Chapter 19: Handshaking event

Well it was another training session. And apparently I have been complaining about no one knowing me quite a lot. 

"What do you mean, I haven't been complaining that much."

 Hosta looks at me with eyes wide open. 

"Soa" I ask because she is the only one that seems to have my back. 

"You have mentioned it a total of 95 times over the week. So I would say not really" She says in a cute voice. Everyone seems to laugh at her comment. 

"You've made a full time job out of it".ect ect 

"I do know a fan of yours." Sunia interjects, which everyone seemingly goes quiet as she talks. 

"She has a fan" Liana kindly pitches in. I didn't realise there was a possibility that I had a fan. 

"What are they like?"

"Well his name is Jule, he is smart and decent at sport. And is liked by a lot of girls in my cohort. Yet I wouldn't go near him with a 20 metre long stick. But I think he is moving to America anyway for some brainiac thing"

Well that was quite confusing. We then begin to start training again. I can't say that I don't feel slightly disheartened about what she is saying, Because now I really want to meet him. But I put my only fan in the back of my head and continued to train. 

…

Well we had another two performances. Things were going well, the third performance easily passing the threshold. I kind of felt like we had achieved the goal. But for some reason people aren't seeing it that way. 

"I'm just gonna stay and practice." Hayate calls as I head out after a practice. Well I guess I'm free for the day. I actually got paid which is odd. I don't usually have money to splurge on whatever I want. Soon I could even buy a second hand car. 

Kakilande is known to be a pretty nice place. Located next to the coast it has a nice beachy vibe. After grabbing a latte I walk down the path next to the beach. The park is on my left and the beach on my right, The air has the smell of a coffee van that I'm walking up to. I don't go to that one ever as it is over priced. However, unlike usual, there are a lot of runners all running the same direction, most not even wearing running clothes. However I keep walking, I see posters stuck around saying 'hand shaking event' for CX co. I wonder If I have to do that? However before I can think to myself about that. I see where the large number of runners ran to. A big group surrounding something. 

"It's holly" some girl calls to her friend, bringing them over. I don't know who this Holly person is but I assume she must be fairly famous. I squeeze through the crowd to find my way to a spot I can see. The girl in the middle being harassed by autographs, is a small petite looking girl. She is smiling but it is obvious this is not what she wanted, and is putting it on. However I do seem to recognise it. I think she is one of the regular members of CX co. She locks eyes with me, she gives me an odd look. Does she recognise me from around CX co? I don't know what she wants, maybe she wants me to leave or maybe to help her, however I don't think I can do that. So I just walked away. She should know how to deal with this sort of situation herself. 

…

So the whole Holly thing actually became slightly bigger than I realised. The news headlines that Holly had been harassed by fans, on a simple walk or something. And then we got told by Yahiga that eventually for a very small number of us, probably none, will potentially have to deal with those sorts of fans.

But Currently I'm at the handshaking event. We are in a very big hall with large crowds waiting to see us. However that is not all true, not us, them. We all get kind of paired up with seniors just to learn from them. Well I got partnered with Kimberly, apparently the leader of group 5 or was it 6, well one of them. 

"Sorry, what group leader were you again?" I ask just so I know if I should choose to go to this group. Because apparently if you're in the top triangle of the Shoshina Idol, you usually have a choice of what regular team you want. I don't really wanna be with Iria but she is in the group with Hataya, which makes it interesting. Apparently it's not meant to go down in order of best to worst groups, but It kind of does in some sense. Well they say group 1 is the best. Group 2 is second or third, to group 4. Which 3 ranks fourth. This is all according to Hayate so I am not very knowledgeable.

"I've already told you, Sanaka, group 5." She says waving her ponytail. She has a very athletic build is what I would say. However she is kind of annoying, with how enthusiastic she is when handshaking everyone. 

"No one's gonna handshake you when you are giving so little energy" She says as she bounces side to side. 

