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"...Is that so...?" A calm voice sounded throughout the room. Some small sobs followed, before a shaky voice replied.
"H-he lied to me... H-he was my prince, a-and he betrayed me!"
"...Now, now, don't cry... I'll take care of that."
"R-really...?"
"Of course, Hajime-kun. You don't have to worry about it. Everything will be resolved in a few days." Shino hugged the person he was talking to as they smiled.
"A-alright..."
"Now go and rest, you clearly need it after your "friend" did all of that..." The figure pet Hajime's hair, before the boy left. Their smile immediately dropped. Hurting their Shino like that... He was finally going to get everything he deserved. The person picked up their phone and called someone. It didn't take long for them to answer.
"It's quite late to make a phone call, isn't it Your Eminence?"
"Well, you're also up quite late, aren't you, Saegusa-kun?" The figure smiled again. "...I have a favor to ask of you..."
Tomoya woke up quite late, his eyes still heavy due to all the crying last night. He checked his phone, a few messages from Midori, one or two from Mitsuru, some from Hinata and Tetora, yet none from Hajime. As he scrolled a bit further down his notifications, he noticed a missed call and a message from someone he never would've guessed. Reading it made him feel chills run down his spine.
"Good morning, Mashiro-kun. I apologize for the hour of my call, but this matter is quite serious. I'd appreciate it if you could meet me today in Starmaker Production's office. Would 4pm work for you?"
It was already 1pm. Shit. Tomoya quickly formulated a response, trying to get up from bed.
"Ah, I'm so sorry, I was asleep. 4pm works, but I could come by earlier if that's not a problem."
He got a response almost immediately.
"It's not a problem at all. I'll be waiting in the office. You can come by any time, I shouldn't have any visitors today."
This was bad. Really bad. There was no way this was not anything negative. It was a serious matter, and it was Eichi that had texted him... Tomoya tried his best to finish getting ready as fast as he could, wanting to have this all behind him. Before he left, he sent Takamine a text, his face bitter despite all the love he felt towards his partner.
"Don't worry, I'm okay, just really tired!! We can meet later if you want to <3"
He was finally there. Starmaker Production. He took a deep breath, trying to prepare himself for what was to come, before he knocked on the door.
"Come in." A cheerful sounding voice replied. It made Tomoya get goosebumps, yet he couldn't back away now. He stepped into the office, closing the door behind him. In front of him was Eichi, sitting behind a desk, looking at some photos. He was smiling, but it didn't feel warm and inviting. It felt cold, calculating, even spiteful... Tenshouin then looked at the rabbit, almost like a fox that knew the little animal was cornered and about to get eaten. "Come closer, we can't really talk about such an important matter with you standing this far away, Mashiro-kun..."
"Alright..." He was sure his voice cracked as he said that. The air felt heavy, and his legs felt shaky. Tomoya sat down in front of Eichi, almost sure that he wouldn't be able to keep standing for much longer. "What did you want to talk to me about, Tenshouin-senpai...?"
"Well... I've heard some things about you." Eichi put the photo down, not letting Tomoya see what it is yet. "A small, young and hard working leader, a normal, but cute rabbit, a prince even..." Mashiro was already starting to feel even worse, and it was obvious to Tenshouin. "But I also heard that you're a liar, and a backstabber. I asked some people that I thought might know anything about it, and I've learned something far more incriminating..."
"I... Incriminating...? I-I have nothing to hide..." Tomoya's voice trembled, obviously lying about that. There was no way that Eichi knew, or even worse, had proof of him dating Midori, right...?
"Hmm? Is that so?" The so-called leader of heaven looked at his computer screen, moving the mouse a bit. "I have evidence proving otherwise, you know?"
"What evidence...?" Before Mashiro could ask any more questions, he heard a click, and then two familiar voices.
"How did it go, how did it go Midori-chan?!" Mitsuru's voice was loud and clear. Hearing Midori right after only made his stomach drop more.
"H-hey, Tenma-kun, stop it! You'll break my neck!"
"Okay, okay, but how did it go Midori-chan! I need to know!"
"First tell me why did you drag me to the field? Was that planned?"
"Tomo-chan asked me to! He said he wants to have a little more time before talking with you, and told me to take you there!"
"Ah... Alright then. It went well."
"Woohoo! I told you he'll like you back! You're boyfriends now, right?"
"Well yeah..."
