The First Beat

Chapter 1

The First Beat

***

The sky was clear and the air was clean, so ofcourse the morning streets were bustling as the morning sun crept over the cityscape as Hirato Yamashita walked to school alone

His hands stuffed into his pockets while his footsteps were light and unhurried, this week being the first week of high school, the atmosphere among the students walking along the road was still fresh and lively and yet, for Hirato, it didn't feel any different from middle school

"Just another few years before I'm tossed into adulthood…"

He muttered, his tone somber

{Then what? A dead-end job? A life full of monotonous employment in some shady place considering my average grades?}

He sighed, adjusting the strap of his backpack with a dry smile

{I hope to atleast make one new friend in these 3 years}

Hirato yearned but didn't kept his hopes up ,as he knew himself perfectly well, he was an Otaku who people found weird, an anime/fiction-obsessed loner who spent his time watching anime, singing ani-songs, and rambling about his favourite shounen protagonists

His old classmates often call him with terms like

"Weirdo", "Creep", "Delusional."

The words had stopped stinging a long time ago though, but that didn't mean they didn't weigh on him

He did however have one friend who always stood by his side, Ayaka Hoshino, his childhood friend, ever stood by him

She never mocked him for his hobbies, and interest never tried to 'fix' him, but even Ayaka had her own life, she was popular, had other friends, and was steadily moving forward, unlike Hirato who sometimes felt like he was stuck

"Maybe they're right,"

He muttered bitterly strolling through the street

{Maybe I really am just some loser}

He thought to himself but when looked at himself once more mentally, his passion and admiration for the things he like… he didn't want to change, his love for anime, for the music, the emotions, the worlds, no matter what others said, to him they were real .They were the only things that made life bearable

Yet, a part of him knew that if nothing changed, he'd end up drowning in regret spending his youth all by himself

As he reached the school gates, he let out a tired sigh and forced himself to walk inside

***

Classes were as dull as ever, even though it was high school now the lessons ,they were the same generic introductions, the same monotonous lectures followed by the same whispers from the back of the room when his name was called, Hirato tuned it all out, sketching anime characters in the margins of his notebook

By the time lunch break rolled around, he had no interest in eating with his classmates, he grabbed his food, made his way up the stairs, and pushed open the rooftop door to get to the roof where only a few people resides due to the windy atmosphere

The cool breeze hit his face as he exhaled

This was his escape

Sitting against the metal railing, he took out his phone and connected his earbuds, music was his sanctuary, especially ani-songs. Making himself comfortable he scrolled through his recommended list, looking for something familiar

But as he went to tap on an opening theme of a new anime, his finger slipped

Another video loaded by mistake

[Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal (Munich 1997)]

He blinked

{Michael Jackson?}

The name sounded familiar, but to Hirato it didn't mean much but just as he was about to swipe the video off, a thought or rather a curious question made him stop half way

{Wait… wasn't he the guy people kept comparing to Muzan from Demon Slayer through memes?}

That thought made him hesitated considering how much the fandom loved that meme, curiosity flickered so Hirato decided

{Alright, let's see what the big deal is}

He tapped the screen and let the video play

***

{ A live performance huh}

A dimly lit stage

Doooruuu....duuuruuu duuuruu

A heartbeat-like rhythm thumped in the background, a rhythm to which the background dancers dressed as mafiosos danced to alongside two female dancers wearing thick makeup

{Is this a build up?}

" Annie are you okay? Annie are you okay? ARE YOU OKAY ANNIE? "

RATATATATATTATATATAT

The camera panned out showing a lone figure dressed in a white suit and fedora, coming out of the stage firing the lights of the stage out with a tommy gun

{Huh?}

And what followed was a curtain dropping down

"What?"

And behind the curtain the lights lit up showing the silhouette of the lone figure who danced with ghostly skills commanding the atmosphere

Snapping his fingers while dancing and spinning, the figure then tilted his head downward. The moment was so silent that it sent a chill down Hirato's spine

And then—

1 2 3 4 5 6 7!

BOOM

A sharp bass note. The man snapped his head up, flicking his hand in a way so crisp it felt inhuman. The sheer intensity made Hirato flinch.

Then came the beat.

Dun Dun da da dun-dun da da dun-dun da da dun-dun Dun…

And before Hirato could even process it, the sides of the stage blew up once more as the large curtains got lifed as the man revealed himself

Then came the voice.

"As he came into the window… it was the sound of a crescendo ,dah…he came into her apartment, he left the blood stains, on the carpet, dah"

His feet as he sang ,slid effortlessly across the stage, each motion liquid, precise, and almost supernatural, he wasn't just dancing, he was gliding, exuding a confidence so powerful it felt like he was music himself

It was unlike anything Hirato had ever heard or seen, powerful, sharp, hypnotic, the stage exploded with energy, the crowd screaming as the music swelled

The way this man commanded the stage, and outdanced the professional background dancers while singing, the way he controlled every motion with such confidence, it was overwhelming

"You've been hit by, you've been hit by — A smooth criminal!"

Dun Dun da da dun-dun da da dun-dun da da dun-dun Dun…

Hirato felt his heart race

What… was this?

He had seen anime fights that got his blood pumping, heard openings that made him feel alive, but this...this was something different

This was real

Michael Jackson was real

The performance escalated, and then… it happened

{WHAT?? }

The antigravity lean

" EEE? "

{ HOW'S THAT POSSIBLE??!!}

The moment Michael Jackson and his dancers leaned 45° forward effortlessly a d stood back straight to the instrumental solo of the song and began to walk like a robot and circle glide, Hirato felt something inside him ignite

His breath hitched. His hands trembled.

{What… what is this feeling?}

"DAaoouh!! I don't know!!! I don't know!! I don't know !!!I don't know!!! I don't know!!! I don't know!!! I don't know-aaaa -help me!!"

It wasn't just admiration

"Dang gone it! Dang gone it Annie!! —"

It wasn't just excitement.

"Dang gone it baby!!! Dang gone it Annie hoooo!! Hoooh!!"

It was something deeper

"Dang gone it !hoo !!hooo!!! hoo!!!!"

A word formed in his mind

Aspiration

"Dang gone it DAaaauh!! "

Dun Dun da da dun-dun da da dun-dun da da dun-dun Dun…

For the first time in his life, he felt aspiration ,a burning passion filled aspiration so intense that it hurted

He had always been content watching from the sidelines, enjoying anime, music, and performances as a fan

But right now, right now he did feel content at such a pattern of thought at all anymore

Now, he wanted to be on that stage, move like that, sing like that and command the crowd's attention like that

Hirato tore his earbuds out, gripping them tightly as the video ended

A heavy silence settled over the rooftop, his heart hammered in his chest before a bright smile lit up on his face which caught the attention of the few people on the roof

"…I want to do this"

His voice trembled

"I am gonna do this!!"

He had never said something like that before, not about anime, not about anything

As for the first time in his life ,Hirato , he had a dream to chase

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break, Hirato remained standing, staring at his phone screen in a daze

Michael Jackson

The King of Pop

The man who, in just a few minutes, had changed his life

He made his way back to class, gripping his phone, his heart and mind were racing, but one thing was clear to himself as day, he couldn't ignore this feeling

It didn't matter what anyone thought, It didn't matter if people laughed, when had he ever seriously cared?

No one was gonna stop him on this as for the first time in his lonely life… he decided

{I am gonna be a star}

That was how the Otaku began his change, starting from himself, this is his highschool story about how he became a star

End of Chapter