Backstage (Rinne & Monopoisoner)

[c h i h o]

"There's a stage, and there's backstage. It's always backstage where everything goes down. All hidden from the public's eye."

​

 

[fluticasone]

I'LL PUT SOMETHING PRETTY SOME OTHER TIME

​

Brown eyes searched the crowd, looking for some form of solace. The concert venue provided none. Susumu's discomfort was completely missed by his friend, who excitedly dragged him by his sleeve towards the stage. Only minutes before, the concert came to an end; people were slowly filing out while a few photos stayed to take commemorative photos. Fewer still gathered around the staff member accepting various gifts and paraphernalia from fans.


"I'm sure you can go by yourself... I don't really have any interest in this kind of thing." While that was a lie, Susumu could live with not knowing the kind of life someone in the spotlight lead or the truth behind the song. It's not like he was ever going to make a living off it. But if there was even the slightest possibility they had the notebook he lost a while back...


Noa continued to be undeterred, saying something about her luck becoming a waste if he didn't go with her. Quite frankly, the brunette wasn't even sure why he'd agreed to this. In the first place, he wasn't even familiar with this Yukirin persona.


Weak as he was to any sort of pressure, he allowed himself to get pulled past the staff, who gave them the okay after seeing their tickets. Was it so wrong that he'd wished they'd been denied entry? Knowing Noa though, she'd have managed to argue her way in regardless. As she ooh'd and ahh'd over the costumes and quietly squealed at the sight of guest stars, Susumu found himself drawn to the audio set-up, peeking at the settings and the computer screen without drawing attention.


Soon enough, another staff member came to tell that Yukirin herself was ready to give them the promised meet and greet. Noa's exuberance could be seen in the small skip in her step, and Susumu reluctantly followed after. He would be seen as a suspicious if he continued to hang around alone; too many times he cursed the tall height that ran prominently in his family. They were lead into the hallways farther back, and then paused in front of a nameplate that said Yukirin. The staff gave a quick rapt on the door and left, telling them to go ahead. Noa didn't even hesitate to open it; Susumu wanted a hole to open and swallow him whole.


The first person he saw was Yukirin, which he expected. But the man that stood beside caught him completely by surprise. "Yuuto? Wait why --" With his softspoken voice, Noa's excited rambling overtook the flow of conversation, and he was forced to quiet himself as he stewed the possibilities. Yuuto eventually cut it short, leading Susumu's friend out the door.


"I should--" Susumu's brown eyes met Yuuto's green, which clearly disagreed with his actions. He forced himself to lie. "Actually, go ahead! I need to go to the comfort room... your dad's picking you up right?" As if on queue, Noa's phone rung and she rushed to leave.


Yuuto looked at him coolly, daring him to say anything. Susumu remained silent, playing with the hem of his cardigan before his cousin finally let out a sigh and broke the silence. "We both know you have something to ask." Wait, did that mean-? A quick perusal of Yuuto's face showed that he wouldn't say anything more. Neither was he allowed to run away. Frozen stiff, he looked to Yukirin and then to Yuuto, fidgeting and unable to say anything.


"Oh for pete's sake. It was the last song, isn't it?" Yuuto turned, reached into the bag he always carried around and brought out a very familiar notebook. "It's yours, right?"

 

[c h i h o]

Panting only just slightly, the young idol stared into the large crowd with a large smile on her face. Bending over and bowing as low as she could, she spoke a thank-you to the crowd for the encore and the concert itself before exiting the stage, wiping the sweat off her brow. A white fluffy towel was thrust into her vision and the girl smiled in thanks as she took in from the staff employer. Wrapping it around her neck and patting her face with it, the girl heaved out an exhausted sigh. "Finally! My voice is killing me," Miyuki squeaked, mostly to herself, as she was guided back to her dressing room. As she walked past many employers, they all congratulated her on amazing concert and the idol smiled in thanks.


Once she was into the safety of her dressing room, Miyuki was quick to wipe off all of the sweat and make-up she had to wear for the concert. She was careful not to smudge and wipe it all off, just most of it. Hearing the door close then open, the girl glanced behind her to find her manager, Yuuto standing there. "Hi Yuu-kun," she greeted. Before the idol could get a reply, a knock resounded through the room. "Come in!"


"Shimizu-san, just wanted to remind you that you have a meet and greet in a few," a staff employer informed.


"Ah! That's right! It's just two, right?" A nod from the staff member, "Ok! Tell them to come in," Miyuki grinned, pulling her strawberry-blonde hair into a small ponytail in the back. Letting the white towel rest around her neck, the girl walked over to her chair and seated herself comfortably in it, heaving out another sigh as she waited. However, the wait wasn't long as a knock came from her door once more and two young adults had walked in.


A boy and a girl. Must be a couple, Yukirin mused before sitting up, "Hi! Nice to meet you, I'm, well, Yukirin!" she introduced, standing up.The girl was quick to start a conversation with her, her voice filled with excitement. Miyuki gave a small laugh as she managed to input a few words into the conversation before Yuuto cut it short. He had ushered the girl out, and the young male adult, who wasn't talking or directing his attention to her rather her manager, was about to leave before he quickly changed his mind, watching as his friend rushed away to answer her ringing phone.


Miyuki watched as the door closed and the idol was left with the two males. The visitor seemed to be a bit uncomfortable, and Miyuki was about to open her mouth until Yuuto beat her to it.


"We both know you have something to ask." Suddenly curious, the girl walked closer to the two. It was silence once more before her manager gave out an exasperated sigh, turning to grab a notebook from his bag that was always with him before handing it towards the male. "Oh for pete's sake. It was the last song, isn't it? It's yours, right?"


