“Yaotome-kun,” Hikaru turned around to face Ryosuke and Jie. “I thought you don’t have a girlfriend?” Ryosuke asked.

Hikaru stared at the couple. His heart skipped a beat as Jie smiled at him. “Anou, that was just a girl border. She dropped me off since I got sick last night. She is afraid I’ll get sick again today and bother her later.” He chuckled.

“But you said, you love her…” Ryosuke’s voice trailed off.

Hikaru caught his breath. So they heard. He stared at Jie.

She smiled at him.

“Iie, t-that, that was just nothing.” Hikaru stammered.

Jie looked intently at him.

Hikaru looked down. Ryosuke didn’t seem to have any idea that he had courted Jie. He probably should just keep quiet, if that was what Jie wanted anyway.

They were about to walked to the jimusho when a person approached them. They stared at the man. He was very handsome and masculine. He was wearing a dark glass though they could just imagine that he had nice eyes. his lips were small and kissable. His nose was prominent. He had very fair skin. He wasn’t really tall but he had quite a good height.

“Excuse me,” he said in English. “Might you have any idea of the whereabouts of Inoo Kei and Yabu Kota. I came to their apartment earlier but the landlady said they were already here.”

The three looked at each other.

“They are part of our group.” Ryosuke answered in broken English.

The man’s head tilted towards them. “Ah, I see. Could you me to them?” he asked.

They nodded and led the way.

Ryosuke went inside the dance studio first. “Kei-nii chan, Yabu-nii chan, somebody is looking for you.” He announced.

Kei and Kota stood up. “Who?” Kota asked.

Ryosuke just shrugged and pointed at the door. When Kei and Kota went out, Ryosuke brought Jie in front of the boys. “Minna, I want you to meet my girl friend, Jie.” He announced.

Jie stared at him.

The boys went towards them. “Omedetou.” They greeted the two.

“I know now why Ryosuke-kun is very proud of you. You are really pretty.” Yuto commented.

Jie blushed shyly at the compliment. “Arigatou.”

“Don’t be shy.” Yuri said.

She smiled though she was looking down.

Ryosuke put his hands around her shoulder and gave her a quick kiss on the cheeks which the other guys envied.

Hikaru smiled. Ryosuke was obviously in love with Jie. He learned to trust the guy since Jie was the only thing that comes out of the guy’s mouth ever since they met each other. He just hoped that they would stay that way because he would surely kill the person who would broke Jie’s heart.

It was quite a while when Kei and Kota went in. They looked nervous. There were also a hint of anger in their faces.

They started the training for the day. Hikaru was excused from the dance lessons since he was just sick.

Keito and Daiki arrived early that day. Thanks to Daiki, Mihra allowed Keito to join Hikari’s. She couldn’t back out of her words when she allowed him to join only and only if Daiki was there, too.

“Dai-chan, I think I would be sick just like Hikaru, too.” Keito commented.

Daiki laughed at his younger brother. “Shut up.”

“Eh, hontou. My whole body is aching. Could you believe the training, it was really hard.”

Since most of them were student, they had to train just after their classes. It was quite hard at first since their schedule was so pressed but then they learned to adopt. They should. They had a schedule to follow since they need to debut within three months. Everything must be sped up.

They heard from Ryosuke and Yuri that it was quite a different from their previous experiences. They were the only group who will be able to debut immediately. Most of the artists train for years before they would be able to debut.

Ryosuke said that Hikari was taking a risk by making them debut.

Daiki was in this thought when Keito opened the door for him.

In their amazement, a man stepped out. It was the same man that Kei and Kota talked to just before their workshop. The man stared at the two of them particularly Daiki and then went away.

“Who is he?” Keito asked their mother.

Mihra looked at them. “Betsuni, just an old acquaintance who decided to pay a visit.” She said smiling.

The two nodded.

“By the way, I know you are both tired, I’ll just take out some cake.” Mihra said.

“Did you bake it, haha?” Keito asked.

Mihra laughed at him. “Of course not, you know that I can’t bake cakes.” She said feeling funny.

Keito just shrugged and followed her to the kitchen with Daiki on their tail.

