Fandom Showstopper - The Story

[cremenebula]

🆃🅷🅴 🅱🅴🅶🅸🅽🅽🅸🅽🅶

This story starts off at the beginning of a special event: new and upcoming rock star Itaichi Utano is performing at one of the city's hottest venues tonight. It's a hot night during a blistering summer, but a cool breeze from the nearby ocean lingers in the air. The concert is held at one of the largest venues in the area, and the turnout is almost suffocating. The crowd outside of the arena is as dense as the thickest of fogs, and the people who were brave enough to face the crowds shoved one another into the barriers and buildings alike. Everyone was attempting to get even the smallest glimpse of the star.

But as for inside the theater? Tickets sold out just after sales were promoted. That should give you the approximation of the crowd.

No one knows how Itaichi became so popular so fast-- being just a few months after a seemingly lowly manager picked him up to thrust him into stardom. But no one is complaining either. He's easily on the rise to becoming one of the today's most popular artists. At first, Itaichi's band consisted of quite a few members, though (as if stardom wasn't for them, and with the accompanyment of some harsh rumors) a few of them appeared to have been replaced quite quickly and without a word. No one seemed to speak of the ill-fated members of the group in it's beginning days, but Itaichi's solo career was lauched immediately after their dismissal.

Even if rock isn't necessarily your thing, and if crowds makes you nervous, you find yourself at the concert. Being the winners of a round of contests, whether it be winning a ticket through a radio giveaway or perhaps winning a bet off of a very distant friend, you were all presented with backstage passes as prizes.

Perhaps you found the pass "on the ground". Perhaps you paid for it. But whatever the method of your obtainment of the ticket, as well as the backstage pass, you find yourself slipping into the venue with your head held high and a thirst for music. Even if it wasn't your thing, the atmosphere could be fun, right?

Either way, you keep your head high and hope for a fun night.

The concert is a blast: music blaring and Itaichi screaming into the microphone. He may not seem like something so magnificent, but he does have a set of pipes. He's impressive, but maybe not so much that his stardom should have risen so quickly. The venue is packed and there's barely any room to move against the crowd, but it's lively and energetic. Getting your blood pumping, you may even be having a pleasant time!

However, you do still have that backstage pass. It might be fun to meet someone who's hit it big-- a dream that you may be hoping for yourself. You have an art form that you love as well, and perhaps it would be nice to taste a little bit of the spotlight through what you love as well. Itaich looked like he had been enjoying himself on the stage so much, after all...

Though returning to the pass, you might be able to get a free t-shirt or an autograph during your time spent with the star. It wasn't like you had to keep whatever item you may obtain, but an autograph is likely to earn you a nice wad of cash if you decided to sell it.

Once the concert is over and the screaming fans are begging for yet another encore, you decide it's about time to find out where to head to meet this guy. You had been told upon your arrival of a designated meeting area beside one of the bathrooms, and upon showing your pass to security, you arrived to meet a small group of people-- all likely to have passes as well. The group is situated in a small room between two hallways, and for a few minutes you're left alone to speak while staff bustles in and out of the hall and through doors to finish up the last of the tasks that they can do before the star makes his appearance.

Turning to the other members of the hall, you feel a faint connection with each other. It's as if you're all deeply rooted and connected somehow-- perhaps by a string of faith. Either way, perhaps you should get to know your fellow backstagers while you have the time.

ErarousFire Trystan1295 Arcanist ThatGuyWithSouvlaki Mineczka Gravitational Force SomebodyElse Topless (Tagging onyeenhok too bc I'm sure you wanna see!! ouo)

 

[Trystan1295]

Souta Sasaki​

~~Earlier That Day~~​

Two men in suits sat facing one another in an ample office. One of them, a younger fellow in his early 20s, sat facing his boss with a distressed look plastered all over his face. The other man, however, was going through some documents on his tablet silently without a single crease in either his brow or his suit. He made no motions outside of swiping the screen every few seconds.

“Excuse me, Boss... what's this about?” asked the younger man. “I need to hurry this up' I've got class in two hours on the other side of town...”

The other man simply nodded and continued swiping. After a few seconds, he locked his tablet and adjusted his glasses before clearing his throat and addressing his subordinate. “Sasaki, I'm impressed. Ratings have shot up since your show premiered yesterday.”

Sasaki laughed nervously. “O-oh, its nothing, sir. It's the least I could do to you and your company for having recognized my talent.”

The boss lowered his head and placed his tablet on top of his desk before opening a drawer. “Give me a second, I have something for you.” He felt blindly around the contents of the drawer before fishing out a piece of colored plastic attached to a string. Among other things, the plastic card had the subordinate's full name, “Souta Sasaki”, printed on it.

“This is for tonight's Itaichi concert... the one you're sponsoring, right?” asked Souta.

The executive nodded and smiled. “That's right. We had one left over, and I decided to give this backstage pass to you, to celebrate the success of our project. I understand if you're not a fan of this genre of music, but on behalf of the company, I want to insist. This will surely be a new experience for you, plus we're earning a cut of whatever we gain from merch sales and ticket sales, so you're free to support the studio that way as well.

“Understood, Boss. Thank you so much for this opportunity.” Souta reached over and shook his boss's hand as he was handed the pass, “I need to leave, though. I don't want to be late for class!”

With that being said, Souta fetched his belongings and left the office in a hurry.

~~In the Present~~​

Contrary to his original belief, Itaichi's concert wasn't anything special to Souta. It didn't spark any creative interest in him as a creator, which is one thing he expects of the music he wants to listen to. He was about to stand up and leave at a few points, but he looked down at his pass every time he tried to do so and decided against it, since he felt that a good 80% to 90% of everyone watching this concert would kill to be in the position he was and he shouldn't take that for granted. He spent most of the latter half of the concert looking down at his phone and playing virtual trading card games.

Just as the concert appeared to be coming to a close, the crowd called for an encore. Souta groaned and stood up to take a walk. He was headed to the restroom, where he was going to lay the oversized stadium hot dog he had earlier to rest.

When he came out of the restroom, he was swallowed by a sea of people drowning the hallways in the smell of nacho cheese and excited chants about how good the concert was. Souta stumbled as he wove throughout the crowd, and he eventually spotted a burly man in a suit who was leading a group of people into a special room.

He was about to turn around and leave, but he suddenly felt like his head was about to burst as soon as he tried to do so. He felt supernaturally compelled to follow those people into that room. He noticed that around the necks of everyone in the line there was a badge identical to his, so he walked up to the man in the suit, flashed his badge, and joined the queue.

“They're probably going to a Backstage Area or something, right?” he thought to himself. He thought on asking one of the other guys in the line, but the fact that he didn't want to be embarrassed, coupled with the fact that he'd be the only one talking out of everyone, deterred him from doing so.

He was led to a special room in between two hallways. People were walking to and from both doors on either side of the room, but Souta and the other pass holders were instructed to stay in the room and wait while the staff finished the last few tasks.

Everyone was dead quiet, and the tension was thick in the air. Souta figured he might as well break the ice among everyone, so he tried speaking.