Now, Miyuki was confused. She stood there in confusion before it finally registered. "Wait, what? My song? My last song? What do you mean it's his?" the girl asked, staring at Yuuto with disbelief plastered on her face. "I thought you said you wrote that to me...Yuu-kun, explain!" The words had tumbled out of her mouth and she was slightly getting flustered from anger and a bit of embarrassment. Without waiting for his answer, she turned to the other male and bowed in apology, "I'm so sorry! I didn't know that was your song. I thought it was composed for me."

 

[fluticasone]

im sorry im too lazy sobs

​

The brunette bowed in reply to Miyuki's apology, flustered by the turn of events. He should've known Yuuto was behind it all. "No, um it's quite alright! You performed it much better than I ever could have!" Susumu wasn't quite sure what to do, and it was becoming quickly clear in his expression.


Yuuto could only sigh as the drama unfolded before him. "Correction: I said I had a song for you. I distinctly remember not specifying where it came from." This was exactly what made him such an excellent manager but shitty company. He had excellent memory and a track record to prove it, so he knew Miyu wouldn't contest him on it. It was a bit of an asshole move, yes, but he had plans for them both. "Plus, you both know I don't have any sort of talent in music." Yeah sure, he knew how to read notes but that didn't suddenly unlock a genius in him.


Massaging the crook of his neck with his free hand, he gave the notebook to Miyuki to peruse. He knew she'd be able to make sense of the arrangements written inside. "Introductions are in order. Miyu, this is Mori Susumu, my cousin. " The two barely looked related, the only trait they shared being their height. "I put the rights under my name; he'll get compensation for it so you don't need to worry. Plus, I doubt Susumu's going to sue us." He turned to the brunette, a trickle of amusement in his eyes as he looked at his paling face. "Are you?"


"Of course not... and that's not really the issue." Actually, even Susumu wasn't sure what exactly he was trying to say. Actually, he was immensely glad that people in the concert enjoyed his song, although he wasn't sure if it wasn't just "Yukirin" dragging the crowd to her pace. "I'm really sorry though." Honestly, Susumu wasn't even sure why he was apologizing. He just felt like he should. Maybe for just how much of an asshole his relative was.


Looking fairly pleased that Susumu had caved under his pressure, Yuuto's gaze returned to his charge once again. "Miyu, give us your honest opinion on his songs. Just a general opinion; I understand you're feeling tired from the concert." If this went well, she'd be taking home the notebook anyway.

 

[c h i h o]

Miyuki was now completely flustered by the turn of events. She had lifted her head, but was still slightly bent down and her face was flushed in a bright red in embarrassment. "I can't believe you, Yuu-kun," she murmured under her breath. As the notebook was handed to her, the girl took it with reluctant as the introductions were being said. "Nice to meet you, Susumu-san. Please take care of me," Miyuki politely said as she gave another tradition bow.


Yuuto looked pleased at how well this was going and Miyu was slightly irritated by that look. With a quiet sigh, trying to show her irritation, the girl opened the notebook and skimmed through it as quick as she could. From what she read, she did, indeed enjoy what she saw and couldn't help but smile slightly, "I like it. I can see myself singing these lyrics. With a few adjustments and some music, I'm sure we can work this out," the strawberry blonde idol chirped, looking up. "That is...if you're okay with it," Miyu added quickly. Although Yuuto had already confirmed it for that matter, she couldn't help but ask again.


Glancinng at the clock, the girl noted the time, "Well, uh, isn't it about time we get going, Yuu-kun?" she asked, closing the notebook and holding it with both hands, "I'm tired and ready to fall over," she whined, exhausted by the concert. No doubt she had fun, but it always trains her energy after. She'd be on tour in a few days and the time between now and then was free. Aside from the few photo shoots and interviews, she wanted to use that time to relax and maybe write some songs of her own.

 

[fluticasone]

「 森 進 」


MORI SUSUMU
​

Thoughts of last weekend still occupied his mind and until now the brunette remained unable to contain his excitement. A professional had complimented his work. Now, Miyuki was a nice person and had likely said that to be polite, but he was content to live off that for the rest of his life. Sure, some would call his standards of happiness shallow, but it was better than being perpetually disappointed by fate and your own self. He'd found himself sharing the incident on his social media, though he didn't specify which musician it was, afraid of being discovered through it.


Despite his good mood, his day in university proceeded as it normally did. And he preferred it that way. Susumu knew that he needed to stay grounded in reality and being treated as a simple nobody was a good method of dragging him back to earth from cloud nine. As usual, he ate his lunch alone in the nearby park, listening to music on the headphones perpetually on his person.


A glance at his watch reminded him to move and he threw away the wrapper of his sandwich, readying himself for his class. It was a large class spanning more than fifty students; the brunette liked them. People more or less minded their own business, and as long as you submitted work, the professor wasn't likely to fail you. As expected, no one even so much glanced at him as he slid into his seat in the back, content with the lack of attention. He brought out a fresh new music notebook, writing down the short melodies inspired by his eventful weekend. Having his old one out of his hands was distressing, but at least Susumu knew who it was with this time around.


"... you'll be pairing up with the person to either your right or left for this term project, so get to know your seatmate." The statement caused his brown eyes to widen in surprise; a paired term paper? Considering that would significantly reduce his professor's workload, he should've seen it coming. But if he'd known just a tiny bit earlier, he could've at least sat next to someone from his high school or something.


He looked to his left; they'd already paired off with the other person next to them. The one to his right looked a bit unfriendly, but he unless he magically found a friend in this class, it would come off as extremely rude to find someone else. "Um, I guess we're working together." The brunette's voice was timid, uncertain on how to approach the stranger. "I'm Mori Susumu. Japanese Lit major."