******
Word's counted ---- 1600
Enjoy.
*******
As the new group of girls arrived, the security guards at the entrance tried to stop them from entering without permission on the backstage area. However, Alex quickly intervened, saying, "It's okay; they're with us. These are our VVIP guests." With that, the guards stepped aside, allowing the group to enter.
Inside the venue, Aki observed the idol girls, who were visibly nervous and anxious. Their faces were clouded with a gloomy atmosphere, worried about the upcoming performance with so little preparation. "Okay, everyone, listen up," Aki said, trying to lift their spirits. "I'll sing three songs. I want you to record them and listen carefully. We don't have much time, so make sure to perfect them and be ready to perform."
"Eh? Boss, will these be your original songs?" Kyun and Ari asked, their eyes wide with excitement. They knew that Aki had some great songs up his sleeve and were eager to hear what he would come up with.
Aki nodded. "Yeah, now pay attention, everyone. Yuki, you too," he said, smiling at the little girl still perched on his lap. He began to sing, his voice filling the room with a soothing melody. Even without music or auto-tune, his voice was captivating. The girls quickly grabbed their phones to record, entranced by his natural talent.
Yuki's eyes sparkled as she listened to Aki sing, completely mesmerized by his performance. The room seemed to fall into a trance, everyone caught in the beauty of the moment. After the third song, a knock on the door broke the spell.
Everyone snapped back to reality as Aki gently lifted Yuki off his lap and placed her on the sofa. He walked over to the door and opened it to find Misa, Suzuna, Selly, and Kamiya standing there. Aki's eyes quickly spotted Shikimori among them, looking slightly out of place. "Shikimori-san?" he asked, surprised to see her.
Before Shikimori could explain, Kamiya stepped forward, bowing slightly. "Shijo-kun, please allow Shikimori-san to join us. We saw her at the entrance and decided to invite her along."
Aki, realizing the situation, nodded. "Ah, I see. Sorry, Shikimori-san. Of course, you're welcome to join us. Come on in."
Shikimori smiled and bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, and I'm sorry for any inconvenience."
Aki waved it off with a laugh. "No problem at all. Everyone, come inside; the show's about to start."
Kamiya sighed in relief, smiling. "Oh, thank goodness we made it just in time."
"Yes, yes! The show will start soon, especially since Aki-oniichan is going to perform on stage!" Yuki piped up from Aki's lap, tightening her hold around his neck. She seemed to nestle closer to him, clearly relishing the attention.
Misa raised an eyebrow, half-amused and half-intrigued. "Shijo, you're really popular with the kids, huh?"
Suzuna, always quick to stir the pot, grinned and quipped, "Looks like a kid is going to steal my brother-in-law." Her remark landed with a heavy silence, the playful jab turning into a bombshell.
"What does she mean by 'brother-in-law,' Shijo?" Kamiya asked, her tone sharp with suspicion. She looked at Aki with a mix of confusion and frustration. Having long accepted that Aki might be dating her classmate,Runa. this new revelation made her wonder if he was leading a double life as a playboy.
Shikimori, too, looked skeptical. She had often found herself daydreaming about her brief encounters with Aki, and the idea of him having a girlfriend was a surprising blow.
Selly remained stoic, her face as unreadable as ever, while the idol girls, including Niino and Ai, exchanged glances, mouths agape. The possibility that their boss could already be taken made their hearts sink.
Misaki, however, seemed on the verge of losing her cool. Her hands balled into fists, and she took a deep breath to keep herself from snapping. "Don't joke around like that, Suzuna," she chided. "Shijo-san is just my boss, and I'm his employee. That's all there is to it."
Everyone seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief at her explanation, including Aki. His mind raced as he tried to find a way to defuse the situation that Suzuna had inadvertently stirred up, but thankfully, Misa had already taken care of it.
Yuki, who had been observing the entire scene, quickly picked up on the undercurrent of emotions. She could tell that at least two or three of the girls had a crush on Aki, but her dense older brother seemed oblivious to it all.
With a mischievous grin, Yuki decided to stir the pot even more. She wrapped her arms around Aki's neck again, pressing her face against his chest. "Aki-ni is mine!" she declared with a playful smirk, clearly enjoying the reactions of the others.