"Then you should celebrate too! You finally did it Midori-chan!"
"You're right, Tenma-kun. Thank you for helping me. I appreciate it a lot."
"H-how...?" Mashiro felt like crying, but he knew he couldn't. Not now.
"I have my ways." Eichi smirked. "Besides, there's also this." He then showed the younger boy the photo. Tomoya immediately knew it was edited, as they haven't kissed yet, but it was edited so well, that most people would take it at face value. The rabbit couldn't get himself to speak. He just stared at the picture in shock. "Now, you may be wondering, what am I going to do with this... That's actually up to you."
"Then- then get rid of these!"
"Ah-ah, not so fast..." Of course there had to be some strings attached. "I'll give you two options - You keep your little romance with Takamine-kun, but I put these out for people to see... Or... I delete them, but you leave your idol status and never come back..."
"I..." He was at a loss of words. Both of these options were terrible. It wasn't even a choice of what he should do. It was a choice of which way would he rather leave his idol career.
"Don't worry, you have the whole week to decide, Tomoya-kun..." Tenshouin glared at him with a smile. "I think you can leave and start thinking about your decision now." It didn't take long for Tomoya to leave the room. He wanted to run, but he couldn't, so he just walked as fast as he could. What now? What was he supposed to do? He worked so hard on his dreams, but he couldn't just break Midori's heart like that... Maybe there was a different way? There had to be, right? Maybe he could announce him and Takamine dating himself? No, that was an awful idea, it's already controversial for idols to be dating, but dating another idol? That would be the death of both their careers... He couldn't ask for help, not when the only person who could actually be helpful was Wataru...
He could just...
Get rid of the problem...
Just one jump could be the end of it...
...no...
He would break Midori's heart if he did that. Who knows what that would do to his partner's already bad mental health? And he couldn't just leave with no goodbye to anyone... It was so frustrating, so depressing and so anxiety-inducing, that he could barely think... He didn't even realize he was almost back at the dorms, nor that there were tears falling from his eyes. As he finally got back to his and Mayoi's room, he fell onto his bed and checked his phone. A few new messages from Midori.
"Are you sure? @m@
I'm just worried about you ó×ò
Where do you want to meet, and what time?"
Shit, he forgot about his offer to meet with Midori...
"We can meet in my dorm room!! Come over whenever!! <3" Mashiro replied, to which Takamine responded almost immediately.
"I'll be there in a second then ^×^"
"Shit..." He quickly got up, taking some tissues to dry his face. He couldn't let Midori see him like this. He couldn't let anyone see him like this. He couldn't let anyone know about this. Suddenly, a knock. Takamine was here. Tomoya quickly went up to the door and let Midori in.
"Sorry for not being in school today Takamine..."
"Is everything okay? You look like you were crying..."
"Ah, no, no- I mean yes- I-I mean... Ugh..." Mashiro took a breath, trying his best to calm down. "Yes, everything's okay, no, I wasn't crying, I'm just a bit tired lately, you know, leader responsibilities..."
"Oh, right... Sorry, should I leave then...?" Midori asked, not at all mad, to which Tomoya took his hand.
"No no no, you stay here with me... I-if you want to of course..." He flushed a little, looking away. "I was thinking of taking a nap, so maybe you could join me in that...?"
"Huh... Alright..." Midori laid down next to Tomoya, and soon after both of them fell asleep. Mashiro held Takamine tightly and closely, even in his sleep being scared of losing him, and so, day one of Tomoya's last week as an idol ended.
Day 2
Midori left quite early, as the leader of Ra*bits had to go to the unit practice. Surely Tenshouin picked a week specifically to reveal the secret relationship during their next performance. He really put a ton of pressure onto the young bunny. Even though Mashiro wanted to stay in the dorm more than anything now, he didn't want to worry the other members of his unit, especially Nazuna. He slowly made his way to the practice rooms, hoping that he wouldn't be the last one there. As he got closer and closer to the door, he took a deep breath, forcing a smile onto his face. To his surprise, he was in fact the last one in the room. Everything seemed... Normal... Even Hajime greeted him like usual. It somehow felt more unnerving. Was this Hajime's doing...? No no no no, Shino would never do that to him, right...? Yeah... They were best friends after all...
