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“Sayashi-san, Sayashi-san…”
“Ahh… Ehhh, iyada, iyada, iiyaadddaaa!!!! ”
Sayashi Riho grumpily yelled but Ishida Ayumi is no stranger to it.
“Wake up, wake up, wake up,” Ayumi patiently wakes the snoozing Riho.
“HUH!, EEEEHHHHHHH, SHUDDUP! SHUDDUP! I’M SLEEeeppiiingngng…,” Riho, as usual is throwing her sleeping tantrums.
“SA-YA-SHI-SUN! Wake up! We’re late, we’re late!” Ayumi scolded. “We’re late for the CONCERT!”
Hearing the word CONCERT brought some sense to the defiant and grumpy RihoRiho. She immediately opened her eyes, got up, look around and found herself in the middle of the studio with Ayumin, who was seriously panicking.
“Sayashi-san, we missed our flight! Aahhh, iye, iye, ehh, we’ll miss our flight! Ahh, eh… Nani, nani, nani…” Ayumi was shaking her head with hands on her cheeks while alternately semi-hopping on one foot... left, right, left, right…
It’s 27 minutes past 9am. Their flight is scheduled to leave at 10:15am and Haneda airport is 45 minutes away from the place where they’re at even if they ride a taxi. Clearly there’s no time; with a 3-minute differential, NO WAY! Both of them haven’t even washed or packed their things properly.
---------- A week earlier ------------
“Sensei trusted us to do our own choreography for this song.”
“I am clearly out of my comfort zone making my own choreography but still challenge accepted!”
“Ok, ok. I’m taking this seriously.”
“I’m not slacking off either!”
“Yosh! Let’s go!” …and Riho excitedly pumped her fist up in the air.
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But then, even when they poured their hearts out and worked on their respective free time, either alone or together, whenever they have breaks in between work…
…some things just don’t work out no matter how much effort they put into
“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” Yoshiko-sensei yelled. “SAYASHI! ISHIDA! This is not what I expect from you!” Yoshiko-sensei was clearly disappointed.
There was long silence. None of the two answered.
“Well, well, well… Let’s just use this one which I prepared beforehand. I was not expecting this… tsk, tsk, tsk,” Yoshiko-sensei disappointedly shook her head. “I need your full attention because I’m not going to give you a video guide neither I have the luxury of time to schedule another practice!”
Both of them have their heads down. Sayashi was crying with her hands on her face while tears were slowly crawling off Ishida’s eyes. Ayumi, too, was crying but somehow managed to hold her little hiccups.
No! No! I’m not gonna let this happen! This is our last…! No way, we would not be able to dance our own…
Frustrated, Ayumi raised her right hand, her left hand at her side with fist clenched in tension but her eyes are still not meeting Yoshiko-sensei’s.
“Gomen’nasai Sensei, but please let us fix this. We can do it… we’ll do it…. I know we can...” And that’s how far Ayumi was able to hold down her sobbing. She burst into tears but still held her composure standing straight while her hands trying to wipe away the tears. This time, though, she was able to face Sensei with a brave but tame and sincere look.
Ishida Ayumi’s conviction was shown through those clear brown eyes of her. She didn’t ask for it proudly but humbly. She’ll even beg for it. She loves dancing and would always admire and respect Sayashi-san’s dancing. She doesn’t want to disappoint her dance rival as much as she doesn’t want to let herself down. She’s not doing it just because she can’t swallow her pride or because Riho is leaving and it would be a pity to fail. She begged for a second chance because she wants to dance with Sayashi using the dance they thought and worked hard of… for one last time as a member of Morning Musume.
This is a rare opportunity. It never happened before. It was always the choreographers.
Ishida Ayumi bravely but to some extent recklessly begged Yoshiko-sensei. The concert wherein the Riho-Ayumi, Ayumi-Riho dance number was set is the day after tomorrow. Sensei was not pleased with what they presented and wanted to change this part, that part, these parts and those parts of the choreography. Ah, so might as well change everything.
Riho took Ayumi’s hand and looked at Yoshiko-sensei. She wanted to thank Ayumi for gutsily asking Sensei but no words came out, instead she just held the other girl’s hand tightly.
Both are looking at Yoshiko-sensei and sincerely asking for re-consideration.
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As foolish as it was with so little time remaining, Yoshiko-sensei still gave them what they asked. Not to shame them for unpreparedness but to challenge them.
And here they are in the Hello Project studio in Tokyo still practicing and polishing their routine at 1am. The concert is in Fukuoka, their flight is at 10:15am of the same day and their meeting is at 9am at Haneda Airport.
Ichi, ni, san, shi… eight, seven, six, five… eye contact, stop, turn, quick, slow, hair flip… and so on and so forth…
The music was still playing until 3 in the morning. A little over 3am, they decided to sleep and put the alarm at 7am which was set to repeat every 5 minutes until turned off. Yes, every 5 minutes to persistently wake the slow to get up RihoRiho. Ayumin is bad and slow to get up, too. Not as bad as her senpai but both are pretty slowpokes in the morning, so better set the alarm in that manner.
