The concert had been a huge success, but Sota couldn't fully enjoy their triumph. He watched the others having fun, dancing, and celebrating, but it didn't feel right. He wished he could share this moment with Saeko.
"Did you ask her if she got home safely?" Sota kept asking Aya.
"Man, don't be such a worrywart," Kaito responded with a playful roll of his eyes.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Aya teased.
"Well, she's clearly avoiding me these days…" he murmured.
"Gosh. Will you get over it if I text her?" Aya asked, already pulling out her phone. After a minute, she spoke up.
"She says she is already in bed, Mitsuko sleeping cuddling to her."
"Good," he smiled.
Saeko's phone buzzed. Her heart raced as she glanced at it, only to sigh in disappointment when she saw Aya's name. She asked how she was doing and later sent some pictures from the celebration; countless shots of the group partying and having fun. Everyone looked so carefree and joyful.
Everyone, except for Sota. He was withdrawn, sitting apart from the others, his face solemn. As if there was nothing to celebrate.
Sota was getting tired of all the fangirls constantly cornering him, each seeing only the idealized version of him they had imagined, none of them really knowing who he was.
He had no energy left for mingling, so he slipped away and made his way to the rooftop. It was quiet there; peaceful, away from the ladies and their expectations.
He stood there for a moment, breathing in the cool night air, his gaze lost in the distant skyline.
But that peace didn't last long. He heard footsteps behind him.
"Are you looking for something up here, or escaping from something?" a voice called out in English, cool and casual. Sota rolled his eyes in annoyance, then turned toward the stranger.
Even in the dim light, her features were unmistakable. Unmistakably... Nordic. Her deep red hair framed her fair skin like a wildfire, making her blue eyes seem to glow like a cat's in the dark.
"Both," he muttered. "Unsuccessfully, as it appears."
"Ouch," she quipped, a laugh in her voice.
Sota sighed deeply. He moved to climb up onto the railing, the breeze rustling his hair. She followed without hesitation, throwing her legs over the railing with the same carefree energy.
"Poor guy," she teased. "Must be exhausting, having so many girls chasing after you."
Sota shot her a half-smirk. "All these girls, with their expectations, wanting me to fit some perfect image they've made up of me."
She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, well, you'd better meet my expectations."
Sota let out an exasperated sigh. "And what might those be?"
"Let's play a game," she grinned. "I've got something for you if you can beat me."
Before he could respond, she snatched his mobile phone from his pocket and leaped down to a lower part of the rooftop, reckless and fearless.
"Get it back if you can!" she called, teasing. Sota didn't think twice. Adrenaline surged through his veins as he followed. She led him through a series of daring stunts; climbing, leaping, balancing on narrow edges like a thrill-seeker. Heights didn't faze her; if anything, she thrived on them. It was wild. Insane, even. She pushed him harder, urging him to keep up.
When he finally caught up, she kept up the fight, hiding the phone just out of his reach. Sota had to literally tackle her to get it back.
She struggled, but he managed to pin her down. Both of them were breathless now, bodies slick with sweat, hearts pounding in unison. They collapsed onto the rooftop, side by side, staring up at the starry sky above.
"You're really not that bad," she said, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Sota let out a half-laugh, shaking his head. "So, what do I get for winning?" he asked, his voice a bit hoarse from the exertion.
She turned to him, her eyes gleaming. "An offer," she said, her tone teasing, yet serious.
He looked at her, waiting for more. She smiled, as if savouring the moment before revealing her intention.
Meanwhile, the others kept enjoying the party.
Kaito and Aya exchanged furtive glances and touches whenever they thought no one was watching, seemingly successfully as both Tatsuya and Yasushi were otherwise occupied.
Tatsuya had eyes only for his girlfriend, who rarely said a word but never left his side. He didn't seem to mind, though his attention was always on her, even when talking to others. His hands were ceaselessly caressing her, hugging her, as if no one else in the room mattered. The surrounding fans shot jealous glares in their direction.
As for Yasushi, he only focused on Yumeko, who was effortlessly drawing the gaze of countless men. She was wearing a simple pencil skirt with a turtleneck, but with her figure, she was turning heads even without revealing anything. Some invited her to dance, but she declined every single offer.
"Why don't you give them a chance at least?" Yasushi asked.
"Honestly, I know all of them would try to make a move on me, and I'm just not up to that."
"But still... I can't let you sulk here. How about dancing with me?" He said, trying to sound nonchalant but with small success.
"I know I can't replace him…" he muttered, but she didn't let him finish.
"Sounds okay with you. I know you wouldn't try anything," she said with a warm smile.
His tension melted for a moment, still, her words stung.
…yeah, at least you can count on me being a coward.
As they stepped onto the dance floor, the others felt the urge to join in. Soon enough, all the six of them were dancing.
Just as they were getting lost in the music, an unexpected guest appeared, dressed in a sleek party dress, drawing chaotic reactions from the group.
