Chapter 23: The Actual Club of Celebrities

"They didn't introduce themselves as their real identities, but I know! They are celebrities, kid actors, trainees! I remembered seeing the third-years on dramas, and I did recollect the images of the second-years on magazines or reality shows. Then, why did they join The Seiyuu Club? Are they working as part-timers of voice acting?" - Aki, in bewilderment. 

Déjà vu. The scenery before their eyes felt outstandingly accustomed, as if it has repeated itself beforehand. One of The Seiyuu Club member invited them in, and once they entered the room they were served by a mysterious club leader. Three seniors around him were the older member, acting all cocky and staring at the four of them with weird look.

This was familiar to Aki and Tori. If there was Hiro with them, he might be saying the same thing. The leader represented Mori a lot, and those seniors at his sides really resembled Tani and Ono. Though the numbers were plentiful compared to the media club back then, the roles each of them played remarked them that they would find almost similar characteristics of people anywhere they went to.

Apparently, The Seiyuu Club consisted of five members; two third-years and three second-years, differentiated from the color of their lanyards. The one welcoming Aki, Tori, Mura and Ishi was a third-year, the only normal one they could spot on which they believed as the vice president. Aki and Tori were not good in handling snobbish seniors like those second-years, but they could still wear the most neutral expression on their facial.

Somehow, it would not be the same perspective for Mura and Ishi. Ishi seemed much better in communicating with those seniors, however Mura was intractable with his own pride.

“What’s your name, kohai?” The first second-year initiated the orientation session among the club members. He gestured his hand towards the composed Ishi.

Ishi cleared his throat. “Good afternoon. My name is Ishi, from Class 1 – 5. These are my friends-“

“Stop.” The second second-year butted into Ishi’s preface. The younger turned mute soon after that. He gazed (or merely glared) at Ishi’s whole complexion, as if he was memorizing his face traits. “We won’t let you be the only one talking,” he stridently said.

“This is a club of voice actors. You do know that, don’t you?” another second-year interfered with his arms crossed to his chest.

Ishi ducked his head, realizing he has spoken more than what he should. “I understand, senpai. I’m sorry.”

As if those two second-years relied on their own bravery to talk to us. All they did was interfering. The other three of first-years grunted intuitively.

“You,” the first second-year pointed his finger straightaway at Tori’s bridge of nose. “What’s your name?”

As a one person who usually talked less than his friends, Tori recoiled at the senior’s query. He averted from that senior and interlaced his fingers. “M- My name is Tori. I’m from Class 1 – 6.”

“Wow, another intelligent student!” the second second-year proclaimed without doubt. “How about you, Glasses?”

“My name is Yumi, not Glasses!”

The volume was far more thunderous than Tori and Ishi. Mura even dared to glare at the seniors back, as if he gallantly confronted a formidable enemy who would eat him in no time. His unshaken pupils were fixated on them, and it was believably due to his courage that the seniors backed off a little. As the ones closest to Mura in position, Tori and Aki ogled in disbelief upon Mura’s negligence.

At the threshold, those second-years loosened the furrows on their forehead and the mood was altered into an exceptionally likeable atmosphere.

“I’m so sorry that I’ve called you Glasses. I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Gladly you apologized right away, because I’ve already thought of suing you for harassing me!”

Instead of Mura, the vice president smacked on the head of the second second-year, causing the latter to groan in dispute. As a third-year in the club, he could have deemed responsibility for the overdoing. Those first-years hushed themselves watching him chiding the other second-years.

“I’m sorry for their demeanor. They have promised us to treat juniors incredibly. Too bad that they have already exhibited their nastiness to you guys,” the vice president gave his hand to Aki, “Let’s create a much better communication, shall we? What’s your name?”

There was a scruple in Aki’s maneuver though he seemed just fine without shivering in dread like Tori, or lashing out domineering boastfulness like Mura earlier. “My name is Aki. I’m from Class 1 – 6, the same as Tori.”

“Ishi, Tori, Yumi, and Aki. Welcome to The Seiyuu Club!” the vice president fathomed out his arms, gratifying the new club members. “I’m the vice president here, Nami. These three are second-years,” he tapped on each of their shoulders, “Kaji, Shimo, and Taku. Finally, the club president.”

All eyes were directed to that one senior, the most silenced among them. His uncanny behavior piqued Aki and Tori to watch him deliberately. Though their first impression towards that senior was not that good, they should respect him too. Nami gritted at the president to introduce himself, whereas the president shook his head in rejection. However, he admitted defeat later.

“Hi, kohai. My name is Matsu. Nice to meet you.”

In comparison to the other four, the president had the slowest voice which intrigued the juniors immediately. This timid guy was their president? How could he be as one? He did not even stand up from his chair, and the emitted vibe stifled his introverted side.

“I’m sorry, dear kohai. He’s a little shy. He rarely communicates with people.”

But he was the president! Those first-years lamented instinctively.

“Well, uh, kohai. We’re sorry for our rudeness earlier,” the second-year named Kaji diffidently apologized to them. “Honestly, we were delighted to get new members. So it was all just an act to scare you guys.”

“I knew it,” Mura scraped his temple in slight arrogance, “Once I yelled at you guys, all of you fell into silence. It basically told us that you guys were not bad guys.”

Ishi and Tori at Mura’s sides nodded agreeing to Mura’s opinion. They shook hands with those seniors, yet Aki remained quiet even when they have begun chatting merrily. He just listened attentively and reacted only when necessary, abstractedly allured the vice president to watch him keenly.

