Returning to school and the studio the first few days after our return to Tokyo took some getting used to. Spending nearly two weeks at Aki's Kamakura house and taking our days slowly made me forget how busy the big city was and how much energy it took to live there. Things felt slightly different with Aki in our Tokyo apartment. I looked at him with a longer future in mind, and I knew I was beginning to imagine the title 'husband' on him, though it was still a few years before I would be able to think about that. I felt a sense of more security, a closeness to Aki that had changed from what it had been, and a feeling that no matter where I happened to find myself, as long as I was with Aki, I was home.
I arrived at the studio quickly after classes had ended for the day. Not bothering to wait for the train, I ran the entire twenty minutes it took on foot. I had a mission in mind, and I went in search of Guardian's manager, finding her easily in the office space next to the mixing booth where I expected her to be.
"Manager-san!" I burst into the door, not meaning to project my excitement as much as I had.
"Sugimori-san." She looked up from her paperwork, and though I often pictured her with a scowl on her face, she actually smiled a lot.
"Do you have a minute, I would like to ask you a favour."
She motioned to the chair on the other side of her desk and I quickly sat, not wanting to take too much of her time. "First, don't call me Manager anymore, okay?" She said. "You can call me Yamada."
I bowed to her with a nod. "Of course, Yamada-san. I would like a job here, since I'm here every day after school anyway, I feel like I use the opportunity to continue my education and also make some extra money to help out at home."
She took only a moment to think before she answered my request. "I think I can arrange an assistant position for you. It will pay minimum wage, and you will have to work hard, are you prepared for that?" I nodded excitedly, having not expected her to meet my request so easily. "You'll basically be a runner for whichever member of the crew here needs something done. Tasks like making coffee, copying paperwork, faxing, and some light clean up of the rooms. But you are free to ask any questions to the crew you are working with to learn as much as you can. How does that sound?"
I clapped my hands together and held them at my chest, leaning forward in my chair to bow to her. "Thank you Yamada-san! When do I start?"
"You can start tomorrow, if you want. I'll have some tasks for you so you can get used to the job while working with me. I can give you some instruction and show you how to use all the equipment, and you'll be ready for anything. You can begin work as soon as you arrive after classes and leave with Aki."
I stood and leaned into a bow again, hurriedly taking my leave. "Thank you so much, Yamada-san!" I ran down the hall to Aki's dressing room to wait for him.
"One of these days, I'm going to walk in here and you're going to be naked waiting for me." Aki commented as he walked into the dressing room a couple of hours later. I had stayed there the whole time finishing assignments and studying, and the time had passed quickly.
"No, probably not." I said, standing to fall into his arms. "Guess what."
"Probably not means there's still a possibility?"
I laughed though I had a feeling he was somewhat serious about his joke. "I got a part time job."
His face became serious instantly, and I wasn't sure if he was happy about what I had said or not. "You did? Why? Where?"
"Here. I'm here every day after class anyway, I thought I could use it as an opportunity to learn more in the real world of music and make some extra money to help out at home more."
He squeezed with the grip he had on my shoulders, looking hard at my face. "You are really something." He said. His voice was soft, and I could tell he was feeling pride. "I'm happy for you, that is an ambitious thing to do. You saw the opportunity and took it to help yourself. You're seriously tough, Sugimori-san."
His sentiment made me want to cry, from relief, excitement, and I was overwhelmed with emotion. It was important to me to earn the approval of the people around me who mattered, and Aki was the person who mattered most. He was in a high position in his life and profession, and I felt the need to prove that I could achieve that for myself as well. "Thank you, Aki. I want to do everything I can to earn my place beside you."
"Natsu, I hope you don't worry about contributing." Aki said, changing the tone of the conversation. "The money that your parents send for rent is plenty, and I am not struggling to support us both at all."
"Yes I know, my boyfriend is a famous rockstar." I laughed, grabbing his shirt collar and leaning forward to kiss him. "I don't want to depend on you for anything. If I have the power to, I want to make own way in this world."
He nodded in understanding. "You're doing it. I don't want to sound like a parent, but learning as much as you can and doing well in university is the step you're taking right now to make your own way. I am happy to be able to support you in every way while you do that." He leaned down to reach behind me and pulled the chair closer, guiding me to sit. "I just recorded the song I was telling you about that I wrote a cappella. Do you want to hear it?"