"Are you Saeko's evil twin, pranking us?" Tatsuya joked, sounding more jovial than usual.
"Granny, what are you doing here? Isn't it past your bedtime?" Kaito teased with a smirk.
"Well, Aya sent me some pictures of how much fun you're all having, and I didn't want to miss out," Saeko said with a playful grin.
"Wow, that's an even bigger reward than the party itself," Yasushi cheered, earning an offended glance from Yumeko.
Saeko smiled. He, more than anyone, understood how difficult it was for her to leave her sick little sister at home. Of course, he wouldn't let her effort go unappreciated.
"Why do I suspect you are not here because we were having fun, but... maybe because someone wasn't having as much fun?" Aya whispered to her ears with a teasing smirk.
"I don't understand what you mean," Saeko replied, her face flushed, totally giving herself away.
"What are you waiting for? Join us!" Kaito pulled Saeko into the circle. Saeko glanced around, seeming unsettled.
"Sure, but..."
„Are you looking for Sota?" Tatsuya asked with a knowing smile.
"Wait, where is Sota?" Kaito asked, the thought suddenly hitting him.
Aya shouted over the loud music with a mischievous grin, "He fled to the rooftop to escape his fangirls constantly harassing him."
To Aya's delight, Saeko's face flickered between panic and annoyance before she finally gave in and joined them on the dance floor. A strange embarrassment crept over her. Not just because she wasn't the dancing type, but because everyone else was so engrossed in each other. It didn't feel like a group; it felt like three separate couples dancing, leaving her on her own.
As a matter of fact, Saori and Tatsuya were truly a couple. She could hardly believe her own eyes. She never imagined seeing such gentle affection on Tatsuya's face. The way he looked at Saori... all his sharp features softened. She seemed to bring out a side of him that no one else could.
"Granny, you're hilarious," Kaito immediately took the chance to mock her. "Teach me how to dance like that," he joked.
She flushed instantly. Her movements were visibly stiff compared to the others.
Kaito attempted to mimic her. But even with those awkward movements, he did it with such effortless style that it became instantly popular. People around them began to copy him as if it were a new trend.
It's unfair. How is it that everything they do looks so cool?
Soon, everyone around was dancing ridiculously, enjoying themselves without a care. She should have felt offended, but instead, she felt liberated, letting go of all expectations, dancing freely and enjoying the moment.
"Now this is what I'm talking about," Kaito winked appreciatively.
Soon after, Sota appeared with a ginger-haired foreign girl. She looked like a Nordic goddess, effortlessly drawing everyone's attention. They stood close, talking and seemingly enjoying each other's company.
"That's rare, someone got through Sota's armour," Kaito whistled as he noticed Sota.
As soon as Sota glanced in their direction and realized Saeko was there, he shot her a surprised look, followed by a warm smile.
He instantly started walking toward them, whispering something to the girl, and she glanced toward the group. They got just close enough to hear.
„Do you wanna join us?" he asked, his invitation making the others raising eyebrows.
„Not for now," she said. „Call me if you are interested, I already added my number," she winked at him.
„You can count on that," he laughed, and just like that the girl leaned close and kissed his cheeks as a goodbye.
Saeko watched them, jealousy written all over her face. She felt like an idiot. She had heard that Europeans often give kisses on the cheek as a goodbye, but just witnessing it made her feel embarrassed.
„Man, what was that?" Tatsuya asked.
Sota shrugged. He wasn't the type to explain himself.
"She's a stuntwoman from Europe," he said.
„Really?"
„Gosh, she is good," he seemed genuinely impressed.
„How do you know that?" Yasushi asked.
„We tried some stuff up the rooftop," he said.
„You tried some stuff, huh?" Kaito laughed, mocking him.
„And?"
"I got an offer to work with her team."
"But you said she's from Europe, so that means..."
"Norway. They're looking for stuntmen for winter sports sequences in the mountains," he said with childlike excitement.
"What? Are you moving to Norway?" Saeko get agiated suddenly, even more when she was talking about her ex moving to America.
The others copied her unease.
„You surely can't just leave the band here, right now, after all you achieved," Yumeko argued, crossing her arms.
"It's only a temporary job. They're shooting an advertisement. It'll only take a week or two."
"Man, you almost gave us a heart attack," Tatsuya sighed, collapsing into his girlfriend's arms in relief.
"Lucky you, I was about to strangle you..." Kaito laughed, equally relieved.
Saeko remained silent, embarrassed by her own reaction at the news. She hoped no one would notice, but, of course, Sota didn't let it slide.
"No worries, I promised you," he said, leaning close, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before whispering, "I won't leave you."
Saeko tried to ignore the guilt churning inside her. I must talk to him soon. It's not fair to him.
So, the rest of the night went on with the group dancing together, the eight of them, as a group of friends, together.