Yohei: Caught in the Spotlight

yo: ‘Happy New Year, Aoi-chan. You still awake?’

It’s close to two in the morning, and he’s just managed to leave the afterparty of the show, dodging people congratulating him as well as Reina-chan’s charming but insistent pleas for him to stay longer. The energy that girl has is something else. He could sleep for a week.

He had hoped to get away earlier, to tell Aoi Happy New Year in person. She’d be asleep by now, but she’ll see the text in the morning. To his surprise, she calls back almost immediately.

“Aoi-chan, you’re awake. Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year to you too. And, yeah… I couldn’t sleep.” She sounds tired, her voice flat and emotionless. “I just wanted to hear your voice…”

“Are you okay? You sound…”

“I’m fine. Congratulations on the show. You looked great. Both of you…” Her voice shrinks even more, and he’s suddenly wide awake. So, she watched it? Of course she did... “The song was good too, I liked it.”

“Thanks,” He knows what it must have looked like. “And… you know it’s just work, right?”

“I know. It’s just… I mean, you looked so…” she quiets, and he frantically tries to think of something to say. Something that’ll make her pain go away. “Anyway,” she continues. “I just wanted to talk to you. To the real you… Maybe see you tomorrow…”

“You know what? I’m in the car now, so we’ll pick you up.”

“What? Now?” She sounds surprised, but her voice gets some of its strength back.

“Yes, now,” he laughs. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” A pause. “So, you don’t want to stay here then?”

He laughs, scratches at his neck.

“Not tonight, I’m covered in glitter and makeup, so I really need a shower and fresh clothes… Besides, you already have a toothbrush there, just pack a pyjama or something, but no school books…”

“But…”

“We’ve both worked hard lately, so why don’t we take tomorrow off. We can spend the day snuggled down on the sofa, watch some movies, order that ramen you like… even download another game you can obliterate me in…”

She laughs, and he breathes more easily again.

“Not my fault that you suck at games…”

“Hey,” he feigns indignation, “no need to point it out like that. Anyway, we’ll be at your place in… ten…” he looks at Sato-san, who nods. “... maybe fifteen minutes.”

“Great. See you soon. And… thanks…”

“Anytime.”

They hang up, and he looks out the window as the car smoothly turns around. Everything’s dark and quiet.

“Good call,” Sato says with a small nod. “This can’t be easy for her.”

“No,” he sighs. “I wish there were more I could do to protect her, but…”

“I know. You’re doing good. Just be careful, okay.”

“Always.”

By the time they reach Aoi’s building she’s already outside, her backpack in one hand.

“Hi, this was a nice surprise,” she says as she gets in the backseat with Yohei. Then she leans forward. “Thank you for picking me up. Sato-san, right?”

“That’s right. And you’re welcome. It’s nice to finally meet you outside of the cafe, Sakamoto-san.”

“Nice to meet you too. Officially, that is.” She sighs and leans back, turning to Yohei. She looks tired, but even if her eyes are a little sad, they’re not red and puffy as he’d feared. Instead she smiles.

“Hey, you’re already back in your own clothes?”

“Yeah, the others were show-only. Considering the price tag on them, they don’t want them out and about.”

“You looked good in them,” she says sincerely. “But I still prefer you like this.” She places a hand on the sleeve of his hoodie, then laughs, picking a few strands of golden confetti from his hair. “And you forgot those.”

“Oh, you know… glitter always gets everywhere, and is impossible to get rid of.”

“That sounds like a challenge.” She laughs again, finding a few more pieces and holding them up for him to see.

“Oh, you have no idea,” he chuckles, reaching out to take her other hand. It’s small and warm, and as always, it fits perfectly in his. The worries in his chest slowly quiet as she leans her head back and closes her eyes. Relaxing. Safe. With him.

He keeps holding her hand for the rest of the ride, hoping against hope that this peaceful moment could last forever.

***

The year starts quietly.

Random meetings about merch and performances for Valentine’s Day, still more than a month away, planning the summer tour. Nothing really urgent. It allows him and Aoi a surprising amount of time together, and they make the most of it, going out for food, the occasional art exhibition…. Or just chilling, like right now, curled up on the sofa together, watching a documentary about some upcoming manga artists, the plates from their late lunch still at the table.

“So, you finished all your assignments, right?” he asks as a commercial shows, and she nods.

“Yes, I'm handing them in next week. Then I only have two written exams, and the year is officially over.”

“You’ll pass, I know it.”

“Well, I hope so – but I need to study more, for sure.” She glances guiltily at the books sitting at the far end of the table.

“Later.” He places an arm around her and pulls her snug. They’d made it their evening routine to work together for a couple of hours. She studying and him taking care of his social media accounts or writing new lyrics. Sometimes he plays the keyboard for her, and the look on her face always makes his heart and chest swell with emotion.

“Let’s stay inside today. The weather is horrible.”

She hums in agreement, pulling a blanket up to her chin as the wild howls, sending spatters of rain against the window. That wind… Wincing, he recalls the day before, when they were going out for lunch. Turning a corner, they'd been hit with a gust of wind strong enough to push his hoodie back and send her scarf flying. It was but for a moment, and even though it seemed no one had recognized him and his hair, he hadn’t been able to shake the unease. He has to be more careful. For her sake. He presses a quick kiss to the top of her head, pulls the blanket over himself too, turning his eyes back to the TV.

The show is almost finished when his phone buzzes, and with a sigh, he picks it up. Tanaka-san.

“Yes?” he answers, then sits up straight as his manager’s tone of voice hits him.

“Check the headlines. You know which sites. Then call me back.”

