OTA WALKER

Chapter 2

OTA WALKER

***

The sun hung low in the sky in the evening after school, casting golden hues over the sky of the prefecture as students poured out of the school gates, chatting and laughing in small groups, Hirato, as usual, walked alone, hands in his pockets, the weight of his phone pressing against his palm

His mind was still reeling from what had happened during lunch

The video, the music, the sheer, electrifying performance that had lit something inside him

The burning Aspiration of a teenager to be something

For the first time in his life, he had a goal—something that wasn't just watching anime or discussing power levels online

"I am gonna do this "

he had said with resolve, and now, he needed to figure out how.l

"Oi, Hirato!"

A familiar, cheerful voice pulled him from his thoughts

Turning, he saw his friend Ayaka Hoshino jogging up to him while getting all the attention on her, her schoolbag slung over one shoulder, the afternoon sun caught the soft caramel streaks in her dark brown hair, which was tied up in a loose ponytail, her uniform was perfectly neat, her skirt swaying slightly with each step, and the other students around them cast glances their way as if it were a rare sight, because it was

Ayaka, one of the most popular girls in school, hardly ever had the chance to walk home with him ,her childhood friend these days as she was always surrounded by friends, club activities, and admirers who barely left her side

"You're actually still here? Usually, you bolt straight home to catch some anime re-run,"

She asked, falling into step beside him

Hirato smirked but didn't deny it, it was what he always did after all

"Yeah, well… I was thinking about other things today "

Ayaka tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. " Other things?"

For a moment, Hirato hesitated

Would she understand?

Would she laugh?

Such thoughts rang in his head, he obviously did care what others thought, but he might actually cry if it was Ayaka who made fun of him

But then he thought back to the way she had always stood by him, never mocked him, never tried to forcefully change him, if there was anyone he could tell, he knew it would be Ayaka

With a deep breath, he spoke.

" Well you see I found a new passion other than anime and fictional works "

Ayaka nearly tripped

"What?!"

She stared at him in shock, mouth slightly open

"Hirato… you, an anime-obsessed, shut-in otaku… actually found something else you like?!"

The way she emphasized each word made Hirato groan

"Geez, no need to make it sound like a miracle…"

"But it is!"

She exclaimed

"Alright, spill it! What is it?"

Hirato stopped walking, turned to her, and grinned

"Michael Jackson"

Ayaka blinked

Then blinked again

"Michael Jackson, The late King of Pop?"

She asked slowly, as if making sure she heard right

"Yup,"

Hirato nodded with an excited smile

"I watched one of his live performances today, and it was like nothing I've ever seen befor, it was real. The way he danced, the way he sang, it wasn't just entertainment, it was like… like magic"

His hands curled into fists, excitement bubbling up in his voice

"And I realized I want to do that too, I want to be like him"

Ayaka was silent for a few seconds, her expression unreadable

Then, to Hirato's surprise, a warm smile spread across her face

"That's amazing, Hirato"

"You're not weirded out?"

She rolled her eyes

"Please, I've been friends with you for years, If anything, I'm just happy you finally found something other than collecting figurines that makes you want to push yourself, it's truly amazing, So? What's the plan?"

Hirato felt his heart lighten at her support

"First, training. I need to learn how to dance and sing at the same time, also, my stamina is trash"

Ayaka chuckled

"Well, if it's stamina you need, I know just the thing…"

She winked with a smile

***

Day 1

Training to dance is not easy

"Haa… haa… haaa…"

{So… tired…}

Training to sing while dancing? It was Goddamn grueling

Day 4

At first, Hirato could barely last fifteen minutes following a dance tutorial without collapsing,his legs gave out, his muscles screamed, and the footwork tutorials troubled him to no end

And singing while dancing?

He couldn't even breathe properly after a short routine, let alone hit a note

But he didn't stop

That obsessive passion, the same trait that made him binge entire anime series in one night,now fueled his training after all

He spent hours watching the king of pop's live performances, analyzing every movement, every spin, every slide, he didn't just watch, he studied, noticing the way MJ's steps were always precise, how he controlled his energy, how he never wasted movement

Then, he dug deeper

Day 10

He watched Fred Astaire, James Brown, and even studied dancers from his own country like Tetsuya Kumakawa and Kyoka

He realized quickly, this wasn't just about dancing

It was about mastery

So he took it seriously and decided to start with the basics with a metronome based training ,where he practiced moving to beats, internalizing rhythm until his body moved naturally to the tempo

Then, he moved on to basic ballet, to develop better balance and foot control and to hip-hop to understand groove and energy

And when his body ached, when his muscles screamed at him to stop,he kept pushing

But dancing was only half of it, he also wanted to sing after all

Day 23

At night, he practiced vocal exercises that he found on the internet and practicing hivibrato, his high notes and breath control, he recorded himself, vomiting blood when he heard the playback, but still he continued to do so until he improved atleast a little bit in the areas of his errors

His family, of course, noticed

One evening, as he practiced in his room, his mother peeked in

"Hirato… what are you doing?"

His little sister, peering from behind, snickered

"Did he finally lose it?"