Daiki stretched his arms and massaged his nape. It was another tiring day. Being in Hikari’s was not really a joke. They just had a meeting about their first project. It came to him as quite a shock when they talked about the first solo song that they would be releasing. He was not much of the music lover so quite couldn’t comprehend what they were talking about.

His eyes turned to slits as he recalled the first he learned what music is. Music made him the prince of the streets. Brought money to his pocket but tore his body, his mind, his heart. He thought he would never be whole again.

He looked at the other members. Their group was brought together by music, by something which he despised more than anything.

He needed fresh air so he decided to walk away from the crowd which was another thing that he hates. It was not that he hated his new found friends, it was just he feels tied up from time to time.

He was alone in his thoughts when a man stopped in front of him.

“Daiki?” the man asked. It was the same man that went to their house the other day.

Daiki stared at him. The man stared back. “Hai. Can I help you with anything?” Daiki asked.

The man smiled warmly at him. He put a hand on Daiki’s shoulder. “Did your mother say anything after I left your house?”

Daiki shook his head.

“Ah. So, she haven’t told you the truth, yet.” The man said.
“Truth?” Daiki asked.

The man smiled at him and put his hand on his pocket. “Yes, truth.” He said.

“What truth?”

The man looked at him in his eyes. “That I am your father.” He said and smiled.

Daiki gaped at him in surprise. “Father? I don’t understand.”

The man looked away. “I should have known Mihra kept my identity from you. That is what I regretted all this time, being away from my family.”

Daiki couldn’t say anything. His brain was trying to process the things that the man said.

“I know what you are thinking, that I am not a worthy father because I left you.” The gulped. There was pain in his words and voice. “I already suffered for that.” The man chuckled. Daiki was able to feel the bitterness in the man. The man looked at him. “Please, don’t tell your mom and your brother that I talked to you nor Kei and Kota.” He pleaded.

Daiki nodded.

The man smiled at him and walked away.

Daiki tilted his head. “Father?” he whispered to himself. “Keito… okaasan” he murmured. “I must not tell them.”

Daiki sighed. He knew that his brother hated his father more than anything. Daiki just didn’t know what to do.

Kei was pacing up and down, walking to and pro their dance studio.

“Nii-chan, will you take a seat. Calm down.” Ryutaro commented seeing Kei being such a nervous cat.

Kota had been with that man in the president’s office for a long time, now. He just couldn’t stop feeling anxious.

“What’s with you and that man, by the way?” Ryosuke asked. “Despite being your former producer that is?”

Kei stopped on his tracks. Flashes of memories struck his mind.

“You’re plain talentless!” Lee Sungmin shouted in front of the other members. “How long have you been working on that song and still you haven’t polished a single part?”

Kei looked at the other members. They looked at him in pity. He hated to be pitied but then he was feeling the same for himself. He was incharged of the new song. It had been several weeks and yet he couldn’t decide on the melody. Their group was just starting in the industry and he needed to come up with something that the whole country could recognize as their own but music was not working for him.

“How would you able to market your group if you are that stupid?” Sungmin’s words bore on to him. He was just plain useless.

He stared at Kota. The guy looked back at him. There was fire in the guy’s eye. His friend really sympathized him.

“Sir,” Kota walked beside their producer. “Please give Kei another chance.” He pleaded.

Lee Sungmin smirked. “One week, after one week, he is a goner.” That was all and the man walked away.

“What happened then?” Yuri asked. “Were you able to finish?”

Kei nodded, “But he still kicked me out.”

“Nande?”

“Because, he didn’t like the song. He told me that it doesn’t have any originality at all.

The others looked at him in sympathy.

“I guess what happened is a good thing.” Ryutaro commented. “Since you are with us, now.”

“I agree with him.” Keito said and was seconded by others.

That made Kei smile. “Arigato, minna.”

the door opened. The boys snapped their attention to the doer. Kota came in.

“What happened?” The boys said in chorus.

“I don’t know.” Kota answered. “They asked me to wait outside and then afterwards I was dismissed.” He told the group.

“What will they be talking about?” Hikaru asked.

“Who knows but I just have a hunch that it was about money.”

“Money?” the others asked.

Kota smirked. “Hai, since that Lee Sungmin is really greedy.