What? With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he reaches for his tablet, opening the gossip feeds. Staring in disbelief as images of him and Aoi fill the screen.

The pictures are innocent, but that doesn’t matter. The headlines accompanying them are anything but.

RYO’s Mystery Mistress?

RAYNA In Tears – Heartbroken Idol?

He curses, something he doesn’t do often. Damn it, this is exactly the thing he wanted to protect her from.

“Bad news?” she asks, and a part of him wants to close the tablet, chuck it out the window – anything to shield her for just a few moments longer. He doesn’t. Instead, he nods like the dummy he is, pushing the tablet closer to her, muttering, “I’m sorry.”

For a moment, she just stares at it, then she pales, eyes widening, mouth opening slightly…

“What… But this is insane…” Her eyes meet his, confused, looking for reassurance he desperately wishes he could give. But there’s nothing he can say.

Slowly, Aoi reads some of the lines out loud, voice small and insecure.

Idol Heartthrob RYO Caught in Secret Rendezvous!

Fans Stunned: RYO’s Private Life Exposed?

She keeps scrolling… more pictures appear. The two of them laughing, leaning slightly toward each other. Him pointing to something on his tablet. Their hands almost touching as they leave the restaurant last night. The mills of gossip work fast.

“But, we were just having dinner… How did they…?”

“Don’t know. Sometimes being careful isn’t enough. Sometimes someone gets lucky.” That blasted wind. Someone had recognized him, followed them…

“Vultures,” Aoi mutters, face still pale and stiff. “The implications… they’re disgusting.”

“Yes. The grislier the better.” He sighs, rubbing at his eyes. “I really hoped this wouldn’t happen. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. This isn’t your fault.” The hand she places on his arm trembles slightly: “So, what do we do now?”

“We… You should probably lie low for a bit. Perhaps you can go to your parents for a couple of weeks. Or at the very least, stay away from school and work…”

“What? No way!” She sounds angry, eyes flashing as they meet his. “I’m not hiding. I have exams. Work, bills to pay. My life is here...” She leans closer, her nose almost touching his. “With you.”

“You don’t understand. If the fans find out who you are…” He shakes his head, then groans…

The fans… The fans… Frantically, he opens his main blog, taking a deep breath to steady himself before diving in, expecting the worst. The notifications still make his stomach churn.

OMG RYO! What’s going on? 😱😭

Is this for real? No way!

Heartbreaker!! You lied to us!!!

Poor RAYNA! She deserves better than you!

Cheater!!!

He can’t even read them all; the feed is moving too fast. A tidal wave of speculation, anger, betrayal… the few supportive comments quickly drowned by the noise.

Next to him, Aoi takes a shaky breath, eyes flickering to keep up with the never-ending words.

“People… they think we’re… That you’re…” She can’t get the word out… body stiff next to his, the cozy blanket a forgotten pile on the floor.

“Cheating on RAYNA with you. Yes.” The pain in her eyes is killing him, the air getting hard to breathe. He takes her face between his hands, making her look at him, not the tablet. “But we both know that’s not true. I love you. Only you.”

Bravely, she attempts a smile, leaning forward for a brief kiss. “I know. I love you too. But seeing this…”

“I know. Hang on, I need to call Tanaka-san.”

The manager was clearly waiting for the call, picking up at the first signal.

“Emergency meeting. My office. Sato-san is on his way to get you.” Tanaka’s voice is curt, efficient. The words even faster than usual.

The ride to the office building is quiet, the tension in the car thick. Aoi looks nervous, but determined, and he hopes she’ll not be swept under by this.

Once they arrive at Tanaka's office, he isn’t alone; three of the marketing assistants are there too, tablets and notebooks at hand. Giving him -- and Aoi -- curious looks.

“This is Tanaka-san, my manager,” he tells Aoi, then turns to Tanaka. “And this is Aoi Sakamoto.” He swallows hard, but looks his manager square in the face as he adds: “My girlfriend.”

“Nice to finally meet you, Tanaka-san,” Aoi smiles politely. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Nice to meet you, Sakamoto-san. I wish I’d heard more about you.” He shoots Yohei a stern look.

“Sorry,” Yohei says. “I wanted to protect her from all of this.”

“How noble. You still should have told me.” He leans against his desk, eyes narrowing. “So, damage control. Fast. We need an alternate story. We can not afford a contract-breaking scandal now. Not when you’re walking the Seika Tokyo show with Reina-chan in less than two months.”

“We’re just friends?” Yohei suggests, knowing it’s not strong enough. Predictably, Tanaka shakes his head.

“No, weak excuse. But… you could be relatives… Or working together on a project…”

“We are working on a project together,” Aoi points out, arms crossed in front of her, clearly not amused by this planned lying.

“Oh?” Tanaka raises an interested eyebrow,

“I work at a cat cafe, and we’re organizing a fundraiser for the shelter we work with. Yohei-san has been helping me with some marketing aspects, and I’ve been designing the advertising.”

“A fundraiser for a cat shelter, you say?” Tanaka gives her a thoughtful look, then starts pacing back and forth, one hand gesticulating in the air as he mutters to himself.

“Alright. We can work with that.” The manager stops, then turns back to Yohei and Aoi, with a now pleased grin. “Everybody loves cats. Right?”

“Sorry, I don’t quite follow…” Aoi says, frowning slightly, but Yohei nods, matching his manager's grin. Years of working with Tanaka-san have made him used to following the sudden leaps of thought. 

It’s perfect. Or, as perfect as circumstances allow. He smiles at Aoi, wishing he could take her hand. Tell her it’ll be okay.

Eventually. 

Hopefully.