“So, uh... Great concert, huh?”

 

[ErarousFire]

Akemi Kimura, a quiet and polite young woman. She didn't know how she got herself talked into this, this wasn't the place for someone like her. She'd rather be at home drinking some tea and resting before the next recording day but here she was. Her manager told her this was a big deal and maybe he'd do the music for the series she was working on currently.

What Akemi didn't get is why they didn't just call him, or why they wanted him so badly. Standing off to the side, hanging against the wall with earplugs in to prevent them from ringing later, the voice actress wasn't too impressed. Sure he had pipes but there was a lot about this music that sounded too rough to be at this level. Looking down at the pass around her neck she debated over just giving it to a fan but didn't knowing that her manager would throw a conniption later if she didn't at least see this guy.

Finally the show ended and she was able to breath in relief, able to remove the earplugs and head to where the VIP guests were gathering. Though...looking at it, she was surprised to see so many of them. Was this normal for a concert? It didn't seem to make sense, having a group this large be VIPs. Pushing her black hair out of her face she went to the room guided by the large men and sat down on one of the chairs. At first she was lost in thought before someone spoke up and she looked over.

Didn't think someone would want to talk. "......I wasn't impressed...." She said after a moment with a sigh. At least people weren't swarming her for once, which was a nice break from things. To think voice acting would end up like that. "Set of pipes but the music is rough, not very professional."

 

[Topless]

Hina Oda
​

Hina had fun. The music and performance was great and everything, but what honestly annoys her is the loud cheering of the fans. Personally, she isn't one to yell a lot, just in it for the entertainment. After the concert has ended, she is then lead to the backstage where she will have to meet with the singer personally. But she is not alone though, as when she arrived, there is about a few lucky people in the room.

Hina looked at one of them each and noticed something in common; they are somewhat dissatisfied. Hina wondered if there is something bad to Itachi's performance. To her, she did not care about a single thing about it. If the person can sing, that's fine, no matter how bad it is. In anyway, she did not bother to say anything for she feared that her opinion might be subject to questioning.

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

Minato did not like any of this, if she had any choice she would not be here. The music was generic, the same old fast food music. Just another pretty young guy who just barely able to sing, prettied up even further and gave some market research music to appeal to everyone and send out to everyone. No emotion, meaning or soul. Just another product packaged to make money and it irked her how many fans this person attracted to him. There girls who would toss themselves to this guy and make him their obsessions. Their screams at his presence gave her less and less hope of humanity. Not that she was one to talk, she was also part of this packaged souless art, though not by choice. Well...Not by willing choice.

She had to be here, her agent had gotten her tickets to attend the concert and backstage to meet this supposed artist and build a relationship for the publicity. The thought made her skin crawl but she had little choice on the matter. She was not going to make it easy though, she had taken steps to repel the controls on her. Her cross dressing was part of it, she once had long flowing red hair which she reluctantly cut short and bound her chest. She looked like a tennage boy with dark black jeans, t shirt and checkered red and black shirt. As she walked through the crowd at the end of the show to get backstage she sensed no one had recognised her and that suited her just perfectly.

She found himself with some other people who she figured were other VIP members. She found a wall she leaned against and crossed her arms as she scanned the room. Quite the mixed back of people she did not expect. Especially she heard one girl say she was not impressed at all. She began to laugh. "Here i thought i was the only one who thought that. Though i would not put it as kindly."

 

[SomebodyElse]

It wasn't exactly Kaori's desire to attend a concert for a musician she cared nothing about. However her manager had been quite insistent. Something about it being good for publicity. She scoffed... Publicity? She had no care for that. It was why she never entertained any interviews. She had a job, she did it, got paid, got to live rich and that was fine enough for her. She really didn't care about having a public life for people to talk about. And she HATED these types of concerts. Young teenagers who partied too hard and were too loud..
Arriving in a limousine she had easily gotten past the lines with her connections. This was typical for these types of requirements due to her contract. She hoped that it wouldn't be stereotypical but it was. What a huge surprise. Sitting through crowds like these was painful and really didn't do anything but to make her feel uncomfortable.

The music was typical. Nothing that she felt anything for. He couldn't sing. By some stretch of the imagination he wasn't horrible but she was used to seeing people sing at operas with far more talent and even then she was bored going to them. She hated the status quo. If it wasn't someone who was rigged to become famous by some huge corporate group it was someone who cheated someone else to get there. It was nothing interesting to say the least. This was why she didn't bother entertaining interviews, she didn't want to give people another clone to think about. She was content being another systematic production as long as it affected people as little as possible.

What a waste of tickets and a pass, some unfortunate soul could have just gotten them from her for free if she had her way. But of-course everyone had to force her to appear at some ugly place.
She could've gotten a tee-shirt signed or something. She really didn't feel like buying a T-shirt to have it signed, the only thing she could've done was sell it and she was already willing to give her passes and tickets out for free but that would break her contract terms. She was another slave to the system in a sense, luckily it only really entailed small annoyances like this. And she didn't want to look at some t-shirt for any period of time.
Wrapping the music up she was supposed to head to the VIP area and gather. Why did she have to do this? What kind of benefit would meeting some singer give her? She was a model, not some kind of pop star or actor. Models didn't need to be friends, they didn't need to have a public face, they didn't need to listed somewhere online for gossip.

She sighed as she headed back to the backstage area. Just this one thing and she could leave for the day. Perhaps she'd open a bottle of red wine and light some candles and drown about her terrible life. That would be infinitely better than this.

Upon entering the room she noticed other people who were clearly rising famous people too. She nearly broke her own finger nail in anger. Was this some kind of joke? Some arrogant rock star wants to boost his fame by securing connections to many different industries? Kaori had no desire of being manipulated here in any way. She didn't bother staring at anyone for too long. Instead heading into the room silently and looking annoying.
When people began to state their opinions about the concert she stayed silent not bothering to respond or even acknowledge the others were even there. She didn't want to be here.

 

[Arcanist]

Itsuki Miura​

Itsuki tried not to frown at the reddening stain against his pink coat arm. It was here he wished he had been more diligent in his dodgeball lessons. If he had, he would have been able to dodge the rainfall of alcohol that had gotten onto his coat. It was his fault, really, for not thinking ahead and perhaps wearing something more suitable for this rather cramped concert. Though, he just shook his head, and managed a smile. It was an old coat anyway; he was looking for an opportunity to buy a new one. And anyway, what was a stain on his coat compared to free entry into a concert, and a huge one at that?

…well, not exactly free. Tatsuo had acquired a ticket through a friend, who had won it, but couldn’t attend. Tatsuo was thinking of going for her own personal gain - by extending a personal invite to the club to boost more famous faces. But an employee of hers at the club called in coughing and spluttering excuses about having a chest infection (odd, considering it was during a stifling summer heat), and for once was obligated to fill in bartending than doing it to past the time during the night. Alongside Itsuki’s pay, she slipped in the ticket free of charge.

“I’m sure if you meet the guy, he can give you some tips to get more involved in the industry. I know rock’s not your avenue, but you got to start networking somewhere, right?”