Misa laughed, shaking her head. "Alright, alright, you win, kid. Aki's all yours—at least for today."
Suzuna rolled her eyes, still smiling mischievously. "You're quite the charmer, Shijo-oni-san. Maybe we should call the police," she teased, drawing a laugh from the group.
"Lolicon," Selly chimed in, joining the playful banter. Shikimori and the others nodded in agreement, their faces lightened with amusement as they pretended to consider Suzuna's suggestion.
Aki sighed, gently patting Yuki's head. "Alright, enough of this. We have a show to prepare for, and I need you all focused," he said, trying to steer the conversation back to the task at hand.
After introducing everyone to each other they went on their separate ways.
With a clear plan in place, Ai and the other idol girls returned to the rehearsal room to train and practice their new songs. Meanwhile, Aki left Yuki in the care of Misa, Suzuna, Shikimori, and Selly, along with a few other of his trusted aides in the VVIP room. He made sure to remind Misa and Selly, his personal maids, to prioritize Yuki's health and well-being during the show.
As Aki walked out of the VVIP room, he could feel the mounting anticipation and anxiety in the air. The crowd outside was buzzing with excitement, but there were only thirty minutes left before the show was supposed to start, and not everything was ready. Most of the audience had already arrived, eager to see the rising idol stars perform.
Making his way to the announcement booth, Aki grabbed the microphone and began speaking to the crowd. "Hello, hello, mic testing, one, two, three," he started, his voice calm but firm. "Yes, this is your host, Aki Shijo. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we will be delaying the idol group performance..."
A collective groan echoed through the venue, followed by a wave of frustrated murmurs and scattered complaints from the audience. "What do you mean by that?" someone shouted.
"I came here two hours early, and now I have to wait even more?" another voice yelled out, the frustration evident in the tone.
"I'm done with this," someone else muttered, clearly ready to leave.
"Me too, I'm going home," another echoed, the noise and dissatisfaction growing louder by the second.
Seeing the situation starting to spiral, Aki quickly raised his voice. "But please don't worry!" he shouted, trying to cut through the noise. "Hello, I repeat, please don't worry!" His firm, commanding tone finally managed to grab everyone's attention, the volume of complaints dying down as the audience started to listen.
Aki continued, "Even though the idol group's performance will be delayed, we will still have a great show for you today. There will be a special performance to entertain you in the meantime. We have a new singer who will be performing a few songs. He's a newcomer, but I hope you'll give him a chance and listen to his first song before jumping to any conclusions."
Handing the mic to the announcer, Aki quickly made his way down to the stage, where the band was already set up and waiting. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, feeling the weight of the audience's expectations. Grabbing a guitar, he positioned himself in the center of the stage as the lights dimmed, creating an intimate atmosphere in the vast venue.
With the announcer's words still hanging in the air, the crowd erupted in a mix of curiosity and conversation.
"I've heard those songs he mentioned; they were really awesome," someone near the front murmured, nudging their friend.
"Yeah, we should give him a chance," another voice agreed.
A person in the back, who hadn't heard Aki's songs before, leaned over to their neighbor. "I haven't heard any of them, but if everyone's talking about it, I'll give it a try."
"Me too," their neighbor replied with a shrug. "At least listening for a few minutes won't hurt my ears."
"Well, it might, if the singer's voice sounds like a crow," a man in a leather jacket joked, eliciting a few chuckles.
Amid the buzz of conversation, someone in the middle rows voiced a different concern. "Is nobody going to talk about the singer's name being the same as the announcer's? What's up with that?"
"Yeah, it is the same... but what's wrong with that?" another attendee replied.
"Everything! He just praised himself and his songs. Isn't that a bit narcissistic?" the first person complained.
"Oh, give it a rest," someone else chimed in. "Let's just see what he's got."
As the audience continued to chatter, the stage lights dimmed, and a hush gradually fell over the crowd. The curtain slowly rose, revealing Aki standing center stage, his face hidden by the darkness. He stood there with his guitar slung over his shoulder.
*****
Song recommendations?
******