Chapter Text
The bell above the cafe door jingled softly as I entered, brushing stray bits of snow off my jacket. I made my way to the back of the cafe where I agreed to meet the ‘idol’.
I still wasn’t sure what compelled me to accept this job, I had plenty of money from working for that fancy rich singer months ago, maybe I was just bored. Sae had recommended me to some idol he met while working for some idol agency, I don’t know what he told them but judging off of what my manager told me they seemed weirdly insistent on having me as a bodyguard.
Back at the end of the cafe was a cozy alcove where a singular masked individual was sitting, I stepped into the alcove and coughed lightly to get the person’s individual.
“Oh! Hi uh you must be Rin?” The idol wasn’t what I expected, black-blue hair and vibrant blue eyes, he was wearing the classic black idol mask and a grey hoodie that swamped his figure.
“Yeah,” I replied curtly before sliding into the booth opposite of him, “Rin Itoshi, you must be the one Sae mentioned, Isagi Yoichi?”
“Yes that’s me,” He shrunk into his hoodie—fiddling with his hoodie strings in the process. Despite being sat opposite of a military grade bodyguard he looked frantic, almost like he was scared of something.. Or someone.
“So,” I leaned back crossing my arms, “What exactly am I needed for,”
Isagi fiddled with the sleeve of his hoodie, eyes darting to the side. “It’s, um… complicated.”
“Try me.”
He sighed, hesitating. “It started a few months ago. I’ve been getting these letters. At first they were just weird obsessive fan stuff. But they’ve gotten more personal lately. They mention places I’ve been, things I’ve said and they’ve even started leaving things in my personal transport van. And in general I’ve just been getting this weird… feeling, like someone’s watching me.”
“..Alright, I’ll help you,” The blue-haired boy perked up in surprise,
“Really?”
“You seem surprised?”
“Oh it’s just that Sae told me you take some convincing,”
I was about to make a rebuttal when I realised he was probably right. I hadn’t taken a job in almost 3 months now, every possible client I had met hadn’t interested me and I had ended contracts early. I wasn’t sure what compelled me to accept this particular one though, maybe I felt bad? No, that probably wasn’t it.
Maybe it was the way he continued to shrink into his hoodie, perking up at every jingle of the bell when someone entered, or how his eyes flickered toward the windows every few seconds like he was expecting a shadow to peel away from the glass. Something about him screamed “ cornered animal” , and I guess my instincts kicked in before my brain could argue.
“Alright then, so what exactly do you need me to do,” He perked up at this and with fiddling fingers fished out his phone, surprisingly old for an up-and-coming idol, then shoved his phone inches from my face.
The phone screen revealed what seemed to be a poster for a tour.
“I have a big tour coming up but my management isn’t interested in getting a personal bodyguard for the duration.”
“How come?”
“Well, if I'm the only one with a personal bodyguard in the group, fans might find it weird and think something’s up,”
“Hm, so you’re paying out of your own pocket?”
“Yes,”
I raised a brow at that, “It must be pretty serious if you’re willing to cut into your paycheck for it,”
“It is! This…. stalker has been mentioning the tour and how he’s so excited to see me in his notes” He starts to flush red in anger, “If he can get into my van I don’t even want to imagine what else he could do…”
“He? How do you know the stalker’s a man,” I ask, ignoring the last dark implications of his last words.
“Uhm, he’s sent some… unsavory photos-”
“..I see, and you’re sure this isn’t just… exaggerated?” I asked carefully, testing his reaction.
His head snapped up, blue eyes sharp for the first time in the conversation. “Do I look like I’m exaggerating?”
…Fair point.
“Alright,” I said slowly, “if I’m going to do this, I need full transparency. Every letter, every… thing they’ve left you, every time you think you’ve been followed. I don’t care how small you think it is. I want details.”
He hesitated, then gave a small nod. “I’ve kept everything. The letters, the gifts… even the weird stuff. I can show you later, but not here.” His gaze flicked toward the windows again,
I followed his line of sight, catching the reflection of the street in the glass. Nothing stood out but then again, people like me learn early that by the time something does stand out, it’s often too late.
“Fine,” I said, sliding out of the booth. “We’ll start now.”
He blinked. “Now? But-”
“You wanted a bodyguard, didn’t you? That means I don’t wait around for things to get worse. You finish your coffee, we leave, and I’ll shadow you until the tour starts. Consider it a trial run.”
Isagi hesitated for a second before grabbing his cup and gulping it down like it was the last drink he’d ever have. When he set it down, his hands were still trembling, but there was a flicker of relief in his eyes.
“Okay,” he said softly.