Right. That was what he was here for. Sure, he had alcohol spilled over him, he could feel the sweat prickling uncomfortably under his clothes, and he almost missed his chance to get in (because he got the times mixed up, which he would admit was quite silly of him), but this was an opportunity. Maybe here Itsuki would figure out just what propelled people into the music business. After all, apparently screaming into a microphone was what the industry was looking for.

Itsuki would be lying if he said he enjoyed Itaichi’s singing. He never found much joy in listening to singers like him, or rather, his education never really allowed him to see what others seemed to prefer. After all, he met classical musicians who scrunched their noses up at jazz, what they thought was a dying artform. Itsuki could appreciate other people’s preferences. After all, most of those attending the concert were thoroughly entertained by the singing – or was it the singer himself? – and if that made others happy, he wouldn’t complain. That was the joy of music after all; the genres stretched so wide that there was something for everyone.

And hey, the backing music wasn’t so bad. They were catchy, and he could appreciate each instrument working together. Not to mention, it made the atmosphere around him electrifying. Itsuki was lost in it and found himself tapping his feet at some parts. He wondered if any of Tatsuo’s patrons felt the same when they listened to his music.

Once the final note was shrilled, and the instruments came to an abrupt halt, and the screams and cheers of hundreds – or perhaps thousands, judging by the rumbling of feet throughout the stadium – had subsided, Itsuki was brought out of his stupor by remembering he had to head over to an area in order to reach backstage.

Arriving in a room stuck between two hallways, he found himself sharing it with others who obviously had the same backstage pass. Itsuki passed a minute or two taking in the small space – and those that occupied it. Most seemed to be normal concert goers, normal people like himself. There was the exception of one or two people though – he felt like he had recognised the face belonging to a teenage boy in dark jeans and a checked shirt, but he couldn’t be sure, and dismissed the notion that he had seen him before. Another had been a woman, who he recognised as a model that Tatsuo mumbled about in some magazines she poured over when no one was looking. She looked as if she had been chewing on a wasp and seemed eager to leave. Itsuki’s eyes continued flickering over those in the room and listened to someone awkwardly initiate a conversation. From there, it was a domino effect of people chiming in with their opinions.

Itsuki hummed to himself, his brow wrinkled in thought. From those who spoke, and the others who stayed silent, he quickly got the impression that these concert goers weren’t so eager about it. It was odd; he didn’t think some of the people in here…didn’t want to be here. Mind you, Itsuki wouldn’t have readily bought a ticket to be here himself. Eventually, he decided to join in the conversation.

“Did no one here enjoy the concert?” The young man chuckled, cocking his head at those who spoke. “True, the singing could use some work – though, I’m no expert when it comes to the musical instrument we call a voice. But I enjoyed some of the music. And it seemed to make plenty of people happy, at least.” He smiled as he finished. Ever the positive and happy man, even at a concert that was probably hailed by a select few as a waste of precious time.

 

[Mineczka]

"Fine, Haruna. I'll go."

Two Days Earlier....​

The air was cool in comparison to the outside, as navy lights illuminated a small sign outside, a ship on the rise with a blue shine illuminated heavy metal sign reading "Blue Steel" with a simple window underneath, tinted low with the emblem seen atop the bar detailed in, this time in a black tone. Inside, tables scattered themselves around a metallic floor, chairs and the like sat empty, this in part being the "Closed" sign over the door, the bar was nowhere near time to be open. Inside, lights were on, mostly over the bar, as two women sat, the one on the left was leaned back in the bar stool, while the one on the right leaned over the bar, nursing a drink. The one on the left had long hair, with a colour that could be mistaken for a deep grey in some light, despite the age of the woman. Wearing a black shirt with a white jacket over her shoulders, she also wore a skirt of the same colour with tights and black boots, seen with a smile on her face as she seemed to be having a laugh, likely from one of the cheesy jokes that were frequent with her presence.

The other, took another swig of her drink, a byproduct of withstanding the joke. Her raven-like hair reached down past the backrest of the stool, tied in a simple ponytail, she wore a plain white button up shirt, the sleeves rolled gently to the elbow, a black vest wrapped around her chest, with a blue insignia of the bar embroidered onto the left breast, a simple pair of black pants which showed the wear at the seams from use, with black shoes, likely slip-resistant, underneath. A deep sigh came over her as the woman on the right stretched, arms went forward past her drink and over the bar, hitting a small red button on the remote, turning one of the two Televisions on, beginning to show the news, looking back to the woman on the left, she spoke,

"Haruna, I swear... You need a better hobby than those jokes...." While not cruel, the words were straight, as said jokes after some time kept feeling old, though a reply was given, as the other woman, Haruna, looked to the Television, speaking quickly at one of the segments of the News broadcast,

"Oh! Right!" She exclaimed, reaching for her purse, while the other took another drink, "You know the radio contest I entered?" That prompted the other woman to set her drink down,

"Yeah. You said something three weeks ago that you entered, and then nothing."

"I won the tickets!"

"Oh. Nice. You'll have fun then--" As she spoke, two tickets were set on the bar, one reading Fujiwara Haruna, a VIP ticket that had backstage access, the other, reading Sanada Misaki, which was not seen so favourably by the woman, "I take it you want me to come.... Being that you hadn't asked before putting my name on the ticket...."

"I'm sorry, I panicked when they asked for names, and said yours..." The woman looked aside, showing the hurt she had, "Please... I wanted to go with you, since... You're the only one who could make it there. Please, Misaki?"

The woman was guilt tripping her, and Misaki knew it. As much as she detested it, she knew that Haruna was going into somewhere that could end poorly. Large crowded places were a nightmare, especially since it would mean the bar would be closed an extra day, which hurt revenue wise. However, Misaki couldn't just abandon her friend, leave no man behind. Another swig, another sigh, and Misaki spoke, breaking the silence between the two, "Fine. I'll go, Haruna. Can't let you making a mess without me." She remarked, before a hug was given from her friend,

"Misaki! You're the best!"

"Just be sure to meet here before we leave, that way we're not going alone." With that parting remark, Misaki stood, stretching her legs, looking at her watch, "Time to open up shop. Hang around if you'd like, Haruna..." With those words, the door's latch clicked open, and another day began with Misaki....

Present Day....​

Why did she let Haruna convince her into doing this? Misaki knew there would be a crowd, but this, this was ridiculous. She was appalled at how many people were all crammed into the theatre like a can of sardines, even when she was at officer's school she hadn't seen or dealt with a crowd this big. That was the least of her worries though, as she, being taller than Haruna, often acted as a bludgeon and shield for the much smaller woman. Elbows were used to push people aside, as at this point words were no longer usable due to volume of the noise. Another thought that crossed her mind was the idea that a good two-thirds of these people could use a shower. It drove her insane just to get to their seats, let alone Haruna's stops at the merchandise stand, and the highly overpriced concessions. Why the hell didn't she do what Misaki did and eat at home?! Hell, Misaki was willing to make a quick bite to eat for her beloved friend but no, she decided to wait until now to want food. It was hard enough to get through that damned crowd, it was even harder to do so with some nachos, a burger, drink, and napkins. Eventually reaching back to her seat, and Haruna, Misaki was at her wit's end already... The concert was a good forty-five minutes from beginning, as she sat down, a deep, harsh sigh came from her lips again, Haruna looked over, while not saying anything, knew it wasn't her fault.... Entirely.

