Chapter 7: recruit

Everyone was startled when one of their classmate shouts, "WHAAAAT?!", as he was looking at his phone with big eyes. "Guys, you you'll not gonna believe me but Hikari Hishinoya will have a shooting in our school with her new drama which is, 'Dark Blue '", Kota said excitedly in front of everybody. Almost the whole class reacted especially the boys with their eyes shaping heart.

Hikari Hishinoya is one of the popular idol in their generation. In her young age of sixteen she already released two albums of her single and been an actress of most of the dramas shown in the tv. She was first seen when she was having an audition in one of the most popular entertainment channel in the country. After her audition she became the number one content of the social medias with her charming voice and innocent face. After few steps to success she have her debut as a singer two years ago. After singing she also go with the acting as the directors saw a potential in her.

Hikari belongs to a poor family in the province. She was the third and the last child of the Hishinoyas. They grew up having a simple life. Her mother is a housewife while her father was a laborer. Her older brother is already working as a civil servant in a nearby town that time while the other is currently in college. At first she wishes to be model since she were five. One time her mother heard her singing while washing the dishes. Her mother saw an opportunity with that voice of hers. She joined many amateur singing contest in town and sometimes also out of town. There are times she won but also there were not. When she saw an advertisement in the tv she told her parents that she want to try. At first her parents was against her, it was a national competition so they believe that Hikari will just lost. Even her parents are not supporting her she still followed her dreams and that where her journey as an idol started.

'Dark Blue' is a story of a teen age girl in high school who is having a part time job in a coffee shop and also secretly a partimer super hero. Dark Blue is her super hero name having a power to control the minds of the villains. In the morning she is a normal high school students, in weekends she is working as a waitress in a small coffee shop and at night she is Dark Blue. The story will go around how this main character do all her responsibilities in one and how will she fight against the monsters who want to destroy the city. The genre of this upcoming series that will be aired starting next month at eight in the evening from Mondays to Fridays are fantasy, drama, slice of life, and teen romance.

The whole school is currently in chaos knowing that an idol is there to shoot. Besides of this little changes, the regular class will still be on going. Hikari chose to be one of the students of class 2-D even the staffs already told her about the rumors of the said section but these rumors what insist her more to join this section. Everyone can't believe on what they are looking right now, they will going to study with an idol in same class for how many moths except for one person. Kazumi is not fan of those idols and besides he don't have a television in his apartment so he really is not familiar with her. His face that shows no reaction what catches Hikari's attention. She thought that this man has a face and a body fitted to be an artist. She asked the director of the film if she can recruit him as one the show. The director immediately agreed after seeing him. All eyes are on her as she walked towards Kazumi but what she said shocks everyone, "Can you be my leading man?", Hikari said wearing her full smile, the same smile when she's having meet and greet to her fans. From looking out the window, Kazumi turned to the one who talked to him. Hikari asked again the same thing but Kazumi still shows no reaction. "Oh it's my bad I didn't introduce myself. My name is Hishinoya Hikari and I want you to be my leading man in this film I am doing right now", she said making cute face as she held her hand to Kazumi. Kazumi stood while saying that he is not interested that shocks everyone even more.

"Why did you turned down her offer. It was Hikari Hishinoya who asked you to be her leading man; that was a dream for every man. And you, who are you to think you are if I just have that face I would gladly make myself seen in the tv", Kota said to Kazumi in front of everyone during break. Still Kazumi didn't said a word. Hikari went in shouting Kazumi's name being followed by the students flashing their phones. "Is it true, is it true that because of this Fuyumi girl you turned down my offer?" "Where did you get that? I turned down your offer because I don't have a plan to be an actor. My life is so much complicated as you think" "Wait, what does Fuyumi something to do with this?", Kota asked while going on in between them. "I heard a rumor that Kazumi and Fuyumi is dating", Hikari answered in straight face without looking at Kota but instead to Kazumi. The phone flashes more than it was a while ago. "What you heard is wrong, Fuyumi and I are just friends and it is not like what you think", Kazumi said while sitting on his chair. "Then be my leading man, act on my show just this once if you want me to believe you. Promise I'll give you enough salary for this". Kazumi stopped for a while when he heard the word 'salary'. He already don't have that enough money to buy his needs and the due date for paying rents are coming near. He was planning to find a part time job before this happens.

