He hates this. Every single thing he sees at the moment makes him angry. He eyed the newspaper laid on the table with the headline “Mariya Nishiuchi dating rumours with Kiriyama Ren” printed on its surface. He felt himself grabbing the said paper and aggressively throwing it into the nearby trashcan. Ryosuke then grabbed the door and led himself outside where he can get some fresh air. 

“Yama-chan… where are you goi—?” Chinen’s gaze followed the fading figure of his friend who just found out the news. He just wondered where the older boy is going at this late hour. Being a famous idol in Japan, it is indeed unsafe to stroll around the city alone. 

It’s been eight months since the incident happened. Everyone knew of the tragedy Ryosuke had to endure after Mariya, the only girl he loved left him without any explanation. Eight months ago, Ryosuke found himself the luckiest man on earth and it all disappeared with a blink of an eye. 

“He’s been like that since Mariya-chan left. It’s like we don’t know him at all” Daiki worriedly said. He took the newspaper back from the bin - part of him blaming Mariya for making his friend miserable. “Yama-chan is making me worried” 

—

Ryosuke looked blankly at the night sky while following wherever his feet will take him. He looked down on the ground and watched both of his feet race against each other while the image of Mariya lingered inside his head. He didn’t even notice two unfamiliar figures following him in the dark. 

“I think we got ourselves a catch” Ryosuke heard a voice coming from behind which made him turn around to see the source. Two muscular men, almost double his size appeared before him with a smirk - obvious of their evil intent. The two men cornered Ryosuke and eyed his back pocket which they assumed contained his belongings. 

Before he can even think, Ryosuke felt two pairs of hands grabbing both of his arms and pinning him on the floor. One of the men gave him a strong kick on the stomach, making the poor boy wince in pain. He struggled continuously but the man’s grip got tighter and tighter whenever he moved a muscle. The other man rampaged his back pocket and found Ryosuke’s wallet and phone.

“You made it too easy, little boy” one of the men sniggered before giving Ryosuke a swift kick on his face whist lying on the floor. 

Feeling his anger on its peak, Ryosuke felt himself grabbing the man’s foot and made him stumble on the ground. He slowly stood up and noticed some red substance on the corner of his lower lip… 

“Thanks for coming. I needed someone to beat up this evening” Ryosuke smirked and charged at the two men. He didn’t even evaluate the situation. He just felt his own fist itching for someone to punch and let his frustrations out. With much strength, he threw a punch on one of them, making the older guy take a few steps back. Ryosuke then placed himself on top of the man and started serving punches one after the other. It seems like the devil inside him broke lose as the image of the woman he loves dating someone else, flashed on his mind. 

Seeing this, the other man froze from where he was standing, amazed on how a boy half their size beat the hell out of his accomplice. He then pushed Ryosuke away from the half dead body of his companion and pulled him out of the scene. 

Ryosuke, on the other hand just watched their fleeing figure. He felt his bottom half slump down on the floor and hugged his knees before feeling tears flowing down his plump cheeks… “Whatever makes you happy, Mariya”

—

“So, are you ready for your interview tomorrow?” Yuto uttered on the mouthpiece of his phone. He rested his head on his pillow and waited for the girl on the other end of the line to reply. 

“I’m quite nervous! I don’t really know anything about the entertainment world, but I’m desperate for a part-time job! My tuition for my Master’s course won’t pay itself” Rio replied with uncertainty in her voice. Having Yuto on loud speaker, she fixed all her documents needed for her job interview the next day. See, Yamada Rio is Yuto’s childhood friend. Yuto sometimes acts like a big brother to Rio since he doesn’t have a sister of his own. Like Ryosuke, Yuto also works as an idol in Japan. He arranged this whole interview thing in his company to see if Rio can work even just as a crew assistant to help her pay off her tuition fees. 

“I’m sure you’ll do well. Just make sure you treat me ice cream if you get the job!” Yuto chuckled and just thought how awesome it would be to have a chance to see Rio almost every day at work. 

“Maa, if I get the job, I’ll buy you a whole truck of ice cream!” The girl on the other end of the line replied making Yuto give off a smile. He’s always been very protective of Rio. Not in a romantic way… more like a brother.

“Hai hai… Get some sleep, you weirdo! Don’t you dare be late tomorrow!” He whispered in his mouth piece before hearing a beep that signalled the end of the phone call. 

—

Ryosuke forced himself towards JUMP’s dressing room and just wished for time to go faster. He earned a few morning greetings from his friends before slumping himself down on to the dressing room sofa. He let out an exhausted sigh while uncertain thoughts ran wild inside his head. He didn’t have much sleep last night. Actually, he rarely get decent sleep after Mariya left. These past few months, he’s been like a zombie - going around aimlessly without a purpose. 

“AH! What the hell happened to you?” Yabu, the eldest of the group noticed Ryosuke’s cut and bruise he earned from the fight the night before. It wasn’t long when the rest of the JUMP members gather around Ryosuke in concern. 

“It’s nothing” 

“Who did this to you? I’m gonna beat the crap out of him!” Yuya spoke next. He looked at Ryosuke and felt anger as soon as his gaze landed on the younger one’s injury. The rest of the group leaned towards Ryosuke to take a closer look - their eyes filled with worry. 

“I got mugged last night. It’s no big deal. I handled it myself” Ryosuke tried his best to get away from his friends’ paternal lectures and soon stood up towards the exit. 

“Where do you think you’re going? This is not YOU anymore. Is this about Mariya?” Yabu almost shouted across the room. Everything became quiet. All pairs of eyes are locked on Ryosuke looking down as if in the verge of murdering someone. 

“It’s none of your business” he whispered under his breath before slamming the door behind him as he walked out the dressing room. 

—

“Yabai yabai yabai! I’M LATE!” Rio ran for her life as the clock’s hand striked twelve. She quickly ran inside the elevator and just wished everything was just a dream. It’s not like she wanted to be late. No. She stayed up until 3am last night getting ready for the interview and the next thing she knew, it was already 9am. She cursed at her own carelessness before seeing the door with the sign ‘Interview in Progress’ on its surface. 

Rio tried to catch her breath and just hoped that she still has a chance to attend the said interview. She looked around the corridor and waited for someone to at least greet her but to her dismay, no one came. 

“Can I help you?” A dominating voice was heard behind which made Rio turn to the source. 

“Ahh… anou… My name is Yamada Rio and I’m here for the interview. I’m very sorry I’m late! There was an accident and I—“ Rio tried her best to explain her situation in one single breath but her statement was soon interrupted when the man slowly shook his head, waiting to give her the bad news. 

“I’m sorry. You just missed it. The director had to leave. He hates waiting” The man explained, making Rio leave out a depressed sigh. 

“Yuto-kun’s gonna kill me” she whispered under her breath. She slowly walked towards the exit with her head down and just wished she could turn back time. “How can I be so stupid?!” she thought, almost in the verge of crying. She really wanted to get a job in this company. It offers decent pay, easy to get to, and most importantly, his childhood friend also works here - Yuto. 

Rio dragged her feet, still contemplating on how she can deliver the bad news to her friend. A few steps were made and Rio took a turn when…

*BANG*

“Itai!” Rio felt her bottom half on the floor. She felt pain coming from the left cheek of her bottom and somewhere on the top of her head. She then forced both her eyes open only to see a young man, around her age also on the floor from the sudden impact. “Are you okay? I’m sorry” Rio quickly stood up and tried her best to help him get back on his feet.

“Tsk” The unfamiliar boy replied. He shot a glare at Rio, making her quite annoyed. She’s definitely NOT having a good day. First she missed her interview, and now this? How unlucky.