Forty-five minutes passed with the two just chatting about Itaichi Utano, Haruna liked his music, while not a super-fan like some of the other girls the two had seen, she took a shot in the radio contest just to go to a concert of his. Misaki understood why, as, even she had heard of the man, while not a fan, his music seemed harmless to her all things considered. Though the two were deafened by the crowd as the lights dimmed. At that moment, Haruna began putting in her earplugs, while Misaki.... Cared not for the loudness of sound, as she had gone through worse without protections. Musically speaking, the songs were sloppy sounding to her, the man could sing, but there was a lot of rawness to his voice, so much so, even Misaki could hear it from her one semester of Chorus class. It was rowdy, and Haruna had a blast, though Misaki was, unimpressed, to put it mildly. It intrigued her as to how this man got so popular so fast, when he lacks the refined tones you'd hear from a professional at this level.

As the concert ended, Misaki stayed in her seat, even keeping Haruna with for a moment, letting the crowd die down a little before trying to muscle her way through again. Taking her friend's hand, Misaki began pummeling her way through again. Elbowing past people, she was having none of this crowd nonsense again. Eventually, she reached a small inlet where two men stood, their jackets reading EVENT STAFF. Showing her pass, Misaki seemed to demand to be let in from her stature, before being let in quickly. Walking down the hall, Haruna laughed at how Misaki muscled her way through the crowd with so much vigor. Entering the room, others stood around, most were quiet. Stepping by a wall, a question was posed,

“So, uh... Great concert, huh?” Remarked a short-haired male who seemed to wear glasses, followed by another, a woman who Haruna had some recognition of,

"......I wasn't impressed...." She responded, "Set of pipes but the music is rough, not very professional." After that, a third person replied, affirming the dissatisfaction,

"Here i thought i was the only one who thought that. Though i would not put it as kindly." After her, another spoke,

“Did no one here enjoy the concert?” He asked, adding on to his comment, “True, the singing could use some work – though, I’m no expert when it comes to the musical instrument we call a voice. But I enjoyed some of the music. And it seemed to make plenty of people happy, at least.” After him, Haruna spoke, her voice gently reaching the others,

"I enjoyed it, it wasn't perfect, but I've liked Itaichi's works since he began." Haruna's remark wasn't a dissection like the others, it likely wouldn't sway anyone's mindset, but she wanted to voice that some enjoyed the concert. In the meantime, Misaki kept her eyes over at everyone, being sure to lock her eyes with each of them, a force of habit from her. It seemed the majority of the people in the room didn't like the concert, while she had little care for it, Misaki was ready to come to the defense of Haruna should she need to....

But for now, she waited, to see what may happen....

 

[Trystan1295]

Souta Sasaki




​

A moment of awkward tension followed Souta's question. "That's to be expected," he thought to himself as the nerves started setting in. He froze, unsure of what course of action to take now. The situation was awkward enough without Souta turning his head and practically begging for a response!

A soft voice piped up from behind Souta, and his head turned to meet its owner. "I wasn't impressed..." sighed the young woman. "Set of pipes but the music is not very professional."

Souta was about to open his mouth and respond with an anxious "I got you," in hopes of dismissing a possible debate before it started, but someone else chimed in before he could follow up.

"Here I thought I was the only one who thought that. Though I would not have put it as kindly.," said the androgynous young adult with red hair.

"Did no one enjoy the concert?" asked yet another person with a pompous smile and a cock of the head. "True, the singing could use some work--though, I'm no expert in the musical instrument we call a voice. But I enjoyed some of the music. And it seemed to make plenty of people happy, at least."

The way that young man addressed a group of complete strangers served as a shocking reality check to Souta. He anxiously glanced aaround the room, sizing up the other pass holders. He knew zilch about fashion--hence the bright green tracksuit--but he gave himself a quick estimate that at least half of the people in the room with him were wearing some sort of designer clothing. They were VIPs, after all. It shouldn't be much of a surprise in the end.

Eventually, Souta's gaze met the eyes of a long-haired young lady who was about to open her mouth to speak, but before it could remain there for long, his eyes drifted upwards to meet the glare of an absolute unit of a woman, who Souta estimated stood a whole head aove him. The pair's behavior made it pretty clear to Souta that at the very least, they weren't absolute strangers to each other like everyone else was.

The shorter girl spoke up, causing Souta to instinctively turn towards her again. This time, when he looked at her eyes as she spoke, he could notice a joyful glimmer in them. "I enjoyed it, it wasn't perfect, but I've loved Itaichi's works since he began."

It was an obviously unpopular opinion, and Souta could tell it was threatening to make the atmosphere even more tense than it already was. He looked up at her friend to find that she was looking warily at everyone else, as if she was expecting the others to attack her and her friend for her opinion.

Against his better judgment and fearing for his well-being the whole time, Souta adjusted his glasses and voiced out his words of encouragement.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it, at least. I'd be crushed if I got a VIP ticket to see an artist I've followed since the beginning only to end up disappointed... Right?"

 

[ErarousFire]

Akemi was actually wearing something comfortable and she was ever thankful for her brain choosing this. A navy blue shirt with a denim jacket over it and a long pink skirt with some hidden shorts under it and a pair of black boots on her feet. She sighed as some people agreed but some actually said they liked that noise. Though she didn't get where she by rolling over for others just because of disagreements. "Honestly it doesn't make sense how he got famous so fast...something feels...off." She said setting some water down on the table she had been drinking. Always make sure the pipes are taken care of.

She looked at the man in the green jogging suit and figured he was just trying to play peace keeper, nothing wrong with that. Looking up at the smiling man she shook her head. "Sorry to disappoint you but no. I was rather underwhelmed." Though she was surprised how positive he was, not a bad thing. The fact that her manager wanted to try and work out something with this guy made her think this was more of a stunt cast than actual good music. 'The show will get backlash if the music isn't up to par....' The thought drifted through her head as she moved some of her long hair back behind her. The red head who agreed with her seemed to have enjoyed it even less than she had.

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

Minato chuckled hearing more of the opions from others about them. "I will admit i maybe being unfair to the performer." She said with a shrug. As she considered her own career and the work she was made to do time after time. "I would like to believe there is an artist soul in there that could show himself in time. He is certainly a good performer if nothing else, it takes alot of energy to dance and sing like that even if he doesnt always hit his notes." She continued with the critique of Itaicha proformance. As she spoke she scanned the others noting that the pretty blonde girl had not spoken and even looked a little sullen something no girl like her should be in her opinion.

She moved from her spot itching closer to the blond girl, keeping a respectful distance but still getting next to her. "You? Not going to join in the discussion regarding the concert. " She said in a gentler warm tone that she found made her appear more approachable." Did you like? No shame if you did, we all have are tastes and opinion. This is just a friendly debate to pass the time."