Noemi Arashito is a high school student and a part timer in a coffee shop. She's supporting herself since her parents died in a car accident when she is five. At first she is living from a one relatives to another and when she reached fourteen years old that is when she decides to live on her own. She was staying in a cheap apartment near the school all by herself. Beside from being a part timer and a student, Noemi also is a hero, Dark Blue is the super hero who defeats all the bad guys and the criminals around town by controlling their minds or simply just like hypnotizing them. People doesn't really know who really is this Dark Blue superhero is, she came from nowhere possessing a supernatural powers that any normal person doesn't have. Not until there is one Sunday when he saw a guy being robbed by two guys, and of course she helped the poor man. When she is in her student mood she realized that the man he just saved was studying at the same school as her. They are in the same year yet different section, because of what happened this guy made her curious and interested to him. This guy is a little bit popular at school but because she is always absent because she need to save the city in the villains she is not quite updated on what is going on school. Even her best friend doesn't know about this superhero thingy. Every break she found herself staring that guy like a kind of stalker and also her best friend had a crush on that guy. There is one time that this guy bought coffee in where she is working. At first, she is shocked seeing him in a place like that even the guy doesn't care at all staring his phone all that time. This time Noemi got an opportunity to get the guy's name but when is about to serve the coffee there is a sudden news that some guys robbed the bank. The town needs Dark Blue's help one more time so without thinking twice she left her post and transfer into Dark Blue.

It is been a week since the filming started and three days when Hikari recruited Kazumi to be one of the cats of the said film. For some reasons he always found Hikari beside him during meetings, reading scripts or even breaks. Because of this situation Kazumi's in right now. You can't blame people to start a rumors about those two and guys envy him for the same reason.

The shooting finished one in the morning so Kazumi went home thirty minutes after that. He thought that he can have rest now before the sun will rise but he is wrong. He is staring at most uninvited guest he didn't expect to visit him this time at night wearing a bright smile. Without giving appropriate explanation in just saying that she ran off from her manager just to find Kazumi. Kazumi drags her out of the place to avoid the spread of false rumors. This situation remind him of Saki, this was also the same that night when she insisted to sleep in his place and with the reminder Saki's dead body was also flashed in his mind.

As usual the taping ends late at night. Kazumi says goodbye to the staffs and artists of the show. He was half way through his apartment when he realize that he left his notes to his locker that he was planning to study this night for there is a quiz first thing tomorrow. The staffs are still there packing their things and some school staffs also chatting and having an overtime. He didn't notice that Hikari is following this whole time like some kind of stalker. He went directly to a men's locker room and get his things then leave without taking detours.

Hikari was planning to tease Kazumi when she saw him in school after their shooting. While she was following the guy her manager called her but she reason out to go to the restroom. When she looked back she lost Kazumi in her sight. She's not yet that familiar with the school and because it is already dark she didn't notice where she is going so instead of going to a men's locker room, she accidentally went to women's where Fuyumi is still in their fixing her things cause she just finished playing badminton which is her sport. Both of them startled on what they saw with a question mark on their faces. They are not that close and Hikari still doesn't have an idea that the Fuyumi she's talking about with Kazumi is this girl in front of her. They are still waiting who will talk first and who will move. To avoid this awkward situation Hikari first said that she went to a wrong place apologizing to Fuyumi. She was about to open the door and yet it can't open that makes her more nervous in this situation thinking that she's stuck in a dark room with a stranger. "You're Hishinoya Hikari right, the idol who's having a shooting in our school and the one recruited Kazumi to be her leading man in the show?" Hiakri slowly turned to face Fuyumi but still nervous. " Hmmm", Fuyumi smiled, her usual smile that everybody always see hiding her eyes. "I'm Fuyumi Nagisa. I'm sorry I'm all talked I didn't introduced my name. I'm Kazumi's classmate and friend" Hikari was more panicked on what she heard. She was like a statue standing there finding the words to say like a cold bucket of water poured into her. Fuyumi walked slowly toward her that makes her heart beats stronger like she was cornered by the murderer who was searching for her this whole time to kill. Fuyumi walked past by her and opened the door. " This door is push not pull", she whispered to Hikari without looking at each other. "Nice meeting you Hikari", she said before she leave leaving the door open and Hikari standing their alone. After some time Fuyumi leaved her manager came looking for her so worried saying long speech as always.

