Shoujo JUMP! PROJECT

Kawaii Kimi no Koto da Mono!

©Kuroneko

Disclaimer: we do not own Johnny & Associates and Hey!Say! JUMP. All events are entirely fictional.

Chapter 3: Confidence-building with Chinen Yuri

Miki ran away from the studio. She ran. Miki was confused, so she didn’t care where she went or where she was going.

“Why am I even here?” Miki asked herself. Images of Yuri smiling flashed before her mind. Tears started to well up on her eyes.

“I was supposed to follow that plan.. That plan.. Ugh.. “ Miki muttered. She couldn’t take to see one more image of Yuri looking at her with those eyes.

“Those damn eyes.. I wanted to protect myself, didn’t I? So I should be happy without them! Without them! Without them!” Miki cried.

“You couldn’t even take one day without Chinen-kun” another voice told her. She stopped running, All alone. She thought.

“What have I done... I wasted so much.. I took advantage of his kindness.. Then I just left him there.. Because..”. Miki looked nervously at her feet.

“Because I’m selfish..”. The rain started to drizzle and quickly became a heavy one. Miki didn’t care if she was wet.

“I’m selfish and I don’t deserve to live.. I don’t deserve Himeko-san’s kindness.. Everyone’s kindness.. Chinen-kun’s kindness..”. Her blonde, fluffy locks were pouring with rainwater. Her school uniform was dripping wet. Miki stood there, confused and angry with herself.

Her cell phone was blinking and beeping several times now. She picked it up.

Chinen Yuri

“Why was he calling?”

Hesitantly and reluctantly, Miki answered.

“Oh, Miki-chan! Himeko here. Where on earth are you? Let’s talk later on the way home, okay? I’ll pick you up. Tell me where you are. The Chaperone’s here anyway.” Himeko’s stern but kind voice hollered on the phone.

“H-Himeko-san.. I’m somewhere around Nara avenue... Thank you for the offer. I wanted to talk to you, too..” Miki cried on the phone. They hung up.

~~~~

Himeko was aghast when she saw Miki wet from head to toe. She was sneezing, and would catch a cold sooner or later. Fortunately, her chaperone had towels inside the vehicle.

“What on earth happened to you? Yuuya-senpai and Hikaru-senpai told me you ran suddenly out of the room! And Chii was telling me about something... And that something isn’t good. Start talking.” Himeko told her with a concerned voice. She handed her towels.

“W-well.. I don’t know where to start.. H-Himeko-sa.. Achoo!” Miki sneezed.

“Start with why you weren’t talking to Chii. “ Himeko demanded.

Miki paused. She looked sadly at her wet clothes.                                                              

“I-It’s just.. I think I’m being selfish..”

Himeko gave her a confused look.

“....Huh?” Himeko tilted her head comically.

“Girls harass me at school because I’m getting too close to Chinen-kun..” Miki admitted, and wiped her nose.

“..Well, if that’s the case, Chii was going to protect you! He’s always like that with his friends. He is Over-protective. But to you? You’re different. He’s always telling me to look after you since you were avoiding him..” Himeko protested. She gave a small whack on Miki’s head.

“M-Mazui!!” Miki muttered, clutching her head.

“B-But.. Himeko-san.. Chinen-kun can’t protect me all the time.. He’s a tarento.. Famous! I’m just a cheesy normal girl who looks like a Yankee.. Not to mention talentless. Why would Chinen-kun protect me?” Miki told her bluntly.

Himeko paused, and looked sadly on the window. She remembered bitter parts of her childhood.

“Y-You do have a point, Miki-chan.. But you’re special for him.. “ Himeko smiled sadly and gave her an envelope. Inside was a ticket for the concert this Sunday.

Miki only stared at the tickets and Himeko stared at the window.

~~~~~~

The following morning was Saturday. Miki felt tired. Her father called up to her.

“Oy, Miki. I’m going to work now. Breakfast is on the table. “. Her father repeated, and shut the door quickly. Miki tried to get up. Her vision was blurry.

She touched her forehead. She was warm. She felt a bit cold.     

“Achoo!” she sneezed. Miki was down with flu.

“Mazui.. Mazui..” Miki muttered again. She checked her phone by the bedside table. No new messages. Then she noticed the ticket.

“....You’re special for him..” Himeko’s voice rang up in her ears. Miki stared at it and blushed.

“Aaah!! What on earth was I thinking! Impossible! Chinen-kun couldn’t have fallen in love with a simpleton and ugly girl like me!!” Miki laughed to herself. The laughter drifted away.