 

[Trystan1295]

Souta Sasaki


​

In response to his comment, the young lady with the soft voice who had first responded to Souta set down her glass of water and cleared her throat. "Honestly, it doesn't make sense how he got famous so fast," she said. "Something feels... off."

The woman looked at Souta rather sternly and shook her head, prompting him to sweat bullets. She wasn't at all a bad-looking lady. Even though her wardrobe wasn't as outlandishly extravagant as that of certain other people in the room, the air of elegance she portrayed in her outfit, posture, and manner of speaking was enough to make Souta take her seriously despite being total strangers to each other. "Sorry to disappoint you, but no, I was rather underwhelmed."

Souta tugged at the collar of his tracksuit and looked away from the woman's piercing eyes for a second. He was unsure why he felt a faint trace of disappointment in his heartbeat if he shared her sentiments in the first place. "It's probably because it'll hurt my paycheck if this concert doesn't do well..." he thought to himself.

The young lady tossed a bang of long hair behind her, a subtle cue that snapped Souta back to reality. He looked over to his side and saw the redheaded androgynous person trying to strike a conversation out of another young lady, and seeing someone else trying to keep the conversation flowing motivated him enough to follow suit. He recalled something the young lady in front of him had mentioned a few moments ago and figured it was as good a time as ever to bring the topic back up. "Ah, truly sorry, miss..." he said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head with one hand and tugging the collar of his sweatshirt with the other. "By the way, now that you mentioned that something feels off about the concert, I'm going to take an educated guess and suppose you didn't ask for your VIP pass either."

​

 

[SomebodyElse]

Did no one here enjoy the concert?” “True, the singing could use some work – though, I’m no expert when it comes to the musical instrument we call a voice. But I enjoyed some of the music. And it seemed to make plenty of people happy, at least.”

Kaori scoffed. The music wasn't enjoyable at all to her but she could care less about evaluating it's worth. She wasn't here to listen to music. Just where was this guy anyways. You'd think a musician would be here to greet his arrivals but apparently not. She didn't really want to interact with the others. However it did seem like two of them were fans of itaichi's music. Of-course someone was happy to be here. She sighed. Sitting in this room felt like an eternity. She was ONLY here because of a contract otherwise she wouldn't have ever entered the room, let alone arrive at the concert. So of-course someone had to try speaking to her. Some woman had gotten up and moved closer to her, yet kept her distance clearly. She asked Kaori about her opinion of the concert. The music was typical. He couldn't sing. She was far used to people singing at operas who had far more powerful and intimate voices.

"He can't sing. His music is typical and there's nothing special about him except for the fact he became famous at the rate he did." She said quickly looking towards the redhead who asked her.

It was harsh. But she couldn't legitimately care about his ability to perform in-front of crowd or the fact his voice wasn't absolutely terrible. Mediocrity didn't help anyone and the fact it was helping him annoyed her. She was used to seeing plenty of mediocre models fail left and right and she was hoping that the music industry wasn't allowing low talent musicians get by like this.
She however glanced at the two who said they were fans. Seeing the two girls who seemed to be fans of him made her feel a slight guilt. She supposed she could atleast something nice about him.
She frowned.

"He isn't good. But he is new and his voice will probably improve. If that's anything." She said.
It did however feel strange how fast he grew in popularity. It did take Kaori a longer to even be featured in any significant magazines. It felt... wrong. And that troubled Kaori more than would admit.

ThatGuyWithSouvlaki Arcanist

 

[Mineczka]

​

It'd seem the opinion of Haruna was the minority in the room. As everyone seemed to think that she was wrong, even Misaki knew that much. However, there was respect given to the woman, as a fair due was given. At this point, Haruna had stepped back next to Misaki, letting the people who seemed to be professionals discuss. Being that neither were pros, they lacked the knowledge to go about the matter, but that was digressed, as the others spoke, another brought the blonde woman in, who, looked very much annoyed, to put it mildly. As the man with glasses spoke with the others, the red-haired woman brought the spotlight on the blonde. Misaki from just a glance knew how she was, a Queen Bee type. If you didn't grovel at her feet, you were nothing but trash, and that was the type of person Misaki couldn't bring herself to have much liking of, nor care for, especially when it comes to the idea of respect. Digressing from her one psychology class, Misaki toned in, hearing about the rise of the man, "I find it suspicious of his rise, being honest." Her words came cool and calm as ever, "I won't say I like his music, nor will I say it's as bad as you lot have made it seem. There's potential, but that's besides the point." Another pause came over her, as Haruna interjected,

"It does seem odd, how fast he rose...." Haruna paused, before adding more, "Despite how good his music is, I do have to admit that..."

"What I have seen, he rose inexplicably fast. It's unusual, as one doesn't go from nobody to superstar in this short of a time. Not without knowing some people." Stopping herself again, Misaki folded her arms under her chest once again, eventually checking her watch in the process. She wanted to leave, as if she had gotten home with enough time, she'd be able to open up the bar and at least make something out of the night, other than wanting to strangle someone in frustration. While she did have fun with Haruna, this concert, and room were getting old fast, she needed something to do other than chat. But that was dragged aside by a sigh, how long will the two wait for this man? Are show business people this god damn slow? Why aren't they punctual for the sake of someone other than themselves? It drove her up a wall, she wanted to go back to her routine again, chat with her regulars, close up at the normal time, and do it all again. Yet each time, it made Misaki wonder, as it took her several years to just reach her Officer rank in the military, and yet this man rose through the pop-star ranks fast enough he was about to orbit the Earth. It was interesting to say the least for Misaki....

She felt that something was off about it....

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

The blonde finally replied and it was clear by the girls tone that she had to high opinion of herself over others. A little disappointing for Minato but she was not one to judge by first impressions, a leason she had learned the hard way thanks to her mother."There we are, was that so hard my dear? Misery loves company." She said with a chuckle before moving back to focus on the entire group and the new discussion of Itaichi's rise to fame. "It was meteoric rise. I swear it seemed to come into the forefront overnight. I did hear he was part of a group before but they werent anything particularly great to say he could leap from them to fame."

She fell silent throughtful for a moment. "What does interest me is as the group here. Most of us arent fans so why is everyone is here? I am an actress i am here by manager to do some networking and an ill advised attempt to get me to relax i could not turn down." She looked around each person." Anyone else want to share?"

 

[Gravitational Force]

Isaac:​

Sacrifices have to be made for the sake of relationships Isaac reflected. There needs to be balance and actions speak louder than words. In this case his acceptance of a free ticket to this event and sacrifice of his evening's plans showed his appreciation for his relationship with his last employer who'd thought it'd be a good gift. Isaac was NOT a fan of live concerts, the crowd, noise, and generally overwhelming feeling of being closed in was not comfortable. Still it would only be for a few hours and he might be able to do a bit of scouting while he was here. Isaac wasn't much for creating art, but when it came to behind the scenes work he could think of nobody close to his equal. If a singer needed a location scouted, a writer needed their work edited, or a theater group needed a spare hand Isaac was already there ready to fill in whatever vacancy there was.