For the next scene, Hikari talked to the director of the film if she can have Fuyumi as an extra in their film. Fuyumi will be played as her best friend in school and also her rival to Kazumi.

"Noemi, you're my best friend right? I already told you that I like him since from the start. I know that you know that of all people. I like him since we entered high school. And yet, here you are my best friend saying that you feel the same. I trusted you. You are my sister, why did you do this to me?" "I…. didn't mean to. At first I was just curious about him so I followed him around and I didn't realize that I was also coming to like him" "Gosh Noemi of all people, why him?" "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry"

The film finished after five months of shooting. It was just a short series containing sixteen episodes so it was done in that short time. Fuyumi and Kazumi can now breath freely for they can go back in a normal life they used to be. Everyone is packing up while the director is busy congratulating everybody for their hard works.

"Hikari!!! Hikari!!!" Hikari's manager went where Kazumi and Fuyumi is resting to ask if they saw where Hikari is. Nervousness and worry is written all over the manager's face. Hikari was still present a while ago after the last episode was taped then she was nowhere to be found after that. Kazumi and Fuyumi, even the other staffs went to search also for the idol. Her phone turned off and they already roam around the whole school and yet they can't find her. As the manager remembered, she received a text message after the shoot and then she immediately leave the place.

The sun is already rising, everybody is exhausted and worried on what might happened to the teen age star. They already called the police to help searching for her. Medias was also all over the place for the news spread faster like it has a wings. Next Monday was the date where her series 'Dark Blue' will be watched on the tv and she went missing for almost two days.

Kazumi went to school as usual like he is really a normal student already. "Kazumi, did you hear the news", Fuyumi asked Kazumi when he was about to enter in the room. Everyone is holding the android phone whispering and talking to each other like something big happened. Fuyumi came running to Kazumi in front of the room near the door holding her phone "Didn't you hear? They already found Hikari" Kazumi took a deep breath of relief when he heard the good news. "Oh thank goodness, so where did they---" "She's dead" "Wh..what I think I heard you wrong. What did you said?" "She's dead, Hikari is dead!" She bow her head a little for her tears are welling out of her eyes. "They found her body in one of the locker in women's. Her neck has a mark of a rope and also her hands. She has a small wounds in her hands and face like she fought back before she was killed. Her dead body was all over the internet and the news. Everyone is sad for her sudden unexpected death. She was still smiling back then when we last saw her and now…and now… she's gone" Kazumi hugged Fuyumi to comfort her even he was also shocked and sad because of the news.

Her death was still a mystery for they still can't find the suspect who did that to her. The whole country was in agony for the loss of one of the most amazing idol in this generation. The company postponed her last series for a while for respect to the death idol but they didn't say that it will not be aired.

After a month of the idol Hishinoya Hikari's death, finally her last series filmed in the school of Kazumi in where he himself is the leading man and Fuyumi as the supporting actress titled, 'Dark Blue' will air on tv's and other digital platform starting this Monday at eight in the night.

Kazumi went to Fuyumi's place as planned to watched the series together where they are in. it was a fun experienced not until this horror happened that will forever mark on every citizen in the country who knows Hikari while they are watching this fantasy series. What happened was already a history that will be written in newspapers and books until the next generation.

In loving memory of Hishinoya Hikari.