Riff of Realization

I spent the rest of the day on my bed, just thinking staring at the ceiling or browsing through my phone. The only time I got up was to grab some food for Nae. And now, I'm back to doing the same thing, except that was more on my mind than just nothingness.

Yoshino Yoko... She seemed completely fine, but I could sense that it was just a façade. I understand what it's like to wear on a smile to mask your true emotions. What I felt just then might have seemed insignificant, but I could tell it ran deeper than just surface impressions.

I sank into my chair and took a deep breath. This isn’t like me at all. I’m the kind of person who keeps to myself and avoids getting tangled in other people’s issues. They don’t concern me, or at least, that’s what I’ve always told myself. Yet, despite my efforts to remain detached, I find myself caring more than I ever imagined.

Earlier, Yoshino was looking at an article on her phone, and it wasn't just any random article. For a faint moment, I saw her name in the title.

"Yoshino Yoko..." I mumbled as I typed it into the search bar.

Immediately, a flurry of articles populated the search engine. One covered Sunayomi’s recent interview, with Yoshino as the main speaker, showcasing her role as the group's leader. Another highlighted her stunning appearance after a photoshoot, featuring Yoshino in a range of fashionable outfits.

The articles spoke very positively, singing her praises and celebrating her achievements. This was exactly what I’d expect from someone like her. So why was she looking so down earlier?'

Suddenly, my ears locked onto to a particularly long headline.

"Yoshino Yoko, the leader of Sunayomi. Could her historically failing career end quicker than most people would expect?" I repeated. "Is this for real...?"

I clicked the link and skimmed through the article. It detailed Yoshino Yoko's journey as an idol: she made her debut at fifteen with another group that disbanded less than two years later. She then spent a challenging year as a solo artist with limited success before finally forming Sunayomi, which later achieved fame.

"Sunayomi's Yoshino has already failed once in the idol industry," I read the article. "As the veteran amongst the girls, many believe that she is more prone to failing once again, eventually dragging Sunayomi as whole down with her. Given her age, it is likely that the worst may come yet again."

I opened a new tab and searched for 'Yoshino Yoko failing.' The results came flooding in—numerous articles echoing the same narrative. They highlighted her past setbacks and expressed concerns about her potentially facing similar issues again.

With that, I let out a scoff while leaning back on my chair.

"The hell is this...?" I mumbled. "These people have no business talking down on her like that, especially when their success in clearly-biased journalism is derived from the person they're trying to denounce. Fucking hypocrites, but that's to be expected with the internet."

I spent a while searching for similar articles about the other girls, but came up empty. It seems Yoshino was the one being scrutinized due to her long-standing presence in the idol industry.

And just like that, everything fell into place. Yoshino's downcast expressions, her constant phone-checking, and the unease I felt around her now made sense. The reason why she called me so late the other night... was because of this.

I checked the time—1:00 AM. My fingers hovered over my phone as I scrolled through my contact list until I stopped at Yoshino's name. A part of me wondered if she was still awake, but before I could think it through, I realized the call was already going through.

What the—?! When did I press it?! I frantically tried to end the call, but before I could, the timer appeared on the screen, ticking up with each passing second.

"...H-hello...?" I gulped.

"Yozora. Hah... I wasn't expecting this at all. Is there something you wanted to say to me? Or maybe... you just wanted to hear my voice?"

"Wha... Okay, it's definitely not the latter."

"Oh? Is my voice not appealing to you?"

"T-that's not it!"

"Pft... Hahaha!"

Her laughter danced through my ear, light and effortless, melting away the knotted tension in my chest. I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of relief wash over me.

"You're so easy, Yozora," she said.

"You make it difficult to not be."

"Heh, that's my bad. I can't help but tease whenever I get the chance. It's just who I am. Does that bother you?"

"No. Not at all. I actually think it's kind of neat that you have a side like that beneath all the fame and glamour."

"Really? Most people would beg to differ."

"Well, I'm not 'most people,' and you know that."

"Haha. I do, huh?"

Why am I feeling like this? Hearing her voice makes me relieved and sad at the same time. Now that I know what people are saying about her, it's hard to just ignore.

"So?" Yoshino asked.

"So... what?"

"Are you going to explain why you called me so late at night?"

"Hm... Well..."

At first, I was going to tell her that I knew. I really was... but then I decided not to, and I don't even know why.

"It's nothing," I replied. "I just... wanted to check up on you."

"Check up on me? How come? Did something happen that I wasn't aware of?"

"Nah. I guess it's because you called me last week that I wanted to make sure that nothing happened to you.

"Oh dear. Are you worrying about me right now?"

"Naturally. A phone call from you isn't an every day occurrence. And, as your assistant, it's part of my job to worry, isn't it?"

She let out a soft giggle. "Look at you. Taking your job seriously now, are you?"

"There's only a month and a half left before my contract gets terminated. Might as well."

At least, it seems like she's doing fine now. That's enough for me. If she doesn't want to share it with me, then I shouldn't pressure her to do that.

"Hey, Yozora... Can I ask you something?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"After your contract is over... Do you really have no plans to stay?"

"Huh...?"

I never even thought about what I was gonna do after the contract was over. Despite my previous mindset, it hasn't even been that bad. Do I wanna stick around? Maybe an even more important question is... would they want me to stick around.

"I'm not sure," I said. "If you had asked me a month ago, I would've said no, but... Hah. I don't even know. Sometimes, it feels like I'm not even your assistant. I'm just a random guy who doesn't care to do his job properly. Am I even fit to continue?

"Hah. Yozora... You know, there's a reason why I chose you out of all people. Do you wanna know what it is?"

"What?"

"Because I thought you were cute."

"W-wha—I'm trying to be serious here! Why are you... s-saying weird things...?"

"Hehe, but I'm being honest. I don't like old men telling me what to do. Manager Na is the exception. That's why I wanted you... and I still do. So... Just think about it, hm?"

"...Alright."

As we spoke, I closed out all the tabs of articles criticizing Yoshino. I won't worry about it anymore. Maybe if I keep doing what I'm doing, then she'll be okay. Not to say that I'll make that big of an impact. I'll just keep an eye on her. That's all.

"By the way, Yozora, Sunayomi is set to perform at a fair in Osaka soon," Yoshino said. "Will you be coming with us?"

"Huh? How soon is soon? Because this is the first time I'm hearing about that."

"It was a last minute decision to participate. We were kind of on the fence about it, but the others said it'd be fine if you came too."

"...And you're just now asking me despite your appearance being set in stone?"

"Yep! So you're coming with us whether you wanted to or not."

"What? W-wait! I didn't agree to this!"

"Too late. Good night, Yozora!"

"Hey! Don't—"

She hung up...

I leaned back on my chair. What the hell? A trip to Osaka? With... them...?

I've never been outside of Tokyo. I never found the need to leave the city, but now I'm being forced to. That's sounds par for the course, given that so many random things happened ever since I became Sunayomi's assistant.

Damn it... Well, who knows? Maybe I'll enjoy it.

Yeah, nope. There's no way. I can't freaking go. I'm a literal turtle who hides in his shell. I need to talk to Manager Na as soon as I come in tomorrow.