"Since we're all here, let's start the practice!" Nito said in a cheerful voice. Did Hajime tell them? Probably not, right? It didn't matter, they had a performance in six days. The practice went quite smoothly for the most part, except a few missed moves from Tomoya here and there, along with...
"Ah, Hajime, are you alright?" Mashiro asked, holding his hand out to his friend. He didn't even look at him though, standing back up on his own.
"I don't need your help." Was all that Shino said to him. After that, everything was "normal" again. It felt unnerving to the young leader this time, but it would all turn out well in the end. He was sure of it... The practice went by quite quickly, with Nito picking up on how Mashiro felt.
"Hey, Tomo-chin, can I talk to you real quick?"
"O-of course Nii-chan!" The younger bunny said, trying his best to act normal. He knew he couldn't really hide it, especially from the oldest bunny, but he could at least try...
"Did something happen between you and Hajime-chin?"
"Ah..." Of course this was the question. It wasn't like Nazuna didn't know about him and Midori, so he could just tell him the truth... Or at least part of it. How could he tell the person who took them under his wings that he had to leave their unit forever due to Eichi...? "Well... Yes... He learned about Takamine and me... Just... Not the way I wanted him to... I-I know you told me to tell him, I just wasn't fast enough... B-but! I'll take care of it myself, you don't have to worry about it Nii-chan!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure!"
"Just remember, you can always come to me when you need help..." Mashiro knew that very well. He could ask for help with everything, and Nazuna would never judge him... It just wasn't possible this time. He knew damn well that Tenshouin would take any confrontation about this situation as picking one of the options. Mashiro and Nito then went their separate ways. The rest of the day was quite uneventful, a walk, dinner, back to the dorm and trying to fall asleep, which he couldn't do, and so, he decided to read some manga. Hours passed, leading into the late night and early morning, passing the end of his second day.
Day 3
"I shouldn't stay up until the morning... I need to train more and make sure that this will be the best live we ever had. I... I want people to remember me..." He thought as he slowly fell asleep.
"What have you done, Tomo-chin?!"
"Tomo-chan, you're awful!"
"I knew you'd leave us, Tomoya-kun..."
No... It's not like that...
"We don't want to see you ever again."
"We don't want to see you ever again."
"We don't want to see you ever again."
I swear, I had no choice!
"Mashiro-kun..."
Takamine...
"I don't know how I could've ever loved you..."
Please don't leave me...
"Leave me alone..."
I...
This is all my fault...
I should've never dated Takamine...
I should've never became an idol...
I should've never been born...
Tomoya woke up covered in sweat.
"It was just a nightmare... This won't happen... They don't hate me... I... I shouldn't die... Not now..."
He decided to skip doing anything productive for the day, hoping to take his mind off of the nightmare. A few texts from Midori, a re-read of his favorite manga, a rewatch of some idol performances, going out to eat, and going back to bed, thinking about what to do. The third day ended in Mashiro crying himself to sleep.
Day 4
Luckily as he woke up on day four, he did not remember what he dreamed about that night. Only a few days left... He had to finally decide... The young bunny checked his calendar, looking for when the last meeting with the organizers was going to happen. Just a few hours... He sighed, leaving the bed. He was still tired, but couldn't go to sleep again, he didn't feel hungry, but had to eat, he didn't want to leave his room, but he had to. Minutes and hours blended into each other, and soon, Tomoya was at the meeting. It felt as if time wasn't moving yet was running at the same time. Finally the main talk was done, and so...
"Could I ask for additional 5 minutes at the end of our live?"
"Why is that?"
"It's... Important... But I can't reveal why we need it..."
"Hmm... Well, we'll look if we can do that and contact you later."
"Alright, thank you." That concluded their meeting, after which Mashiro just got back to the dorm room and did nothing productive again.
"Tomorrow I'll train until I pass out. I need to make sure it will be perfect." He thought as he fell asleep, marking the end of day four.
Day 5
Tomoya's alarm rang at 6am, and the boy didn't waste any time laying around and thinking about Tenshouin's ultimatum. He had to practice. He had to. 7am he was already in the practice room, going through all the songs they had in the lineup over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and oevr ando ver and over aj d ober aand ovwr abf ocre amd pver ans o er adn ivwr anfd ovwrrrrrr............................................................
where was he...? what time was it...? did he die...?
"Mashiro-kun?"
huh...?
"Are you alright...?"
someone's here...
"Please..."
there's light...
"Don't die before me..."