 Miki opened her window and was surprised to find Himeko and Yuto walking together. The two didn’t notice her. Himeko looked annoyed and was helping Yuto with the icepacks on his cheek. Yuto’s headphones were obviously super glued. They looked like an old couple who couldn’t stand each other,fighting and bickering about silly stuff.

“Come to think of it.. They do look so sweet together.. “ Miki giggled weakly.

~~~~~~~~~~~

One message from unknown contact

“That was unexpected.” She muttered. Miki rushed to her phone. The message read:

Morning, takaki yuuya in da haus. Himekouhai told me to give your address to you. Uhh. 15, Peony drive. Shibuyakuni-no-machi. Oh. And Chii-chan misses you. He was bad at practice today. And he had a bad mood. Hope 2 c u in da Sunday concert!

Miki felt her hear beat.

“Chinen-kun actually misses me..”

She kept staring at her phone after that.

~~~~~~~~

Miki wasn’t feeling any better, so she decided to visit Himeko’s place.

“15 peony drive...” Miki muttered. She found the house. Thinking quickly, Miki rang the doorbell. To her surprise, a head popped from the bushes. It was Himeko covered with dirt and soil.

“Oh,  Miki-chan! Yuuya-senpai gave you my address? That’s good! I’ll get there in a minute.” Himeko smiled, dusting the dirt off her shirt. It didn’t seem effective, since the dirt stayed there. Miki watched as she opened the gates for her.

“Ugh. I smell like dirt. Sorry about that, Miki-chan. I was fixing my dad’s prized petunias. Do come in. “ Himeko sniffed herself, and invited Miki inside the house.

Miki fawned at Himeko’s living room, obviously awed by the things present in there.

She spotted roses and magnolias in an oriental vase, A brown glass table, A bowl of Jelly beans( which seemed out of place), And various ukiyo-e paintings.

The room gave a simple but pleasant aura. Miki muttered: “kirei naaa..”

Himeko heard her and smiled.

“Oh. Welcome to the living room. Obviously, you find it to your liking. Heheh. Yuto’s place is much better..”

Miki looked at her curiously.

“Eh? You know where Nakajima-san lives?” Miki asked her.

“Of course I do! That idiot has been my childhood friend for years. Hahah. He’s my neighbour..” Himeko bluntly replied.

Miki stared in bewilderment.

“And I’m so lucky! Ryutaro-kun is also my neighbour! I get to see his morning face! Uwaa!~” Himeko whispered happily.

“Wow... You have superstar neighbours... That’s so cool...” Miki gleamed quietly.

“Ah. But really, all of the JUMP members live right here within Shibuyakuni-no machi. I wouldn’t be surprised if I find Chii winding on your doorstep.” Himeko admitted, smirking a bit.

“..So much for trying to avoid him..” Miki thought to herself.

“Heehee. Chii has the tendency to stalk, you see. That is, if he really likes you. He really is unusual..” Himeko admitted.

“S-So that means! Chinen-kun’s been stalking me?!” Miki stood up, shocked. She imagined Yuri watching her using a large telescope.

“Oh! N-no! Well, I’m not really sure. What I’m trying to say is.. Watch out. The guy can be a stalker. “ Himeko comically warned, leaving Miki unconvinced.

Two minutes of silence went between the two.

“Oh. Miki-chan. You have to attend this Sunday’s concert. Do you know what Chii’s been up to lately?” Himeko’s voice turned worried.

“U-um.. Takaki-senpai texted me. He told me Chinen-kun was missing me. B-but that’s too hard to believe!” Miki protested.

“You have to go. You don’t have to worry about how to get there. We could go together. But I’m pleading you. It’s for Chii’s sake. I’ve never seen him sad before..“ Himeko pleaded, which was unusual.

Miki looked at her feet sadly. She was missing Yuri, after all. He wasn’t angry with her. He was desperate to see her. Miki nodded to Himeko’s offer.

“I will! Chinen-kun was kind to me at school, I definitely have to return that kindness!” Miki held Himeko’s hand. Himeko smiled back at her.

“Thank goodness. “ Himeko muttered.

Miki asked Himeko if she could stay a little while longer, since she had nothing to do back at home. Himeko agreed. They talked about their childhood. Miki’s days in Aomori prefecture, and Himeko’s days as a baseball geek.

“So, Himeko-san. How did you meet Nakajima-san?” Miki asked.

Himeko was still laughing hard because of a certain embarrassing incident Miki shared with her.