I nodded excitedly, and expected Aki to produce his phone with a copy of the recording. Instead, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began to sing right in front of me. His voice was strong and loud, smooth and controlled, and the way he sounded when he sang was nothing short of beautiful. I watched every movement he made while he sang, the way his hands floated on the air and his head nodded to the imaginary beat. I paid attention to when he paused to take a deep breath and when he snuck in a sharp intake of air in between words. When the song finished, he held his eyes closed a beat longer before looking at me for judgement.
I began to applaud him. "You're so talented."
He nodded once smiling, placing his hands on his hips in a confident stance. "That's how I can support us both. Pure talent."
Time passed quickly during the week. School, study, part time job at the studio where I could study some more, and quiet nights with Aki usually talking about music. At times, my head spun with all the information being thrown at me, as I was suddenly immersed in the world of music fully and completely. Everywhere I went, no matter who I was with, had something to do with music. I had gotten into the habit of carrying a notebook tucked under my arm everywhere I went in case the opportunity to learn something new arose. I wanted to absorb as much as I could, and somehow become like each member of Guardian who simply breathed music. At the end of the month, I received a modest amount of money from my work at the studio. I was made to do coffee runs, help set up recording equipment and clean up studio rooms after photoshoots or video shoots. The work was not glamorous, but I was able to learn from each of the crew members I worked with, and that was more valuable than money.
In the evening after both Aki and I were finished work on Friday, we met in his dressing room like always. As I waited for him to gather his things, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror of the makeup table. I stood clutching my notebook to my chest with both arms, the black bag Aki had given me at Christmas time hung across my body daintily and sat at my hip. I had unconsciously began to shift my fashion sense to suit Aki's aesthetic more, which I noticed in my black and white check mini skirt, black sheer stockings, and Dr. Martin boots. I had on Aki's black denim jacket and a plain black t-shirt that hugged my form, a cropped knitted vest in white over top.
"Sugimori-san, would you join me for dinner in Shinjuku tonight?" Aki asked, holding his hand out for me to take. "I know it's short notice."
I laughed at his theatrics, taking his hand. "Of course I will, Hasegawa-san. I was hoping for an occasion to talk to you about an interesting message I got anyway." He tilted his head in question, but I said nothing more.
We sat across a small table from each other in the back corner of a ramen shop, under warm but dim lights and the smell of soup broth cooking. It was a comfortable atmosphere, and every other customer was a suit sitting at the counter on a high stool, prepared to eat their bowls quickly and dash for the train.
"I imagine it won't be as much fun calling each other by our last names once we have the same one." I began the conversation as soon as Aki sat back down after placing our order at the counter.
He smiled to himself, trying to act like he didn't hear what I said. "What's this message you got that you need to talk to me about?"
I produced my phone from my bag, flipped it open to the email message from my mom, and handed the phone over the table to Aki. "My parents are coming back to Japan to renew their visas, and they want to see us."
With my phone in his hands, Aki stared at me over it. "That's big news." He said, sounding shaken. "Your parents want to meet your rockstar boyfriend in person."
I nodded, resting my elbow on the table to place my chin in my hand. "My rockstar boyfriend who I live with in Tokyo, and who asked me to marry him once university is finished." I saw on his face that he was understanding the gravity of the situation as I laid it out. "We need to get our story straight about how much we're telling them in case they decide to corner you and talk to you alone."
"Ah." He made a sound of understanding and the tension melted out of his features. "Natsu. They're your parents. They should know everything. And I don't mind telling them everything, even if they want to get defensive at me about it. They left you here to go live overseas, so they must trust you, and they should be pleased that you have me to help take care of you."
I leaned back in my chair, raising my hands as a gesture of surrender. "If you're not worried, then I won't be either." I said. "The other thing about it is that they are going to Kyoto to avoid the big city. They invited us there, said they'll pay for a room at the onsen for us."
Aki nodded, and I could see him thinking hard, reorganizing his mind behind his eyes. "We can go for the weekend. Friday afternoon, jump on the Shinkansen. Sunday night, come back to Tokyo. When are they coming?"
"Three weeks."