"Takamine..." Tomoya's voice was weak. "W-what time is it...?"
"7pm... How long were you here for...? I was looking for you and found you here, passed out..."
"Ah... I was here for ten hours then... I don't know when I passed out..."
"Did you eat anything? Drink anything? Take a break?" Midori was clearly worried for his partner, stroking his hair while his head was on his lap.
"I... Don't remember..." Takamine frowned.
"Mashiro-kun... I'm taking you somewhere to eat... You can't ignore your needs..." Tomoya just looked away.
"Sorry... I just kind of... Got lost in the practice..."
He tried to stand up on his own, quickly losing his balance. Midori sighed before helping him stand and going to get some food. First they got some sandwitches, and then they went for something more filling. That ended up being pizza.
"I'm so sorry for causing you trouble, Takamine..."
"...I'm just worried, Mashiro-kun... What's going on with you lately...?"
"Please don't worry about it, it's just... It's just a few rough days... I swear I'll be okay soon..."
"Mashiro-kun, if you're feeling depressed... You can come to me... I won't be able to help, but... I can be depressed with you if it will help..." Tomoya let out a small chuckle.
"Thank you... I appreciate that, but just the thought of you caring is enough for me..." Midori frowned a little, moving his hand to Tomoya's cheek. The shorter boy's facade faltered for a second, before going back to his smile. "Really, don't worry... I love you..."
"Alright... I love you too... Just remember, you can talk to me..."
"I'll remember..." They finished their pizza and went back to the dorms. Mashiro stayed up until the early hours of day six, blaming himself for making Takamine worry.
Day 6
It was already noon when Ra*bits' leader woke up and checked his phone only for if they were allowed the additional five minutes, which they luckily were. That... was all he wanted to do for the day. He needed to rest for tomorrow, and he didn't feel like doing anything. The room was empty, leaving him with just his thoughts.
I should
call Takamine
call Nii-chan
talk to Hajime
call the police
just give up...
Tenshouin is right.
I should leave the idol industry.
I can't even make people smile.
Who even cares about "Tomoya Mashiro the idol"?
Who even cares about "Tomoya Mashiro"?
...
No... Takamine cares... He said it himself... He doesn't want me to die before him...
It's
all
just
in
my
head
it's
all
just
in
my
head
it's
all
just
in
my
head
it's
all
just
in my head................
.
.
.
.
.
get yourself together, tomoya...
the live is tomorrow...
you need to say goodbye to everyone with a smile...
It will all be okay...
Final Day.
This was it... The Ra*bits live... The last few songs... The last minutes of the act... The last moments before the inevitable death of "Tomoya Mashiro, the idol and leader of Ra*bits"... The last notes of Joyful×Box* played, everyone saying their thanks and goodbyes to the audience, leaving to the backstage... Except Tomoya. He stood alone in the spotlight, everyone's eyes on him. He was sure somewhere in the crowd stood Takamine, confused and worried like everyone else. He was sure somewhere in the crowd stood Tenshouin, witnessing his success.
"Everyone... I'm sure you're confused, why the live is still not over, and why I'm still here... I..." He stopped, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I have to announce something. I will be leaving Ra*bits for good. I'm sorry for dropping this so suddenly, but I wanted everyone to enjoy the live to their fullest... Please, continue to support Hajime, Mitsuru, and of course Nii-chan, as without them, Ra*bits would be nothing... Before I say my final goodbye, please let's enjoy a final song all together." Tomoya bowed slightly to show his appreciation towards their fans, letting the first strums of the guitar show everyone the last song he'd be performing. His first ever solo. How ironic, huh? A "Never give up!" in the form of a song, being sung right after giving up...
This was it.
The moment everyone started resenting him.
He was sure of it.
He smiled, looking around the audience. Midori was indeed there, though instead of standing there, doing nothing, he seemed to cheer even more...
"Takamine..." He wanted to cry, but he couldn't. He needed to make sure this performance was perfect. As the music ended, he bowed yet again.
"Thank you everyone, and for the last time, goodbye." Right after that, he ran off the stage, passing the other Ra*bits members, hoping that Mitsuru won't chase him, hoping that Nazuna won't be mad, hoping that Hajime... would be happy despite it all... Hoping that Midori could still love him, even though to him, Tomoya just did this out of his own volition. The "Tomoya Mashiro" that was an idol was gone forever.