Time dragged on, Isaac's eyes glazed over slightly and he tried to find a more comfortable position. He needed to find more to do with his life. It wasn't just the boredom, he felt empty and adrift. There was stuff to do, but nothing fulfilling. Eventually there was a chance for a break and he took it.

Isaac listened silently to the others talking. He didn't have much presence unless he made an effort, so nobody seemed to notice him there. People were badmouthing the singer or defending him and seemed to have similar ideas about networking. Nobody here with anything he was looking for though. So it looked like he'd be a satellite here, orbiting the-wait.

Isaac starts. He recognizes one of these people. "Mary, is that you?"

ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

 

[Arcanist]

Itsuki Miura
( Mineczka SomebodyElse ThatGuyWithSouvlaki )
​

Not so long after Itsuki made his opinion known, another girl who had joined the group put in her few yen too, though, it differed widely than the majority's view on the star. "I enjoyed it, it wasn't perfect, but I've loved Itaichi's works since he began."

He smiled once she had finished saying her small piece, glad that someone had at least gotten something out of the concert. The fellow concert goer in the green jogging wear seemed to agree. Other than the differences of opinion (which was natural in what seemed to be a rather varied group of people anyway), it seemed to be an amicable group in a topic that was vastly debated. Though, Itsuki felt a frown tug at his lips when he heard the blonde woman's own opinon on the concert when that redheaded boy asked for it. "A little harsh, don't you think?" He appreciated her opinion - though, he'd have maybe put it in nicer terms, or at least dressed it up a little. Regardless, he shook his head, letting his lips naturally form a smile again. "I'm sure, like you said, he'll improve. He can only get better, right?" Well, probably not, but ever the optimist, Itsuki wouldn't admit to any doubts.

Though people seemed divded on the quality of the performance, most of them were turning towards a new topic and coming to the same conclusion; how odd it was that this Itaichi rose to fame so quickly. Tatsuo brought Itsuki up to speed on his history; how he was in a band than never quite made it into the spotlight, yet, they disappeared whilst Itaichi grabbed quick fame in the eyes of the public. Itsuki hummed to himself as he listened to the mariad of conspiracies surrounding the fame suddenly attached to his name. Sure, it seemed odd how fast he rose...but plenty of stars experienced that, right? People he hadn't heard of the day before often just appeared out of the blue, with pockets swimming with yen and people practically falling at their feet.

Itsuki had brushed off the thought before, but when the redhead had finished speaking with the blonde, he found himself thinking over the next few words.

"What does interest me is as the group here. Most of us arent fans so why is everyone is here?"

An interesting question indeed. Of course, the variety of people and personalities gathered in this room...that couldn't quite be luck or coincidence, could it? Not like how easily such things could happen to people like Itaichi. Before he could ponder more on the thought, an explanation followed the question. Itsuki figured that he may as well state his reason for being there.

"My employer--or, a friend--the person who hires me for gigs--yes, that's it..." Itsuki started off with a tumbling start, though, managed to continue seamlessly, "she gave me the ticket since she couldn't go herself. Weird that she thought a jazz pianist would have much interest here but..." He shrugged, smiling. "It would be a wasted ticket otherwise." Though, just as he had finished his sentence, he thought back on that red-haired guy's comment. Did he -- no, she -- say 'actress'?

 

[ErarousFire]

She did feel a bit bad as she seemed to have made the track suit wearer uncomfortable again, but then everyone seemed to gravitate to the point she brought up. That how fast the singer the singer rose up was odd. Soon she was asked about how she got her pass. "Yes that's right, I didn't ask for my pass. My manager wanted me to see if we could get him to do the music for a show we are working on right now. Though I don't know why she just didn't come herself." A sigh left her and Akemi shook her head.

When she looked at the blonde woman, she felt like she had seen her before though her attitude left a lot to be desired. Then looking at the actress it seemed there was another face that she knew here "ah yes, I thought you looked familiar Minato."

Then the man Itsuki brought up why they were there if they weren't fans. "Hm....a smart question....another one being why are we being kept waiting for so long. How did the people who gave us the passes even get them? Why us?"

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

Minato question had the intended affect as started to get others thinking about it and ask their own question. She had a good feeling about this group, they seemed genuine in their beliefs and onces not let things be but question everything. Even thoughts who like the music here have a real reason for liking it not following the masses which was something she could respect even if she did not really understand it. The fact she had mentioned her career seemed to have also drawn the attention of some of them, she could she some faces studying her to see who she was.

A couple seemed to recognise her, one of which she didnt expect to see. Trully she did not even realise he was there at first but when he made his presence known the realisation struck her like blow in the face. Isaac was one of the few people in Japan who would now her real first name and used it openly. "Isaac? My god." She said in English. She walked over to him and hugged him." Wow, you barely changed a bit... Well maybe a little more handsome." She said half teasingly. "What are you doing here?"

She gave an acknowledging nod at Akemi when she called out to her. It took a moment to recognise her but vaguely, she figured the had worked on a project together at somepoint. Minato had done one or two voice roles in the past.

 

[Trystan1295]

Souta Sasaki


​

As soon as Souta finished bringing up the topic of the pass being granted without being called for, his ears perked up. He noticed that for some strange reason, everyone around him started bringing up similar topics in their conversation. The blonde woman spoke up, addressing the androgynous redhead that had walked up to her earlier. "He can't sing. His music is typical and there's nothing special about him except for the fact he became famous at the rate he did." The blonde woman glanced at the really tall woman and her friend for a moment before changing her mind. "He isn't good. But he is new and his voice will probably improve. If that's anything." Souta noticed that she had changed her mind to give credit to the other two. "Huh. Looks like she's not entirely entitled after all," he thought.

The taller woman spoke soon afterwards. "I find it suspicious of his rise, being honest. I won't say I like his music, nor will I say it's as bad as you lot have made it seem. There's potential, but that's besides the point." Souta had to stop himself from pointing out that she had referred to everyone else in the room as "you lot".

Her friend followed up the observation. "It does seem odd, how fast he rose...." she said before pausing for a moment. "Despite how good his music is, I do have to admit that..."

The tall woman folded her arms. Souta could tell that just like him, she would strangle someone if it meant getting home as soon as possible. "The only difference being that I could actually see her doing that," he thought to himself. "What I have seen, he rose inexplicably fast. It's unusual, as one doesn't go from nobody to superstar in this short of a time. Not without knowing some people."

Souta understood that this was but an idle conversation topic, but from the looks of it, some people in the room appeared to be genuinely annoyed by Itaichi's jump to fame. Placing a few metaphorical pieces together and recalling the circumstances behind his own reasons to be here led Souta to the conclusion that most of, if not all the VIPs were chosen because of their influential positions in the entertainment industry.

