Accidental Clamor Pt. 2

What do I do? What do I even say? Nothing like this has ever happened to me before.

Come on, Noa, think! There's got to be a way out of this. I should at least be able to explain myself, but for some reason, my mouth just wouldn't move.

"Well?" Yoshino said. "Anything to say now that you've been caught red-handed, Mr. Stalker?"

"W-what?" I mumbled. “No! It's not like that!”

"Spare me the excuses, and tell me straight up. What were you trying to do?"

"Please, listen to me. I'm telling you that this is just a misunderstanding."

"Oh, really? How convenient. Seems like everything can be labeled as a 'misunderstanding' when things go south for all those sorry idiots. You're no different."

What is this...? Why am I being called out when I've done nothing wrong? It really was a misunderstanding, and yet... I'm still being caught at the other end of a dagger. Just like...

"Yoko..." Suguha interrupted. "We don't even know the full story. You can't just accuse someone of being a stalker like that."

"I mean, it's pretty clear, isn't it?"

Yoshino turned back to me with that same menacing glare while Suguha looked back with a worried expression.

"You thought we didn't know, huh?" Yoshino scoffed. "You've been pretty persistent these past few months. I didn't think you'd actually make a move, though. Especially in broad daylight. Are you stupid? Or maybe you're just that desperate."

At the sound of those accusatory words, I felt my heartbeat decelerating. All the anxious thoughts in my head cleared. My stiff posture began to relax, and I could finally breathe.

I let out a heavy sigh. "You're mistaken."

"Hah! Am I, though?" Yoshino scoffed. "All those letters, all those spam texts, and even that teddy bear with a hidden camera. Just then, you tried to attack Mira in the washroom. Tell me I'm wrong. Go on."

"It seems like you've been having stalker issues, and I apologize for that, but you're wrong. Look."

I pointed at the men's sign next to the washroom entrance. As soon as she saw it, the frown on her face disappeared.

"All I did was go inside to wash my hands," I said. "That's when Mitsuki Mira came out of the stall and saw me."

"...Is that so?" Yoshino sighed. "Then I suppose I really was wrong. I apolo—"

"Don't."

Her eyes widened for a moment, and so did Suguha's.

"Excuse me?" she muttered.

"I said, 'don't.' As in, 'don't bother yourself.' Even if you apologize, I won't accept it. Those were some pretty serious accusations, so I'll say this much. Next time you decide to place the blame on someone for whatever shit you're going through, do a bit of homework. Otherwise, you'll end up damaging your reputation. Hah... Not like you seem to care anyway."

With all of it completely out of my chest, I turned around to walk away, but not without making one last remark.

"It was nice to finally meet Sunayomi. I'll never forget this moment."

I kept walking until I was out of their sight, finally stopping at a corner where I pressed my hand against my forehead. My head throbbed, and my thoughts swung between the past and the present.

I overreacted, I know that. I shouldn't have said what I did to her. Yoshino didn't have the full picture, but she never bothered to ask for it. Instead, she made a snap judgment and pointed the finger at me.

How was I supposed to stay calm at that moment? I have every right to be angry, don't I?

The truth is, I can handle justified criticism, but I won't just stand there quietly when I'm being blamed for something I didn't do.

Not again.

I made my way back to the main studio hall, where Manager Na was pacing back and forth. He seems anxious. Did something happen?

"Manager Na," I said as I approached him.

"Yozora!" he exclaimed. "My god, kid, were you taking a shit or something?"

"Um... Not exactly."

"Then what took you so damn long?"

Maybe I shouldn't tell him about my encounter with Sunayomi. It would only cause more headaches if he knew, especially since they were his pride and joy.

"There was a minor incident," I sighed. "It's nothing you should worry about."

"What an unpredictable kid you are..." he mumbled. "Well, if you say it's nothing, then that's that. Sunayomi is coming out in five minutes. Get ready."

"Okay. What should I do to get ready?"

"Grab a seat and sit your ass down."

"...You really weren't joking when you said that I'd be your lackey for today."

"And you're the only kid in the world who would ever complain about free money, especially when you're watching an exclusive photoshoot for Sunayomi."