Was it that disappointment hit him after finding out The Seiyuu Club was not that grand to tune in? Nami propped his chin, wondering various prospects which might arise in reality. The other first-years could get along with Kaji, Shimo and Taku although they were about to get bullied a few minutes ago. Everything has settled down, and they have already made up for the trouble.

“It’s nice to have a non-Tokyo people here,” Shimo immersed himself into his chair and chuckled, “It feels like I’m talking to a foreigner.”

“You can just regard us as foreigners if you want to. I mean, literally,” Tori jokingly asserted it, then he reclined against Aki’s arm, “Right, Aki?”

There was a disconcerting interlude between Tori’s enquiry and Aki’s feedback, which ignited everyone’s attention to focus on him instead. The startled Aki has finally come to his senses, becoming alarmed over the rapid shift of absorption. He then bobbed his head to probably conceal his anxiety, but he did not know Nami has been watching over him.

“Do you feel sick somewhere, Aki?” Nami explicitly broke the silence engulfing them. “If you do, please tell us. There’s a first aid kit in the cupboard, so inform us if you need it.”

As one close friend, Tori did notice Aki’s changing attitude since they entered The Seiyuu Club room. Nevertheless, he could not figure out what the cause was, and perceiving the fact that even Nami could see the weirdness, he knew it was not about petty things. “Aki, what happened? You’re awfully quiet now.”

“No- Nothing much. It’s just that…”

The forecast glittered in everyone’s eyes scared Aki, therefore he would just gulp in everything and acted amicably. “I wonder if this club actually consists of real celebrities.”

So that was the thing?! Tori face palmed, while Mura and Ishi blinked in pure confusion. As for the club members, they practically fixated their stares exactly at Aki, seeking for more explanation regarding his initial guess. There was no way that Aki did not understand the definition behind those stares, which frightened Aki even more.

“Why did you say so, Aki-kun?” Out of the blue, the club president erupted a voice. A question, questioning Aki’s inquiry. “Do you see us as one, frankly?”

Aki’s stern nods received intensified glares, terrifying him to the point that he might run away in no time.

“On what basis?” Matsu tilted his head on one side, prompting Aki to disclose more of his mind.

The younger was fully aware that Matsu was provoking him for more revelation, yet he doubted if it would turn out well or the opposite. “To be honest, I think I’ve seen your faces somewhere else in articles or magazines. I’m not sure myself, but your faces and even your names felt familiar to me.”

Even Mura, a true voice actor among the first-years, gawked at Aki’s presumption in disbelief. As a seiyuu himself, Mura never heard of their names all these while, subconsciously rejecting Aki’s theory. Tori’s mind kept on replaying every single memories he could have recalled, especially during the club session where he, Aki and Hiro spent time together with the informative twins Maya and Yuma. He could barely able to remember if those twins have ever mentioned about these members, and he doubted if Aki was able to reminisce that well.

“Us? As actual celebrities?” Taku goofily grinned, brushing it off with a giggle, “Heck no! None of us could handle our cram school successfully, let alone working!”

Kaji and Shimo chortled as a reaction to Taku’s teases. The three of them considered Aki having abnormal way of thinking, but by complexion, everyone could observe Matsu and Nami were exchanging glances as if they hid something from them. This was noticeably perceived by the observant Tori.

“I mean it. I have faith in my memories,” Aki exclaimed. “Nami-senpai and Matsu-senpai! You guys are a duo, right? A pair of singers who initially debuted as kid actors!”

Both Nami and Matsu gasped as Aki pointed right at their noses, declaring them as a pair of singers. While the elders were contemplating, Aki shifted to the second-years. “And you guys! Kaji-san, Shimo-san, and Taku-san! You guys are trainees of that one well-known company, right?”

All five of them turned tongue-tied straightaway, stupefied by Aki’s jolting emphasis. Their procrastination literally verified Aki’s augury, which stunned Mura even more. Tori fished out his phone and looked up of the related articles regarding these five seniors of The Seiyuu Club.

“If you didn’t see their faces somewhere online or on newspapers, could you guess that they’re voice actors?” Ishi calmly asked, patting on Aki’s shoulder which emboldening the latter to freely pour his mind out.

The twiddling Aki intertwined his fingers and slowly nodded. “Somehow, I’ve already had the image. Your voice.”

Voices?

Only then Tori grasped the situation. Ever since they were kids, Aki has been studying for imitating voices of anime characters to train his skill in voice acting. As the only child who was refrained from using internet freely, Aki made it a way so that he could deepen his comprehension in voice acting. Though it was not the best method to execute, Aki had to. Due to his determination, Aki even wrote the dialogues in his note book and practiced it out whenever he had the chances, which enabled him to envisage the entire scene all by himself.

That vision included his ability to recall the intonation of voices, and the potential to detect and distinguish every voices he heard.

“I once saw Kaji-san, Shimo-san, and Taku-san in a show. A kid show. You guys are on training, but there are some of you have become famous from it. Somehow, you guys aren’t apart of those popular kids, therefore you’re living as normal citizens nowadays. If I wasn’t mistaken, the show was on air around six to seven years ago.”

Mura sprung from his chair to reject Aki’s deduction when Ishi gently refrained him. He nodded at the perplexed Mura, reassuring the latter that he would be the one handling the unexpected situation. Mura bit his lower lip in discomfort, disabling to predict what Ishi would do.

Instead of dragging Aki to sit down back, Ishi sneered at those petrified seniors before their eyes. “Honestly, I was amused by Aki’s observation. Yes, Aki. You’re right. They are actors once upon a time, and nowadays they gathered themselves in this club to construct a plan to get popular again. Aki, Tori, and Mura. This is my reason for getting you into this Seiyuu Club.”