The alarm rang at 7am, at 7:05, 7:10, 7:15… 8:25, 8:30, 8:35… 9:10, 9:15, 9:20… then turned off at 9:25am! Oh Crap!
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“A-aa--ayumi, wh--what should we do?? Riho responded, panicking.
We-- we still have time. The concert is at 2:30pm… the first show…” Ayumi was trying to calm down.
Yes they can book a later flight to Fukuoka but the question is the availability. Today is a holiday followed by the weekends. People for sure have booked their trips ahead of time. If not through plane, they can ride the Shinkansen but it takes 7 hours of travel. The Plane schedule, they have to check. The Shinkansen schedule, they also need to check but for God’s sake and their sake, please not the Shinkansen.
Calm down... calm down. We’ll be alright, we can make it. Nothing would be put to waste... We won’t even miss the first show.
“Ah Sayashi-san, we better find another flight.” RihoRiho just stared at her blankly. The ace could not even remember where she put her things. Ayumin responded to herself and phoned various airlines. She was unsuccessful. All flights were fully booked. Shinkansen? Wait not yet... She tried again and at last was able to find an 11:47am Tokyo to Fukuoka, business class that costs 75,000 yen EACH. NO CHEAPER flights are set to leave earlier than 1pm. They have NO OTHER CHOICE and missing the first show is not even an option.
Ayumi double checked the details as a mistake might cost them more. She doesn’t like spending, more so wasting money and her goal every month is 90% to as crazy as 100% savings. Expensive things doesn't suit her taste, either. She always go for the cheapest and would even bargain. But in this case, there is no way to bargain! Ahh, very un-idol like XD
They made everything fast -- changed clothes, packed their things, rode a cab.
I, too, am panicking and rushing everything so that Ayumi and Riho won’t miss any show. Aahhh, nevermind I am to decide, anyway!!!
They arrived in the airport a few minutes before 11am and were about to pay at the counter when Sayashi found out her wallet is... @_@ Oh, here's the forgetful character! Luckily and fortunately her kouhai brought her debit card. Ayumi has no time thinking how much money she would spend that day. She’ll think about it later and will make sure Riho pays her. Her spending sky rocketed while her savings was lessened by just some percentage. No need to worry, Ayumi. You can earn it back easily with the tv, radio and magazine appearances you have. And there the lady at the counter swiped her card. SWOOSH! Six digits of her hard work was deducted. Don't cry Ayu!
Sayashi Riho, unknowingly, patted her back. Ayu was in shock, she just responded and did what human beings are supposed to do when consoling their own kind.
Now, they are inside the plane bound to Fukuoka. The arrival time is twenty minutes after one in the afternoon. They decided to have their meal inside the plane to make the most of that one hour and so of travel time. They need energy for two two-hour shows. Not to mention, the routine they prepared was so badass that it requires so so so so much energy.
Finally, they reached the promised land! They arrived at 1:15pm. Only five minutes earlier than ETA but every minute counts! They need to get out of the airport as soon as possible. Ayumi took Riho’s hand and started running. She didn’t pull Sayashi-san’s hand because the latter was slow but held it because she was nervous. Both of them were. RihoRiho was about to take Ayumin’s hand, too, but the kouhai was just faster in doing so.
“Manager-san, we…“
“Where are you!? Sayashi’s not answering her phone!” Manager-san was really angry.
That’s because Riho forgot her phone together with her wallet at home. Sitting atop her messy bed.
“…we’re really sorry”
“Ahh, eh…? The first show will start soon. Where. The. Hell. Are. You…?!!!”
“I’m with Sayashi-san…”
“What!!!?? Sayashi overslept again”
“…we’re on our way”
“Ishida! You’ll skip? Stop being a cheapskate!!!”
“…on a cab…”
“ahhh, it’s too late for the first show even if you managed to book another flight”
It’s too late if they just woke up now which is 32 minutes away from the curtain opening. And Manager-san could you please listen first! Stop panicking!
Manager-san kept on talking nonsense until…
“Sumimasen…” Ayumin just appeared in front of him with RihoRiho. Both are panting as they ran from the entrance all the way to the conference room.
Meanwhile, Fukumura, Ikuta, Suzuki, Iikubo, Satou, Kudou, Oda, Ogata, Nonaka, Makino and Haga were in another room memorizing Sayashi’s lines and some… Ishida’s. Their lines were already distributed to the other 11… ah to the other 3?? Oh nevermind, everyone got at least one line!
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Sayashi Riho may have forgotten her wallet, phone and most importantly to wake up early on that day! But never will she forget any part of the choreography. Her body and mind could have betrayed her but never will her heart fail to align the rhythm of her dancing.
Ishida Ayumi is always faithful to the choreography. Sharper and more precise than the 3.14159 approximate value of the Pi. Dancing is the only thing that could make her heart race, not even the most attractive and most perfect Bishounen could even slightly activate her female hormones. Ahhmmm, except for Duu???
The crowd went crazy. They were loud all the way from the first beat to the last nanosecond of the Ishida-Sayashi, Sayashi-Ishida love dance concert.
And yes they did it! Not their first 10-second dance break but definitely their first 5-minute dance routine. It’s the last SayaIshi dance… at least the last MORNING MUSUME SAYA-ISHI DANCE!