His father, standing with a cup of tea, nodded in approval

"If you're gonna sing, do it right, son"

Even at school, some people, mainly his classmates,vnoticed the change

Hirato, once the gloomy otaku, was suddenly in shape, his posture improved, his complexion brightened from regular workouts and better sleep, his stamina skyrocketed thanks to morning jogs

And to everyone's shock, his grades shot up too mainly because of Hirato's resolve to not be seen as dumb and delusional anymore as to him, who wanted to follow MJ's footstep, trying his best in academics was actually one of the small things he could do at the moment

Day 37

Monthly test Class 1B ranking

1.Isuzu Mizuhara

2.Kojiro Hitohito

3.Meiji Hanzawa

4.Hirato Yamashita

"Wait, Yamashita ?? That Otaku???? Wasn't he barely passing before?"

"Yeah, but now he's… smart?"

"He must've cheated or something ?"

" Yeah that must be it, how unfair!! "

Scrutiny and speculations began forming towards Hirato's whose grades suddenly shot up and the gossipa spreaded fast, even reaching Ayaka's ears in no time at all

"I can't believe you actually followed my study and exercise routine, Hirato! Do you really want to be like Michael Jackson that much?"

"That I do, no matter what!"

Ayaka stared at Hirato, her hands on her hips, shaking her head in disbelief.

"You know, I was half joking when I told you to follow my routine "

She stated, crossing her arms

Hirato smirked, wiping the sweat off his forehead, they had just finished an afternoon jog together today on the weekend ,something Ayaka had roped him into after he complained about his stamina

"And yet, here I am, fitter, smarter, and one step closer to being a star "

Ayaka rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the admiration in them

{Seriously… this guy, when he decides to like something, he really goes overboard}

As far as Ayaka knew, Hirato was always obsessive about his interests, she recalled the time he binged an entire 100-episode anime in two days, surviving on nothing but instant noodles and sheer determination, or the time he got into a debate about power scaling between the guy....some bald guy and Goku and wouldn't let it go for weeks

{But this time… this time is different}

She could see it in his eyes, he wasn't just excited about a new hobby, her friend was actively driven, focused and determined. She had never seen him work this hard for anything before

And a small, traitorous part of her wished he would dedicate himself to her like that

Ayaka bit her lip

Shaking off the unnecessary emotions, she sighed and asked

"Alright, then what's the next step in your master plan Hirato?"

Hirato grinned

"Live performances are a bit far-fetched for me right now, so I need to start somewhere smaller"

"And that is…?"

"Hmmm online performances? "

Ayaka blinked

"Wait, you're actually putting yourself out there? Online?"

"Of course, if I'm serious about this, I need to start showing my skills, get feedback, build an audience"

He clenched his fists

"I need to take steps, one by one, until I get there to the place I want Ayaka"

Ayaka briefly dropped her jaws

"Damn, look at you, a few months ago, you couldn't even talk in class without stuttering, and now you're thinking about performing in front of strangers online?"

Hirato chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck

"Well, it's easier behind a screen, you know? No one's staring at me in real time, besides, I need to get comfortable with people watching me before I even think about performing live "

Ayaka smirked

"Alright, let's hear it, what's the name of this account gonna be?"

Hirato paused, deep in thought,then, slowly, a grin stretched across his face

"How about… .... ....?"

Ayaka raised an eyebrow

" Can't think of anything?"

Ayaka asked deadpanned, crossing her arms

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you haven't even thought of a name yet! "

Hirato scratched his cheek sheepishly

"Well... You see I was kinda hoping inspiration would strike when the time was right"

Ayaka sighed

"Hirato, you're over here talking about 'one step at a time' like those shonen protagonist, but you don't even have a name yet?"

"Hey, it's a big decision!"

He protested

"It has to be cool, unique, something that represents me!"

Ayaka hummed, tapping her chin

"Alright, let's brainstorm. What about… MoonwalkerOtaku?"

Hirato's eyes lit up, then immediately dimmed

"No, no, that sounds like some cringey old fan forum username "

"Fine. MJ_no_Otaku?"

"Sounds like I'm just some fanboy, not an actual performer "

"King_of_Weebs?"

"Do I look like I want to be known as the King of Weebs?"

Ayaka pondered

"Honestly? A little bit..."

Hirato groaned, running a hand through his hair

"No, no, no, it needs to be something that actually represents me! Something that blends my love for anime and Michael Jackson…"

A moment of silence passed between them before Hirato suddenly gasped, eyes widening

Ayaka jumped

"What? What is it?"

Slowly, a mischievous grin stretched across Hirato's face

"Ota-Walker"

Ayaka blinked

"Ota-Walker?"

"Yeah!"

Hirato nodded excitedly

"Like, 'Otaku' and 'Moonwalker' combined! It's perfect!"

Ayaka stared at him for a long moment before bursting into laughter

"You… you actually came up with something decent!"

She said between giggles

Hirato folded his arms, looking smug

"Of course I did , this is me after all "

Ayaka wiped a tear from her eye keeping her thoughts to herself

{ It's funny but I can't deny -(looks at Hirato's smug grin)- that's just so Hirato}

End of chapter