Tapping of Footsteps

Manager Na and I sat at a table with an umbrella above it. Even though the sun was out, it still feels cold outside.

Hundreds of people passed us by each minute. There seemed to be no end to them, but I wouldn't expect anything less from one of the most popular shopping plazas in the city.

I picked up my cup of coffee and took a sip, while Manager Na was checking his phone. Below the table, a bunch of bags filled with clothes was piling up. There might be even more coming. Scratch that. I see two coming right now.

"Phew! Dang..." Suguha said as she stacked her bag on top of the rest.

"Are you alright, Suzu?" Natsume asked.

"Yeah. Brrr... I should've worn something warmer."

"Yes, you definitely should've," I scoffed. "A spaghetti strap in this weather? You're basically asking to get sick at that point."

"Hey! At least I have my sweatpants on!"

"Okay, so that handles your lower body. What about your upper body?"

"Hm... I guess I wasn't really thinking about that."

It amazes me how clueless Suguha can be sometimes. I can only imagine what oblivious expression she had under those sunglasses.

Before we left the van, Manager Na instructed all the girls to put on their own sunglasses and a hat. Apparently, just not idols, but actors and artists too, have to wear those accessories to hide themselves when they're out and about in public. It's sad to think that they have to do all of that just have a semblance of normality.

"Hm... If it's not too much of a bother, do you think you could lend us your jacket, Yozora?" Natsume asked.

"What?" I sighed. "You're shopping right now, aren't you? Just buy a new jacket."

"Oh. Oh~!"

"How did we just... not think of that?" Suguha mumbled. "Oh, well. I'll be right back! Come on, Nabi!"

"Coming!"

And off, they went.

"Manager Na," I said.

"Hm? What's up?" he replied.

"What in the world am I doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, what do I mean? I'm asking you why am I just sitting there, watching over the girls' bags like some kind of chaperone?"

"Hah! Welcome to being Sunayomi's assistant. No matter where they go, you can bet your ass you're gonna be following them. Everything they need, holding their luggage, carrying their drinks—hell, even feeding them if they wanted you to—you're gonna do it all."

I leaned back on my chair with a deep breath of cold air. 

"This is not what I was expecting," I said.

"That's the last thing I expected to hear coming from you, the most unpredictable kid I know," Manager Na scoffed. "Do you know how surprised I was when I got that call from Yoko? She wanted you, of all people, to be their assistant. How the hell did that even happened?"

"Because of you. You told them that I was quitting? Not only that, you set me up so that I would meet Yoshino instead of you in your office."

"Oh. Yeah, I did."

"Why?"

He took a sip out of his coffee and stared off.

"To be honest... It's because I wasn't willing to let you go that easily," he answered diligently. "They probably didn't tell you this, but those girls actually approached me first regarding your whereabouts. That's why I arranged for that meeting."

"You shouldn't have done that," I muttered.

"How could I not? You're a bright kid, Yozora, despite that gloomy aura you got going on. In a way, you remind me of Sunayomi when they were at their lowest."

"Their... lowest?"

"What, you think they were always this giddy and carefree? No. If you did, then you're dead wrong. Those girls... They've all hit rock-bottom before, and it eats away at me when I think about how little I did for them."

I thought he was exaggerating, but given that melancholic look on his face, he's dead serious. I'm not sure what they went through. No one does, and that's normal. Sometimes, whatever shit goes on behind the scene could be hidden for years, and the public would be none the wiser.

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for them?" I asked.

Even as I asked that question, I knew deep down that I did. No matter their status or their condition, Sunayomi are people too. They have emotions and their own thoughts.

I don't know what they've been through, but there's no way I can overlook their struggles just because I have my own to worry about. To do that... would be disgusting. But, at the same time, I can't keep doing this. Not when I know that I might affect them.

"Manager Na," I called out. "I can't be their assistant."

"This again?" he sighed. "I can't do anything about it, kid. It was Sunayomi's decision. You saw the contract, didn't you?"

"But you're their manager. Convince them or something."

"Yozora."

We locked eyes, but very briefly, for I wasn't willing to maintain contact for a second more. All I could hear was the tapping of footsteps and voices chattering, but those sounds quickly disappeared behind my ears.

"If they hadn't chosen you to be their assistant, then the higherups would've chosen one for them," he said.

"How is that my problem?" I muttered.

"Maybe it isn't, but... Trust me when I say that only you can do this job, kid. I've been in this industry long enough to know that a white-collar control freak is not what they need right now. They need a guy like you who isn't afraid to tell them his thoughts straight up. What he thinks is right and wrong, what he thinks could be done better, and what his genuine thoughts are."

I pursed my lips. "I don't know, Manager Na. Even if I am what they need, I'm not sure I can do it. I don't want them to fail... all because of me."

I looked up at the sky that was filled with grey clouds. It was always during days like these when another one would fade away from my life. Another that would leave me scarred and filled with regret.

"So this is who you really are," a familiar voice said from behind me.

My body visibly twitched. I felt my eyes widening despite trying to close them. A chilling gust of wind brushed past me as I turned around, and there stood Mitsuki Mira with a pair of sunglasses and a bucket hat, along with her undercover guard.

"M-Mitsuki..." I gulped. "How long... have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to hear your pathetic little rant."

"...P-pathetic...? That's a bit..."

"Hmph. Seems like you've been thinking about this a lot, but I hardly care now. No matter what you say or do, you're gonna stay as Sunayomi's assistant until your ninety-day period is up. Understood?"

And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse. I'm convinced now. This world just doesn't like me and is actively going out of its way to make things worse.

"It's not like I have a choice..." I grumbled.

"Heh. That's right," she snickered. "So, come with me."

"Eh? Where to?"

"I don't know. Wherever I feel like going."

"But... The bags."

"Manager Na will watch them, so get up already."

Despite my reluctance, I finally pushed myself off the table and followed Mitsuki through the bustling plaza.