“Oh! That idiot? Yeah. We played Baseball together. And there were freaky bulky men who would always beat me up.. And Yuto was there. He’d beat up those guys one way or another! Yankee style, I tell you. “

Himeko suddenly paused. The smile disappeared from her lips.

“Miki-chan, I don’t want to talk about this anymore.. “

Miki stared curiously.

“Saa.. You better get ready for tomorrow! Put on your best clothes and prepare yourself! Chii will be waiting!” Himeko reminded her.

Miki got up and thanked Himeko for her time.

“It was a fun day with you, Himeko-san! Thank you!” Miki thanked her again.

The blonde girl left her house with high, but nervous spirits.

~~~~~~~

Sunday, 7:50 pm, Kusakabe residence.

Miki’s flu hasn’t subsided.

The doorbell rang. Miki, fully dressed, opened the door and found Himeko.

“Evening, Miki! Let’s go, shall we? The concert starts in an hour. Yuto has already reserved seats in the front row. “ Himeko smiled at her.

“Thank you, Himeko-san...” the other girl shyly thanked Himeko, who wasted no time dragging her into her car.

“Step on it, Mitsubashi!” Himeko ordered. The driver sped away. Miki was so surprised, her body was thrown into the back seats.

~~~~~~~~~

8:15 pm, Tokyo dome

The dome was full of fan girls. The two were so fortunate that Yuto had been able to reserve seats for them.  

“This is the ‘gym’ they were talking about?!” Miki asked Himeko with disbelief. Himeko only laughed. Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and the only light was the one brightening the stage up.

The girls who were sitting beside them scurried to the stage. In a few minutes, Himeko and Miki were separated by a vast sea of screaming and frantic fan girls. Miki tried to look for her. She stretched her arm frantically and desperately.

“Himeko-san. Where are you?” She called out weakly, her fever still affecting her eyesight.

She grabbed hold of a young boy who was at the same age as hers. His brown eyes looked at her as her eyesight was already beginning to darken. The boy was trying to keep her awake.

“Oi.. Stay with me.. Stay with me..” the boy was telling her. The fan girls were still screaming their heads off, not minding the two.

Miki out. The boy had no choice but to carry her to the nearest clinic. It was backstage. Fortunately, that boy was a member of Johnny’s Juniors . He had a pass.

~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Himeko ran to the backstage, frantically looking for Miki. The members of Hey! Say! 7 were the ones on stage, and fortunately, other members were still there.

“Yabu-senpai! Hikaru-senpai! I couldn’t find Miki! “. Himeko worriedly told them.

Yabu and Hikaru stood up and ran outside. They saw the stampede on the front row and immediately wore their black shades. They were crying out loud.

“Miki-chan! Kusakabe Miki!!” They called out.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The boy carried Miki’s limp body and handed her to one of the nurses working in the small infirmary.

“I think she’s down with flu.. Her body’s warm. “ The boy muttered.

“Oh. Why, how kind of you. What is your name?” the nurse praised him like a child, a read the initials on his tag.

“Yacchan? Okay. Thank you for bringing her here, Yacchan.” The nurse thanked him again.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Himeko passed by the infirmary and was relieved albeit a bit worried to see Miki again. She was sleeping. Himeko flipped her phone open and called Yabu and Hikaru.

“Yabu-senpai? Hikaru-senpai? I found Miki-chan. No need to worry. Over.”. Himeko gently told them.

Yabu and Hikaru sighed over the phone.

“Thank goodness. We’ll be heading back to the backstage, Over. “. Hikaru replied.

The nurse was shocked when Himeko suddenly barged in the infirmary.

“Is she going to be okay? She was with me.”. Himeko asked the nurse.

“Yes, of course. She’s got a fever of 37 degrees. That’ll subside soon, I hope.“

The conversation woke Miki up.

“Hi. You’re in the infirmary. Don’t worry. The boy who brought you here. I already thanked him for you. Yacchan. A junior.” The nurse smiled at her and reassured Miki.