"There we are, was that so hard my dear? Misery loves company." said the androgynous redhead to the blonde model in the background. Souta briefly considered calling security on them, but figured that the staff was apparentlly far too busy to handle any of the VIPs in the room regardless of the circumstances. If she really needed help from security or from anyone else, she'd have probably asked for it already, too. The redhead chuckled and turned towards the group, adding to the conversation where the tall woman left off. "It was meteoric rise. I swear it seemed to come into the forefront overnight. I did hear he was part of a group before but they werent anything particularly great to say he could leap from them to fame." They fell silent for a second, losing themselves in thought before continuing. "What does interest me is as the group here. Most of us arent fans so why is everyone is here? I am an actress i am here by manager to do some networking and an ill advised attempt to get me to relax i could not turn down." She looked around the room. "Anyone else want to share?"

Even after having been told she was an actress, Souta still found it next to impossible to pinpoint who exactly this redhead was. However, someone in the back of the room who Souta hadn't even noticed existed until that point stepped up and addressed her. "Mary, is that you?"

"Mary?" thought Souta. "I think I'd be able to recall an actress going by an American name in the media..."

"Isaac? My god." said the redheaded actress in English. She walked over to him and hugged him. "Wow, you barely changed a bit... Well maybe a little more handsome." She said half teasingly. "What are you doing here?"

The young man who had asked earlier if no one had enjoyed the concert stepped forward. "My employer--or, a friend--the person who hires me for gigs--yes, that's it..." he started off by tumbling a few of his words. "She gave me the ticket since she couldn't go herself. Weird that she thought a jazz pianist would have much interest here but..." He shrugged. "It would be a wasted ticket otherwise."

"Yes that's right, I didn't ask for my pass. My manager wanted me to see if we could get him to do the music for a show we are working on right now. Though I don't know why she just didn't come herself." The young lady with the soft voice sighed as she answered Souta's question. She turned to the redheaded actress, recognizing her as well. "Ah yes, I thought you looked familiar Minato. Hm....a smart question....another one being why are we being kept waiting for so long. How did the people who gave us the passes even get them? Why us?"

Souta placed a hand to his chin. He had already reached his conclusion, but he felt like he needed some more information before driving the point home. He turned towards the entire group and presented his point of view.

"I think it's pretty clear that there's a common factor between all of us that could answer that question." Souta adjusted his glasses with his left index and middle fingers. "My name is Souta Sasaki, but I'm better known by my pen name, Kumagumi Koizumi. I am currently working with GB Studios and Shotflask Entertainment to produce a video series based on my hit light novel series, 'Is Okay to Eat Gummy Bears While Questing?'. I was given my VIP pass by my boss, the executive who sponsored the concert on his TV station, as a rather imposed-on reward for my hard work."

Souta's cheeks flared up. He hadn't felt this embarrassed about his own work since he was asked to introduce the plot to the executives at the TV station last year. With his face still beet red, he continued his train of thought. "A-anyway! With me working for a TV studio, that makes three people in this room--the actress, the jazz pianist, and myself, the TV show writer--that are in the entertainment industry. Anyone else?"

 

[ErarousFire]

Hearing Minato speak in English to Isaac made her realize that Minato was a rising actress she had heard about not long ago. Though it was nice that everyone was talking about how weird it was that a bunch of people in entertainment and now it seemed they were all introducing themselves. So much for being quiet for a bit. Akemi gave a bit of a smile. "Akemi Kimura, voice actress." One of the biggest voice actresses right now and she had worked hard to get there.

"Also I agree that we seem to be here solely to give him more partnerships. Pieces for him to try and use. Though I would say it's still rude for him to keep us waiting like this." It felt like they had been here for quite some time now. Though it was interesting to pick the minds of the people here and see how they saw things.

 

[cremenebula]

The longer the group waited, the more time had passed. If one were paying attention to the time, it would have been around twenty minutes since they'd first all appeared in the dimly lit hallway. Of course, there were many reasons why performers would take a while getting to the group. There was cleaning and cooling down after the show-- perhaps even taking a short break. It was lost knowledge, however, if Itaichi was someone who was willing to help clean up after a show. His guitar was one thing, but as for the rest of the items on the stage, who knew? Though it wouldn't be a surprise if the man kept an item or two that was thrown to him as a gift during the show.

Though, it did seem to have been quite a long time since the show had come to a conclusion. It wasn't as if any of you had been brought directly backstage. Of course, much of the venue had been emptied by the time any of you had made your way back here with the aid of security. That being said, time dragged on and it was late. Perhaps a trip home would have been optimal for those that were unexcited to make their appearance here.

The self proclaimed mysterious and charming artist sure seemed to be taking his sweet time. That, or security had yet to take the group farther into the venue. Perhaps there had been an issue of some sort. An emergency? But being left in the dark was not optimal. Impatience was starting to overcome the crowd at this point.

If anyone had thought about asking one of the workers what may be taking so long, no one had mentioned it before the sound of a voice down the hall could be heard. It started as a laugh-- loud and clear. The laugh was familiar and was heard a few times earlier in the night, however, it was the voice that followed that was even more familiar.

"It's nothin' personal, babe!"

Ah, how familiar it was. Heard in interviews, in videos, and most notably during the concert, Itaichi's voice filled the hall. It seemed as if he spoke loudly just as he did with his singing. Maybe his ears were still adjusting to the much more quiet environment, or maybe he was just natively a loud-mouth. But there was no denying that it was his voice.

"You're a monster!"

A woman's voice filled the air just as another chuckle was emitted. Glancing to the end of one hall, Itaichi could be seen speaking with a woman. The two were facing each other, and Itaichi's hand was grasping onto one of the woman's wrists. The two seemed to be arguing about something, and before any other words could be issued, Itaichi had the woman pressed against the wall. He was still holding her wrist, and his palm pressed to the wall beside her head.

"Come on! Don't be like that!" He insisted, a twisted smirk growing on his lips. Without uttering another word thugh, Itaichi leaned forwards so that he could whisper into the woman's ear.

She tried, seemingly in vain, to push him away. "Stop. L-let me go!" She insisted, but he just laughed again.

It didn't seem as though Itaichi had any intention of letting the woman get away as she tried in vain to push on his chest so that he wasn't as close to her. The duo didn't notice anyone in the group yet it seemed.

"Come on, princess," Itaichi said, tone of his voice in clearly a mocking the woman. Finally he pulled back just a bit, though he was still pinning her against the wall. "It's not so bad. You've already done so much. I need more."

But then, while she tried to look away, Itaichi grabbed her jaw and forced her to look at him again. There was no denying it though. That look in her eye meant that she spotted the group. A panicked look upon her face, it certainly seemed like she needed help.

 

[Topless]

Hina Oda
​

Hina looked down at her watch and saw how much time has passed. She wonders if this is all a trick when she heard a familiar voice filling the halls. "Hmm? Guys, did you hear that?" She asked the group as she steps out of the room. She turns to her sides to find out where it is coming from. She then heard a woman's voice and judging by the tone, it sounds like she is in danger. "Something is not right." Hina said before turning to the group and say "Follow me."

She leads the group to where the voices come from, and after much time, they found Itachi holding a woman in his grasp. What is he planning to do to her? Whatever it is, he must be stopped. "Itachi!" Hina screamed, confused and angered, but not showing it. She dashes towards the celebrity singer and not before long, she delivers a swift punch at his pretty face. Hina punched a man of popular status just to save a woman.