"Yes, " I reply, waiting at the desk. The long lines of people filed through, Kimberly must have already shook 1000 peoples hands, and it was still going. And me, I had done about 0 hand shakes completely. Which I didn't mind, like did I need to get lots of handshakes. 

However surprisingly someone did call out. 

"Hey Sanaka, can I shake your hand?" It was my brother and Samarchi. I wonder where Sid was? 

"Go away piss off." I mouthed without making a sound, at him while giving him an intensive stair. 

"Well then I will just have to go, and Handshake with someone who doesn't hate me." He says making a fake sad face. He then proceeds to walk up to Sayaki and Hayate and handshake them. Sayaki looks at him like she is pissed off. While Hayate shakes his hand, while laughing. 

"Who's That?" Kimberly asks with a stern face. 

"My brother." I say with a sense of remorse.

"What does he do for a living," she says contemplating. "His physique is perfect, you know. " She stares as he walks away in a very analytical way. 

"He just does Uni and works out at the gym a lot, even though he obviously doesn't know what he is doing."

"I need to get his workout plan." She murmurs in a dreamily type manner

…

"What do you mean? They both are sick. You know my brother is also sick." I say shocked but then also contemplating. Apparently both Sayaki and Hayate are severely sick. And could potentially miss the next five shows.

So now it's up to me and Sunia, who is going to take the center now for this upcoming show. And now they have decided between them. 

"Okay girls" Yahiga calls getting everyone's attention to the front. 

" We will vote for the center position out of Sanaka and Sunia. First we will do a song with Sanaka as the lead and then one with Sunia. Everyone happy with that?" 

Everyone gave a murmur of agreement. I wonder what it feels like to be at the front?

…

The two dances came and went quickly. 

"What do you think?" Yahiga asks the man next to her, Amano.

"I wish we hadn't told them that they have a choice." 

"So you think they're gonna pick Sanata?" 

"Of course they are. Sunia actually showed her true colours, and they were better than I could have predicted. She should've been the center the whole time. However, her performance was too far out of the league of the others for them to possibly follow, unlike Sanakas whose performance was easily in the realm of their grasp" He lights his cigar then walks off. 

"Sanaka has got to show something more than that for the performance to be a success."

…

I don't know how I got the center position over Sunia. Her performance was almost scarily good, actually it was scarily good. But here I am after finishing a practice, I don't know if I'm really nervous or not. 

Well I'm currently sitting next to Hataya at the seaside park. Since she is sick, she is basically covered from head to toe. With a face mask, so the only actual part of her that you can see is her eyes. 

"So what am I meant to do as center." I asked her with only a little desperation. 

"The same as usual. You just stand in the center and do the routine." She says in an unreadable voice. Mainly given the fact that I can't see her facial expression. 

"But then you are completely exposed."

She gives a nod but nothing more.

"Hey Sanaka, can I have your autograph?" I hear over my shoulder. You would kind of expect that to come from a little kid. However it came from a boy about my age. However he wasn't tall. However I won't lie that being recognised as an Idol by someone I had never met was cool. And the guy wasn't a bad looker either. 

"Yeh sure." I say as he hands me a piece of paper. I do my signature, which I did have to practice. 

"My name is Jule, I hope I see you again." He says walking away. It took me a second to realise that this was the person Sunia had said was my fan. She also said something else about him which I have kind of forgotten. 

…

"What are you doing Sanaka?" Yahiga yells mid way through are routine. 

"Stop being so crap!" 

I just continue while getting slaughtered verbally by Yahiga. It wasn't my fault that I was the one picked for this job. 

This person needs to shut the hell up. I look at her and her frown seems to disappear for a second which confuses me. Then she goes back to yelling at me. 

We finish training up after a long painful experience, I don't know why Idols do so much training.

"My body aches." I say, but no one replies at all. We continue getting changed, most people chatting away. Especially Hosta who seems to be chatting to four people simultaneously. Somehow even though people were chatting they got out of the changerooms quicker than me. Leaving me and Sunia. The atmosphere seems to be awkward. 