Himeko sighed, relieved. But only for a short while when Yuuya, Kei, and Yuri barged into the infirmary and carried Miki to the back stage. Miki can only stare in bewilderment as she disappeared with the three. Himeko and the nurse looked at each other with a confused look.

~~~~~~~~~~

When Miki came out, she was wearing an outfit similar to Yuri’s. Black fingerless gloves,  a black hooded shirt, a black  under shirt, and black pants. She was wearing Yuri’s “Your Seed” outfit. Yuri stuffed her short blonde locks inside a black beret cap without another word.

“Aww. She looks cute, Chii-chan.” Yuuya nudged at him. Yuri was smiling and staring at her for a few minutes. After that, he pulled her to the stage with him.

“Dance with me..” Yuri whispered quietly (and a bit sweetly) on Miki’s ear. She turned bright red when his breath tickled her ear.

She was sick, confused. And yet Yuri’s here, telling her to dance with him. The song blared throughout the Tokyo dome.

Believe in yourself you can get it on..

Miki’s eyes widened.

Believe in yourself you can make it up..

Her heart skipped a beat. She followed Yuri’s dance steps, and was surprisingly able to pick up well. 

Believe in yourself, Shinjirunda..

“This song...”

Believe in yourself, jibun jishi..

“Why does it feel like it’s speaking my heart out?” she asked herself. She danced with Yuri reluctantly.

Aimai na uwasa yori jibun? Shinjite mirebai janai?

..Don’t you think it’s better to believe in yourself than just any vague rumour?

Honto ni yaritai koto kara? Kimi wa nigeterun janai?

Aren’t you running away from things you really wanted to do?

Jinsei nante ieba..mune ni omoku hibiku kedo..

Calling it “life” makes it echo heavily in your chest...

Suki na mono, suki to ieru..

Saying you like the things you do..

Yuuki dake wa.. tebanashi tara dame dayo..

You mustn’t let go of that courage to do them..

Miki’s heart beat faster. Yuri continued to dance, and so did she.

Akiramenai.. Kimi ga ireba.

You should never give up.

Donna toki mo, chansuu wa aru.

If there’s time, there’s chance.

Monogatari wa.. owaranai..

The story isn’t done yet.

Never ending story, yume wo tsuzuite ku.

Never ending story, your dreams will definitely continue.

~~~~~~~~

The dance ended with a lot of fan girls screaming. Miki felt like she was going to faint again. Yuri helped her up, and smiled at her. She was surprised to see Yuto dragging Himeko to the stage, with a male outfit. Himeko looked like a boy.

Yuto wanted Himeko to dance with him, so he forced her into the stage and made her dress up as a boy. Himeko looked wildly at the beaming strobe lights.

“If that’s how you want it... “ Himeko muttered, smirking.

The two danced rhythmically with the next music, OVER. Yuto smirked back at Himeko, and the girl tried to stamp on his foot several times throughout the dance. Yuto didn’t notice that.

The dance finished with the tow doing a tandem pose. Yuto was so happy, he didn’t notice Himeko’s leg lunging at him.

And thus, another bruise on Yuto’s body formed that night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day at school, Miki was so tired, she felt like crawling to school.

“Ugh.. Ohayo...” she tiredly greeted her classmates and walked feebly to her desk.

“Oh, have you seen that last night! At the Tokyo dome! Chinen’s dancing with some person wearing the same outfit as his! Oh my God. I was totally surprised. And so was Nakajima! He was dancing with another boy, too! Who are they? What if.. What if Nakajima and Chinen are..Are.. You know?”

“Oh.. No way.. What on earth were you thinking?!? Yuto and Yuri aren’t faggots, you .. ”

Miki wanted to fall asleep on her desk, and she did just that.

Unfortunately, Miki had forgotten that their first subject was Math. She had slept the entire hour. Yuri nudged at her, but he was ignored.

Miki woke up at the sound of Matsumoto Jun-sensei’s paper fan slapping her desk loudly.

“Kusakabe, Since you slept throughout the period, I have no choice but to give you punishment for your action. “. Jun-sensei told her with an annoyed and angry tone.

Miki felt scared, and sighed.

~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Yuto, Yuri and Himeko were having recess.

“I feel sorry for Miki-chan. She’s been with Jun-sensei for two hours already..” Yuri muttered worriedly, his hands shaking. A deadly aura was wrapped around him. Yuto and Himeko were trying to keep their distance from him.

“C-Chii.. Kusakabe-san was tired from yesterday. She had a fever, you see. And you made her dance! Not to mention you made it ‘Your Seed’. It took us weeks to finish that dance, and you made her follow that dance! Now, wouldn’t you feel tired yourself?” Yuto reprimanded him for his carelessness.

“Nice.. Yuto’s trying to sound like an older brother..” Himeko giggled.

Yuri’s troubles didn’t subside even in the presence of his friends. Yuto and Himeko were whispering with one another, planning something to cheer Yuri up.

“Maa.. Chii, if you could beat Himeko to a dance competition, we’ll spy on Kusakabe-san for you.” Yuto told him rather bluntly.

Himeko angrily nudged at him and shook her head wildly. Yuto ignored it since Yuri suddenly smiled.

“..You will???” He asked, excited.

~to be continued