren stayed knelt down, stunned for a moment before turning to Shun, who shrugged. "Misa?"

Misaki pulled out her laptop and went to the Starlight Whispers blog, going back years to the time of her scandal. Several articles were still posted about her, blaming her for plagiarizing the magnificent Oichi.

"Misa?" Ren knocked before entering her room with Shun right behind him. "What's going on?"

"I knew that name sounded familiar. It's her. The same one that kept spreading lies about me back then." She turned the laptop for them to see the old articles.

"Meaning someone has had it out for you for a long time, but why?"

"I never dug in deep about this, but I had my suspicions in the past that it was Oichi Shidou all along."

"Oichi?" Ren stroked his chin. "I don't remember them."

"That was the one who Aki sold your song to, isn't it?" Shun asked.

"Yup, the one and the same." Also the one Aki cheated on me with.

"Seriously?" Ren glanced at Shun, wondering how he knew that.

"Is there proof it's her? You can probably go after her for defamation," Shun suggested. "Your innocence was proven, so—"

"Is it worth it? I feel like going after her could cause another scandal."

"If anything, I suggest we let Daichi in on this. He might be able to talk to her out of the spotlight, so no new scandal will come about."

"On that note, Daichi said he'd work on your image, since you're going to be associated with us," Ren said. "He might have already contacted this person with a complaint, knowing him."

"We should warn him about who he's dealing with." Shun pulled out his phone and walked out of her room.

"Does knowing it's her help any?" Misaki asked, twiddling her thumbs.

"Of course, it puts a face to the name, and opens them up for whatever Daichi might try."

"Why are you making it sound like he'd threaten or blackmail people if he had to? Isn't he on the up and up?"

"Generally, yes, but he'll do what he has to within legal means to keep his talents safe, which includes you right now."

"Oh..."

"Since it's out there for the world to see, we were thinking of leaning into it more. Your name will be right there in featuring, and I'm hoping you might lend us your voice on a few of our songs." Ren leaned in close. "Especially our secret one for Shun; that would be amazing, and he'd love it even more."

"Isn't that one not going on the album?"

"Haven't planned to, but I'm going to record it for him, and I was thinking of surprising him at our next concert."

"Does Daichi know? He might freak out if you go off script that much."

Ren shrugged. "I'll tell him it's a surprise gift for Shun, and he'll... deal with any aftermath, if there is any. So, what do you say? Are you going to dive even deeper into this with us?" He held his hand out to her.

"I... I don't know if I can. What if I sound horrible? What if I seize up? I don't want to cause any delays, and I don't want to make people hate your music."

"Why would they hate it?" Ren frowned.

"Because it's me."

"Misa... You can't let some stupid online trolls get into your head. The Hayase brothers love your voice, and we've proven we know what we're talking about. I bet people would love to hear you sing again. Arg." He pulled her into a tight hug. "You're an amazing singer, and any artist would be lucky to have your vocals on their tracks. Please don't leave us, Misa."

Her heart skipped a beat. "M-maybe, we can try one first before thinking about anything more."

Ren pulled back, still holding onto her arms. "Seriously?"

She nodded.

"Yes!" He picked her up in a bear hug and spun her around. "Thank you!"

"Oh!" she gasped and clung to him.

"Guess you guys have good news in here," Shun said, leaning in the doorway, staring at them.

"She agreed to up the game and give us her vocals," Ren said as he set her down. "This is going to be an epic album."