"Can I ask you a few questions Sanaka" she says, tying her shoelace. 

"Yeh I guess," I replied. I already know this is gonna be bad. I took her place when she should have had the number center position. 

She gulps, which I kind of do a reciprocal gulp, is she going to yell at me. I have never even seen Sunia show the hint of an emotion. She is showing an emotion, but I just don't know what it is right now. 

"Has Iria mentioned anything about Mayaki to you?" She asks in a really quick manner. 

It takes me a second to understand what she just asks. Dancho? Why is she asking me about Mayaki.?

I'm going to say no but, I guess that Mina did mention Mayaki.

"I guess not very much, what are you looking for?" I asked in a kind of a bit of a dumbfounded way. It is also kind of scary Sunia making eye contact with me. 

"I need to know anything about who Mayaki actually is. Ideally about where she actually lived, what school. Early life, about her family? But also stuff like what her personality was like. " she says in an oddly passionate way, pulling out a notebook.

I can't really say I do know anything really about Mayaki. I wonder if the book has knowledge on her. Maybe I should read the book or actually ask Sid about it. Or I guess I could ask Iria about her, or take Sunia to Iria actually that seems like the best solution. 

"Well I wouldn't say I know anything about her, I could just take you to Iria if you wanted to, I know where she trains today?" 

She looks at me for a second. 

"Yeh that would be good Sanaka." she says looking at me, it was a kind of scary feeling. I start walking, she follows. I go through a few doors and passageways, I'm pretty sure she trains in the training room 3e, downstairs. We don't talk or make very much eye contact until I break the silence. 

"Could I ask why you are needing this information." 

"Yeh, it's just for a school report." She says, like it's a normal thing. Why is she doing a school report on an Idol? 

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING CYLEI!" We heard yelling by the door we were walking by. I know Cylei must be doing something purposely to motivate this person. And I know she wouldn't want me interrupting and ruining it, but I can't let her do this to herself. 

I barge through the door. Two girls standing there facing each other. Cylei who is considerably shorter than the other with her blonde brown pigtails. The other girl black hair, slim curved body. Her eyes slightly slanted in. They both turned to us Sunia who had also entered after me. 

"Why are you a Burikko girl?" Cylei says with her nose upturned. I can't help but marvel at her dedication. 

However I turn to the slanted eyes girl. 

"What the hell are you doing? Don't yell at Cylei, don't you understand that she is only being a pain for the benefit of you."

They both look at me confused, then Cyle stares at me with eyes that seem to turn slightly red. 

"She cut a hole in my clothes, what benefit does that have for me?" she says looking at Cylei, however Cylei doesn't seem to be listening. She looks angry, maybe I shouldn't have given her secret away. 

"You think I am a pain. You will pay!" She yells while storming out of the room. She does her job so well.

"Well now you made her angry, you got angry at me for yelling at her after she ruined my uniform, and then you were the one who really hurt her." the girl says smuggly walking over.

Her hips swayed side to side, she definitely gave off a supermodel aura about her. 

"You know you too are similar," she says, getting closer. She didn't look so tall from far away. She now looks significantly down on me.. 

"Both of you have talent, but none actually want the goal at the end. You will both probably plateau to nothing. You know someone was talking about you being the best. Well we know how they are doing now" She says smiling as she now walks past me and Sunia smuggly. 

Cylei must have stood up for me. This person had now officially unnerved me. Talking crap about Cylei, and then Cylei even backing me up. There was a raw hatred in my heart, I wanted to punch her but would that even be enough, I want to humiliate her. 

I turn to Sunia. She looks at me with eyebrows raised. 

"We need to destroy that person." I say.

 Sunia is usually quite emotionless, Does a slow nod in agreement with her eyebrows still raised. 

"Let's practice, I say." I say taking a position in front of the mirror. We proceed to practice till they eventually kick us out. 

So we ended up completely forgetting about Sunia's whole Mayaki Dancho questions.