₊✧˚﹕︶︶︶﹕૮₍ ⸝⸝´ ꒳ `⸝⸝ ₎ა﹕︶︶︶﹕ ˚✧₊
We stepped out of the warm cafe to be met with the chill breeze of winter, the sharp bite of the cold nipping at any exposed skin. I tugged on my jacket a bit tighter, scanning streets, cars, taking note of the faces of every passerby — habit, not paranoia.
“Is your van nearby?” I ask, falling into step beside him
“Huh, oh yea its two streets over,” He said noticing how I was scanning our environment, and attempting to do the same, “Parking was a nightmare,”
I responded with a nod and let him take the lead through a narrow side street, where the snow was slushy and the bright midday lighting was somewhat concealed. Halfway through I heard an impossible soft crunch behind us. Not jumping to conclusions I change my tune and move slightly behind him–shielding him physically.
I calmly look back, not making my intentions obvious. There were a couple people walking past the alleyway, but one hooded figure—tall and skinny, caught my attention. He was loitering at the entrance of the alleyway, staying impossible still with a phone in hand that was somewhat angled towards us. Warning shots fired in my head, my instincts built from years of experience dealing with dangerous people screamed that this was someone dangerous. Deciding not to take any chances I guide the idol in front of me with a hand to his waist, before he can say anything I get close to his ear, “Keep walking. Don’t look back,”
Sensing my urgency he nods and starts speed walking towards the end of the alleyway, I follow right behind him in suite–looking back occasionally I notice the man has started shifting around agitated, almost as if he were deciding whether to follow or stay back. Ultimately he seems to decide the latter, as we reach the end of the alleyway to the larger roadside the man disappears from sight.
We emerged onto the main road, the hum of traffic and the chatter of pedestrians immediately swallowing the stillness of the alley. But my pulse didn’t slow. People like that didn’t just “lose interest.” If anything, he was probably circling another way.
“Van’s just up ahead,” Isagi murmured, glancing sideways at me, his brows drawn tight. “That guy—”
“Not here,” I cut him off. “Get in first.”
Sensing my urgency he fished out his keys, attached to a small red keychain, and unlocked the car. He was about to climb into the driver’s seat before I cut him off again, “No, I’ll drive,”
Isagi froze mid-step, blinking at me like I’d just suggested we walk to the next city. “Uh… you want to drive?”
“I prefer to drive on the job,” I said simply, taking the keys from his hand before he could argue. “Passenger seat. Now.”
He obeyed without another word, pulling the hood of his sweatshirt a little tighter as he slid in. I rounded the van, scanning the street one more time before getting behind the wheel.
The engine purred to life, and I eased us into traffic, checking the mirrors more than I watched the road ahead. The midday crowd was thick, delivery bikes weaving between cars, bundled pedestrians waiting at crossings.
We eased into the road while Isagi punched in his address into the GPS, allowing for a silence to settle over us like dust. I followed the GPS’s instructions, taking note of our environment in the meanwhile making sure to keep an eye out for hooded figures. With it being midday and a Monday, the roads were mostly clear making the ride to Isagi’s apartment smooth and over pretty quickly.
Pulling into the white pristine apartment’s driveway I got out of the car before rounding around the car to the passenger seat to pull open the passengers side door.
“Thanks,” Isagi muttered, sliding out of the carseat.
“Alright, I’ll give you my number and I want you to call me if anything happens,” I retrieved my phone from my jean pocket, “And I want you to show me the stuff your stalker has sent you,”
“Oh, right, how about this Friday? I have a break from practice,”
“Mhm that sounds good,” I took his phone that he had taken out, putting in my number.
I handed the phone back to him, locking eyes just long enough to make sure he understood. “Friday, then. But if anything happens before that—anything—you call me. Doesn’t matter if it’s two in the morning.”
“Got it.” He nodded, clutching the phone like it was a lifeline, “Uhm thanks for.. All this, how are you gonna get home?”
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll get Sae to pick me up,”
The automatic glass doors to the apartment lobby slid open behind him, spilling warm light across the driveway. He hesitated in the glow, glancing over his shoulder at the street as if he half-expected that hooded figure to materialise out of thin air.
“Go on,” I said, jerking my chin toward the entrance.
He gave me a small, tight smile, gratitude mixed with unease and stepped inside. I stayed where I was, hands in my jacket pockets, watching until the elevator doors closed around him. Only then did I turn back toward the exit.
The street was quiet, save for the low rumble of a distant bus and the occasional crunch of tires over slush. I pulled my phone from my pocket and scrolled to Sae’s contact, pressing call.
He picked up after two rings. “Done already?”
“Yeah. Come get me. I’ll send the location.”
A pause, then a sigh. “On my way.”
My phone buzzed, breaking the stillness. A message from an unknown number:
Thanks for today. I’ll see you Friday. – Isagi
I typed out a short reply— Keep your doors locked. Good night —before pocketing the phone.