ErarousFire Trystan1295 SomebodyElse ThatGuyWithSouvlaki Arcanist Gravitational Force Mineczka

 

[Arcanist]

Itsuki Miura
( Mineczka )
​

As both Minato and Isaac began to catch up - with Itsuki clearly realising the two had clearly been acquainted with one another - his attention turned back to bespectacled man in the room, who seemed to have a hypothesis to the musings of the group gathered in this room. Souta Sasaki rung no bells for him, neither did the pen name, but the title 'Is It Okay to Eat Gummy Bears While Questing?' had Itsuki's lips stretching into his cheeks with a wide smile. "Ahh, yes, I've read some of it! I didn't know they were going to make a series out of it." It is important to note from Itsuki's words that he has read some of the light novel, particularly in the local bookstore where he got it from the sense. He never got to finish it, mainly because the crabby owner always shouted at him, "You gonna buy the thing or what? This isn't a goddamn library!" Itsuki never bought it, for bills and food and other expensives must be paid, plus his addiction to buying fresh flowers every week.

But they were getting off topic. Even the author of the light novel was getting flustered talking about his own work, so quickly moved onto the point he was trying to make. Three of them, so far, they confirmed work in the entertainment industry. Though, mind you, Itsuki wouldn't have classed himself as being on the same level as either of them. When he considered correcting Souta, his thoughts were interrupted by someone's laughter. The young man felt a wave of unease come over him. Something sinister underlined the laughter.

"It's nothin' personal, babe!"

Itsuki recognised the voice. It belonged to that of the rising star's, yet, there was something so different about it at the same time. Listening more, a woman's voice was added into the mix, fraught with distress. Itsuki could feel nausea setting in, trying to convince himself what he was hearing wasn't what it was implied to be. "I-Is that...?" He began, though, teetered off, glancing around the group, wondering if anyone else had heard it too. He wondered if someone was going to step forward to investigate in his own moment of cowardice, and lo and behold, someone did. Another woman, who had been quite quiet during the whole exchange, announced something wasn't quite right about the situation, and seemed eager to lead them out of the room. Itsuki tread lightly towards the door, peering out and into the hallway. Before the young woman had gotten any closer to Itaichi, he could see him pinning a woman, as distressed looking as she sounded before, up against the wall, her hands gripped by the star.

Itsuki's stomach lurched at the sight. His legs suddenly felt like they were going to give way at the sight. This kind of thing hadn't been unusual in the industry; everyone knew the stories, but seeing it firsthand was enough to send a scare into Itsuki's system. He debated with himself in that moment what to do. Does he stand there and watch? Does he do something about it? It turned out, he didn't have to start anything, for he heard the girl who led the group out of the room with a triumphant warcry, before witnessing her sock Itaichi in the face.

Itsuki couldn't help but let a sudden yelp escape his mouth, bringing a hand to his mouth in sudden dramatics. He would have expected her to just shout at him and leave it at that, but going right up to the man and punching him? It couldn't tell if it was brave or foolish. Nonetheless, as he watched Itaichi suffer the backlash, he looked over to the panicked woman, still standing up against the wall in the shock of the entire moment. It was then that Itaichi's feet began to move according to their own will towards the scene, his words directed to the woman. "M-miss! Are you okay?!" Quite a redundant question, considering the answer was obvious, but perhaps it would give her the confidence to move over to the emerging group. Safety in numbers, after all.

 

[Trystan1295]

Souta Sasaki


NOW PLAYING: Gohan Angers - SSJ2 Theme (Orchestral EDM Remix) BY Ryan SSZ
​

The pompous man's lips curled up into a smile as soon as he heard the title of Souta's book series. "Ahh, yes, I've read some of it! I didn't know they were going to make a series out of it." After Souta was done introducing himself, he turned towards the man to tell him something like "I'm glad you've enjoyed my works, by the way," before continuing with his analysis, but he couldn't even get to finish meeting everyone before a the sound of a sinister cackle flooded the room.

"It's nothing personal, babe!"

Souta knew the voice all too well, and having noticed that everyone else recognized the voice as well was enough confirmation for him to identify the owner. Regardless of the context, the phrasing of the sentence felt like a kick to Souta's gut, as memories of his domestically abused mother began flooding in before the voice could finish speaking. "There's no way that's what actually going on, though, right?" he thought to himself.

Just then, a woman's voice cried out from the same direction. "You're a monster!" The distressed voice sent shivers up Souta's spine. His right eye twitched and his stomach began acting up as the memories of his mother poured in with much more pressure.

"I-Is that...?" asked the other man as he nervously glanced arount the room looking for confirmation in the same fashion as Souta just did. Before Souta could nod and agree to his reader, however, he noticed that another member of the VIPs, one that had remained quiet and unnoticed up until that moment, sprang into action.

"Something is not right. Follow me!" She urged the rest of the group to trail behind her, and even the jazz pianist followed suit, albeit by reluctantly peeking through the doorway.

What Souta witnessed was sickening. There was Itaichi, pinning a woman against a wall. He was trying to lean in far too close into her personal space, and the woman was pushing him away with all her might. "There's no way this is consensual," thought Souta.

"Come on! Don't be like that!"

Souta watched in horror as the musician forcibly leaned in closer and whispered something into his victim's ear. The young lady tried in vain to push him back away, screaming, "Stop! L-Let me go!"

"Come on, princess," Itaichi said, in a mocking tone of voice. "It's not so bad. You've already done so much. I need more."

Then, as she tried to look away from his lustful gaze, she spotted them. Everyone that was watching in horror made eye contact with her, and the despair in her eyes sent shock waves of traumatic stress through Souta's body strong enough to cause him tto recoil and clench his eyes and fists, as if he'd just been shot in the chest. Every bone in his body was begging for him to drop to his knees and cry...

"I can't watch this anymore. I can feel my sanity spilling out of my head like a pitcher of water." Souta's body was now entirely focused on trying not to relive the awful scenario where he broke his father's nose trying to defend his mother. "I almost crushed her entire world for good. back then I can't let that same mistake happen again to this innocent lady."

As Souta struggled not to go ballistic on Itaichi, he heard a high-pitched warcry filling the hallway. Much to his surprise, the woman from earlier that had led the charge was now rushing at full speed against Itaichi! She landed a solid blow tot the singer's face, and this motivated Souta enough to take action. "But what should I do...?"

Souta glanced around to see what everyone else was doing. Most of the others were frozen in shock just like him, but he noticed that the jazz pianist started slowly waddling towards the scene. "M-Miss! Are you okay!?" he asked, prompting Souta to slap his palm against his face in disbelief.

"Hey, you!" Souta called out to him. "If you're that worried about the lady's safety, help me pull her away from that creep!"

Without waiting for an answer, Souta lunged at Itaichi. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to sock him in the gut or hold him in a chokehold, but he figured the gut punch had less chances of resulting in Itaichi's death, so that's what he went for.