Reluctantly, I took a chair from behind and set it next to Manager Na.

Sunayomi... They're famous celebrities, an idol group with endless fame and popularity, and I'm the one who just pissed them off.

Once these five minutes are up, one of two things can happen. Either they'll simply ignore my presence, or all hell's gonna break loose. If it's the latter, then I should probably prepare myself to find a new job.

"Everyone! Sunayomi is coming in!" the boss shouted. "Get to your positions!"

At that moment, everyone's heads snapped in unison as the four girls made their entrance from the side. Glamorous and radiant, each step they took was a blend of grace and confidence, drawing admiring gazes from all around.

"Ain't that a sight to behold," Manager Na chuckled as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Never gets old seeing my girls walking in like they own the place. I feel like a proud father."

"Stop. That's cringe," I said.

"Eh?! Can't I be proud of them?!"

"Just don't verbalize it."

After the girls finished greeting the boss and crew who were hosting this photoshoot, they came over to greet the manager with beautiful smiles.

"Good morning, Manager Na," Yoshino said as she bowed, and the rest did the same.

"Glad to see that you're well, girls!" he grinned. "I hope you all got some much-needed rest last night."

"Ah. W-well..."

At that moment, Manager Na's eyes visibly flashed. He stood right up and assessed each of their conditions while flinging out question after question.

"Is everything alright?! Did you not sleep enough?! Have you not eaten breakfast?! Do you girls need me to drive over to the coffee shop?!

"Calm down, Manager Na," Mitsuki scoffed. "We're fine. It's just... We might have stayed up a bit too late watching videos online."

"Although..." Suguha mumbled. "It was hurtful when we saw that you weren't the one who was going to drive us to today's event.

"Ack! I'm sorry, my girls!"

Manager Na pushed himself to the ground with his head down, seemingly drenched in tears. How is he even able to do that?

"Suzu is just joking, Manager Na," Mitsuki chuckled.

"Oh. Ahaha... I-I see. Looks like I overreacted. But are you sure you girls are up for this? We don't have to continue if you don't want to."

"Don't worry," Yoshino smiled. "We're fine."

Manager Na let out a sigh. "If you say so. By the way, have you girls met this kid yet?"

"Hm? Kid?"

Their heads all turned toward me in perfect unison, but I managed to keep my face neutral, not letting even the slightest reaction slip. Even from a distance, I could feel the sharp sting of their disdain, their gazes slicing through me like a thousand knives.

"Oh!" one of them exclaimed, but it was not who I was expecting.

The last member of Sunayomi rushed out from behind to get a better look at me. The moment I saw her light pink hair and soft blue eyes, my forced nonchalance fell to pieces.

"Hello," she said with an awkward smile. "I didn't think we'd meet again so soon."

She's that girl that I gave directions to earlier today. Now that I'm looking at her again, I realize how stupid I was to have missed it.

Natsume Nabi, the fourth and final member of Sunayomi.

"Oh, so you already know him?" Manager Na asked.

"A little," Natsume replied. "We met very briefly earlier. I hadn't been back in the studio for a while, so I got lost. That's when he gave me directions to the rehearsal room. Thank you again, by the way."

"Y-yeah... No problem," I mumbled.

"And the rest of you? Have you met him?" Manager Na said to the others.

For a moment, the other three glared at me, except for Suguha, who was more or less anxious about the whole situation.

I wonder what they'll say. Will they keep it a secret? Or will they spill it all and get me fired? I won't blame them if they do, but if they're expecting me to grovel at their feet and beg for forgiveness, they are wildly mistaken.

Finally, Yoshino stepped forward and extended her hand with a menacing smile.

"No," she said. "But since we're here, we might as well get to know each other. What's your name?"

My name... What is it with people wanting to know my name? Nothing good can come from giving it to them, but right now, I'm not really in a position to decline.

So, I took her hand. "Yozora. Yozora Noa.

"Yozora Noa..." Yoshino repeated. "We'll remember that."

And just like that, my chances of living a quiet and peaceful life turned from slim to zero.