This was going to be literal chaos!

Chisaka Kutsuki

I sulk out of the photoshoot set, Gina ahead of me saying goodbye to all of the other makeup artists. I’m still in shock after learning my face was all over social media. The rest of the event was a blur. Gina talked to all of the famous people, doing makeup and posing as I took photos for my non-existent fake blog. I just wanted to stay in the shadows as much as I possibly could before it was taken away from me. “Chisaka!”

I open the car door and Gina hops in next to me. “Chisaka, what’s going on between you and Ryota?” I look up at her, she must be mad since he showed my so much attention.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Look, I know you and I aren’t exactly ‘friends’ and we’re different in a lot of ways, but you can talk to me.” I fidget my fingers and stare down at the floor with a bright pink mat, “Since getting to know you, I’ve realized you hold back. You should stand up for yourself, otherwise people will just walk all over you.” I look up at her again, her face is soft this time, she seems surprisingly genuine with her words rather than mad.

“Plus, how can you follow your dreams if you hide in the corners of the room all the time?”

“It’s comforting.” she would never understand.

“But are you just going to ignore an obvious connection you have with Ryota?”

“What?”

“I’m not blind, Chisaka. You like him! I saw you peeking at him the whole entire time we were there, I saw your face turning red and lighting up any time his name was mentioned.”

“I-”

She waves her fingers in the air and blushes, “Don’t get the impression that I'm giving up on him. I may not be his soulmate, but I’m still going after him. And if you’re going to be my competition, you have to give it all you got, otherwise it’s not a fair game!”

Maybe it was a misunderstanding… or maybe—maybe, it’s not. “Even though he’s not your soulmate, you’d still go after him?” I say watching her look in the mirror adding touch ups to her makeup.

“Of course! If I like someone, I go after them. Sure, I hoped he’d be my soulmate, but people end up with people who aren’t their soulmates, too. The string of fate—it’s one in a million. It's rare to ever meet them, but that doesn’t hold me back from trying to flirt with the most absolutely gorgeous man on this planet!”

She was right, I mean, others find a way to make it work. Ryota couldn’t see his string anyways, I’m pretty sure of it, at least. Perhaps, this is even more of a reason the string of fate is false. Maybe he and I aren’t soulmates, after all, he doesn’t even seem to know it exists. And maybe I did want to get to know him. Who wouldn’t be serenaded by a gorgeous rockstar? This article about me and him could be the key to bring us closer, and I can ask him about the string.

“You’re right, Gina! I think I might-” A tap on the glass window catches my attention and I open my door to a guy with glasses, an older man, with a sharp look and slick, black hair.

“I apologize, I’m Daiki Desmond, Ryota’s manager. Do you mind if we have a talk?” I blush as he bows his head to me, politely.

“Sure,” I step out of Gina’s car and we move to a quiet area near the trees.

“I know you’ve probably never encountered a situation like this, and I’ll get straight to the point.” From his looks, he was intimidating and all high fashion, but his voice spoke with sincerity and it felt like being near a bodyguard. He lifts his glasses, “You and Ryota were seen together at the photoshoot event. This could cause problems for Ryota’s career, as well as for you. Since I'm not his music producer, I would never want anything but ease for the both of you.” The wind pulls my dyed dark-blue hair from out behind my ears, dusk was soon to follow, and the lights ever so flicker on the streets of Japan.

“That’s why I think it’s in your and his best interest if you become his official makeup artist.”

My heart pounds wildly in my chest, me as Ryota’s makeup artist when I couldn’t even do makeup?! But how else was I supposed to handle the media and his fans alone? His manager was right, we had to go about this in a planned manner or things could get out of hand.

“Alright. But my parents-”

“I had some of our agents call them, they said it was fine. Also, since you’re eighteen, you can choose to live in an apartment or if you want to continue to live with your parents. It would be funded by the music agency since you’re under the public eye, and we’ve caused this. You can continue school in person as well, I’ll take care of the payment.”

If I hadn’t had that talk with Gina, I’d definitely turn him down in a second. But this was all going according to my new plans. I could get close to Ryota and ask him more about why he didn’t see the string of fate. I wanted to investigate this, like a secret spy—with all good intentions.

“I’ll live in the apartment, it would be better to manage security with the media.”

He nods, a black limousine pulls in front of the two of us and Daiki Desmond opens one of the doors for me. “We’ll stop at your house to get your stuff.”

“Thank you.” I step into the back seat and Desmond gets in the passenger's seat. Next to me was a wide-eyed beautiful Ryota, looking like he had seen a ghost.

“WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE!?”

“She’s your official makeup artist,” his manager announces, glancing back at us with a cheeky smile.

“I don’t have, or need, any makeup artist, Desmond.”

“It’s best we stay on the good side of your music producer, he’s going to be mad that you are in the media with a girl in the first place. Especially since the news of Nanaka is supposed to be out soon.”

“Says the one advising me to ‘have some fun’ with a girl.” Ryota glares. I was confused about what they were talking about but also in awe of how close I was to Ryota.

Desmond cracks a laugh, “As long as you’re not caught,” he winks. Ryota glares even harder at his manager, and I hold in my own laugh. He was cute when he got mad.

“Not you too,” Ryota sighs as he looks at me, his cheeks were slightly pink, but to be honest I could tell if it was just more excess powered blush I had put on him—whoops.

We pull up to my house and my mom comes out carrying suitcases filled with all of my stuff. My mouth drops, did she really want me out of this house that bad?!

“Deary,” She calls, “Here’s all of your stuff, and oh my gosh how lovely of a man you are!” She points to Desmond in the passenger seat and looks at him with starry heart-eyes. She was literally excited for me like I was going on a vacation or something, what the heck?

Ryota looks like he’d been through a nightmare, his eyes filled with confusion. I felt the same, in a way. My mom looks more happy to see me leaving with these strangers than she did with my perfect report card. I get out and walk to my mom.

“Mom, you didn’t have to do all of this.”

“Oh, of course I did,” she pulls me to the side and whispers, “Chisaka, this is your chance! This guy is a famous singer. I've heard he’s a vampire king too. And little did I know how much you have a passion for makeup. Darling, you have to live your dreams, and pick up that handsome man in the passenger seat while you’re at it!” I nearly gag as she leads me back to the car, “Now, have fun and be safe.” she hugs me quickly and before I know it, I’m sent off out of my house. Lucky was in a carrying case next to me and I pet him to calm my nerves.

“Is that a cat?” Ryota says.

“Yes, this is Lucky.”

“Shit.” He covers his nose with his sleeve and turns to the window, seconds later in a fit of sneezing. I gasp, he was allergic to Lucky—how unfortunate.

I could already tell, this was going to be literal chaos.